Latifa hurriedly returned to the main house and went around calling for Hades.

“General Hades! General?!”

But instead of General Hades, the head maid Yanan approached her and asked what she needed.

“Lord Hades has gone out to the market for a while on business. What do you need, young lady?”

Latifa immediately spoke to Yanan in an excited voice.

“Yanan. Do we have ‘catnip’ here too?!”

Latifa realized that the reason the desert fox had been happily frolicking earlier was because of the wooden stick that smelled of anise.

During her time as a princess, she remembered noticing that some princes and princesses often kept dogs or cats.

One thing they often did was throw dried leaves or scented wood, which made the animals rub their heads happily and act dazed.

For dogs it was anise, for cats it was catnip, and for desert foxes it seemed to be anise.

However, when she threw the anise-scented wood that the fox had, the lion didn’t react much.

‘If the lion isn’t a canine, it must be a feline. Then it needs catnip.’

“Catnip? We don’t have that since we’ve never kept cats on Caleb’s property.”

“Yanan! I need that! Where can I get it?!”

“You can get it at the spice market. Come to think of it, Lord Hades should be at the spice market now.”

“The spice market?”

Latifa became curious at the mention of a market.

‘I heard the Grand Bazaar was a large market, but I’ve been here for days and never seen it in person.’

Vaguely recalling Hades’ words about many rare things in the desert market, she cautiously asked Yanan.

“The spice market, you say? I’d like to go see it for myself… Is that not possible?”

“Hmm…”

‘I guess it won’t be allowed?’

Though Hades hadn’t confined her, she felt like she shouldn’t go out for some reason.

She seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded her head.

“Alright. Let’s get ready. It would be nice to tour the market with Lord Hades. This is really a wonderful place.”

“Oh?! I can go out? Really?!”

Latifa blinked in surprise at the unexpectedly ready agreement.

“You’re our guest, not a prisoner, young lady. And Lord Hades instructed us to grant any wish of the future Frau.”

Latifa was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing the grand market in person. Her heart pounded with excitement at the thought of witnessing new and exotic sights with her own eyes.

Then Yanan cautioned her.

“But you’ll have to follow me closely. The spice market is the busiest and most crowded place among the markets in the Grand Bazaar.”

The more people, the better for a market. It’ll be more fun. Latifa nodded carelessly.

**

In a corner of the bustling market filled with a mix of vibrant and strong scents, Latifa could only hold tightly to Yanan’s hand with a dazed expression.

‘I didn’t know it would be this chaotic!’

The spice market was literally swarming with people like a beehive. Even standing still, one could be pushed by the crowds.

“Young lady. Come this way quickly!”

Yanan pulled Latifa’s hand, who had her robe pulled down to hide her white skin.

“It’s so big and complex, I can’t tell where anything is!”

“This is the largest spice market even within the Grand Bazaar! Even Grand Bazaar locals often get lost. There are 17 gates connected to here alone. So follow me closely.”

“Gates? There are 17 of them?!”

Latifa saw ‘Caleb Gate 7′ written on an ivory sign hanging above a large arched gateway.

“Caleb Gate 7? Is this related to General Hades?”

“It means this is the Gate 7 area. Lord Hades is the ruler of this spice market. His grace extends to every corner of this market.”

“What?! The General’s influence is that extensive?!”

For Latifa, it was incomprehensible wealth for him to be the ruler of such a large market.

“But isn’t he a general? A soldier? Managing a market shouldn’t be his job, right?”

“You have many questions, young lady. Now, this way. Really, how are you still alive by Hades’ side being so slow? In the Grand Bazaar where everything changes quickly, you can’t just stand around blankly like that.”

Yanan pulled Latifa into a narrow alley as a large goat-drawn cart passed by quickly.

Market stalls and shops were selling colorful powders and liquids, while people haggled loudly over prices.

“5 silver coins per pound? That’s a rip-off! I might consider 3 coins.”

“Don’t you have ground ginger root here? Strong ginger, not mild! It’s for export to the Shell region!”

“Anyone need rosewater in bulk? I can broker it cheaply!”

Everything was fast-paced and chaotic.

Though the sun was beating down fiercely, everyone moved energetically without languishing.

“Catnip should be around Caleb Gate 12. That area mainly deals with wood and dried leaves. If you want good cedar or sandalwood, that’s the best place.”

Yanan quickly crossed the path where the cart had passed, looking around.

“But first, we should meet Lord Hades. The administrative building is at the central Gate 9.”

“It’s too confusing. How does Yanan know all the ways?!”

−Move aside!

Just as Latifa was about to cross the road following Yanan, a small cart rushed through the gap, causing her to scream and fall down.

“Kyaa!”

But there was no time to stay down as Latifa was swept away in the tide of incoming people.

‘I can’t lose Yanan!’

“Yanan! Yanan! Let’s go together!”

Latifa hurriedly called out to her, but Yanan had already disappeared from her sight.

“Ah! Yanan! You left me behind! I’m here!”

“Move it! I’m in a hurry.”

“Excuse me, please make way.”

Unable to stand still due to the constant flow of people, Latifa was literally ‘swept away’ to a narrow alley with fewer people.

“Oh no, I need to find Yanan!”

She knew where Yanan might have gone. She had clearly said they needed to go to Gate 9 where the administrative building was.

She thought that if she waited under the archway there, something might work out.

