I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 9

Lenette’s hands froze as she removed the excessive ornaments the old lady had attached for her.

“…Did I do something unnecessary?”

She was referring to what happened two days ago.

After Ophelia’s betrayal, she had sworn never to care for others again. But it’s not so easy to change one’s nature, is it?

She’d promised herself she’d look out only for her own survival without a second glance at others—yet that man on the upper floor kept weighing on her mind. It was all because of the blood-soaked lower abdomen she had seen.

That’s why, in a rush, she had gathered ingredients from the abandoned palace and made a wound ointment… though to be honest, she wasn’t sure if it would even work.

The Tazetra Empire had a climate different from her homeland. The plants were different, and even those with the same name often had slightly different appearances.

Luckily, when she had studied divine medicine, she had also learned about herbs native to the Tazetra mainland through books.

And thankfully, even though this was an abandoned palace, it was still a “palace,” so it had a fair amount of herbs, beeswax, and other materials. Using those, she had managed to create something like an ointment and an anti-inflammatory remedy.

Still, because it wasn’t made with familiar ingredients, she had remained uneasy.

On top of that—

“He really was unfazed.”

That man on the third floor.

Honestly, she’d expected him to grab her by the hem and beg for help the moment he saw her. If that had happened, she would’ve been in trouble herself, given how precarious her own situation was.

But even though she snuck up to him late at night… all she got was a look full of annoyance.

“Don’t tell me he thinks getting eaten by a black leopard is some kind of honor or blessing.”

Unlike the kingdom of Ecaron, this empire had yet to escape the shadow of the gods. So maybe he was just using spiritual excuses—

“No.”

Cutting off her train of thought, Lenette shook her head and erased that idea from her mind.

“That can’t be it.”

The slave traders had surely mocked him as a “beast,” right? This meant that his calmness was not due to the culture of this place, but rather his own uniqueness.

Just then, Lenette finished removing the jewelry. She closed the ornament box with its attached mirror and stood up.

“I’ve done all I could. No need to worry anymore.”

Yes. What she needed to focus on now wasn’t someone else who remained calm even with a beast’s jaws looming over him—but herself, who could die at any moment.

Today, she planned to explore the palace ruins entirely for her own sake.

Having finished getting ready, Lenette opened the door. As expected, the large flower-covered altar greeted her again.

“…No matter how many times I see it, I still can’t get used to it.”

It felt like a ritual altar set up to offer ‘her’ as a sacrifice.

Forcing down the unpleasant feeling, she made her way downstairs.

Descending the steps, she was soon met with a palm garden arranged alongside an artificial canal. Around the short palm trees were vibrant tropical flowers arranged in colorful clusters.

Lenette approached the water with her mouth slightly agape, pretending to be fascinated.

Then, as if for show, she murmured in Tazetrian, “It’s real water…”

She kept up the act of being curious about the palace, all the while observing her surroundings carefully.

Compared to the Clermont estate she once lived in, this palace didn’t seem to house that many people. But even so, there were armed guards at the entrances and others moving about inside. Just counting the guards, they numbered plenty—and if you included the servants doing chores, there were easily more than a dozen.

As she looked around at the mansion filled only with armed men, a thought occurred to her:

‘Whether I’m sold off as an old nobleman’s plaything or a beast’s meal, I’m not sure there’s much of a difference.’

Weren’t the noble estates said to be guarded by this many mercenaries too?

So, aside from the fact that she could be devoured at any moment, her current situation might actually be better—at least for now, she had nothing physical demanded of her.

‘Yeah. Let’s try to stay positive.’

“The flowers are really pretty.”

Even as her thoughts wandered, Lenette didn’t stop walking. She continued mumbling to herself while exploring.

“Is it safe to drink this water?”

‘One main gate and two small back exits.’

Guards rotated shifts day and night, so escaping through those was out of the question.

‘That means I’ll have to climb over the wall…’

“Where does this water even come from?”

With sparkling eyes, she followed the canal as if truly curious about how such an artificial waterway could exist in the desert.

‘Of course—it wraps around the whole wall.’

“Does it come from outside?”

The canal ran just beneath the outer wall, encircling the residence and garden like a fortress.

“Amazing.”

While murmuring aimlessly, Lenette secretly gauged the width of the canal.

It was wide enough for a human torso to pass through with room to spare—but still not so wide that it couldn’t be jumped across.

