I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 48

“Alright, stop staring at me like a flounder.”

“What’s with the flounder? Why do you keep bringing it up?”

As she grumbled loud enough for him to hear, he turned to her and asked,

“Don’t you know what a flounder is?”

“What is it?”

“A fish.”

“I’ve never seen one or eaten one.”

“You’ve never been to the sea?”

What a strange question.

“Isn’t it more likely that there are more people who haven’t been to the sea than those who have?”

“That’s true.”

He answered with a trailing tone and looked at Lenette with a peculiar expression.

“I thought you would have been at least once.”

“I haven’t.”

Her life was a constant struggle.

From the moment she was born, war was her everyday reality, and when there were no conflicts with the outside world, she had to fight endlessly against enemies within Ecaron.

Did she have the luxury to enjoy things like the sea or mountains?

“I just never had the opportunity to go.”

At her words, Kazen crossed his arms and tilted his head. After pondering something while looking at her face, he finally said casually,

“Once the wedding is over, I’ll take you.”

“Where? To the sea?”

“Yeah.”

Um… why?

A question was about to pop out unexpectedly.

However, before she could ask, Kazen spoke first.

“You should see the sea at least once before you die.”

His voice was calm, but it carried sincerity.

“It would be a shame to die without seeing such a place.”

“…….”

Why was that?

It was nothing special, yet hearing those simple words made her fingers and body tingle.

Lenette turned abruptly as if trying to erase the strange sensation rising within her.

She began to shake out and tidy up the innocent blanket.

“Why the sudden blanket tidying?”

“…It seemed dusty. My skin is sensitive.”

As Lenette started organizing the blanket, Kazen approached and stared at her intently.

“How about it? If you take the right path from the capital, you’ll pass by the sea.”

Lenette’s movements became increasingly stiff. Seeing this, Kazen asked subtly,

“Do you dislike it?”

“Well… it’s not that I dislike it.”

After she answered somewhat sulkily without reason, he glanced at her and chuckled softly as he headed toward the door.

“I’ll bring Kus, so don’t go out and wait inside.”

Once he left, Lenette pouted her lips for no particular reason.

“What’s this? You don’t answer my questions but act all nice for no reason.”

Though she said that, her ears and cheeks were already flushed a peachy hue.

* * *

“Brother! Welcome!”

As they entered the dining hall where the meal was prepared, the people seated across from Rahim in the center all stood up at once.

“Come this way, brother!”

Rahim, who was sitting in the prominent seat on the shallow platform in the center, jumped up playfully.

Watching him, Lenette thought,

‘No matter how you look at it, he’s like a dog welcoming its owner….’

But she couldn’t bring herself to say “like a dog” to a person, so she quietly followed Kazen.

“Brother! Since you’re the senior here, please sit here! And I’ll sit next to you. Now, sister-in-law, please sit here.”

As the two approached Rahim, he introduced the woman who was tense beside him.

“You saw her last time, right? This is Sabia Kasabi.”

‘Sabia Kasabi?’

Since she was next to Rahim, Lenette thought she must be his wife, but was that not the case?

‘In the Tazetra Empire, wives take their husband’s surname.’

But the woman with big eyes had the surname “Kasabi.”

“Who is she?”

As they walked, Lenette whispered to Kazen, who replied in a low voice,

“For now… she’s Rahim’s wife.”

“Wife? But her surname…”

“They haven’t had the official wedding yet, like us.”

“Ah….”

Just then, they arrived at the prominent seat where Rahim was. However, a strange scene unfolded.

Rahim guided Lenette not to Kazen’s side, but to the seat next to him.

In other words, it was Sabia, Kazen, Rahim, and Lenette sitting in that order.

‘Is this how the Tazetra culture works?’

That thought crossed her mind for a moment, but seeing Kazen’s furrowed brows, she realized it wasn’t the case.

“Now! Please take your seats! Just in time, I have someone to introduce. Baril! Bring him in!”

Rahim, perhaps worried that Kazen might say something, started the banquet on his own.

Kazen glanced at his younger brother with a wry smile and gestured to Lenette, as if to say to hold on for a moment.

Lenette nodded slightly and took a seat on the cushions laid on the floor.

As they settled in, food was immediately served.

On the small tables in front of each person were various spiced roasted meats, matching drinks, and a variety of dishes to enjoy when the meat became too much.

