I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 15

There was a time like that.

A time when Kazen desperately wanted love from his biological mother—

the same mother who denied his very existence.

A time when he was desperate to hear even one word of praise from the foolish woman who hated him. There was such a time in Kazen’s life.

“Is ‘mom’ written like this in Ecaron?”

Looking back, it had all been so pointless.

Why had he loved a mother who tried to strangle him to death?

Why had he adored those eyes that held nothing but hatred for him?

Grown-up Kazen couldn’t understand his younger self.

But one thing was clear: that childish effort to be loved was finally proving somewhat useful now.

「Do you think you can live happily after making someone else cry blood? Vile humans.」

‘It’s not standard Ecaron…’

So it wasn’t familiar. But it wasn’t completely unreadable either.

“Mom… don’t… cry. Is this how it’s written?”

Back then, little Kazen had read every book about the Ecaron Kingdom.

He just wanted to understand the mother who always muttered to herself in that foreign tongue.

He hoped, maybe, there was some love for him hidden in her words.

‘It really was all for nothing.’

But since he hadn’t known that at the time, he had even learned the dialect.

And thanks to that, he could now understand what was in his bride’s mind.

Recalling that time after so long, Kazen calmly looked down at the writing on the page.

「I will never forgive you—those who turned my family into a pile of ashes. Just as you showed me no mercy, I too shall offer none. Not even if the one before me is a mere blood-covered infant.」

“The herbs here in the Empire are a bit different from the ones in my homeland, so I’m making notes on them.”

Watching Lenetta lie so smoothly without a tremor in her voice, Kazen thought to himself.

‘The name Lenetta must be an alias too.’

Well, that wasn’t surprising.

He had already guessed as much.

What caught his attention more than her fake name was something else.

‘She said her family was turned to ash.’

Her flawless skin and elegant movements made one thing clear—she wasn’t of low birth like his mother.

And also—

“She showed no hesitation in handling paper and pen. She seemed quite used to writing.”

That was from Nazan’s report.

‘I assumed she was just a maid from some noble house…’

But that wasn’t it. She came from a background where she had someone worth calling “my family.”

Now half-reclined in his chair, Kazen stared quietly up at the ceiling.

‘Must be a fairly prominent family.’

For someone from the Ecaron Kingdom—a place known for its hardship—to speak a foreign language this fluently, she had to have come from a family with considerable means.

‘But for that, she’s rather obedient.’

She was different from the daughters of noble families Kazen had dealt with.

Definitely a clever woman.

But ironically, it was that intelligence that lessened her value to him.

‘Troublesome.’

A moderately clever person might’ve been useful to his plans. But someone who so blatantly hid their thoughts? Not so much.

If not for his unusual background—if he hadn’t been able to understand Ecaron—he would’ve been completely fooled by her calm performance.

As he silently rolled his tongue in his mouth, Kazen suddenly spoke.

“You. Do you need anything?”

It was a casually thrown question, half in jest.

But it sent visible ripples across the woman’s previously calm face.

But even that reaction lasted only a moment.

Anyone but Kazen likely wouldn’t have noticed.

‘She’s definitely well-trained.’

The woman pressed her lips together as if in thought.

then finally opened her mouth.

“There’s one thing.”

“What?”

Still half-reclined with only his head turned toward her, he asked again. She began speaking slowly.

“I’d like to eat a meal without strong spices.”

Kazen sat up at the unexpected request.

He hadn’t expected that kind of answer.

“What?”

“The food here doesn’t agree with me. The spices are too strong—it’s overwhelming. Even something simple would be fine, as long as it’s not spiced. Is that possible?”

She was serious.

Those earnest eyes said it all.

Kazen, stunned, burst into laughter. Covering half his face with his large hand, he chuckled repeatedly.

“Yeah, that’s possible. That’s possible.”

It could be tough for people from the north.

“But I didn’t expect you to ask for something like that.”

“What, then?”

With a look that said, ‘I can do much more than that.’

Kazen looked at her curiously.

“Is that really all you want?”

The woman let out a sigh and shook her head.

