IRER 66

Chapter 66 

 His Displeasure (1)

“Ah.”

Startled, Brody pressed her hand against his chest to push him away. River and the black-haired woman were both unconscious, but somehow she still felt embarrassed, as though someone were watching.

Yet he didn’t budge, stubbornly brushing his lips along her cheek.

Strangely, her cheek felt chillingly cold.

What is this…?

Shivering from the icy breath against her skin, Brody trembled.

“Your Highness, you’re… cold.”

At that, Aidan froze.

As though snapping back to his senses, he pulled away slightly, his breath trembling.

“Forgive me, I…”

Now able to move a little more freely, Brody touched her own cheek.

It was cold indeed, but the wound was gone.

“Did you just heal me? Is that also the power of the Ice Spirit?”

Covering his face with one hand, Aidan nodded.

It was a power that could heal—but also freeze the one being healed.

If he lost control of his strength, the wound might heal, but the result could be far worse.

This was not a power to use impulsively.

But the next moment, Brody’s outburst left Aidan dumbfounded.

“Thank goodness, Your Highness! You have such a power. Then hurry, lick him!”

“Hm? Wha… lick…? Do you have another wound somewhere?”

It seemed so out of character for her to say something so bold—but that misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.

“Ah, not me. The Chief of Staff.”

“Chief? River?”

“Yes, River is actually the urgent one here.”

“River’s here?”

At her words, Aidan finally noticed River lying collapsed in the corner.

“What on earth…”

“He was stabbed. Near his side. He needs immediate bleeding control. I’ll bring the emergency supplies from upstairs. Ah, don’t worry about him being unconscious—that was… ahem, my doing.”

“Wait! You—!”

“I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”

And with that, Brody dashed upstairs.

Aidan examined River, sprawled across the floor.

He had lost quite a bit of blood, but thankfully it didn’t seem life-threatening.

Pressing against River’s wound, Aidan glanced around.

Scattered powder on the ground hinted at plants.

Had the plants bloomed after River lost consciousness—or before?

Surely… River didn’t find out, did he?

Near the crumbled plant matter lay a shattered bowl, a kitchen knife that looked to have been used as a weapon, bloodstains, and an unconscious figure who had likely attacked River.

And on the counter—a glass bottle.

This…?

Inside the bottle were crimson beads. With that, Aidan realized what Brody had been doing.

“I’m back! Let me see the wound.”

Brody returned with a bag of medicine.

As she pulled out bottles, Aidan interrupted.

“I’ll do it.”

“No, let me. I’m better at suturing wounds. Please fetch some clean water, Your Highness.”

With that, she quickly stripped off River’s vest, tugged out the shirt tucked into his trousers, and pulled it up.

His injured side was exposed.

“Bro—Brody!”

“Yes?”

Aidan flushed. Was it really proper for a woman to so casually strip a man? It was an emergency, yes, but she was far too unbothered, leaving him the embarrassed one.

“For a woman to touch a man’s body so freely…”

“Man? What man? He’s a patient. Besides, men are the ones always pulling off their shirts without care. Don’t act so surprised.”

“Taking your own shirt off is different from stripping someone else’s.”

Stripping? As if I’m some kind of pervert. Brody frowned at his words.

“Let’s just treat him first.”

Her eyes clearly told him to stop spouting nonsense and go fetch the water.

Knowing she was right, Aidan hurried off.

Brody tied her loose hair into a tight knot.

All right. Let’s do this.

This treatment relied not on Do-yeon’s knowledge but on the memories of the “real Brody.”

Her head knew the steps, but her hands were clumsy.

Seeing torn flesh and exposed tissue firsthand, rather than in memory, made her hands tremble slightly.

Calm down. You can do this.

She cleaned the wound, disinfected it, and sprinkled a hemostatic.

Then—

From River’s wound, plants began to sprout. Slender stems pierced the flesh, weaving in and out to close the wound like stitches.

It required such concentration that sweat beaded across Brody’s forehead.

When Aidan returned with water, he dabbed at her sweat so it wouldn’t distract her.

At last, Brody exhaled and lifted her head.

“It’s done. These stems also help with healing, so it should aid recovery.”

Aidan nodded.

Having seen many wounds in war, he could tell River’s injury wasn’t critical anymore.

“Good. Now it’s your turn.”

“Me? But you already healed me earlier. It’s more important we clean this place, move the Chief to a bed—”

“No, I’ve held back long enough because of that man.”

“Held back? What—kyaa!”

Aidan suddenly scooped her up.

“Your back is injured, isn’t it?”

“My back? Injured?”

“Hah, you didn’t realize? Your movements were unnatural.”

“……”

Indeed, she had forgotten, too focused on treatment. She must have hurt herself when helping River earlier.

Still holding her, Aidan turned to leave.

He was heading toward the bedroom.

What, what—surely he doesn’t mean to… lick my back?

Brody squirmed.

It wasn’t just the thought of the act itself that flustered her—there was something more important.

