Unconsciously, behind the veil that slightly covered Latifa’s nose and mouth in the mirror, Hades’s dark and long fingers moved distinctly.
Sensing the firm touch of Hades’s fingers, which felt like calloused skin above her lips, Latifa couldn’t move and could only stare at the front mirror.
Is this how it feels to be captivated by a large beast?
“By the way, what’s a ‘bouquet’?”
Hades whispered in a low tone, making Latifa feel her whole body burning up, and she replied with a small voice.
“A bouquet… It means the flower bouquet that brides hold in the Empire.”
“Oh, I see. It’s in the imperial language.”
Feeling the breath of the large male behind her, Latifa’s mind seemed to fade away.
It felt like if she didn’t pull herself together, she might be devoured at any moment.
“If it were me, two flowers wouldn’t be enough.”
Hades’s fingers, which had been gently playing with Latifa’s lip line, now slid down and approached the lily silhouette embroidered on her chest. Two lilies were embroidered there.
“For the Ignite of the Grand Bazaar, two flowers are too mundane. Haven’t I already gifted you a grand cactus colony?”
In response to Hades’s playful laughter, Latifa, who had briefly relaxed, chuckled slightly.
“That’s right. Two flowers seem too mundane now.”
“I’ve raised your expectations too high. It’s okay. Let’s match it to Caleb’s level.”
Hades lifted the tail of the long red bandeau tied to his forehead and draped it over Latifa’s chest.
As it smoothly passed over the white silk, the passing red line felt as if it firmly held Latifa.
“Latifa, in the desert, people wear red on their wedding day.”
In the mirror, Hades’s black eyes met Latifa’s blue eyes, and simultaneously, one corner of Hades’s mouth seductively rose.
“Red suits you better than white.”
The attempt to remain composed was in vain, as Latifa’s face and ear tips turned red in an instant.
“Um…”
In the embarrassment mixed with shyness, the white veil and silver hair in the mirror starkly contrasted, making everything vividly visible.
At that moment, Hades’s lips lightly touched the reddened ear tip.
“Hades…”
In the mirror, he protruded his red tongue, licked his lips, savoring the taste, and said, “It’s hot. Now, it’s hotter than the desert sands.”
“Enough…”
Feeling too much heat on her face, Latifa closed her eyes tightly.
‘Why does this keep happening when I don’t want anything…’
However, in the rapidly changing Grand Bazaar, closing her eyes was never a good choice, and she overlooked that fact.
Chit, chit, chit.
“Ugh.”
Hades’s lips didn’t stop but continued to press against the now-heated earlobe several times.
“You.”
With too much heat on her face, Latifa couldn’t even respond to the feeling that something might spill out when she opened her mouth.
“On the day of adulthood, let’s play until your white clothes get dirty.”
Hades’s voice gently tickled Latifa’s neck, as if nothing had happened.
Under the ceiling adorned with a macrame featuring the symbol of authority and benevolence, the Mandala pattern, the bright morning sunlight passed through, creating beautiful shadows on the green carpet spread on the floor.
Beyond the large arched windows, the spacious balcony attached to the palace’s dining room was where the Sultan occasionally summoned his sons for a friendly chat.
“The approach of imposing taxes proportionate to processing rather than raw materials could alleviate the price increase of luxury items, but we also need to consider the potential extinction of artisans’ decades-old craftsmanship.”
After rolling up the scroll I was reading and inserting a round golden ring with a cobra biting its tail, Rashid handed it to Tarek.
“I started learning how to read accounting and tax ledgers late, but I’m glad I’ve been diligently studying taxes, Tarek. Did your interest in that side develop after becoming close to Vadeer Daein, the major figure in the craft market? Enthusiasm for learning is a good thing.”
Upon receiving his father’s praise, Tarek couldn’t hide the joy in the corners of his mouth and lowered his head, accepting the scroll.
Next to him, Luhann was holding a small rabbit in his arms, sipping tea.
“Luhan, the result of the double leasing trial you resolved last time is flawless.”
Rashid, picking up roasted peanuts from a crystal dish, also complimented Luhann.
The praise of being flawless was as good as any compliment could be from the Sultan’s perspective, so Tarek’s mouth twisted slightly in a momentary smile.
“With our sons growing up so contentedly, the day for me to step back peacefully is not far off.”
“Father is still in good health.”
Luhann smiled and said, “We are different from other countries across the sea or beyond the desert. What matters most in the Grand Bazaar, the heart of trade that all desert dwellers pass through, is the wisdom and strength to properly manage those merchants and goods.”
Rashid smiled at his sons, who had become admirable young men, and continued to advise them as he looked at the sunlight settling through the macramé.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”