I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 53

‘I’m going crazy.’

As if reading his thoughts, Kuz tossed and turned, shifting around to find a comfortable position.

Myaa.

Lene and Kazen adjusted their arms to accommodate Kuz. In the process, the tips of their fingers lightly brushed against each other.

Startled!

As the two humans lying on either side of him flinched simultaneously, Kuz flinched along with them.

Myaa?

Perhaps because his posture had been disturbed, Kuz began to settle back in again.

Kuz let out a long cry as if telling Kazen to move his arm. Out of habit, Kazen lifted his arm and extended it toward the side of the pillow. Usually, Kuz would use his arm as a pillow and fall asleep.

So, he extended his arm as usual… but what he touched wasn’t Kuz but a thin, long neck.

“……!”

“……!”

Lene’s moist skin brushed against his wrist for a moment before instantly pulling away.

“…Sorry. I have a habit of letting Kuz use my arm as a pillow, so I reached out without thinking.”

“I—it’s okay. I understand….”

Silence descended between the two of them.

Kuz, the cause of this situation, let out a long yawn and settled in, completely indifferent.

Kazen lowered his extended hand and placed it quietly by his side.

“…….”

It was strange.

The forearm that had touched her neck felt itchy. As if trying to cool down his skin, which was inexplicably growing hot, Kazen placed his wrist over his eyes. Soon, that heated sensation traveled from his eyes and spread across his face.

‘……Damn it.’

He lowered his hand again, returning it to its original place.

But then, that burning sensation—

Myaa!

As if annoyed by the restless atmosphere, Kuz suddenly bit Kazen’s hand with a sharp chomp!

“…….”

Snapping back to his senses, Kazen let out a forced cough and turned onto his side, facing away.

‘I’ve lost it.’

Lying with his back to Kuz and Lenette, he exhaled a long, silent breath and thought to himself:

‘Thank goodness it’s dark.’

If it weren’t, he wouldn’t have been able to hide his flushed face and body.

—

“Mad” and “stupid” are not synonyms.

However, excessive madness often paralyzes one’s reason, eventually making the two terms interchangeable.

Exactly like Rahim.

“I had my doubts, but still….”

Just as Lenette had planned, as soon as Kazen left her unattended, Rahim’s warriors kidnapped her.

Left alone in a room with her hands and feet bound, Lenette looked around with a faint smirk.

‘I made this plan knowing it would happen, but….’

Deep down, she had still wondered if Rahim would actually try it again.

‘And this magnificent bastard really did attempt a kidnapping right away.’

The incident had only happened yesterday. In a sense, it was truly impressive.

Muttering to herself, Lenette stood up and approached the window.

The handle was locked so she couldn’t throw it wide open, but when she nudged it with her shoulder, a small gap appeared.

‘This should be enough.’

Kazen, waiting outside, would be able to overhear her conversation with Rahim perfectly.

After walking around the room and treating the other windows in a similar manner, Lenette went back and sat on the bed.

Before long, the door opened quietly, and someone walked in. Silver-toned white hair contrasting against bronze skin. It was Rahim.

As Lenette stiffened her expression, pretending to raise her guard, Rahim approached her, his characteristically soft eyes curving even more.

“Don’t be so tense, Sister-in-law.”

“……What is the meaning of this?”

“It isn’t a situation worth worrying about.”

“Then what is it?”

Lenette sharpened her gaze and glared at him.

“Unbind me at once.”

Rahim knitted his brows in an exaggerated frown.

“What to do about this? I can’t do that until the job is finished.”

He likely planned to put Sabia into Kazen’s room the moment Kazen returned from his outing.

‘No. Perhaps Sabia is already in Kazen’s room right now.’

“Ah, don’t glare at me like that. My hands are tied as well.”

He let out a light sigh and came to sit beside Lenette.

“My brother is destined for greatness. I can’t let a slave stay by the side of a man like him.”

“Don’t you think you’re overstepping your bounds?”

“Not at all.”

Right. If he were the type to think that, he wouldn’t have done this in the first place.

“The choice belongs to Kazen.”

“When that choice is wrong, it is a younger brother’s duty and moral obligation to rectify it.”

As expected, reasoning with him was impossible.

“Oh, and Brother isn’t in the palace right now. So it would be best not to get your hopes up, Sister-in-law.”

Lenette was well aware of Kazen’s whereabouts. After all, it was Lenette herself who had used Kuz as an excuse to send Kazen out into the night in the first place.

‘Though he’s surely waiting near the room by now.’

Kazen would have already snuck back and been listening to this conversation from his hiding spot. However, Rahim—oblivious to this—was satisfied with the fact that everything was proceeding according to his plan.

“Sister-in-law. Ah, wait, no. It’s not like you’re actually going to become my brother’s wife.”

