I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The days of the northern winter are as short as a rabbit’s tail.
 
Then the night came, like a shameless visitor, without a sound.
 
The world was plunged into abrupt darkness as the sun slipped over the mountains.
 
The Northerners found a clearing in the woods and trudged through the snow to set up camp.
 
They looked familiar.
 
At first, Brody wondered if there was anything she could do to help, but when the knights looked awkward, she simply left them alone.
 
Knowing nothing about camping in the snowy wilderness at night, she didn’t think he could be of much help.
 
They set up tents here and there, and they started a bonfire.
 
The tents had one side slightly open, intentionally designed to feel the warmth of the fire in that direction.
 
Entering the tent meant losing access to the warmth of the fire, and it wasn’t possible to light a fire inside the tent either.
 
The fire pit is also there to protect against attacks by wild animals such as wolves, bears, and snow pigs.
 
Brody nodded at Teddy’s kind explanation.
 
Around a single campfire, the barracks were set up in a circle.
 
But the knights had given Aidan and Brody a whole campfire to themselves. Away from the rest of the group.
 
Maybe it was because they were lovers, or maybe it was because of their status, but either way, Brody felt awkward.
 
‘Phew, they don’t have to do that. No, I wish they didn’t.’
 
Ever since last night, things have been awkward between them.
 
Aidan hadn’t been intimate with Brody in a while, and he was stuttering in front of her after yesterday’s mistake.
 
‘If you’ve done something wrong, at least try to talk to me about it. I don’t even have a chance to blow off steam.’
 
Brody didn’t want to be the one to reach out.
 
‘Even if we’re not lovers, even if we’re just colleagues working together when you make a mistake, isn’t it common to apologize and try to reset the relationship? Well, maybe not. If I work hard, it will be hard to leave in three years, but he’s treating it like an opportunity that’s been handed to her, like bait.’
 
Aidan, with his casual demeanor, seemed to be doing his best to avoid any interaction, making their relationship freeze rapidly.
 
Brody sat in front of the campfire, bundled up in her furry hoodie, while the others finalized their camping arrangements.
 
There was a source of heat in front of her, but it wasn’t enough to keep the chill off her body.
 
How does it compare to the winter in Korea? Even though it was quite cold in Korea, she never imagined camping outside overnight in this kind of weather.
 
With her mind sharpened by the cold, she thought of the past. Or rather, it came to her naturally.
 
The coldest time she’d ever been in her previous life was that day.
 
The day of her death, the day the wind chill dropped below -15 degrees Celsius, was the night she was locked in a warehouse, shivering all night.
 
In an instant, the scenery of that day and the emotions she felt that day came flooding back like a trauma and began to dominate her.
 
Brody shuddered at the sudden onslaught of memories of death. It had been long and horrible. Something she never wanted to experience again.
 
‘Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.’
 
Brody drew her eyebrows together and tried desperately to focus on the bonfire in front of her.
 
Crackle, crackle. A flame leapt up, floated into the air, turned to ash, and disappeared. Another flame fills the space it left behind.
 
‘At least we have a bonfire compared to what we had before.’
 
Watching the dance of the flames cleared her head, but her body, which had begun to tremble, was not easily calmed.
 
“My lady, are you all right?”
 
Teddy’s voice was a welcome surprise. She was grateful for any distraction from the cold.
 
“Yes, I’m fine.”
 
“Well, your lips are chapped; do you want me to get you some more blankets?”
 
“Sure, that would be great.”
 
“Then please enjoy this for now.”
 
Even more gratefully, Teddy held the steaming bowl in front of Brody.
 
“Wow, that smells good.”
 
Brody gingerly extended her callused hand and held it out.
 
Teddy watched her closely in case she dropped it, then smiled in relief when she steadily accepted the bowl.
 
“It’s potato soup; thanks to you. Take your time enjoying it. I’ll bring a blanket right away.”
 
“Thank you, Teddy.”
 
Teddy’s thoughtfulness made Brody feel better.
 
The warmth of the soup spread slowly from her fingertips to her throat, stomach, and back. As her stomach filled, the cold seemed to ease a bit.
 
While enjoying the meal, she felt a familiar presence again.
 
Brody turned her head with a kind smile. A blanket was draped in front of her.
 
“Thanks, Te…… uh.”
 
Brody was about to thank Teddy again when she realized that the person holding the blanket was much taller than Teddy.
 
It was none other than Aidan who approached her.
 
Brody awkwardly thanked Aidan for the blanket. But she didn’t realize that her voice was a little lower.
 
Brody reached out for the blanket, but Aidan walked right up to her and draped it over her shoulders. He also grabbed a large water bag and placed it in front of her, filled with warm water.
 
With that, he plopped down beside her with a nonchalant expression on his face.
 
He wore only a light, loose-fitting cloak, as if he weren’t cold enough.
 
‘He doesn’t seem to feel the cold. I envy him.’
 
