Jade nodded with a faint smile.
Unlike the cheers of San-gi and Genie, who were excited about leaving the uninhabited island, Jade's heart was tangled with complicated feelings.
It was clear that leaving was the right thing to do.
They couldn't stay on the uninhabited island forever.
'But if I go back to Hana...'
Jade turned his head and looked at Princess Genie, who was happily waving her arms in the air with a wide smile.
'I have to bring her down...'
Jade bit his lips tightly.
Soon, the boat reached land.
Although it wasn't as big as the one they had taken when leaving Arabia, this boat was still large enough to accommodate about thirty people.
Inside the boat were a few middle-aged men and several layers of nets.
One middle-aged man with short, graying hair came out onto the deck.
"Hey there!"
Hearing the familiar language, Genie was startled.
It was the language spoken by the neighboring countries, including Hana and Ash.
San-gi was also surprised and looked at the middle-aged man.
Both San-gi and Genie answered at the same time.
"Yes!!!"
The middle-aged man, seeing that San-gi and Genie spoke the same language, asked, "Are you stranded on this island?"
San-gi replied in a trembling voice. "I really thought I was going to die... All three of us were stranded here after our ship sank... I thought my life, which had barely survived, was going to end here..."
The middle-aged man smiled kindly.
"I don't know where you're heading, but we'll take you to the mainland."
Other sailors also spoke up.
"Yes, please get on."
"Come on, quickly, and join us."
San-gi was the first to climb aboard the boat, struggling to get up.
Genie also walked toward the boat, turned her head, and looked at Jade.
"Jade?"
Jade nodded.
"Yes, let's go."
Genie jumped onto the boat with a bounce.
'Princess is good at jumping.'
Jade smirked and climbed onto the boat after Genie.
"Thank you for the help," Genie said politely to the sailors. "We survived, Jade."
Genie gave a slight smile as she looked at Jade.
Jade gave a small smile in return at her beautiful smile.
The middle-aged man with the graying hair responded, "Which country are you from?"
San-gi answered first. "I'm from Ash! My brother and Jin are from Hana!"
When San-gi introduced them as Hana people, Jade's conscience was pricked.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
The middle-aged man said, "We are fishermen from Ash. We were on our way back after finishing our catch."
The mention of Ash darkened Jade's expression.
In contrast, San-gi smiled widely.
"You're heading to Ash?! Wow, that's great! I didn't even have any energy left to make arrows at Hana anyways!"
San-gi turned and looked at Genie and Jade.
"After we arrive in Ash, you two will need to head to Hana, right?"
Genie smiled.
"Stopping by Ash for sightseeing sounds rather good."
Genie turned her head and looked at Jade.
Jade's expression looked somewhat dark.
Genie whispered in concern. "Jade... Does your leg hurt again?"
"No..."
Jade silently stared at Genie.
The thought of going with the Princess to Ash...
It was too dangerous.
----------
On a dark night, the boat carrying the sailors, Genie, Jade, and San-gi rocked through the rough waves.
At the back corner of the boat, Genie crouched down and tilted her head upward.
Everyone else was sleeping in the sailors' quarters in the middle of the boat.
The stars embroidered the black night sky.
The rough waves contrasted with the beautifully scattered stars.
Inside the boat, which swayed too much, Genie felt intense seasickness.
"Ah..."
At that moment, someone approached her.
"Your Highness..." Jade said quietly.
"Why aren't you sleeping...?" Genie said in a tired voice.
"Are you feeling seasick, Your Highness?"
Genie nodded.
"But it's fine. Soon..."
Genie stopped her sentence.
She had to.
It was because Jade had suddenly knelt before her.
Jade held Genie's right hand and lifted her long sleeve.
"Why..."
Before Genie could finish her sentence, Jade slowly and carefully began massaging from the inside of her wrist to her elbow.
Genie, who was feeling seasick, silently watched Jade as he massaged her, lost with words.
Jade was right there in front of her.
Even in the dark of night, his delicate eyes, sharp nose, and neat lips stood out.
She could feel his soft, comforting touch on her bare skin as he massaged her.
"...This is enough..."
At Genie's words, Jade finally withdrew his hands from her arm.
Then, he carefully lowered her sleeve.
Jade raised his head and met her eyes.
Genie's big, clear eyes shone even in the dark night.
"Your Highness, you should go inside and sleep now," Jade whispered.
Though Jade never called her "Your highness" in front of others, he used the term now because everyone was asleep.
Genie nodded cautiously.
"Yes... I will go and sleep now..."
Jade silently watched Genie's hair blowing in the night wind.
He wanted to reach out and brush her hair away from her right eye.
With a small sigh, Jade stood up.
"Then, I'll go inside first. Princess, please go in and rest."
As he turned to head into the quarters, he heard his name.
"Jade."
Genie called to him from behind.
Jade slowly turned and faced her again.
Genie, still crouched, lifted her head and looked up at him.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Thank you."
Genie smiled slightly.
Jade stared at her for a moment, stunned.
"Thank you so much, Jade."
"... It's nothing."
Jade slowly turned again.
'My heart is racing...'
Jade could feel his heart pounding again.
He sensed an unfamiliar emotion rising within him.
