I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

“Oohh.”
 
Brody panicked, pushing him away and clutching his chest. Neither River nor the dark-haired woman had passed out, but somehow she felt as if they were being watched.
 
But he didn’t flinch, and he continued to brush his lips across her cheek.
 
Her cheeks felt strangely cold.
 
‘What is this…? ’
 
Brody shivered, feeling the chill in his breath.
 
“Your Grace, it’s… it’s cold.”
 
Hmmph. The words stopped Aidan in his tracks.
 
As if coming back to his senses, he withdrew slightly from her, his breath trembling.
 
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…….”
 
Once Brody was free to move, she touched her cheek with her hand.
 
It was cold but strangely soothing, and the wound had disappeared.
 
“Did you heal it? Is this also the power of the ice spirit?”
 
Aidan nodded, covering his entire face with one hand.
 
His healing ability came at the cost of being able to freeze the opponent. If the control went wrong…
 
It was not a power to be used impulsively.
 
However, in the next moment, Aidan was taken aback by Brodie’s outburst.
 
“Thank goodness, Your Grace! To have such a power. Now, hurry up and lick it!”
 
“Huh? Uh……, you want me to lick……, where else are you hurt?”
 
It seemed like a bold statement, but the misunderstanding was evident in the next moment.
 
“Oh, not me. The chief of staff.”
 
“Chief of Staff, River?”
 
“Yes, he’s in worse condition.”
 
“You mean River’s here?”
 
At Brody’s words, Aidan spotted River huddled in the corner.
 
“What the…….”
 
“I got stabbed with a knife. Near the side. It would be good to stop the bleeding. There’s an emergency medicine on top, so I’ll get it. Ah, he fainted because of me… well, because of what I did, so don’t worry.”
 
“Wait! You!”
 
“I’m fine; I’ll be right back.”
 
With that, Brody scurried upstairs.
 
Aidan looked at River on the floor.
 
He was bleeding profusely, but thankfully, the wound didn’t seem to be life-threatening.
 
Aidan pressed against his side and looked around.
 
The powder scattered on the ground was the remains of a plant.
 
Were the plants growing after River fainted? Or was it before?
 
‘No way, she wasn’t caught by River, right? ’
 
Alongside the powdery remains of the plant, he saw a broken bowl, a knife that looked like a weapon, bloodstains,  and a person who seemed to have attacked River.
 
And a glass vial on the countertop.
 
“What is this…?”
 
Seeing the red beads in the bottle, he realized what Brody was doing.
 
“I’m here. Let me see the wound.”
 
Meanwhile, Brody came downstairs with a bag of medicine.
 
As she took out the vials, Aidan said.
 
“I’ll do it.”
 
“No, I’ll do it. I think I’m better at suturing wounds. Please get me some clean water.”
 
He snapped. With that, Brody unbuttoned River’s vest, pulled out the top that was tucked into his pants, and lifted it up.
 
River’s side was then exposed.
 
“B……Brody!”
 
“What?”
 
Aidan was puzzled. It was an emergency, which he could understand, but it seemed so casual. But the fact that she was so casual about it only made Aidan feel more embarrassed.
 
“Um… Even if it’s an emergency, a woman touching a man’s body…”
 
“A man? What man? He’s a patient. Besides, don’t men often take off their upper clothes casually? It’s commonplace…”
 
“There’s a difference between walking around naked and stripping.”
 
Stripping? That’s offensive. She feels like she has done something perverted. Brody looked at him, slightly annoyed by his words.
 
“Let’s get him treated first.”
 
It was a look that told him to cut the crap and go fetch water.
 
Because what she said was right, Aidan quickly moved his body.
 
Brody first tied his loose hair back together.
 
‘Okay, let’s do this.’
 
She had to rely on the memory of the original Brody for this treatment.
 
He might know what he was doing, but his hands were clumsy.
 
