I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Aidan spoke in a deep, low voice.

“I called a healer, but I’m not sure how skilled they were in a remote village. If you examine your own condition and prescribe medicine, I’ll go and get it.”

Leaning on him, Brody felt a pleasant sensation through her body, and after barely grasping the content, she replied.

“Oh, in that case, I’ll just make it…….”

“No, no. Absolutely not. You can’t use your powers until you’re better.”

At his adamant words, Brody only raised one eyebrow and smiled.

Anyway, now that she was awake, she felt reassured, leaving the rest to Aidan.

As she breathed out, she said, “I’d like to hear some explanations…”

Aidan nodded solemnly. “Sure, anything.”

Feeling burdened by Aidan’s serious atmosphere, Brody awkwardly opened her mouth, trying to lighten the mood. “Shall we start with this one?”

“Ah, sure!”

Despite Aidan’s earlier worries, Brody behaved as if she had just taken a short nap and woken up. Somehow, Brody felt pain due to the reverberation caused by that sound, but she didn’t show it to avoid expressing concern for Aidan.

After a while, a person who looked like a waiter knocked and entered.

The woman, seeing Brody, exclaimed in surprise and greeted her warmly. “Oh, you’re awake!”

Aidan nodded quietly in response. “Can you bring something easy for her to eat, as I asked before?”

The waiter nodded as if she understood his subdued voice without unnecessary words and closed the door.

As she left, Brody asked, “Are you okay?”

Brody turned her head to check on his right hand, which was supporting her.

Aidan moved his arm around so she could get a better look.

“No problem at all.”

It didn’t seem like empty words of reassurance.

His arm was clean, and he truly looked healthy.

Although he detoxified quickly and accurately, it was still venom.

If he were an ordinary person, he would have suffered for a week, but he seemed completely fine.

With a mixture of wonder and relief, Brody smiled at him.

Seeing her smile, Aidan somehow felt a tingling sensation inside his chest.

“You really shouldn’t be worrying about anyone else.”

“I know. But this…”

‘That was my fault.’ Brody swallowed the rest of her words.

However, it seemed that Aidan understood enough, and he sighed.

“I did something stupid to lose Jax in the first place. It’s my own fault, so don’t blame yourself even a little.”

Aidan’s response made Brody put on a vague expression.

‘How did this man become so indifferent, no matter what harm she caused?’

As a dream came to mind, her nose felt stuffy, so she bit her lip.

After a moment of silence, the static was broken by a knock. A waiter came in with a neatly prepared meal.

The aroma of savory food wafted through the air, making Brody feel sick to her stomach and hungry at the same time.

The servant left the meal on the low table that had been so familiarly placed against the bed.

Aidan pulled the tray over and scooped up the soup, blowing on it to cool it.

Brody asked, “Are you going to feed me?”

“Yeah, because it’s going to be hard to sit up if you’re not already leaning over.”

After a moment’s thought, Brody accepted Aidan’s favor, not feeling confident enough to sit up straight, even with her hands raised.

The soup, almost devoid of chunks, was thick, cool, and refreshing, like a broth made from boiled meat and vegetables.

Although the taste was good on her tongue, as her empty stomach protested vigorously, Brody turned her head, feeling nauseous.

At Aidan’s suggestion to try a bit more, she attempted several times but managed to empty only one-third of the bowl before putting down the spoon.

“I’m sorry……. I don’t want to eat anymore…….”

“No, you did very well.”

Understanding that Brody had tried her best to eat, Aidan gently patted her shoulders.

With that warmth, drowsiness overwhelmed her again.

She had opened her eyes, but the process of recovering her body had just begun.

Brody, sinking into a deep sleep, repeatedly opened her eyes for short periods of time.

Every time she regained consciousness, Aidan was there by her side, holding her hand tightly and speaking softly.

Receiving such devoted care from someone was unfamiliar, but perhaps due to the pain in her body, his presence felt even more reliable and comforting.

Then, one day, during the predawn hours when the moon illuminated the night, she opened her eyes and was utterly surprised.

Right in front of her eyes was Aidan’s face.

It might not be so surprising, but the issue was the sensation touching her body…

‘Wasn’t it just a dream?’

The two of them cuddled together in the covers, clad only in their undergarments.

Although it wasn’t the first time such a thing happened, Brody felt more embarrassed now than before.

While contemplating whether to wake him or how to handle the situation, Aidan, sensing Brody’s movement, opened his eyes with a grunt.

“It’s still nighttime; you should rest more.”

“But… this, Your Grace…”

Brody hesitated, her body slightly tensing.

However, Aidan pulled her closer, planting a kiss on her forehead.