Jade slowly stepped forward, heading to the quarters.
He could feel her watching him from behind.
But he couldn't turn back.
He couldn't stay by her side.
Because if he did, it felt like his heart might truly explode.
'I have to avoid the Princess... It's too dangerous when I'm near her.'
----------
The ten nights on the boat passed in the blink of an eye.
Genie and San-gi always gathered together and chatted cheerfully, while Jade watched them from a distance.
The fishermen aboard the boat talked about their children on land, and time on the boat flew by quickly.
"Look, do you see the land over there? That's Ash Kingdom, where we'll be arriving."
The middle-aged fisherman with graying hair pointed to the faint land on the horizon.
Genie's big eyes grew even wider.
"Wow... That's Ash," Genie said as she looked at Ash in the distance with awe.
San-gi, standing to her left, stretched his arms wide.
"Finally, we're arriving in Asguk!"
The fisherman replied, "It'll take one more night to reach Ash, but we're almost there."
San-gi smiled brightly.
"I'm just happy to see the land of Ash even from a distance!"
San-gi turned to Genie.
"Gene, you said that you've never been to Ash, right? I'll make sure to show you around when we get there!"
Jade, standing to Genie's right, glanced at San-gi.
'How dare he say he'll show the Princess around Ash...'
Jade bit his lips tightly.
San-gi turned to look at Jade.
"Bro, this will be your first time in Ash too, right?"
Jade lied calmly.
"Yes."
'I can't let anyone who knows me see me in Ash,' Jade thought to himself.
San-gi, completely unaware of Jade's thoughts, smiled brightly.
"Then I'll show you all the best places in Ash!"
Jade spoke up. "Sorry, but we need to head back to Hana immediately."
Jade turned his head and exchanged a glance with Genie.
'Your Highness, we need to leave quickly so no one will worry back home.'
Genie, understanding Jade's thoughts, turned to San-gi.
"Sorry, we need to get back to Hana quickly. If we don't leave soon, our families will be worried when they hear about the shipwreck."
San-gi finally understood and responded with a gloomy face. "I see… I completely forgot about that. Alright, we can't help it..."
----------
In the morning sunlight, Jade walked to the deck of the boat.
In the distance across the sea, a harbor filled with colorful buildings and crowds could be seen.
It was the Ash he knew so well.
Jade carefully walked to the quarters below deck.
Only Genie, the only woman, had used the left quarters on the boat.
Jade knocked gently on the door.
"We've arrived."
Jade intentionally omitted the title "Your Highness."
Genie, her hair flowing down to her chest, came out of the quarters.
"Is it mealtime?"
Jade smiled slightly.
"It's time to disembark. We can have breakfast after we get off the boat."
"Oh, right. Yesterday was the last night."
Genie hurriedly got up and ran to the deck.
As expected, the harbor came into view with its dazzling, colorful buildings.
It was a stark contrast to the neat and modest cities of Hana Kingdom.
"Wow..."
Genie looked at the scenery of Ash in awe, standing next to Jade.
Jade, instead of feeling at ease, felt more complicated.
'I need to find a boat from Ash to Hana as soon as possible,' Jade thought.
Before long, San-gi approached them.
"Finally, we've arrived!!!"
Genie turned and smiled at San-gi.
"You're really excited, huh?"
After spending so many days together, Genie and San-gi had become close and were now on informal terms with each other.
San-gi smiled widely.
"Of course! I thought I was going to die, but now I've arrived at my hometown with you guys! I'm really lucky!!!"
The sailors began coming out one by one.
Genie thanked the middle-aged fisherman who had first taken them aboard.
"Thank you again."
The middle-aged fisherman smiled kindly and waved his hand.
"It was only right to help."
Soon, the boat arrived at the harbor in Ash and anchored.
The fishermen began unloading their nets and fresh fish from the boat.
Genie, Jade, and San-gi disembarked and followed the fishermen.
Genie bowed her head in gratitude to the fishermen.
"I don't know how to repay you for this kindness. Thank you so much."
Jade also bowed his head in thanks.
The middle-aged fisherman smiled warmly.
"We old men just stick to each other, but it was enjoyable having young people around. At first, I misunderstood you because you were from Hana, but because of you, I've learned a lot and changed my view of Hana. I hope to visit one day."
Genie answered, "Of course. Please come visit us. Next time, I'll make sure to give you a proper thank you. May I know your name..."
The middle-aged fisherman waved his hand.
"Thank you? There's no need for that. If we meet again when we go back to Hana, that will be fate. Please return safely to Hana."
The fishermen waved goodbye with bittersweet expressions as they left.
San-gi shouted towards the fishermen. "Thank you so much!!!"
The fishermen smiled and drifted away.
Now, it was time for Genie and Jade to say goodbye to San-gi.
Genie waved at San-gi.
"It was fun traveling together. I'm really grateful. Be safe, San-gi."
San-gi nodded with a sad expression.
"Take care, Jin. We definitely need to meet again!"
San-gi turned to look at Jade.
"Bro, please travel safely!"
Jade gave a small smile.
"You too, take care."
San-gi stood on his tiptoes and whispered into Jade's ear.
"And don't hide your feelings for Genie... express them!"