Her hands trembled slightly at the unfamiliarity of seeing the flesh torn away and the skin underneath, not in the memory of Brody but in person.
 
‘Calm down. You can do this.’
 
She cleans and disinfects the wound and applies a hemostatic agent.
 
And then.
 
Brody made a plant grow out of River’s side. The thin stems pierced through the flesh and closed the wound. It looked like stitches.
 
Brody’s forehead beaded with sweat from the intense concentration required to perform such a delicate act.
 
Aidan, who had already scooped up the water, wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, making sure they didn’t disturb Brody.
 
Finally, Brody exhaled and looked up.
 
“It’s done now. This stem has wound-healing properties, so that should help.”
 
Aidan nodded.
 
He had seen many wounds in the war, and he could tell that River’s condition was not serious.
 
“All right, now let’s get you healed.”
 
“Huh? Me? You already treated me earlier. Besides, it’s better to tidy up here first. Move the River to the bed, and…”
 
“No, you endured a lot because of that bastard.”
 
“Endured what? Gah!”
 
Aidan abruptly scooped Brody up.
 
“Is your back injured?”
 
“Huh? Injured?”
 
“Well, I didn’t know. Your movements seemed unnatural.”
 
“…….”
 
It turned out that Brody had overlooked her own well-being while concentrating on the treatment. Perhaps when supporting the stumbling River, she got injured himself.
 
Aidan picked her up and turned to leave.
 
It seemed like he was heading towards a room.
 
What’s happening? Going upstairs to check the wound?
 
‘What do you mean, you’re going to look at the scars……, lick my back?’
 
Brody stammered.
 
Although the speculation about the act of treating the wound itself was embarrassing, there was something more important than that.
 
“Your Grace! Your Grace! Wait! It’s not like this wound is urgent; it’s not like it’s life-threatening…….”
 
“No, you must have bumped your head or something. Then you could have died instantly…….”
 
“So, it’s just an assumption. I’m not dead, and I won’t die. More importantly, we need to tidy up here!”
 
“What’s the rush? You did a good job with River’s wounds. He’s not dead.”
 
“Your Grace, please!”
 
Brody grabbed Aidan’s cheeks as he carried her away.
 
Aidan looked up at Brody, his eyes wide with surprise.
 
Brody raised an eyebrow and spoke firmly.
 
“We need to tidy up first, Your Grace. I don’t want to raise suspicions.”
 
Aidan tilted his head slightly. Was she trying to keep it a secret from the people? Why?
 
He gestured at the question, and Brody answered with a complicated expression.
 
“I’ll explain later, but right now I need to move River and…… and……..”
 
She then pointed to the woman on the ground.
 
“This woman… I want to treat her. Can you help me move her up?”
 
Aidan looked at the woman on the floor. Disheveled black hair and a grim expression felt eerie. Moreover, wasn’t she the one who created River in this state? But now, instead of questioning her, he wanted to help her?
 
Aidan questioned, inferring Brody’s words.
 
“……No way. Are you familiar with each other?
 
Brody laughed uncomfortably.
 
“Well, she does look familiar.”
 
❖ ❖ ❖ ❖
 
There were two rooms on this floor.
 
One was occupied by the Duke and Duchess, and the other was currently empty.
 
Luckily, the empty room had two twin beds, so they could fit one person per bed.
 
Aidan threw both River and the woman onto the bed, roughly.
 
For whatever reason, or whoever it was, Aidan had been in a bad mood earlier. He even looked angry.
 
‘Is it because the Chief of Staff, an important person, was injured?  ‘
 
Brody felt uncomfortable, remembering the woman who had tried to kill River.
 
Aidan asked.
 
“Is it right to leave the person who tried to kill someone and her target who almost died together?”
 
“Well… for now… she won’t wake up anytime soon…”
 
Brody stretched out her words awkwardly, embarrassed about having knocked them unconscious.
 
