Evening had arrived, but the strong golden sunlight of the Grand Bazaar reflected on Latifa’s hair, creating dazzling waves of silver.
Latifa, lost in watching the setting sun, turned her head at the sound of footsteps. Hades stood at the bedroom doorway with a stern expression.
‘Yanan must have told him everything.’
Facing Hades, whose face was frozen in a more terrifying expression than a ghost, Latifa tidied her slightly disheveled hair, trying to maintain an indifferent look.
‘If I look depressed, others who failed to protect me might fall into distress.’
And.
She didn’t want to appear weak.
Although Hades made her a goddess, filling her inner strength was entirely her responsibility.
If she had to become the strength for Hades to make Ruhan a sultan, the road ahead wouldn’t be entirely smooth.
‘There will be more challenges in the future. Today’s misfortune is nothing.’
With such thoughts, she soon showed Hades a smile brighter and more beautiful than the sunlight.
“You’re here? I thought you were waiting and starving to death.”
“You…”
Hades looked at her face with a slightly surprised expression.
Her blue eyes contained many emotions, yet they were so clear and transparent that it was difficult to discern what was inside.
“Why?”
Latifa blinked her clear eyes and fluttered her silver eyelashes, slowly getting up and approaching Hades as if she were innocent.
Hades raised his right hand without saying a word and lightly slapped her disheveled cheek. The cheek that had been hit by Amirah.
Latifa was inwardly surprised, but soon she made excuses, trying to appear nonchalant.
“I forgot how hot the heat of the Grand Bazaar is. I sat by the window, lost in thought, and ended up with one side getting sunburned. What can I say?”
Hades, dumbfounded by Latifa’s casually lied explanation, couldn’t help but chuckle at her feigned foolishness.
“…Were you foolishly giggling and watching like Hilianthus?”
“Probably. But the other side is in the shade, so it’s cool.”
Latifa laughed mischievously, pulling Hades’ left hand and placing it on the opposite side of her cheek. The slightly cool touch of his hand, naturally having a warm body temperature, cooled it just right.
“You’re asking strangely today.”
Even Hades, matching her tone, grabbed her both cheeks as if he knew nothing and stretched them downward.
“Today, I realized something for real.”
“What is it?”
“I realized that I’m in the desert.”
Hades seemed to be at a loss for words at her unexpected answer.
“…”
“It’s been too fast, and a lot has happened. I just opened my eyes, and I was in the Grand Bazaar. I became Calende, was brought to the royal palace, and so I still thought I might be somewhere in the empire.”
Latifa said with a slightly playful expression.
“I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Hades, you’ll never know. You don’t need to know either.”
She said with a playful smile, intertwining her hands with his, raising them above, and facing him, she continued.
“I’m your happiness. I can’t give you anything other than happiness, you know it well too.”
“…!”
At the words that she couldn’t give anything other than happiness, Hades’ expression began to change strangely.
But that statement was also Latifa’s way of holding herself together.
As an imperial, and beyond being Hades’ frau, she shouldn’t expect anything from him.
Even though Hades and Caleb’s officials treated her well, they were still bound by a contractual relationship.
‘Although we had many incidents and impulsive exchanges, they were just swept up in the atmosphere. To him, I’m nothing more than the counterpart of the contract, neither more nor less.’
When she was already in the royal palace, it was rumored that Hades had told Sultan that she had no feelings as a woman toward him.
“Even if it’s not Amira, Hades is likely admired by many women. My opinion doesn’t matter.”
“Don’t make a sad face when you look at me, Hades.”
“…”
“Always smile.”
Seemingly surprised by Latifa’s casual attitude, Hades looked noticeably bewildered. The sound of him swallowing dry saliva was audible.
“I’m hungry.”
In the awkward moment, Latifa attempted to change the subject and leave the room.
If only she hadn’t been caught by his restraining hand.
“Wait.”
Hades’ voice, deep and low, sounded remarkably exhausted.
“What do you think my happiness is?”
His burning black eyes focused entirely on Latifa.
“…I’m trying every day to find that out.”
Latifa, forcing a smile, avoided his gaze and replied.
“I don’t need to know? Ha. You’re unparalleled in arrogance. How dare you try to define what the noble Ignite’s happiness is.”
“…I’m not being arrogant.”
In response to Hades’ slightly irritated tone, Latifa replied with a hint of tension.
“I know my limits well. I have enough restraint and control to not need a separate initiation ceremony.”
At that, Hades suddenly pulled Latifa into a rough embrace.
“Ah…!”
Quietly bowing his head, Hades whispered in Latifa’s ear.
“Yes. You’re no one but this body’s frau. It’s okay to exceed some limits.”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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