“Harzept. The time we spent together, although they were fleeting moments, if we gather all those pieces and connect them, it will surely form a beautiful landscape of an oasis adorned with a rainbow.”

Suriya handed her cherished small pair of swords to Harzept as she exhaled a sweet breath, a great determination that she would no longer pursue swordsmanship.

“Harzept. Since I got swept up by you, nothing has been proper, but I never regret meeting you.”

Harzept, overwhelmed by the sadness of parting, couldn’t say anything. Suriya’s voice conveying her feelings was clearer and more beautiful than the spring water of the oasis.

Shedding tears in front of such a strong woman, Harzept, isn’t it nothing to be ashamed of?

“Among the countless grains of sand, meeting you was happiness. Harzept, my hero. My desert. Farewell.”

“What is all this?!”

“Normally, we shouldn’t give external items to the young lady, but it’s an order from Princess Asty, so there’s nothing we can do.”

Yanan sighed, opening a large green box on the wide corridor of the harem, showing it to Ratifa.

“Ahaha, Mercatus. Preparations for Mercatus.”

Inside were piles of fabrics that had not been cut yet and dozens of bundles of what seemed to be paper.

“It seems Princess Asty drew them. They’re cute!”

Thinking of Asty promising to make beautiful clothes for Ratifa this year and flattening her grandfather’s nose, Ratifa smiled slightly.

“If the princess were not of royal blood, I would have told her bluntly about her taste.”

“Cute, isn’t it?”

“And you call this cute after seeing it?”

Yanan handed over the sketch on paper, pointing to a place with strange yellow and red colors, and unexpectedly popping out blue.

“Oh, was I the model for this? Ahaha!”

“Isn’t it good?”

While Ratifa burst into laughter, Yanan shook his head with a worried expression.

“I cannot allow Lady Ratifa to wear such clothes. If you wear this, what was the point of all the efforts I made to choose elegant and noble clothes and accessories for you?”

Yanan was a genuinely good and intelligent woman, but sometimes she stubbornly insisted on strange things.

“Don’t raise the temperature too much, Yanan.”

“Lady, praising and appreciating the efforts of others is a virtue. Otherwise, no one will make an effort for you in the future.”

“…Well, Yanan, I’m not an upper-class person. You don’t have to speak formally to me.”

“Our mistress sees you as a goddess, so we naturally treat you as our honored guest, like a goddess.”
“…Hades and I, we simply have a master-servant relationship. Right now, he shows favor to me because I assist him. If I become useless, I am nothing.”

“Then until then, please act as the honorable goddess of Caleb.”

Rather than being shaken by Yanan’s unwavering words, Ratifa was left speechless.

She was demanding that Ratifa, like a true mistress, carry the honor of Caleb.

But even when Ratifa lived as a princess, she never experienced such obligations.

Taking charge of someone was extremely uncomfortable for her, and she feared influencing anyone with even a word or gesture.

For Ratifa, who had never borne such responsibilities even as a princess, the position of Caleb’s mistress, second only to the royal family, was overwhelming.

“I… ”

“Next to the young lady is an excellent example. Why not try following that person once?”

Yanan patted Ratifa’s shoulder with an unusual playful expression.

The person she referred to was only one.

Encouraged by Yanan’s push, Ratifa, too, felt mischievous and, smoothing her voice, added one more playful comment.

“Well then. Always working tirelessly for the goddess of Caleb, I present you ten gold coins.”

In imitation of Hades, Ratifa’s words made Yanan suppress a chuckle, and she nodded appreciatively.

“Yes, thank you. May the protection of the divine beings be with Caleb. Well done, very well.”

With Yanan’s laughter, Ratifa added one more jest.

“Wait a moment! What is this clay horse statue?! Ten coins are too much! Just give five. Oh, you don’t like it? Where’s my sword?!”

Imitating Hades, whose eyes formed a triangle, Yanan’s face began to subtly distort.

And…

“Pfft! Euh, euhuhu. Ahahaha! Oh, sorry! Ugh! It’s too funny… Kuhuh! Oh dear, I shouldn’t be laughing like this. Hohoho!”

That day, Ratifa saw Yanan laugh out loud for the first time.

“Prince Luhann is still in the ongoing trial.”

With a neat bow, Sijong informed Hades.

Sitting on the large windowsill in the reception room inside the prince’s residence, Hades nodded and motioned for Sijong to step back with a chin gesture.

Once again, the quiet reception room was bathed in soft sunlight, and large bronze bells hung by the arched window occasionally made a gentle, occasional chime, clashing together.

It had been about two hours since he waited for Luhann.

The more he heard the sound of the bells, the more he waited for him. Hades seemed a bit restless, rubbing his forehead.

How long had Hades and Luhann been together?