“Is this a plant you used on McCarthy? The purple one…”
 
“Oh, yeah……. That’s right.”
 
He remembered it well, even though he had only seen it briefly. But he doesn’t realize that it’s clouding one’s memory. Brody didn’t want to publicize this useful but tricky herb.
 
Brody, without elaborating, immediately laid the woman down and checked River’s wounds again.
 
Thankfully, the stitches hadn’t burst.
 
She could get rid of the plant she’d used as a substitute for thread tomorrow. She couldn’t afford to be seen, so she had to take care of it before he woke up.
 
Aidan, leaning against the wall with a disgruntled look on his face, asked.
 
“But why is this bastard here? If he’s going to get himself killed, why did he drag others along with him? “
 
‘Umm, Chief of Staff River. You would have been quite disappointed if you heard this.’
 
‘It’s all true, but hehe.’
 
But the way he said it, it didn’t sound like Aidan was upset because River was hurt.
 
Then why?
 
Brody rubbed the painkilling leaves around the wound and answered his question.
 
“He came to talk to me.”
 
“Why in my absence?”
 
“Well, yes. He asked about the relationship between me and Duke Jax.”
 
“Huh……?”
 
“I couldn’t help it. We caused such a commotion in front of the Perdan Fortress…. I’m sure the Chief of Staff would have realized who the attacker  was with a little research.”
 
Aidan nodded. It made sense. How could River not know who he was.
 
“Even if not, those who decided to make things difficult for me. They’ll spread rumors in all directions soon anyway.”
 
Thinking of Jax and the princess’s group, Brody sighed.
 
‘I don’t know why he’s been so obsessed with them since we got away.’
 
“Anyway, I don’t think we should be hiding it from the Chief of Staff, because this is a public relations battle, and public relations is all about speed, so we’d better be ready.”
 
Aidan sighed.
 
‘Yeah. That’s why I quickly summoned River, who had returned to the Grand Duke’s castle.’
 
Brody, who had been living in the duchy, was recently adopted by Jax, so they quickly had a wedding ceremony.
 
Telling River about it would probably be quite a shock.
 
Still, it was right for River to know and deal with it.
 
‘But that’s something we’ll have to worry about after he wakes up.’
 
Aidan urged her to finish her business and get back to their room so she could begin her treatment.
 
Brody felt uneasy.
 
She still hadn’t figured out why Aidan was upset.
 
No, she wasn’t sure if she was angry or what, but…….
 
He looked unusually nervous, and that made Brody nervous, too.
 
The sound of the door slamming shut behind Aidan’s back after they entered the room only added to her anxiety.
 
“Come here.”
 
Although he pulled her gently, due to his anxious attitude, the action felt rough.
 
She followed his touch and sat down on the bed, her posture awkward because she had to show her back. But Aidan didn’t hesitate, peeling off her shirt and undoing the straps of her blouse.
 
Awkwardly, Brody blurted out what came to her mind due to embarrassment.
 
“I’m less critical than River. Please, just lick River.”
 
“……Me? You want me to lick his side?”
 
“…….”
 
“Having healing abilities doesn’t mean I have to lick all the wounded soldiers. River doesn’t know about this ability either.”
 
“Ugh.”
 
Aidan pulled down her chemise as he spoke.
 
The baggy chemise pulled back, exposing her bony back.
 
Brody shivered at the sudden chill in the air.
 
Checking her back, Aidan felt an unbearable sensation.
 
It was covered in large, painful bruises.
 
Every cell in his body tingled, and he could feel the nerves tingling down to the skin.
 
He grabbed Brody’s shoulders and wrapped his other hand around her waist, and Brody’s posture stiffened.
 
She knew what he was going to do, but Brody was feeling more embarrassed every second.
 
“Uh, Your Grace, can’t we just do the usual treatment and wait for it to heal?”
 
“No.”
 
Aidan’s answer was short and firm, and then Brody felt a moist heat touch her back.