Chapter 34
Different Dreams
Brody swayed endlessly between the heat of emotion and the chill of reason.
If I could stay with him like this… maybe this life wouldn’t be so bad.
But what would happen once they reached the North?
Brody slowly opened her eyes. Through her blurry lashes, she could see the deep furrow between his brows—something she found endearingly lovely.
How nice it would be to have this man completely to myself. Then I’d have nothing more to wish for.
She reached to brush his cheek but stopped herself with a jolt.
Her rationality had begun to betray her feelings.
There’s no way we can stay like this. Once he becomes the Grand Duke of the North, he won’t be able to live as Aidan anymore.
So don’t let the sweetness of now fool you into diving into the fire.
Her reason scolded her again and again.
The heat of his grip on her wrist was so strong, so intense, that the unfamiliar sensation actually snapped her back to clarity.
She quickly grabbed his arm.
“Y-You’re hurting me, Your Highness.”
“Oh…”
The burning passion in Aidan’s blue eyes flickered cold for a moment as he came to his senses, startled.
“S-Sorry. I thought I was being gentle.”
Not missing the opportunity, Brody twisted her body away from him.
As she adjusted her disheveled clothing, she thought to herself:
Three years. No more than that.
They’d have to stick close for now, until they arrived in the North. But once there, they’d become formal with one another.
Pull yourself together, Brody. You can’t give him any openings.
She turned to look at Aidan, who stood awkwardly with a flustered expression.
She spoke as gently as she could.
“Sorry… I’m tired. I’d like to rest.”
“Oh, uh…”
Embarrassed and unsure of what to do, he fumbled with his words.
Overcome by the heat in his body, he eventually got up from his seat.
“Y-Yeah, I should sleep on the floor. That’s best, right? Oh, and you said it was cold, didn’t you? I’ll go get another blanket.”
Creak—slam. The sound of the door echoed his confusion and fluster.
Brody sighed with guilt. I was the one who pushed him away, yet I still feel bad. Honestly, I even feel a little… disappointed.
No! Stop it. This is crazy. I have to wrap things up quickly before anything else happens. I have to talk to him before we cross the fortress anyway.
Outside, Aidan leaned against the door for a moment to calm his body and mind.
Thinking back on what had just happened, he was overcome with shame.
Brody had called him to the bed simply because she was cold, but he had misunderstood and tried to touch her.
Why am I always like this? He cursed his lack of awareness and slapped his forehead a couple of times.
But still… Still, he felt that she was starting to accept him. Remembering the way her heart pounded and her breath quickened in front of him made him smile involuntarily.
Once we get to the North, I’ll build her a greenhouse. Getting a few warming artifacts shouldn’t be too hard. It’ll take a lot to heat an entire building, but I’ll do it—even if I have to hunt a hundred Ryushras. She’ll be able to live comfortably and freely there.
Imagining her lazily rolling around surrounded by plants brought a smile to his face.
And when he returned from his duties each day, she’d greet him warmly.
It’s embarrassing… but she said she likes my face and body, right? I won’t forget to keep appealing to that part too.
Firm in his resolve, Aidan hurried off to fetch more blankets.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next day, Brody did her best to stay active with some brisk walking.
Since they were traveling by boat, she had a rare moment of free time. And with no risk of Jax suddenly leaping out of the sea, the peace was welcome.
“Whew.”
“You worked hard.”
Aidan had initially tried to stop her, telling her to rest more. But in the end, he gave in to her stubbornness. Once he did, he enthusiastically helped her.
Thankfully, the awkwardness from last night had been smoothed over. They had no choice but to stay close, after all.
Aidan pulled out a linen cloth and carefully wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.
Brody stood still and let him, worried he might feel awkward otherwise—until she suddenly remembered her resolve from the night before and gently pushed his hand away.
“That’s enough, Your H… honey.”
“…”
Damn it. She meant to distance herself, but in trying to fix a slip of the tongue, she made another one. She had said “honey” instead of “Your Highness.” Aidan’s cheeks reddened slightly.
Ugh… I need to tell him I don’t want to be his wife. But when’s the right time to bring it up?
Sighing, Brody leaned on the railing to take a break.
“Waaah! Aaaahhh!”
Just then, a white robe fluttered wildly beside her.
What the—?
The noise was so dramatic that everyone on deck—including Brody and Aidan—turned to look.
A slender figure in a white robe was half-hanging over the edge of the ship, flailing.
“Whoa!”
“Eek!”
“Ahhh!”
As the figure lost their balance and nearly fell, cries of alarm broke out from all around the deck.
They’re going to fall!
The figure’s center of gravity tipped outward—and without thinking, Brody summoned a plant.
She made sure to do it out of sight, on the outside of the ship.
A vine wrapped around the person’s thigh.
Whether Brody acted first or Aidan did, it was hard to tell.
Aidan lunged and caught the person by the waist just before they fell.
