“The true heir, born from our noble queen, and the inspiration for all princes, is none other than Prince Luhan Basil!”

It was hard to believe this was the same man she had seen in the marketplace. Now, Luhan was truly emanating the aura of a ruler, similar to the imperial family members vying for the throne. He placed his hand on Hades’ black hair without looking at Latifa.

‘Is there anyone else in the world who would dare to place their hand so boldly on the head of General Hades?’

And that person is Luhan?

Comparing the warm and polite smile she remembered from the marketplace with his current demeanor made Latifa’s head spin.

But no matter how many times she looked, he had changed. Before, he looked like a wealthy and gracious nobleman’s child, but now he exuded the aura of a true ruler.

Luhan spoke to Hades without glancing at Latifa.

“In the name of our royal family, I, Luhan Basil, bestow upon our loyal General Hades Caleb, who worships the desert guardians, and honors loyalty and the Sultan’s name, a precious box of pearls that has crossed distant seas!”

The crowd erupted into loud cheers, drowning out whatever Hades was saying in response.

Suddenly, the noise became too much to bear, making Latifa’s ears ring and her mind feel as if it were drifting away from reality.

Pretending to be a goddess with Caesar, having hundreds of eyes on her, and meeting Luhan again, all felt too overwhelming.

‘How did I end up here! Stay focused, Latifa!’

Even if she wanted to faint when she had fallen onto Hades’ chest, she couldn’t. Now, if she lost focus even for a moment, she’d collapse.

Her eyes felt like they were on fire, her legs were shaking, and it felt like her stomach was filled with molten lava.

Latifa tried to ignore all these feelings, bit her lower lip, and opened her eyes wide.

Then, she felt a burning gaze from somewhere beside her. When she took a quick glance, she saw that the gaze came from Hades.

[Dash] Are you alright?
Kneeling in front of Luhan, General Hades looked not at Luhan but at Latifa Glaesia, slightly curling his lips as he spoke.

Latifa tried to give a reassuring smile as she watched the lion’s dried blood move strangely along the contours of his masculine lips.

But her entire body felt paralyzed, hardly able to move, and both her hands and feet had long since frozen in tension, despite the stadium’s heat.

He curled his lips again.

[Dash] “Just hold on a little longer. Once you pull through, I’ll feed you pomelos till you burst.”

What? Pomelos, all of a sudden? He just mentioned pomelos?

Even in such a situation, he lifted the corner of his mouth in a playful grin.

Struck by the unexpected word “pomelo,” Latifa let out a small, ironic chuckle.

The mere thought of the fruit’s sweetandsour juice loosened her previously frozen facial muscles and made her mouth water.

Imagining the fresh taste of pomelo, she swallowed her dry saliva. A faint warmth began to wrap around her tense hands and feet as if quenching her thirst from somewhere within her.

As strength slowly returned to her arms and legs, and her expression relaxed, he gave Latifa another small curl of his lips.

[Dash] “Reveal it.”

‘Reveal? Me?’

What am I supposed to reveal?

As Latifa quickly raised her eyebrows in question, Luhan’s stiff and authoritative voice sounded.

“Hades. Ask them if they are ready to greet the royal bloodline.”

At those words, Hades’ dark pupils shifted back to Luhan, and he politely stood, positioning himself in front of Latifa and Caesar.

‘What kind of person is Luhan, to turn a general so tame?’

Is the man I saw in the market his real self, or is this his true nature?

“My goddess of the moon and Emperor of the Savannah pay respects to Prince Luhan. May the blessings of the desert god be upon this honorable one. And may eternal glory reign in the Grand Bazaar!”

Hades once again knelt down very formally, and right beside him, Latifa assumed the same posture towards Luhan.

[Do humans have to do this to become emperors?]

Though Caesar internally scoffed, he still outwardly lowered his head and upper body towards Luhan.

While the reunion with Luhan had been chaotic, Latifa sincerely wished for Luhan’s glorious future as she heard the ceaseless cheers and long trumpet blasts.

The performance was now coming to an end.

[Star Icon][Star Icon]

Jovial music from the musicians and dancers filled the area just behind the stadium.

As the sacred drama concluded, waiting behind the scenes, women dancers with extravagant, large peacock feathers and musicians, along with male dancers performing sword dances, entered the stadium.

General Hades discreetly took Latifa’s hand in his large, hot hand and melted into the crowd, heading towards the back.

“Huah!”

As soon as the massive oak door connecting the outdoor stadium and the inner waiting room closed, Latifa slid down, leaning her back against the giant door.

Having exerted her last ounce of energy, her legs gave way; her knees wobbled, and thick beads of sweat dripped from her forehead.

“Latifa!”

But not even allowing a moment’s rest, Hades passionately caught Latifa’s waist as she was about to collapse.

“Damn! That was incredible! Really, damn incredible!”

“Ha, General Hades…!”

But Latifa couldn’t muster the strength to push him away and was simply dragged along by the force of his arms.
Hades swung Latifa around as if a grown man was playfully lifting a child, holding her waist tightly.

“This will go down as the greatest spectacle in Grand Bazaar history! Hahaha! You should have seen the look on foolish Tarek’s face! Absolutely hilarious! Hahahaha!”

“Uh, stop! I’m dizzy! I feel like I’m going to throw up!”

“I’ve tamed the Golden Lion everyone fears! None other than Callende! Everyone will think you’re the Moon Goddess Callende! Hahahaha! Have you seen the looks on people’s faces? They’re all praising you!”

“I get that you’re excited, but please stop…!”

Because he was cheerfully swinging her in circles, her dizziness intensified; she had no choice but to tightly hug his neck and burrow into him.

Sweaty, Hades’ neck pulsated with the strange rhythm of his carotid artery, filling the air with the strong scent of a man.

Thump.

She felt like she might faint any second. Why did her heart race and all her senses heighten at the overwhelming male odor rising from the tip of her nose?

Thump. Thump.

After excitedly swinging Latifa around for quite some time, Hades, sensing her tight grip around his neck, firmly held her and seized her cheek with his hot hand.

Although his dark pupils appeared calm, they couldn’t hide the underlying excitement and arousal.

“Frau, that means my happiness.”