I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 55

“What do I need to do? Just say the word.”

Lenette waited a heartbeat before answering.

“I heard that your wife Sabia’s family runs a very large merchant guild.”

She avoided mentioning Rahim’s maternal side, knowing he was practically estranged from his mother and her family.

“That’s true, but… do you mean you want to use Sabia’s family?”

“Yes.”

Rahim knitted one brow slightly. Lenette began to explain why she needed Sabia’s family.

“It would be much more natural for a rival guild to be digging for information than for us to suddenly start snooping into the Sarman Merchant Guild’s business. The quality of the information gathered will be much higher, too.”

Despite the logical explanation, he pulled back slightly. He was happy to help Kazen, but he didn’t care for the method. Lenette continued, pretending not to notice his hesitation.

“Kazen agreed with my suggestion to ask this of you, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.”

“Why?”

“He probably feels embarrassed showing a weak side to the younger brother he’s always taken care of. And also….”

Lenette furrowed her brows and gave a bittersweet smile.

“Even though we desperately need an ally… this is dangerous work, after all.”

She was implying that he couldn’t bring it up because he was worried Rahim might get hurt. Rahim, understanding the implication without her having to say it, squeezed his eyes shut.

“He doesn’t have to feel that way…. I… for my brother, I would gladly….”

His voice trailed off, making the end of his sentence inaudible, but she could easily guess what it was.

‘He means he’s willing to sacrifice himself.’

Lenette gave him plenty of time to process his thoughts. And when her soles began to ache from standing still, she spoke once more.

“That’s why… I’m telling you this in secret.”

“…….”

“Of course, if he finds out I asked for your help without his permission… he might be angry. But in the end, he’ll be happy. If you, his only ‘brother,’ become his strength.”

Rahim’s gaze lingered somewhere in the air.

Phrases like “only brother” and “becoming Kazen’s strength” were acting as potent triggers. However, the presence of Sabia seemed so repulsive to him that he almost wanted to ignore even those powerful motivators.

Lenette asked him point-blank.

“Is it… difficult for you to ask Sabia for this kind of help?”

“…….”

No answer. There was clearly something Lenette didn’t know. She didn’t rush him and waited patiently. Eventually, avoiding her eyes, he confessed the truth.

“I started this whole arrangement by offering her a place by my brother’s side….”

Which meant….

“If she finds out she can’t be my brother’s wife… Sabia will be deeply disappointed. Perhaps… she might even leave.”

Dammit. What kind of ridiculous nonsense was this?

“Wait a second…. What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you see….”

And so began the story of how the two of them met.

Four years ago, they had met for the first time at a royal banquet. Rahim, who had no friends other than Kazen, and Sabia, who had no friends at all, became close very quickly. Then one day, Sabia’s father—the head of the Kasabi Merchant Guild—tried to marry her off to an old nobleman.

So Sabia had asked Rahim for help, and Rahim—who had been pondering how to be of service to his brother at the time—came up with a plan for Sabia to become his own “candidate bride” first, with the ultimate goal of becoming Kazen’s wife later.

“A candidate bride? What exactly is that?”

“The prospective brides sent to my brother—they were all a sort of ‘candidate bride.’ It’s a verification period they undergo before the actual wedding ceremony.”

“Is that a common custom?”

“No. It applies only to the Tazetras.”

“Ah…….”

Was it because they carried the Tazetra name, even if they were from a collateral branch, that such a system existed?

“And what exactly are you verifying?”

“Everything from their health and personality to their social circles—and, most importantly, their charm.”

“Their charm?”

“Even if they pass everything else, it’s useless if they don’t ultimately capture a Tazetra’s heart.”

Lenette nodded to signal she understood, and the story about Sabia continued.

“Anyway, back then, I suggested to Sabia that she become my brother’s wife, not mine. Sabia heard the plan and accepted.”

“And by ‘this plan,’ you mean pretending to be your prospective bride while waiting for a chance to enter Kazen’s bedroom?”

“Yes.”

Lenette’s gaze drifted toward the ceiling.

‘Sabia Kasabi.’

Does she actually want Kazen?

‘Thinking back to how proactively she was flirting with him at the banquet, it does seem like Kazen is her target.’

But there were inconsistencies.

‘It’s bizarre that she stayed in Rahim’s palace all this time if she was only looking at Kazen.’

Kazen hadn’t even met with Rahim for an entire year. If Sabia’s goal was truly “Kazen,” that one-year gap should have made her incredibly anxious.

