I Became a Barbarian's Bride - Chapter 73
Cough-, cough-!
As soon as she returned to the room, the tension released, and Nisha started coughing uncontrollably. She quickly covered her mouth, glancing around nervously.
She didn’t want to irritate the man, who had already looked very displeased.
Cough-!
Her throat burned from the relentless coughing, and a dull ache began to settle in her head.
Her breaths became shallow, and her skin felt as if the warmth was being sapped from it, leaving her chilled.
A cold shiver ran down her spine, momentarily stealing her breath.
Cough-, cough-, cough-!
Frustration welled up inside her as the coughs refused to stop, even as she drank water and pressed her hand tightly over her mouth.
Eventually, she gave in and grabbed three more pills from her stash, even though she vaguely remembered being told not to take more than two in a day.
That made seven pills now.
Without hesitation, she tossed them into her mouth and gulped down a glass of water.
After swallowing the medicine, she curled up on her bed, clutching a pillow and burying her face into it.
In Roshan, whenever she coughed, it had always been met with mockery and scorn, so she’d developed the habit of hiding or muffling her coughs as much as possible.
“Princess.”
“Yes, yes?”
Whether it was because she had spoken too much today or because she kept coughing, her throat stung, and her voice sounded terribly hoarse.
However, because it was the first time Kagan had spoken after a long silence since the banquet, Nisha responded immediately.
To be blunt, if this man suddenly became displeased and decided to treat her harshly, there wouldn’t be much she could do.
“Should I call the physician if you’re still struggling?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine. I’ve taken medicine…”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Nisha answered submissively, blinking quickly.
“Are you really okay with me taking another wife?”
While rubbing her neck, she froze at his words. Her mind spun, wondering if she had done something wrong.
‘Did I show discomfort?’
No, she had tried not to.
At the banquet, she had done her best to smile, though her face muscles, which she didn’t often use, had started to ache from the effort.
“Princess?”
Startled by his voice as she was lost in thought, Nisha quickly looked up.
“Yes, it’s fine. Whether it’s three wives or five, it’s fine.”
“…Five…”
Kagan muttered quietly with a hardened expression.
“Oh, of course, I won’t be jealous or cause any trouble for you. Naturally, since the oracle said it’s necessary, I’ll have a child. I understand that this is a diplomatic marriage and my own position, so there won’t be any feelings of affection either.”
At her words, which flowed smoothly as if she had been waiting to say them, Kagan’s expression stiffened for a moment.
He looked at Nisha with a somewhat astonished face before finally speaking after a long pause.
“…Wait, position? What do you mean by your position?”
“A hostage from a defeated nation. Oh, but of course, I understand that you brought me here because of the oracle. I also know you’ve been treating me well, and I will do everything I said, like easing your pain and cultivating the farmlands. So, please, feel free to do as you wish.”
“…Ah.”
For the first time, Kagan understood what it meant to have so much to say that nothing came out.
Now that he thought about it, he realized he had never explained the customs or traditions of Xieman to her, yet she seemed to know them well.
And that, in turn, had only worsened the situation.
Irritated, Kagan raised his hand and pressed his fingers firmly against his heated eyes.
“Are you in pain? Should I heal you?”
Her question, asked with a tense voice, carried a trace of fear.
‘Careless.’
From the start, their relationship had not been built on normal grounds.
He had forced it, and she had been dragged from the protective walls of the imperial palace against her will.
