I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 13

“…I never said I haven’t.”

“Your reaction says otherwise.”

“Isn’t it normal to get flustered when your bare skin touches that of a stranger, especially a man?”

“Not really.”

He answered indifferently, reclining back onto the bed.

“Most seem to enjoy it.”

“……”

An irritating response—but fine. Honestly, with a face like his, it wasn’t hard to believe women threw themselves at him.

Lenette adjusted her clothes, which had been disheveled by Kazen, and continued.

“That’s probably because of your… unique qualities.”

“Unique qualities?”

“Your ridiculously good looks, for example.”

“So what you’re saying is—Line—you also think my face is pretty decent, huh?”

“Line?”

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Yeah, Line.”

For a moment, Lenette nearly asked, ‘Who’s that?’

But thankfully, her memory kicked in first.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Li… line,” —that’s what she had said the day she first met the black panther on the balcony.

“From that pause, I’m guessing it’s not your real name?”

“…You’re right. It’s not my real name.”

When she admitted it so easily, he crossed his arms.

“So, you lied to me?”

“Well, I thought you were just a black panther at the time.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t give your name because I was a beast?”

“Yes. You can’t be sincere with a beast from the start—especially not a predator.”

Kazen, who had been watching her closely as she held her ground, slowly straightened his tilted head.

“So what’s your real name?”

“Lenetta.”

There was no need to reveal her real name.

‘I’m going to escape anyway.’

“Doesn’t suit you.”

The sly curl of his lips—there was something about his expression that made it seem like he already knew her real name.

Lenette tried to ignore that strange feeling and changed the subject.

“This is your room?”

Though she had moved a little farther from him, she didn’t get out of the bed—worried he might grab her again.

“You really don’t listen, do you? I told you, it’s ‘our’ honeymoon suite.”

“……”

Well, that’s because what you’re saying doesn’t make ‘any’ sense, Lenette thought bitterly.

“So… from now on, we’ll be sleeping in the same room?”

“Do you not want to?”

Even someone as strong-willed as her had a sense of ‘basic caution.’

Reacting confidently to a man with that kind of dangerous physique—especially when she didn’t even have a small dagger on her—wasn’t exactly wise.

Sometimes, it was better to back down and appear compliant.

“…It’s just a little sudden.”

“What’s so sudden about it? Married couples share a room.”

‘It’s that whole “married couple” part that’s sudden,’ she wanted to say.

The words nearly slipped from her throat—but she swallowed them.

‘Get a grip. This isn’t Ecaron.’

She couldn’t act on her will or desires. She had no family, no power, and no strength to support her anymore.

‘In the end, what can I even do here…?’

Lenette clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

‘…Nothing at all.’

Repeating that bitter truth to herself, she bit her lip and tried to steady her breath.

‘First… I need to secure my position.’

And to do that, she couldn’t afford to provoke him. She couldn’t forget that.

“Alright.”

When she obediently accepted the idea of sharing a room, Kazen widened his eyes in exaggerated surprise.

To him, Lenette spoke in a resigned voice.

“You’re the master of this palace, not me.”

No amount of words could have expressed her situation more clearly than that single line.

Upon hearing it, Kazen burst into laughter.

“You really are interesting—so entertaining.”

He’d said it before, but now he repeated it again with a smirk.

“Fine. I’ll remember to treat you as a ‘human,’ just like you asked—’as long as you prove your worth.'”

A condition, casually tacked on.

Lenette took that statement to heart and quietly lay down beside him.

‘Then I just have to prove my worth.’

Slowly, but surely.

If she could do that, then one day she’d return to her father and brother. And along with that…

‘Ophelia… Daws…’

She would bring ruin to those two disgusting people.

Lenette had no doubt she would.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

What is the most reliable way to prove one’s value within a group?

It was simple.

Do your assigned tasks diligently and without tricks. That was the surest way to prove one’s worth.

But unfortunately, that didn’t apply to Lenette. While the results would eventually come, it simply took too long.

‘I need to earn that man’s approval as quickly as possible.’

She needed to escape. And to do that, she had to gain his trust and recognition first.

‘The surveillance here is too strict.’

In other words, something as ridiculous as a secret midnight escape wouldn’t work.

So what she needed now wasn’t a reckless getaway, but to earn his approval and trust to the point that she could leave freely.

