“I won’t go to the desert.”
“What?”
In response to the determined statement, Hades’ hoarse voice burst out.
“The gold bullion?”
As she slowly raised her head, she saw Hades’ expression, looking slightly surprised at her swollen face.
“I won’t accept the gold bullion either.”
“……”
A moment of silence passed. During that time, she felt Hades’ black eyes staring at her with a strange heat.
His sharp gaze, as if peeling away every layer of her being, made her slightly afraid. But the die had already been cast.
“It seems the shock has left you unable to think properly. I should call the military doctor. Military doctor!”
Hades, thinking she had gone mad, actually called for the military doctor. It felt like he was dismissing her opinion, causing irritation to well up inside her.
Latifa had no choice but to clench her fist and speak up.
“No. I’m serious. I’m giving up on the gold bullion.”
“I wonder what your hidden motive is.”
“I have no hidden motive. I simply don’t trust you.”
“……You don’t trust me?”
“It’s my fault for not properly examining the contract. But there’s no guarantee I’d actually receive the gold bullion even if I followed you to the desert, right?”
“I am the Grand General of a nation. I don’t have time to idly toy with you.”
“How would I know? For all I know, you could be penniless there.”
Zap. At the word ‘penniless’, Hades glared at her sharply, his pride seemingly hurt.
“To dare call the thousand-year honored Caleb penniless, you have quite the nerve.”
“I don’t have the nerve to risk my life crossing the desert for gold bullion I might not even receive.”
Most of the refugees who had been captured by the desert people had already sought asylum. With no refugees left who had been scammed by the contract or taken prisoner, there was no reason to grovel excessively to him.
Hades asked, his face hardened:
“Then what is the meaning of you coming out to help with the work now?”
“This is repayment for your kindness and favor. It’s true that my leg healed faster thanks to you. And our refugees safely sought asylum.”
At her words, Hades raised the corner of his mouth slightly, making a strange expression.
“You weren’t planning to give the gold bullion anyway, right? That’s why you deliberately wrote the contract so I couldn’t understand it.”
Thinking about it again, it was an absurd contract. How could she have known where ‘Caleb’s private property’ was?
She bit her lower lip hard, holding back the sadness that threatened to burst out again. Her vision blurred with tears, but she didn’t close her eyes. She had tried to refute boldly, but if she showed her tears flowing, it would look like complete defeat.
‘You probably thought I was easy to fool because I’m a woman from a defeated nation.’
Did he think she was pathetic for letting her guard down so quickly just because he treated her a little nicely? He must have enjoyed seeing her prostrate herself for the captured refugees.
“You were planning to toy with me from the start, weren’t you?”
Thinking about it, even his talk of value and treating her leg wound were ultimately just to mock her as she danced in the palm of his hand.
She felt sorry for herself for being momentarily moved by those things, making her eyes burn even more.
“No matter how foolish our empire was to fall, I won’t continue to be played by someone as vile as you.”
Hades’ firm lips, which remained silent and just stared at her, looked like the epitome of a handsome and strong man, well-matched with his dark skin.
‘So what? He’s a mad dog who scams people.’
Latifa thought that nickname suited him perfectly.
“I see the nickname ‘mad dog’ wasn’t given for no reason.”
“What?”
“You’re just like a mad dog, not caring about others’ feelings and hurting people without warning.”
“Ha! You dare speak so brazenly, a woman from a defeated nation!”
Hades snorted loudly as if dumbfounded, brushing up his curly bangs as he glared at Latifa intently. But she didn’t back down, meeting his gaze straight on.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t afraid of the black plague eyes that had destroyed the empire. But while he may have trampled the empire, she couldn’t let him toy with her too.
How long did they maintain that intense gaze between black eyes?
“……Fine.”
After a long while, his lips parted.
“Then do as you wish. Since all matters are concluded, you should leave this place tomorrow as well.”
With those words, Hades turned his back and left without lingering. Latifa watched him with tear-filled eyes and made a firm resolution.
‘Yes. Let’s take this as a lesson. There’s no empire to protect me anymore, so I need to be more alert and live carefully.’
Though she kept trying to comfort herself positively, the feeling of sadness didn’t disappear for a long time.
**
After declaring that she wouldn’t accept the gold bullion, the one who raged and threw the biggest tantrum wasn’t Hades or Latifa, but Brenda.
“Are you crazy?! You should have gotten it even if you had to throw a fit!”
“He’s a vile and petty desert man. And he’s the Grand General too.”
“So what?!”
“We’re in no position to deal with him in the first place-”
“That’s because you’re stupid, Lati!”
Brenda cut her off and began to rage furiously.
“You’ve been like that since we first met! Acting all weak and innocent, slipping away slickly and just eating food uselessly!”
“B-Brenda……”
“You’re completely useless! You should have at least offered your body to capture the desert’s Grand General, but you’re just saying comfortable things and now look what happened!”
“I didn’t expect this to happen….. I’m truly sorry, Brenda.”
“You’re so great! Really! You useless girl! Do you know why I stayed here all this time?! Without that gold, are we supposed to end up on the streets of Roan Principality?!”
Brenda pushed away the apologizing Latifa as if she were about to breathe fire.
“You can’t get even a penny? Really?”
