I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 60

Hierarchy exists everywhere. Forming groups, distinguishing the strong from the weak within them, and flaunting power through that process might simply be an irresistible human instinct. That primal instinct was currently playing out right here in Carta Palace.

“Oh, you’re here?”

As Lenette and Kazen entered the dining hall, the person sitting in the seat of honor raised a hand and waved dismissively.

‘Is that man Damer?’

Unlike the Kingdom of Ecaron, the Empire had a highly developed floor-seating culture. Consequently, whether it was a simple meal or a formal banquet, people sat on cushions on the floor. Because of this, they often placed several cushions behind their backs to sit comfortably—or, like the man waving his hand over there, they would attend a meal in a slouching posture that was practically reclining.

Lenette naturally shifted her gaze, observing the interior of the dining hall.

‘What a complete spectacle.’

Even though the banquet was allegedly held to welcome Kazen, the meal was already well underway. It hadn’t just started five or ten minutes early; by the looks of it, nearly thirty or forty minutes had passed since it began.

‘How is this a welcome party in any sense of the word?’

“You’re here? You were late, so we started without you.”

Late, my foot. They had arrived exactly at the announced time.

“Sit there.”

The man assumed to be Damer jerked his chin toward a spot right by the entrance.

‘Didn’t he say this was Kazen’s welcome party?’

What kind of logic dictated placing the guest of honor in the furthest corner by the door?

‘This is so petty I can’t even look at it.’

Even the servants attending the meal would know that this seating arrangement was intentional. Lenette quietly looked up at the man standing beside her.

“…….”

As expected, Kazen’s expression was frozen like stone. However, he didn’t make any particular protest; he simply scanned the room in silence.

‘Is it because his maternal family’s influence is weak?’

Dawes suddenly flickered into her mind.

‘That idiot was always quiet in front of Acel, too.’

Lenette shook her head vigorously to clear the thought of her ex-fiancé.

‘Why am I thinking about that man? It’s ruining my mood.’

She gently took hold of Kazen’s hand as he stood there as still as a totem pole.

“Let’s sit. I’m hungry.”

Kazen looked at her, let out a sigh, and said, “Let’s just go out and eat something else.”

Lenette shook her head and whispered, “It’s fine.”

“I don’t want to make you eat cold food.”

“I’m not very good at eating hot food anyway, remember? This is actually better. It’s cooled down just enough to eat.”

Kazen stared down at his bride-to-be as she tugged at his hand. His eyes were clouded with a mix of apology and embarrassment. Lenette gave him an even brighter smile.

“I’m hungry. Come on, let’s sit.”

“…Alright.”

They were just about to take their seats right by the entrance when it happened.

“Oh. Since you’re already standing, could you bring us some water?”

The woman sitting next to Damer curved her eyes into a soft smile and held out a jade water bottle.

“We just happened to run out.”

The moment she extended the bottle toward Kazen, the dining hall fell deathly silent. Every gaze in the room shifted from the bottle to Kazen.

“I was going to ask the maids, but as you can see, everyone is so busy.”

Lenette stifled a hollow laugh.

‘Busy, my foot.’

While they weren’t exactly idle, they certainly weren’t too busy to fetch water.

‘This isn’t even a children’s playground scuffle. Why is the maturity level so low?’

There was a time when Lenette had engaged in such power struggles herself. However, those were the petty contests of her early teens. As an adult, she avoided this kind of harassment. Why? Because it looked pathetic.

But for the person on the receiving end, it wouldn’t feel so trivial.

Lenette looked at Kazen with a pang of pity and let out a discreet sigh. Then, naturally curling the corners of her mouth upward, she stepped forward.

“Understood. I’ll go fetch it.”

Damer’s wife, Jaran, had clearly issued an ‘order’ to Kazen. Yet, Lenette feigned ignorance and stepped in to intercept the water bottle.

“I just need to fill it to the brim, right?”

Taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, Jaran let out a scoffing laugh.

“What?”

Where do you get off speaking so casually to me?

The retort almost clawed its way up Lenette’s throat, but she suppressed it, forcing her smile even wider.

“If there is a culture here of fetching water simply because one is already standing, then I must go.”

Though her words held a sharp edge, Lenette’s voice was as innocent and pure as could be. Before Damer or Jaran could utter a word, she turned to Kazen.

“Kazen, why don’t you take your seat first?”

“……Lene.”

He moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue, looking as if he wanted to say something. Seeing him like that caused a sharp, stinging sensation near her heart.

‘To think this man, who never loses a verbal spat anywhere else, is like this here…’

Why can’t he say a single word for himself right now?

‘How pitiful.’

True, it was a universal truth that a mother’s standing dictated the standing of her child. There was likely no way around it.

‘What a massive weakness it must be to have a mother with no backing.’

Furthermore, Kazen’s mother wasn’t just a commoner; she was a slave. There were probably countless pranks far more cruel than this.

Before Kazen could say anything, Lenette gave him a sincere smile and turned away.

