I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“Give me freedom.”

In response to Brody’s words, the Duke of Bingbyeok looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Freedom?”

Nervous, Brody felt her lips burning. Unconsciously, she kept curling her lips and fidgeting with them.

“Well….”

Brody tried to open her mouth to provide an additional explanation. She intended to share her knowledge about the tea the Duke liked, as well as methods for cultivating crops.

However, Aidan’s lips opened first.

“That’s not difficult.”

“…Pardon?”

Brody widened her eyes in shock and looked at Aidan.

“I’ll order it. No one should stop you. You can go wherever you want without anyone’s permission.”

“…What?”

“I asked what you wanted, and you asked for what is obvious. I told you I would make you a duchess, so your will shall be considered mine.”

“Ah…”

Aidan scrutinized Brody’s expression. He couldn’t find the expression he desired on her face.

“I granted your wish… Aren’t you happy?”

He mumbled, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Brody caught his mumbling and quickly forced a smile.

“Ah… Haha, yes! Freedom! Yes! I’m so surprised that you granted it so readily! I’m happy, really happy!”

Brody clapped her hands together, secretly wiping away tears.

She didn’t understand the peculiarities of this world. That was Brody’s struggle.

‘To be free from captivity.’ That is what she meant, but the Duke seems to have something different in mind .

Brody gave up trying to explain further. It seemed Aidan wouldn’t allow it, and it didn’t seem like a good idea either.

‘Well, it’s fine. I just have to wait for the right moment.’

In fact, when the Duke and the soldiers went out, Brody thought she could escape anytime she wanted.

But leaving without finishing what she had started would put many lives in danger. So, she never even considered attempting it.

But now that everything was settled, Brody thought about it.

While Brody was lost in thought, Aidan continued to observe her face.

Although she said she was happy, there was a feeling of inadequacy.

Noticing Aidan’s gaze, Brody stood up and asked, “Shall I make some tea after a long time?”

“Bree.”

Aidan stood up and called Brody.

Brody turned to him with a smile, asking, “Why?”

“Just enough so I don’t pass out.”

Brody’s hands jerked in surprise. If she had been holding something, she would have dropped it.

“…What?”

“I thought I might faint. Of course, it’s not the first time.”

“Uh… Uh…”

“You said you were good with herbs, right? I thought you could handle it.”

“Your… That…”

Brody fell into contemplation. When Aidan approached her instinctively, she took a step back.

Aidan stopped, looking at her with a bitter smile.

“I’m not blaming you. I just thought…”

Aidan reached out his hand.

Brody was just out of reach.

He said, “I trust you this much. It surprises even me.”

Brody stared at his hand.

His words made her heart beat wildly.

Her gaze wavered, and unconsciously, she bit her lip.

‘But…’

But Brody wasn’t ready to answer him.

“Shall I make some tea?”

Ignoring his extended hand, she hurriedly turned and ran to the stove.

Feeling the chill on his outstretched fingers, Aidan withdrew his hand.

Brody stood by the stove, pouring water into the pot.

‘So he knows about the Meshu’

Although she held the teapot, her hand trembled slightly.

‘Yet he just drank it without saying anything? ‘

Brody could vaguely sense his affection for her.

At first, she thought he just wanted a capable subordinate.

No, of course, he wanted that too…

But that wasn’t all.

‘How could I not know the way he looks at me?’

Ignoring the intense gaze she felt every morning was not an easy task.

Brody couldn’t understand.

No, it was too awkward.

Receiving someone’s affection was not an easy thing.

‘Yes, I’ve solved his headaches. It’s not a success yet, but I’ll probably solve the prisoner issue and the food problem.’

And that’s how Brody has been able to neutralize his feelings for her.

She’s just a good subordinate who’s doing a good job.

But…

How could he?

‘How can you trust me…… so much when you’re putting your own life at risk…….?’

A strange emotion surged up like a tide.

Was it because of the heat from the stove? Brody’s face began to flush.

But explaining that her heart was pounding because of the heat from the stove was not a convincing excuse.

‘Please, let the tea boil slowly; let our time not run out.’

Although she moved slower than usual, unfortunately, a cup of tea was eventually prepared.

Brody absentmindedly moved the teacup.

The warm and bitter aroma familiarly stimulated Aidan’s nose.

He weakly smiled and accepted the teacup.

“Thank you.”

He elegantly savored the fragrance before decisively taking another sip of tea without any hesitation.

Brody, watching him, was delicately chewing her lips. Ironically, she seemed more uneasy than Aidan, who had just drunk the tea.

Having finished his tea, Aidan’s eyes began to blur. However, he didn’t fall asleep; the drowsy feeling lingered.

Aidan, happy that Brody had fulfilled his request, smiled contentedly.

