Jade suddenly disliked himself for having these thoughts.
He felt so vile for using the pure heart of Princess Genie.
And above all…
'One day, Princess Genie will harbor unmanageable resentment toward me… she won't look at me with the same eyes as she does now…'
Jade felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"Ah, right. But Jade, isn't this your first time in Ash? Do you have friends here?"
Jade, flustered, quickly started thinking.
'I might meet more people from Ash. If that happens, my lie will be exposed, so it's better to change my story now.'
"Actually, I briefly attended the military school in Ash during my childhood."
"Really? Then why did you tell Sangi that it was your first time in Ash?"
"The relationship between Ash and Hana is not very good, so I didn't want to talk about attending a military academy in Ash. Since you're the Princess of Hana and I'm a high-ranking military officer there, I thought you might not be too happy to hear that I attended Ash's military academy. That's why I accidentally lied and said it was my first time in Ash."
Jade glanced at Genie to check if she was convinced.
Her expression was unreadable.
'Is she suspicious...?'
Just as Jade was worried, Genie looked at him calmly.
"You can be honest with me, Jade."
Jade turned his head to face her.
Genie's eyes, gazing at him calmly, shone under the moonlight.
"..."
"Wherever you've been or whatever you've done in the past, I will not hate you."
Jade felt his heart drop.
It felt as if a cool breeze had blown through the hot night air of July.
Genie, tilting her head, looked up at the night sky.
Jade quietly watched her, feeling a strange emotion rise from deep inside his chest.
'Your Highness… if you knew I was a spy from Ash, would you still not hate me?'
Sadness clouded Jade's eyes again.
Following Genie, Jade also tilted his head and looked up at the night sky.
The two of them silently gazed at the sky for a while.
It was Genie who broke the silence.
"From now on, please be more honest with me."
Genie, turning her head toward Jade, smiled softly.
"We're quite close now, aren't we?"
"...."
With a playful tone, Genie continued. "Is it not? Am I the only one who thinks we're close?"
"...."
"If you think we're not that close yet, I understand."
"...."
Genie chuckled lightly.
'Jade is not someone who I can easily get close to, I see.'
Jade's lips trembled faintly.
'Your Highness, would you believe me if I said I also want to get closer to you...?'
The unspoken words lingered in Jade's heart.
----------
Genie cheerfully walked the street like she was dancing.
"Isn't it better to rest at the inn for today?" said Jade as he followed Genie behind.
Mesmerized by the extravagant buildings of Ash's harbor city, Genie replied, "Who knows when we'll be back, Jade. If you're tired, you should go back to the inn and rest first."
As Genie walked down the street, she was drawn to a red rose blooming between the buildings.
"Roses blooming here are red."
Genie stared at the rose vine with curiosity.
Jade silently stayed behind her.
Genie stared at the roses for a while and Jade asked, "Do you like flowers?"
Genie shook her head and turned around.
"No, I don't like flowers."
Jade chuckled at her straightforward answer.
"Then why are you looking at the roses so carefully?"
"In our country, Hana, there are many white roses, but here are mostly red roses. It's just fascinating."
Genie started walking again, leading the way.
'It looks like the Princess had a good rest last night, walking with such energy. I hope she doesn't run into anyone she knows like last time.'
Jade suppressed his worries and followed Genie.
Driven by curiosity, Genie turned into a narrow alley.
'Maybe it's better to go to a quiet place. There's less risk of running into someone she knows,' Jade thought to himself.
Suddenly, Genie stopped walking.
In the middle of the quiet alley, there was a small shop filled with fancy accessories.
Genie walked up to the counter and focused on a jade-colored bracelet out of many accessories.
Jade silently watched the Princess looking at the accessory from behind.
'The Princess likes these kinds of things too.'
Just then, a woman wearing the purple Ash tunic came out of the store.
"You can try it on," said the woman with her long hair braided to one side.
Genie gave the woman a gentle smile, who seemed to be the store owner.
"Thank you."
Just as Genie was about to pick up the jade bracelet, the woman said, "Jade?"
The woman couldn't hide her surprise as she called out to Jade.
Jade, who had been watching Genie this whole time, turned and checked the woman.
It was Sallan, a palace maid from Ash, whom Jade had been close with during his time in Ash's military school, along with Chi-yon.
