I’m A Sucker For Extras - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

Chapter 64

“Well, that’s a nice picture.”

The silhouette of a burly man could be seen just off the edge of the potato field.

Brody didn’t recognize him at first glance, but Aidan did.

It would be more correct to say that it was impossible to not recognize the face and voice that had accompanied him almost every day of his life, from the dawn of consciousness until the war not long ago.

A man with dark brown hair tied up in a tight bun and eyes like snakes.

The man who gave his life for the North and elevated Brody to the status of the Northern Goddess.

It was River Reed, Chief of Staff to Duke Aidan Mason of the North.

He strode up to the two of them at a brisk pace and muttered.

“Your Grace and Duchess of the Potato Fields, at midnight.”

He formed a square with his fingers and placed the landscape and the couple inside.

A man and woman are holding hands in a snowy field, white with moonlight.

They must have looked like lovers.

“We should get an artist to make a poster of you, a couple from the grand duchy of the north, inspecting a snow-covered potato field on a late night when everyone else is asleep, in the dead of winter when nothing has sprouted yet. People will love it.”

Aidan heard River muttering in the distance and shook his head.

Of course. River’s thoughts as he watched them were not aesthetic or literary.

It was just River thinking about how to paint a propaganda picture that would resonate with the people of the North.

“I thought it would be best to put on a show before the real act of affection, so I spoke to you from a distance. You’ll have to forgive me.”

When he was close enough, Brody finally recognized River.

When Brody saw him, she smiled broadly.

She even waved, as if she saw a familiar face.

“Hey, hey, hey, River, it’s been a while, Chief of Staff!”

So it was River who unexpectedly stiffened.

He thought it would be one of three things: sorry, grateful, or neither, or shameless.

He didn’t expect her to be welcoming.

Moreover, it was strangely…? Did she just lower her tone…?

River replied with a hint of sarcasm.

“Ah, yes. It’s been a long time; should I call you My Lady now?”

“Mmmm, hahaha, come to think of it, I’m the higher ranking person, right, a Duchess? Okay, call me My Lady, Chief of Staff. Oh, no. Not Chief of Staff, just ‘sir’ would be more appropriate, right?”

‘Sir?’

It was a word that passed by so naturally that it was confusing. Sir… Chief of Staff? River frowned, wondering if he heard correctly.

No matter how you look at it, this was a far cry from the woman he’d seen before, in the barracks near the capital.

Wasn’t she usually expressionless and reserved, not the type to speak without thinking?

River looked at Aidan, puzzled.

Aidan could only shake his head in disbelief behind her.

River twisted his lips and spoke.

“By the way, that’s a very unexpected reaction from both of you. Speaking of which, I’m sure you have something to tell me.”

“I apologize for the trouble.”

“Somehow, I don’t think you mean it.”

River’s point was accurate.

Aidan felt guilty that River had taken on a responsibility he’d neglected and grateful that he’d picked up the slack nonetheless.

Still, he didn’t like the idea of using Brody as a publicity stunt.

River looked at Aidan as if he could see right through him.

“Uh-huh, what are you doing?”

But River’s uncomfortable gaze was interrupted by a sudden shout.

“Chief of Staff. Be nice to our His Grace!”

“…….”

This time, not only River, but even Aidan looked puzzled.

“The person who’s closer to him than anyone else is being so mean to him. That’s why he is suffering so much alone.”

She sounded like she was scolding a child.

“Ah, but you did a great job with the publicity stunt. As expected from our competent chief of staff.”

With that, she smirked again.

Then she held out her hand.

“Well, take care, then, and let’s make the North prosper.”

River’s face contorted indescribably as he looked at the outstretched hand. It was a mixture of embarrassment, laughter, and bewilderment.

“The prosperity of the North…….”

What the hell? River cringed inwardly, but he couldn’t bring himself to embarrass the Duchess, so he took her outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake.

At the same time, he looked at Aidan, who shook his head with a disgruntled expression.

‘Is she drunk? ’

‘Yes.’

The two men exchanged unspoken glances.

After the handshake, the three, no, two people, and one person quietly parted ways.

It seemed that any serious conversation would have to wait until tomorrow.

And so, the seemingly peaceful aftermath ended.

River watched with curiosity as Aidan walked away and Brody was carried on his back.

****
“Ugh, my head hurts so much.”

Brody said with a groan, her eyes barely open to the morning light.

She barely managed to raise her upper body out of bed.

‘Hangover, is this what a hangover is? ’

Her previous life may have been as a horse drinker, but this body’s Brody must have a weak ability to detoxify alcohol.

She should have known when she had a few drinks at the wedding banquet.

‘At that time, I thought it might be because I wasn’t feeling well.’

Having never experienced a hangover in her previous life, she drank without fear.

Last night, she tried hard to remember how many shots she had during the feast with the ladies but eventually gave up.

Counting it was impossible due to a sudden chill that made concentration impossible.

“……!!!”

What the hell just happened?

Brody gasped and grabbed the shedding sheets, pulling them up.

The reason for the chill was that she was naked.

And beside her, Aidan lay limp.

