At the sudden remark, Jade was flustered and lowered his head.
San-gi smiled widely and waved his hand toward Genie and Jade.
"Goodbye, Gene! Goodbye, bro!"
Genie waved back at San-gi affectionately.
"Let's go now, Your Highness," Jade spoke in a low voice.
"Yes!"
Genie turned around with a bright smile.
Jade followed her and turned around as well.
"But Jade, what did San-gi whisper to your ear earlier?"
Jade shook his head.
"It's nothing."
"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine."
Genie started walking ahead through the busy port.
Jade watched her cutely and followed behind.
----------
"The boat to Hana leaves in three days. Will that work for you?" The merchant selling tickets spoke to Jade, standing in front of the booth.
"Is three days the earliest boat?" Jade asked.
"Yes. Our people from Ash don't really like traveling to Hana, so there aren't many boat schedules. You'll have to take what you can."
'Staying in Ash for three days is risky…' Jade thought.
But there was no other choice.
Traveling over land to Hana would take too long.
"I'll buy a ticket for Hana in three days. Two tickets, please."
"That'll be twenty cents for two."
Jade realized he had no money on him.
It had been a long time since the money he had brought after swimming across the vast ocean had disappeared.
Jade lowered his voice so Genie, who was likely waiting at the booth across from him, couldn't hear. "I'm a first-class military official from the Ash government. Please charge the money to my title."
The merchant's eyes widened.
"F-first-class military official…? I didn't realize you were such an important person."
The merchant hurriedly opened his ledger.
"Y-your name…?"
"Jade, first-class military official from the Ash government."
The merchant's hand trembled as he wrote down Jade's title and name.
"Here you go…"
The merchant bowed politely and handed over two tickets to Hana.
"Thank you."
Jade took the two tickets and quickly turned around.
He remembered that Genie was waiting at the booth across from him.
But when Jade looked across, Genie wasn't at the booth.
'Princess…?'
He quickly scanned the crowd of people rushing by.
It wasn't something he could just loudly call out 'Princess' here.
As Jade was about to move quickly to search for Genie, he heard a bright voice behind him.
"Jade!"
Jade turned around.
Genie, holding a traditional Ash rice cake skewered with black sesame, smiled brightly.
"The Ash rice cake is really tasty."
Seeing Genie's bright smile, Jade let out a sigh of relief.
'The Princess is truly…'
Jade smirked.
"By the way, where did you get the money to buy those rice cakes?" Jade asked teasingly.
"Haha. I was given them to taste."
Genie shrugged.
"Should I go get some for you too?"
Jade looked at Genie with a small smile.
"No, it's fine. By the way, they said the boat to Hana won't leave until three days from now."
"Three days? That's perfect. We can explore Ash during that time."
At Genie's peaceful response, Jade chuckled.
"Can you really stay in Ash for three days?"
Genie nodded.
"Of course. Well…" Genie lowered her voice. "The people waiting for us back at the palace are anxious, but…" She raised her voice again. "What can we do? The boat to Hana only departs in three days."
Jade smiled at Genie's nonchalant attitude.
"Well then, we should get a room at an inn first."
"Before that… I'm so hungry I could die. Let's go to the inn quickly."
'Right, the Princess must be really hungry…'
Jade suddenly realized that Genie hadn't eaten anything except the rice cakes she got for tasting since morning.
Of course, he hadn't eaten anything either, but he had been so preoccupied with the boat to Hana and the Princess that he had forgotten about his own hunger.
"But Jade, we have no money. How are we going to go to the inn?"
Jade gave a small smile.
"Don't worry. I have a way."
----------
A little while later, Jade and Genie entered an inn near the port.
The food they had ordered came out soon.
Jade pointed to the traditional Ash soup and rice in front of them.
"You must be starving, so eat quickly."
Genie looked at him, as if not quite believing what he was hearing.
"Is it really true that you can get food on credit if you just say your friend's name?"
"Yes, don't worry. I can put it on credit with my friend's name who lives in Ash, and pay later," Jade lied nonchalantly.
He couldn't tell Genie that as a high-ranking military official from Ash, he could charge money to his title. That would be too risky.
Jade thought that if they couldn't go to Hana immediately, it was better to stop by Ash. If they hadn't stopped in Ash, he and Genie wouldn't have been able to buy food or even go to the inn.
Genie took a big spoonful of rice.
Seeing her eating heartily, Jade smiled without realizing it.