‘This visit wasn’t even scheduled. If her target was really Kazen, she could have left Rahim’s side a long time ago.’

She probably would have just sought Kazen out on her own if that were the case.

“If Sabia’s goal was Kazen all along, why didn’t you two just make a deal for her to take one of the bride spots from the start?”

“Because Brother already had a bride at the time.”

“Surely there were gaps between them.”

“Even so, the Khal has been steadily sending brides to Brother. I couldn’t just cut in.”

“Ah.”

The Khal had sent a total of nine brides to Kazen. This was a public warning that the Khal intended to handpick Kazen’s wife himself.

‘Unless Kazen happened to “accidentally” fall for one of Rahim’s candidate brides, Rahim couldn’t openly shove another candidate in his face.’

“Were the brides the Khal sent really that bad?”

At that, Rahim curled his lip.

“He sent nothing but slaves to my brother.”

Inadvertently, Lenette began to get a clearer picture of Kazen’s standing and the general atmosphere within the Tazetra Empire.

“So the bottom line is, you don’t know how Sabia will react if she has to give up on becoming Kazen’s wife.”

“Exactly. If the wedding with my brother doesn’t happen, Sabia will have to return to her family home.”

Lenette furrowed her brows, tilting her head.

“Then she can just marry you, Rahim.”

“……What? Me?”

“If Sabia’s goal isn’t specifically Kazen but ‘independence’ itself, then wouldn’t it be fine whether her partner is Kazen or you?”

“…….”

Rahim fell silent, appearing deeply flustered. It was an alternative that seemed obvious with just a moment’s thought; she wondered why he looked so genuinely shocked.

“We’re… friends. There are no feelings like that.”

“And?”

“Pretending to be a married couple when we’re just friends…. That makes no sense.”

He looked beyond flustered; he looked utterly confounded.

‘He really does see Sabia as nothing more than a friend.’

After a moment of deep thought, Lenette asked him,

“What if Sabia says she’s fine with being your wife, Rahim?”

“…….”

An answer didn’t come readily. It didn’t seem like he hated the idea; rather, the very act of imagining it felt foreign and awkward.

“Think about it carefully. Transitioning from friends to a married couple might be awkward, but either way, it allows you to help your brother.”

“…….”

“Only you can decide which outcome is more beneficial.”

Rahim lowered his head, cradling his forehead in his hands, and agonized for a long time. Just as Lenette was beginning to feel the weight of the silence, he straightened his posture.

“Coming to me as a bride… is at least a better choice than going to some old nobleman.”

At his words, Lenette’s eyes sparkled. He had spoken of Sabia’s position before his own.

‘He’s actually quite considerate of Sabia, isn’t he?’

She had written him off as merely a lunatic, but she felt relieved to find he was someone who actually valued his friendships.

“Then, is it alright if I speak with Sabia tomorrow?”

“You… and not me, Sister-in-law?”

Somewhere along the way, his form of address had reverted to “Sister-in-law.” It wasn’t a conscious change, but a natural reflection of his shifting state of mind.

“If Sabia truly has her heart set on Kazen, wouldn’t it be better for me—the one who is to be his actual wife—to talk to her?”

“Ah… I suppose so.”

Finally, Rahim gave a reluctant nod.

“All right.”

—

The moment she stepped outside, it didn’t take long for Kazen to attach himself to her side.

“I almost started wondering myself.”

“About what?”

“Whether I had actually fallen into such a pathetic, soul-consuming love.”

He was referring to the shameless lies she had spouted earlier—about how Lenette held such a special, singular meaning to him.

“I had no choice. To make sure your brother didn’t lay a finger on me, I had to frame it that way.”

Kazen narrowed his eyes and looked down at her.

“Is that really all it was?”

“What else would it be?”

“No personal desires mixed in there at all?”

Lenette snorted loudly, as if she were listening to the most absurd thing in the world.

“What are you even talking about?”

“Because the bride who holds such a ‘special meaning’ to me is such a talented liar. I thought perhaps she might even be deceiving her own feelings.”

Finally, Lenette couldn’t take it anymore and whipped around to face him.

“You’re the one who told me not to love you. I’m not going to break that warning, so don’t you worry.”

Silence was his only response.

A strange light flickered across his eyes, but because the night was so dark, his exact expression remained unreadable.

Pouting her cheeks like a toad full of venom, Lenette huffed and turned away, leaving him behind.

Standing alone after she had departed, Kazen muttered under his breath.

“Her memory is unnecessarily good.”