I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

River, who was the victim of the incident, sat comfortably in his chair, not taking his eyes off the documents, and asked Caleb,

“You’re willing to accept any punishment? ”

Caleb replied with his head on the floor.

“Yes, I will.”

Brody interrupted hastily.

“Chief of Staff…….”

River cut Brody off.

“My Lady has been paying particular attention to this woman. There must be a lot of camaraderie among the people of the Empire.”

He still didn’t look away from the documents, his tone dripping with sarcasm. His raised eyebrows and furrowed forehead made his sneer quite spiteful.

‘Ugh, that asshole.’

But Brody suppressed her emotions and responded. After all, she had to save Caleb. She spoke with a soft tone.

“Caleb was from the North before she was an Empire citizen, and before that, she’s a human being. Can’t we consider that when making a decision?”

“Regardless, a crime is a crime, and punishment is punishment.”

Brody’s face hardened. River’s decision seemed too certain. She stepped between River and Caleb, holding herself up.

“But she didn’t do it on purpose.”

“How do you know if it was or not? You said she doesn’t remember.”

“Because she has no reason to target you. Why would she target the Chief of Staff of the North?”

“Maybe she did. There could have been some kind of deal, like promising to reinstate her as a duchess’s maid if she brought the myhead.”

Caleb’s knuckles turned white on the floor.

It must have taken strength to withstand the insult. No one else knew, but Brody did. What Caleb had been through was not her’scheming’ but rather ‘gruesome suffering’.

Brody’s voice trembled with pity.

“Chief of Staff, she lost her daughter to the Empire, and she came north through hardship. Do you think she could go back to work for the Empire?”

River scratched his chin.

“I don’t know. People value things differently. There are plenty who abandon their families for work.”

Then Caleb intervened solemnly. Her face was pale, her emotions strained, but her expression was determined.

“My Lady, please don’t. I’ll just accept the punishment.”

River looked down at her kneeling form.

“Good attitude. A person who sincerely reflects on their mistakes should also be prepared for punishment.”

Brody bit her lip; River was going to punish her after all. She sat next to Caleb, wrapped her arm around her shoulder, and looked up at River with determined eyes.

“Chief of Staff, if you’re going to punish her. ……, then punish me, too.”

“Brody!”

She was about to offer herself for punishment alongside Caleb, but suddenly, Aidan, who had been silent until now, called out her name.

Brody looked at Aidan, startled, and she shook her head slowly. She meant no.

‘Why? Why don’t you want me to do it? ’

Confused, Brody stopped speaking at his behest. She trusted that Aidan wouldn’t stop her without reason.

Then River sighed heavily.

“Ha, how disappointing. We could have negotiated a few more things if you had persisted a little longer.”

“!”

Brody’s eyes widened at that.

She whipped her head around and stared at River in disbelief.

He’s trying to bargain with her for protecting Caleb by coming down so hard on her!

River smirked.

“Quite impressive. You didn’t ask for help from His Grace, nor did you back down until the end.”

Aidan scratched the back of his neck. He hadn’t expected Brody to not exploit his authority. Was it because there was still something between them? But she hadn’t even used her position as a duchess.

River looked at Brody with playful eyes.

“You’ve got a lot of spirit, but you lack the basics of a duchess. It seems you still don’t realize your position as the duchess.”

“Are you testing me?”

“I test everyone I deal with, every moment of every day. It is the virtue of a chief of staff to take what you can get, isn’t it?”

“…….”

Aidan interrupted when Brody didn’t say anything.

“When he’s talking, he’s talking out of his ass. If he was going to punish her, he would have ended it definitively from the start.”

River shrugged, nonchalantly.

This time, Brody was the one who had been outmaneuvered. She had no choice but to acknowledge it with a sigh.

When River summoned Mrs. Murphy, she noticed that he had no intention of punishing Caleb severely, but in the urgency of the situation, she had forgotten.

She was unfamiliar with the hierarchy and didn’t know how to use her position as Duchess to her advantage.

Brody squeezed Caleb’s hand.

She rose to her feet, pulling her with him.

“It was understandable of you to test me, but I don’t think it was worth toying with her life. Come, Mrs. Caleb.”

“Y-Yes, My Lady.”

Caleb looked around in bewilderment at Brody tugging at her.

River said.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t punish her.”

With that, Brody stopped and looked at River.

And the way Brody looked at him now was completely different from the way she had looked at him just a moment ago.

She stood tall and proud, blocking Caleb’s path, with a “tell me what you’re going to do to me” attitude.

River smirked and replied.

“Caleb Miller. I will indeed punish you. You shall pledge to serve as the lady’s maid until the end of your days.”

“…….”

This time, Caleb stiffened in response and looked at River.

