I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Brody slowly lifted her head to look at Jax.

Sensing her gaze, Jax met her eyes.

Brody stared at him with clear eyes.

There was no fear, no awe, and no fortitude in those eyes.

‘Was this her expression all along? ‘

Momentarily surprised, Jax took a breath.

Before heading north, Brody never looked directly into Jax’s eyes.

Her eyes used to be shaky and lacked confidence, yet they were filled with endless admiration. Those eyes always prioritized Jax, being sensitive to his every breath and movement.

Jax found that attitude unpleasant. She seemed absent and submissive. When such a person was beside him, he felt his own dignity slipping away.

“Why, what is it?”

Jax spoke curtly to Brody, who was looking at him directly.

Brody moved her eyes to the gag that was biting into her mouth.

It was clearly a gesture asking to be released.

Jax sighed and said, “I’ll untie you, but don’t scream. Don’t keep trying to weaken yourself.”

Brody nodded, showing that she had no intention of making any noise.

“Huff.”

With the gag removed, Brody let out a long sigh.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she spoke, “I’m hungry.”

“What?”

“I exerted a lot of strength today because of you. I need to eat to survive, right? You’re not going to handle the corpse disposal in the capital, are you?”

“Uh…”

Jax, hearing Brody’s bold words for the first time, was left dumbfounded.

Well, not entirely the first time.

The day he found Brody in the south, she coldly rebuked him.

Jax thought it was because Aidan was with her at that time, increasing her confidence. However, even when they were alone, Brody confidently expressed what she wanted without shrinking or being cautious.

Jax responded to her boldness with a forced laugh and said, “If you’re that hungry, grow some fruit yourself.”

“If it were that easy, I would’ve done it. Do you think fruits just grow on their own?”

‘Wait, she’s talking back? ‘

Feeling a mix of emotions, Jax said, “Anyway, you’re useless.”

Brody’s eyebrows slightly narrowed and then relaxed again.

‘She’s really taking it all in stride.’

Brody barely restrained her anger.

He approached Brody and fumbled for something before taking out the jerky.

But how could she eat jerky when her hands and feet were tied?

She demanded again, “Untie my hands, please.”

“And if I do, do you plan on running away? Stupid.”

“If that makes you uneasy, then at least feed me.”

Naturally, Brody thought he would refuse.

However, Jax, grumbling, took out a dagger and began cutting the jerky into small pieces, feeding them into her mouth.

‘Ugh, just untie my hands.’

But Brody did not express her strong dislike and obediently accepted the jerky.

She’d need to replenish her energy if she was going to escape.

The hard jerky in her rumbling stomach was painful.

But she chewed hard.

“Did you sleep with him? ”

“Pooh-pooh!”

The suddenness of Jax’s words made Brody cough like a sardine, and the jerky she’d been chewing for a hundred times exploded out of her mouth.

Jax looked at her in disgust.

Then, impatiently, he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the jerky from the corner of Brody’s mouth.

“Whatever, gross.”

Brody frowned.

He was curious to see Brody’s reaction: not embarrassed, not ashamed, but annoyed?

“The Duke seems to have taken a liking to you. I didn’t realize you had skills in that area.”

Jax said with a smirk.

Brody felt a chill run down his spine. This was clearly harassment.

She rolled her eyes and snapped back.

“Is that the classy language the Duke was so keen to emphasize? How very aristocratic.”

Jax blushed, realizing the omitted part of her words.

“‘Meeting me was beneath you,’ you used to give me these sarcastic remarks.”

No matter how Jax spoke, in the past, Brody always accepted that Jax was right about this and Jax was right about that.

But being criticized like an ‘ordinary person’ now made her feel annoyed.

He had treated Brody recklessly, but he never let his pride be crushed in front of others.

‘Am I supposed to be embarrassed by Brody? ‘

Feeling irritated, Jax shot a glare at Brody.

“He must’ve been pretty good to you, seeing as how you’ve changed. Do you think he was trustworthy?”

Turning his body, Jax approached Brody closely.

Brody, with sharp eyes, glared at Jax.

“Hmm, you’ve really changed, and I can see why you’ve sprouted some thorns.”

Saying that, Jax reached out and grabbed Brody’s cheek.

As if expressing her disgust for Jax’s touch, Brody turned her face away, escaping his hand.

Jax forcefully turned her face back, using his thumb to stroke Brody’s lips.

“A lady, indeed.”

Brody’s heart started to pound.

The hair on her neck stood on end, as if shivering.

In his peculiar gaze fixed on her lips, it felt like the hard-earned jerky might come back up.

‘Why is he doing this? ‘

Is he trying to elicit a different reaction by confronting Brody in a rebellious manner, unlike in the past?

