“It’s nothing but a temporary blinding of the merchants to gain favor. If the bargainers decrease, the bargaining price will soon rise. If the price of fruit goes up, other markets will also gradually raise their prices.”

“Shall I report to the Sultan first?”

“If I report to my father as soon as something happens, he will think I am incompetent. It’s also my duty and mission to solve it myself.”

Luhan sighed, and Irgos looked on for a moment before averting his eyes.

“Moreover, recently General Hades has been capricious and imposed special taxes, earning the resentment of the nobles.”

“Everyone must have rushed to criticize Hades.”

Luhan genuinely worried for him.

“General Hades is on Prince Luhan’s side, so there is no need to worry, but since it’s such a time, his reputation will affect your reputation.”

“Irgos. I swear by the desert gods, he is not a villain. Imposing special taxes is just his clever way because the nobles were taking away even the meat that commoners eat for their feasts. Aren’t they all holding victory feasts everywhere?”

“I know that too. But his method is very brutal… And lately, there are rumors that he is scheming something strange.”

Irgos cautiously told Luhan.

“What’s the matter?”
“They are going to appoint a Frau soon and will be hosting a grand banquet for the occasion. They even sent an invitation to the Grand Duke of Serza to attend personally.”

“Hades? A Frau?! There was no word to me?!”

“I too find it suspicious. Aren’t General Hades and the prince longstanding comrades? It bothers me that the prince was not consulted about the appointment of a Frau.”

Luhan slightly frowned and reclined on a large sofa, beautifully embroidered with red and gold threads.

Irgos continued to speak with a worried face.

“Even if General Hades is entirely on Prince Luhan’s side… just in case, if he ever turns his back on us…”

“Stop it, Irgos.”

Luhan cut him off.

“Hades would never do that. Don’t plant the seed of doubt unnecessarily. Doubt starts as a small sprout and quickly becomes a large trunk. The Frau is probably one of his whims. No one can stop him, can they?”

“But…”

“Hush. Serve the mint tea.”

“……I don’t like mint.”

“Strange taste.”

“Sorry to say, but mint is stranger.”

“You don’t understand the refinement of mint.”

“……Mint is not a dessert herb. Even you, Prince, enjoy it…….”

“Hush. Such a tasteless one. Don’t speak like that elsewhere.”

Luhan closed his eyes quietly while drinking the mint tea.

Latifa gently stroked the head of a cute yellow canary.

“You’re so cute.”

The canary chirped happily, jumping around. Latifa carefully caught it and put it in a pretty golden cage.

“I can’t do anymore today, General. My eyes are going to fall out.”

She had attempted to communicate with almost twenty animals today. Latifa had been using her abilities with him for a few days, observing various animals.

‘But where did this man get so many animals?’

Latifa looked at the rare animals ahead, such as crocodiles and turtles, and thought deeply. He brought animals she had never seen before every day.

‘Are they from Caleb’s private grounds?’

Hades continued to write something diligently on a scroll. After meticulously writing until the end, he tied the scroll and spoke crisply.

“From what I’ve observed so far, communication doesn’t go well with stupid animals.”

‘Stupid, really the choice of words……’

But it was true. Relatively intelligent animals like hunting dogs, camels, and horses were easy to converse with, while other animals did not communicate smoothly.

It wasn’t that communication was not going well; sometimes, the spirits did not appear correctly.

Sometimes, even if the spirits were present, they just rattled on about what they wanted to say, and the conversation did not progress.

“Focusing or building a relationship seems to make the conversation go better.”

“It seems so.”

“Good. Very good.”

Latifa quietly focused and looked at Hades’s face, nodding. Whenever she had a chance, she tried to read Hades’s mind again by concentrating. But his spirit did not appear again.

“Why? Is there something on my face?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

Latifa lightly shook her head and smiled. Hades looked at her and momentarily stroked his chin, then suddenly laughed out.

“Latifa, in a few days, I will appoint you as Frau. But before that, there is a friend you need to get acquainted with.”
“Friend? Another animal?”

“Yes. A really interesting friend, and you will soon like him too. No, you must.”

He chuckled and gestured for Latifa to follow him.

“Not here?”

“Ah, that friend prefers being alone.”

‘Suspicious?’

Somehow the atmosphere was different than usual. Latifa became a little wary and cautiously followed him into the deeper part of Caleb’s territory.

And as soon as she passed under the dark sand rampart, she saw it and was instantly frozen.

‘What, what is that!’

The moment she heard the cry of the huge light ocher beast in the sturdy wooden cage, Latifa felt threatened and couldn’t say a word.

Even the cry was threatening.

General Hades hesitated, grabbed Latifa’s shoulder, and approached the wooden cage.

“Ge, General!”

“This must be up to Caleb’s standard.”

As she was practically pushed by Hades to come closer to the cage, the yellow beast’s eyes flickered sharply, staring at Latifa.

The eyes of a predator that makes everything it looks at into its prey.

Latifa couldn’t bring herself to meet those eyes and lowered her head. But Hades proudly introduced it to her as if presenting.

“Greet the King of the Savannah, my Frau.”