IRER 02

Chapter 02

 How to Escape from His Grasp

The man staggered toward Brody.

The drug hadn’t fully taken effect, it seemed—he was swaying heavily.

“Ah!”

Because of that, he almost knocked over the teacup.

No, not just the teacup—everything on the desk looked ready to crash to the floor.

‘No! Please no!’

If someone came in due to the commotion, it would be a disaster.

Brody instinctively ran over to support him.

His solid body weighed down heavily on her.

Thankfully, she avoided the loud crash that might’ve given everything away.

A cold sweat ran down her back as she let out a breath of relief.

But it was too early to relax.

Whether to keep from falling or to keep her from escaping, the man grabbed her arm tightly.

Her thin arm, like it had barely seen a decent meal, was swallowed up in his large hand.

‘Even if I use my “ability,” it’ll be hard to get away like this.’

Brody frowned and looked up at him to assess the situation.

Then, their eyes locked—barely a palm’s width apart.

Despite his half-lidded, hazy gaze, he stared fixedly at her.

There was something… tender in those eyes.

Brody felt her heart tighten.

She had never received a gaze like that from a man before.

Heavy, earnest… longing.

Why? Why was he looking at her like that?

Her green eyes began to waver under his deep blue ones.

‘Unfair. Too handsome!’

Brody shook her head, blaming his ridiculously good looks for the strange feelings.

It wasn’t that his gaze was special—he just looked too good doing it.

She needed to stay sharp to avoid being swept away.

“Um, here, let me help you lie down.”

She decided to get the dazed man into bed first. Then, she’d give him more Meshu and knock him out cold.

She led him to the bed.

He was heavy, like water-soaked cotton, but fortunately he followed her lead without resistance.

“Ugh.”

She finally got to the bed and practically tossed him onto it.

Even as he tumbled onto the bed, he didn’t let go of her arm.

Because of that, she ended up flopping onto the bed as well.

Right into his arms.

“Ah!”

He pulled the woman in his arms closer, tightening his embrace.

Then he buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply.

His lips brushed the skin near her neck.

Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, Brody trembled.

Thankfully, he did nothing else—just breathed quietly against her neck.

‘No, this isn’t good! I have to get away!’

His slow breathing and warm body were unexpectedly comforting, almost enough to lull her into dropping her guard—but Brody snapped herself out of it.

It had to be tonight. Tomorrow, once he sobered up, he’d realize something was wrong. He’d question the sudden drowsiness after drinking the tea.

She twisted her body to escape.

Surprisingly, he let go of her easily.

Another unexpected reaction. Brody was thrown off once again.

He sat at the edge of the bed, silently watching her.

His slightly damp eyes glistened as if longing for her.

Was that feeling real? The man gently took her hand.

Not forcefully—gently.

So gently that she could easily pull away if she wanted.

‘What the hell…? What is this situation?’

Brody stared at him and made up her mind.

She slowly lowered her face. Her soft, curly light-brown hair fell over his chest.

Gently, cautiously, her lips touched his.

The moment their lips met, she felt him tense.

But then, with his large hand, he cradled the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.

‘Mmm…’

It was softer than she’d expected.

As their heated breaths mingled, Brody struggled to keep her mind from going blank.

Desperately, she mashed the Meshu leaf growing inside her mouth and slipped it into his.

Fortunately, he swallowed it without protest—probably due to the haze clouding his mind.

‘Now he should fall asleep.’

But unfortunately… he didn’t.

‘Why?! That much Meshu should’ve knocked him out cold till tomorrow morning!’

Even worse, Brody, who had chewed the leaf to pass it to him, began to feel drowsy herself.

As the soft kiss turned more passionate, the man finally broke away.

She looked at him—his face just a palm away.

The usual stern expression etched into his face had softened.

The furrowed brows, usually shadowed by pain or responsibility, had almost completely relaxed.

Was it the Meshu? His eyes, slack with intoxication, looked peaceful. Content.

His gaze seemed to be asking for permission.

‘Of course I should say no…’

But why was she hesitating?

Brody stared silently for a while.

His sharp features—his perfectly angled forehead, strong nose, piercing sapphire eyes, and the soft lips drawn over a chiseled jaw…

Gulp. She swallowed unconsciously. Her heart began to race.

And more than anything, the soft, almost sorrowful air about this massive, wild-looking man shook her deeply.

The way he melted in her arms felt… tragic. Brody, without realizing it, reached up with her delicate hand and gently brushed his brows, the corners of his eyes marked with pain, and his face etched with the burden of responsibility.

‘It’s the looks. Damn it, he’s just too good-looking.’

Her foggy mind spun.

How many times in life would she meet a man so perfectly her type?

Perhaps never again—not in this life or the next.

Actually, she wasn’t even sure if this was her current life. Was this her past life? A novel? A dream? It all felt more and more blurred.

Maybe she was dreaming this because of the last book she read.

When she woke up, it might be in a hospital bed… or the afterlife.

Even if this wasn’t a dream, he was someone she’d never be entangled with again.

She had spent her life sacrificing everything for her family. Always enduring, always holding back.

So this moment—no, from this moment on…

‘Maybe I can finally live the way I want to.’

