Hades stared blankly at her as she bled.

People were running around, shouting, and the acrid scent of blood filled the air, mingled with the aroma of incense, but he couldn’t bring himself to move, as if reality hadn’t set in.

He had been through countless battles and had killed people before, yet he couldn’t understand why he felt so numb.

“Call the doctors! Hurry! Don’t move her recklessly; the wound could get worse!”

The Sultan quickly took command, even amidst the chaos.

“La, Latifa… what have I done…”

Hades sighed as he looked at Latifa.

She lay motionless in Luhan’s arms, a long polearm lodged in her shoulder.

Her face was pale, her beautiful teal outfit stained dark red with blood, its intricate patterns barely recognizable.

“Ah, Lati… Lati! Where are the doctors! Why aren’t they here yet!”

Luhan urgently called for medical help while cradling Latifa.

Hades stared at her feeble face.

Her small lips were also pale and slightly open, barely breathing, and she seemed to be in agony, muttering in a language he couldn’t understand.

And then her slightly unfocused blue eyes looked at Hades.

Those eyes, now weakened, were distinctly different from her normally clear and blue eyes.

It wasn’t the eyes of someone in pain from an injury.

They were the eyes of someone giving up on everything.

“Latifa!”

Finally snapping to his senses, Hades quickly approached her.

“I promised… I promised to stand by you…”

She would have trusted him wholeheartedly, believing he would help win this trial.

But this was the price for trusting him.

“Where is the doctor?!”

The gaze Latifa had for Hades had already vanished into Luhan’s arms.

Watching Luhan gently stroke Latifa’s face and cheek, Hades staggered and knelt beside her.

“The polearm is still lodged! It has to be removed!”

Doctors who had quickly arrived examined Latifa and spoke.

“Ah!”

Just the examination seemed painful enough, and Latifa screamed, tears flowing.

“How can you remove it when she’s in so much pain?!”

Touching the polearm just slightly made Latifa scream and bury herself in Luhan’s arms, causing Luhan, unusually, to lose his temper with the doctors.

“We have anesthesia prepared, but she’s lost so much blood. We need to remove the polearm and stop the bleeding quickly! Waiting for the anesthesia could be even more dangerous, Prince!”

“Luhan, calm down. They are doing their best!”

The Sultan tried to cool down his son, who was fuming.

“Ah!”

Latifa winced in pain and thrashed around, and Luhan held her small head cautiously, afraid that the polearm might lodge deeper.

“Latifa, we have to remove this. It will hurt, but there’s no choice. The palace doctors are renowned healers, they’ve even saved the dying. Oh, please… save her…”

Luhan tried to comfort her, ignoring his hands and clothes getting soaked in blood.

“No, no! Mom! No!”

Latifa screamed loudly in a language the desert people couldn’t understand.

Each time Latifa’s pitiful voice reverberated, Hades’ body also shuddered.

“Latifa…”

In this dire situation, Hades whispered her name with a trembling voice and, as if making a great decision, shouted at the doctors.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my wife!”

Hades shoved aside the struggling doctors with his hand and yelled.
Lay a hand on my Frau and you shall not be spared! Who dares to touch Caleb’s Moon Goddess? Is it you?! Stand aside! Worthless creatures!”

Pushing aside the councilors, Hades unhesitatingly unwrapped a small wooden rod from the bundle they brought and tightly bound it around his own wrist.

“Hades?”

Ruhan’s surprised voice inquired, but Hades, without even glancing at him, spoke to Latifa, whose head was buried in Ruhan’s arms.

“Speak!”

“Uhugh.”

However, Latifa could only utter a groan full of pain as if she didn’t understand his words.

Clicking his tongue, Hades opened her mouth and pressed the rodwrapped arm against it.

“You must bite, as your master commands! Otherwise, your teeth will suffer! I shall remove it in one go, so no need to worry!”

Sweating and grimacing, Latifa opened her eyes wearily at his forceful action.

“Ah… Hades… Uh!”

With quivering lips, she softly uttered his name, and a hint of color returned to Hades’ expressionless face.

“Yes, Latifa. Bite! If you’re truly Caleb’s Moon Goddess, don’t be defeated by such pain!”

He seized the moment her lips parted to make her bite onto the rodwrapped arm.

Crunch.

Latifa bit into it with difficulty.

“Bite deeper! Bite as if you’re tearing off my flesh! Just like the first time you saw me, cling on tightly!”

Shouting loudly, Hades gripped the hilt of the polearm embedded in Latifa’s shoulder.

Ruhan looked anxiously at the clenchedjawed Hades and calmly instructed,

“Hades. Do it quickly and accurately. The wound shouldn’t open too wide.”

“I know that, Ruhan. Grr.”

Feeling Latifa’s last ounce of strength through his arm, cold sweat trickled down from between Hades’ dark bangs, and the hand gripping the polearm began to feel cold.

“Hades…!”

Holding Latifa, Ruhan urged Hades.