How To Choose A Knight (28 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
She wasn’t sure whether she should be grateful or not, but opportunities had to be seized when they came.
From then on, the pot was never empty.
Jade had recently made wound-healing medicine from Loroa root and stored it, and also brewed a fever-reducing potion from Aspi wood. Now she was working on a joint remedy for Oli.
Why go through all this trouble?
She needed something to focus on to forget her nightmares, and potion-making was the perfect pastime.
Stir twice to the left, three times to the right.
“Hmm, perfect.”
The thickly simmering liquid contained mugwort and junberry fruit—both good for joints—as well as tumtum eggplant and various other unsavory ingredients, including a slimy something-or-other. But as long as Oli didn’t find out, it was fine.
She scooped up a bit with her ladle; the liquid dripped down slowly and stickily. It was nearly finished.
“That’s why potions are always brewed in dark places—to keep guests from seeing the ingredients.”
Axel, his hair soaked wet as if he’d just come in from the rain, murmured this as he watched the potion grow ever stickier, like mucus.
Jade stirred the contents briskly and mumbled,
“Don’t tell Oli what’s in it.”
“She probably already knows everything that went into it.”
“How would she know? She’s not even a mage. She’ll never figure it out—as long as you keep your mouth shut.”
“Huh. Sounds like someone’s got a guilty conscience.”
Ignoring his words, Jade stirred the ladle even harder. Truthfully, she did feel guilty. She’d never made this before, and honestly, she herself wouldn’t have eaten it.
“But the book says that drinking this will significantly reduce her nightly pain. Remember? Oli said her legs ached and her back hurt.”
Axel raised an eyebrow skeptically and headed toward the kitchen. Only then did Jade finally go outside to wash her face—stealthily bringing along the secretly heated warm water, too.
Ever since seeing Jade attempt to cut bread—after which Axel absolutely refused to let her cook—his self-prepared meals were always delicious, as usual.
Thanks to this, despite her busy mind, Jade was enjoying the hungriest days of her life. She didn’t know why, but she was always starving.
“Do you always eat like a little bird?”
But Axel clearly had a very different impression as he watched her eat.
“Huh?”
She’d filled her plate to the brim—how was that like a bird?
Jade asked, genuinely puzzled.
“What kind of bird eats this much…?”
Of course, Axel ignored her question.
“If you’re holding back because you saw me hunting last time, don’t worry. Eat properly.”
He was mistaken. She did feel awkward, but her stomach was shamelessly hungry, so she ate twice as much here as she ever did outside.
Jade blinked and gratefully accepted his kindness. Well, at least it tasted good.
When she brought over a whole basket of nicely toasted brown bread, Axel finally gave a nod.
Since Jade couldn’t cook, clearing the table after meals fell entirely to her.
Most of the time, Axel would prepare and head out hunting. Even though the pantry was already nearly empty, he seemed intent on stockpiling firmly before full winter arrived.
“When will you be back?”
“Before sunset.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll guard this house like a hunting dog.”
“A hunting dog, huh.”
He glanced doubtfully at her slender arms, pulled on his gloves, and left—with nothing more than an ambiguous look that might or might not have been a farewell.
He’d never paid much attention to Jade from the start, but now he ignored her for a different reason.
Whereas he used to simply overlook her, now he left her alone because he trusted her—‘to some extent,’ at least.
Of course, it had taken Jade blood-and-tears-level effort to reach this point.
She’d realized managing a territory was actually easier. Studying spellbooks? That was truly the happiest thing in the world.
From mid-autumn, the season of wind, until spring—the season when merchants returned—she had to prove her worth.
As winter approached, she had to show Axel that she was more valuable than dwindling food supplies and firewood!
Fortunately, Jade had spent a long time with the monster-hunting squad, which only ever went to dangerous and uncomfortable places. So she had a rough idea of what needed doing here.
Once Axel left the house, Jade headed straight to the nearby pond for water.
Axel didn’t seem to care much about her water usage, but Jade did—especially since she couldn’t stand not washing if there was no warm water. It wasted firewood, after all.
Since her arms trembled from carrying more than five books, she had to make many trips, which meant she needed to start moving diligently from early morning.
“Ugh—hah! Damn it all!”
Water was heavier than she’d imagined. After realizing that filling the bucket to the brim only caused her to spill over half of it on the way back due to the sloshing, she’d started filling it only halfway—but even then, the distance back home felt unbearably long.
Even more disheartening was the fact that the amount of water she gathered after five trips equaled what Axel could carry in one.
Five Jades equaled one Axel. It was pathetic.
By the time she finished filling the water store, noon had already passed. Then she’d gather the plants she’d spotted on her walks and bring them home.
This was all a desperate attempt to appear useful. As a lodger relying on her host, it was only natural to tread carefully.
“This one… needs more drying… and this one… can go straight into storage now.”
I’m really glad I can’t use earth magic. That’s why I studied herbology, after all.
Herbology was truly a practical discipline—it taught her which plants were edible.
If someone like Rigel Hyas were suddenly dropped into the forest like this, he’d never survive.
Why? Because that guy didn’t know the first thing about herbology! Axel probably would’ve kicked him out for being useless.
“Hah… come to think of it.”
Thinking of Rigel brought a whole string of outsiders to mind: the King, who must’ve shoved a replacement mage into the monster-hunting squad by now, and Bernard, who was surely tracking down his suddenly vanished employer.
