“The general spread that rumor?!”
Manut exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes.”
Manut turned pale at the firm response from Hades.
The general’s capricious behavior was not new, but he was oddly strict about imperial women.
“Surely the wise general has a purpose, but I cannot guess it.”
“How dare you understand Ignite’s intention.”
Hades laughed with his arms folded. On Hades’ wrist dangled several thin gold bracelets, a sign of his Ignite status.
Ignite. It meant ‘noble flame’, the most honorable title one could receive in the Grand Bazaar.
There was no one who could restrain Hades Caleb. Partly because he was a general from the Caleb family, but largely because he had directly received the Ignite title from the Sultan.
“Did you find out about her having another power, as you mentioned last time?”
“Yes. It’s still a hunch, but if my hypothesis is correct, everything that seemed strange so far will be explained.”
“What is your hypothesis?”
“I can’t just share the information I worked hard to find out for free.”
“I hope there’s no big trouble. They say I have ulcers again because of the general.”
Hades glanced at the scroll beside him and smiled faintly. The scroll listed the horses Latifa borrowed from the soldiers.
“They say only that horse is useful. As if someone told them.”
Hades muttered softly enough that only he could hear.
[Star Icon][Star Icon]Two days before the desert people left. The busy morning passed, and it was a calm afternoon.
Latifa looked contentedly at the neatly arranged supplies. She felt great satisfaction knowing that her interpreting skills made the work smooth.
“We’re almost done!”
“You’ve worked hard. You even missed a meal. Eat this. Where did you say you are fleeing to?”
A merchant speaking in imperial language handed a piece of bread to Latifa and asked.
“The Roan Empire. I plan to run a shop there.”
“Hmm. A shop… Alright. If you find a place, let me know. It would be convenient if you help when I trade with the desert people. I’ll pay you well.”
The merchant wrote something on a piece of parchment and handed it to her, then left. The merchant’s name and shop address were written on it.
“This is…”
“Oh, you’ve received a job offer. That’s impressive.”
“Ah!”
Suddenly, Hades’ voice startled Latifa from behind. Seizing the opportunity, Hades snatched the piece of parchment from her.
“The imperial language looks strangely written.”
“Give it back!”
“You don’t need it anyway, right? You’re leaving here soon.”
“Roan Empire is not that far from here. It’s just a halfday’s distance, so it’s easy to come and go.”
At Latifa’s words, Hades returned the parchment with an ambiguous expression.
“In the Grand Bazaar, it’s a great distance. It takes a month and a half.”
“That’s none of my concern.”
“It might be.”
“It’s not.”
“Think about it. Really, isn’t it?”
During the days of work, Latifa realized that Hades rarely made pointless remarks.
Once he started working, he delved deep into the topic, rarely indulging in casual chats.
‘Ah, he did ask about the leg injury a few times.’
He suddenly came up to her and lingered, much to her surprise. Latifa Glaesia, puzzled, finally asked directly,
“Why are you doing this?”
“It seems to me that you haven’t properly read the contract.”
“Contract?”
“Yes, the one we signed back then.”
Hades Caleb Ignite pulled out the contract they had previously signed and handed it to her.
‘What is he up to?’
Latifa Glaesia quickly skimmed through the contract from beginning to end. However, she didn’t notice anything unusual.
‘It clearly promises to pay me, Latifa Glaesia, 15 gold bars for interpreting until the departure to the desert.’
No matter how many times she read it, it seemed fine.
But sensing something was off from Hades’s expression, Latifa Glaesia read the contract’s terms again, meticulously.
And then she found something unusual.
‘Payment location, Caleb territory… Caleb territory? Where is that?’
Suddenly having a bad feeling, Latifa Glaesia hastily asked,
“Wait! Where is this Caleb territory?!”
Hades nonchalantly responded,
“The place I was born and raised.”
“You mean the Grand Bazaar… the desert?!”
“Yes.”
As Hades’s firm words sunk in, Latifa Glaesia’s vision darkened. She felt dizzy, and no thoughts came to her mind.
I have to go to the desert to receive the gold bars?
Her heart, which had been swelling with dreams of living in the 3 countries, suddenly felt heavy and crushed.
“I clearly specified in the contract. I’ll pay you 15 gold bars in the Caleb territory. The one who signed it was you, Latifa Glaesia.”
“This is absurd! How can this kind of coercion be anywhere?!”
“Coercion? We made a legitimate deal.”
“How… How can I go there?! Are you… a scammer?!”
Upon being called a scammer, one of Hades’s eyebrows twitched.
“Those are strong words. Calling me a scammer. Weren’t you the scammer, expecting to receive such an amount here?”
“What?!”
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.”
