IRER 71

Chapter 71

A Man Whose Eyes Are Always Like That

River was surprised.

It was when he saw Brody handling medicine with such skill.

River himself had enough medical knowledge to administer basic first aid, but the remedies she was using were ones he didn’t recognize.

Yet, he could feel they were much more effective.

The wounds healed faster, and the pain lessened considerably.

“She did say she knew a lot about plants… looks like she wasn’t exaggerating.”

River asked,

“Where did you get those medicines?”

“Are you asking out of curiosity, or is this an interrogation about my trade secrets?”

“I was simply wondering. Did you prepare them while staying here?”

Though River’s tone was a bit sharp, Brody had no intention of hiding it.

She would be working for the North from now on, and she intended to use every resource at her disposal.

So, she kindly answered,

“I made plenty while I was living in the South. I had to find a way to survive somehow, right?”

“Ah.”

River nodded. He already knew from piecing together Aidan’s movements and other reports that she had been in the South.

“So she made them while hiding from His Highness. It wasn’t even that long a period, yet she managed all this. She’s surprisingly resourceful.”

It was hard to believe that someone who looked so delicate and frail could actually take such good care of herself.

But then again, no ordinary person would have had the nerve to escape and survive alone as a woman on the run.

River asked again,

“Can those plants be grown in the North as well?”

So many questions. But Brody had expected this. For the capable chief of staff of the North, it would have been strange if he wasn’t curious.

“As long as the conditions are right, yes. I even collected seeds for cultivation.”

“……”

River silently clicked his tongue in astonishment.

“She even secured the seeds? This woman is no ordinary person.”

Brody, catching his thoughts from his expression, smiled faintly.

“You don’t need to be so cautious when asking. I’m the Grand Duchess of the North, after all. My abilities will be used for the North.”

“……”

River gave no reply, but his eyes betrayed a hint of satisfaction at her words.

“Yes, you may not want to admit it, but you can’t deny how useful she’s proving to be.”

Satisfied with the situation, Brody hummed a little tune as she gathered her medicines and moved to the next bed.

River watched her from the side, thinking,

“She actually called herself the Grand Duchess of the North.”

That title had not originally been meant for Brody.

Hearing her claim it so easily was irritating, yet, at the same time, it was good for the North that she carried herself with such confidence.

The North had to accept a new Grand Duchess—and it was best if she was someone who truly deserved recognition.

“Not bad at all.”

Then River caught himself, startled.

He realized he had been giving Brody a far too generous evaluation.

“No. Absolutely not. You’re River, the one who must observe everything with a cold eye. If she slips up even slightly, you must be ready to call her out. You can’t acknowledge her so easily.”

Regaining his composure, River addressed Brody’s back as she continued to hum,

“That woman. Who is she?”

“……”

This, too, was a question Brody had anticipated.

But answering it was tricky. Any way she put it, things could become complicated. She stopped humming and carefully considered her words.

River grew suspicious. She, who usually answered easily, was suddenly hesitant?

“Just who is this woman?”

As he pondered, Brody cautiously replied,

“Well… she’s the woman who attacked you, Chief.”

“What?”

River practically jumped out of his skin.

Though he didn’t say the words, his reaction was the same as shouting, “Are you insane?”

And understandably so. Normally, you never kept the attacker and the victim in the same space.

River’s mind spun rapidly. Her odd hesitation and this nonsensical decision… together, they pointed to one conclusion.

“Do you… know her, My Lady?”

Brody nodded without resistance.

“I wouldn’t say we’re close, but I do know her face… It’s a long story to explain.”

“Sigh…”

If Brody knew her, chances were she wasn’t from the North. Likely someone from the Ducal household—or even from the Empire.

“But why would someone from the Empire be here, in the North, in this village of all places?”

River’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he looked toward the bed. There lay a frail woman with black hair.

“……”

His eyes suddenly widened.

“River…?”

Brody looked at him, and he quickly masked his reaction.

But she had noticed. She had caught the fleeting moment, and sensing the strange tension, she asked,

“Do you know her too?”

“……”

River sighed. Since she had already sensed it, denial was pointless.

“Yes. Not well, but I’ve met her before.”

Brody’s eyes widened this time.

“You know Lady Caleb?”

“I believe that was her name, yes.”

“H-huh?”

Brody was baffled. She never imagined River would know her.

“How? How could he know her?”

Was it back when Caleb was still in the North? Or perhaps he knew her by reputation from the capital, where she had served as the well-known head lady-in-waiting?

But her thoughts were cut short when River spoke again.

“Lady Murphy.”

“Lady… Murphy?”

Brody repeated the familiar name.

“Lady Murphy—the one who managed the garrison household?”

The stern woman now stationed at Ferdan Fortress, the very one who had acted as a witness at Brody’s marriage oath.

Why bring up her name now?

And then—Brody’s memory stirred.

She remembered something Lady Murphy had said on her wedding day, while adjusting her clothes.