“Whatever it is, food comes first. Honestly, I’ve barely eaten since I came here. So right now, the most important thing to me is simply eating decent food and staying alive.”

He had to admit—it was a reasonable answer.

Kazen grinned.

“What kind of food do you want?”

“As long as there are no spices, anything is fine. Ah—no, wait. I’d prefer food without meat, if possible.”

Kazen understood the reason even without her explaining.

‘Goat or lamb isn’t common in the North.’

The distinctive smell of goat or lamb could be unpleasant. His guess was right.

The woman added an explanation.

“In the North, chicken, pork, or beef is more common. We don’t really eat lamb. It’s more useful to keep raising them and harvest wool than to use them for meat.”

“I see.”

Kazen nodded a few times with an indifferent expression, then got up from his seat. He walked to the bed in the corner of the room and lay down.

“……”

The woman looked at him in disbelief as he claimed the bed without even giving her time to stop him.

Kazen spoke with his eyes closed.

“Keep doing your thing. I’m going to sleep.”

“…All right.”

Fixing her gaze back on the curse-filled writing, the woman resumed moving her pen.

With his eyes closed, Kazen listened to the soft scratching sounds echoing in the room and thought:

‘For now, I guess I’ll keep watching a bit longer. Wouldn’t hurt.’

Honestly, she’s a bit too entertaining to kick out just yet.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

That same hour, in the Kingdom of Ecaron.

“I’ll be in your care.”

At Ophelia’s polite greeting, the engineers standing in front of her awkwardly avoided eye contact.

Some even silently cursed under their breath with stiff expressions.

Watching them, Ophelia gave a bitter smile.

‘To these people, I must be a villainess.’

The weapons factory Ophelia had been assigned to manage originally belonged to the House of Clermont.

Naturally, they wouldn’t welcome someone like her—someone who had taken Lenette’s place and pushed the Clermont family out to the fringes.

“……”

At the early signs of tension, Ophelia pressed her lips together in silence for a moment, then shook her head and forced a smile.

“It might feel awkward now, but you’ll all adjust soon. I’ll also do my best to help you get used to the new environment.”

Despite her lengthy attempt at reassurance, not a single response came back.

A knight standing beside her slightly drew his sword and glared at them. Only then did the engineers reluctantly nod and speak up.

“Y-Yes, thank you, Crown Princess—uh, no, Princess Consort, Your Highness.”

There was a brief hesitation at the unfamiliar title, but Ophelia clapped her hands together with a bright tone.

“Since there’s a new manager, I think it’s time for a shift in atmosphere too. I’d like to improve your working environment—does anyone have any suggestions on things that should be changed?”

Their eyes darted around restlessly. As expected, no one volunteered.

This, too, was the reaction Ophelia had anticipated.

“Too sudden, was it?”

“Well… yes…”

“Still, my office is always open. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to come speak to me.”

“Yes… understood.”

Everyone nodded in confusion, then quietly dispersed and returned to their posts.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

As soon as Ophelia entered her office, the deputy captain of Daws’s royal guard—who had been escorting her—spoke up right away.

“Your Highness, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but there is no need to show such deference to the engineers.”

“Excuse me?”

Ophelia paused mid-step, eyes wide, as the deputy gave her a strained smile.

“Respect toward others is certainly commendable. However, Your Highness is someone who stands at the very top of this nation, destined to look down upon all.

Therefore, it would not be wise to address them with such high courtesy.”

“……”

Ophelia’s expression hardened.

She hadn’t even realized she’d been speaking that way until the knight pointed it out.

‘I did it again…’

Only now recognizing her mistake, she bit her lip for a moment.

She was no longer a poor orphan living off the charity of the Clermont family. She was no longer a lowly nobody—she was to become the wife of a man who stood second to none.

‘Then why…’

Why couldn’t she let go of that old, submissive tone?

As self-reproach and shame began to rise, she clenched her fists.

“……”

But even so, she wasn’t going to acknowledge the knight’s words outright.

He wasn’t wrong—but admitting it would mean accepting that she truly was just a “pitiful princess consort.”

So Ophelia spoke firmly.

“…No. I disagree.”