I Became a Barbarian's Bride - Chapter 56
Sitting on his knee, she felt Kagan’s thick fingers lightly tickling her palm, and she cautiously spoke up.
“There’s something I’m curious about…”
“What is it?”
“Is it because of the temperature differences or the dry soil that plants don’t seem to grow well here? I was wondering about the food supply…”
Kagan paused his playful movement and shrugged before answering.
“There are plants that thrive even in this environment. We’ve developed and discovered them over a long period of time. But as you said, the soil quality isn’t great, so we don’t harvest a lot. About half of our food comes from importing from allied countries, and the other half we manage here in Xieman.”
Surprised by the thorough explanation, Nisha’s eyes widened.
For a moment, she thought he was just a man who wielded a sword, but he truly was the King of Xieman.
“In the past, we could only produce about 30% of our needs, but now we’ve managed to increase it significantly.”
“The, uh, soil… I mean, the soil. I can help plants grow there…”
“Plants? How on earth?”
“With my ability…”
Kagan paused. Her words brought to mind the rich soil that had appeared overnight in a village on the outskirts of Xieman.
And the crops that had grown in just one night.
He had suspected it might have been her doing but hadn’t asked since she never mentioned it.
‘Come to think of it, I never asked why she tried to run away.’
He figured she must have found Xieman, labeled as barbarians, distasteful, and that was the most reasonable assumption.
‘And we did forcefully bring her here, so I expected some level of resistance… but there’s been no sign of it.’
He had even prepared for the worst, thinking she might seek revenge, express anger, harbor resentment, or refuse to cooperate entirely.
But strangely enough, she had been more cooperative and quiet than he ever imagined.
Feeling like he had missed something, he gave her a peculiar look but exhaled softly.
‘It really is a strange ability.’
He began to wonder if the low cost of her powers was hiding something more—perhaps like his mother, she was sacrificing something deeper in exchange.
“So the sudden growth of plants in Togg was your doing, Princess.”
“Togg?”
“The village we visited, in Xieman.”
“Ah! Yes, that… So if you could just show me a flat area suitable for agriculture, I can take care of it.”
Cooperative, she was too cooperative.
It made him want to question if there was a hidden reason. Kagan narrowed his eyes and slowly looked at her.
“In return…”
“In return?”
Kagan tilted his head, catching the peculiar phrase.
“Yes, could I also have a small garden patch? I want to grow flowers. And maybe a plant encyclopedia…”
“Ah, my princess has a hobby in gardening? Quite sophisticated for someone from the city.”
Kagan nodded as he spoke. It wasn’t a difficult request, and there was no need to complicate things. There was a vacant lot behind the castle; she could use that.
“There’s an empty lot behind the castle. How about there? You can use it exclusively. Although, it’s not much different from the other areas…”
“I’ll handle it. I mean, I’ll do it. With my abilities, it should be fine.”
Having gotten everything she wanted, Nisha bowed her head slightly, her expression a bit brighter.
He had told her not to bow just a while ago, but she never seemed to tire of it. For a simple thank-you, it seemed excessive.
Kagan looked at her with slight disapproval but kept his mouth shut. He thought it was an issue that could be adjusted to slowly.
Nisha didn’t want to upset him, after all.
‘Foreigners are indeed exhausting.’
People of Xieman don’t typically hide anything. In a positive light, they are straightforward, but negatively, they can often seem blunt.
However, for Kagan, he preferred bluntness.
He avoided saying things that would surely hurt her.
He still wasn’t sure where her boundaries were.
‘Asking why she ran away now would only hurt her feelings.’
The princess was forcibly taken from her home, so it couldn’t be helped.
“By the way, does that ability of yours have any other side effects? Princess.”
“Ah, no. As long as I get enough sleep, it’s fine.”
“……I see.”
Kagan, wearing a curious expression, rubbed his chin and nodded.
“A physician will be coming in a few days. Let’s have you checked then.”
“I don’t really need it……”
“But I need it. My princess must stay healthy and live long.”
Nisha nodded to Kagan’s words, mixed with laughter. His face was so close that their breaths mingled right in front of her.