Suppressing the rising anger, Brody casually spoke as if unaffected, “Do you want to sleep with me?”

At her words, Jax’s hand trembled slightly.

Initially, he had approached Brody to mock her, but when he pressed his thumb against her lips, an inexplicable desire emerged.

However, Jax didn’t want to admit that. He refused to acknowledge it.

“Me? With someone like you? ”

Seeing Jax’s gaze change, Brody seized the opportunity and retorted coldly, “I’ll do it if you want, but I’m going to confess to the Princess, so it’s your call.”

As expected, Jax pushed her away.

“You’re audacious. You think I’m going to take your word for it? I’m going to dismiss it as your delusions of insanity.”

Brody smiled inwardly as she was pushed away.

“You’re too easy, Jax; I can see right through you.”

After releasing Brody, Jax felt strangely uneasy.

‘What? Sleep with her. When did I ever feel like throwing myself at her like that? ‘

No matter how he tried, the uncomfortable feeling didn’t subside.

Looking at Brody, who was sitting calmly, Jax, feeling strange, took off his outer robe.

‘What’s going on? Why am I doing this? ‘

Brody was frozen, not understanding the context.

Jax took one look at her frozen face, and then he smiled sweetly and slowly walked over to her.

‘What the hell, that can’t be right; Jax is trying to play with Brody? ‘

He reached out and wrapped both hands around Brody’s waist, his sinister-looking face so close to hers that she could feel the heat of it. It was almost like a hug.

Brody chewed her lip in nervousness.

He didn’t know, but Jax wasn’t the flirtatious type.

I thought he was single-mindedly devoted to the princess.

The feel of his breath on the nape of her neck made her skin crawl with revulsion. It should be the same temperature and the same breath, but how could it feel so different from Aidan?

Her stomach churned, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

At that moment, Brody felt her wrists loosen.

Jax had untied the rope.

He stepped away and said,.

“Heal this,” he said.

‘What? Did I imagine it? ‘

For a moment, it seemed like an orange light enveloped Jax and Brody.

The next moment, Brody’s body stiffened.

She remained in the same state as during the day.

“Heal it, Brody.”

Again, with the horrifying feeling of bugs crawling, Brody’s body moved on its own.

“Because of you, I’m injured, especially my face. Properly treat it so that no scars remain.”

The wound on his jaw extending to his upper body and the one on his arm were both injuries inflicted by Aidan, probably when he was sprawled on the ground.

“So you’d rather side with that barbarian than the man you grew up with.”

Of course, who wouldn’t? Did you do anything more to Brody than beat her up?

‘Aidan, how he…… cared for me, how he…….’

Despite the resentment, Brody, unable to speak her mind, moved her body quietly.

She made medicinal herbs sprout, applied advanced medical knowledge, and sincerely treated Jax.

She couldn’t help it because of the order, but treating this despicable guy made her insides boil with anger.

Once the treatment was over, Jax dressed neatly again.

He tied Brody’s hands back to the tree and went into his sleeping bag alone.

‘What? Am I supposed to sleep like this? What’s wrong with that bastard? ‘

However, she couldn’t utter a word. Silently, motionless, she sat there like a doll.

Before getting into the sleeping bag, Jax glanced briefly at Brody and said,.

Of course, it was an order.

“Don’t sleep, Brody, but watch the surroundings and reflect on them, and then you might come back to your senses.”

“….”

What? What?! He gives such an order and then goes to sleep. Is he completely insane? Selfish bastard!

Brody cursed him silently with every possible swear word in her mind.

Fortunately, the command “Don’t sleep but watch” seemed to be related to her body, but the command “reflect on yourself” didn’t apply to her mind.

But ‘fortunately’ is not the right word…….

Her body, exhausted and ready to collapse, wouldn’t move. Her mind, eager to sink into the darkness, couldn’t find peace, but her eyes wouldn’t close.

Brody, trembling with misery, stared with wide eyes at the dawn breaking.

But with the dawn, hope came as well.

Something flickered into Brody’s tired eyes. At first, she thought it might be a wild animal, tensing up in anticipation. However, it didn’t seem like a creature with four legs.

Black hair shook in the bushes.

“Oh, my God. We saddled up right there, and Aidan should have ridden into town to retrieve his horse, so how could he have tracked us already?

Although she considered the possibility that it might not be Aidan, everything about that figure seemed to confirm otherwise.

With joy, tears welled up in Brody’s tired eyes.

However, the next moment, she regretted it.

She regretted trusting her intellect, which identified that presence as Aidan.

“Do not sleep, but watch.”

Her body diligently watched over the surroundings according to the command, and therefore, her lips were open to wake Jax.