I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 17

‘Don’t fall asleep…’

Lenette, who had always rigidly controlled her life and gone to bed at a set time, now found sleep creeping up on her.

She forced her eyes open wide and clenched her teeth.

‘I said, don’t fall asleep.’

To be honest, judging by his behavior, that man didn’t seem likely to do anything to her. He didn’t appear to have any hidden intentions—he didn’t even seem particularly interested in her at all.

‘But still…’

It didn’t feel right to fall asleep so casually while sharing a bed with a strange man.

‘So I can’t fall asleep…’

But despite her firm resolve, her wretched body was gradually losing strength.

‘I really can’t…’

And yet her consciousness slowly slipped away, stretching out like melted taffy.

Eventually, her head dropped like a weight on a fishing line, and her body slumped down as well. Her posture, which had been slowly collapsing, finally gave way into a lying position.

‘I have to get up…’

But she forgot even to scold her own heavy eyelids, slipping deeper into sleep—until suddenly, she felt an unfamiliar warmth settle on her stomach.

“…?!”

Even in her drowsy, half-asleep state, Lenette jolted and tried to sit up.

‘W-What is this?!’

Just then, a husky voice murmured, and a strong, firm arm pulled her forcefully toward it.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

She hurriedly grabbed Kazen’s forearm with both hands and tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge—he was far too strong.

‘Why… why is he doing this all of a sudden…?!’

The more she struggled, the closer her body was pulled to his. The strong, muscular arm wrapped tightly around her became a snare, locking her in even more firmly.

Unable to bear it anymore, Lenette shouted.

“L-Let me go…!”

Even as she thrashed about, Kazen’s relentless grip twisted her body onto her side. At last, he pulled her fully into his embrace, holding her close as if cradling a favorite stuffed toy.

With thick arms wrapped around her back, he hugged her tighter.

“Wh-What are you doing…?! I said let go of me!”

But her resistance was futile. Their skin pressed even closer together.

Her cool back met the warm skin of Kazen’s stomach.

“…!”

She shivered involuntarily. It was a sensation she had never experienced before.

Startled by the unfamiliar touch, Lenette nearly froze up but quickly came to her senses and shoved at the arms holding her, as if trying to claw them off.

“Let… let go of me, now…!”

While Kazen didn’t budge an inch, Lenette’s face had already turned bright red, like it might burst.

“I said let go, now!”

She thought she had raised her voice quite a bit—enough to be a clear warning. So why wasn’t there any response?

“Hey!”

Lenette called out sharply to the man restraining her. But the more she did, the tighter his arms pulled her against him, squeezing her belly closer to his.

It was then that she realized something was wrong.

“Hey…?”

His firm chest rose and fell steadily against her back. From above her head, she could feel the soft rhythm of Kazen’s breathing—gentle like a breeze.

In that tense silence, Lenette looked down at the arm draped across her stomach.

“No way…”

…Was that sleep-talking?

And at that very moment—

Swish—

The firm, muscular arm—without an ounce of fat—that had been wrapped around her stomach slipped away. So effortlessly, in fact, that all the earlier chaos now felt ridiculous.

“……”

Lenette stared down at the arm in disbelief before scrambling off the bed in a hurry.

‘Was that really… sleep-talking?’

Still suspicious, she cautiously watched him, eyes wary. But all she could hear was the sound of peaceful, steady breathing.

“…Huh.”

Her face, which had burned bright red like molten iron, instantly cooled as if doused in cold water.

Her eyes, fogged with embarrassment and confusion, began to turn cold.

“What even… was that.”

The image of herself flailing and yelling just moments ago—like a clown—flashed before her eyes.

Lenette licked her lips and let out a bitter laugh. From time to time, she ran a hand through her hair, glaring at the bed.

“Hey. Are you seriously asleep?”

“……”

“I know you’re not asleep.”

“……”

She couldn’t bring herself to go near him, so she stayed at a distance, calling out several times.

But to accuse him of faking it… he looked far too sound asleep for that.

As she stared in disbelief, her pale face twisted in frustration.

“You’re really asleep?”

He stirred up every emotion inside her like ripples in a calm lake—and then had the nerve to fall asleep like nothing happened?

Lenette held her forehead and finally sat down at the table. Even without meaning to, she kept letting out breathy, incredulous laughs.