“Your Highness! Wait! This isn’t urgent. It’s not life-threatening—”

“What if you’d hit your head? You’d have died instantly, plant sorcery or not.”

“But that’s hypothetical. I didn’t die, and I won’t. Cleaning this mess is the real priority!”

“What’s the rush? River’s fine now. He won’t die.”

“Your Highness, please!”

Grabbing his face between both hands, she forced him to look at her.

Startled, Aidan blinked down at her.

With furrowed brows, Brody said firmly:

“Cleaning comes first, Your Highness. I don’t want this getting out of hand.”

His head tilted slightly. Did she mean she didn’t want anyone to find out? Why?

Puzzled, he gestured the question, and she answered with a troubled look.

“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s move River… and also…”

She pointed at the fallen woman.

“This woman. I want to treat her too. Will you help me move her upstairs?”

Aidan glanced at the black-haired woman. Her disheveled hair and hollow features looked unsettling. And more than that—wasn’t she the one who had attacked River? Yet Brody wanted to heal her, not interrogate her?

He frowned.

“…Don’t tell me. You know her?”

Brody gave a strained smile.

“‘Know’… is one way to put it.”

❖ ❖ ❖

There were two bedrooms on the floor.

One belonged to the Duke and Duchess. The other was empty.

Fortunately, the empty one had twin beds, so each patient could be laid separately.

Aidan all but tossed River and the woman onto the beds.

Whatever the reason, he looked displeased—almost angry.

Is it because his important Chief of Staff was hurt?

Feeling guilty for defending River’s assailant, Brody was uneasy.

Aidan asked,

“Is it right to put the one who tried to kill him in the same room as the one she nearly killed?”

“W-well… for now. Neither will wake anytime soon.”

Her voice trailed off awkwardly, embarrassed that she’d been the one to knock them out.

“That plant… the same one you used on Marquis McCarthy? The purple one?”

“Ah… yes.”

He remembers after only seeing it briefly. But he doesn’t know it also clouds memory.

It was useful—but troublesome, and she hadn’t wanted it known.

Brody avoided explaining further, instead checking River’s wound again.

Thankfully, the stitched-like closure was holding.

She would have to remove the plant sutures tomorrow before he woke—lest they be discovered.

Leaning against the wall with a disgruntled face, Aidan muttered,

“So why was this fool even here? Getting himself skewered by a woman? If he’s going to lose, he should at least lose alone, not drag others in.”

Ouch. If River heard that, he’d be heartbroken.

Though… it wasn’t untrue.

Still, it didn’t seem like River’s injury was the real reason Aidan was upset.

Then why?

While rubbing pain-relieving leaves around the wound, Brody replied,

“He came to talk to me.”

“Specifically when I wasn’t around?”

“Yes. He asked what my relationship with Duke Jacks was.”

“Oh…?”

“Well, what can I do? After that spectacle in front of the Ferdan Fortress… if he’s the Chief of Staff, it wouldn’t take much to guess who the raiders were.”

Aidan nodded. True. River would know.

“Even if not, those men are clearly out to make things difficult for me. They’ll spread rumors everywhere soon.”

Thinking of Jacks and the princess’s entourage, Brody sighed.

If they valued me, they should’ve shown it before. Why cling so desperately now?

“Anyway, there’s no point hiding it from the Chief. Public opinion battles are all about speed. Better to prepare in advance.”

Aidan exhaled as well.

Yes. That’s why I recalled River so quickly from the ducal estate.

Brody had lived at the Duke’s residence. Recently, Jacks had even entered her name into his family registry. That was why Aidan and Brody had rushed into marriage.

…Telling River that would no doubt spark outrage.

But better for him to know and prepare.

Still, that’s a problem for after he wakes.

For now, Aidan urged Brody to return to their room for treatment.

Yet she felt uneasy.

She still didn’t understand why Aidan seemed so irritable.

Was he angry? Anxious? She wasn’t sure.

But his restless behavior made her nervous too.

As they entered the room, the sharp click of the door closing heightened her unease.

“Come here.”

His pull was gentle, but because of his anxious demeanor, it felt forceful.

He guided her to sit on the bed. With her back exposed to him, the posture felt awkward. But without hesitation, Aidan removed her surcoat and untied the ties of her blio.

Flustered, Brody babbled whatever came to mind.

“River’s more seriously injured than me. You should lick him instead.”

“…You want me to lick that man’s side wound?”

“……”

“I can’t go around licking every injured soldier just because I have this power. Not even River knows about it.”

“Ugh…”

As he spoke, he pulled down her chemise.

The loose garment slid down, baring her slender back.

The sudden chill made her shiver.

And then Aidan’s expression hardened.

Her entire back was bruised deep blue.

Every nerve in his body sharpened as anger and agitation surged.

Gripping her shoulders, he slid an arm around her waist, holding her firmly in place.

Brody had guessed what he intended, but each moment still left her bewildered.

“Y-Your Highness, couldn’t we just use normal treatment and wait for it to heal?”

“No.”

His short, firm reply was followed by the sensation of moist heat pressing against her back.