“The food and kindness we’ve received so far is enough, Brenda. We’re just becoming the same as other imperial citizens now.”
“No! We’re different!”
Despite Latifa’s attempts to persuade her, Brenda kept raging unreasonably, leaving Latifa unable to face her any longer.
Though they had been scammed, this contract originally had nothing to do with Brenda.
Even now, Brenda had volunteered to take care of the injured Latifa, leaving them alone together. Latifa hadn’t asked for it.
Had Brenda ever properly taken care of her when she was sick?
‘If it weren’t for the medicine Grand General Hades gave me, my injury would have gotten worse instead of healing.’
She was feeling increasingly disappointed with Brenda. She had tried her best for Brenda until the end, but Brenda didn’t appreciate her efforts and was just raging unreasonably. Latifa couldn’t handle it anymore.
“I’m just as upset about not receiving the gold. But Brenda, I don’t think you have any reason to be angry at me like this.”
Latifa finally tried to leave the tent, barely suppressing her anger.
“Wait, Lati!”
Suddenly, Brenda’s strong hand grabbed Latifa’s long hair and pulled.
“Kyaah!”
“Did you perhaps already receive the gold bullion and are lying because you don’t want to share it with me? Is that it? If not, how could you be so calm about this?!”
“Brenda! No! How could that be possible?! Ahh! Let go! It hurts!”
“Give me my gold bullion! Give it to me, you shameless girl!”
It felt like her scalp was being ripped off by Brenda’s strong hand.
Her already thin body swayed helplessly, pulled by Brenda’s hand. Though she lost her balance and fell because of her, Brenda kept shaking Latifa’s hair, demanding she hand over the gold.
‘Why……’
Even the desert soldiers had worried when they saw Latifa’s swollen eyes, but how could a fellow imperial citizen do this to her? Latifa simply couldn’t understand.
“Ugh! Brenda……”
More painful than the intense pain in her head was Brenda’s rough behavior. The disgust at Brenda’s twisted greed was increasingly choking Latifa.
Finally, as she helplessly closed her eyes at that moment.
-Bang!
“Aaargh!”
With a loud noise, Brenda’s hand gripping Latifa’s hair was suddenly removed.
‘W-what?!’
As she slowly opened her eyes, what she saw was Brenda sprawled on the ground and Hades pointing a sword at her.
“H-Hades, Grand General……?!”
Hades looked down at Latifa with an emotionless, cold voice and said:
“Now you see what happens when you bring in the wrong subordinates.”
His black pupils, sharpened like the blade he was holding, moved slightly towards Brenda. At the gaze full of killing intent, Brenda, lying face down on the ground, began to plead with sobs.
“Hic……! P-please spare me! L-Lati. Quickly, say something in the desert language!”
“H-Hade-”
“Shh.”
Before she could protest, Hades softly made a ‘shh’ sound. Though it was just a low murmur, the pressure was so great that even Latifa couldn’t dare to make a sound.
Hades slowly approached right in front of Brenda, still holding the sword. Then, pointing the tip of the sword right in front of Brenda’s nose, he said:
“This woman has failed to fulfill her duties, been lazy, and coveted and stolen what her superior had.”
“H-hieek!”
Though she couldn’t understand Hades’ desert language, Brenda’s face turned pale and she began to tremble at the killing intent and aura emanating from him.
“Like a bag with holes, she never closes her mouth no matter how much you fill it, and rather harms the one she should serve. What should be done about this?”
“Please, hic, have mercy……”
“There is nothing more fitting than death to pay for this crime.”
It was a moment when the Grand General’s cruel side, which had been forgotten while working together, was revealed. Before Latifa could stop him, Hades raised his arm and swung the sword down.
-Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Kyaah!”
The sword passed right by Brenda’s head and stuck into the bare ground, and Brenda convulsed as if struck by lightning before fainting.
“Ah….. Thank goodness.”
As she let out a sigh of relief that Brenda hadn’t been killed, Hades approached.
Then he began to gently part her silver bangs here and there. He seemed to be checking if there were any wounds.
It didn’t hurt, but remembering his cold-blooded demeanor just now, she unconsciously pushed his hand away and took a step back.
Hades’ dark-colored hand, which had been examining her hair, stopped in mid-air.
“Thank you for your help, but I’m fine now.”
“Is it because of the gold bullion?”
At those cold words, her head automatically lowered.
This was the worst, showing such a side.
She had been defending Brenda’s greedy actions all this time because they were fellow imperial citizens, but she felt so ashamed to show such an ugly scene so blatantly.
And to the vile mad dog she least wanted to meet right now.
‘After putting on airs and proudly refusing the gold bullion….’
As she squeezed her eyes shut and fidgeted with her arms, overcome with shame, suddenly she heard Hades’ voice, soft and warm, as if hearing it for the first time.
[I’m glad you don’t seem to be hurt.]And along with it, his usual annoying voice that seemed to mock her.
“Serves you right for not listening to my advice.”
“……?!”
Startled by the two contrasting voices, she raised her head. An unprecedented sight was unfolding before her eyes.
‘This is…. a spirit?’
A faint silver spirit, which only appeared when talking to animals, was fluttering at the top of Hades’ head.
__________
“Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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