IRER 40

Chapter 40
The Notorious Witch

Brody and Aidan’s eyes met.

Aidan looked into Brody’s frozen gaze with calm, unwavering eyes.

He was the first to break the silence.

“You’re awake?”

“Ah, yes…”

Brody wiggled out from under the blanket.

Her muscles were still sore, but thanks to the oil and massage, she definitely felt lighter and more refreshed.

She walked over to the table where Aidan sat.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“Yeah. I think I’m finally starting to feel human again.”

“Then let’s get you something to eat. Resting is good, but I think you need to eat properly.”

Brody smiled and nodded.

Aidan placed the bread, cheese, and soup he had received earlier from the innkeeper on the table.

“The soup’s a bit cold… wait a moment.”

“Oh, it’s okay, Your Highness. I’ll take care of it. I was going to make some tea anyway.”

Aidan had started to rise but sat back down at her words. After all, tea-making was Brody’s specialty.

A small stove, kettle, and pot were prepared in a corner of the room.

She reheated the soup, set the kettle on the fire, and chose the tea leaves she wanted.

Once the water boiled and the tea steeped nicely in the cups, Brody pulled out a needle she had prepared in advance.

The last time she had bitten into her flesh to draw blood, it had been painful and difficult—so she had prepared the needle for this.

She sterilized the needle with fire, pricked her fingertip, and let one drop of blood fall. She was used to this—like pricking for indigestion relief.

She dropped one small bead of blood into each cup, both hers and Aidan’s.

Brody didn’t need it, but in case the sharp-eyed Aidan noticed any difference between the two cups, she put it in both.

Fortunately, the stove was in a blind spot, out of Aidan’s sight, so making the tea secretly hadn’t been hard.

Brody brought the now-warm soup and two cups of tea back to the table.

“Here you go.”

Aidan looked at the teacup placed before him, then up at her with curiosity.

“What’s this?”

Brody nodded in response, silently affirming that it was tea to help with his headache.

Aidan let out a sigh, looking troubled.

“You must still be tired. Are you sure it’s okay to make medicine?”

“This much is nothing.”

She replied casually.

Seeming a bit famished, she sat down quickly and began tearing the bread and dipping it into the soup hungrily.

Aidan smiled in relief at the returning energy in her expression.

After watching her for a while, he turned back to his documents.

When he did, Brody glanced sideways at him.

Don’t think about it. We’re just business partners. Business partners. Just focus on work!

Brody thought work was the best way to shake off wandering thoughts.

I’m good at focusing on work.

She had juggled multiple part-time jobs while attending school in her previous life and had still managed to keep up with her studies. Hard work was never a problem—she had just been tired of it all. But when she committed, she followed through.

Finishing her meal quickly, she squared her shoulders.

“Can I take a look?”

Aidan looked at her with slight surprise but nodded.

She asked for a map and a blank sheet of paper, then began examining everything carefully, jotting down notes and organizing information.

Aidan glanced at her a few times, intrigued, but didn’t interrupt.

From time to time, Brody would ask him questions, always politely, and Aidan answered them patiently without complaint.

Soon, her sheet of paper was densely filled with writing.

I wish I could see more data.

She absentmindedly chewed the end of her quill, lost in thought.

The documents Aidan was reviewing were administrative, while the detailed regional statistics were probably managed by River.

She listed out the types of information she still needed.

How much time passed, she couldn’t tell.

It was beginning to grow light outside.

When Aidan raised his stiff neck, he saw Brody dozing off with a quill in hand.

He smirked and tapped the table in front of her.

Brody’s eyes fluttered open.

“Brody, you should go lie down. You’ll be tired; we have to ride again today.”

“Mmm, just a little longer…”

She murmured and began nodding off again.

She had meant to stop working when Aidan went to bed, but he hadn’t moved from his seat.

Aidan looked at Brody, who had ink smudged on her cheek, and chuckled softly. He stretched his limbs.

Though he was behind on work, there was no need to push himself to the point of losing sleep.

His eyes were dry, but the headache had disappeared.

He glanced down at his teacup, then back at Brody—the very source of his distraction.

She was now completely slumped over the table.

She must be exhausted…

He looked at her with pity.

Though he had asked for help with northern affairs, he hadn’t meant to overwork her.

He had allowed her to help because he knew she was the type to insist—but he had fully intended to stop her if it became too much.

Her soft, wavy hair, the color of ripe wheat, spilled across the table.

Aidan gently brushed her hair aside and looked down at her face.

Beyond her face, he caught sight of the densely written page.

What did she write so much about?

When he glanced at the paper, he was startled.

He couldn’t read a single word.

The page was filled with a language he didn’t recognize.

What… is this woman?

He looked back down at her sleeping face with a renewed sense of mystery.