“It’s because your body temperature dropped. There’s no heating in the room yet since we’re still in the southern region. It might be fine for ordinary people, but it could be too cold for you.”

Indeed, he was as warm as a hot water bottle.

She couldn’t push him away; it felt like an icy chill would envelop her if she did, so she became like a statue, unable to move.

Aidan comforted her, saying, “Shh, you need more sleep,” and gently patted her back.

Though it felt like he was treating a child, the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat, akin to the beating of drums, resonated through her ears.

Knowing his vigorous vitality from having hugged him several times before, Brody could sense that he was holding back.

Rather, because of that, she couldn’t push him away. It seemed like a medical procedure that was excessively humiliating.

If this wasn’t a dream, she would have already experienced this for a day or two.

With a resigned heart, Brody closed her eyes.

Fatigue overwhelmed her, and she quickly fell back into a deep sleep.

***

After a few more days passed, Brody’s condition had significantly improved.

Now, she could sit up on the bed alone, and her mind felt much clearer, her thoughts moving swiftly.

With that, her curiosity about Aidan rose to the surface.

‘Is it really okay for this man to be by my side 24/7?’

Even in the most dedicated care, there were moments when the caretaker wouldn’t be seen for a short while, yet Aidan was always there, holding her hand or in close proximity.

The question about such extensive physical contact lingered in her mind.

“Your Grace, I think you can leave me now…”

Upon hearing this, Aidan furrowed his brow.

“We have to be prepared for any situation. I won’t be at ease until we pass Perdan Fortress.”

“Didn’t Duke Jax…… run away?”

Aidan hesitated, sighed, and finally spoke.

“He’s gone, but he might be wandering around this area again. Probably…”

Then he trailed off, seeming to debate whether he should tell Brody or not.

When Brody urged him with her eyes to speak, Aidan painfully opened his mouth.

“It seems like he’s checking whether you’re dead or not.”

“…!”

Upon hearing this, Brody’s body tensed.

‘Yes, he did not only threatened me but also shot an arrow at me.’

For a moment, she forgot about the harsh reality while concentrating on her recovery. The reality that someone had aimed directly at her with the intention of killing her was slowly choking her.

Brody unknowingly shivered.

Then Aidan’s hand, holding her, tightened.

“Don’t worry, Brody. I’ll protect you.”

He stood up entirely and embraced Brody.

“I can protect you. I won’t let them touch a hair of you.”

His left hand patted her back, while his right hand smoothly swept through Brody’s milk-brown hair, which sprawled out like a river.

The trembling in her body soon subsided, and her labored breathing returned to a slow pace.

Brody awkwardly hugged him for a while but gently pushed him away when her body became more composed.

“I’m okay now. I’ve calmed down.”

“Mm.”

Although he smiled awkwardly when Brody pushed him away, he continued to sweep her hair aside like he was arranging a spilled mess.

Brody bit her lip.

While the tremors had subsided, the reality still felt bleak.

She didn’t like this situation.

“Isn’t there a way to make him give up?”

With a heavy expression, Aidan raised his head as if contemplating the question.

“It seems like it won’t be easy. Probably… considering he uses magical artifacts, the Princess might be behind all this.”

Brody had anticipated this, but Jax was Jax, after all.

Having failed to seize his achievements and marry the princess, it seemed like he was now considering handing Brody over to achieve his goals.

“Your Grace, that girl follows me well. If I persuade her, she will unquestionably follow me and be loyal to me for a lifetime.”

After using such persuasion,

After that, he tried to kill her without hesitation.

He calculated that it would be better to eliminate a threatening plant mage than to hand her over to the North.

The man, even though they had spent a long time together, seemed not to treat Brody much better than a younger sister, or rather, a servant.

Brody splashed her face with water, rubbing it slowly.

Anger surged within her.

Not long ago, she was enjoying happiness, eating delicious fruits under the warm sunlight, and now she finds herself in a state of bleak reality.

The shadows of light sparkling through the leaves confused Brody’s memories.

The bright future that seemed within reach had quickly drifted away.

Brody slowly washed her face, feeling the ground beneath her feet shaking.

There was no stable ground for her in the Central, Southern, or Northern regions. She couldn’t find a place to rest.

‘I just wanted to live comfortably without any worries.’

Brody touched her face, raising one corner of her mouth.

‘To think that with ‘this ability’, I was determined to live in seclusion. How naive of me.’’

Ridiculing herself like that, Brody glanced at Aidan.

‘After all the effort to run away.’

Now, she needed Aidan’s power desperately—the power of the Ice Duke, the power she had been running away from.

Brody admitted this fact with embarrassment and a sense of gloom.