Caleb’s searing jet-black eyes met River’s cold gray ones.

River’s gaze returned to the papers first.

“Are you displeased?”

“N-No, I’m sorry. I will accept the punishment.”

“…….”

Was this the punishment? Brody, puzzled, remained silent. Various possibilities came to her mind, but for now, he couldn’t discern River’s intentions.

“If you have no complaints, you may leave. You may go too, My Lady.”

Brody nodded and grabbed Caleb’s shoulder, dragging her along.

With a click, the door closed softly behind them.

River shook his head at the echo of the sound.

But Aidan saw the corner of his lips turn slightly as he returned his attention to the papers.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Of course not. I may be crazy about my job, but I’m not crazy enough to enjoy it.”

“Whatever, that mouth.”

“The Duchess is not someone to be taken lightly, it seems.”

“…….”

Aidan was surprised to hear River refer to Brody as ‘Duchess’.

River remembered the way Brody’s eyes had just looked at him. It had been a short time since he’d pointed it out, but in the interim, Brody’s eyes had been worthy of a duchess.

It seemed that even if River had meant to deliver a real punishment, Brody would have stopped him in the end.

“People’s vision narrows when there’s something to protect. Nonetheless, she didn’t handle it emotionally until the end.”

Despite being angry, she closed the door gently, controlling her emotions until the end.

‘People like that are the hardest to deal with.’

Aidan said, looking at River, who nodded in agreement with his thoughts.

“You must like her.”

“Well, whatever. She’s the Duchess, after all. I suppose I’ll have to deal with her in various ways.”

“…….”

It seemed he liked her after all.

River’s attitude and decisions seemed unexpected, judging from Aidan’s perspective.

Her favor to Caleb, her adoption as Brody’s handmaiden, all seemed unexpected, given the person Aidan knew her to be.

Originally, Caleb would have been lightly punished and then sent away to a place where she wouldn’t be seen again.

They wouldn’t have kept an unstable element around who might or might not be a spy.

In the “just now” situation, River did a lot of things.

First, he tested Brody and tried to bargain with her. Perhaps he was trying to settle his debt to Brody for saving and healing him. Although it didn’t work out because Aidan intervened.

The second time, he reminded Brody that she was the Duchess. This will cause Brody to consider how she should use her position as Duchess. It’s a point of advantage for Brody against River, which could be seen as a favor.

Thirdly, Brody’s active embrace of Caleb helps her win Caleb’s heart. This is also a good thing for Brody, as she had planned to have Caleb as her handmaiden.

Fourth, keeping Caleb, a former Duke’s handmaiden, around instead of sending her away seemed to have an ulterior motive. Perhaps to test and monitor her in some way, or to extract information from the Duke.

In any case, regardless of his words, it seemed River had decided to get along with Brody as the Duchess.

‘Is it really fortunate that River seems to like her? ’

Aidan had mixed feelings.

River, reading his mood, asked.

“What’s with the look on your face when I say I’m going to try to get along with the Duchess?”

“You and Brody are both very good at reading my expressions.”

“Huh, so the Duchess can read your facial expressions, already?”

Of course. It takes a River who’s been around for over twenty years to notice.

Aidan sighed.

“Anyway, you seem to mean that you’ll take advantage of her saying you’ll get along well. I’m not sure if that’s something to be pleased about.”

“I’m not trying to be nice, I’m honestly disappointed in you, and you don’t even feel sorry for me after months of cleaning up your messes.”

“I’m sorry, but that doesn’t mean you should cross the line.”

Aidan’s mouth dropped open, and he gave River a sharp look.

River’s heart fluttered with indignation, but he couldn’t say anything in response.

Aidan spoke slowly and gravely.

“I’m ready to do anything for the North. But do not touch the Duchess, and I will not spare anyone who treats her badly.”

River’s heart sank at his words.

It was rare for Aedan to speak this way.

He was a man who would give his all for the North, but he never asked for anything in return.

As if he were a man whose entire being was filled with nothing but responsibility.

He was a puppet of the North and lived devotedly, as if he had no will of his own.

Yet he expressed his will strongly.

His blue, withered eyes were heavy and piercing, aimed not at the enemy but at River.

Their shared commitment to the North had allowed River to meet his opposing will head-on for the first time in his life.

He could see why he was called the Ice Duke.

Cold, thick, and seemingly unbreakable.

River had to grit his teeth hard to keep from shivering, a cold sweat running down his back.

Only when Aidan looked away and pushed himself to his feet did River open his mouth.

“Do you really cherish her so much?”

Aidan answered, still turning away.

“Do I? Well, I’m not sure. It’s hard to say.”

Aidan walked away.

“I’ll be back after work.”

With that, he left the room.

River sighed deeply as he watched the door softly click shut.