Hades’ expression became odd, trailing off, much like the face he had made the last time Latifa had fallen onto his chest.

It seemed as if he was struggling to find the right words and the right expression, resembling a child who had committed some wrongdoing and didn’t know how to proceed.

“This body…!”

His eyes started to redden, and that agitated tone returned to his voice.

Sensing that his black frenzy could take over again any moment, Latifa hurriedly caressed his face while speaking.

“General Hades. Your happiness, Frau, is alive. We made a deal. I am your Frau, and from the strands of my hair to the tips of my toes, my life, my breath, my abilities, all belong to Hades Caleb Ignite. I wish for your happiness.”

Their fate began when he first noticed her in the empire. No, perhaps it was an illfated relationship.

Now, Latifa had no one but Hades in the desert. She had no choice but to admit she was completely captivated by him.

For her to be well, he had to be well. She had entrusted everything about her desert life to him.

So the role of Frau, the role that Latifa had taken on, was to ensure her master’s happiness.

“My… Frau.”

His shaky black pupils slowly turned towards Latifa.

[Dash] Thud.

Hades released her hand, which had been caressing his cheek, and returned to his usual voice.

“Don’t ever do something that dangerous again. Damn it.”

His hot breath permeated from her neck down to her collarbone. Feeling a bit shy because of the warmth, Latifa twisted her body and got up from her seat.

“What were you thinking, sticking your head in there? Even a threeyearold wouldn’t do that.”

The ongoing comments irritated her.

How could he think she willingly put her head in the lion’s den?

‘Wasn’t it because that lion came close to me? Did I want to put my head there? And who told me to befriend the lion in the first place?’

It’s all because of you, General Hades!

“The reason all this happened is because you only gave me a week.”
“……It didn’t matter. The plan was to chain it up and release it anyway. Just because you can talk to animals doesn’t mean you can tame a lion.”

“What! Then why have I been putting in the effort all this time?!”

He slowly rose from his seat, rubbing his forehead as he spoke.

“For your amusement.”

“Sorry, but it wasn’t amusing at all! Do you know how hard I tried to get along with that lion, how drained and tired I was every day?! If you knew, you couldn’t say that!”

“Seems like it. Your eyes are dark underneath, and your skin is burnt. This won’t do; it’s an embarrassment to my Prau.”

Hades drew the sword stuck in the lion’s cage and reattached it to his waist, then grabbed Latifa by the shoulder and dragged her.

“The Prau appointment ceremony is tomorrow. You need to stand there flawless, in perfect form. Now, I’ll handle everything; you just move accordingly on the stage I’ve set.”

“The lion?”

“Leave it. I saw Prince Khaled’s maids quite excited earlier.”

“Why?”

Hades chuckled and flicked Latifa’s clothes.

“Finally got the clothes and accessories I ordered from the Grand Bazaar’s artisans. Hundreds of outfits, you’ll have to try them all night long with the maids in the harem. Taking this long, someone needs to be made an example of.”

“Clothes? I have plenty of clothes now!”

“If you consider the rag you’re wearing a dress.”

What she was wearing wasn’t that bad. No, it was quite excellent, actually.

Soft rosecolored silk fabric, adorned with small, stylish gold rings, and meticulously embroidered patterns. It was definitely not a ‘rag.’

“This is also a dress your maid gave me!”

Barefoot, he briskly crossed the marble floor, practically dragging Latifa to the inner chamber. All the while, Hades loudly ordered the servants around him.

“Light a fire in the harem! Keep adding logs all night; I won’t forgive if the embers go out even once. Overdo everything to the extreme—no, even extreme isn’t enough! Prepare everything perfectly! Who’s that lazy one walking there? Everyone run! Become the highest flame and burn down without regret!”

Contrary to his strange mood earlier, Hades now seemed joyful, and not wanting to dampen his spirits, Latifa quickened her steps to match his rapid pace.

Tomorrow was the day.

The Prau appointment ceremony was approaching rapidly.

[Star icon][Star icon]

“The Goddess of the Moon?”

Latifa asked Ayan in surprise.

“Yes, Lord Hades asked that you be adorned as if the moon itself had incarnated as a woman. He wanted you to embody both elegance and mystery.”

Exhausted, Latifa reclined on a long sofa in a corner of the harem.

The harem’s floor, a harmony of marble and various tiles, was a mess of scattered clothing, with gold and silver jewelry here and there.

She had already tried on and taken off a hundred outfits.

Not just clothes; whenever she dressed, the maids excitedly attached sapphires bracelets, ruby circlets, and all sorts of trinkets.

“It seems Lord Hades intends to turn you into Calende.”

“Calende?”

At the word ‘Calende,’ the maids began to giggle.

‘Is it some kind of joke?’

“Calende is the moon goddess who protects the desert at night.”

“And Ignis protects the desert during the day.”

The girls covered their mouths and giggled again.

‘Why are they laughing? Being a moon goddess shouldn’t be funny.’
Unlike the imperialists who believed in a single God, he knew from studying the saga of Hero Harshet that the desert people had countless gods.

‘Warrior Harshet and Surya, who loved sword dancing, both favored the sword guardian god Kalleps and became close friends.’

A young maid hesitated as she held a finely crafted gold bracelet and a large green sapphireembedded headpiece.

“Usually when minstrels praise Lord Hades, they compare him to Ignis.”

“Because his temperament is fiery. He is also known by the title Ignite, the fire among fires.”

“If the two of you stand side by side, it would be like the sun and the moon themselves.”

The maids of Caleb’s harem were initially very cautious when they saw Latifa, an imperialist, but after enjoying the sauna together with only a towel wrapped around them, they started to speak quite familiarly.

They really, really liked Latifa, thinking initially that she was like the maids back in the Empire, trying to gain something by fawning over highranking individuals.

But the actual reason was—

[Dash]Since you arrived, no one has been hurt in Caleb’s harem.

[Dash]Because of you, the inner courtyard has opened to women.

[Dash]Since you’ve become Lord Hades’ companion, it feels like we might live.

[Dash]Lord Hades is so preoccupied with you that he hardly ever gets angry at us.

Thinking about the reason made Latifa even sadder, so she stopped thinking altogether.

“The Moon Goddess seems to be treated quite well.”

Upon Latifa changing the subject, one of the maids lowered her head.

“Um, actually, Calende is the Goddess of misfortune.”