“Do you know how to handle clothes, My Lady?”
“My daughter’s quite skilled in that. I learned just by watching her.”
“Oh, you have a daughter?”
“Strictly speaking, she’s not my real daughter. More like someone I raised as my own. I only have two rowdy sons by blood.”

A daughter skilled with clothes.

Brody’s eyes widened as she put it together.

“Could it be… the one Lady Murphy raised like a daughter—was Caleb?”

River looked at her with mild surprise that she knew.

But his answer was short and firm.

“Yes.”

❖ ❖ ❖

River gave orders for Lady Murphy to be summoned.

He hadn’t yet said what would be done about Caleb, but the very fact that he was calling Murphy seemed a good sign to Brody.

If punishment had been his intention, he wouldn’t have bothered to bring Murphy here.

“So, were they more than mere acquaintances?”

Curious as she was, Brody could no longer read anything from River’s expression.

And then—Caleb woke up.

By coincidence, it was when Brody had stepped out briefly.

The woman opened her black eyes slowly.

Her body was weak, yet she felt no pain. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time her body had felt this light.

“Where… am I?”

She shifted, trying to sit up, when a man’s voice suddenly rang out.

Startled, she turned—and saw, on the bed beside hers, a man leaning on his knees, chin resting on his hand, watching her.

“……!!”

Caleb flinched, bolting upright and retreating to the edge of the bed. For someone who had barely been able to lift a finger moments ago, it was an astonishing movement.

Cornered, she grabbed at anything within reach. What she ended up clutching was the blanket she had been covered with.

“……”

River simply sat there, silently watching.

Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated, body trembling in fear.

But behind the blanket hiding her lips, her teeth bit down so hard that blood seeped between them.

The two locked eyes.

It wasn’t a balanced confrontation. It was predator and prey. One waiting for the moment to pounce, the other the moment to flee.

And then—

Clatter.

The tense atmosphere broke when Brody returned with a basin in hand.

“Uh…?”

She first noticed Caleb was awake, but then her eyes fell on the sight of her huddled at the bed’s edge, shaking with fear.

“Chief! What are you doing?”

Brody scolded River, who was still sitting there calmly.

“I was just observing,” he replied dryly.

“Lady Caleb, it’s all right. He always looks like that. Don’t be afraid.”

“……”

Always looks like that? River snorted quietly at her remark.

Brody ignored him, set the basin down, and raised her hands toward Caleb in a non-threatening gesture.

Breathing heavily, Caleb slowly turned her eyes toward Brody.

And then—her eyes widened further.

“Lady… Brody?”

“Huh? You… recognize me, Lady Caleb?”

She had even spoken her name. That was unmistakable recognition. Relieved, Brody nodded.

“I know you must be confused, Lady Caleb. Let’s take it one step at a time. For now, you need to rest. Why don’t you lie back down?”

But Caleb’s eyes darted back toward River.

Sharing a room with a man glaring at her must have been unbearable, especially after the ordeals she had suffered during the war.

Still, there was no choice. No one else yet knew about the “chief being attacked,” and there was only one spare room. Brody had to tend to both patients herself.

“I’ll stay here with you. Once things settle, you’ll have your own room. For now, please lie down, all right, Lady Caleb?”

At her coaxing, Caleb finally nodded, her body swaying as Brody guided her back to bed.

Once settled, she asked in a trembling voice,

“I… I don’t understand. Why am I here? And why are Lady Brody and the North’s Chief together? None of this makes sense.”

“Well… from her perspective, this must look like the strangest pairing possible.”

Understanding her confusion, Brody asked,

“How much do you remember, My Lady?”

At those words, Caleb’s eyes began to tremble violently.

“How much? How much do I remember?”

The dark night. Flickering torches. The lewd laughter of Imperial soldiers. And—her daughter, Nike!

“Aaahhh!! Aaaaagh!!”

“L-Lady!”

Suddenly, Caleb convulsed.

Screaming, she clawed desperately at her face and neck until Brody barely managed to hold her back.

Where this frail, starved body found such strength, Brody couldn’t imagine. In the struggle, her own hair came loose, and scratches appeared on her face.

“Help me, River!”

She shouted, though River had already risen. But when Caleb saw him, she thrashed even harder.

“Don’t come near me! Don’t touch me!”

“This won’t work! River, call someone! Preferably a woman—!”

But the chaos ended unexpectedly.

The window suddenly burst open, and a massive black figure leapt inside.

“……!”

Brody was so shocked she couldn’t even scream.

The figure struck Caleb on the nape.

With a thud, Caleb collapsed onto the bed, unconscious.

Finally recognizing him, Brody spoke in disbelief.

“Y-Your Highness?”

Before her stood Grand Duke Aidan of the Icewall, chest heaving from exertion.

Brody stared, dumbfounded.

“But… this is the upper floor?”

“What of it?” he replied curtly.

River simply shook his head at his duke’s antics.