Captured by the Desert Tyrant (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
“You’re saying it was the General who started that rumor?!”
Manut asked in astonishment.
“Yes.”
At Hades’ firm reply, Manut was so dumbfounded he couldn’t even move his lips for a long while.
The General’s whimsical antics were nothing new, but his behavior toward Latifa, an imperial woman, had been unusually extreme.
“Certainly, the wise General must have his reasons, but I cannot fathom what those intentions might be.”
“How dare you presume to understand Ignite’s intentions.”
Hades crossed his arms and chuckled. Around his wrists jingled several slender golden bracelets, marking him unmistakably as an Ignite.
Ignite. It meant “Noble Flame,” the most honorable title one could receive in the Grand Bazaar.
The reason no one could rein in Hades Caleb, despite his willful ways, was not only because he was a general from the Caleb family—but also largely because the Sultan himself had bestowed upon him the title of Ignite.
“Have you discovered anything about what you mentioned last time—that she might possess another ability?”
“Yes. It’s still little more than a strong suspicion. But if my hypothesis is correct, it would explain all the strange occurrences up until now.”
“What hypothesis is that?”
“I can’t just give away information I worked so hard to uncover for free.”
“I just hope nothing serious happens. My stomach ulcers are flaring up again because of the General.”
Hades glanced lightly at the scroll beside him and gave a faint smile. The scroll listed the horses Latifa had borrowed from the soldiers.
“It’s impressive how she picked out that specific horse—almost as if someone had told her about it.”
Hades muttered quietly, just loud enough for himself to hear.
**
Two days before the desert people were to depart. The busy morning had passed, and the afternoon had grown quiet.
Latifa looked with satisfaction at the supplies, all neatly and orderly arranged. She felt deeply content knowing her translation skills had made the work go smoothly.
“It’s almost all done!”
“Good work. You even missed a meal—here, eat this. Where did you say you were going into exile?”
A merchant who spoke the Imperial tongue handed Latifa a loaf of bread and asked.
“To the Roan Duchy. I plan to open a shop there.”
“Hmm… a shop, you say… Well, if you settle somewhere, let me know. It’d be convenient if you could come help when I trade with the desert folk. I’ll pay you well.”
The merchant scribbled something on a scrap of parchment, handed it to her, and left. It bore his name and shop address.
“This is…”
“Oh, you’ve received a job offer already? Not bad.”
“Huh?!”
Latifa let out a strange yelp, startled by Hades’ voice suddenly coming from behind her. Seizing the moment of her surprise, Hades snatched the parchment scrap from her hand.
“Imperial script looks oddly shaped, doesn’t it?”
“Give it back!”
“You won’t need it anyway—you’re leaving soon.”
“The Roan Duchy isn’t that far from here. It’s only half a day’s journey, so I can easily go back and forth.”
At Latifa’s words, Hades gave her a subtle look and handed back the parchment.
“In the Grand Bazaar, that’s an extremely long distance—about a month and a half’s travel.”
“That’s got nothing to do with me.”
“It might.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Think carefully. Are you sure it doesn’t?”
During the few days they’d worked together, Latifa had learned that Hades rarely spoke without purpose.
Once he started working, he focused solely on the task and seldom engaged in idle chatter.
‘Well, he did ask a few times about my leg injury.’
So it was odd that he’d suddenly approach her and cling to the conversation like this. Feeling puzzled, Latifa finally asked directly.
“Why are you acting like this?”
“It seems to me you never properly read the contract.”
“The contract?”
“Yes. The one we wrote together back then.”
Hades pulled from his robes the contract he and Latifa had drafted previously and handed it to her.
‘What on earth is his intention?’
Feeling uneasy, Latifa quickly skimmed the document from start to finish. But nothing seemed particularly unusual.
‘It clearly states I’ll receive fifteen gold ingots—me, Latifa Glacia—if I provide translation services until departure for the desert.’
No matter how many times she read it, nothing appeared wrong.
Yet, sensing something suspicious in Hades’ smug expression, Latifa carefully reread the contract terms.
And then she spotted something odd.
‘Payment location: Caleb private estate… Caleb private estate? Where is that?’
Suddenly filled with dread, Latifa asked urgently.
“Wait! Where exactly is the Caleb private estate?!”
Hades replied casually.
“The place where I was born and raised.”
“You don’t mean… the Grand Bazaar… the desert?!”
“Yes.”
At Hades’ blunt confirmation, Latifa’s vision went dark. Her head felt heavy, and no thoughts came to mind.
She had to go to the desert to receive the gold ingots?
Just moments ago, her heart had been full of hope about settling in the Three Kingdoms—but now it felt as if that hope had burst, leaving only a hollow ache.
“I clearly specified in the contract: I will pay you fifteen gold ingots at the Caleb private estate. And the one who signed it was you—Latifa Glacia.”
“This is absurd! How can you do something so unreasonable?!”
“Unreasonable? It’s a perfectly legitimate contract.”
“How am I supposed to get there?! Are you a fraud?!”
At the word “fraud,” one of Hades’ eyebrows twitched slightly.
“That’s harsh. Calling me a fraud? Wanting to receive such a large sum right here—aren’t you the fraud?”
“What?!”
“Fifteen gold ingots is an enormous amount. I don’t carry around gold bars all the time—how could I possibly pay you fifteen ingots on the spot? Naturally, you’d have to come get them yourself.”
“But… that’s…”
“With fifteen gold ingots, you could easily buy a large mansion here and still have money left over. Why would I pay such a huge sum for just a few days of translation? Obviously, it includes travel expenses and compensation for crossing the desert.”
“Oh…”
This was fraud. Her very first contract—fraud!
It must be a dream. This has to be a nightmare.
