The Extra's Role is Too My Taste (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
“Grand Duke!!”
At the woman’s blazing cry slicing through the plain, everyone present froze in place.
The prisoners’ suicidal charge halted.
Aidan stared in shock toward the city wall. The Imperial Princess, who had just shouted, bit her lip and met his gaze with a resolute expression.
“Will you, Grand Duke, really allow the people of the North to perish like this without even hearing what the Imperial Court has to say?”
The Imperial Princess lifted her chin high, locking eyes with the Grand Duke from above and speaking down to him.
He couldn’t fathom her intent in stopping the prisoners’ charge, but it was undeniably effective—
at the very least, it had made the Grand Duke willing to listen.
River gave Aidan a look urging caution, but Aidan turned his eyes away.
Seeing Aidan grit his teeth and glare fiercely back at her, the Imperial Princess realized he had agreed to negotiate and began to speak.
“I request a truce for the next three years.”
A truce? Aidan snorted derisively.
River chimed in from beside him.
“After winning the war so thoroughly, you dare ask for a truce? It seems the Imperial Court lacks anyone who can grasp even basic arithmetic.”
Besides, three years? That duration was suspiciously vague.
Was she planning to use that time to gather strength and strike the North again?
Or perhaps wait three years for famine to wipe out the North, then casually claim the empty lands like one gathers fallen grains?
Either way, it was a proposal he had no need to accept.
Yet the prisoners still stood atop the wall.
River clicked his tongue inwardly.
Those prisoners, who had just moments ago resolved to die, were now hesitating at the Imperial Princess’s shout—and likely beginning to feel fear once more.
River hadn’t wanted to sacrifice them—but their willingness to die had given the Grand Duke the moral high ground.
Now, with negotiations underway, the tide had turned.
The Grand Duke was forced into a position where he had to choose between their lives.
The Imperial Princess had just dealt him a cunning blow.
“If you refuse this proposal, I will kill them here and now. And if they choose to take their own lives by their own will…”
The Imperial Princess paused, then gestured behind her. Archers shifted their aim inward—toward the city’s interior, toward the village within the Imperial Capital.
Flames flickered at the tips of their arrows.
She continued, “I will burn every grain storehouse in the city.”
A collective, grinding sound of clenched teeth echoed—not just from River and Aidan, but from all around.
Her meaning was unmistakable: “We’d rather all perish together than surrender easily.”
If the Imperial Capital’s grain stores burned now, the North would be doomed.
Though potato and kohlrabi crops might sustain them eventually, that was a long-term plan—there was no way to prepare winter provisions in time now.
She was taking hostage the lives of not only the North’s people and the people of the plains, but every citizen within the city walls.
‘So this is what the Imperial Court has come to…’
Yet the Imperial Princess showed no sign of agitation or hesitation.
She appeared fully capable of carrying out her threat the moment provoked.
Apparently, both Aidan and River saw it the same way.
River leaned close to Aidan and whispered something into his ear.
After hearing River’s words, Aidan sighed deeply and gave a heavy nod.
He stepped forward and declared, “I have conditions.”
The Imperial Princess, still holding her head high, gave a slight nod—a gesture urging him to speak.
“Recognize the North’s autonomy.”
She bit her lip. Though the motion was small and hard to see from afar, Aidan’s sharp eyes caught it clearly.
Then, as if asking whether that was all, she gave a slight nod of her chin for him to continue.
She looked displeased—but remained composed, clearly capable of making sound judgments without letting emotion take over.
Aidan went on, “On our way back, we take all the prisoners with us, and one-third of the grain stored in the Imperial Capital’s warehouses.”
“Agreed.”
Surprisingly, the Imperial Princess answered promptly—as if she had anticipated just such terms.
Aidan nearly turned to look at River in astonishment, but barely managed to suppress the impulse.
Though he didn’t see it, River’s expression was just as stunned.
“In return,” she added, “we also have a condition.”
“Speak.”
“We request the return of Duke Jax.”
They had planned to release him anyway—and Aidan certainly didn’t wish to keep him.
Without hesitation, Aidan nodded.
With the deal struck, the Imperial Princess turned without another word.
Just before turning away, their eyes met.
Her face remained expressionless—but her eyes burned fiercely. Despite her steady demeanor, her gaze was brimming with rage.
Instinctively, Aidan felt this wasn’t the end.
Thus, the truce was sealed.
[This is the timeline separator]The North was no longer part of the Empire under the Emperor.
They no longer owed taxes to the Imperial Court, nor would they suffer its exploitation.
Receiving one-third of the South’s abundant grain would not only see them through the winter, but leave enough surplus to dream of future harvests.
He had expected far stricter terms from the Imperial Court—this outcome was unexpectedly favorable.
Having come prepared to face death, River felt this result was practically a victory.
Yet most of the soldiers—who had hoped to settle old scores within the Imperial Capital—now trudged back dispiritedly, feeling strangely hollow.
They had believed they’d already won the war, yet now it felt as though they were merely returning with a draw.
Aidan, too, was in no good mood.
‘Your Grace! Please build a North where our children can live happily!’
The faces of those prisoners leaping from the wall and their desperate cries remained vividly imprinted in his mind.
He felt the weight pressing down on his shoulders.
But Aidan had no time to dwell on his own feelings. He knew what he had to do.
About a hundred paces ahead, the rest of the soldiers waited, watching the unfolding events.
From atop his black steed, Aidan announced proudly:
“We have won! We’ve reclaimed enough food to keep us from starving—and cast off that cruel, incompetent Riley Imperial Court! We are now fully the people of the North, and we return home—to the North!”
