Even at Ruhan’s direct question about whether it was a woman problem, Hades’ expression seemed to say ‘Don’t ask any more.’

“I just wanted to rest a bit. What’s the point of raising my reputation by going out in a victory parade? It’s not like I’m going to enter the popular man contest at the Grand Bazaar festival.”

Hades, who answered naturally without mentioning Latifa, was already stretching as if bored.

“But Hades… If I’m lucky enough to become Sultan later, you’ll be my closest right-hand man. I don’t like it when someone I care about has a bad reputation.”

As expected, only kind and gentle words came from the mouth of the well-raised prince.

Hades looked at Ruhan with a subtle expression.

“Ruhan. You shouldn’t become Sultan ‘if you’re lucky,’ you must become Sultan. No matter how hard Tarek tries, you are the First Prince of the Basili dynasty and have the legitimacy of being of the Queen’s bloodline, not from a concubine.”

Ruhan also agreed with Hades’ words with a resolute expression.

“I know. I have no intention of handing over the Grand Bazaar to those dissipated and empty-headed guys.”

“I’ve bet everything on you. Everything. Ruhan.”

Hades said meaningfully, poking Ruhan’s shoulder with his finger. Ruhan, not noticing such an expression and tone, replied excitedly.

“Right. You’re the only one who’s taken care of me like that since I was young, Hades. When I become Sultan, I’ll make sure not to forget you and save a position for you.”

Hades chuckled and replied.

“I’ve already received the title of Ignite. Your friend is living well without you having to take care of me. You just need to not take away what I have.”

At those words, Ruhan burst into laughter as if he had heard a really funny story.

“Me, take Hades’ things? Haha! What kind of guy do you think you are for me to even think about taking your things? Even if I’m the next Sultan, I would never do something as reckless as taking your things!”

Hades led Ruhan to the banquet hall, saying he understood.

“Come on, let’s go to the banquet hall. We should pay our respects to the great Sultan.”

“Still, you came too late. They say the premium fruit wines are already gone.”

“It doesn’t matter. Originally, a mad dog is a being that lives by eating the leftovers people leave behind.”

Hades said firmly and moved his steps.

**

Meanwhile, Latifa was experiencing an untimely embarrassment at Caleb’s private property. It was because a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as the head maid, Yanan, approached Latifa and said she would give her a bath.

But she mentioned a strange word instead of a bathroom.

“Hammam?”

“Yes, lady who will become the Frau. We’re going to take a bath.”

One of Hades’ maids carefully raised Latifa from the bed.

“Do, do we go in groups like this to take a bath?”

Latifa asked fearfully, looking at the maids lined up behind her. She had barely adjusted to Hades, but the desert people were still somewhat scary and unfamiliar beings to Latifa.

“If, if you prepare something like a bathtub and basin, I can do it all by myself!”

When Latifa frantically told the maids, Yanan spoke as if a bit troubled.

“It would be almost an insult for someone from Caleb’s private property to bathe with just a bathtub and basin. We have a hammam, after all.”

“Hammam? What’s a hammam?! Wa, wait a moment! I can try walking! I can walk! Look at this!”

When Yanan gestured, the maids rushed over and supported Latifa’s arms and shoulders to raise her. Having others give you a bath was unimaginable in the Empire where privacy was important.

The Empire was very strict about female exposure, and even for a princess’s bath attendance, it was just waiting beyond the bathroom with necessary items and towels.

‘It’s embarrassing with so many eyes!’

Latifa made a crying face and flailed her arms and legs. At her strong refusal, the maids also hesitated and just looked at Yanan’s face.

“Young lady who will become Hades’ Frau. You don’t need to move at all.”

“Aaah! I can bathe alone! Let me go! Please!”

In the end, Yanan picked up Latifa and left the room. Latifa, who was dragged out like that, was dumbfounded at the hammam culture she was seeing for the first time.

The place called hammam was a large white building with a huge dome on top, and inside there was something like a wide, flat marble altar.

Around it were luxurious sofas and small fountain-like sculptures, but this place didn’t look like a place for bathing at all.