‘I also need to gather allies.’

She couldn’t survive a desert escape on her own as a woman.

‘Only if I can go outside alone can I investigate and find my people.’

Tapping her fingers against the desk, Lenette slowly clenched her fist.

“Proof, huh…”

Her eyes swept over the ointment ingredients laid out before her.

“I’ll make about twenty more of that salve from before.”

“But with these ingredients, it’s hard to make anything better…”

Fiddling with the herbs briefly, Lenette rang the small bell on her desk.

A servant quickly entered the room—it was Nazan, the personal attendant assigned to her after she moved rooms.

“Do you need something, miss?”

“I need more ingredients.”

Dipping her pen in ink, she calmly began writing a list on a sheet of paper.

“I’ll write them down for you.”

The servant quietly observed how naturally and efficiently she moved.

“Here.”

“I’ll prepare them right away.”

“Thank you.”

The young servant bowed and left without another word.

Once she was alone again, Lenette let out a quiet sigh.

“Guess I’ll get ready while waiting for the ingredients.”

She planned to make not just a salve for wounds, but also one for burns.

Due to the intense desert heat in Tazetra, people often got sunburns even without coming into direct contact with fire. Some of the servants even had mild burn scars here and there.

“Unlike the wound ointment, I’ll leave out the beeswax.”

Beeswax, which created a thin protective layer, would only trap heat in a burn, preventing it from escaping.

“Something more moisturizing instead…”

Lenette picked up a sheet of paper and began drafting her recipe.

“If there’s too much powder, it might irritate the skin… so I’ll leave most of that out.”

Taking all that into account, she finally completed her own burn salve recipe. Just then, the servant she had sent out returned.

Knock, knock.

“I’ve brought everything you asked for.”

Lenette quickly rolled up her recipe and tucked it into the thigh strap under her skirt. After adjusting her clothes, she rang the bell as a sign of permission.

The servant entered, carrying a basket filled with herbs and ingredients in both hands.

“Leave it there and go, please.”

“Yes, miss.”

Once he left, Lenette poured the contents of the basket onto the desk and began sorting through the herbs and materials she needed right away.

‘This one’s for later. So is this…’

In the end, only about three or four ingredients remained. Over thirty others went into the “for later” basket.

‘This should do.’

The reason she requested ingredients she wouldn’t be using immediately was simple.

Would a master craftsman ever share their secret formula? That’s their livelihood.

Lenette intended to prevent anyone from understanding her unique herbal combinations through the sheer number of ingredients.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

A few days after Lenette handed over her new ointments—

“They all worked well?”

“Yes, especially the burn salve—it received very positive feedback. It’s said to be effective on heat marks from prolonged outdoor labor.”

“Is that so?”

Kazen stared intently at the two ointment jars on his desk.

The one with a red flower painted on its clay lid was for burns. The one with a blue flower was for wounds.

“And the ingredients?”

“She’s made it difficult to identify clearly. She requested too many different materials.”

“So many that it’s hard to even guess what’s actually in it?”

“Yes. Just the list of extra ingredients she asked for includes over thirty items. Some of them aren’t even medicinal herbs.”

At this report from Nazan—the servant Kazen had assigned to watch over Lenette—Kazen chuckled softly.

“She’s clever, alright.”

She was nothing like the other women who had come to this desolate palace.

She didn’t beg for her life in tears, nor did she try to seduce him with dreams of a dramatic reversal of fortune.

‘You’re the master of this palace, not me.’

She had a clear grasp of her own position—and more importantly, knew how to demonstrate her value.

“Well, she does have a hint of arrogance.”

“You, who usually avoid revealing yourself, came to ask me personally about the salve. That must mean you really need it, doesn’t it?”

Still, she hadn’t crossed the line or provoked him in any way that was unacceptable.

In fact, it was that very boldness that intrigued him even more.

“Any strange behavior or unusual requests?”

“No. She just seemed to be waiting for you, Lord Kazen.”

“Alright. You can go.”

After Nazan exited, Kazen quietly stared at the salve jar in his hand.

It was the same one she had secretly brought him after their encounter on the balcony.

Gazing at it for a long moment, Kazen eventually let out a low chuckle and spoke to his black panther beside him.

“She’s a funny one, isn’t she?”