I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 33

“What’s not bad?”

“Just everything. The food is gradually suiting me better, I have enough tasks that aren’t overwhelming, and you respect me quite a bit.”

“……”

Hearing her cautious tone, it was clear that this wasn’t just empty flattery; it reflected her honest feelings.

So, Kazen was both astonished and amused.

What followed was even more ridiculous.

“Oh, but don’t worry, I haven’t fallen in love with you or anything.”

“……”

This woman always surprised him.

Honestly, he had never imagined this kind of development.

With his forehead covered by his slightly bowed head, Kazen slowly began to speak.

“So, to summarize what you’re saying… it’s not that I’m good, but—”

“You are good. Just as a roommate. It’s just that it doesn’t mean ‘I love you.’”

“……Right. So, it’s not that bad for me either. You don’t have to worry about starving, and you’re treated decently around here, so it’s good?”

“Yes.”

Her answer came without hesitation, and Kazen looked at Lene again.

Her expressionless face, blinking innocently, seemed to say, “Isn’t that obvious?”

Kazen let out a hollow laugh and rubbed his face.

Who was she trying to fool with that innocent face?

Kazen had grown up in the ‘Underwater Temple,’ where his childhood felt like walking on thin ice. He had witnessed thirteen women desperate for a single glance from their husband.

Could he really be deceived by a woman’s sweet talk?

‘She’s not the type to settle for this kind of reality.’

She is ambitious and works hard to turn that ambition into reality. She possesses more than enough talent and ability.

Would someone like her really be satisfied with just living and eating in this abandoned palace for a lifetime?

‘Absolutely not.’

If she were that kind of person, she wouldn’t have created connections or used them as bait to propose a deal with him.

So, this was merely a ploy to reassure herself and make him let his guard down.

‘Interesting.’

He didn’t feel bad or uncomfortable.

On the contrary, if she was the only bride he had taken an interest in, he thought she should be at least this capable.

“So, you don’t want to work as a healer?”

“I’m not saying I won’t do it at all. I just want to help you to a certain extent. Again, I don’t have a sense of calling as a healer or anything like that.”

Kazen perched on the edge of the table, resting his chin on his hand.

“Then is this enough for you? You don’t need anything else?”

Lene pursed her lips as if deep in thought. Her large features twisted and then relaxed repeatedly, creating an attractive expression.

If it were someone else, they would likely be captivated by her charm and would agree to anything she said.

“I do have one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“I want to have a wedding.”

“……What?”

What kind of day was today? It seemed like a day dedicated to surprising him with such things.

None of the answers were what he had expected.

“Wedding? With me?”

“Well, you are my husband, so it makes sense.”

“……”

His mind went blank, like a white sheet of paper.

He was sure that Lene wasn’t speaking with pure sincerity, yet this time, he found it difficult to calculate her intentions.

“You know that if we hold a formal wedding, I’ll be registered under your household, right?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Then, your plan to escape won’t go as smoothly as you hoped.

Kazen licked his lips with the tip of his tongue, unable to find the words. Lene then added an explanation on her own.

“Right now, I’m a slave. In the Tazetra Empire, slaves are treated worse than livestock.”

“……”

Only then did his brain slowly start to function again.

“So, you want to regain your status through me?”

“Is that not possible?”

In truth, it wasn’t impossible. He had been considering restoring Lene’s status at an appropriate time.

It would make it easier to use her that way.

“I know it’s an unreasonable request. It’s like a slave coming to their master asking to be freed without a penny to their name.”

“You understand that much.”

“But I believe I’ve shown my value and usefulness enough during this time.”

“So you’re not completely without resources?”

“I’m asking you to consider my future potential.”

“Rather, if you look at your future potential, wouldn’t you think it’s better to keep you as a slave?”

“That might be true. But if that happens, my attitude will be very different.”

Kazen lifted and lowered his chin as if urging her to continue speaking.

“Slaves lack passion and sincerity.”

