Because the knights who were officially appointed were reluctant to go out, the shortage was enough to fill the gap with prisoners and mercenaries. Although he did not say that he would follow this subjugation, the Emperor was afraid of leverage, and thus there was reason to exclude Kirona’s name from the list in advance.
Normally, she would have lied down and protested to let her go too, but Kirona was not reckless enough to jump on all fours with a child in her belly.
“Then this is goodbye.”
“Seems to be so.”
His departure date was tomorrow. Kirona stopped yelling about why he hadn’t said so sooner. It was because she knew why Jade announced the campaign just before.
So she would not worry ahead of time. Had she known he was leaving sooner, she would have been shocked and groaned for days and days.
Kirona didn’t have much time. She didn’t know the date of my death, but Kirona knew for sure that her lifespan would be much shorter than average.
So Kirona decided. I won’t spend time grieving and suffering.
She decided not to hold onto the people around her on the pretext of dying. She wouldn’t bother them any longer. Of course, it was difficult to do it perfectly, but…
At least she didn’t have to make an effort anymore.
“Go away.”
Kirona waved her hand to Jade, calming her heart. But even after a while, Jade Eclipse did not leave the room.
“Do you have anything left to say?”
“Let me say goodbye.”
“What you just said was goodbye.” Jade moved his gaze downward wordlessly. Kirona knew what he wanted. She narrowed her eyes and rolled up her baggy top.
It had been four months since she had conceived. Kirona, whose belly was round, was now quite pregnant. Jade soon narrowed the distance carefully. He knelt down in front of Kirona.
“Be safe. I wanted to be by your side all the time… Don’t get sick, take your medicine…I will pray for you.”
“Huh.”
“Your Royal Highness, stay safe.”
He placed his hand on Kirona’s stomach. With his rough hands worn out from long training, he swept down Kirona’s stomach as if he were touching the most precious treasure in the world.
Kirona clenched her chin and looked down at his face.
It wasn’t that she hated him completely either.
Sometimes he just stared at her like he was going to kill her. He might have thought he wasn’t obvious, but Kirona knew everything. How can one not know the vivid hostility that touches their skin? Sometimes, those blade—like eyes made her stomach churn.
Well, she understood. Not quite as much as Jade, but Kirona’s other loyal limbs also sometimes had those sharp eyes. You must have thought that the child was devouring my life and my health. But what do I do? This baby is innocent, and it was me who decided to give birth.
At that moment, her thought was broken by the sound of lips touching her. Kirona rolled her eyes. While she was resting, Jade Eclipse kissed her stomach.
“Hey!”
That cringe worthy behavior made Kirona shudder. But Jade did not yield to Kirona’s reaction. He quickly kissed her mouth once more, then playfully smirked.
“Daddy’s going.”
“Oh, my God! Don’t fool around. He’s acting up. Squirming all the way to his head now.”
Kirona picked up her scabbard and pounded his iron-like back, but Jade barely flinched. He merely smiled and avoided Kirona’s beating. Kirona eventually caught Jade and whispered, pulling hard at his ear.
“Be careful. In the Imperial Palace, the walls also have ears. People might misunderstand you as the baby’s biological father. Do you want rumours to float about someone who hasn’t even married yet?”
“I’m not getting married. How many times do I have to tell you?”
The child was the emperor’s first grandchild. Although the child was not yet fully formed, the only one who dared to speak to the child, other than the royal family, was the child’s biological father. However, like many pregnant women in the Mihadas Empire, Kirona did not know the exact place of conception of the child. There were only a few candidates that could be narrowed down to, but only God knows exactly who they are.
But one thing was certain.
That this cheeky knight who just kissed her stomach was definitely not. Kirona never touched Jade Eclipse. It was the last piece of conscience she had left.
“Anyway, I would have carried you, hugged you, comforted you, played with you, put you to sleep. So why are you being so tight? Ain’t that pretty much a biological father? No matter how hard you try now, rumours will eventually spread. After all, as soon as you gave birth, you were thinking of giving it to me.”
Jade raised an eyebrow in protest. Kirona, who had nothing to say, reiterated the argument that had lost its persuasiveness.
“It’s because I’m afraid that someone might misunderstand. Let’s be clear. It was never your kid.”
She owed Jade a huge debt, from just taking care of her. To bring him into such a thorny political battle, Kirona’s conscience wouldn’t allow that. Whilst Kirona contemplated revising her plan to have him take care of her child, Jade opened his mouth first, breaking the silence.
“Yes, no. But now, it doesn’t matter whoever the biological father is.”
The Princess and the Knight met each other’s eyes. Jade Eclipse knelt down on one knee.
“…Because it is Your Highness’ child.”
“…”
“It is my child.”
Your child is my child.
It was a common oath of brotherhood, sword in the Midlands. Jade was from the Mid East. It was enough to be interpreted as his pledge of loyalty. However, eyes cannot deceive others even if they deceive those who own them.
At that moment, facing him, Kirona froze. He wore an expression that she had never seen before. It was too straight and
It was enough to interpret it as a word from loyalty. However— ••• Even if the wearer deceives the person, the eye cannot deceive the person.
At that moment, Kirona had to freeze, facing him. He had the first look Kerona had ever seen. It was too upright and heavy. And Kirona wasn’t stupid enough to not notice the meaning of those eyes.
You.
No way.
The unspoken words became an echo in her mouth. Jade grabbed Kirona’s hand as she tried to retreat. He seemed to know that Kirona had noticed.
No, that wasn’t it. Kirona soon realised. Kirona had not caught his eyes. He had chosen to reveal. Something he had been hiding thoroughly for the past hour, now. Kirona stuttered, not daring to say what its identity was.
“Are you…by chance…”
“Please don’t say anything. I’ll listen to you when I come back.”
Jade Eclipse chuckled. He covered Kirona’s pouth with his palm. At the same time, he placed his finger on her lips, caressing softly. In the silence, they only stared into each other’s eyes. Staring at her eyes, the world was endless.
Finally, he rose from his seat and turned around.
That was the last time. The next morning, Jade Eclipse left for the East. After the subjugation forces’ arrival in the east, contact with the Imperial Palace was completely lost.
//Jade & Kirona’s relationship have landed their place high up in my book with flying colours.