An even bigger problem was the other people. The women around were all naked, wrapped only in long towels.

It seemed better to just stop thinking.

‘Oh my… Oh my, oh my!’

At their confident appearance, Latifa became more embarrassed herself and just kept her eyes tightly closed.

Certainly the walls with geometric patterns drawn by colorful tiles were beautiful and the interior decorations had an exotic, luxurious atmosphere, but Latifa, who was shocked at the idea of walking around wearing just one piece of cloth, couldn’t even see them properly.

On top of that, they didn’t seem to be embarrassed about touching other people’s bodies, as they kept touching and massaging Latifa’s body at all times.

“Do you have a favorite fragrance? There’s a fragrance that Hades personally ordered, how about using that?”

‘The answer is already decided.’

Latifa, who barely opened her eyes sideways, just nodded her head blindly.

– Hiss.

As the maids poured hot water on the pebbles circled around the altar, white and fragrant steam began to rise along with flames.

“Eek! Is, isn’t it catching fire?! Sparks are flying!”

“Please stay still.”

“Fire! Fire!”

“We’re just creating steam. Don’t be so surprised.”

“Steam?! Ah, it’s hot!”

As the heated steam caused the marble altar she was lying on to gradually heat up, Latifa tried to get up in shock.

“You shouldn’t get up during the sauna!”

‘Sauna? What’s a sauna now!’

“You said we were going to take a bath?”

Latifa asked anxiously at the unfamiliar word ‘sauna’ she was hearing for the first time.

“Yes. It’s a bath.”

“Wait a moment! This isn’t a bath at all!”

Hiss, hiss. As the steam sound echoed, white vapor obscured her vision and enveloped her body.

It wasn’t that hot a temperature, but everything was unfamiliar to Latifa who was experiencing a sauna for the first time.

They said they were going to take a bath, but without a basin to receive bathwater or even water, and only lighting a fire, she couldn’t understand what was going on at all.

At the sudden strange feeling, Latifa made a crying face and resisted.

“Th-this. I don’t want to do it. I, I just want to go out…!”

“Oh my! You shouldn’t move like that now!”

As Latifa struggled on the heated marble, several maids climbed onto the altar together and began to restrain her.

Their restraint didn’t hurt at all. Rather, the fact that they were wearing only one towel drove her even crazier.

“Ev-everyone! Ca-can’t you at least walk around wearing clothes…?! Huh?”

“Who bathes while wearing clothes?”

‘Of course you take off your clothes to bathe, but what I mean is why are so many people doing it together!’

As Latifa struggled again, Yanan earnestly pleaded with her and said.

“Miss, your body isn’t well, so please stay still. Goodness, this is why it was much better when the young lady was unconscious! Girls, hold her down!”

The girls firmly held Latifa’s arms and legs, and Yanan, who was older, lightly patted her back and climbed on top of her lower back.

The moment her heavy palm touched her back, Latifa thought she would faint.

“Ouch! Wa-wait a moment, Yanan! This really isn’t a bath!”

Despite Latifa’s screams, Yanan paid no attention and started rubbing her two palms hard.

“Later, you won’t be able to come to your senses from the sauna massage. Girls, bring more fragrances, and a cup of tea for the young lady to drink. It looks like today’s sauna will take a long time.”

“Yes, Head Maid.”

“Do-don’t do this. Ugh!”

“My goodness. Your shoulders are very stiff.”

“Urgh!”

It was a time when her screams echoed over the high domed ceiling.

**

While Latifa was cursing Hades with all her might, he was strolling through the palace corridors with Ruhan.

Passing through the round, large arched doorway, one could see white or purple hookah smoke billowing up.

Smelling the various hookah scents of rose, vanilla, spearmint, and others, Hades and Ruhan walked to the center of the banquet hall.

Perhaps because it was the last day of the banquet that had been held for several days, people were quietly leaning back on carpets and cushions smoking hookahs or chatting, and some were even sleeping.

Some of the royal women and daughters of high-ranking officials let out small exclamations when they saw Hades appearing at the end.

No matter how rascally his personality was, it was an unchanging fact that Hades was one of the most handsome men in the Grand Bazaar.

