Captured by the Desert Tyrant (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
Ever since arriving at Sort Gyeongbyeon, Latifa had been running around nonstop. Hades, as if intending to get his money’s worth from fifteen gold ingots, had summoned her before dawn to handle errands all over the place.
“Five hundred geun of dried dates for thirty gold coins.”
“Too expensive. Twenty-five.”
When Hades shook his head, Latifa began haggling in Imperial tongue. Even merchants who insisted they’d never lower their price eventually agreed to Hades’s offer, making him seem quite shrewd in business.
“The leather won’t arrive until two days from now if we order it immediately.”
“That’s acceptable. But tell them if it’s delayed even a single day, they’ll pay a penalty of two pun.”
“Uh… What’s two pun?”
“You don’t even know what two pun is?”
Of course, Latifa’s Desert tongue wasn’t perfect, so there were minor difficulties, but overall things seemed to be going smoothly.
Admittedly, the soldiers’ stares—whispering as they watched her and Hades—were a bit sharp, but they’d be leaving soon anyway.
The Imperial prisoners brought by Hades’s troops were gradually being transferred to other small nations.
“The Desert folk are better than that emperor who abandoned us without a care.”
“Exactly! I thought we were as good as dead!”
“Being alive is what matters most.”
“The Empire will be rebuilt. The Desert people say they’ll just return to the desert.”
Hearing the Imperial refugees murmur among themselves, Latifa smiled faintly. Back in the palace, she’d been unable to do anything for her people, so it felt satisfying to contribute, however modestly, to saving them now.
“By the way, have you heard the rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“They say one of the imperial princesses has been taken hostage by the Desert people.”
At the word “princess,” Latifa’s head snapped around.
‘Surely they haven’t discovered my identity?!’
Anxiously, Latifa approached them and asked carefully,
“Um, what do you mean by ‘princess’? Could you tell me more?”
An old man then said,
“They say the Desert folk are taking one princess into the desert.”
“To the desert? Which princess?!”
“Who was it again? There are so many princesses I can’t even recall her name.”
“The one with the proudest, haughtiest attitude! The one known for being the most extravagant!”
“Oh, right. That blonde one.”
At the mention of “blonde,” Latifa secretly sighed in relief. But this wasn’t the time to relax.
‘If it’s the blonde princess known for extreme extravagance…’
Third Princess Aris. It could only be her.
Aris, Latifa’s half-sister, came from a powerful maternal family, was clever, and well-versed in politics—occasionally even mentioned as a candidate for the next emperor.
“Why take her into the desert? They said they’d release all the refugees!”
“They probably want to parade the bloodline of the defeated nation’s leader as proof of their victory in war.”
“Could she be killed if they take her?!”
Startled, Latifa asked, and the man tilted his head in puzzlement.
“I heard they’re going to present her to their king.”
“…That can’t be.”
“A princess like that would only get beaten if she stayed in the Empire.”
“Yeah! We don’t need someone like her either!”
“They’re the royal family who sucked our lifeblood dry. No need to pity them!”
‘…Princess Aris.’
Latifa recalled the first time she’d met Princess Aris. It had been in the imperial library. Aris rarely visited the library herself, usually sending maids or servants instead.
For some reason that day, she’d been searching for a book in the library when she ran into Latifa.
But Aris, unaware that Latifa was also a princess, haughtily ordered her to fetch a book—mistaking her for a maid.
‘It was understandable. I had no maids with me, and my clothes weren’t particularly fine.’
Too timid to declare she was a princess herself, Latifa had silently handed over the book and fled like an arrow.
That meeting had been their first and last. Aris, always dazzling and radiant, and Latifa lived in entirely different worlds.
‘So Princess Aris is still alive. Thank goodness.’
She’d never thought of her as family, but knowing at least one imperial bloodline remained—when she’d believed them all dead—brought a small measure of comfort.
‘But if Hades finds out I’m a princess too, will he take me hostage as well…?’
Don’t be ridiculous. I’m nothing like Aris. She’s skilled at riding, excels in etiquette, and has diligently studied politics and economics. You, timid Latifa, are completely different.
An answer came instantly to her mind.
‘Someone like me would just be killed.’
Latifa smiled bitterly and gathered armfuls of scrolls. Hades’s mountain of tasks still remained undone.
**
Inside the large tent, though rustic, everything necessary had been properly arranged, lending it a surprisingly refined atmosphere.
Lavish wool carpets and oil lamps. A large brazier and an incense burner stamped with beautiful patterns. On the bed, layered over plush silk cushions, lay airy silk quilts stacked neatly.
Perched on a golden perch beside it, a messenger falcon preened its feathers.
“Our departure date will be moved up by half a month.”
Manut set down his water pipe, sounding pleased. A strong jasmine scent wafted from him.
“How about it?”
Hades took a sip from a small cup of tea.
“I must admit, I never expected things to move this quickly just because we secured an interpreter.”
“It’s not because we got an interpreter—it’s because you kept pressuring me nonstop that I’ve been running around. Do you really think the schedule would accelerate this much just from solving one interpreter issue?”