“I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No. Stay seated.”

When Kazen tried to catch her, she whispered to him.

“You handle that drunkard sitting next to our spot instead.”

“…….”

“I’m saying you need to defend our territory. Got it?”

At those words—serious yet laced with a hint of mischief—Kazen looked dazed for a moment before letting out a dry chuckle.

Watching the two of them, Damer and his wife furrowed their brows. They had intended to issue an order to firmly establish the hierarchy over the half-baked eldest son, but it hadn’t gone as planned. To make matters worse, seeing them giggling together made them feel strangely like they had lost.

Damer was about to speak up, but Lenette had already slipped out of the room. Kazen sat down in his spot before anyone could stop him.

“Ha?”

Sounds of bewildered laughter escaped not just from Damer and his wife, but from most of the people in the dining hall.

—

After leaving the dining hall with the water bottle, Lenette didn’t hand it off to someone else; she carried it herself.

“Where can I get some water?”

“Ah… this way.”

She was guided toward the western wing of the Carta Palace.

‘The structure isn’t that complicated.’

Because of the wide-open terrace, this room offered a clear view of the Karan Palace—the restricted area for men.

“I’d like to fill this with water.”

The maids moving busily inside paused for a moment before scurrying over to take the water bottle. Since the banquet was in full swing, the air was thick with the savory scent of oil and spiced meat.

Lenette moved toward the terrace as if escaping the heavy aroma. Was it because of the high population density within the palace walls?

‘It feels a bit less cold than the abandoned palace.’

As she gripped the railing and leaned forward slightly, the dry, cool breeze that could only be felt in a desert night brushed past her.

‘It’s so vast that it can’t even be compared to the Ecaron Palace.’

Just then, a stronger gust of wind blew. The calm surface of the water rippled, fragmenting the moonlight and scattering it in every direction.

“It’s also much more beautiful.”

A palace floating on a lake. This was a style of architecture they would never even attempt back in Ecaron.

“It really is inefficient, though.”

Regardless, she couldn’t deny the surreal feeling of having stepped into a scene from a fairy tale. Lenette watched the lake as it grew noisy with the wind before settling into a hush again.

Suddenly, something caught her eye.

“What is that?”

Between the Karan Palace and the Carta Palace, there was another space that looked like a small island. It was difficult to see clearly because it was night, so she narrowed her eyes and leaned further over the railing.

That was when she realized that the small island was a sort of “field.”

“I’m sure that’s a field, but….”

A field, out of nowhere, right in the middle of the palace grounds?

Bridges connected this mysterious field to the back gardens of both the Main Palace and the Karan Palace.

“The bridge leading to the Karan Palace is larger.”

Did that mean the location belonged to the Karan Palace? Her curiosity was piqued.

However, just then, a maid returned with the water bottle filled to the brim, bringing her observations to a close. Lenette considered asking about the identity of that place but ultimately just took the bottle and turned away.

‘I’ll come out and check it tomorrow at dawn.’

“Thank you.”

“From now on, you may simply call for us.”

“I’ll do that.”

Offering a polite, formal smile, Lenette headed back to the dining hall. The bottle was quite heavy, but she carried it herself rather than handing it off to Nazan or the guards.

“Here you go.”

Back in the dining hall, Lenette gave a bright smile as she handed the water bottle to Damer’s wife, Jaran. However, because the bottle was so full, it was quite heavy, and water inadvertently slopped over, lightly splashing the hem of Jaran’s skirt.

“Ha?”

Jaran let out a short, sharp laugh, her lips twisting. Her face had been contorted with irritation ever since Lenette first entered the room, and now that Lenette had made a mistake, she looked desperate to find any excuse to snap.

Seeing Jaran like that, Lenette mentally shook her head.

‘She wears her heart so plainly on her sleeve.’

By the look of things, Damer was likely the child of the most powerful woman among the current Karans. That was surely why he was sitting in the seat of honor, acting so high and mighty.

‘But what does it matter?’

Even if the mother is powerful, the child is a mess.

Lenette watched Jaran, who was clearly gearing up for a fight, and let out a smirk as she tilted the corners of her mouth upward.

‘And his wife is even more of a spectacle.’

In any case, did Lenette’s smirk act as the fuse? Jaran finally opened her mouth.

“I suppose experience doesn’t go anywhere. You were back quite fast.”

Lenette blinked and looked at her. Jaran added an explanation as if in passing.

“I just thought that since you’re a slave, you must be used to this kind of serving.”

Believing she had landed a solid blow, a triumphant smile spread across Jaran’s face.

‘How cute.’

She wasn’t being sarcastic; she genuinely meant it.

‘To feel so proud over such a measly comment.’

However, she had no intention of letting it slide just because it was “cute.” More importantly, this wasn’t just her own problem. Kazen’s standing was tied to this as well.

So, Lenette asked:

“I’m still not quite familiar with the Tazetra language. Does the word ‘slave’ mean ‘a gift sent by the Great Khal’?”