IRER 16

Chapter 16

 Meeting and Farewell

Drip, drip.

Water droplets fell endlessly from the edge of the table.

Brody silently watched the iced coffee scatter across the dirt floor, deepening the earth’s color.

Though she stood under the blazing southern sun, a chill swept through her body, raising goosebumps across her skin.

Behind her thin hooded cloak, she could feel the large, solid frame of a man.

He must have run—his body was drenched in sweat, and he was breathing heavily.

His heart, pressed against her back, pounded like mad.

“Bri…”

He called her name again in a low voice.

No, not her real name—her fake one.

‘How long are we going to stand like this?’

Brody was thankful for the hood covering her head as she turned slightly.

The moment she moved, he embraced her tighter, as if afraid she’d slip away.

As people’s gazes grew hotter, Brody slipped her hand between his arms and her body, gently pushing him away.

“Shall we… move somewhere else?”

Only then did Aidan see her face.

But with her hood pulled low, he could only see from her nose down, unable to read her expression.

Unlike him, her composed demeanor sent a chill through his heart.

It felt as though she was confirming just how little he truly meant to her.

Brody led the way in silence, and Aidan followed, also silent.

At first, he held onto her cloak, but eventually he couldn’t resist and took her hand instead.

Thankfully, she didn’t shake it off.

‘Is this a dream?’

Brody remained expressionless on the outside, but internally she was in utter turmoil.

She seriously suspected that she might’ve accidentally rubbed a “dream leaf” under her nose in her sleep.

That explanation seemed more plausible than having Grand Duke Aidan standing right in front of her.

What startled her most was that she was glad to see him.

She had to resist the urge to clasp his large, warm hand with both of hers.

She had chosen to leave him—why was her heart betraying her now?

At the edge of the forest, in a quiet place where no one passed, Brody stopped.

When she did, Aidan stopped as well.

She swiftly turned and faced him.

He had feared she might just tell him to turn back without even looking at his face—but she hadn’t. He was relieved.

‘If only she’d take off that hood…’

Beneath it, her lips moved.

Aidan, who had been staring only at her mouth, suddenly grew tense.

He tried not to squeeze her hand too tightly as he waited.

“Your Grace, what brings you here?”

“……”

What kind of question is that? What other reason would I have to be here except to find you?

But his mouth wouldn’t move. Not a word came out.

As he remained silent, Brody continued.

“Isn’t the North in the middle of something important right now? Don’t tell me… you came all the way here alone just to capture a runaway prisoner?”

Aidan blinked.

The scolding sounded just like something River would say—but it carried far more weight from Brody’s lips.

He slumped his shoulders.

“…I have no excuse.”

Brody’s eyes widened under the hood.

No excuse? Then… does that mean it’s true? He really came here for me?

She didn’t know whether to scold him for being crazy, feel afraid that he came to take her back, or be happy to see him again.

“Your Grace… I was promised freedom. You’re not planning to go back on that, are you?”

“Of course not. There may have been some misunderstanding about the meaning, but… you are not a prisoner anymore. You’re free.”

Huh? He’s agreeing so easily?

Then he didn’t come to take her back?

Brody, who had been preparing for a full-on debate, was rendered speechless.

A quiet stillness fell between them.

Sunlight spilled through the leaves, casting beautiful, shifting shadows over the two of them.

Aidan reached out his empty hand.

“Bri, let me see your face. I want to speak while looking into your eyes.”

Brody lowered her head, unmoving.

But she didn’t stop him from carefully pulling back her hood.

Soon, her face appeared before him.

Her light brown hair, tied up for the hot weather, shimmered gold in the sun.

Her slender nape was exposed below the gathered hair.

Instead of thick, dull fabrics, she wore a thin, airy robe in a bright color that fluttered around her shoulders.

Her face, once pale and shadowed, now looked slightly fuller, healthier, and far more at ease.

Her green eyes, looking up at him, reflected the lush vitality of the South.

The warm, colorful air suited her far better than the cold, heavy atmosphere of the North.

And that broke his heart.

He gently reached out, brushing her soft cheek with a coarse thumb—just barely touching her.

“…You look well.”

His eyes held sorrow.

His low voice, sounding as if he had finally been able to rest, trembled with emotion.

