I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 42
Chapter 42
‘Does he think I’ll run away if he leaves me alone in the abandoned palace?’
Well, that’s true. The time they spent together is still too short to give complete trust.
By the way, with this situation, even if she struggles to enter the capital, there’s a possibility that the wedding could fall through for various excuses.
‘…Well, I don’t really care.’
Anyway, her real goal isn’t the ‘wedding.’ She’s using the wedding as an excuse to go to a crowded place.
‘It’s just as easy to escape, so it doesn’t matter.’
While Lenette was coming to that conclusion in her mind, Kazen added more explanation.
“Originally, we would send someone to deliver the tribute. That way, it could be delivered faster, so there wouldn’t be a need to rush like this.”
But that meant it took longer because everyone, including the abandoned palace staff and Lenette, had to move. So, that’s why they were hurrying.
“I’m sorry for making you ride a camel instead of a palanquin—”
“It’s fine. I don’t like palanquins either.”
It reminds me of the memories of being dragged around by the slave trader.
Swallowing her words, Lenette asked Kazen, “So, the reason we haven’t seen each other until now is because of the tribute?”
“That’s right.”
“And is it true that you were talking to some man in front of Mr. Mahat’s house?”
“Yes.”
Only then did she understand.
‘Due to Sarman, the local specialties were decreasing.’
So, they probably couldn’t find suitable items to present as tribute.
“Then, does heading to the capital this quickly mean you’ve found the tribute?”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask what the tribute is?”
He glanced around before bringing his face closer to Lenette.
‘What could be so secretive?’
“That.”
“That?”
Kazen pulled back slightly while staring intently at her, as if to say he knew she understood what he was referring to.
‘What could it be that I know…?’
As she thought that, she froze.
“Don’t tell me…”
Looking at Kazen with a shocked expression, he raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk.
It seemed that what she was thinking was indeed correct.
“Are you really going to present… ‘that’ as tribute?”
“Yes.”
“Are you… crazy?”
It was a harsh remark, but it was sincere.
“Unfortunately, not yet.”
Kazen casually leaned back against the cushion. Lenette silently looked down at him.
‘Is he really insane?’
Otherwise, there’s no way he would think of presenting ‘that’ as tribute…
‘Forget about escaping; wouldn’t I just get my head chopped off as soon as we arrive in the capital?’
Her mind was starting to get complicated.
But fortunately or unfortunately, she didn’t have the energy to continue those complicated thoughts.
‘Sigh, I don’t know.’
For now, she decided to take a little break.
‘If I need to persuade him… later. I’ll do it later.’
Right now, she just wanted to rest.
Thinking that, Lenette closed her eyes, following Kazen.
* * *
The villages along the alley leading to the capital are said to be full of life. It seems there are many people coming and going.
And the first village that Lenette and her group arrived at was just like that.
“The village is small, but it’s so lively.”
“There are various merchants passing through,” Nazan replied.
As he said, the bustling crowd was a stark contrast to the desolate palace of Ragan.
“Are we going straight to the inn?”
Kazen suddenly asked, having come up beside her without her noticing.
“What about it?”
“You look like you want to explore.”
“Did my expression show that?”
“Yeah.”
To be honest, until they entered the village, she felt like she was going to die, but now, being in such a lively place, her mood had changed.
Her queasy stomach seemed to settle, and with the sun still shining, she felt it would be a shame to just rest now.
“Can I look around?”
“There’s no reason you can’t.”
Perhaps feeling guilty for making Lenette join them on this tough journey, he had been friendly since the start.
Lenette didn’t refuse his kindness.
“I want to check out the market a bit.”
“Got it.”
“You’re coming with me, right?”
At her obvious question, Kazen raised his eyebrows slightly.
“Are you asking me to go with you?”
“Of course! Are you going to leave me alone in this unfamiliar place?”
At that, he let out a chuckle.
“You really sound like a wife.”
“Well, I’m on my way to becoming a real wife.”
He looked down at her as she boldly replied. Then, as if conceding, he sighed and said to Nazan,
“Take good care of Kus when we arrive.”
Since they were traveling with multiple people, they had no choice but to put Kus in a beast cage.
To Kazen and Lenette, he was a friendly presence, but to others, he was just a wild beast. Currently, Kus was stuck in the cage, lagging far behind the main procession.
“If he gets agitated, don’t open the door unnecessarily; just give him raw meat and wait.”
“Yes, understood.”
After giving Nazan a few more instructions, Kazen approached Lenette, who was waiting.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Street food.”
