“At the market……”
Did Surya and Harsept meet at the market?
But the moment Latifa saw Luhan’s eyes, burning like flames, she couldn’t recall any details from the Heroic Tale of Harsept. Amidst the suffocating heat of that day, the only thing she remembered was the first time she and Luhan met at the market.
In that brief moment when Luhan uttered a word, scenes from that day quickly flashed through her mind. Luhan appeared, saving Latifa from the villain, even though she thought he knew she was from the empire, shielding her from the sunlight and reaching out his hand.
“Thinking of you, and everything that reminds me of you, was painful for me.”
“Ah……!”
In the midst of exotic fragrances wafting through the swiftly passing crowd, why didn’t she notice the blossoming spark from one side of the timeless border?
Latifa, who vaguely sensed remnants of blurred emotions, let out a short sigh between her lips.
No, was that spark really directed at ‘Latifa’? Perhaps, as Hades suggested, Luhan, a member of the untrustworthy Basilii dynasty, might be hiding something.
However, the shy expressions Luhan had shown so far weighed heavily on Latifa’s heart.
“If I could turn back time to the beginning, when everything started.”
Unable to grasp the situation, Latifa’s green pupils trembled, while Luhan’s gaze was directly fixed on Hades and Latifa.
This, in turn, fueled more gossip among the surrounding people.
“Luhan, Luhan, Luhan…”
Hades, uttering his name with a groaning sound, tightly embraced Latifa’s waist.
Although his voice was filled with madness, there was a desperate plea in it, accompanied by a bit of moisture and sadness.
“I’ll willingly go back and catch you, who knows nothing.”
Latifa, feeling something might be caught in Luhan’s meaningful words and Hades’ trembling arms, couldn’t help but sense it intuitively.
If she didn’t stop Luhan now, Hades would lose control again. If that happened, the tower of effort they had built up so far would crumble to dust.
‘But how can I stop him?’
“So, my lovely one…”
Latifa quickly looked around.
But her dizzy mind didn’t function well.
Luhan was now slowly raising his right hand, ready to make the royal proclamation.
She didn’t know what proclamation he was going to make. However, in a momentary intuition, Latifa could only tilt her head sideways as if to say it couldn’t be allowed.
‘Please, no, Luhan.’
The affectionate brown eyes and gentle, shy smile he had shown to Latifa weren’t special but a part of his true nature.
Please answer like that, she prayed, but unfortunately, there was no change in his expression.
“Remain unclaimed by anyone. Latifa.”
‘No!’
Realizing that Luhan was about to call her name, Latifa desperately shouted loudly towards Luhan and the people.
“Harsept!”
…!
With Latifa’s shout, Luhan’s face showed a slight bewilderment, and Hades’ gaze shifted to her.
ting!
With the sound of Sitar’s slender string breaking, a quiet silence engulfed the hall. Now, the focus of the incident was not Luhan but Latifa.
Letting out a loud cry, Latifa, as if to assure Hades that nothing would happen to her, firmly tapped his arms, which were tightly wrapped around her waist.
But that arm only twitched, not releasing its grip, and it didn’t let go of what it had captured.
Beneath Hades’ red eyes, which were as intense as blood vessels, a wound from earlier was opening up, oozing a little blood.
Latifa gently wiped away the blood under her eyes with her fingers, smiling brightly as if to reassure him. Then, to ensure he wouldn’t notice her trembling body filled with fear and tension, she firmly exerted pressure on his chest, pushing him away.
Turning towards the bewildered crowd, Latifa began to shout.
“Oh, scorching sun of Ignis on this suffocating day! Please bear witness. I, ‘Cahawk,’ will surpass the arrogant ‘Harsept’ and claim the beautiful warrior Suriya!”
Upon hearing the name Cahawk, the official who was perched on Asti’s shoulder, Takhan, soared into the sky and shouted with a voice that echoed.
“Eternal foes, Harsept and Cahawk!”
People gathered, murmuring in response to Takhan’s words.
“What? Harsept and Cahawk? Is this a play?”
“Is this part of the coming-of-age ceremony? It’s quite unusual today!”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
When the grip on his arm loosened slightly, Latifa pulled out a handle of a sword hanging at Hades’ waist and stepped away from his embrace.
Staggering for a moment due to the unexpected weight of the sword, Latifa, with trembling hands, raised the sword high into the sky.
“Takhan.”
Latifa called a small bird with a white tail, and the intelligent bird, soaring through the sky, landed on her shoulder.
Soon, Takhan’s silvery spirit appeared like a jaguar, and Latifa spoke to it.
“It’s about Harsept and Cahawk. Help me with the commentary, just like you did in Madrasa. Remember?”
“No problem. I remember everything you told me.”
Cahawk was the villain who kidnapped Suriya in the Heroic Tale of Harsept, taking everything from Harsept.
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.”
