Brody didn’t think the future was optimistic.

Following him would be challenging just from her past as ‘a royal person, Brody, who stayed at the Duke’s house.’

Her identity, her origin, everything would weigh her down.

Many obstacles awaited her that could annoy her or, in the worst case, cost her life.

All these situations were persuading Brody to oppose going to the North.

Brody looked at the man before her.

Aidan. Was there a path for them together?

‘Besides, you see. My existence only troubles him. Like the river, there will be strong opposition…… Will it only cause division in the North at such a crucial time, or will it be a hindrance?’

Love is good. Emotions are powerful motivators for actions. That’s why the term ‘national crisis due to love’ has emerged. The king who loved the beauty must have been sincere. At least in his feelings.

‘Are we any different?’

Being faithful to emotions doesn’t always lead to good results.

Yesterday was an unexpected reunion, a dramatic situation with life hanging by a thread, a strong temptation, and she was swept away in an emotional flood. But she felt the need to cool her head and think more.

She sighed deeply, her eyes clouded with doubt.

“Could you give me a little, just a little time?”

“Huh……?”

“I want to think about it. Alone. I need time to sort out my thoughts.”

She decided to buy some time. To make a decision she could accept.

Brody insisted that she wanted to be alone and finally drove Aidan away.

Aidan resisted leaving her, but when Brody promised several times that ‘I won’t run away,’ he finally left.

‘I won’t run away.’

Yes, she had promised repeatedly.

But she needed to distance him in case she decided to ‘run away.’ No, she needed to get away from him. To a place where he couldn’t find her.

She didn’t have the courage to reject him facetoface. Or perhaps, even if she rejected him, he might not accept it in the end.

First, she gave Aidan a mission to be done in the village. Though called a mission, it was a trivial task like going to the local delicacies, buying desserts. It was a trick so he wouldn’t wander too far.

Aidan said he understood and left, mentioning he had to retrieve the sword he had left on the way.

When enough time had passed for Aidan to be far away, Brody began to move.

As she reached out her hand, a branch grew towards the tree on the other side.

Brody began to move, carefully stepping on the branch.

Create a branch, move, then erase the branch. Create another, move, erase.

It wasn’t easy, but she felt there was no other way to dodge Aidan’s tracking.

‘Tomorrow I asked him to come back, so this distance must be enough, right?’

Having moved for half a day without rest, Brody finally sighed.

How he stuck to her last night… Having met the morning frantically, she even had to exhaust her abilities. She was so focused on getting away that she hadn’t even had time to gather her thoughts.

‘Whew, now let’s think. What should I do?’

Even so, she sprawled out on the tree for a while, and only a little later was she able to come down.

“Brody.”

“Uhwa! You scared me!!”

At the sound of a familiar voice in the late afternoon sun, Brody was startled and grabbed her chest.

It was a person she hadn’t imagined meeting here, and her liver and heart almost fell out.

Aidan was looking down from the tree at Brody with a bitter expression.

‘How in the world? How is he here?’

Brody collected herself.

She felt she mustn’t get flustered here. She asked, with an angry expression.

“Didn’t I ask you for a day’s time? How can you come to meet me so soon?”

Aidan suddenly began to look bewildered as Brody turned pale.

“But, you were……”

“It’s a hobby I do when I have a lot on my mind. I thought of going back in half a day.”

It was an attitude of reprimanding Aidan as if he had suspected that she was ‘trying to escape.’ It wasn’t entirely wrong. Not yet, since she hadn’t made a decision.

Brody narrowed her eyes and asked.

“How did you know I was here? Surely… you’ve been following me all along?”

At that question, the situation was reversed. Aidan, being questioned, looked at her, sweating profusely, not knowing what to do.

Brody sighed heavily and said.

“Go back and do what I asked you to do. I’ll be back at the promised time.”

Thinking that talking further would put her at a disadvantage, Brody turned away from him, who was still hesitating.

And then it hit her. The fact that she had a load on her back. How would she explain this load, though climbing trees was a hobby of the plant wizard Brody? Sweat started to bead on her back.

Brody hugged the load as inconspicuously as possible, turning it to the front. Please don’t notice, please just let it slide, she prayed inwardly.

But a sharp voice came from behind her.

“Brody, stop.”

“…!”

At that sound, Brody froze on the spot.