“Roar!”

Whether it was because he’d had too much fruit wine, or he was scared by the lion’s yellow eyes and large claws, Tarek’s strike merely grazed the lion’s cheek. Tarek could only scream as he saw the lion’s paw coming towards his shoulder.

“Ahh!”

Tarek’s loud scream filled the entire arena.

The chaos in the stadium intensified as people started running in all directions.

“So, in the end, the Prince is scared of my pet cat!”

As people ran around in chaos, Hades chuckled at Tarek before suddenly becoming serious and reaching for his scimitar.

“I guess I need to kill that lion first, Latifa must be somewhere below. How did it escape from us in the first place…”

As Hades was slowly rising to draw his sword,

There was a shimmering wave of silver at the other end of the stadium.

The setting desert sun cast a purple twilight, making the silver wave shimmer from below.

“That is…!”

Without even realizing his full lips had parted, Hades could only stare at the wave, captivated.

“Look there! Someone is coming!”

Emerging from a corner of the vast stadium, walking with dignity and grace, was Latifa.
The gown she wore was pure white silk, embroidered with gleaming silver threads that cast a soft bluish glow. It had an elegance as if embracing the moonlight.

Thin, translucent layers of silk floated around her, lifting with each step she took, making her appear like a goddess manifesting on Earth.

The ends of her slender, white sleeves were adorned with silver vines, and at the tip of each vine hung small, twinkling peridots that shone brightly as she moved.

Even those fleeing paused briefly to gaze at her, but soon their attention was diverted by the roaring lion. People began to shout at her.

“Hey, run! You’re going to get eaten!”

The lion, its face dripping with blood from Tarek’s sword, had glaring yellow eyes, but she calmly and elegantly walked on.

As the lion swung its front paw towards her, Hades, who had shown no signs of urgency before, urgently called out to her.

“Latifa!”

Hearing his call, Latifa stood in place and extended her arm, as if telling him not to come any closer. Hades immediately halted his steps.

“You, what are you doing…!”

Her outstretched hand revealed skin whiter and clearer than any pearl. Her lips were red, and her eyes, clearer than aquamarine, emitted a powerful aura unlike her usual self.

“Ha!”

Witnessing this, Hades emitted a sort of sarcastic laugh and wore a whimsical smile.

“White skin, huh? Is she an imperial standing there?”

“Is General Hades bringing a prisoner from the Empire?! She’s even more beautiful than the Golden Princess we saw during the victory parade!”

People in the stadium buzzed as they looked up at Latifa, who had somehow appeared on the altar at the center.

Beneath her headpiece made of beautiful opals and silk, her dazzling silver hair flowed softly and caught the violet hues of the setting sun, shining more mysteriously and beautifully than ever.

And two men from the desert were watching Latifa with heated gazes.

“Your Highness, do we really need to go this far?”

Irgos looked around cautiously, wearing a dark brown robe.

People around Hades’s stadium were eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves.

“The fact that Hades did not invite me to such a big event means there must be a reason I should not know. There’s no need to stir the pot.”

Luhan, sitting next to Irgos and wearing a dark purple robe, sipped his mint tea.

Luhan had entered Prince Caleb’s private land without even an official invitation to Frau’s appointment ceremony, let alone hearing from Hades.

“Then you shouldn’t have come.”

Irgos maintained a rather stiff posture as he lay on the couch beside him.

“I’m not here for the party. I have something to find.”

As he sipped his mint tea, Luhan’s eyes were constantly roving, observing the people. Irgos appeared anxious, worried that someone might recognize Luhan, who had snuck in.

“I’m afraid you’ll be caught. Your Highness, being a close friend of Lord Hades and sneaking into his party, could create a huge scandal.”

“Irgos. Sitting stiffly and doing nothing looks even more suspicious. If you want to hide in the forest, you should look like part of the forest, no? Consider this a vacation and relax.”

Luhan took another sip of his peppermintheavy tea and leaned back on the sofa.

“A vacation is only a vacation when there’s no work beside you. If you could at least tell me what you’re looking for, I could help…”
Irgos maintained his posture, still on high alert despite his grumbling. Luhan admired his unwavering loyalty.

Unbeknownst to Irgos, Luhan fiddled with a small bracelet in his pocket and muttered quietly,

“I wish I could give this to her.”

“Eek, that’s Manut!”

Irgos hastily pulled up the dark silk scarf he had around his neck, but Manut, a soldier with keen eyes, seemed to have noticed him. He approached Irgos with a smirk.

“What’s this, Irgos? You, a commoner, got invited too?”

“Hm, err. Manut, shh. Quiet.”

Irgos gave a large fake cough and continuously rolled his eyes to the side.

“What’s with your eyes? Have you gone crosseyed from reading the military law in dark corners? I knew you’d end up like this, ever since you became the personal guard to Prince Luhan.”

“Manut, wait…”

A flustered Irgos tried to shut Manut up, but Manut kept talking nonstop.

“That prince is so stuffy, he wouldn’t even give you time to breathe—Good gods of the desert!”

Manut, who had been focusing on his own words, finally noticed Luhan through Irgos’s strange eye movements and immediately knelt.

Seeing this, Luhan chuckled and quickly commanded him to stand up.

“General Manut, be quiet and stand. I’m merely an uninvited guest enjoying the food at this local festival.”

“My Prince! Why are you here, and not in the VIP section?”

“If you keep quiet, this unwelcome guest can be a courteous one.”

Considering Manut was Irgos’s close friend from their days at the military academy and virtually Hades’s righthand man, being discovered wasn’t a problem.

The reason Luhan had sneaked in without Hades knowing was to avoid drawing attention from the faction supporting Tarek.

If word got out that Hades didn’t officially invite Luhan, rumors would circulate that there was discord between them.

“Manut, only discreetly inform Hades that I’m here.”

“Of course.”

Manut responded respectfully.

“And I’m not such a stuffy workaholic.”

Upon hearing Luhan’s playful addition, Manut clutched his stomach as if it hurt.

Not long after Manut left, the two heard the crowd’s roar that a lion had appeared. They looked down toward the stadium.

And Luhan could only stare blankly at the scene.

“Is that… Latifa?!”