The grilled lamb that Kazen had introduced her to before had suited her taste perfectly.
But after eating it for a while, she was starting to get tired of it.
“I want to find something new that suits my taste.”
She must have spoken with a serious expression unintentionally, as Kazen smiled and led the way.
“Got it. Follow me.”
Watching him, Lenette murmured,
“See? He smiles well.”
* * *
After exploring the village market, Lenette’s assessment was simple.
“It’s similar yet different.”
“Looks like it suits your taste, though?”
“Yes.”
In her hand was a dish made of flatbread filled with finely chopped lamb and vegetables.
“This one wasn’t grilled directly over the fire, but the aroma isn’t strong.”
“Really?”
“It seems I’ve adapted to the unique smell of lamb.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Good to hear?”
“Yes. If the food doesn’t suit you, no matter how good it is, you won’t be able to adapt.”
“That’s true.”
Nodding, Lenette quietly thought,
‘Could it be that they expect me to adapt to this place?’
She slightly furrowed her brows but soon gave up on the thought.
No matter what he felt, she would run away. That was an unchanging fact.
“Aren’t you eating, Kazen?”
“I’m not particularly hungry.”
That meant coming out here was purely for her sake—
‘…I’m going crazy. Why do I keep thinking like this?’
She kept attributing meaning to Kazen’s every action, and it was only in relation to herself.
Lenette shook her head, trying to erase those meaningless thoughts that kept creeping in.
When she suddenly waved her hands in the air, Kazen stopped walking.
“Is there a bug?” bug?”
Unnecessary assumptions gnawed at her thoughts like pests, so it made sense.
“…Yes. But it’s gone now.”
Kazen withdrew his interest and started moving again.
“Where do you want to go next?”
“Um… the herb shop?”
“You’re consistent.”
“Is it something you dislike?”
“Of course not.”
He answered as naturally as breathing, but then suddenly seemed to recall something and turned to Lenette.
“I told you before. You don’t need to read my mind about such things.”
“……”
That might be true, but what could she do about her habits?
‘The habits I developed while dealing with Dawes… I never thought they would be this strong.’
However, she couldn’t say that outright.
“You came out to the market without resting because of me. You might want to go in and take a break by now.”
“Do I look like the kind of person who is that considerate?”
Lenette let out a ‘huh’ and laughed.
“When did I ever ask if your personality was that bad?”
At her remark, Kazen seemed amused, his expression softening.
“There’s an herb shop up ahead. Let’s go there first.”
“Got it.”
* * *
Lenette and Kazen returned to their lodging after the night deepened and all the merchants had gone home.
“Go wash up first.”
As expected, just like in the palace, Lenette and Kazen shared the same room.
She was a bit surprised, not expecting to share a room even here, but she soon accepted it and headed to the bathroom.
‘He wouldn’t give me a private room even if I asked.’
Upon entering the bathroom, she saw a cozy tub with steam rising from it.
“This is definitely different from the tub we used in the palace.”
It was slightly smaller, but more importantly, this tub was a crude object made of yellow clay.
“Still, washing with warm water is better than nothing.”
When she was dragged around by the slave trader, the only chance she had to wash was when she was splashed with water occasionally.
Thinking back to that time, Lenette couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“I’m really in your debt.”
As she undressed on the bathroom chair, she let her tied-up hair down. Then, before washing, she brushed her hair.
Scritch, scritch, scritch. The sound of the wooden comb scraping her scalp echoed in the bathroom.
At that moment, there was a knock.
“Just going down for a bit. Kus seems to be sensitive.”
Hearing the voice from beyond the door, Lenette replied a bit louder,
“Got it.”
Soon, she heard someone leaving outside. With that, the tension that had lingered in her body dissipated.
“No matter what, sharing a space while washing is something I can’t get used to.”
It had been quite some time since they had shared a room.
“Now that I’ve brushed my hair and Kazen has gone out, maybe I can take my time washing.”
Lenette lifted the gourd next to the tub and scooped up some of the steaming water.
Even just a slight touch with her fingertips was enough to feel the heat. Had they just added boiling water?
“Ugh… At this rate, my skin will get cooked.”
She knew that a place like this wouldn’t adjust the temperature carefully, but it was still a problem.
“What should I do?”
The water seemed like it needed to cool down a bit.
As she pondered for a moment, a sound came from beyond the door.
Tap.
Lenette, still holding the gourd, approached the door and asked,
“Kazen?”
For some reason, there was no response.