But since their balance had shifted so far over the edge, he had to throw himself to the ground to avoid going over with them.
Thud. As he pulled the person back, something ripped from their thigh area, and Aidan frowned.
That sound!
The two of them tumbled and landed in a heap.
Aidan ended up on the bottom, with the figure sprawled on top of him.
He quickly looked at the person’s thigh, worried there might be a green glow. But there was nothing there.
Whew. Thank goodness.
Brody let out a small breath of relief. The moment their bodies tilted inward, she had erased the vine. It happened so quickly, no one could have seen it.
The person in the white robe groaned and tried to sit up. They didn’t even realize they were on top of someone.
Plop. Their slender white hand pressed down on Aidan’s chest, thinking it was the floor.
But the pose—an unfamiliar woman sitting atop him and grabbing his chest—looked… compromising.
What the hell?! While my woman is watching!
Startled, Aidan quickly grabbed the wrist and pushed her away.
He used more strength than intended, and the slim figure toppled to the floor with a thud.
Their hood slipped off.
“Brody, this is—”
“Are you okay?”
Brody stepped forward, concern in her voice. But it wasn’t for Aidan—she was looking at the person he had pushed away.
Aidan had been about to defend himself, explain that he hadn’t meant to let a strange woman on top of him. But a pang of disappointment struck.
Seriously? I just saved someone, rolled on the ground, and you’re worried about them instead of me?
But it was a misunderstanding.
Brody had been concerned for Aidan, but the moment the hood fell back and revealed the person’s face, she was stunned.
They were stunningly, incredibly, unbelievably beautiful.
Silky, white hair glistened like snow, brushing against flawless porcelain skin.
Their lashes and brows were white too, and beneath them shone gray eyes like iridescent mother-of-pearl.
The faint pink blush across their pale face was breathtaking.
Brody stared, dumbfounded.
“Ugh…”
The person slowly regained composure and noticed all the eyes on them. Flustered, they pulled the hood back up and said,
“Thank you for saving me. I nearly returned to the arms of the gods.”
“Oh…”
Brody was startled.
Wait—is that a man?
The voice was soft but lower than a woman’s. Just slightly.
Aidan, still flustered, pulled Brody to him protectively—as if shielding her from danger.
“You are…”
“Oh, yes. I’m a mixed-blood Lupé. I think, anyway? I’m not too sure myself.”
He fiddled with the edge of his hood and smiled sheepishly.
“No need to be alarmed. I serve the gods.”
Lupé? Brody’s eyes widened.
Suddenly, she remembered something from the novel.
Beyond the North, even farther North, there lived a small tribe that coexisted with reindeer.
They had long been enemies of the North.
For generations, the Grand Dukes had tried to win them over, but their hatred ran so deep that no compromise could be reached.
And since they were weak and few in number, they couldn’t rival the powerful North.
In the end, the Lupé were the ones discriminated against.
Even though he was beautiful and a priest, the others on board began to shy away the moment they recognized him as Lupé.
Right… the Lupé were a tragic people.
Knowing the story, Brody felt more pity than suspicion.
The white-robed man smiled and scratched his cheek, clearly used to reactions like Aidan’s.
Then Brody asked,
“But… why were you leaning out over the edge of the ship?”
He blinked a few times, surprised someone was talking to him.
“Oh, uh… I was trying to feed a seagull.”
“Feed a seagull?”
“Yes. I just meant to give it food, but one of them grabbed my identity tag instead.”
Looking dejected, he glanced at his arm. There was no priestly bracelet—just a scratch from the bird’s beak.
“So I reached for it and, well…”
“You’re bleeding. May I take a look?”
“Huh?”
Brody gently took his arm without hesitation to examine the scratch.
Aidan looked surprised but said nothing, simply standing close behind her.
As Grand Duke, Aidan had always intended to adopt a more accepting policy toward the Lupé—unlike his predecessors. So he normally wasn’t prejudiced. He had only overreacted out of concern for Brody.
Still… Brody, seriously. You say you hate troublesome things, but you can’t pass by someone in need, can you?
Helping prisoners, helping the North, and now reaching out to a Lupé—someone everyone else avoids. Just now, she even risked exposing herself to save someone.
What if someone finds out? And you’re still not fully recovered…
Oblivious to Aidan’s thoughts, Brody continued calmly.
“I have some ointment. It’ll help.”
The white-haired man blinked, unsure how to respond.
When he didn’t move, Brody added with a flustered look,
“Oh—right. You’re a priest. You probably know healing magic. Never mind, that was silly of me.”
“I cannot heal myself.”
Suddenly, a dark-skinned man appeared beside the white-haired one. He was a head taller than both Brody and the other priest, and his frame looked strong.
Brody instinctively stepped back.
“Latua!”
He had thick black eyebrows, dusky lips, and jet-black hair—he looked like he was from the South.
Latua, as he was called, also wore a similar robe, indicating he was likely a priest as well.
His piercing gaze made Brody take another step back.
Okay?