Ignoring her taunts, Latifa felt the texture of the carpet underfoot and slowly walked forward.
The Sultan’s court was stunning. Tall, elegant pillars supported the vast space, and the walls were adorned with beautiful paintings made from blue and gold tiles.
From the ceiling, exotic chandeliers and various colored glass lamps dangled, illuminating the court. Between the walls, exotic sculptures and jars had been placed.
The air was filled with the scent of solemn incense, indicating the sanctity of the place.
Many people were gathered, sitting or leaning on cushions with golden tassels, sipping tea from golden trays, and staring at the newcomers.
Amira, who had followed Latifa, also blended into the crowd and took her seat.
Latifa bit her lower lip to steady her trembling emotions and looked ahead. Seated in the highest chair in the center was an elderly man with a stern expression and a large white turban, motioning her to come closer.
‘That must be the Sultan.’
Around his neck hung a necklace made from large pearls and gems, and on his fingers were thick, ornate gold rings. However, what caught her eye the most was the green emerald ear cuff on one of his ears.
‘Ruhan also had something similar.’
Turning her head slightly, she saw a beautiful woman with black hair sitting next to the Sultan, being fanned by maidens. It was Iota.
‘General Hades was right. The woman looking at me most disdainfully can only be her.’
Iota. Facing the mastermind pulling the strings, Latifa’s heart began to beat faster.
“Infinite glory to the Sultan. I am Hades Caleb Ignite, here by your summons. I am grateful for the efforts you make to maintain order, even at this late hour.”
Hades bowed on one knee, and Latifa did the same, just as Yanan had taught her, giving a respectful greeting.
“Infinite glory to the Sultan.”
The Sultan nodded with a small, kind smile on his lips, and Hades and Latifa sat on the cushions prepared nearby, kneeling.
‘He’s surprisingly kindlooking for a Sultan.’
Contrary to Latifa’s expectation that the leader of the desert people who had overthrown the empire would look frightening, he appeared quite amiable, middleaged even.
At that moment, Iota spoke to Latifa in a haughty voice.
“Wow, a slave who can speak the desert language! The golden princess in my palace is barely managing to speak it. Where did you learn it?”
‘Never answer back to Iota, Hades said.’
Latifa heeded Hades’ words and remained silent.
Iota became visibly irritated.
“You. Dare you deceive me, a prisoner of a fallen nation?”
“The women of her fallen nation aren’t even worth meeting, right, Iota?”
“Good heavens, Sultan!”
Hades chuckled and jabbed at Iota.
‘Ah! So that’s why I wasn’t supposed to answer back. To provoke the enemy further?’
Seeing Iota’s distorted face in an already tense situation made her lips tighten even more.
The Sultan then spoke to Latifa.
“Now, enough everyone. What is your name, wife of Hades?”
Latifa bowed her head and responded politely.
“Your Majesty, my name is Latifa, of the Glaesia family, though my empire has fallen and the name has lost its meaning.”
“You’re quite fluent in the desert language for an imperial. Impressive! There should be no issue with your trial!”
The Sultan exclaimed, genuinely impressed, to those around him.
“I will soon commence the trial accusing Hades’ wife of royal assassination. Everyone solemnly swear to the guardians to speak responsibly, and let’s embark on this perilous journey to reveal the truth and justice.”
In a scene that looked more like a debate than a trial, Latifa took a deep breath in confusion.
“The defendant is Hades’ wife, and the plaintiff is my concubine, Iota. The charge is the attempted assassination of Prince Tarek. Now, wife, speak truthfully of the situation that day.”
Iota swiftly interjected.
“It’s a clear guilty verdict. Prince Tarek was gravely injured. She trained the lion to harm the Prince.”
A few people around nodded their heads at her words.
Unsure of what to do, Latifa glanced at Hades. He only gave a slight nod, indicating she should speak.
‘Ah, so much for relying on him…’
Under the gaze of all, Latifa took a long breath and began to recount that day’s events.
“On that day, a brief lapse allowed the lion to escape from us first. Prince Tarek was injured because he provoked the lion, not because there was any intention to harm him.”
Though true, the words ‘a brief lapse’ pained her conscience a bit.
Because Latifa had intentionally released Caesar the lion.
Iota shouted loudly at Latifa’s defense.
“Lies! Sultan, do you believe her?”
“Very well, Iota, now you tell us why her words are false.”
Upon the Sultan’s cue, Iota glared sharply at Latifa.
“General Hades never liked me. Furthermore, everyone in the desert knows he’s loyal to Prince Luhan, aiming to check Prince Tarek. It was already suspicious when he invited Tarek to that trivial naming ceremony of his ‘mere’ wife. It was a trap.”
“Ha, you have a point.”
The Sultan narrowed his eyes as if contemplating.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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