Captured by the Desert Tyrant (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
Latifa blinked her eyes, staring at his face as a strange scene unfolded before her.
No, to be precise, she was staring at the silvery wisp hovering beside his head.
‘Can that really come from a person?’
She gaped, lips slightly parted, utterly transfixed by the sight—something she’d never seen in her life. The silvery spirit was fainter than anything else, wavering weakly.
If not for Hades’s gentle voice just moments ago, she might have mistaken it for dust floating in the air.
—Snap.
“Hey?”
Noticing something odd about Latifa’s dazed expression, Hades flicked his finger loudly right in front of her face. Instantly, the silvery wisp vanished without a trace.
“Ah! Yes!”
Startled, she blinked and replied. He let out a small sigh, sheathed his sword back at his waist, and gestured for her to follow as he pulled aside the leather curtain.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
“……”
“I won’t eat you.”
‘Your voice sounds like you might.’
Still gripped by lingering fear, she hesitated to move. He smirked faintly and rested his hand on the scabbard.
“For now.”
Spurred by the lingering implication of those words, Latifa quickly followed him.
**
It was a gentle evening breeze, faintly carrying the desert’s heat.
‘Once we cross this canyon, we’ll be in the desert.’
Around the pasture where desert soldiers were stationed, horses grazed leisurely. Latifa leaned against the fence, gazing at them beneath the deep red twilight, as if the sun couldn’t decide whether to set or not.
Her silvery hair, bathed in the sunset, shimmered with a fiery crimson glow.
‘But why did a spirit appear from General Hades? Wait—was that even a spirit to begin with?’
She turned to look at Hades again, but saw nothing.
‘Was it just my imagination?’
—Jingle.
Silent until now, Hades took two of the several golden bracelets from his wrist.
Though worn and scratched from long use, they were elegant, adorned with intricate patterns.
“Give me your hand.”
She hesitantly extended one hand. He frowned slightly, as if displeased again, and added another remark.
“You’re the only woman bold enough to offer me just one hand.”
Thud. Two golden bracelets landed on her pale palm.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a reward. These Ignite bracelets were personally granted to me by the Sultan. If a woman from a defeated nation like you is caught holding them, you’ll be thrown straight into prison.”
‘What? Why give me something so dangerous?!’
Latifa’s brow furrowed as she tried to push the bracelets away, but he firmly closed her fingers around them, insisting she keep them.
“No one but desert folk would recognize them, so it doesn’t matter. Sell them or wear them—do as you please.”
At his words, Latifa quickly tucked the bracelets into her robe pocket.
After all, the man standing before her might suddenly change his mind and ask for them back.
‘At least with these, I won’t end up homeless on the streets.’
Hades kept watching her profile as she hid the bracelets. Unable to withstand his persistent gaze, she finally spoke first.
“Is there more you want to say?”
“I’m correcting something you don’t know.”
“What?”
“I am Hades Caleb Ignite. The title ‘Ignite’ is the highest honor one can receive in the Grand Bazaar.”
“Um… okay.”
She was utterly bewildered by his sudden self-introduction.
“As you can see, I’m the Grand Bazaar’s supreme general, holding the highest authority over all its armies.”
“I suppose so.”
“My family, the Calebs, are a thousand-year-old noble house in the Grand Bazaar. We’re a warrior lineage that has produced generals for generations, amassing wealth and honor beyond your imagination.”
His words kept making her wonder, ‘So what?’
Unable to grasp his intent, she simply nodded blankly. He cleared his throat softly and spoke again.
“Ahem. Just so you know—I’m not penniless.”
Realizing why he’d said that, Latifa let out a quiet sigh.
‘So he remembered when I called him penniless earlier.’
“…Fifteen gold ingots are truly nothing to me.”
‘And yet this man wrote up such a ridiculous contract. He really is strange.’
“That’s impressive. Though I can’t believe it without seeing it myself.”
She answered indifferently, turning her gaze back to the sunset, when he asked,
“What do you plan to do once you go into exile?”
“I’ll find a house…”
“A house?”
“Maybe open a shop…”
“A shop?”
