Jax spoke to the ice wall Duke, who was glaring at him, about to take a step forward.

No, he spoke to the ice wall Duke, but he did not speak to him.

“Brody, attack if the author tries to follow.”

Then Brody’s hand hanging from Jax’s shoulder twitched.

At the new command, her body began to obey without her will.

Plants grew and wriggled around Aidan. But they grew feebly, not with the same vigor as before.

Aidan saw blood dripping from behind Jax, leaving marks on the floor.

It was clearly falling from Brody, not Jax.

Seeing Brody choking, a pain like a hook tearing his heart rushed to him.

“You despicable bastard.”

Aidan, whose lips were bitten enough to bleed, stopped his approaching steps, grinding the words.

But Jax showed a leisurely smile as if saying ‘what can you do about it’.

When he pulled his mouth to smile, pain was felt from the wound on his chin cut by Aidan’s sword.

Jax frowned again and, touching the wound on his face, ambitiously exclaimed.

“I will pay back today’s debt in 3 years. Ah, of course, I don’t know if this child, who doesn’t love me, will stand up for me.”

Jax turned his body, feeling triumphant at the sight of Aidan’s crumpled face.

“I really don’t know what trouble this is.”

The forest at night.

Jax, who had set up a spot a little off the beaten path in the forest, clicked his tongue while fiddling with the firewood.

He seemed quite bothered by showing his back to Aidan and leaving in a hurry.

At first, Jax, who had run with Brody sitting in front, laid her across the saddle like hanging laundry after she collapsed, unable to hold herself up.

Brody, who had thrown up several times due to motion sickness and had nothing left to vomit, finally threw up bile.

Feeling humiliated, Brody asked to be tied and fixed to the back by the Duke.

Jax sighed and reluctantly complied.

He was lipservice in front of others, but his true colors showed when it was just the two of them.

Well, it had always been that way.

In ‘Brody’s’ memory, Jax.

He never properly treated her like a human being.

In front of people, he always maintained his dignity and did not forget his good deeds, so even if Brody yelled, “This is what Jacks is really like!” no one would likely believe it.

She only realized his true nature after being possessed by Brody.

In the novel, Jacks was trapped at both ends, but was portrayed as a heroic person who eventually wins people over with his sense of justice and passion.

Rushing back to the capital, Jacks ran hard, but it was late at night, and he ended up in a situation where he had to spend the night on the streets, unable to reach the next town.

He dismounted from his horse, tied Brody with a rope, and put a gag in her mouth.

“What’s this? Don’t I just need to control you?”

Apparently, it took some kind of power to control Brody.

So it didn’t seem like something that could be invoked at any time.

Jacks leaned Brody haphazardly against a tree stump and prepared for the night.

Brody kept trying to straighten her sinking body, taking stock of her surroundings and struggling to organize her thoughts.

Her mind kept wavering in the flickering light of the crackling campfire.

“Pull yourself together, Brody. If you keep being dragged along like this, you’ll live a life as bad as death.”

She recalled the moment earlier in the day when her body had moved on its own.

It was a type of discomfort she had never experienced before.

The mind is clear, but unable to move according to one’s will.

It felt like all the nerves in the body were severed, not receiving signals from the brain.

Instead, it felt like some insect was crawling and moving her body.

Her stomach turned again, and Brody bowed her head.

Jacks’ feet came into view as Brody lowered her gaze.

He spoke to Brody, sounding annoyed.

“Stop acting so weak, Brody. You always do this. Making a big deal out of nothing, pretending to be tired, pretending to be in pain. The one who’s really in pain is me. Do you know how much I was scolded by Her Imperial Highness because of your irresponsibility?”

Brody bit her lips. No, she bit down hard on the gag.

“Is that something that should come out of the mouth of someone who used Brody to the point of vomiting blood?”

She remembered not only the memories of “original Brody” but also the life of “Doyeon” before she was possessed.

Her parents, who had always relied on Doyeon and burdened her with countless responsibilities, never forgot to whip her when she became tired.

“Why are you like this when others can do it, you’re being picky, you’re pretending to be generous by doing this, it’s your family so you can take care of it, didn’t you grow up alone when you were a kid?” and so on.

When she first started to help, Doyeon was filled with enthusiasm. Her family was happy, and that made her feel good.

Once or twice she started taking responsibility, and gradually “responsibility” became “something taken for granted.”

Yet what her parents cherished was not her, but her brother.

“Brody and I were in similar situations.”

Unconditional devotion, an unrewardable favor.

That’s why she thought she might have been allowed.

“Don’t live like this in this life.”

“Don’t live like this.”

Brody felt her nose sting as she vowed and vowed again.

She would escape no matter what happened.

She wouldn’t leave herself to be used by them.

Brody slowly lifted her head.