Moreover, Prince Ruhan next to Hades was just as handsome.

On top of that, Ruhan was wearing white clothes with a gold belt, and Hades was wearing black clothes with a red belt, so they stood out and the atmosphere of the dying banquet hall had to burn a little more.

“It’s Hades! Hades has come to the banquet!”

“He’s so handsome. If the rising sun were to manifest in the human world, wouldn’t it look like that!”

“I think Prince Ruhan is even more handsome. His personality is also very kind.”

As the women whispered looking at the two men walking, Ruhan raised one hand and smiled brightly in greeting, while Hades didn’t even glance in that direction and walked straight towards the Sultan in the highest seat.

The Sultan in the highest seat was dozing off for a moment on the lap of his concubine Iota.

“Oh, it seems Father has fallen asleep. It can’t be helped. He barely slept throughout the banquet.”

Ruhan approached his father, the Sultan, to wake him up.

Then Iota, who was giving the Sultan a lap pillow, gently pushed Ruhan away with a fan and said in a nightingale-like voice.

“The Sultan has just fallen asleep, so it would be better not to wake him. Prince Ruhan.”

Iota, who had long since given birth to one prince and one princess, was still beautiful despite her age. On top of that, she had her own unique charisma, so ordinary men couldn’t win a single word against her when caught by her.

“Iota. Grand General Hades has just arrived. Isn’t Ignite Hades the contributor to this war? It is right that he should greet the Sultan and receive the Sultan’s grace.”

When Ruhan spoke with a slight chill in those kind eyes, Iota also spoke gently without backing down.

“Couldn’t that be done by requesting an audience with the Sultan separately tomorrow? I think there’s also fault with Grand General Hades who came near the end of the banquet. I heard clearly that Grand General Hades wouldn’t attend the banquet.”

It was Iota who was interfering with them, moving her red lips subtly.

Hades frowned slightly as if a bit displeased, but soon relaxed his expression. Anyway, the reason Hades visited the palace was not for the Sultan but for Iota.

“And I… You know well that I don’t have such good feelings towards Grand General Hades, right?”

When Iota winked at Ruhan with a coquettish manner that wasn’t quite coquettish, he seemed flustered and couldn’t continue speaking.

No matter how wise a prince Ruhan was, and even though he had a higher status than Iota who was a concubine, Ruhan was a man not skilled in women’s tactics.

In the end, Hades approached her and casually spoke up.

“It’s been a while, Iota. I express my reverence for the fact that your beauty hasn’t faded despite the passage of much time.”

“Hmph. Such honeyed words. We’re not in a relationship to exchange pleasantries, are we?”

Iota received Hades’ greeting with a coy smile.

“From the looks of it, it’s clear you’re still receiving the Sultan’s full favor, so I’m curious why you’re so upset? I may not be as great as the mighty Sultan, but I’m a brave man who returned after conquering the empire, aren’t you being too harsh on me?”

Hades asked her with a small smile on his lips. Iota seemed to be thinking for a while looking at that face.

Normally, Hades would not even speak to Iota or act rudely, but today he was acting like a grape in his mouth, which clearly meant he wanted something from her.

“Yes. I’m not in a good mood because of the spoils of war you brought back from the war you won and returned from. Please understand.”

At his behavior different from usual, Iota gently began to hint at what she wanted.

While the masters of high-level tactics and rhetoric were secretly making a deal, only Ruhan tilted his head in between as if not understanding.

“Oh. What spoils of war?”

Hades’ eyes narrowed.

“The golden princess of the fallen country that you brought. I hear you offered her to the Basili dynasty? If such a beautiful and young golden princess entered the palace as a prisoner, where else could she go but the harem?”

Hades continued the conversation glibly.

“Ah. So Iota, the mistress of the harem, is angry with me because she’s afraid of losing favor. Has the Sultan already said he would make the golden princess a concubine?”

“No. Not yet, but it won’t be long.”

At Iota’s expression that seemed to say ‘How about it? Can you solve this?’, Hades confidently raised the corners of his mouth.