Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Dio - Chapter Twenty Two

"Water..."

This was the state of her vocabulary. The Princess changed a lot in just two days, first, she threatened us and put a lot of effort into our mockery too. I even found it entertaining at times, in desperate need of entertainment. Her original ideas almost made me forget I lost a comrade, but I was far from over it.

Which was to blame for her second phase.

"I can't feel my legs anymore..."

Nobody carried her now since I certainly wasn't qualified. I mean, being a woman of noble origin, no matter how young and delicate, she was almost twice my size. Her attire was in tatters, the long, deep purple hair, the hallmark of her family, was in disheveled yet still springy pigtails. She was in serious need of expert care and attention though.

Not that I was born a hairdresser or looked too noble, but she kept complaining about being tired, of her poor treatment and warned about running away at any moment. For some reason after we pulled her up from that chasm, she never did though.

Fang warned me about a pack of wild animals that shadowed us a while back. This was his reason not to carry her either. While he resembled our stalkers to some degree, he could not negotiate safe passage with actual wolves.

He kept his eyes on them, and ever since the Princess first spotted the wolves herself, she'd stuck to us even closer. We tried to lose them but were all out of breath, weak, and staggering by now. Her complaints became shorter, and simpler too. She got reduced to this.

"I'm going to die..." She repeated it, or that she was thirsty. She still had time for one terrible mistake, no matter how much we hurried.

"You shouldn't have tried those berries at random, your Highness," I said, although I couldn't blame her. She ate nothing in two days, the edible plants of this area were unknown to me as well. "One can survive on just water for a few days, but if you keep throwing up, you will die of dehydration before the wolves can catch up to us."

"Nothing edible is in season here." Fang joined in.

"Well, that pack won't complain about us being in season." I urged them to keep moving. "And what can I say? The last thing I had in my mouth was a healing potion four days ago."

"You can only blame yourself for it." He noted, anxiously looking around. "We had the Goddess with us. You should have asked her to return us home, give us food, or improve our luck... That's her gig after all. But no, you asked her help to continue this insane mission instead."

"Just what kind of amateur kidnappers are you?" The Princess asked too. This was the only thing she contributed to the discussion before throwing up in the back.

"I can't believe the rest of the champions never showed up." I tried to make up excuses. "Just a single wyvern, that's all it'd take to make them run with tails between their legs. Where the hell they could be?"

The Princess looked miserable and was a prime target for our pursuers. Her flashy clothes smelled terrible, which made it even easier for the wolves to track us. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

"If I last until the Inquisitorias catches up with us, I'll order them to put you in boiling oil." She promised. "Cook you while you're still alive, and have them serve you with a simple side dish."

"That does sound good." I nodded, drooling from just thinking about it. "I'd rather be eaten well cooked and with some good seasoning, than raw by the wolves. Although Fang has more meat on him."

"And I guess you both already lost your minds." He shook his head resigned, but we kept on going. "How far did we come?"

"We should be near the old capital by now, but I'd much rather avoid it." I looked up at the sky. It was a bit cloudy, but nice weather. This could have been an enjoyable trip if not for starving and being followed by the shadow of death. Well, maybe not for the Princess.