‘Wake up, please wake up from this dream!’
It’s a dream. Of course—it’s been too good lately!
But no matter how many times she tugged at her hair, she didn’t wake up, and the words clearly written on the contract wouldn’t magically change.
‘It’s not a dream!’
Latifa, pale-faced for a long while, finally refused to accept reality. She couldn’t easily admit she’d been swindled.
“You altered the contract, didn’t you?! That’s impossible! My copy… I’ll check my copy too!”
Two identical copies of the contract had been made—one for Hades, one for Latifa, for her own keeping.
Just as dizziness threatened to overtake her, Latifa barely recalled this fact and quickly pulled herself together.
Clearly, this despicable desert man had altered the contract because he didn’t want to give her the gold ingots—he was committing fraud.
She glared fiercely at Hades’ calm face for a moment, then swiftly turned and ran toward where Brenda was.
**
The moment Latifa burst into the makeshift tent, Brenda greeted her brightly.
“Lati! The desert people leave the day after tomorrow—did you get your gold ingots today?!”
“Brenda, just a moment! Just a moment…!”
Latifa frantically searched every corner of the tent, looking for the contract she’d written with Hades a few days ago.
“I put it somewhere safe!”
Her mind had gone blank, and her hands wouldn’t obey her thoughts.
What would she do without the gold ingots? Did she really have to go to the desert? How could she survive there? She’d heard the desert was crawling with venomous scorpions and fierce sandstorms. She’d surely die if she went.
‘But without the gold ingots, I can’t start a proper life…!’
Overwhelmed by despair, tears welled in her blue eyes, blurring her vision.
She’d gritted her teeth and worked for Hades—the man who’d trampled her empire—because he’d promised funds to build a new life. And now it was all for nothing!
—Flutter.
Just then, a sheet of paper fluttered out from between the blankets.
“The contract!”
Latifa quickly snatched it up, wiped her tears, and rapidly skimmed the contents, clinging to a faint hope that Hades had deceitfully altered it.
‘Payment location, payment location…’
But ignorance came at a steep price.
—Payment location: Caleb private estate.
“No wayyyy!”
At her anguished scream, Brenda hurried over.
“What’s wrong?! What’s written on that paper?!”
Latifa’s lips wouldn’t move easily in front of Brenda, who knew nothing. Everything had turned to vapor. The fifteen gold ingots were gone.
“Brenda… We’re ruined.”
“Huh?”
“I won’t get the gold ingots…!”
“What?! What are you talking about?!”
“I wrote the contract wrong. The contract… sniff.”
“The contract?! Explain clearly! Why can’t you get the gold ingots?!”
“Waaahhh!”
Latifa suddenly burst into tears from a wave of sorrow and threw her arms around Brenda.
“I’ve been scammed…! That man says he’ll only give me the gold ingots if I follow him into the desert!”
“What…?”
Brenda stood frozen, utterly stunned. Seeing her expression, Latifa’s heart ached. Brenda must have had high hopes for their fresh start—and now she’d shattered that dream herself.
She felt pathetic for having been so proud these past few days, thinking she was useful.
Tears wouldn’t stop flowing from guilt and sorrow.
“I’m sorry! Brenda, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault—I ruined everything. Sniff! I’m sorry…!”
Latifa clung to Brenda’s neck, sobbing bitterly and apologizing for a long time.
**
When Latifa finally reappeared, her eyes were red and swollen. She’d cried so much in such a short time that she had a pounding headache and a hoarse voice, barely able to speak.
“Hic! Miss, what happened to your face?!”
Desert soldiers she’d met a few times during work were startled by her appearance and asked after her.
Oddly, the desert soldiers had recently been overly kind—almost excessively so.
“I cried.”
“A-are you okay?”
The words “I’m not okay” rose to her throat, but she swallowed them and answered stoutly.
If there was one thing she’d learned since the fall of the Empire, it was that pretending to be okay—even when you weren’t—gave you a little strength. Simply crying and wallowing in despair solved nothing.
“I’m fine. Is this the last of the supplies?”
“Yes… Did the General make you cry?”
“…”
Yes. Your magnificent General just scammed me!
Must be great fun, teasing a naive girl from a defeated nation who barely speaks Desert Tongue!
She wanted to shout those words at the top of her lungs—but she clenched her teeth and stayed silent.
Seeing her forlorn expression, the desert soldiers pulled out dried fruit or similar treats from their pockets and offered them to her, saying, “Cheer up!”
“Oh, thank you! You really didn’t have to give me this!”
“Eat up. We know how tough it is working under General Hades.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty bizarre and awfully fussy. Oh! And once we leave, we’ll be riding horses for a long time—please look after me.”
“Me too, me too! My back’s been bad lately—I absolutely can’t afford to fall off!”
“Horses…?”
Suddenly, the surrounding soldiers gathered around her, each adding a word of request for her to look after them.
‘Why are they asking me to look after them when they’re the ones riding horses?’
Latifa tilted her head, puzzled by their odd behavior. Then, as suddenly as a swarm of bees, the soldiers dispersed instantly back to their own places.
She didn’t need to turn around to know who had arrived—the chill down her spine told her immediately.
Hades Caleb Ignite. There was no one else so despicable and underhanded.
Deliberately avoiding eye contact, she simply bowed her head—and his large shadow fell over her.
Latifa took a small breath, choosing her words carefully before speaking to Hades.
‘He won’t give me the gold ingots unless I go to the desert…’
After crying for so long, her mind had calmed—and only one conclusion remained.
“You must have good situational awareness to come back and offer help again. The desert isn’t such a bad place. The Imperials just misunderstand it—”
Latifa cut off Hades’ words and spoke calmly.
“I’m not going to the desert.”
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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