The real problem was the wall itself.

Unfortunately, unlike in the Kingdom of Ecaron, where mansions were surrounded by shrubs or brick, this estate’s wall was made of sandstone and stood at least two hand spans taller than she was. It was solid, with not a single crack.

Naturally, there was no “dog hole” or hidden passage to be found.

“Would it be okay to dip my feet in this?”

‘That wall… there’s nowhere to get a foothold.’

So climbing over it wasn’t an option either.

Clicking her tongue inwardly, Lenette eventually circled back to the central garden where she started.

“This place is… really big.”

‘Escape… won’t be easy.’

It wasn’t especially wide or complex, but that actually made getting caught more likely.

Especially considering the black panther stayed on the third floor. From there, this entire garden would be clearly visible.

“……”

Lenette tilted her head back and looked up at the third floor. The blazing sunlight stabbed at her eyes.

She squinted and raised a hand to block the sun, slowly regaining her vision until the view of the third floor of the abandoned palace came into focus. And then, a shape she couldn’t see before—hidden in the glare—entered her view.

“That man…”

It was the same third-floor man she’d given the ointment to two days ago. He was leaning on the balcony railing, quietly staring down at her.

“……”

Faced again with that indifferent expression, she let out a short, exasperated breath and lowered her hand.

A sudden thought surfaced.

‘Don’t tell me… he’s not the Black Panther’s prey?’

Otherwise, how could he be so relaxed, just casually watching the outside world?

‘…Forget it. Whoever he is, it’s none of my business.’

Lingering around outside too long could raise suspicion—better to return to her room now. She turned to head indoors.

But just then, she heard a sudden swish from above—followed by the heavy thud of something landing on the ground. Her body reacted instinctively. Lenette whirled around and took a defensive stance, heightening her alertness.

Then came a soft chuckle.

“Quick reflexes.”

It was the man from the third floor.

Lenette furrowed her brow and slowly lowered her hands. She glanced up at the third floor, then back down to the man now standing right in front of her.

“…Did you just jump down from up there?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“……”

Was that even humanly possible? Lenette looked up again, back to the third floor where he had just been.

There’s no way someone could jump from that height without injury. But it was also true that the man had appeared behind her without a sound.

Lenette frowned deeply for a moment, then swept her hair back and looked down.

“Ha… This place really…”

Everything here went beyond her imagination.

She thought Ophelia’s betrayal had been the biggest twist her life would ever see—but now, even that felt minor.

“Are you allowed to wander around like this?”

The man shrugged indifferently and looked away.

“There’s no rule against it.”

“……”

Lenette had noticed this before—he had a way of ending conversations. He always gave these vague, unhelpful replies that left her unsure how to respond. And they were always vaguely unpleasant, too.

“So you’re not prey after all.”

Normally, she wouldn’t mock someone so bluntly to their face. But again, just like two nights ago, her native tongue slipped out without thinking.

That’s when he let out a soft chuckle. It was the kind of laugh that made her think he’d understood what she said.

“…Could it be—”

Just as Lenette hesitated and began to ask, something was held out in front of her.

The man had extended his hand.

It was the ointment container she’d given him two days ago.

“You made this?”

Lenette stared at the container resting on his large palm, then asked back after a short pause.

“You’re curious?”

“Well, that’s why I jumped from the third floor, isn’t it?”

After hearing his answer, Lenette was convinced. This man had no manners, no sense of dignity. He was definitely a slave—one without the slightest pedigree.

And now that she was seeing him in broad daylight instead of at night, something else became clear.

His skin tone was lighter than that of typical citizens of the Tazetra Empire. He also lacked the empire’s distinctively intense features.

‘He’s not pure Tazetran.’

The sharply defined jawline and cool, indifferent eyes were more like those of mixed-race people living near the border between the Ecaron Kingdom and the Tazetra Empire.

‘Was he sold here because of that useful body of his?’

After all, he’d jumped from the third floor and still looked perfectly fine. No ordinary person could manage that.

Lenette’s gaze swept over his nearly bare torso and a face that likely made more than a few women cry.

‘…Well, the face isn’t bad, I guess.’

Just what was he? A common slave? Or perhaps the black panther’s attendant?

“My patience isn’t exactly endless,” the man said arrogantly.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Lenette scoffed.

“Your impatience is your own problem.”