“Hah… seriously, what kind of person even is that?”

She didn’t know.

Why she felt so stunned, so irritated, and so humiliated all at once.

It felt like she’d lost—like her pulse suddenly spiking and her mind going completely blank meant he had somehow gotten the better of her. That alone was embarrassing. And what made it worse was the fact that the person who caused all that in her was now sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the havoc he’d stirred.

“This is just ridiculous…”

And so, on the night of their first time sharing a bed, Lenette ended up staying awake until morning, mumbling irritation and reproach—at whom, she wasn’t even sure—seated at the table.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

“Wake up, Kazen.”

A voice that now felt unfamiliar—but was still deeply missed—brushed against Kazen’s ear.

“Come on. If you don’t, you’ll end up going out again in the worst of the heat.”

The voice was firm, but the warmth in it was unmistakably tender.

“Honey, waking him like that never works, remember?”

A soft voice chimed in, and the sound of curtains being drawn followed. Sunlight poured through the window, spilling over Kazen’s dirt-stained hand.

“He has to see the light to wake up. Isn’t that right, Kazen?”

As if already knowing he was awake, the middle-aged woman spoke with a gentle laugh trailing her words.

Kazen, his face still buried in the pillow, let a faint smile slip across his lips—like someone surrendering. A quiet sigh escaped him.

Noticing the change, the woman stepped closer and stroked his head.

A warm, nostalgic scent tickled his nose.

“I know you’re already awake. Now come on, get up.”

Eventually, Kazen shifted, rubbing his face into the pillow.

“Auntie’s eyes are truly impossible to deceive.”

Still groggy from sleep, Kazen responded in a low, heavy voice—only to suddenly realize something was off.

That voice… it was far too deep and heavy to belong to a teenage boy living with the Patana couple.

“……”

Still lying down, Kazen raised a hand and roughly dragged it across his face, muttering a curse. That’s when it hit him—he had been drifting between dream and reality.

“Damn it.”

A dream from a time he missed so painfully. And yet, it was also a fragment of memory that brought him unbearable pain just by recalling it.

Like stone being worn away by sand-laden desert winds—how nice it would be if those memories, too, could just erode over time.

“Hoo…”

A heavy sigh slipped from his lips and sank into the mattress. It had been a long time since he’d slept this deeply—though it wouldn’t have been such a restful morning if he hadn’t dreamed of the Patana couple.

Kazen pressed a hand to his eyes, trying to push the memory away. Only after a while was he finally able to lift his head.

And that’s when his eyes caught a strange sight that greeted his morning.

Someone was slumped over the table.

“…What is that?”

Kazen quickly recognized the woman—it was the eighth bride, that… Line? Lenetta? Something like that.

And it didn’t take long to realize she was asleep.

Kazen stood up from the bed and stared at her in silence. As he approached, he could hear her mumbling something in her sleep.

“So she slept here.”

He looked back and forth between the bed where he’d just woken up and the pitiful sight of the woman passed out at the table.

A breathy sound escaped his lips, almost like air leaking through a crack.

“You’re going to sleep like that?”

“I’m… having trouble digesting. I’ll sit for a bit before lying down.”

Her face had turned red like a ripe plum, yet she stubbornly pretended she wasn’t flustered until the very end.

“So damn stubborn.”

Even though she had tried so hard to act nonchalant yesterday, she left the bed and slept in a chair while he was asleep.

“She could’ve just said she didn’t want to sleep in the same bed.”

It was a different side of her from when she’d calmly lied, claiming she needed to sort herbs under some strange incantation.

“Still… she’s interesting.”

She was definitely different from the other brides who had passed through this abandoned palace.

Myaa—

At the sound of Kazen’s low chuckle, Kus padded into the room.

“Shh.”

Kazen raised a finger to his lips, signaling Kus to be quiet—despite being the one who’d spoken the most so far.

“Quiet.”

After giving his black panther a warning, Kazen walked over to the bed and picked up a thin blanket.

Kus, who had been quietly yawning at the signal, blinked in surprise at his master’s unexpected actions.

“What?”

Shaking his head at the panther, who acted almost like a person, Kazen approached his bride once more.

He gently laid the blanket over her back and murmured under his breath,

“Just hold out a little longer.”

Only four more full moons to go, and this strange co-sleeping arrangement would be over.