If she ever went back, there’d be so many people who owed her compensation… and she hated picking out gifts.
Finishing her gloomy thoughts by sorting herbs and prepping edible plants usually brought her to midday.
Then she’d head over to Oli’s house to help her a bit—another round of physical labor.
Axel had insisted she didn’t need to help Oli—“That old woman is far sturdier than you think”—but Jade enjoyed spending time with the elder. Oli’s quiet stories turned out to be surprisingly interesting.
Today, she’d come to Oli’s to get some eggs and kill time by lending a hand.
“You asked how I met my husband? Well… it wasn’t very romantic, to be honest. I had a terrible temper back then… He told me I was so cold every time he spoke to me that he cried every night when he got home.”
“He cried?”
Jade giggled, and Oli smiled softly.
“But in the end, we held hands. There are definitely things you can’t decide from a first meeting. No—you should leave some things undecided.”
“Why? Those look ripe enough.”
“We should leave some for the animals, so they cause less trouble for people.”
“Oh, I see. Then… where is your husband now?”
“He passed away. Peacefully, without any illness.”
The mood grew solemn, so the old woman chuckled.
“It’s been so long—don’t make that face. He was at that age. If you’re worried, go feed the goats before you leave.”
Whenever Jade finished the day’s chores, Oli would give her a few eggs or some vegetables. Today was no different—Jade received three eggs and some slightly unripe fruit.
It wasn’t much, but Jade adored this moment—holding the warm eggs and plump fruit in her hands.
Perhaps because this was a moment when she could clearly see the tangible reward for her labor.
Outside, even when she accomplished something, it was hard to truly feel or grasp it.
For example, even if Jade lowered taxes for her territory’s residents, it was difficult to know what they actually felt.
The only way she could understand their situation was through reports analyzing numbers on paper.
“Harvests are much better than last year. The farming methods distributed to peasants are clearly effective. Yield rates have also—”
“The number of children in the territory has increased while mortality rates have dropped. The number of marriages is rising as well.”
Numbers on paper. They enabled quick judgment, but never true feeling. She was always left doubting whether she was doing well.
But life in the forest was different. Here, she could immediately see and feel the results of her actions.
Of course, the consequences of inaction were just as immediate. If she neglected the livestock or failed to diligently gather fruit, she went hungry. If she didn’t fetch and purify water, she got thirsty.
Oli had once said she needed time just to think and let things pass—and that really suited this kind of life.
It was a life where she simply focused on whatever task lay before her—even if she had nightmares at night.
“You should let the fruit ripen a bit more before eating it. I’m sure you’ll manage fine.”
“Yes! Thank you.”
As always, Jade carefully cradled the eggs and fruit in her arms. Today, Oli had been generous—the fruit was especially plump.
“I’ll give you a basket you can carry next time. Oh, and when you return it, bring some dried meat from that Axel boy.”
“I will.”
The basket, tightly woven from dried grass, had a handle and was easy to carry. Jade left Oli’s house happily.
“She said it’s very sweet—I’ll make jam!”
Of course, Axel was the one who hunted, but the important thing was that Jade herself was steadily gathering something meaningful.
Axel’s house wasn’t far from Oli’s. She just had to keep walking down the faint path worn down by frequent passage.
But today, the sunset filtering through the leaves was so beautiful that her eyes kept drifting elsewhere.
Fallen leaves decorated the ground in vivid colors, while the last brilliant fruits and birds chirping among them delighted both her eyes and ears.
Unlike the birds in the city she’d lived in, the forest birds here had clear, pure voices. Jade closed her eyes briefly, savoring the song and the breeze.
“This really is a peaceful place.”
It was truly a shame that such a beautiful forest was branded as cursed just because magic didn’t work here.
But perhaps this very beauty existed because people stayed away—thanks to that very curse.
With light steps, Axel’s house soon shimmered in the distance. Jade quickened her pace.
She wanted to get there quickly, rekindle the fireplace, and warm the house before Axel returned. After a full day out, he was usually freezing cold.
Should she also prepare some hot water with dried herbs? He drank it well last time. Since he even helped me in my dream, I should repay him. Jade smiled as she made her plans.
But just fifty steps from the fence—something caught her eye as she glanced around.
Why is that spot so yellow? There aren’t any yellow leaves nearby.
Focusing properly on that spot, Jade froze mid-step. Her mouth fell open.
“Th-th-th-that thing!”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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Chapter Comments (15)
Inline Comments (64)
If only I’d had the chance to say a proper goodbye—to tidy things up—would it ha
I have a feeling in this chapter, he too will realize his feelings- or come to be mad at Jade
Before those behind could stop him, the young man gulped down the plain water fr
Hhahahah your brother must love you a lot~~ he’s probably gonna reunite you with Jade
“A handsome man with a good body.”
Hahah looks like someone is getting an entertaining sister in law hehheh
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It is so sweet how preciously the treat the eggs because they are empathetic to the old hen’s struggle. Idk why I didn’t expect that from their character. I wonder how fervently her aides and servants are searching for her right now? I feel like one of them should be clever enough to investigate the uncle
It is so sweet how preciously the treat the eggs because they are empathetic to the old hen’s struggle. Idk why I didn’t expect that from their character. I wonder how fervently her aides and servants are searching for her right now? I feel like one of them should be clever enough to investigate the uncle
I feel like Axel must of royal bloodline. Jade is so cute! They are gonna be so cute together