Brody’s cheeks flushed red without her realizing it.

“Your Grace…”

Flustered, she pushed his hand away.

And yet—his eyes flickered with hope.

“Bri, I…”

“Hey, hey!!”

Just then, a loud voice rang out.

A large shadow marched toward them from the village, shouting at full volume.

The peaceful forest erupted in chaos as startled birds flew off in every direction.

Aidan sighed and rubbed his forehead in dismay.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Good heavens! What a sight!”

A man with tousled golden hair and finely tailored clothes approached Brody dramatically.

She looked at him—both a stranger and oddly familiar—with a dumbfounded expression.

It was Jax McCarthy. The male lead of the original novel.

‘Why is he here?’

Seeing him in person for the first time, Brody thought he looked just like a certain famous prince from an old anime in her previous world.

That’s all he had going for him, though.

She hadn’t liked him in the novel—and seeing him now didn’t change that.

‘The Grand Duke and Jax? What kind of cursed pairing is this?’

She involuntarily furrowed her brow.

And Aidan noticed.

There was no way to interpret that expression as welcoming.

Hearing her mumble something like, “What kind of baggage did he bring with him?” confirmed it for Aidan.

He straightened his shoulders in quiet satisfaction.

“So this is where you ran off to! How on earth did you find her? Ha ha! Sir Dan! If you were my subordinate, I’d have rewarded you handsomely!”

Jax clapped Aidan on the shoulder excitedly.

But Aidan subtly dodged the touch.

Brody stepped back a few paces, narrowing her eyes at them both.

“What exactly are you two doing here?”

“Brody! Oh, Brody!”

Jax opened his arms to hug her, but she swiftly dodged—ending up behind Aidan in the process.

Aidan’s chest and shoulders blocked Jax’s path, growing visibly more threatening.

Jax looked puzzled.

The Brody he remembered had always tried to please him. She would have given her life for him.

But now she was looking at him with such clarity and confusion.

He didn’t recognize her.

“Brody, it’s okay. I know you’re hesitant to come back because you failed.”

Startled, Brody glanced at Aidan.

Their eyes met briefly—and she understood.

‘He knows everything. Why I was in enemy territory. And even my real name. Jax must have spilled everything while I was gone.’

Biting her lip, she lowered her head in shame.

Even though it wasn’t her who had plotted all that, but the original Brody, she couldn’t bring herself to face Aidan.

Jax, thinking her bowed head meant guilt, continued on pompously.

“I forgive you. I won’t hold you accountable. So let’s go back together.”

Brody imagined vines sprouting from a tree and wrapping Jax up to hang him upside-down.

At the very least, she wanted to shut his clueless mouth.

‘Forgive? Accountable? You mean the girl who risked her life for you without asking for anything in return? Brody, what did you ever see in this guy? No understanding. None at all.’

With a deep sigh, she suppressed her boiling irritation and lifted her head.

She crossed her arms and addressed him coldly.

“Duke Jax.”

“Brody, don’t be so formal. Call me Brother Jax, like always.”

He smiled kindly, as if doing her a favor.

But Brody didn’t flinch. She spoke each word slowly and firmly.

“Duke. Jax. Mc. Car. Thy.”

Watching him falter, she continued.

“You said you forgave my mission’s failure, yes?”

“Of course. I’d never hold you responsible. Your safety is all that matters to me.”

“Well, then. That’s perfect.”

“…What?”

“Since you’re not holding me accountable, I’ll go my own way. You don’t need to trouble yourself further over a lowly girl like me. Please return to the capital.”

She gave a polite but rushed curtsy, then turned and walked into the forest.

Jax, stunned by this side of Brody he’d never seen before, just stared blankly after her.

“Wait! Brody!”

Snapping out of it, he ran after her.

But his path was immediately blocked by a tall, black-haired beast of a man.

“She asked you to leave.”

Jax ignored Aidan and tried to step past him, but Aidan shifted to block him again.

But soon, even Aidan panicked.

“Wait, wait! Sir Dan! She’s gone!”

Turning around, they realized Brody had vanished.

This was no time to stand around.

In a flash, both men—now downgraded from protectors to chasers—started running through the forest, desperate to find any trace of her.