His gaze was so gentle, his warmth so comforting. Brody grabbed his cheek and pulled him in.

It was a long, yet fleeting night unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Near dawn, Brody sat up.

The man beside her was fast asleep, limp from deep rest.

It was definitely not a dream.

‘I did it. I really did it.’

It was a night of choices she wouldn’t normally make, yet it didn’t feel wrong.

‘Well… obviously.’

She looked at him again. He wasn’t doing anything special, just lying there and breathing—but she couldn’t take her eyes off his beautiful form.

‘Seriously… my type.’

Embarrassed at herself for admiring his looks in this situation, Brody scratched her neck and began putting her clothes back on.

Even with her movement, the man didn’t stir.

‘Well, after taking that much Meshu, this is how it should be.’

She felt relieved.

‘They said the Icewall Grand Duke was a madman and a brute… Turns out none of the rumors were true.’

Her body ached as she got up.

What a night.

Everything hurt, but oddly, she felt satisfied.

Not a bad way to start a new life.

‘What a pleasant morning.’

Sunlight began to seep through the tent fabric.

‘If I don’t wake up from this dream… then I have to live in this reality.’

Sitting at the edge of the bed, she looked down at the peacefully sleeping man.

Would she ever spend another night like this with a man like him?

Probably not. They’d never even cross paths again.

She’d bury this memory deep in her mind—but she had no regrets.

His resting face, free of its usual frown, looked so gentle that she reached out and softly brushed his brows.

Still, he didn’t wake.

“Goodbye, handsome extra Grand Duke.”

And just like that, Brody successfully used her ability… and escaped.

How much time had passed?

The tent was now fully lit.

As light filtered through the seams, it touched the man’s eyes. His eyelids fluttered… then slowly opened.

This morning felt different.

‘So bright… so clean.’

Feeling an odd sense of unfamiliarity, he blinked and stared at the ceiling.

The familiar tent ceiling.

“Your Grace, are you awake?”

A voice came from outside, and only then did the man jerk upright in surprise.

He began piecing things together.

The light was too sharp—it was already late morning.

Had he overslept? He frowned, only to realize something even more shocking.

He was completely naked—and utterly alone.

Frantically, he gathered his clothes and dressed. During wartime, to fall apart like this—he felt ashamed of his carelessness.

‘Was that all… a dream?’

A dream? What dream?

His memory was foggy, yet his mind was clearer than ever.

Then he realized why.

‘The headache… it’s gone.’

The migraine that tormented him for 24 hours a day—completely gone.

It was the first time since gaining consciousness of his “self” that he had experienced this.

To feel so light without the pain—it amazed him.

‘What on earth happened?’

As confusion swirled, a voice called from outside: “May I come in?”

He composed himself, donned his light armor, and answered.

“Come in.”

The aide who entered looked tense.

The Grand Duke, who always rose earlier than anyone else, had acted out of character.

“Apologies, I overslept. Seems I fell into a deep sleep for once.”

“No need to apologize, Your Grace. But… hmm.”

The aide glanced around the tent, his expression darkening.

Then he asked,

“…Where is the woman?”

Brody was a Plant Sorceress.

As long as she had “nutrients” as a medium, she could grow plants anywhere, anytime.

Poison, Meshu—she had grown both right in her palm.

‘No matter how thoroughly they search, they’ll never find anything. Because nothing was there at the time.’

Living with plants, she had mastered botany, herbalism, cooking, and had plenty of practical know-how.

‘Not bad, Brody. And you wasted all this potential before?’

She grew thick roots from the tent floor to create a short escape tunnel outside.

Once outside, she wrapped herself in plants to resemble a tree and slipped away when no one was around.

This was on a different level from simply sticking leaves to her clothes.

Unless someone forcefully ripped the foliage open, no one would discover her hiding.

Had she followed the script, she would’ve died from poison.

Now, with the Grand Duke knocked out from Meshu, there was no way he’d wake from a little ruckus.

Having escaped, Brody ran into the deep forest with the help of her plants.

‘Ugh, my whole body aches.’

After that steamy night, she was sore all over—but when it came to survival, that was a small price to pay.

She ran until she was sure she had gone far enough.

Thanks to the plants, travel was much easier.

‘This should be good enough.’

Only once she reached a place with no signs of human presence did she finally stop.

Relief brought on exhaustion.

She leaned against a large tree and massaged her legs.

‘What the hell even happened?’

She had experienced death, fallen into a strange, primitive world, spent the night with a man who was completely her type, used a weird ability to escape, and ran all day into this wild forest.

‘I don’t even like hiking…’

Muttering to herself, Brody grew some sweet potatoes.

She debated lighting a fire but decided against it, just in case the smoke brought danger.

‘Better to skip it today.’

Chewing raw sweet potato, she fell into thought.

‘This ability’s insane. I’ll never starve. I can’t make fabric, but I can learn. Shelter? Solved. Food? Solved. With this kind of power, I’ve got all the basics covered. Heck, I could probably even make a fortune!’

Caught up in dreams of how she might live, she soon drifted into sleep.

She didn’t even realize when her eyes closed.

But later, when extreme cold woke her, and she opened her eyes…

Her heart nearly froze.

There, staring at her with piercing, ice-blue eyes, stood the Icewall Grand Duke.