When their eyes met, Jade quickly wiped the smile from his face.
Genie, still holding the spoon, asked, "How's your leg, Jade? Shouldn't you be seeing a doctor right away?"
Jade shook his head.
"It's fine. It's all better now."
"You were looking a little pale on the boat earlier. Was it because of your leg?"
Genie looked at Jade with concern.
Jade shook his head.
"No, I'm fine."
'It wasn't my leg that was bothering me, it was the worry about going to Hana with you, Your Highness…' Jade thought inwardly.
Genie nodded as if to give up.
"Well, if you say you're fine, I'll believe you. But when we reach the palace, you must see a doctor and get proper treatment."
"Yes, I will. You said you were starving, didn't you? Please eat."
Jade and Genie, both starving, ate in silence for a while.
At that moment, someone tapped Jade's shoulder from behind.
"Who is this!!! You!! Aren't you Jade?"
A man called out excitedly from behind.
Jade turned around.
Genie, who had been eating, looked up to see the man standing behind Jade.
When Jade saw the man, his eyes widened.
"It's really you, Jade!!!"
The man laughed widely and slapped Jade's shoulder.
'Chi-yon…'
Jade was taken aback by the unexpected appearance of the man.
It was Chi-yon, who had shared the hardships of military service in Ash.
He was Jade's closest friend during his time as a military officer.
'Of all times, I have to run into Chi-yon while I'm with the Princess…'
Jade was flustered.
Chi-yon immediately took a seat next to Jade and patted his back.
"It's been so long!"
Chi-yon glanced at Genie, who was sitting across from them.
"Who is she…? Your wife…?"
Genie quickly waved her hand.
"No, I'm just a friend!"
Chi-yon smiled awkwardly.
"Oh, sorry! I thought my friend had secretly gotten married."
Chi-yon laughed brightly and slapped Jade's shoulder.
"I thought for a second that you got a beautiful wife. You haven't married yet, right?"
Genie was also surprised.
'Jade hasn't married yet…?'
Jade tried to act calm and shook his head.
"Marriage? No, not yet. Let's go out for a quick chat."
Chi-yon didn't seem to notice Jade's flustered expression and continued speaking. "No need to leave the young lady alone here…"
Jade quickly stood up, thinking he couldn't leave Chi-yon here any longer.
"I'll be right back. Just need to step outside for a moment," Jade said to Genie.
"Yes…" Genie answered, flustered.
Jade hurriedly led Chi-yon outside.
Chi-yon, still with a face full of surprise and joy, smiled.
"No way, Jade! What brings you to Ash?"
Only then did Jade spoke. "I'm here on some business."
Chi-yon smiled brightly.
"How long will you be here? You should come by my house."
"Sorry, I'm on a confidential mission, so I probably won't be able to."
"Oh, I see. I heard from our colleagues in the military that you're still on a mission in Hana. You're amazing, Jade. You've been on a secret mission for over eleven years."
Jade nervously looked around, worried that Genie inside the inn might overhear.
Genie was quietly eating in the distance.
"By the way, the lady you were with earlier, if she's not your wife, then who is she?" Chi-yon asked, curious.
"She's just someone from Hana who is here on a mission with me," Jade replied.
He couldn't tell his long-time friend that she was the Princess of Hana.
"Then does she not know that you're a military official from Ash?"
"Yes."
Chi-yon nodded, finally understanding why Jade had been so flustered earlier.
"Ah… I see I made a mistake earlier. But I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
Jade gave a small smile and nodded.
"No, you didn't. That's why I had to get her out of here quickly."
Chi-yon laughed awkwardly.
This time, Jade asked, "Chi-yon, are you out of the palace now?"
"It's been a long time since I left the palace. Now I'm a merchant, traveling around doing trade."
"Congratulations. I always said the military wasn't for you, but it looks like you've found your path."
Jade, feeling uncomfortable leaving the Princess alone, quickly said goodbye.
"It's been great catching up. If we get a chance, we should talk properly next time."
Chi-yon, looking disappointed, replied, "Yeah, you must be busy since you're on a mission. But what's with your clothes? Even if you're on a secret mission, you look like a beggar."
Jade glanced at his clothes, which had gotten filthy after many nights spent on the sea and on a deserted island.
'They are pretty dirty…'
Jade laughed a little awkwardly.
"Sorry, but do you think I could borrow some money from you?"