I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 2
“Why are the knights here?”
As Maren asked her question, Lenette’s eyes met Ophelia’s. Ophelia, startled, quickly averted her gaze.
“…Ophelia?”
At that moment, a very unpleasant and revolting sensation pierced her chest without warning.
“Miss, let’s go inside first.”
The butter, having noticed Ophelia, urged Lenette to hurry.
The knights and Ophelia slowed their pace, trying their best to avoid encountering Lenette.
“……”
It was strange. And unsettling.
It was as if the knights were protecting Ophelia from a witch who might eat her. The butler, too, seemed to be trying to keep as much distance as possible between Lenette and Ophelia.
“……”
Her heart was pounding. It felt as though her brain had a heart of its own, and her head throbbed in an irregular rhythm.
“He is waiting inside.”
Lenette stopped the butler, who was about to open the door.
“Just a moment.”
Why? The doorknob, which she had seen for ten years, suddenly felt foreign.
She looked down at the study door in front of her. Then, she realized the emotion welling up inside her.
‘It’s not unfamiliar.’
It was just a feeling of repulsion.
The moment she opened that door, she felt that something uncontrollable would happen, and she had a strong aversion to that.
Recognizing this, her body hesitated to move.
“Miss, your father is waiting inside.”
The butler’s voice broke the silence, but Lenette remained rooted to the spot, her hand still on the doorknob.
“……I understand.”
Despite her racing pulse, a chill ran down her spine, making her feel calmer. It was like the premonition of the night before a storm.
Pushing aside that strange feeling, Lenette slowly opened the door.
The first thing that greeted her was a shattered decorative cabinet. Then, she saw her father, sitting in a chair, clutching his head.
It was a sight she had never seen before, except for the moment her mother passed away. Lenette’s lips parted in shock.
“Father?”
Her father, Bastil Clérmont, lifted his head at the sound of his beloved daughter’s voice.
“Lenette…”
He clenched his teeth, as if trying to suppress a mix of anger and tears. His jaw muscles bulged from the force of his clench.
“For now… just come in.”
He gestured, and Lenette approached the sofa where her father was sitting. One step, then another. She moved closer to the sofa and the tea table.
Just as she took one more step and was about to reach the sofa, her eyes fell on the king’s personal letter and a broken teacup on the desk.
Amid the chaotic scene, one phrase from the letter stood out in her mind.
「How can a child’s heart be the same as a parent’s?」
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Ten years.
Yes, during that time—when even mountains and rivers can change—Lenette had steadfastly prepared to become the Crown Princess.
Not born into a noble lineage, she had worked hard.
To be of no detriment to Crown Prince Dawes and to be of some help, however small, she had immersed herself in history, economics, politics, technology, art, medicine, and even the family business. Unlike the idle children of other noble houses, she had actively engaged and learned in all these fields.
And that was not all. She had mastered the etiquette of the court, the culture and customs of neighboring countries, and even their languages.
She would rise early in the predawn hours, alone, and prepare to become the Crown Princess with a resolve that felt like chiseling her own bones.
Thus, the identity of “Lenette Clérmont” was solely that of the “Crown Princess.”
That was why she found the current situation incomprehensible.
How could her years of toil and sacrifice be betrayed so easily?
“Please, I really did try to push Her Highness away… sniff. Really…”
When she heard Ophelia’s confession, she didn’t feel angry. Honestly, there was no room for anger in Lenette’s heart at the moment.
‘Is this a dream?’
Could she have fallen asleep while playing the piano?
Perhaps her father’s shouts and recent worries about Ophelia had combined to create this mere fantasy, this revolting nightmare?
“How could you…! How could you do this! Lenette cared for you so much…!”
“I’m sorry… Sniff, really sorry. I tried to push him away… I tried to erase my feelings… But I couldn’t, sniff… So I just wanted to run away… to disappear on my own… Really, I did.”
Ophelia’s rambling excuses.
Lenette, tilting her head like a wooden doll, listened to the excuses in silence.
‘Why am I having such a terrible dream? Why is my subconscious assigning Ophelia the role of the villain?’
Ophelia wouldn’t do that.
The Crown Prince wouldn’t do that.
Her father’s shouts and Ophelia’s sobs echoed through the study like a dissonant orchestra.
Lenette slightly moved her face to look down at her hands. Her hands had turned white and felt cold.
