[IYFILWATIP] Chapter 52

"To the higher-ups, anyone with a sword, whether a knight or a mercenary, is just a dog. Why would I be any different?" 

She had immediately recognized his noble background, but his behavior left her confused. The noblemen Kirona had seen in society were always proud. They constantly tried to associate with the daughters of Theresia, while secretly plotting to climb above them... 

Perhaps growing up as a mercenary had turned him into something akin to a commoner. 

"If you’re only doing this because you’re scared, don’t worry. The royal family won’t execute you for kidnapping me. I’ll put in a good word for you. You’ll get paid too." 

"Every client says that at first." 

Jade tightly tied the laces of her boots and sharpened her dulled sword. Kirona swung her legs, now wearing her restored boots, and asked. 

"Is that how you always talk, so rough?" 

He really was peculiar. Too refined for a mercenary, yet too rough for a noble. And Kirona liked that about him. It was as if he combined the best traits of both. She liked him enough to want to keep him around. 

"I feel like I’m on the verge of remembering who pointed out that I couldn’t hide my noble speech." 

"That may be, but... you’re truly unique. Like a blend of both. Neither a noble nor a mercenary." 

"You’ve got it right. I’m a mutt. Born a noble, raised a mercenary." 

He replied absentmindedly, handing her the end of a rope with a looped handle. 

"Are you going to tie me up again?" 

"No, just hold on tight. From now on, it’s all overgrown and not a normal path. It’ll be hard to take even a single step. If you lose me, I can’t take responsibility." 

Kirona did as Jade instructed. He looked at her with clear doubt, then sighed deeply as if resigning himself to his fate, and reluctantly led the way. 

His thoughts were written all over his face. He’d love to dump her somewhere, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Kirona didn’t mind. She was used to being treated as a burden. 

The path was as rough as Jade had warned. They had to step down steep rocks and descend into a valley, then hack their way through a field of tall reeds, which was impossible to bypass. By the time they emerged onto something resembling flat ground, it was already noon. Kirona’s hair was a tangled mess like a bird’s nest. 

"See? It’s tough, isn’t it? You should head back to the hut. I’ll take you there. We can get back before nightfall." 

Instead of answering, Kirona showed him a large frog she had speared in the stream beside the reed field. 

"Let’s eat this for lunch. It’s not a monster, and it’s not poisonous. I heard somewhere that it’s good for your health." 

"......" 

"If it’s too much trouble to start a fire, we can eat it raw. I’m good with raw food." 

Jade stared at her, dumbfounded, with the same expression he had when he first realised she was a princess. 

* * * 

Even though Kirona emphasized several times that she was fine with eating it raw, Jade stubbornly insisted on preparing a fire. Kirona found it uncomfortable that he was trying to give her what people might call the "princess treatment." She didn’t need that. She grabbed his hand and shook her head. 

"We can’t risk making smoke, can we?" 

"A fire made with a firestone doesn’t produce smoke. Didn’t you know that?" 

"I didn’t." 

"Well, it would be strange if a princess knew." 

"Hey!" 

Kirona yelled at him but made a mental note to remember that fact. She had learned by now that knowing things could mean survival. 

"Please don’t make me the person who made a princess eat a raw frog. In the future, just ask me to grill it." 

It didn’t take long for the meat to cook. Jade blew on the skewered frog to cool it down and then offered it to Kirona first. 

Kirona frowned as she accepted it. See? He’s still treating me like a princess. Does he think I’m a child who needs to be fed? But she held back her frustration. Jade seemed unfamiliar with taking care of someone else, and because of that, he looked more tired than usual. 

"Who would have thought I’d live to see a princess gnawing on frog legs..." 

Kirona, with a mouthful of frog meat, glared at him. She had tried 

to hold it in, but he was really getting under her skin. 

"What do you think a princess is? You’ve probably been ridiculed plenty by mercenaries for being of noble birth, so let’s keep it civil, okay? We both know how that feels." 

"Do they serve this kind of thing at the palace?" 

"Not usually, but I’ve eaten it before. I eat everything." 

It was true. Kirona had tried every food rumoured to have medicinal properties. She had even resorted to the home remedies of the servants. Emma had been disgusted by it all, dismissing it as superstition, but Kirona had been willing to try anything. Jade let out a dry laugh and asked again. 

"What on earth would make you go to such lengths...?"