Latifa raised her head and was so surprised to see the dark-skinned man, Hades, standing in front of her that her mind went completely blank.
‘……A thief!’
Below the jet-black hair unseen in imperial people, sharp dark eyes were staring at her. His hand, which took a step closer to Latifa, gently stroked his own head.
But even with that gentle touch, Latifa couldn’t let go of her tension and fear.
“An imperial?”
An exotic desert language was heard. For better or worse, she had learned the desert language before. However, understanding the language did not lessen her fear of the desert people.
Latifa unknowingly imagined a miserable future in her mind.
‘I’ll be taken as a slave… It’s all over now.’
Hades’ hand moved from her bangs to gently brush Latifa’s slightly trembling eyes. It was a hand that smelled strongly of sand.
“The most unusual color I’ve seen among imperials so far.”
“Hah.”
As his face came a little closer, Latifa fearfully stepped back.
He closed his eyes slightly and sniffed. The eyelashes that hung over his closed eyes were long and dark enough for her to see.
“This scent is right.”
‘What is he looking for…?’
For someone who had boldly intruded into the hideout, the man was pondering. But his gaze remained fixed on Latifa, who was sitting down.
Under the man’s hot and persistent gaze, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was like prey caught in a black beast’s trap.
“Waaaah!”
“…!”
Suddenly, at the sound of a child’s cry, Hades’ eyes flashed as he finally turned to look at the people in the corner.
He muttered for a moment with a blank expression, as if realizing he hadn’t noticed so many people.
“Was it intentional? If it was, I’d like to praise you. It’s a strategy I quite like. I was completely enthralled just now.”
He chuckled and looked around carefully.
“How did this many people go undetected? Surely there should have been more than enough hunting dogs to barge in.”
Understanding Hades’ muttering to himself, Latifa swallowed dry saliva again.
‘He’s definitely a thief. He might kill us all, saying we tricked them!’
Though trembling with fear, she quickly surveyed the people. Behind the woman shaking violently while holding the crying child in her arms were people looking at her with eyes full of despair.
Those eyes seemed to say, ‘You’re about to get us all caught by dawdling there.’ Latifa felt crushed by guilt that she had caused trouble again.
As a sigh escaped between Latifa’s small lips at the piercing glares, Hades, who had been surveying the surroundings, approached her again.
And at that moment, Brenda’s face appeared behind the approaching man.
“…?!”
Brenda was gesturing earnestly, sending a silent message to Latifa.
‘She’s telling me to distract the man… So everyone can escape?’
Latifa, observing Brenda’s gestures, understood their meaning and glanced around.
Indeed, thanks to the man breaking down all the surrounding walls as he entered the hideout, it seemed they could escape in all directions if she distracted him well.
But that was tantamount to saying they would sacrifice Latifa. However, Latifa steeled her resolve at Brenda’s signal and bit her lip firmly.
‘If everyone can live by sacrificing me… I must do it. I’ve already caused enough trouble.’
It was the last sense of responsibility remaining as an imperial princess.
Thinking that she could at least be helpful to the imperial people in this way, Latifa clenched her fists.
‘If I sacrifice myself like this, maybe the imperial family’s karma will be reduced a little.’
Thinking this, Latifa moved her legs, which barely had any strength, and slowly stood up.
“W-Wait a moment…”
When Latifa called out to Hades in the desert language, he was startled and came even closer to her.
The strong smell of sand wafted over again, and fear washed over her like a wave, but she had a reason she couldn’t back down.
“You, you can speak the desert language?”
“Yes.”
Trembling and barely standing, Latifa faced Hades.
Desert people were larger than imperials, but the man standing before her seemed even bigger than typical desert people.
“If an imperial knows the desert language, you must be one of two things.”
“…”
“Either a leisurely noble with time rotting away, or a bottom-dweller who smuggled and sold contraband.”
Latifa’s heart sank at his sharp insight. It wouldn’t do any good to reveal to a thief that she was a princess.
“If I were a noble as you say… I wouldn’t be suffering here, but would have already fled abroad by ship.”
“Indeed, that’s true.”
Fortunately, Hades seemed intrigued by her trembling yet speaking her mind, and wasn’t paying attention to the people behind her.
Latifa, feeling a bit more confident, asked a question to catch his attention.
“Are you curious how we weren’t detected?”
**
Manut looked in the direction where Hades had ridden off on horseback. It was one of Hades’ many habits to give orders and then disappear somewhere, but now was not the time to be leisurely.
“We need to return to the Grand Bazaar quickly.”
Subduing the empire wasn’t that difficult. The empire was already rotten with civil war and was no better than a ragtag group.
Nevertheless, it took quite a while to destroy them, purely because the Tania Empire’s territory was unnecessarily vast.
“Sigh. Crossing the desert is a bigger task than the war itself.”
Moreover, there was a vast desert between the empire and the Grand Bazaar, which took a good month just to cross.
‘We need to quickly join up with the main army in the border region and prepare for the return…’
Born and raised in the desert, they knew very well how dangerous the desert was. That’s why there was a mountain of preparations to be made, but Hades’ impulsive actions kept delaying the departure time.
Manut took out a letter that had arrived recently from his pocket and read the opening.
−Prince Tarek recently came of age. He’s quickly expanding his influence by winning over the wealthy merchants in the market and gaining the trust of the Sultan and the people. If the Grand General doesn’t return soon, Prince Ruhan’s support base will be shaken.
‘To think a letter written half a year ago has only just arrived… I wonder how Prince Ruhan is doing now.’
