I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Brody constantly wavered between the warmth of emotions and the cold of reason.

This life wouldn’t be so bad if she could stay like this forever.

But what would happen when she reached the north?

Brody gently opened her eyes. Through blurry eyelashes, his lovely forehead showed deeply between them.

If only she could have him all to herself. She didn’t think she could ask for anything more.

As Brody was about to brush his cheek, she hesitated, stopping her hand mid-motion.

Her reasons began to betray her emotions.

She couldn’t continue like this with him. He’d never be able to live as an Aidan when he became Duke of the North.

‘So, don’t choose to fall for the sweetness of the moment and jump into the fire.’

Her reason scolded her multiple times.

Brody glanced at Aidan, who was in a state of confusion.

For a moment, his grip on her was so hot and intense that the unfamiliarity of the sensation sent Brody over the edge.

“Oh, it hurts, My Lord.”

“Ah.”

In his blue eyes, which had been filled with an almost mad heat, a momentary cold light flashed. He was startled and regained his composure.

“Sorry. I just grabbed it a little too hard.”

Not missing the moment, Brody shifted uncomfortably.

She smoothed out her disheveled clothes and thought,

‘Three years. It wasn’t more than that.’

She had to stick close to him until they reached the North, but things would be different once they arrived.

‘Get yourself together, Brody. You can’t afford to be lenient.’

Brody looked back at Aidan, who was fidgeting in his squirming position.

She spoke with as much strength as she could muster.

“I’m sorry. I’m tired… I want to rest.”

“Ah, sure.”

He floundered, embarrassed and unsure of what to do.

Unable to overcome his body’s heat, he finally stood up.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to sleep on the floor after all. Isn’t that right? Ah, did I mention it’s cold? I’ll go get more blankets.”

Boom, boom. The sound of the door seemed to echo his panic.

Brody sighed apologetically. It was a shame he’d pushed her away, but it was also a shame that he hadn’t…….

‘No! Disappointed! Seriously, it’s crazy. I can’t let this happen. I need to finish this conversation quickly to prevent such incidents. We have to talk before crossing the fortress anyway.’

Aidan, who had left the room after opening and closing the door, leaned against it for a moment. It was to calm his body and mind.

Reflecting on the situation just now, he couldn’t bear the embarrassment.

Brody calling him to the bed was really because it was cold, but he misunderstood and treated her as prey.

Why was he so clumsy? Blaming his own lack of tact, he slapped his forehead a few times.

But still. It seemed like she was actually accepting him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of her cute little heartbeat and sweet sigh.

‘Once we get to the North, I should build a greenhouse for her. It shouldn’t be too difficult to get some insulation artifacts. It might take quite a bit to warm up an entire building, but that’s okay. Even if I have to catch a hundred Lissharas, I’ll make it happen. There, Brody can live comfortably and freely.’

As he imagined her leisurely rolling around, surrounded by plants, a smile involuntarily spread across his face.

After spending a cozy day like that, she would welcome him warmly when he returned.

It’s embarrassing, but since she said his face and body are good, he shouldn’t miss the opportunity and continue to appeal to her.

With such determination for the future, Aidan ran to get more blankets.

***

The next day, Brody engaged in vigorous walking exercise.

Since they were traveling by boat, it was a rare leisurely time, and with no sign of Jax emerging from the sea, it was a peaceful moment.

“Hoo.”

“You did well.”

Aidan, who had been urging her to rest, was finally overcome by her stubbornness. Of course, after that, he actively helped her.

Fortunately, the discomfort from last night was resolved. After all, they had to stick together.

Aidan took out a linen cloth and carefully wiped away the beads of sweat on her forehead.

Brody, who was receiving his touch, suddenly remembered what she had thought last night and pushed his hand away.

“It’s enough now, I… dear.”

“…”

Oops, she meant to cut him off, but in her attempt to cover her mistake, she made another slip of the tongue. Aidan blushed slightly at the word “dear.”

‘Ugh, I should’ve said I don’t want to be your wife. It’s not easy to find the right timing.’

Sighing, Brody leaned against the railing for a moment of rest.

“Ugh! Ughhh!”

That’s when it happened. Suddenly, a white robe fluttered from the railing next to Brody.

‘What, what’s this? ‘

The noise was so loud that it drew the attention of Brody, Aidan, and everyone else on deck.

There on the railing of the ship was a petite woman, her robe halfway down her body.

“Uh-oh.”

“Ack!”

“Whoa!”

As her body leaned outward, about to fall, screams erupted from the onlookers scattered across the deck.

‘She’s falling!’

As her precarious balance tilted outward, Brody instinctively conjured a plant. Of course, discreetly placed on the outside of the ship where no one could see.

A plant stem is wrapped around the thigh of the person about to fall.

It was unclear whether Brody acted first or Aidan rushed first.

Swiftly approaching, Aidan caught the waist of the person about to fall.

Because the center of gravity had leaned so much outward, they had to throw their bodies towards the ground to prevent falling together.

Splash. Just as the person’s thigh, which was about to fall, made a tearing sound, Aidan furrowed his brows.

‘That’s…’

Immediately afterward, the two bodies spun and fell together.

Aidan was underneath, and the person who almost fell was on top of him.

Aidan looked urgently at the person’s thigh. I was worried that he might see a greenish color, but there was nothing there.