“……!!”

His shirt was unbuttoned at the front, and his hair was disheveled.

The lower body…? It couldn’t be seen because it was covered by the blanket.

‘What is it? What is it? What happened? ’

Trying to recall, only sporadic images came to mind. No, even those were unclear, whether it was a dream or reality.

In the midst of her panic, Aidan’s eyebrows rose as he sensed her stirring.

Before she knew what to do, he opened his eyes.

“Are you awake? You can sleep any longer…”

“Oh, haha, yeah, of course I’m up, of course I’m up……, ugh.”

His breathing quickened in panic, and he yawned as an even bigger headache hit him.

Brody put her hand on his head.

“Is your head hurting? …Of course it would.”

Aidan checked Brody’s condition and pushed himself out of the booth.

Luckily, he was still wearing his pants.

‘No, it’s not fortunate! Wouldn’t it have been better to spend the night together? Being the only one undressed… That’s… That’s…’

As she tried to think of the most common thing she could imagine a drunk person doing…….

‘Ew. That’s embarrassing. I must have thrown up all over myself! ‘

Brody buried her face in the pulled up sheet.

She couldn’t help but blush as she tried to imagine what must have happened the night before.

It wasn’t until Aidan returned with a basin of water and a towel that Brody peeked out his eyes and asked.

“You know, Your Grace, that…… that…… yesterday…….”

Then, unexpectedly, Aidan let out a long sigh.

So Brody couldn’t say more.

“Do you remember, or do you not?”

Brody shook her head weakly at the question. That meant she didn’t remember.

Then Aidan nodded and said.

“Just enough.”

Enough? What does that mean? But Brody couldn’t bring herself to ask what happened yesterday.

She didn’t ask what happened yesterday because she had a slight predominance of not wanting to hear it, 4.9 for wanting to hear it, and 5.1 for not wanting to hear it, which had a lot to do with the fact that Aidan’s face was so troubled right now.

Brody took the dampened washcloth and washed her face.

Aidan handed her the towel and turned away, as if he were worried about her sheets getting wet.

“Your Grace, where are the…… clothes……?”

“Oh, right. I’ll have to call someone. Since everyone went out to work, it might take a while. Just wait a moment.”

“Everyone went out to work?”

Brody asked in surprise after such a raucous banquet yesterday, this early in the morning. Okay, maybe not quite early in the morning, maybe ten o’clock, but still, they were out of the house.

“Ah, well… Oh! Your Grace! Then, please don’t bother calling them. I’ll just wear this. If you could help me with the back…”

She yelled urgently, and the goal dinged again. Brody pressed a hand to her pounding head, trying to calm it down.

‘Everyone else is doing so well, and I’m not.’

Deciding she needed to pull herself together, she gracefully accepted the shirt that Aidan handed her.

They weren’t the ones she wore yesterday; they were new.

In winter, when resources were scarce, she tended to wear the same clothes for a long time. So, receiving new clothes…

Of course……. It must have been what she imagined. Brody swallowed back tears of embarrassment.

The roomy chemise wasn’t hard to slip on.

But as she rose to leave the bed, her stomach began to churn again.

“Ugh, mmm.”

Brody sat up, covering her mouth with the back of her hand to hide her nausea as best she could.

The air was cold, but she was glad it made her feel more alert.

Aidan sighed heavily again and helped Brody to her feet.

Under normal circumstances, Brody would have refused help and insisted on doing it herself. But now she felt like a sinner, so he accepted the help.

Wearing her outer garment and extending her back towards Aidan, he helped her with the laces.

In the meantime, Brodie put on a belt. After securing the belt, Aidan pointed to the table and said, “Take care of this.”

“Oh, yeah.”

On the table, the pockets at the waist and their contents were neatly arranged.

Fortunately, the pouch was clean and free of vomit…….

“Uh, but the contents of…….

Brody was surprised to see the contents of the pouch, which had been spilled by accident yesterday, spilling out, and among them was the magic stone given to him by the princess.

“……!!”

But since Aidan had already seen everything, putting it back into the pocket would seem even more suspicious.

Brody glanced at Aidan, who wasn’t looking at him.

‘Did he not notice? Just by looking at this, he might not know it’s a gem. Or does he not know what kind of gem it is? ‘

She didn’t know what mistake she had made yesterday, and bringing up the princess now seemed too embarrassing. Brody simply put the gem into his pocket.

She stuffed it in, zipped up her pockets, and tied it to her belt, then pulled on her surcoat and found her cloak.

“Are you going out?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m going to use the kitchen.”

“You look like your head is hurting; don’t you think you should get some rest?”

“Um……. I’m fine.”

In fact, that’s what made her want to work even more.

She needs to make a headache pill as soon as possible.

With her head hurting like this, she was even more concerned about Aidan’s suffering, as she realized that he was suffering from a headache.

‘If he’s in this much pain every day, how does he live with it? People should be able to tell when they’re sick and ask for medicine.’

It’s hard enough to just deal with a headache, but on top of that, he has so much on his plate.

Brody looked at him, feeling a little sorry for him.

“……?”