I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 3
‘Ophelia… you must have known.’
You must have known that this future would come to me.
“And yet, you betrayed me.”
As she recalled this fact, it felt as though all the heat of the desert had been absorbed by Lenette alone, boiling up from deep within her.
Anger? Hatred? Vengeance?
No. The emotion Lenette felt was indescribable.
As painful as the betrayal of a longtime friend and as precious as the happy times she had with Ophelia, her hatred was deep and intense.
It was a vile curse and a resolve so ugly that it couldn’t be expressed with such refined or affectionate words.
May you be pointed at and scorned in the position you so desperately pushed me out of. May the ghost of the family you destroyed haunt you until you go mad. And may your child die before ever seeing the light of the world.
Lenette wished and wished again.
But given her current dire situation, it seemed impossible to bring about such wishes with her own hands.
“Hey, why are you glaring again?”
“Did you have a dream or something?”
A rough voice, as if the vocal cords had been scraped by a nail, snapped irritably.
“Hey, I told you not to use that border dialect, didn’t I? Huh?”
A warning, almost like a scolding, was followed by a cold water dousing.
Swoosh!
“……”
The sudden stream of water trickled down her black hair, soaking the meager cloth that served as her clothing. As a result, even in her slouched position, her prominent chest and slender waist were clearly outlined.
The man who had poured the water licked his lips as he took in the curves she had drawn.
“No matter how I think about it, it’s a shame.”
The man’s words dripped with a mixture of regret and desire, emphasizing the stark contrast between her current state and her once noble position.
As the man’s eyes began to glint with malicious intent, his companion tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey, no. If you touch her, it won’t end well. You could lose your head, or even if you keep it, you’ll have bad luck for life.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She was bought from the underwater temple.”
At the man’s words, Lenette hesitated.
‘…Underwater temple?’
To her knowledge, there was only one place in the Tazetra Empire called the “underwater temple.”
It was the palace where the ruler of the Tazetra Empire resided.
Lenette held her breath and strained to listen to the conversation of the bandits who were watching her.
“Underwater temple? You mean Kal bought this slave girl?”
“Yeah.”
‘Kal?’
The Tazetra Empire, where Lenette now found herself, was different from her homeland, the Ecaron Kingdom, in both race and customs.
Naturally, the titles used for their rulers were different as well.
They did not call their leader an “emperor” but rather “Kal,” and his family was referred to as “Kal’s family” rather than the “imperial family.”
To the people of the Ecaron Kingdom, these titles might seem quite primitive, but given that the Tazetra Empire was far superior in power, it wasn’t a position from which to mock them.
“Damn, so we’re heading to the abandoned palace now?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn it, you should have told me this earlier!”
“The leader said it, and you didn’t listen.”
“Shit, bad luck.”
“So don’t touch her.”
The bandit who was providing the information glanced at Lenette.
“I know girls who can speak our language and have a face like hers are rare, but don’t even think about it.”
He had mentioned “face,” but his gaze was directed slightly lower, toward the rise on Lenette’s chest.
“Are you saying I’m that stupid?”
The man who had been eyeing her with desire gave up.
However, despite their conversation, Lenette’s mind was still in turmoil.
‘Am I being sold to the Kal?’
The Tazetra Empire was different from the Ecaron Kingdom, Lenette’s homeland, both in scale and in history. Just forty years ago, the Ecaron Kingdom was merely a federation of city-states, with the current nobility being the kings of those city-states.
The current king had revolutionized this structure. He subjugated the surrounding city-states, granted the city-state kings noble titles, and stripped them of the title “king.” He also confiscated their taxation rights and other powers. Finally, he elevated the territory of Ecaron to the status of a capital, reducing the other city-states to mere parts of the Ecaron Kingdom. This was a significant step towards centralization and progress.
However, could three hundred years of history change overnight? The nobles (lords) in each region still maintained law and order and used this as a pretext to lead their own knightly orders. The governance of each region was also in the hands of the local nobles, not officials appointed by the king.
In contrast, the Tazetra Empire was entirely different.
From the beginning, the regions were governed by officials appointed by the Kal, not by the local aristocracy. Unlike in the Ecaron Kingdom, the local officials held the authority to maintain law and order, and the aristocracy could not maintain private armies. In other words, they could not build their own power base.
Thus, the Tazetra Empire was a robust fortress where the ruler alone held military power, unlike the Ecaron Kingdom. It’s no wonder that the current king of Ecaron had taken the political structure of the Tazetra Empire as a model.
