The tavern owner studied them for a heartbeat, her curiosity mingling with respect.
"I see. Please rest well while you're here," she said, stepping gracefully outside into the fresh morning air, the sunlight tracing the edges of her silhouette.
Genie pointed toward the second door on the right.
"I will take this room."
Jade nodded.
"Then I'll take the one diagonally opposite, Your Majesty."
They each slipped into their rooms, the doors closing softly behind them. The modest rooms embraced them with a quiet serenity, shadows softened by beams of sunlight filtering through small windows.
Inside her room, Genie felt the heaviness of travel begin to dissolve. The warmth wrapped around her like a gentle tide, carrying away the weariness etched into her bones from the night's long journey. Her eyes landed on a neat pile of white bedding tucked neatly in the corner.
Without hesitation, she spread the soft blanket across the floor and sank into it, the fabric cool yet comforting against her skin.
A breath escaped her lips, a whisper to the stillness around her.
"Now I feel like I can live again..."
Jade slipped quietly into the diagonally opposite room, the soft click of the door closing behind him sealing him in a cocoon of tranquility. The accumulated weariness from their relentless journey seeped from his limbs, melting into the cozy warmth that saturated the space.
With a practiced motion, he unstrapped the sword from his waist and set it gently on the floor beside him. Leaning back against the cool wooden wall, he closed his eyes and let the room's comforting heat seep through the grain, settling deep into his muscles and bones.
His thoughts drifted, unbidden, to the Majesty—the princess—who must have already surrendered to sleep in the neighboring room.
'She must have fallen asleep right away,' he mused softly.
Then, like a distant echo from the past, a memory surfaced—sharp and vivid despite the years. Twelve years ago, in the quiet stillness of the palace archives, he had found a young Princess Genie asleep alone, surrounded by towering shelves of ancient scrolls and dust-laden tomes.
'I remember carrying the sleeping princess to her chambers…'
A faint, almost wistful smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he recalled that tender moment—the lightness of her small frame, the trust in her sleep, the innocence shining through her youthful features.
'My connection with Her Majesty goes way back, he thought, heart tightening.'
The little princess, barely twelve, had blossomed into the woman she was now—strong, graceful, and unyielding.
'I never imagined she would come to mean this much to me…'
Jade's eyelids fluttered closed, and an inexplicable feeling swelled within him—tender yet overwhelming, quiet yet unshakable. He let it wash over him, a silent confession nestled deep in his heart as the room's warmth wrapped around him like a protective embrace.
In the suffocating shadows of the underground chamber, a solitary candle flickered atop a rough-hewn wooden table, casting dancing, restless shadows that stretched like grasping fingers across the walls. Around the table, bandits clustered tightly, their faces etched with worry, eyes flicking nervously toward their leader—Teel.
Manny, the youngest among them and Teel's right-hand man, swallowed hard, voice trembling as he broke the silence.
"Boss... I-Is the queen's recent outing... C-Could it possibly have something to do with us...?"
His words hung in the damp air, heavy with fear.
Teel's weathered fingers slammed onto the table, the sharp rap silencing the murmurs instantly. His low, gravelly voice rippled through the chamber like a warning.
"There's nothing to fear. Does the queen only have one or two reasons to leave the palace?"
His piercing gaze swept the anxious faces before him, illuminated by the flickering red candlelight that stained their expressions with shades of dread and uncertainty.
Chal, the seasoned left-hand man, swallowed his fear and dared to voice what others only thought.
"B-But boss… We even invaded the royal tomb and threatened the Queen… Are you sure she didn't leave because of us?"
Teel leaned back with the casual arrogance of a predator surveying his prey, the log chair creaking beneath him. A sly smile curled at one corner of his mouth, dark and knowing.
"If she left for that reason..." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Then all the better. She took the bait we set. Negotiations will begin right away."
Manny's voice cracked, trembling once more as he dared to speak again.
"B-boss... What if, instead of negotiating, the queen wipes us out...?"
Teel's eyes snapped open like steel traps, piercing Manny with a cold, ruthless glare. The sudden intensity shut Manny up instantly, his words choking off mid-air.
