I Became a Barbarian's Bride - Chapter 172
Gasping for air, she sat up abruptly.
Her eyes met Kagan’s, who had just stepped out of the bath.
“…Princess?”
Nisha blinked several times, her pupils wide. Kagan strode over and sat on the edge of the bed, studying her face.
“Are you all right, Princess?”
“…Kagan?”
“Yes. What happened? Did you have a bad dream?”
At his question, Nisha slowly drew in a breath and looked around the room.
It was not a volcano, nor anywhere near one. She was not falling but sitting safely in a soft bed.
“…It’s evening.”
“It’s night,” Kagan said calmly, shrugging his shoulders.
Nisha pressed her fingers against her brow.
“If you’re not feeling well, tell me.”
“No, it’s just… I had a bad dream. I dreamed I was falling from somewhere.”
At her words, Kagan let out a quiet laugh. Then, still half-dressed, he pulled her gently into his arms.
The towel Kagan had been using to dry his hair slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.
“…Kagan?”
“You must have had quite the nightmare. Your body’s cold, and I only let go of you for a moment.”
“For a moment…?”
“Yes. I kept holding you tightly, just in case you grew cold.”
At his words, Nisha’s face flushed bright red. Lowering her head in embarrassment, she tried to hide her expression, and Kagan let out a quiet laugh.
“How did you end up falling?”
“…”
At his question, Nisha thought of the volcano.
She gazed silently out the window for a long time, then gave a small shrug.
“I wonder. How did I fall…?”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“They say dreams are hard to remember, don’t they?”
At her soft reply, Kagan nodded slightly, as if conceding the point.
Even so, his arms around her remained firm.
Nisha slowly blinked, recalling the last words she had heard from the boy.
[Do you see me clearly? You are drawing close to death.]
The words had been short, yet open to countless meanings.
Releasing the tension in her body, Nisha leaned gently against Kagan’s chest.
‘Do I see you clearly?’
Did that mean she wasn’t supposed to see him clearly in the first place?
Come to think of it, when Nisha had first seen what stood at the top of the volcano, she had thought it was nothing more than a lump of black shadow.
And at some point, that shadow had begun to take shape.
Her eyes widened as the thought came to her.
‘The first time… when I used my power in the capital of Xieman.’
She remembered seeing red eyes just before she lost consciousness. Nisha drew in a sharp breath.
‘If I’m drawing close to death…’
Did that mean she was dying?
If the figure became clearer and clearer, did that mean she was dying all the more?
Did it mean her remaining days were numbered?
The thought made Nisha’s body tremble slightly. Sensing something, Kagan held her a little tighter.
Nisha took a slow breath. She had never imagined she would come to understand it like this—her own remaining lifespan.
“Nisha, what are you thinking about?”
“I’m curious about something… What kind of god is Adin?”
“What kind of god is Adin?”
“Yes.”
At Nisha’s sudden question, Kagan studied her for a moment, then gave a casual shrug and began to speak.
“In the old days, the world was filled with darkness. As time passed, Adin descended upon the land that was steeped in shadow. He wasn’t the only one to descend. Of course, other gods came down as well.”
“……”
“The others brought light and created morning. Adin, not to be outdone, created night, a time of rest, and the night sky itself.”
Kagan’s calm, steady voice was pleasant to listen to, and Nisha closed her eyes, quietly taking in the story.
“Did you know that the blood of Xieman originally came from demons, from the Demon God?”