‘Phew, thankfully.’

Brody sighed in relief. In the moment when the two bodies tilted inward, she instantly erased any traces of the plant. It was a momentary event, so no one would have seen it.

The woman in the white robe attempted to stand up, groaning. She seemed disoriented and didn’t seem to know where she had landed.

Squelch. A white and delicate hand, thinking it was the ground, touched what Aidan had underneath—his chest.

However, the position in which she sat on Aidan’s belly was a bit… peculiar.

For an outsider, it might look like a woman who had mounted him and was touching his chest! It was not a suitable act with his woman watching!

Startled, Aidan unconsciously grabbed her wrist. It was an unintentional action due to embarrassment, and the delicate woman stumbled and fell back.

Because of this, the hood of the woman’s white robe came off.

“Bro… Brody, this is…”

“Are you okay?”

Brody approached with a worried look. However, she was addressing the person on the ground rather than Aidan.

As he tried to excuse himself for allowing himself to be touched by a strange woman, Aidan felt a sudden pang of regret.

No matter how strong-boned he is, he can’t believe she’s more worried about a complete stranger than him after rolling on the floor after saving someone.

But he was wrong.

Brody had been worried about Aidan, and when she saw the face of the unhooded woman, her gaze was drawn away in surprise.

She was very, very, very, very beautiful.

Her soft, silky, bobbed hair cascaded down her pale skin.

Her eyebrows and eyelashes were white, too, and her gray eyes sparkled like mother-of-pearl beneath them.

A light pink blush dotted her otherwise all-white face, and it was so lovely.

Brody stared at her blankly.

“Agogo…….”

She felt a secondary impact on her ass as she was shoved to the floor and barely regained her composure before she realized the eyes were on her.

“Thank you for saving me. I almost returned to the embrace of the gods.”

“Ah…”

Brody was surprised.

It wasn’t ‘her,’ but ‘him’?

It was an unisex voice, but subtly lower than a woman’s.

Aidan wrapped his arms around her—no, his grateful arms around her—and tugged at Brody’s waist. It was as if he were protecting her from danger.

“You.”

“Ah, yes. I’m a half-Rupe; well, I don’t really know, but I guess I am, right?”

He smirked, fiddling with the brim of his hood, even though it was about him.

“You needn’t be wary. I am a servant of the gods.”

Rupe? Brody’s eyes narrowed.

Then she remembered the novel.

There were a minority of people living with the reindeer in the north, beyond the lands of the Northern Duke.

They have been at odds with the North for many years.

For generations, the Northern Duke has tried to appease them, but their hatred runs deeper than anyone could have imagined, and no compromise has ever been reached.

But their weakness and small numbers were no match for the powerful North.

In the end, it was the minority Rupe who was discriminated against.

Despite his beautiful appearance and his status as a priest, as soon as the people on the ship recognized that he was a ‘Rupe’ person, they began to avoid him and move away cautiously.

‘Rupe people… a people with a sad history.’

Knowing the novel’s content, Brody felt more warmth than wariness.

The person in the white robe, as if accustomed to Aidan’s attitude, scratched his cheek with a smile.

At that moment, Brody asked, “But why did you stick your body out of the ship?”

As if he hadn’t expected someone to start a conversation, he blinked his lush eyelashes a few times before answering.

“Oh, that… I was trying to feed the seagulls.”

“Feed the seagulls?”

“Yes, I was just trying to feed them, but one of them grabbed my identity plaque instead of the food.”

He remembered with a pained expression, looking down at his arm. Instead of the priest’s identity plaque, there was only a scratch from a bird’s beak.

“I tried to grab it, and then…”

“You’re bleeding; do you mind if I take a look?”

“What?”

Without hesitation, Brody gently took hold of his arm and checked the wound.

Aidan was surprised by Brody’s actions, but he stood closely behind her without saying anything.

Unlike his predecessors, Aidan, the Northern Duke, was making efforts towards a more inclusive policy for the Rupe people. Therefore, his overreaction stemmed from concern for Brody’s safety, not prejudice. Still, there was an underlying feeling of apology for the prejudiced behavior.

‘Even so, Brody, you’re really something. Despite your complaints about troublesome and tiring things, you can’t just pass by someone who needs help.’

Helping prisoners, helping the North—reaching out to the Rupe people, whom everyone fears. Even risking exposure just now to save a falling person.

‘No matter how you look at it, you’ve got a big heart, Brody. You may complain about annoying and tiring things, but when it comes to helping others, you can’t just ignore it.’

Brody, whether she knew his thoughts or not, calmly spoke to him.

“I have medicine. If you apply it, you’ll feel better.”

The white man blinks his eyes, not sure how to react.

As Brody hesitated, he spoke with a bewildered expression.

“Oh, you’re a priest, so you must be good at healing magic. It should be fine. Um, sorry, it’s awkward.”

“I can’t heal myself.”

Suddenly, a man with rough skin appeared next to the white man, looking somewhat disheveled. He was a bit taller than Brody, and his frame looked sturdy.

Unconsciously, Brody took a step back.

“Ratua!”

With slightly plump lips and thick eyebrows, along with jet-black hair, the man was quite striking.

Ratua, as he was called, also wore a robe of the same kind as the white man, indicating that he might also be a priest.

In his sharp eyes, Brody involuntarily took another step back, feeling somewhat intimidated by him.