I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“Brody!”

“Bree!”

As she disappeared from their sight, the two men began to run, tracing her footsteps.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be a pro at fleeing, and her traces were not completely hidden.

The environment was fundamentally different from the northern region, making tracking difficult. The piercing weather and unknown vegetation hindered Aidan.

“Even if she’s running away, can a ‘person’ leave traces like this?”

Aidan often found himself puzzled, unable to comprehend, as he chased after Brody.

“Ah!”

At a sudden scream, he looked back to see Jax, who had been running at a similar speed, suddenly falling.

“This plant!”

A plant, resembling a human head, clung to Jax’s leg.

He seemed to lack any tracking skills, merely following Aidan. Finding him an annoyance, Aidan swiftly separated him and continued running.

“Hey! Are you leaving me behind? Is this too mean for someone who has accumulated affection through our travels?!”

Jax urgently shouted.

‘Well, since you’re wearing boots, you’ll manage to get rid of them yourself if you abandon one shoe. If it’s severe, you’ll lose a leg, but well, it’s a different story if you have the courage to cut off your own leg.’

Aidan didn’t look back.

Without him around, it seemed like his concentration increased. The hesitation about capturing her when she was with Jax seemed to slow down his pace.

Fortunately, it was also a good thing that she didn’t want to be caught by Jax. Even if she ran away from Jax, she didn’t run away from him.

Before Jax came, she had blushed and was conscious of him. The memory of her looking at him with red cheeks surfaced. He wanted to catch her, see those eyes again, feel her warmth, and have a proper conversation.

Skillfully tracing the traces, he eventually found Brody again.

“Bree!”

Brody glanced back slightly, and upon spotting Aidan, she ran even faster.

“Damn.”

The chase was on, and Aidan wondered what this strange feeling was that he had felt during tracking.

It seemed like the plants were moving organically, as if alive, protecting her.

The pursuit was tense.

“What on earth is this?”

Chasing her directly, Aidan could now identify the strange sensation he felt during tracking.

Though the plants suddenly grew and disappeared, in his eyes, it looked like they were moving.

“Don’t follow me!”

Brody shouted as if she might collapse.

“Why are you running away?”

Aidan shouted in frustration.

He took out the dagger, looking at the huge bushes that suddenly appeared in front of him with a ridiculous expression.

He made his way, cutting through the bushes. A sharp cross section cut through his sword had scratched Aidan’s skin all over the place. But he didn’t care.

At the end of the bush, Aidan could see Brody in the distance.

She was no longer showing her back; Brody stood still, looking straight at Aidan.

He was startled as he tried to run to his pleasure.

In front of him was a huge pit, separating the two.

It was too dark to tell how deep it was down there.

The distance from Brody’s side to the other side appeared to be about twenty meters. He looked at Brody across the street with bewildered eyes.

‘How did you cross the pit? ’

Aidan turned his head to measure the width of the pit. Though it seemed like he could see the other end, it was too far. If he tried to go around, Brody would have enough time to escape.

“Bree..”

Aidan mumbled, biting his lips. Brody’s distant voice responded.

“You know my name, Your Grace. That’s not it.”

Aidan fell silent in the face of Brody’s cold voice. He couldn’t figure out what more to say.

Brody spoke, gazing at him. “Why are you chasing me? To catch the spy?”

“Spy? What did you do?”

“Haven’t you heard everything from Jax? I was on their side, and I…”

“The assassination? It didn’t happen.”

Brody hesitated at the word ‘assassination.’ He truly knew everything.

Even though it was Brody in the past who had committed the act, now it was her responsibility.

Aidan furrowed his brows at Brody’s expression of “on their side.”

“Why didn’t you kill me? You had plenty of opportunities. I ate and drank everything you gave me without suspicion.”

“You’re not blaming me for not killing you, are you?”

“Why?” Aidan asked.

Brody bit her lip, unable to explain the reason.

“I don’t want to answer. Go back, Your Grace.”

Saying that, Brody decisively turned away. The future was uncertain even when he didn’t know about the past, and now, even more, there was no clear future with him.

‘Not hoping for what can’t be achieved is the right thing.’

And to not hope, one must cut ties coldly. It was the least painful way.

Aidan called out to Brody.

“Bree, just answer me this. Did you run away because of me?”

He swallowed hard and continued with difficulty, “Is it because you don’t like me?”

Brody halted her steps.

“Did you… dislike me?”

‘It couldn’t be true. I couldn’t have…’

Brody had been trying to ignore it, but she knew about his feelings towards her. She kept a proper distance only because she thought she couldn’t accept it. When Brody stopped and hesitated, Aidan made up his mind.

He spoke firmly, “Brody, I want you.”