“You truly are a brilliant general. Still, fifteen gold ingots is an enormous expense.”
“I have no intention of reducing it.”
Hades set down his cup matter-of-factly. Manut looked even more startled and asked,
“What? You didn’t even draw up a contract?”
“That’s right.”
“But that’s a bit…”
“The contract specifies payment at Caleb’s private estate.”
“…Hm?!”
“I’ll be taking her to the Grand Bazaar.”
“…Pffft! Cough, hack! General!”
“Ugh, damn it. Watch where you’re spitting.”
Unlike Manut, who coughed in shock, Hades calmly took another sip of tea.
“What use is an Imperial who speaks Desert tongue once we reach the Grand Bazaar?!”
“She seems to possess another ability.”
“…What?”
“My suspicions are strong, but I lack concrete proof. She probably won’t talk even if pressed.”
“What kind of ability?”
“Something superior to both Desert and Imperial tongues.”
Hades spoke confidently. Clearly, she held another secret—one that might prove useful to him.
“No, General. Even now my subordinates keep asking me—who exactly is that woman? What am I supposed to tell them?! And now you say you’ll take her to the Grand Bazaar?!”
“She has business to attend to for Prince Luhan.”
“That makes it even less acceptable! Aren’t we the faction supporting the pure Basil bloodline? Getting entangled with Imperials won’t bring us any good.”
“Noisy.”
“Now that Prince Tarek has come of age, General, you should start caring about your reputation.”
“When a mad dog insists on acting mad, who can stop it?”
Hades said nothing more after that. Manut, frustrated, just puffed vigorously on his water pipe.
Just then, a soldier burst noisily into the tent to report.
“G-General! One of the horses has gone mad!”
**
Beside the vast meadow where the Desert people had set up camp, several fences had been erected to tether the soldiers’ horses.
Normally, only gentle whinnies could be heard here. But now, one horse was rampaging wildly amid a great commotion.
—Heeeng! Heeeeng!
“Get out of the way! Everyone back off!”
“It’ll hurt the other horses too! Hurry, throw a lasso!”
“Damn it, it’s dangerous!”
A large gray horse was dashing about madly, slamming its body into everything nearby. Several people rushed in to restrain it.
But it was such a massive warhorse that a single misstep from its hooves could prove fatal—making it difficult to respond properly.
Eventually, bruised and injured from collisions, the horse grew even more frenzied and charged toward another barracks.
“Move!”
“You’ll die!”
“Aaah!”
“Drive it toward the stacked crates!”
Strong men piled up large, heavy crates to lure the horse. But the horse, utterly mad, smashed through even those crates and began tearing through the entire barracks.
“Just kill the mad horse!”
“But you have to get close to kill it! We can’t get near!”
“Shoot it! Use bows!”
“Damn, are we really allowed to kill it?! Do you even know how much that horse costs?!”
Hearing the commotion and crashing sounds, Latifa, who’d been checking ledgers inside, rushed out to assess the situation.
‘Did it eat poison?! Can a horse suddenly go this wild?!’
—Heeeeng!
As strong men armed with swords and bows approached the foam-flecked gray horse, Latifa suddenly heard the horse’s voice.
[Take me to him!]—Heeeeng!
‘I heard it speak!’
—Bang!
Sunlight glinting off the Desert soldiers’ blades startled the horse again, and it kicked violently with its hind legs, darting wildly in all directions.
[Take me to him! I miss him!]Clearly hearing “I miss him,” Latifa quickly moved toward the rampaging horse. She might be able to help—if it were truly mad, it wouldn’t have spoken at all.
“Woman, get back!”
“You want to die?! Move!”
But as Latifa approached, the soldiers shoved her away angrily.
“Just wait a moment! I only need a quick look! Let me through!”
‘Ah, I need to see the spirit! Only then can I speak to it!’
She needed to get close enough to meet the silver spirit, but the soldiers blocked her path, making it impossible to approach.
“That horse is insane!”
“It’s not insane! Let me calm it! Just a little closer, please!”
“Hey, this woman’s crazy too—someone take her away!”
—Whoosh!
Finally, an arrow shot by someone struck the ground, and the horse reared onto its hind legs, snorting loudly.
“Now! Throw the lasso! What good are you if you can’t even manage one horse!”
Hades, bow in hand, shouted as he ran over from afar. He drew his bow again and shot a series of arrows into the ground.
—Fwoosh! Ping!
As the arrows embedded in the earth, the horse continued standing on two legs, wailing. Seizing the opening, soldiers threw ropes and finally managed to subdue it.
But even as it collapsed to the ground bound by ropes, the horse kept whimpering and writhing.
“Normally, it should quiet down once it falls—but this one’s truly gone mad.”
Hades walked toward the horse, drawing his sword. The moment Latifa saw the glint of his blade, her spine went cold.
‘What do I do?! He’s going to kill it!’
—Heeeeng!
[I want to see my little sibling!]‘It wants to see its little sibling?!’
Hearing the horse’s voice clearly, Latifa cried out and dashed forward.
“Wait! General Hades! Please stop!”
Hades’s sword rose high into the air, glinting brightly.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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