Finally revealing his true colors, he wiped away his bright smile and lowered his voice.

“Don’t interfere with my work. If it’s for my brother’s sake, I can even kill people.”

Lenette scoffed openly, as if his thoughts were laughable.

At that, Rahim narrowed one eye and looked down at her.

“Why are you laughing? This isn’t a laughing matter.”

“Are you doing this even though you know it’s not a laughing matter?”

“What exactly have you been hearing from me this whole time?”

This time, she lowered her head and laughed out loud. An air of displeasure began to swirl over Rahim’s face.

“Seriously, why are you laughing? Do you not understand the situation?”

Allowing the laughter to keep leaking out, Lenette fixed her eyes on Rahim.

“It’s funny. How could it not be funny?”

“What is so funny?”

Unlike Lenette, Rahim’s face was now completely void of any mirth. In a voice that had sunk to a chilling tone, he asked again.

“I asked, what is so funny?”

“The fact that you’re acting out for your brother’s sake when you don’t even know Kazen at all. That’s what’s funny.”

Just as Rahim had done, Lenette switched her tone completely and dropped the honorifics. At her shift, his eyes flashed dangerously.

“So this is your true self?”

Lenette ignored his question and continued with what she wanted to say.

“Building your brother’s power, is it?”

She tilted her head to the side and stared at him.

“Then you should be seating a noblewoman by his side, not a merchant’s daughter.”

“…….”

Rahim momentarily lost his words, as if she had struck a nerve.

“But why are you trying to place a merchant’s daughter next to Kazen instead of a noble?”

Lenette knew the reason.

“Because with your abilities, a merchant’s daughter is the best you can manage.”

“……What does a mere slave know to be spouting such nonsense?”

The mask Rahim had worn so leisurely finally shattered.

“A mere slave, you say.”

Lenette muttered the words, then suddenly straightened her head and asked Rahim:

“Do I really look like a ‘mere slave’ to you? Do you really think that’s all I mean to Kazen?”

Kazen was listening outside.

It was embarrassing to spout such absurd lies while he was right there, but Kazen would surely understand that this was a necessary part of the operation.

“Out of all eight previous brides, did Kazen ever once mention the word ‘wedding’?”

“…….”

He hadn’t. He certainly wouldn’t have.

According to the answers she had subtly fished for yesterday, the answer was no.

“And yet, I’m getting married before even two months have passed.”

Rahim, who had been scowling, let his mouth hang open slightly.

Apparently, he needed every single one of these major differences pointed out to him before he could understand.

“He didn’t share a bed with the previous brides, either. Even when he knew assassins were coming, Kazen only ordered his warriors to guard them well.”

“Assassins?”

At his bewildered reaction, Lenette widened her eyes with exaggerated surprise and asked back,

“You didn’t know? That assassins keep coming for Kazen’s brides?”

“……What?”

He genuinely seemed to have no idea. Shock flickered across his face.

“Assassins? What do you mean?”

“You really didn’t know. That assassins steadily hunted the eight brides who came before me.”

“…….”

“Then I suppose you wouldn’t know that’s exactly why we came to your palace, either.”

She didn’t offer a detailed explanation, but Rahim seemed to grasp the gist of the situation.

“Why would such a thing happen without me being told….”

At his mumble, Lenette murmured back as if talking to herself,

“Maybe because while he treasures you, you aren’t exactly a reliable younger brother?”

“……!”

“Look at you. So many brides have been swapped out, and you still have no clue.”

Rahim stared silently at Lenette, who had just struck exactly where it hurt.

“It seems you really haven’t heard anything directly from Kazen himself. Well, I’d probably do the same if I were him.”

“……What is that supposed to mean?”

“Do you know men even less than I do, and I’m a woman?”

Lenette shook her head in pity.

“He finds it annoying because you keep pushing women he doesn’t want into his bedroom.”

Rahim’s eyes bulged for a moment.

“Annoying…? I am…?”

“Yes. Why would he risk contacting you just to be misunderstood by the woman he actually cares for?”

“Are you claiming that ‘woman he cares for’ is you?”

Instead of answering, Lenette simply stared intently at Rahim.

It was a confirmation.

At that, Rahim, who had been colored with shock, began to deny it.

“…Brother is not a man of obsession or possessiveness. He doesn’t have much interest in women, either. He’s the type of person who wouldn’t place much significance on whichever woman is by his side.”

“Right. He was like that—until he met me.”

“Until he… met you?”

“Yes. Until he met me.”

Lenette blinked and tilted her head slightly.

“Has Kazen ever been as furious as he was yesterday?”

“What…?”

“Forget about hitting you—has the brother who only ever protected you ever used direct violence against you before yesterday?”