“I’ve been counting the days until you could visit my home for a year now. Do you know how much preparation went into that long wait?”

“How would I know?”

In contrast to Rahim’s lengthy speech, Kazen’s response was short and unenthusiastic.

Yet, Rahim seemed delighted for some reason.

“This is just the beginning, so don’t worry. Let’s eat and drink until we burst today, brother!”

Saying this, Rahim called to his wife.

“Come on, you should pour a drink for my brother!”

“Okay.”

The woman named Sabia smiled softly as she tilted the bottle towards Kazen.

Kazen, who didn’t lift his glass, let out an obvious sigh, showing his annoyance at the whole situation.

Reluctantly, he raised his glass to receive the drink.

“Now, I’ll pour for our sister-in-law.”

As he said this, he leaned slightly toward Lenette while pretending to pour the drink.

There was something somewhat inappropriate about the distance between them.

“Thank you.”

Lenette smiled and accepted the drink, naturally creating some space between them.

“Now, let’s all raise a glass to celebrate Kazen’s marriage!”

Thus, the lively banquet began.

At first, the atmosphere was stiff and formal, with everyone taking turns greeting Kazen.

However, once all the greetings were finished and the dancers started their performance, the mood heated up.

‘As expected, even if they are from a branch family, they are still Tazetrans.’

Lenette scanned the guests inside the banquet hall, laughing and chatting as they watched the dancers perform in the center.

‘They don’t seem like easy people at all.’

From merchants crossing the empire to wealthy landowners with vast fields, the captain of the guards managing the soldiers she saw at the gate earlier, and even the local governor managing this area.

Considering that Ashuran serves as the heart of the northwestern region, neither the governor nor the captain of the guards would be someone to take lightly.

Yet, here they were, bowing their heads to Kazen and Rahim, swaying their bodies gently.

‘Is Kazen a more powerful figure than I thought? That could be problematic.’

As she was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly heard a sweet voice near her ear.

“Leneta.”

Startled, as she had been relaxing in the banquet atmosphere, she pulled her upper body back.

It was Rahim.

“Why are you so surprised?”

He rounded his eyes and supported Lenette’s waist, which was leaning back.

“You might fall over.”

“……”

She had felt uncomfortable for a while, and there was a reason for that discomfort.

Lenette pushed him away, who had touched her without permission, and stood up.

As soon as she stood, she looked at Kazen, who was holding the arms of that woman named Sabia or something similar.

Suddenly, irritation surged within her.

‘…Both this guy and that guy are quite the sight.’

“Leneta, where are you going?”

As Rahim stood up as well, Kazen finally looked up at Lenette.

Kazen immediately pushed away Sabia, but for some reason, that action annoyed her even more.

Lenette snorted in disbelief and turned sharply to leave the banquet hall. Just then, Kazen jumped up and grabbed her wrist.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about me; just continue what you were doing.”

“……It’s not what you think—”

“Don’t worry. I’m not thinking about Kazen at all.”

“……”

With a sharp voice, she shot back, turning her body away before he could respond.

“Come with me.”

Normally, Lenette would have understood and not resisted.

But for some reason, she wanted to show all her pent-up frustration and how upset she truly felt.

“Even if I’m still a slave, I should at least have the freedom to go to ‘that place’ alone, right?”

That place referred to the restroom.

Kazen understood this as well and slowly released her wrist.

“…Then I’ll go with you to the entrance.”

“I don’t want that.”

“Lene.”

As the conversation dragged on, Rahim stood up abruptly.

“Brother, everyone has put down their drinks. Let’s not do that; let’s let my sister-in-law go and sit down.”

“……”

Kazen glared at Rahim with a face that looked like he wanted to hit him. It was as if Rahim was the root cause of all this chaos.

In response, Rahim exaggeratedly widened his eyes and raised his hands.

“I didn’t do anything. And I’m going to stay right here.”

“……”

“I really mean it! I’ll stay still until my sister-in-law returns.”

For some reason, Rahim repeatedly swore that he would remain quiet.

Then, Kazen sighed wearily and spoke to Lenette.

“Fine. But you have to come back right away.”

Normally, she would have said okay and turned around.

However, she was quite upset at the moment. She didn’t know exactly why she felt this way, but she was definitely displeased and angry.

So, she let out a scoff and turned sharply to leave the banquet hall.