Delicate brows arched in a gentle curve. A smooth forehead, a slender, straight nose. Her eyelids, usually heavy-lidded and lazy, now closed to reveal long, soft lashes. Her full lips, usually set in a firm line, were slightly parted as she breathed evenly.

The pungent scent of the oil she had applied earlier mixed with her own unique body scent.

Perhaps it was because she was a plant-based healer—there was a subtle blend of earthy wood and spicy forest that drove him mad.

Aidan instinctively reached out to touch her face, then suddenly stopped.

He caught his own right hand with his left, glancing around the room. Then, as if making a decision, he bit his lower lip.

Quietly, he walked over and lifted the sleeping Brody from her awkward position at the table.

She murmured something unintelligible but didn’t wake.

Aidan laid her carefully on the bed and pulled the blanket over her.

Sigh…

He stood by the empty side of the bed for a moment, then turned away with a long sigh.

He gathered his documents and placed the sheet Brody had written on in a separate pile.

It wouldn’t do to let others see it.

To just leave this lying around…

Surely she wouldn’t do that carelessly.

Did she trust him that much?

Trust… huh.

He furrowed his brow, wedged his large frame into a too-small chair, and crossed his arms, lowering his head to rest.

Morning came quickly.

After a few more hours of sleep, Brody opened her eyes to faint morning light.

Though it was morning, the air was dull and gray, as if the weather were gloomy.

The northern climate, wetter in winter than in summer, began the day with thick fog.

Rising sluggishly, she found the other side of the bed empty—without even a trace.

It was suspicious, to say the least.

Turning her head toward the table, she saw Aidan staring out the window with a blank expression.

If he’s lost interest in me, then fine—but why won’t he even sleep near me? Is he avoiding me like I’m contagious?

Annoyance surged, but Brody swallowed it down and spoke calmly.

“You didn’t sleep?”

“I did.”

He turned toward her as he answered.

Though he was strong and healthy, his eyes carried deep fatigue.

If you’re going to be so bothered, just get a twin room. Once we’re past the fortress, we can get separate rooms, she thought, ready to snap—but then paused when she saw the faint smile on his face.

Somehow, he looked weighed down with concern, and for a moment, she felt sympathy.

We’re business partners. If he does well, things go well for me, too.

Determined, Brody handed him a breakfast infused with herbs good for fatigue recovery.

Aidan paused when he saw the plants she had used, but soon accepted it gratefully.

And so, the journey north resumed.

“We’ll reach the fortress before sunset today.”

“Yes.”

She answered shortly, as if indifferent, but Brody was beginning to feel tense.

This was the North. From here on, the real challenges would begin.

I’ll have to brace myself for criticism first.

The infamous witch who had blinded the Northern Duke and led him astray in the South.

That would be the first impression she would have to endure.

It was the Duke’s responsibility to follow, not mine for leaving. I didn’t even run away—I was just a civilian with a promised freedom.

But there was no way the northern people who needed the Duke would see it that way.

Ready to face any hostility, she mounted her horse, ignoring the soreness in her muscles as she affectionately stroked its mane.

“Let’s do well today too, Creambronie.”

“Creambronie? Is that your horse’s name?”

As Brody greeted the horse, Teddy chimed in cheerfully.

“Yeah, I named her that because it suits her color.”

“Pretty name. ‘Bri,’ ‘Bronie’—sounds like it comes from your name, milady.”

“Ah, haha…”

Brody smiled awkwardly, thinking, I really am bad at naming. Brody, Bri, Creambronie—she never strayed far.

Aidan’s horse was named Kais, short for Black Ice. She had wanted to follow a similar naming theme based on color.

“The owner gave you a name, so be a good horse, Creambronie.”

Aidan brought Kais close beside Creambronie and spoke softly to her.

At that moment, Creambronie gave a perfectly timed neigh, as if replying.

“Haha, what a clever one. Neil, you do your best too.”

Teddy encouraged his gray horse, Neil.

At his signal, Aidan spurred Kais forward.

“Ha!”

The three horses began to gallop energetically.

Toward the great fortress of Perdan, the gateway to the North.

❖ ❖ ❖

The northern winter sun was short.

Even before evening, the sun was already dipping toward the horizon.

The three travelers could see it in the distance: the massive, snow-white fortress of Perdan.

It had been overwhelming the last time she saw it—and it was still just as awe-inspiring.

Unlike when they had come down from the North, the sunset now cast its light from their left, painting the white fortress in beautiful pink and orange hues.

“Everything prepared, Teddy?”

Aidan had planned for a quiet return, mindful that Brody might feel uncomfortable.

He wouldn’t reveal his identity as the Grand Duke. They would simply appear as travelers.

“Yes, of course. I’ll make sure everything stays quiet and comfortable.”

Teddy replied with a warm-eyed smile as he looked at the two of them.

Neither Aidan nor Brody realized what that smile truly meant.