“So, if I keep you as a slave, you’ll work, but it will be at a begrudging level; is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s likely the case.”

“That sounds like a threat.”

“If it came across that way, I apologize.”

Lene wiped the dirt from her hands onto a white cloth. After a brief pause, she spoke again.

“If I’m registered as your ‘bride,’ I’ll lose my freedom again anyway.”

In the Tazetra Empire, married women cannot live independently from their husbands.

So even if Lene were to shed her status as a ‘slave,’ she would still be shackled as Kazen Tazetra’s ‘property.’

“True. But I will also legally have someone I need to support.”

“Is that something you dislike?”

Lene blinked in surprise.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Well… you said I’m your ninth bride.”

“And what of it?”

“Doesn’t that mean you have to accept a bride regardless of your will? The fact that eight brides have come and gone.”

This implied that someone had to be welcomed as a ‘bride’ anyway.

“……”

Her perfectly logical analysis left Kazen speechless.

So, he simply stared at her in silence, and Lene let out a small sigh.

“I won’t ask for love or attention. I won’t bother you, of course. I understand my position clearly. So if I become your bride, it will be a ‘deal’ that isn’t bad for you either.”

* * *

After Lene brought up the formal wedding, Kazen left the room without saying much.

“Think about it.”

He neither showed intense agreement nor outright rejection; instead, he spoke in a somewhat subdued voice as he left the room.

“Was I too hasty?”

Lene, who had been sitting at her desk recording the herbs she had gathered yesterday, put down her pen.

“Offering to set up a clinic out of the blue.”

It was sudden. But at the same time, she instinctively felt that if she didn’t talk about the ‘wedding’ now, she might not get another chance.

“You can’t just sit quietly and then suddenly bring up marriage.”

It was a conversation that could only happen in situations like now, when he was asking, “Do you want something?”

“I tried to explain it as reasonably as possible.”

Lene’s fixation on the ‘wedding’ stemmed from another reason. Recently, she had learned a surprising fact from a loose-tongued guard at the palace.

‘There hasn’t been a bride who has endured as long as Leneta. I wondered if there would be any bride entering the underwater temple during my time here, and finally, one is coming.’

“Underwater temple?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t know since you’re from another country! The great clan of the sword holds their ceremonies at the underwater temple.”

Even though she had studied the Tazetra Empire diligently because of King Ecaron, would she have known such details?

‘Once I get to the capital… things will get easier.’

The capital was a place so much larger and more complex than this town. Naturally, there would be an uncountable number of people.

‘Hiding in a place like that… would be much easier.’

So, even if it meant becoming Kazen’s official bride, she had to go there.

At that moment, there was a knock, knock.

“Leneta.”

Kazen had asked to call her by her name, ‘Lene,’ and perhaps because of that, the people of the palace still referred to her as ‘Leneta.’

“Come in.”

As soon as she gave her permission, Nazan entered the room silently.

“A guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

Was there anyone in the Tazetra Empire who would come to see her?

“It’s a merchant who comes every few months. He carries many items that are particularly useful for women. He has a close relationship with Kazen and always remembers to visit here.”

“Oh.”

She had heard that he was indifferent to past brides, but it seemed he hadn’t completely ignored them either.

The fact that he called a merchant to help the brides adapt showed some level of consideration.

“Understood. Since it’s crowded here, please guide him to the first-floor tea room. I’ll just wash my hands and come down.”

“Yes, understood.”

Nazan left the room, and Lene immediately prepared to wash her hands and head downstairs.

She wasn’t particularly excited about receiving a gift, but she was honestly curious.

‘A merchant who has a connection with Kazen.’

Her curiosity piqued.

So, without any particular reluctance, she went down to the first floor… where a woman with strikingly beautiful features was sitting prominently in the tea room.

“Huh? This bride is a bit unusual, isn’t she?”

The woman spoke as if she were the owner of the palace, leaning back in her chair and half-reclining.

“Now he’s even bringing in Northern women.”