He removed a small vial hanging around his neck.

Brody felt her heart tremble at his resolute words, and without realizing it, she turned around.

“Ah!”

He threw the vial into the pit, and it disappeared into the darkness, leaving a trail.

“Why did you throw that away?”

Brody frowned. She had put so much effort into making that.

Enduring and coping with the pain was something she could handle. But it was scarier to inflict wounds on herself. Still, she had made it diligently because he needed it. Like her blood…

“It’s not because of my headache that I want you.”

Saying so, he turned away.

About twenty steps back.

He turned again and untied the belt connecting the sword.

He placed the long sword on the ground.

‘There’s not enough space to retreat, and the floor is full of obstacles…’

He gripped a short dagger and steadied his breathing.

“Your Grace, are you crazy?!”

Yeah, he might be crazy. If he wasn’t, his heart wouldn’t beat like this.

With so many things waiting for him, there was no one in his sight but Brody.

After all, it was a life he was going to reap. But a life he hadn’t reaped yet. So reaping it once more for her wouldn’t be too bad.

At Brody’s exclamation, Aidan leaped with all his strength. Rolling vigorously at the edge of the cliff, he soared to the other side.

In his shaky vision, Brody’s contemplative face appeared.

She was staring at him without turning away.

But in the next moment, Brody’s figure began to rise.

“Darn it! It’s not enough!”

His sight fell below ground level.

As the wall approached in front of him, Aidan stamped the dagger with all his might.

An intense burst of sharp metal and stone struck the pit.

“Your Grace!”

Brody rushed to the pit and looked down. Aidan could be seen hanging on to the wall with the sword.

“What on earth are you doing?!”

At the moment their eyes met,

Thud.

The wall where he had embedded the sword collapsed, revealing a soft, damp mass of muddy earth.

Aidan tried to do something, but as he moved away from the wall, starting from his head, he was helpless. Nothing was within his reach.

“Your Grace!”

In Brody’s wide, open eyes came Aidan, who was falling down.

Desperately, she reached out her hand.

At that moment, vines sprouted from the wall of the pit with a swoosh.

Aidan, seeing the vines chasing him as if alive, reached out with all his might.

But it was too late.

The speed at which the plants grew couldn’t catch up with Aidan’s falling speed.

So Aidan’s body disappeared into the pitch-black darkness.

“No!”

Brody’s tearing scream echoed in the pit.

“No!”

And in the next moment, a similar scream, but low and thunderous, burst out.

“Brody!”

In his eyes, Brody pounded the ground and jumped down.

❖ ❖ ❖

After plunging into the pitch-black darkness, nothing could be seen.

‘Please, let it not be made of rocks! ’

Aidan prepared for impact, waiting for his body to touch the ground.

Thud.

Soon, a dull impact struck his back.

“Ugh!”

At the same time as a cough bursting from the deep part of the lungs, the body bounced up for a while due to the rebound and fell back off.

Even at that moment, he looked ahead with his eyes wide open, saying that he would somehow catch Brody, who was about to fall.

But again, nothing was in sight.

He felt his back wet and chill, like blood was escaping.

“Brody…….!”

‘How, how, how could you? How could you jump? If this kills you now, I will…

In that moment, even as Aidan was panicking,

“Ugh!”

Next, he bent his body in pain. Something had fallen onto him with a plop.

However, it was too light to be the impact of a person falling from a cliff.

Aidan, coughing and reaching forward, felt a clammy skin under his hand. Was it a person?

“Kuh… Cough, cough, Bro, cough, dy?”

“Yes, you lunatic!”

With a roar, a hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed Aidan’s collar.

Having become a Duke, it was the first time Aidan had been grabbed by the collar, but hearing the voice cursing him, a smile came to his face.

“Bro, dy…”

He stretched out his large arms and tightly embraced her living body. It was unmistakably a living person with warmth and a breathing presence. It was Brody.

In the sudden hug, she, who was holding his collar, got stuck between his body and arms.

In relief, Aidan rested his cheek against her warm skin, feeling the warmth of her flesh against his.

“You’re alive… You’re alive.”

Near his neck, he heard the movement of Brody’s lips, and soon, a reply reached his ears.

“Why did you… … It is. It became a mess… … How surprised I was… … But… …”

Listening to Brody’s voice, Aidan was surprised.

The content was sharp and incomprehensible, but her voice was soaked with moisture.

Since meeting her, it was the first time something like this had happened.

With Brody still holding his collar, her body, pressed between his arms and chest, trembled thinly. Drops of cool water fell quickly from his neck.

She was crying.

Aidan gave Brody a big hug, forgetting the pain in his back.

Even at that moment, his back was getting colder and wetter.