[IYFILWATIP] Chapter 62

Kirona didn't want to die. 

Saving Jade was less important than living. 

And the exit was right there. If she abandoned Jade, she could escape without alerting the snake. 

Moreover, Jade Eclipse wasn't sacrificing himself for her. He was just unlucky. 

But no matter how much she rationalized it, her steps were heavy. She was leaving behind someone who would surely die without help. 

The exit bathed in sunlight was right in front of her, but it was closing quickly. If she hesitated, she would miss her chance. There was no time. Even if she turned back and tried to save Jade, by then, it would be too late to escape the forest. 

"You have to be ruthless when it's time to let go, for the greater good. That's what it means to be an emperor." 

Kirona recalled the emperor's words. Before she got sick, Kirona often played chess with the emperor. 

Kirona was a good chess player, but she always lost to the emperor. They both knew why. 

"You have all the qualities, but that's your problem. You hesitate at critical moments, too sentimental over trivial matters, too unwilling to sacrifice even a pawn." 

"Mother..." 

"Do you know why you have so many bodyguards? It's because your life is worth more than theirs. You are the queen on the chessboard, but sometimes you risk yourself for a pawn." 

The emperor would sweep the pawns off the board and onto the floor. 

Even with a small ivory chess piece, Kirona hesitated to sacrifice it once she saw it as part of her side. The emperor disapproved of this trait. Kirona always tried to rid herself of it, or at least pretended to. 

Kirona tried to think of what the emperor would do in this situation. The emperor would abandon Jade without hesitation. 

...Just like she had abandoned Kirona. 

Kirona stopped in her tracks and then turned back. She ran past the snake's body and back to where Jade was. Jade, almost entirely enveloped by the carnivorous plant, looked at her in shock. He seemed to be asking if she was crazy. 

"I'm not leaving." 

Kirona reached between the plant's tendrils, pulling out the sword from Jade's waist as she shook her head. She gritted her teeth and began hacking at the plant that was constricting Jade. 

The creature was tough. 

"I'm not abandoning anyone." 

It was hard to cut through, and it made a lot of noise—enough to wake the snake, which was sensitive to sound. 

"Princess!" 

Jade glanced nervously between the twitching snake and Kirona. Kirona paid him no mind and continued to slash at the plant. The plant tried to wrap around Kirona as well, but she cut it off each time with the sword. 

Her hands were soon covered in blood. 

"Jade Eclipse, you're coming with me." 

Winning a game of chess without sacrificing any pieces—Kirona knew that was impossible. An emperor must be willing to sacrifice the small for the greater good. She had been taught that way and raised that way. 

But... Kirona didn't want to do that anymore. She was no longer the crown prince, no longer the queen who could survive by sacrificing pawns. 

"I'm not going to abandon anyone. Even if it means losing the game." 

Because I know what it's like to be abandoned. I know how miserable and sad it is to be left behind... I know how easily the weight of a life can change. 

The snake's breathing grew heavier. It was waking up. It sensed their presence and coiled its body. But Kirona managed to pull Jade out of the plant just before it could regenerate. 

"Run, Jade." 

"..." 

"Run!" 

The sound of the snake's tongue flicking filled the air. It began slithering through the leaves. 

The sunlight had completely disappeared. Kirona grabbed Jade's hand and bolted, not toward the northern boundary, but to the west. 

"Are you insane? Are you trying to get us both killed?" 

"Judging by how you're running your mouth, it looks like you still have the strength to run." 

"These will be my last words! You can still..." 

"Shut up and run. It's already too late. The exit is closed." 

The snake's movements were getting closer. Kirona stopped thinking altogether. Yes, this was crazy. Giving up the chance to live for a mere mercenary—if the emperor knew, she would shake her head in disappointment. 

If Kirona continued like this, she might lose the throne, even if she were healthy. This was the kind of thing that only someone with a "weak mind" would do, according to the emperor.