"How long has it been! How have you been?"
Sallan smiled brightly and stepped closer to Jade.
"Sallan..." Jade, flustered, responded awkwardly.
Genie watched them both with a puzzled look.
Sallan, happily grabbing Jade's right arm, said, "How long has it been! What brings you here?"
Flustered, Jade quickly turned to look at Genie.
Genie, looking back and forth between Jade and Sallan, seemed confused.
Jade said, "Just a moment..."
In his panic, Jade gently pushed Sallan's back.
"Uh?"
Sallan, with a joyful expression, followed Jade into the store.
Genie stared at Jade as he gently nudged Sallan's back into the store.
As Jade entered the store with Sallan, he looked back and checked on Genie.
Genie waved at Jade.
"Take your time talking..." Genie murmured awkwardly.
As Jade and Sallan entered the store, they quickly turned to the side, disappearing from Genie's sight.
"Jade seems to know a lot of people in Ash."
Meanwhile, inside the shop, Jade let out a small sigh.
Sallan, unaware of the situation, happily grabbed Jade's arm.
"Jade, what on earth is going on? How did you end up here?"
Jade replied in a quiet voice, "I'm on a mission right now, Sallan."
Sallan's eyes widened.
"Is that really true? Then what about the woman you were with…"
"She doesn't know anything."
Sallan finally understood why Jade had been so flustered earlier.
"Ah… I made a mistake."
"It's fine. It's okay. Now, I have to go..."
Knowing that Princess Genie was waiting alone, Jade quickly turned to leave.
At that moment, Sallan grabbed Jade.
"Ah, Jade! Before you go..."
Jade turned around and looked at Sallan.
Sallan smiled shyly.
"I have something I really want to show you."
Meanwhile, waiting inside the store, Genie was about to try on the jade bracelet when suddenly, two men approached her from behind.
As Genie turned around, one of the men immediately covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
"Mmph…!"
The other man swiftly lifted Genie and carried her away.
Ignoring her resistance, they ran down the alley with her.
"Mmph…!"
Genie tried to scream with all her might, but her mouth was tightly covered, and no sound came out.
After a while, as she was carried without breathing, Genie's consciousness began to fade.
----------
Meanwhile, Lady Han and Lady's attendant Park, who had miraculously made it back to the Hana Palace, rushed straight to the King's hall where King Gen was.
The news of Lady Han and Lady's attendant Park's arrival without Princess Genie quickly spread among the palace servants.
Hearing the news, King Gen rushed out to the entrance of the King's hall.
Lady Han and Lady's attendant Park, covered in dirt, were standing there.
"Your Majesty…"
"Your Majesty…"
Lady Han and Lady's attendant Park cried.
"What happened to Princess Genie…?"
Lady, unable to lift her head, replied, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty… We lost sight of the princess after the shipwreck…"
King Gen's heart sank.
"I deserve to die, Your Majesty. We should have accompanied the Princess until the end…"
Lady's attendant Park cried beside her as well.
"We deserve to die, Your Majesty…"
King Gen tried to stay calm.
"… At least Lady Han and Lady's attendant Park have returned safely, so it's a relief. The Princess should be on her way back to Hana by now… Let's not worry too much…"
Just then, King Gen, overcome by shock, collapsed to the ground.
"Your Majesty!!!"
All the servants around them screamed.
----------
"Did you draw this too?"
Sallan smiled, holding up a picture of Jade wielding a sword.
Jade smiled faintly at the awkward drawing his childhood friend had made of him.
Sallan, lost in memories, gazed fondly at the pictures in front of her.
"I used to draw you a lot when we were kids… It's so good to see you again, Jade."
Sallan gave him a tender smile.
"Thank you…"
Jade was looking at the pictures with Sallan, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
He was too concerned about Princess Genie, who was waiting outside.
Jade said, "How much is the bracelet the lady outside is holding? I need to pay before we leave, Sallan."
"Is she the one you came with?"
Sallan took a few steps to the left and looked outside.
"Uh? I don't see her..."
Sallan pointed at the empty counter outside.
Jade quickly turned around and looked outside.
There was no one there.
Jade rushed outside.
There was no one in the quiet alley.
'Your Highness...'
At that moment, Jade spotted the jade bracelet lying on the ground.
He bent down and picked up the fallen bracelet.