IRER 29

Chapter 29
Younger Sister and Dear Husband

“Give her back! Give her back!”

“Jax?”

Brody and Aidan turned to each other, eyes wide in shock.

It might have been a mistake, just someone with a similar voice—but the words were far from ordinary. In fact, the tone alone left no room for doubt.

“Listen, Grand Duke of the Northern Icewall, Aidan!”

He’s… he’s gone mad.

To call out “Grand Duke of the Northern Icewall” here, now, of all times?

There he was, standing right in the middle of a busy street, yelling like he was staging a protest.

It seemed he had fully committed to embarrassing Brody and Aidan.

Passersby started glancing over, their interest piqued, watching the blonde man planted firmly in front of the building as he raised his voice toward the upper floors.

“I’ve come to expose the heinous and inexcusable crimes of the Grand Duke of Icewall! He kidnapped my younger sister and is imprisoning her here!”

Jax gestured dramatically like he was acting in a play, shouting toward the people. Slowly but surely, onlookers began to settle in, watching the scene unfold like a performance.

One by one, the windows of the inn he was serenading started to burst open with curiosity.

“Younger sister?”

Brody muttered as she listened to his thundering speech.

The audacity.

She started to stop Aidan from opening the window, then changed her mind.

If they didn’t look out after such a ruckus, wouldn’t that only confirm they were the ones being accused?

It wasn’t a large town. The innkeeper and staff had surely noticed the peculiar pairing of a large, dignified man and a woman who hadn’t left her room.

Wincing in pain, Brody pushed herself up and grabbed the window sill. Aidan moved in to support her.

After exchanging a glance with him and taking a deep breath, she pushed the window open.

As soon as it opened and Jax saw the face he was waiting for, his eyes locked onto her.

“That’s them! The Grand Duke of the North and my sister!”

With his shout, every eye turned to the two in the window.

Brody rested her elbow casually on the window frame, cradling her chin, and glanced around as if confused.

She blinked innocently under the scrutiny and asked, “Me?”

Pointing a bewildered finger at herself, she looked around repeatedly, as if double-checking he was actually referring to her.

Jax frowned.

What the hell? Did she hit her head?

“Who are you, mister?”

“M-Mister…”

Jax looked shocked by the title, brushing back his hair before finally remembering what he was here to do.

“Brody! Oh! Is he threatening you? Why don’t you recognize your own brother!”

“Brother?”

Brody pulled the man next to her into the window.

What the crowd then saw was a strikingly handsome man with distinct features, jet-black hair shining like silk, and a physique that screamed power.

The women gasped and covered their mouths. The men frowned at the noise.

Regardless, this man clearly wasn’t just anyone.

“Are you perhaps talking about my husband?”

“…!”

At her words, the women’s gazes filled with envy—or was it jealousy? The men sighed in relief.

Aidan, meanwhile, had frozen completely.

“Husband…?”

“Yes, we’re newlyweds on our honeymoon. Oh!”

Brody suddenly widened her eyes and looked around with a gasp.

Then she beamed brightly. “Wait, is this… some kind of surprise event, honey?”

“H… Honey…”

Aidan said nothing. He simply stood by her side, lips tightly sealed—but the redness in his cheeks betrayed his feelings.

The mood shifted as the crowd took in their sweet, newlywed energy.

Now, the man making a scene in the street—handsome but rather intense—was the one under scrutiny.

Jax puffed up his chest, clearly flustered by the shift in perspective, and nervously checked the crowd’s reactions.

With a shocked expression, he pointed furiously at the window.

“What is this nonsense?! Have you brainwashed my sister?! Brody! It’s me—your brother, Jax, Jax McCarthy!”

“Jax McCarthy…?”

The crowd began murmuring again at the name.

To the people of the empire, “Jax McCarthy” was well-known.

A gallant and loyal knight who never tolerated injustice. Wasn’t it thanks to his alliance with the princess that the capital had held off the northern army during the war?

There were even rumors that he and the princess would marry.

So… this guy was that Jax McCarthy?

“You’re not saying you are Duke Jax McCarthy, are you…?”

An elderly man with deep wrinkles chuckled skeptically at him.

But he couldn’t finish his sentence.

Jax shot him a glare, eyes full of dignity and annoyance.

“I am Duke Jax McCarthy.”

Gasps. More murmuring. Chaos.

The townspeople didn’t seem to know whether they should kneel or run.

“What’s the Duke of McCarthy doing here?”

But a child, with the bluntness only kids can pull off, asked the question on everyone’s mind—and the crowd froze.

Suddenly more rational, they began to question things.

“Right? Why would the duke be here?”

“He said he came for his sister.”

“Then that guy up there—is he really the Grand Duke of Icewall? He does look the part, I guess. But the war just ended—why’s the Grand Duke in the south?”

“What is going on? Aren’t those two newlyweds?”

“Did the Grand Duke even get married?”

“Wait a second, did the Duke of McCarthy even have a sister?”

Their questions were beginning to take shape—one that didn’t favor Jax.

They were starting to think he might not be who he claimed to be.

“Enough!”

Jax flung out his arm so fiercely that his golden hair whipped in the air.

The crowd fell silent at his booming voice.

“I, Jax McCarthy, adopted Brody May out of pity, for she was an orphan with no one in the world. Therefore, Brody is my one and only sister—Brody McCarthy! This can be easily confirmed by contacting the imperial authorities through the town hall. If you dare tarnish my honor with suspicion, be prepared to answer for it. Only those willing to duel a nobleman with honor may dare speak further!”

“…”

His confident declaration silenced them all.

Whether true or not, nobody wanted to get involved with someone so intense.

A noble duke from the capital, wielding a sword, claiming to have adopted a younger sister and chasing her to the southern region…

Why was the Grand Duke of Icewall even here? With a supposedly adopted sister? Eloping?

You had to give him points for imagination—but the man was clearly not just crazy. He was dangerously so.

The woman at the window gave him a nervous glance, then leaned on her husband like she feared becoming the target of a madman.

The husband, wrapping his pale, frail wife in his arms protectively, reached for the window latch.

“My wife needs rest. I don’t know what this man’s problem is, but we’ll be going back inside now.”

Creak. The window closed.

As it did, Brody saw most of the onlookers nod in agreement with their supposed “newlywed” perspective.

Then Jax’s voice rang out again.

“Aidan Mason! You shameless bastard! Give me back my sister! As her guardian, I have the right to decide her whereabouts! What gives you the right to take her away?! Return her to me, or I’ll bring you before the noble court and have you judged! Come out and face me like a man!”

He was fired up, but the way he used proper breathing and clear pronunciation had Brody rolling her eyes.

Even though what he said was true, it all sounded like nonsense when shouted with such grandeur.

After closing the window, Aidan gently helped Brody back to bed, then hurriedly began packing.

“Damn it. I’d hoped to wait until you were more recovered.”

Brody, still processing whether Jax had truly adopted her, realized what Aidan was doing and tensed.

If his plan to pressure them publicly had failed, Jax would definitely try something else.

And sure enough—

“Brody! Come down! Let’s go home, together!”

At his cry, orange aura started to swirl faintly around Brody’s body.

But Aidan, now fully packed, quickly scooped her into his arms.

The blazing orange aura scattered instantly.

“Brody, I know it’s hard, but hold on tight.”

He wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her body ached from the sudden movement, but sensing the magical force trying to invade her again, she clung to him with all her might.

The next moment, loud crashing came from the stairwell.

A staff member screamed, the innkeeper shouted, and then all was drowned out by a powerful battle cry.

It seemed no one could stop the large, rampaging madman.

The bolt on their door shattered, and it slammed open violently.

“No one can hide from justice as bright as the sun!”

Jax declared as he dramatically unsheathed his sword.

Aidan, not even flinching, drew his own in response.

Brody wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, trembling.

Hearing the voice of the man who had manipulated, threatened, and nearly killed her shook her to the core.

When Aidan felt her, usually composed, trembling in fear, even his cold, icy eyes began to burn with fury.

Seeing Aidan holding Brody with one arm, Jax quickly did the math.

This was his chance.

He began casting a spell and swung his heavy sword.

Aidan summoned the power of the ice spirit, dispelling the incoming magic from Brody, and deflected Jax’s sword at an angle.

Jax staggered, losing balance, but quickly recovered and twisted his sword mid-swing.

The tip of the blade was now aimed directly at Brody.