Frustrated by her trailing off, he echoed her words, urging an answer.
“I don’t have the ingots anymore…”
“Hah! You chatter so fluently about everything else—why do you become so frustrating whenever I ask about you?”
Was that true?
Perhaps it was because Latifa herself lacked confidence about her own future.
Feeling a little down, she lowered her eyes.
“I’ll make my proposal before I lose my patience.”
“……”
“I want you to come with me to the Grand Bazaar. To be honest, I listed the Grand Bazaar as the payment location precisely for that reason.”
“What?”
The words “Grand Bazaar” made her ears ring again.
An evening wind carrying the scent of desert sand swept past, tousling Latifa’s long hair. Leaning against the wooden fence, Hades spoke confidently.
“I’ll treat you like royalty! I can give you luxuries beyond your wildest dreams. I can elevate your worth to its highest potential—because I’m a man who has that power.”
What was he talking about? Treat her like royalty? Someone as insignificant as her didn’t deserve such treatment.
She thought he was just teasing her again.
After all, earlier that day, she’d been swindled by Hades and lost fifteen gold ingots. There was no way she could trust his words so easily.
‘Besides, even my naive past self would’ve been suspicious of such pie-in-the-sky talk.’
Latifa scoffed inwardly, resolved not to be fooled again, and asked,
“Why?”
Perhaps because they were in a canyon, the red sunset vanished in an instant, and darkness began to fall. In the deepening violet twilight, the color of her hair shifted once more.
Hades’s hand gently touched the long strands of hair flowing beside her face, softly parting them between his fingers.
The faint tickle from the ends of her hair wasn’t unpleasant, so she stayed still.
As the sun fully set and darkness enveloped them, his low voice—resembling the night itself—whispered quietly into her ear.
“Latifa Glacia. I need you.”
She shivered faintly at his words—but not from fear. A strange, unfamiliar sensation swept through her entire body.
Before she could even identify the emotion behind it, Hades reached out his hand first.
“Come with me to the desert.”
The sun had completely set, and thick darkness obscured his face, making his expression unreadable.
**
Early morning. Latifa checked her luggage one last time, ensuring nothing was left behind as she packed up the temporary tent. Beside her, Brenda, now awake, stared at her with a blank expression.
“I’m really sorry for hitting you. I was just angry then—it wasn’t what I truly meant.”
Her scalp still ached from where Brenda had yanked her hair, but Latifa couldn’t bring herself to push her away.
Brenda was now the only fellow imperial citizen she knew, and given how rarely the proud woman apologized first, Latifa couldn’t stay truly angry with her.
‘Of course, she’s probably only apologizing because she’s scared of General Hades—not me!’
“……”
“Huh? Forgive me, Latifa. And please tell the general I’ve made peace with you.”
After all, they’d endured the hardships of exile together…
Latifa remained silent, feeling slightly hurt by Brenda’s earlier cruelty. Noticing her mood, Brenda glanced around, then pulled a small box from her robes.
“This is yours, right? I’ll return it.”
“Oh, that!”
Latifa brightened and quickly took it—it was the jewelry box her mother had left her.
Inside the box, engraved with a blue shield emblem, lay the small golden key that once marked her as an imperial princess.
“Thank you so much for returning it!”
“Pfft. Compared to the golden bracelets you got from the general, these old things are nothing.”
“It may be old, but it’s my mother’s keepsake—truly a precious treasure.”
Only then did Latifa’s stiff expression soften into a smile. Brenda hesitantly asked again,
“But… are you really going to refuse the general’s offer? He asked you to go to the desert with him, didn’t he?”
“How could anyone accept without even knowing what it’s about? Of course I’ll refuse.”
“But he promised the best treatment! Don’t you understand what that means?”
“It’s suspicious.”
“Didn’t I tell you before? The general has ulterior motives. He clearly wants to take you as his concubine! Latifa, this is your last chance. In the desert, we could live in luxury and comfort.”
Brenda, who had seemed dejected just moments ago, suddenly grew animated, insisting again that he had ulterior motives. But Latifa, who had neatly folded her blanket and placed it on the cot, replied firmly,
“Brenda. I’m going to the Roan Duchy. What about you?”
“Latifa, come to the desert.”
“He nearly killed you yesterday! And you still want to cling to him?”
“……”
“Does living as the enemy general’s lover seem appealing to you?”
“You’re just too young to understand how good a position that would be. It’s far better than struggling through life.”
Absolutely not.
Latifa knew all too well what life was like for concubines and consorts. Her mother, merely noticed once by the Emperor, had spent her entire life confined to a small palace pavilion, enduring endless humiliation and scorn.
Latifa had grown up witnessing firsthand how miserable it was—to hate the Emperor yet be forced to show affection, constantly yearning for his attention and love.
And now she was being asked to go to the Grand Bazaar? Their worlds were just too different.
“Think about it—jewels, beautiful silks, plenty of maids to serve you! And sure, the general seems scary, but if you look closely, he’s actually handsome—and well-built, too.”
Brenda truly was, as Hades had said, endlessly greedy.
She’d already received two golden bracelets—wasn’t that enough? Why was she so desperate to “eat” Latifa up?
“I won’t discuss this anymore. I’m going to the Roan Duchy, so you should decide your destination soon too.”
Latifa rarely got angry, but this time she did.
“You’re throwing away fortune that rolled right to your feet.”
Brenda’s words sent an eerie chill down Latifa’s spine, but she quickly forgot about her while busy packing her things.
**
Sort Gyun was a place where several nations converged. Once small states under imperial rule, it had become a gathering point for refugees of all kinds after the empire’s collapse.
Naturally, a black market had formed there, where people sold whatever goods they’d brought with them.
Through this market, Brenda hurried along, her robe pulled low over her face, searching for something.
“I’m looking for someone who knows about medicine.”
“Medicine? Then go over there—there’s someone who used to be a doctor in the empire.”
Brenda scanned the area and soon spotted an old man selling several suspicious-looking bottles at his stall.
“Hey, old man. I need a certain medicine.”
“Alright, what kind? Painkillers? Cold medicine?”
“Do you have something that makes you fall into a deep sleep if you take it? Something that lets you sleep soundly for a few days?”
“What? What would you need such a drug for?”
“Why does it matter what I use it for? I don’t have money, but I can give you this.”
Brenda opened her robe pocket and pulled out a large sack. Inside were dried bread, dried fruits, and jerky she’d saved from Hades’s camp.
Thanks to Hades, Brenda and Latifa had crossed the border well-fed, but most refugees were exhausted and starving.
The old man’s eyes gleamed at the sight of so much food. He quickly opened a small box beside him and handed Brenda a small, grimy glass vial.
“Drink just a sip each day. After about three days, the effect will kick in. You must take it gradually like this, or you’ll strain yourself when you wake—it’s a poison, after all.”
“Alright.”
Brenda quickly took the vial and tucked it into her robes. Then she took half the food from the sack and handed it to the old man.
“Why only half? You should give it all.”
“If the medicine doesn’t work, it’s all worthless. Once I confirm it works, I’ll bring you the rest.”
“What?! That’s absurd!”
“See you in three days!”
The old man shouted in anger, but Brenda was already rushing away with the vial. She ran all the way to the desert soldiers’ camp, practically flying with excitement.
When she reached the temporary tent where Latifa was, she looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then pulled out the small bottle.
“Now I just need to get this into that girl’s system. No matter how much she hates going to the desert, once she wakes up right in the middle of it, she’ll have no choice but to follow along.”
She opened a leather waterskin she’d prepared earlier and poured all the liquid from the vial inside.
“Who has time to wait three days? We’re leaving tomorrow!”
After mixing the suspicious poison thoroughly, Brenda closed the waterskin, shook it well, and handed it to the unsuspecting Latifa.
“Latifa, drink some water. It’s dry here—you need to stay hydrated.”
“Thank you, Brenda!”
“Drink plenty now. From tomorrow, you won’t be able to drink as much as you want.”
Brenda giggled softly, watching as Latifa drank the water without a trace of suspicion.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
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