I Became a Barbarian's Bride - Chapter 69
Kagan placed his hand over Nisha’s, it felt like his hands could swallow her whole with just a squeeze.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
As he gave a slight nod, the doors swung open.
The bustling atmosphere of the grand banquet hall fell into silence the moment the doors opened.
Nisha froze, unable to even glance in their direction. The weight of the stares and the uncertainty of what they were staring at became unbearable.
All she could do was focus on matching his strides, concentrating solely on keeping pace with him.
She had never been comfortable with being the center of attention.
In the past, whenever people gathered around her, whispering and gossiping, it drove her to the brink of madness.
“…Sha.”
Maybe it was the sedative in the medicine she had taken earlier? She had been told not to take too much, but the fear of becoming too nervous made her overdo it. Her head felt foggy.
“Nisha.”
Startled by the voice in her ear, Nisha quickly lifted her head.
“Huh… yes?”
“The stairs. We have to go up.”
“Oh, right.”
She wanted to slap her forehead for not even noticing the stairs right in front of her. Carefully, she lifted her foot to step up.
“You’re nervous.”
“…I’m not.”
Nisha responded with a touch of frustration to the soft whisper in her ear.
Of course, she was nervous, but admitting it was the last thing she wanted to do.
“Don’t be too nervous. Everyone here is gathered to celebrate us, after all.”
The soothing words spoken gently near her ear caused Nisha to slowly lift her head. As she looked out over the view below, she took a deep breath.
People with black eyes and faces painted with red and black dye were all staring up at her.
The scene reminded her of the first banquet they had attended in Roshan, where people with red paint on their faces had trampled through their palace.
It wasn’t the trampling itself that had been the issue—it was the cruelty of what had happened during that time.
‘…Uncomfortable.’
The gazes were studying her.
She could feel the curiosity, and perhaps even some hostility, from those eyes assessing the sudden foreign presence among them.
She forced herself to straighten her posture.
She knew it. They weren’t only looking at her—Kagan was standing right beside her.
But Nisha never liked this type of attention, the kind of gaze that evaluated and measured a person.
She’d felt it far too often, and it never concluded in the way she would have wanted.
“Today marks a grand banquet that hasn’t been held for some time. Thank you for coming from afar. Since this is a monumental day where the moon, gifted to us by Adin, finally rises over Xieman after a long night, I hope we can celebrate this occasion more boisterously than ever before.”
Unlike his usual voice, Kagan spoke with a cool, heavy tone, brimming with charisma.
He accepted two large oak cups from the maid who approached and handed one to Nisha.
“When I lift mine, you just need to lift yours lightly.”
He whispered softly as he brushed her cheek, then straightened his back and turned toward the crowd.
Seeing him effortlessly raise his cup, Nisha quickly followed suit, lifting her own cup.
The cup was heavier than expected, and the contents were filled to the brim. She bit down lightly to prevent her hands from shaking and forced a curve of a smile onto her lips.
“To Xieman.”
As soon as the brief toast ended, loud cheers of “To Xieman!” echoed from all around, and soon the lively chatter grew even louder.
Everyone drank heartily from their cups, so Nisha lowered her arm and took a few sips before setting her cup down.
She thought drinking it all might leave her stuck in the restroom all night.
“Congratulations on finally taking a partner! Kagan!”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Katun! You’re so beautiful!!”
“We’re counting on you to take good care of Xieman!!”
“I’ve heard rumors of your incredible abilities. Please be sure to visit our territory next time!”
Ah, it wasn’t just noisy; it was downright raucous.
‘Are these supposed to be nobles…?’