Brody turned her attention back to the campfire and sipped her soup.
 
Aidan and Brody were not talkative, but the silence between them felt different and awkward.
 
Brody thought it was fortunate that they had some hot food; even though she tried to eat slowly, mealtime would eventually come to an end.
 
The bowl that had been filled with warm soup was now ice-cold.
 
Brody stood up to return the bowl to Teddy.
 
But a large hand blocked her way, and her slightly raised buttocks sank back down to the floor.
 
Aidan took the empty bowl and then handed her a cup. The cup now held warm milk in Brody’s hands.
 
‘Should I feel a bit sorry? Maybe not. Perhaps it’s just his habit to worry about my well-being.’
 
Aidan had always been overly concerned about Brody’s health.
 
For three years, no matter what happened, he seemed determined to protect her from any harm. She had trust in him.
 
But…….
 
If only the outside is preserved like a fresh tuna, the inside will dry out like a tuna.
 
Brody sighed and looked down at the cup. The warmth from the milk felt uncomfortably tender.
 
“How are you feeling?”
 
Aidan’s question cut through the uncomfortable silence, and she paused to look up at Aidan.
 
“What? What do you mean?”
 
But Aidan was looking straight ahead, not at Brody.
 
“I was wondering if you’d gotten over the cold.”
 
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine, thanks to Teddy and, um, Your Grace.”
 
It was still cold, but Brody muttered a curt reply and looked ahead again.
 
This time, Aidan glanced briefly at her, a fleeting gaze that seemed to penetrate.
 
Why do the words ‘It’s okay’ sound so mean?
 
There was a jolt of electricity near Aidan’s heart, and he placed a hand lightly on his left chest.
 
Brody had never said he was okay when she wasn’t.
 
But this answer was different. Her sincerity was not there. It may have been just a courtesy, a businesslike answer, or an answer that was different from the truth.
 
Does that mean she won’t reach out to him anymore? Won’t she lean on him anymore?
 
The line Brody had drawn was sharp and deep, and it hurt Aidan.
 
Thud. His right hand tightened, and he could feel his heart racing.
 
‘It’s amusing. I can push her away, but she can’t do the same.’
 
It was true that Aidan had tried to keep his distance from her.
 
But now that she was trying to distance herself from him… It was a decision he had prepared for, but it wasn’t easy.
 
Before, Brody had attempted to leave him several times.
 
But that was about finding freedom, not trying to create distance from Aidan.
 
Brody allowed him to be by her side at all times while she was with him.
 
She’s never been afraid of him, and she has never had a hard time with him.
 
She had laughed; she had been angry and said her opinion without hesitation.
 
‘It was like that from the beginning.’
 
He sipped his milk and glanced sideways at Brody, who was breathing slowly.
 
He could see bushy eyebrows and a small, dense nose through her curly hair.
 
As he admired that peaceful, precarious look, he thought back to the first day he’d met Brody.
 
Even though she was a captive, her eyes observed him calmly, almost dissecting him with their gaze.
 
As the Ice Duke, he felt uneasy under that scrutinizing gaze.
 
Normally, people tried to please him out of loyalty or fear. They presented their best selves, attempting to show kindness.
 
However, this woman, during the time they spent together in the barracks, behaved leisurely without any apparent intention.
 
She didn’t really have anything to do except fetch tea, but even then, it was customary for her to hover by his side, trying to do something.
 
But once Brody was done with the tea, she would just lay there and sleep like a log.
 
She was like a hibernating hamster.
 
It was also the first time Aidan had ever seen someone “fall asleep” in front of him.
 
He’d seen people sleeping before, but they were usually too busy scrambling to get up once they realized he was there.
 
It’s even harder to close their eyes and fall asleep when he’s watching.
 
But Brody didn’t seem to mind.
 
She was quiet and laid-back, but he thinks that came from her daring personality.
 
It’s hard to believe she’s so relaxed in the face of Aidan, the Northern Duke, who everyone thinks of as a cutthroat.
 
In the first place, he never felt like he was the Duke around her.
 
She wanted things from Aidan, but she didn’t want things from him as the Grand Duke.
 
It wasn’t that she did not like his touch (yes, it’s surprising to think about now, but she didn’t hate his touch, as much as she could admit), or that she wanted him to protect her from Jax, because he was Aidan, not because he was the Duke.
 
She had even said that she wanted to be by his side as long as he wasn’t the “Duke.”
 
Indeed, it was the first time Aidan had ever had such a relationship.
 
‘You are the first and last person to treat me so casually.’
 
Until now, no one. Not River, not even his parents. No one had ever treated him like he was just Aidan, not the Duke.
 
However, he started to keep his distance.
 
He doesn’t speak to her unless he has to. Making small talk and smiling for no reason.
 
It was so different from when she was trying to keep her distance on her own.
 
Even though it had only been a short time, Aidan felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest.