Chapter 31
We Did It
Jax, who had been thrashing about, went limp.
Even after the plant binding him vanished at Brody’s gesture, he remained motionless.
Did she… kill him?
Aidan stared back and forth between Brody and Jax with wide eyes.
Brody wrapped her arms around Aidan’s neck again and buried her face into his shoulder. Her body trembled slightly.
“Let’s go, Your Highness.”
She waved away a purple leaf that had sprouted near Jax’s nose.
Upon closer inspection, Aidan noticed Jax’s chest rising and falling.
Brody had used a Dreamleaf to knock Jax unconscious.
Aidan gently patted her and slowly got to his feet.
“Ah! That!”
As Aidan stood up with their bags in hand, Brody—still in his arms—suddenly reached out.
Her finger pointed to the sword lying next to Jax.
With a puzzled look but no resistance, Aidan picked up the sword and held it up for her to see.
“This must be expensive, right?”
Brody grinned mischievously.
The commotion inside the guest room died down after the blond man had violently slammed the door.
As time passed with no more noise, some onlookers began to drift away, while others remained out of curiosity. Just then, the door opened again.
A rough-looking man emerged, carrying a frail and pale woman in his arms.
The innkeeper opened and closed his mouth, clearly wanting to say something. But having just witnessed a room filled with flashing swords and chaos, he dared not speak, only frowning miserably.
Aidan walked slowly, his hood pulled deep over his head.
The crowd in the hallway parted, surprised to see the victor emerging from the room, and instinctively pressed against the walls.
It was as if the Red Sea had parted.
“S-sir, are you leaving? Just like that…”
The innkeeper’s tone had suddenly shifted from calling Aidan “guest” to “sir,” which made Aidan sigh. The man who had spoken up now recoiled again, shoulders slumping.
Aidan considered calling the innkeeper aside to explain, but changed his mind.
It might be better to say everything in front of others.
“That madman is lying inside. Oh, he’s not dead. Just unconscious. It’d be best to leave him be until he wakes.”
“Y-you mean… just leave him in there?”
As the innkeeper hesitantly asked, Brody interjected.
“Yes. Just treat him like any other guest. We’ll pay for the damages with this.”
At her nod, Aidan handed over Jax’s sword, though his expression was conflicted.
It was an ornate and expensive weapon befitting a wealthy duke.
The lines on the innkeeper’s face smoothed almost instantly.
But as he glanced between the sword in his hand and the one strapped to Aidan’s waist, his expression grew troubled again.
“This is…”
He had realized that the sword belonged to the “madman” lying in the room.
“As you can see, the one who broke things in there was that strange blond man. We’re just a couple whose peaceful time was rudely interrupted.”
The onlookers nodded in agreement, acknowledging that this couple wasn’t responsible for the chaos.
It’s not nearly enough, but still… This feels a little better.
It was Brody’s idea to make Jax pay for the room and damages on top of everything else.
She wanted to do more, but knew provoking him any further in their current situation would be unwise.
Brody swallowed her anger and made a mental note for the future.
“Darling, let’s go. I’m too scared to stay here with that weirdo around.”
She gave Aidan’s shoulder a few taps.
Darling.
The word made Aidan freeze again.
He’d already been warned to play the role of her husband convincingly until they escaped. She had been calling him that ever since Jax had shown up, but still…
For some reason, every time he heard the word, his mind went blank.
Brody tilted her head when he didn’t move and met his eyes.
Finally, like a robot powering on, Aidan gave a stiff nod.
Brody noticed the tips of his ears turning red and asked worriedly,
“Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”
“N-no, I’m fine. Truly… wife. Nothing’s wrong.”
He said it—wife! Aidan was proud of his courage, even though his face flushed redder by the second. Brody stared at him, baffled by his awkwardness.
Seriously, what’s the big deal with that word…
She clicked her tongue inwardly. Aidan was always more innocent than she expected.
But seeing him stride confidently through the crowd, she said nothing and leaned quietly against his shoulder.
Soon, a stablehand brought out Aidan’s horse, Khais.
“Can you ride?”
He asked as he lifted Brody onto the horse, concern written on his face.
Her body already ached at the thought of the long ride ahead, but she simply nodded.
“I have to. We can’t stay here.”
Aidan nodded somberly and mounted behind her.
As the horse started off at a slow trot, he asked,
“Will the innkeeper be alright?”
“Huh? Oh, you mean about the sword.”
He nodded.
Aidan had realized the man might not only lose the sword without compensation, but could even suffer retaliation.
Brody replied calmly.
“He’ll be fine. That guy would never do something that could hurt his image. He’ll probably just write it off as petty cash.”
Aidan accepted the logic.
He already knew the Duke was filthy rich, and Brody surely understood the man’s character better than he did.
Still, something about her confidence in that man irritated him.
I should’ve finished him off.
Killing him would’ve removed any future danger to Brody.
But Aidan had seen that she hadn’t wanted to kill Jax.
Was it compassion? Or lingering feelings softening her resolve?
He couldn’t tell what stopped her. So instead, he held her tighter.
As soon as they left the village, the horse broke into a full gallop.
Perhaps Aidan was just as anxious about leaving Jax behind.
He clearly intended to cross the Ferdan Fortress as quickly as possible to escape pursuit.
Ugh…
The sudden motion after days in bed made Brody’s head throb.
Even with Aidan’s support, a galloping horse was still a galloping horse.
She tried to endure, figuring the pain would be the same either way—better to get it over with faster. But eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore and tugged at Aidan’s collar.
“Brody…”
He looked down at her with concern.
She didn’t even have the strength to ask for a break. Just shook her head, pale-faced.
Realizing she was at her limit, Aidan quickly scanned the area and set up a small tent in a sheltered spot.
I really should’ve killed that bastard…
While spreading out blankets, lighting a fire, and preparing a warm water pack, Aidan clenched his jaw without letting it show.
Brody lay motionless, watching his swift movements until her heavy eyelids closed once more.
He began simmering dried meat to make a broth she could easily eat, and paused to look up at the sky.
Then he pulled out a strange whistle and blew into it.
No sound came out, but a snow-white dove soon descended and perched on his shoulder.
It was a northern courier pigeon—highly trained.
It had appeared several times before, searching for Aidan after he went off the grid. But he’d ignored it to keep his location hidden.
Now, he quickly scribbled a message and tied it to the bird’s leg.
Winter was approaching the continent.
As they climbed higher north, he could feel the climate and vegetation changing rapidly.
The colder it got, the faster Khais ran.
But Brody, shivering, gradually nestled closer to Aidan.
He welcomed it, letting her share his body heat. He even took off his coat so she could warm herself against his bare chest, then wrapped them both in his cloak.
With that, she was almost completely hidden from view—like they were one person.
Still, Aidan regretted not bringing a windproof jacket, assuming he wouldn’t feel the cold.
Brody watched him fuss over her with furrowed brows.
“…I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“What are you apologizing for? You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“…”
“I’m not tired at all. Remember when we traveled from the northern fortress like this? It’s no different now. So why apologize?”
Brody didn’t answer, just smiled weakly.
Back then… I was helping with your work. Not mine.
She had joined him in his mission back then, accepting his kindness without hesitation.
But now it was her burden they carried—and she had no choice but to accept his help.
Brody had always fended for herself. Unconditional kindness still felt foreign.
A growing sense of debt nestled quietly in her heart.
She buried the unease and once again slipped into sleep.
How long had they been riding?
The rhythmic sound of hooves jolted Brody awake.
Blinking, trying to process her surroundings, she saw a sky painted in golden yellow and deep crimson. The sun was setting.
She stirred, looking around.
The horse was now walking atop a well-maintained stone road.
Elevated above the surrounding terrain, it offered a clear view of the landscape.
This sound… this smell…
As she took in her surroundings, a familiar sight came into view—and Brody’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
At this point, Aiden you should give up!