He spurred his horse, dashing among the soldiers as he shouted again:
“Let us return with carts full of grain—for our mothers, our fathers, our beloved wives and children! To the North!”
Someone echoed the Grand Duke’s call.
“To the North!”
“Let’s go back! To the North!”
“Let’s go home!”
“Hooray!”
Only then did the soldiers begin to laugh and cry. Songs filled the air as they climbed the hill back to camp.
River let out a sigh of relief and looked proudly at the back of his lord, Grand Duke Aidan of the North.
‘Ah… he’s no longer just a Grand Duke. We’ll need to decide a name for our new nation.’
[This is the timeline separator]Aidan’s army returned to camp with pride.
They were still too close to the Imperial Capital to celebrate openly.
It was too soon to let their guard down.
At dawn, they would finalize the prisoner exchange, collect the grain, then march up to Ferdan Fortress—where they would hold their celebration.
Aidan, River, and a few select soldiers remained atop the hill to keep watch over the Imperial Capital.
That evening, they received the first group of returned prisoners.
Duke Jax and the grain would be exchanged the following day.
Only then could Aidan finally breathe easier.
Now he could reflect on why he kept feeling as though something stubbornly stuck in his chest.
‘She hasn’t come out.’
With the camp in such an uproar, there was no way she hadn’t heard the news.
‘Wishing she’d be the first to rush out and welcome me joyfully… yet she’s still in the thick of things near the Imperial Capital, where it’s hardest of all.’
He shook his head, chiding himself for such childish thoughts.
‘Could it be because of what Duke Jax told me?’
‘Did you fail the assassination, Brody? I should’ve stopped you.’
‘That woman means everything to me.’
Bri. And Brody.
No—don’t jump to conclusions. The enemy might have leaked that information. It could be a scheme to sow discord.
“River, I’ll be away from my post for just one hour.”
“W-wait! Your Grace?!”
Before River could stop him, Aidan had already mounted his horse and galloped swiftly into camp.
‘I must hear her words myself. Or… even if I hear nothing at all.’
If only he could see her, meet her eyes, and hold her in his arms—
that would be enough.
‘I miss you. I miss you so much.’
He spurred his horse straight to her tent. Leaping down, he strode quickly forward, yanked aside the flap, and called out her name.
“Bri!”
The tent was dark.
As always, only a single lamp modestly lit the interior.
She ought to have woken at his approach—but there was no response.
‘Is she still asleep?’
He thought so—but his heart pounded strangely.
“Bri…?”
She wasn’t in the bed.
The tent was neatly arranged, with no sign of recent warmth.
Even the hearth fire was nearly extinguished.
‘She hates the cold so much—why would she let the fire go out?’
Anxious, Aidan curled his lips slightly and walked over to the hearth, picking up the poker to add more wood and revive the embers.
‘Did she go outside after hearing the news?’
As he brushed off his hands and turned to leave, something unfamiliar caught his eye.
‘What’s this?’
Frowning in puzzlement, he approached the table.
On it lay a small medicine vial and a note. Inside the vial were pills, each smaller than a bean.
Assuming it was instructions for the medicine, he absentmindedly picked up the note.
[This is the timeline separator]“No! Are you mad?!”
River, utterly flabbergasted, rushed to block Aidan as he tried to bolt out of camp.
Aidan had spurred his horse with such urgency that River nearly got trampled.
“I’ll be back before dawn.”
“But we’re not even in the North yet—do you really think ‘that’ is possible? And what if something happens in the Imperial Capital overnight? What if they’ve plotted to assassinate you?”
Frustrating as it was, every word was painfully logical.
Moreover, something about the Imperial Princess’s eyes as she turned away after her final words continued to trouble Aidan.
‘If you let your guard down, you die.’
“Damn it!”
Aidan cried out, clutching his head. A splitting headache surged through him.
Then he remembered the note Brody had left behind.
Your Grace,
You promised me freedom.
Please—keep your vow.
P.S.: The pills in this vial are specially made to produce the effect you desire. When they start running low, I’ll make sure a new vial reaches your hands no matter what. Wishing you happiness.
– Brd.
The “B” and “r” in the signature were joined, but the “d” trailed behind—added hesitantly, as if after second thoughts.
What was this? Some final shred of conscience?
His grip tightened around the vial. Though the pain blurred his vision, he twisted his lips into a bitter smile.
“Your Grace!”
He felt his mind cloud over—and collapsed right off his horse.
His hand holding the vial struck the ground awkwardly, popping the lid open. The pill-like beads scattered across the earth like spilled pearls.
As worried soldiers rushed toward him, their boots pressed the tiny pills deep into the dirt.
‘She… left this for me… for my headache… I need to take it…’
He reached out with trembling fingers—but could do nothing more.
Amid unbearable pain, his eyes closed.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (3)
Why is that bastard stalking her? They’re despicable exploiters.
This is so funny, from rivals to friends to find Brody
Don’t let Brody get away again
Inline Comments (29)
Reflecting on it, she hadn’t once thought about his headache during their journe
With all the events she went through, it’s very normal for her not to remember Aidan’s headache at all.
He was still kind, yes—but no longer showed that impatient yearning to have her
After the number of times she refused to marry him, now Brody was upset why Aidan changed! What exactly does Brody want?!
‘If you’ve lost interest in me, just say so—why not sleep properly? Are you avoi
Brody please don’t talk or think anymore! Her stubbornness is very annoying. Male lead, find another heroine, please! (⩺_⩹)
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Miioo
Oh, poor Aidan Brody! If you go back to those bastards who are exploiting you, I’ll truly hate her.