If the faction of Ruhan Basili, the first prince of the Basili dynasty whom Hades fully supported, were to collapse and the second prince Tarek became the next Sultan, not only Hades but also himself would end up in a precarious position.
“Again, I’m the only one feeling anxious!”
“General. There’s a group approaching from that direction. It seems to be the remnants of the band of thieves we just dealt with.”
As one of his subordinates came to report, he put the letter back in his pocket. Then, drawing the scimitar at his waist, he gave orders to his subordinates.
“Each of you hold your position and minimize casualties. Let’s finish this before the Grand General arrives. His mood hasn’t been very good lately.”
“Yes!”
“Sigh. I wonder if the Grand General knows how much I’m struggling like this.”
He let out a small sigh in secret and prepared for battle.
**
Latifa grew impatient as she looked at Hades, who remained silent despite her throwing out an interesting question.
“…”
Hades was still stroking his chin while looking around, including at her.
For people to escape, he needs to focus completely on me…!
Glancing at Brenda, she saw that Brenda seemed very angry at Latifa for failing to even draw attention, wearing a frustrated expression.
At that frightening look, Latifa’s lips dried up even more and her head started spinning.
What should I do…! I must have done something wrong again. Ah, please pull yourself together, Lati! This is the last chance to save people!
She forcefully put strength in her legs while trying to compose herself. But the intense pain in her ankle, enough to bring tears to her eyes, tormented her again.
‘It hurts so much! I feel like I’m going to collapse.’
But she couldn’t back down here. Anxious, Latifa moved her moist blue pupils back and forth, staring only at the man in front of her.
Eventually, the man wrapped in a black robe seemed to be pondering deeply, then answered in a slightly arrogant voice. He must have seriously considered Latifa’s question.
“Yes. You sent back the hunting dogs that came. I don’t know how you sent them back, though.”
He hit the nail on the head. But she had no intention of revealing that she could talk to animals and horses.
“…That’s not it.”
Latifa denied in a voice as small as a mosquito’s.
Hades frowned slightly, as if his pride was a bit hurt, and approached her little by little.
“That can’t be. I’ve considered all possibilities, but that’s still the only answer.”
Yes, you. Come a little closer to me.
“Shall I tell you the answer?”
“It better be a convincing one.”
“What we did was…”
Latifa inhaled once more at his face, which had come very close. His hot breath could be felt, and she could see herself reflected in his black pupils, they were so close.
“Ah. I see.”
Just then, Hades seemed to realize something and laughed, meeting her blue eyes.
“You’re distracting me again. So they can escape.”
“…!”
He hit the nail on the head again.
Is it even possible to deceive this man?
No matter how much she thought about it, it seemed absolutely impossible.
“I won’t fall for it twice.”
Seeing him smile with a relaxed expression, she thought it was really over now.
But she had to hold onto this man somehow. Otherwise, her guilt would only grow.
In the end, she firmly resolved and clenched her lips.
“Everyone, run now!”
Latifa clung to Hades’ arm and shouted towards the people. She closed her eyes tightly and threw her whole body weight at him, even wrapping her legs around his to hold him firmly.
Latifa used up all her remaining strength to cling to the struggling man’s body. Although her body was weakened from not eating properly for days, she still held onto him with all her might.
Yes, anyway, with such a severe ankle injury, she couldn’t escape anywhere.
With a resigned heart, she shouted loudly once more.
“Everyone, run away!”
And taking advantage of that moment, the people who had been hiding behind her began to flee in various directions. The surrounding hunting dogs barked noisily, and many people ran out hurriedly.
“What?! Let go of this! Hey, it’s dangerous to run out now! Are you trying to reveal your location to the thieves?!”
Despite the flustered Hades shouting and waving his arms around, she clung persistently to his arm as if possessed.
“Damn it!”
Hades looked bewilderedly at the people scattering in all directions and muttered a small curse.
“Haa… Well, Manut is guarding, so he’ll handle it somehow.”
Looking at the now empty space where no one remained, he swept back his sweat-soaked bangs with his free arm.
“My arm is starting to go numb, so I’d like you to let go now.”
But she was holding onto Hades so tightly, as if the world would end if she let go of his arm, that blood could barely flow.
“Hey. We can’t stay here. The remnants will gather here.”
As if she couldn’t even hear Hades’ voice, Latifa was trembling with her head bowed low.
Finally losing patience, he tapped her head lightly with his fingertip, and instantly the grip of her arms wrapped around his arm loosened. And she collapsed forward.
As if she had really used up all her remaining strength to hold onto him, she had completely lost her energy.
“Ugh!”
Hades quickly caught her waist as she lost consciousness and fell. A faint scent of jasmine wafted from her fluttering hair.
“What on earth is going on here.”
Though his tone sounded annoyed, there was a small smile on his lips.
“If you were going to throw yourself into my arms like this, why did you put up such a sharp front earlier?”
He kept chuckling, finding it absurd how she had collapsed right into his arms after trembling and confronting him.
Was it because it had been a long time since he’d seen someone face him head-on, he who was rumored to be the mad dog of the Grand Bazaar?
“I don’t know if she’s stupid or brave.”
He muttered to the hunting dogs staring blankly at him from the side as he lightly held the limp Latifa in his arms. Just then, he noticed her ankle, which had swollen so much that even the skin had turned dark red, visible from her slightly rolled-up skirt.
“Good heavens. How did she manage to stand in that condition?”
Hades carefully adjusted his hold on her, being mindful not to touch her injury, and quietly muttered.
“I’ve found an interesting woman after a long time.”
__________
He Said He’s Pregnant, and It’s My Child (Female-dominant)
Intro 1
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro 2
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.