I Became a Barbarian's Bride - Chapter 38
“Uooooh!!”
“Kagan has returned!!”
“He has brought Katun with him. Everyone, Tun has finally arrived!!”
“Oh my, how fair and beautiful she is She will be the Moon of Xieman”
Amidst the resounding cheers from all directions, Nisha tried hard not to gape in astonishment, focusing instead on keeping her composure.
Riding on the horse, she waved her hand as Kagan instructed, but she couldn’t understand the reason for the fervent cheers.
‘……A hostage, right? I’m……’
Surely she was a hostage.
The arm around her waist reassuring her not to worry and the hand waving in the air naturally……
‘……Who’s holding the reins?’
Grabbing the unattended reins with a quick motion, Nisha waved with her other hand while her mind raced.
‘What am I even doing……?’
With his arm wrapped around her waist, Kagan lowered his head, bringing his lips close to her ear.
“Don’t look so tense. It’s because there’s a rumor that I was bringing my wife home.”
“A rumor……?”
“Yes I told you before, Princess. The weddings in Xieman is like a grand festival.”
“Oh.”
Nisha’s eyes widened as if she had just realized something from Kagan’s low explanation.
“They already seem so close…”
“Just like the previous Kagan and Katun, they’ll surely be a loving couple.”
“Xieman will be peaceful this generation too.”
“She was chosen by the oracle, after all. She must possess incredible powers.”
Again.
Talks about the oracle echoed once more. Nisha, suppressing her curiosity, gently waved her hand.
As they approached the palace, the crowd dwindled, and she was finally able to lower her hand.
After holding it up for barely ten minutes, her arm ached as if she would get muscle pain, and she let out a long sigh.
“What is all this about…?”
“In Xieman, there is a prophet who possesses the power of prophecy.”
“A prophet…?”
She had heard rumors about such powers among abilities, but it was the first time she heard about an actual person.
“She predicts the weather, foretells the course of wars, speaks of good and bad harvests, and informs the timing for harvesting Xieman’s specialties, among other things.”
“Did she help with this war too…?”
“She did provide quite a bit of assistance.”
Kagan suddenly paused, his voice tinged with laughter.
“Oh dear, did I touch on a sensitive subject? Your dear father met such a fate, after all.”
“…Ah, yes. It’s not a good story. The environment has become more impoverished.”
Nisha rolled her eyes and gave an appropriate response.
The impoverished environment referred to the people’s conditions, but she left her words vague.
In response, Kagan offered a brief apology and, as if to change the subject, continued speaking in a different tone.
“Anyway, the prophet of Xieman occasionally delivers oracles.”
“Oracles…”
“The first oracle in over a hundred years was about you, Princess. It foretold that you would become my wife.”
Nisha’s eyes widened. She suddenly understood why he had said it was good that he started the war.
“Could it be that this war was because of me…”
“Oh, no.”
Kagan quickly interrupted Nisha’s words.
“You might not know, but Roshan kept provoking us.”
Nisha almost nodded at Kagan’s words but held back.
She knew.
She knew that Roshan had committed horrible acts against Xieman.
She knew that despite knowing about the underground slave trade, Roshan had remained silent. Many of those involved were people from so-called minority groups. Thanks to their victory in the recent war, most of them had been freed.
“For that reason, there had already been ongoing discussions about war internally. We were just waiting for the right time, guided by the prophet’s counsel.”
“…”
“Preparations to light the fuse were already in place, and we simply decided to ignite it immediately upon hearing the oracle. I’m sorry to say, but Roshan would have been crushed even if you weren’t there.”
Kagan spoke with a cold smile.