Yes, it must be a dream. Lenette clenched and unclenched her fists. There was no sensation.
Right, it’s definitely a dream. With that certainty, she pricked her fingertips with her fingernails. A sharp sensation returned to her fingertips.
“……”
The reality of the situation began to sink in, and the dreamlike haze started to dissipate.
She pricked her fingertips again.
The sensation returned more vividly than before.
“Why……”
There must be some error.
Yes, the dream must be wrong. No, wait. Sometimes you can feel sensations in dreams, right? Yes, that’s it.
This time, she pinched the back of her hand with her other hand.
A sharp pain shot through her dull left hand, and warmth rushed through it. At the same time, a hot sensation trickled down her cheek.
“Ah…?”
As she watched the droplets spread on her skirt, Lenette slowly raised her hand to wipe her cheek.
A damp sensation traveled up her fingertips.
“Why are there tears……”
Her throat felt swollen, and her voice wouldn’t come out.
“Why…”
Her vision blurred as if frost had formed over her eyes.
Only then did Lenette fully understand her father’s words and Ophelia’s excuses.
“You, if you were human, you couldn’t do this to Lenette! To that poor child who cares for you like a sister, and to us! You couldn’t do this!”
“Sniff…. I’m sorry… really sorry…. I tried to control my feelings…. Sniff…. I told His Highness it was wrong…. I tried to reject him…. But—”
Lenette lifted her head and stared blankly at Ophelia, who was trembling.
“Ophelia.”
Her low voice echoed like thunder, and the room fell silent. Ophelia, trying to hide her tear-filled eyes, bowed her head deeply.
Lenette, staring at the bizarre scene, muttered blankly.
“That child, is it His Highness’s child?”
It was a question that even her father couldn’t bring himself to ask.
A question that everyone knew but no one could bring themselves to ask directly—the question of betrayal.
At this taboo question, everyone froze like statues.
Only Lenette moved, one step at a time, slowly approaching Ophelia.
“Tell me, is that child His Highness’s child?”
“T-that… Lenette… it’s not like I wanted it to be this way… sniff… I didn’t mean for it to happen…”
“No. This is a yes or no question.”
“Sniff…. Yes….”
As Lenette continued to approach, the Crown Prince’s personal guard finally stepped in to block her.
“Further approach will not be permitted.”
Lenette looked down at the sword hilts that now rested against her body.
“……”
These were the swords that were supposed to protect her, yet here they were, pointed at her. Why were they protecting Ophelia instead of her?
With this quiet question, Lenette lifted her gaze and stared blankly at the ceiling.
“This can’t be real.”
If this wasn’t a dream, it couldn’t be real.
“Is this a dream…?”
Her voice, low and monotone, sounded as if all her senses had been numbed.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Suddenly, a woman who had been lying motionless, like a corpse or a human-like doll, snapped her eyes open.
Her face contorted in anger as she realized that the recent events were merely a dream of the past.
“…Damn it.”
Even though she had just woken up, her appearance was free of any trace of humiliation. This was Lenette Clérmont.
Once the beloved of the Crown Princess, then his nemesis, and ultimately a traitor exiled to a barren land—Lenette Clérmont.
Unfortunately, all the grand titles that once adorned her had lost their power. Now, the only label that remained for her was “slave.”
“Damn it.”
Do one’s circumstances shape one’s character? Lenette, who had never uttered such coarse profanity in her life, now did so without hesitation.
“Of all the days to have a dream, it had to be a damn day like this.”
The pain of betrayal was not something that could be erased in just “one year.” She had changed a great deal.
“Really, this is just annoying.”
After muttering to herself for a moment, Lenette took a long breath, glancing around to ensure no one was watching. In her current situation, she couldn’t afford to lose her temper or even murmur to herself like this.
“Phew…”
As her breathing finally steadied, thoughts of her father and brother surfaced in her mind, brought on by the rare visit to the past in her dream.
‘Everyone… they must be safe, right?’
Maren, who had been captured by bandits along with her and sold without a moment’s notice, must be holding on.
‘…Just endure until I find you.’
She muttered a message that would never reach its intended recipient, lowering her gaze.
Her nearly half-naked state and the tightly bound hands came into view. It was a far cry from the resolve she had just moments ago.
“……”
Truly, it was an utterly “damn” failure. She couldn’t bring herself to smile and reminisce about the past or use her experiences to move forward. This was a very bleak and hopeless situation.