"N-No... I was just saying that... Not that I really believe it..."
Teel's lips curled into a grim smirk, voice sharp as a blade.
"If you're going to have such weak thoughts, you're free to leave the bandit group now."
Manny's hands shot up frantically, panic flooding his face.
"N-No... Why would I leave, boss..."
Teel's gaze swept the restless bandits gathered around the table, commanding and unyielding.
"I'm not only talking to Manny. Anyone here who wants to leave the bandit group can do so right now."
He paused, his fist slamming down onto the wooden table with a thunderous Bang! The sound reverberated through the chamber like a war drum.
"But!"
His voice boomed, echoing off the stone walls.
"Anyone who leaves will never be allowed back."
The gathered men bowed their heads, swallowed by the weight of Teel's iron will.
Teel's lips twisted into a sneer, eyes gleaming with dark anticipation.
'The queen is coming for me.' The thought was a spark of savage delight burning in his chest. 'The time we've been waiting for has finally come.'
The faint glow of dawn seeped through the paper-thin sliding door, casting delicate patterns on the wooden floor. Outside the quiet chamber, Jade stood silently, her breath steady but heart pounding softly beneath her calm exterior.
"Your Majesty..."
His voice was gentle, threaded with cautious concern as he called out once more, standing just inches from the slender door that shielded the Queen's rest.
No reply. Only the muffled silence hung heavy in the air.
The hour was drawing near — the warriors, scattered among the taverns like shadows, awaited their queen's presence. Yet the stillness within the chamber told a different story.
With careful respect, Jade lifted her hand and tapped softly against the wooden frame beside the delicate paper screen.
"Your Majesty, it's time. Are you still very tired?"
Stillness.
A breath held in the space between moments.
'She's still sleeping,' Jade thought, her eyes tracing the soft light that flickered against the thin door.
Suddenly, a voice, tender and weary, filtered through—the queen's, stirring from sleep.
"Ah, I'm sorry...! I'll be out soon."
Jade's chest eased slightly, yet a shadow of worry remained.
'Her Majesty is still very tired...'
Through the fragile barrier, Jade's voice softened again, a thread of compassion weaving through her words.
"No, Your Majesty. If you are tired, would you like to rest a little longer? I will inform the warriors."
Genie's heavy eyelids fluttered open, reluctant and sluggish. With an effort, she pushed back the thick blanket that had shielded her through the restless night.
A sharp, pounding pain jabbed deep into her temples.
'Why is my head so dizzy...?' she wondered, lips pressed into a tight line as she frowned against the harsh ache.
She tried to rise—but before she could steady herself, a sudden, heavy thud echoed through the quiet chamber.
She collapsed, the world tilting beneath her like a ship caught in a storm.
"Your Majesty...! Are you alright?" Jade's voice cracked, spilling out in alarm as the sharp sound reverberated from inside the room.
No answer. Only a deafening silence.
Jade's hands trembled at the door, torn between waiting for permission and the rising panic inside him.
"Your Majesty. Did you fall down...?" His voice was barely a whisper, fragile and uncertain.
One second. Two seconds. Three.
The silence stretched like an endless void.
His breath caught. His heart plummeted into his chest.
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
With a sudden surge of desperation, Jade flung the door open, the wooden frame groaning in protest.
"Your Majesty!!!" His voice was raw, echoing through the still air.
His eyes widened in shock as he saw her—Genie—collapsed, motionless, sprawled across the unfolded bedding.
Without hesitation, he rushed to her side, hands trembling but determined.
"Your Majesty!!!" he shouted, voice thick with fear.
Kneeling, he carefully lifted her fragile body into his arms. She was limp—unconscious.
His heart thundered wildly, each beat a frantic drum in his chest.
Without wasting a moment, Jade hoisted the queen onto his back and bolted out into the narrow hallway.
As he burst through the doors into the courtyard, the waiting warriors froze, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief at the sight of their queen carried helplessly on Jade's back.
"Minister!"
The deputy commander's voice cracked through the tense air, sharp and urgent.
"Her Majesty has collapsed! We must find a doctor nearby immediately!" Jade shouted with desperation.