“Bree.”

Aidan, swaying slightly, approached Brody. He gently lifted her hands that she had clenched tightly.

Whether Brody had brewed a suitable potion or not, he could maintain consciousness, at least to the extent that Aidan could hold a conversation with her.

“I… came back alive.”

He held up Brody’s hands and kissed them, feeling them colder than he expected.

“Yes… You came back well.”

Brody replied with a trembling voice. However, she didn’t meet his eyes.

Aidan felt a headache coming on, furrowing his brows. ‘When would the medicine take effect? ’

He had thought about this place every day.

Not because he missed the dark and gloomy barracks, but because she had been here.

For the first time, he felt a desire to go back.

Not because he ‘had’ to go back, but because he ‘wanted’ to go back…

The time apart made his feelings for her more vivid.

The fact that he wanted this woman was something he had never experienced before.

He lowered his body, bringing his lips close to Brody’s face. His lips moved carefully near her nose.

‘Today, it might be okay to go a bit further.’

The hazy consciousness helped him rationalize.

He asked.

“If you don’t want to, I won’t. Absolutely.”

Brody, with furrowed eyebrows, continued biting her lips. Her pupils shook, and her eyelids blinked rapidly.

As much as she wanted to close her eyes and accept his lips, she hesitated.

But was it really okay?

Especially when she was trying to leave.

And more so because his feelings were not light.

She didn’t know what to do.

Temptation, burden, and guilt all rose simultaneously.

Whether he read her hesitation or not, Aidan pressed his lips against hers as if urging her.

Brody tightly closed her eyes.

As Aidan’s lips, which had just bitten hers, touched her lips, she felt her legs loosen.

Aidan, still kissing her, gently lifted her and moved towards the bed.

Though it was an improvised bed in the barracks, it wasn’t as soft as it could be, but the plush and warm fur welcomed her.

“Bree… Bree…”

His slightly panting voice called her name.

‘Bree….’

Brody whimpered and hugged his neck. For some reason, she felt tears coming to her eyes.

‘I’m sorry, Your Grace, I can’t live up to your trust.’

***

If they conquered the Perdan Fortress, the journey down to the capital would be a piece of cake.

Cities that hadn’t properly fortified themselves fell one by one.

The defenses were poorly organized, as if they hadn’t expected to be breached.

‘I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly.’

Brody was bewildered.

Originally, Aidan’s fate was to be killed by Brody.

After the death of the Northern Duke, the power of the Duke’s faction was almost annihilated.

The Duke was not only a symbolic focal point but also had considerable strength.

Seeing the results after he remained alive, Brody felt how significant the position he filled was.

-Brody would have been a great addition to the imperial family.-

Well, it didn’t happen.

That meant that Brody, who had failed to carry out the assassination and who had contributed to their power by feeding the other side, would be a complete traitor to them.

Brody instinctively made a judgment.

‘Never meet anyone from the Imperial side.’

Conversely, from the Northern faction’s point of view, Brody was a hero. Since her arrival, everything has gone smoothly.

The Northern Duke and his soldiers adored Brody like a goddess of luck.

Brody, seeing them cheer, couldn’t help but sweat on her back. The more they cheered, the more she felt the weight of betrayal.

‘How did…… things come to this…….’

Brody sighed heavily as she watched the victorious Duke and his soldiers return, observing them while working in the fields.

As the Duke continued to win, the time it took for him to come down from the south lengthened. It seemed they would soon move their main base further south.

“Why don’t you go?” Connie, the leader among the captured women, asked Brody with a bright smile. Somehow, Connie was naturally speaking louder.

Of course, it wasn’t just Connie. It was everyone, including other captured women and soldiers. They gradually began to show more respect to her.

At first, it was awkward, but knowing she was in a position to lead, she decided to get used to it.

Connie’s face, which was lively, and her eyes, which were once filled with fear, now showed vitality.

Brody looked around the field.

The energetic appearance of the women, like Connie, was visible.

Smiling at them, Brody asked Connie, “I assume you’ll be able to take care of everything without me now?”

“Yes, of course. Just leave it to me.”

“Just don’t tell anyone the secret; it could save your life.”

To Brody’s casual words, the woman nodded deeply.

“And please follow the Duke as much as possible. He has done a lot for you all.”

“Yes, we know.”

Even with her brave and innocent reply, Brody smiled brightly in return.

“Well, then, I’ll go.”

Brody left the field, turning back to look for a moment.

The woman felt Brody’s gaze and waved at her.

Brody shook hands with her and others before walking away.

Connie felt a sense of puzzlement.

‘Why is she acting like she’s leaving? Hmm, maybe because she’s going south with the Duke.’

She shrugged off the thought, turning her head back to the crops with a proud smile.