Given this context, being sold to the Kal was a highly unfavorable situation.
The local aristocracy here, it was said, could at most command a dozen mercenaries. If she were sold to them, there might at least be a chance to escape.
However, escaping from the Kal, who holds all the military power in the empire, is practically impossible.
‘Am I really being sold to the Kal?’
Why me? Lenette clenched her teeth.
After her engagement to the Crown Prince was broken, an overwhelming amount of events unfolded, far more than could be described in just a few lines.
Throughout these events, Lenette always fought with all her might. She did her best to avoid the worst outcomes, sometimes even settling for the lesser evil.
Revealing some of her abilities when she was sold to the slave trader was part of this strategy.
For a female slave, especially one with beauty, there were typically two paths:
A prostitute slave or a plaything for a local aristocrat.
This is why she clung to her senses even more.
The glory of being the flower of Clérmont and the Crown Prince’s woman was no longer a shield for her. Nothing could protect her now.
So, she had to protect herself.
Therefore, she chose to become a concubine to a local aristocrat. While being an old aristocrat’s concubine or a prostitute slave were not much different, at least the former offered a chance to escape.
Usually, brothels were under the control of bandits, and escaping their watch was as unrealistic as hoping for a bountiful harvest in a drought.
So, Lenette tried to convince the slave traders who had kidnapped her of her value, demonstrating her fluent use of the Trazetrian language and her clear understanding of the empire’s etiquette and rules. It seems she may have overdone it.
‘Why did it have to be the Kal who bought me instead of a local aristocrat?’
This was a development she had not anticipated at all.
“How many women has he bought now?”
“Seven or eight, maybe?”
Lenette bit her lip and tried to recall.
‘How many wives does the Kal have now?’
The conversation of the bandits brought back a flood of memories, and Lenette’s mind raced to piece together the information she had.
In the Tazetra Empire, there is no concept of an “empress” or a “principal wife.” Given the low status of women, all of the Kal’s women are simply referred to as “Karans.” The one who oversees them is not an “empress” but the Kal’s mother, known as “Makal.”
‘While I don’t remember the exact number of Karans…’
I vaguely recall that there were more than ten. So, if what the bandits are saying is true, it seems unlikely that her destination is with the Kal himself.
‘Then what’s this about the underwater temple?’
They clearly said she was bought from the underwater temple, yet her destination is not by the Kal’s side. What does this mean?
Lenette slowly looked around.
Despite all the slaves walking barefoot on the scorching desert sand as if it were a heated iron plate, Lenette was being moved comfortably.
‘Some of the traders are even walking on foot.’
This means they are being extremely careful to ensure her well-being.
‘That means…’
Her future owner must be someone as important as the Kal.
‘Am I being sent as a gift to a local aristocrat?’
As she considered this possibility, Lenette shook her head.
No. The conversation between the two guards was too suspicious for that.
“Still, with a face like that, she’ll live a life of luxury.”
“Luxury? More like a short, brutal life.”
“At least she’ll be well-fed until that beast eats her. That’s a kind of luxury, isn’t it?”
A brutal life? Eaten by a beast? The way they talked made it sound as though her death was certain.
Lenette moistened her dry lips and focused on the conversation, trying to catch more details.
Then, she heard something peculiar.
“Anyway, getting involved with the monster’s bride brings bad luck. Stay away from her.”
‘Monster’s bride? Bad luck?’
Lenette’s mind raced as she tried to piece together the implications of these words. The situation was becoming increasingly mysterious and ominous.
‘Monster’s bride?’
She involuntarily furrowed her brow. The very word “monster” evoked a sense of revulsion.
“Still, I hope she lasts more than a month this time. It’s not easy to find a young, fresh, and pretty woman like her.”
“That’s true. But she’s listening.”
Despite her efforts to eavesdrop without drawing attention, it seems she had been noticed.
“Knock her out. It’ll be troublesome if she starts crying and making a fuss.”
The guard nodded and gestured to his subordinates behind him.
“Yes, understood.”
A sharp sensation brushed against Lenette’s neck. Her eyes widened in shock, but soon her vision began to blur.
As her consciousness faded, a low murmur echoed in her mind.
“How long do I have to keep playing matchmaker for that monster? I’m scared of the bad luck it might bring.”
The last thing Lenette heard before slipping into unconsciousness was the guard’s ominous words, leaving her with a sense of dread and confusion.