‘The problem is I don’t know where that is. Let’s try to find it by looking for the gates!’

‘Whew. The Grand Bazaar is truly a place where everything moves fast. It’s incomparable to the imperial capital!’

Latifa quickly pulled her robe down and pulled her scarf up to her nose, then looked around.

−Caleb Gate 5

‘This is 5, so 9 should be…’

She was wandering around trying to find the 9th gate by eye.

“6, 7… This is the big intersection where I came with Yanan earlier…”

And then.

Someone suddenly covered Latifa’s mouth from behind a gloomy wall and pulled her, causing her to be dragged away helplessly.

“Right. I wasn’t mistaken! This white skin! Looks like a slave captured from the empire has escaped!”

“Mmph! Mph!”

A burly man slung Latifa over his shoulder in one motion and muttered. Though Latifa beat his back mercilessly, she was too weak to break free.

“Doesn’t even have a slave brand yet, could fetch a high price if resold.”

‘A kidnapper!’

Hearing the man’s snickering words, Latifa felt like the ground was crumbling beneath her feet. And at that moment, the face that came to mind was none other than Hades.

Dark skin with jet-black hair, and those black eyes that seemed to burn everything. That man with his always sneering tone who at the slightest chance mocked her and acted so full of himself.

‘General Hades…!’

Who would have thought that in a moment of danger, she would think of the general who had trampled her country?

But for Latifa now, Hades was the only option.

**

“I thought I’d meet Hades if I came this way, but it seems we crossed paths.”

Ruhan sighed as he left the administrative office of the spice market. He had come to meet Hades but failed.

There were widespread rumors that Hades would soon hold a grand banquet along with the Frau’s inauguration ceremony, but Ruhan hadn’t even heard the news directly, let alone seen Hades in person for a long time.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling to hear news about his closest friend through others, so Ruhan was in a bit of a bad mood.

Although Hades was a man who often acted recklessly, it was the first time he hadn’t told Ruhan anything like this.

“Your Highness, shall we return directly to the palace?”

When Irgos, Ruhan’s trusted guard captain, asked him, Ruhan shook his head.

“Since we’re already out, let’s do some inspection before we go. The spice market is always lively, no matter when you see it.”

“Please pull your robe down completely. It will be troublesome if someone recognizes Your Highness.”

“It’s not me who’ll be troubled, but you, right?”

“It’s troublesome when women keep chasing after Your Highness.”

They laughed pleasantly, and Ruhan pulled his white silk robe down to his head to conceal his identity.

Ruhan Basil.

He was most famous for three things in the Grand Bazaar.

First, he was the only prince born to the current Sultan’s official queen consort.

Second, he was a graceful beauty with soft eye corners and a sharp nose bridge that harmoniously stood out.

Third, he not only handled matters within the Grand Bazaar well with his warm compassion and unique wisdom but also held Hades’ leash.

If a popularity poll were conducted among the women of the Grand Bazaar, he would certainly be in the top five.

Ruhan himself, hoping to become a wise Sultan later, always cherished and loved both nobles and commoners, and there was no discrimination in that love.

And that standard of love was applied even when looking at the opposite sex.

Though he might not realize it himself, Ruhan was kind and smiled at all women, often stealing the hearts of many noble children and maids in the palace.

“Prince Ruhan, don’t you have any particular woman in mind? If you keep innocently charming all the women in the country like this, you might get into trouble later.”

When Irgos asked Ruhan, he answered with an ambiguous smile.

“Won’t I eventually welcome a beautiful and virtuous princess consort from a noble family? Right now, the Grand Bazaar is my lover.”

Thus, the love Ruhan poured out to others was always equal. Except for his only childhood friend, Hades.

“This intersection is always the biggest problem. It’s incredibly complex connecting Gates 5, 6, and 7 at once.”

“You get pushed around even standing still here, right? No matter how much we reorganize the roads, this place is always like this.”

Ruhan and Irgos mingled with the crowds to look around inside the spice market.

But while touring the market, Ruhan’s mind was preoccupied with worries about Hades.

“Get out of the way!”

“Ah! My apologies!”

While Ruhan was momentarily lost in thought, a burly man with a large load on his shoulder grumbled as he passed by.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Just as Irgos quickly whispered in Ruhan’s ear, Ruhan caught a glimpse of something silvery passing by his side.

“…What’s that?”

At the end of the leather pouch slung over the hurriedly passing man’s shoulder, a thin silver thread was sticking out.

Ruhan stared blankly at the silver shimmer that was too mysterious to be a woven material, holding a transparent and calm light.

−Twitch.

Catching the slight twitch of the leather pouch, Ruhan muttered to himself and stopped in his tracks.

“Wait, Irgos. I think that just moved…”

And in that moment, through Ruhan’s nose, which had been numbed by the intense scents of the spice market, the clear scent of blooming peonies rose along with faint jasmine and clean cedarwood.

“Prince Ruhan? Your Highness?! Where are you going?!”

Without knowing what he was doing, Ruhan ran blindly following that silver glimmer. Even as Irgos anxiously called after him from behind, Ruhan didn’t stop.

Though he didn’t know what it was, he felt like he shouldn’t lose sight of it now.

‘I need to check what that was!’

Ruhan quickly dashed through the alley and called out to the man carrying the load.

“You there! You…! Stop for a moment!”

“What?! Who’s that? Have I been caught?!”

When Ruhan urgently called out to him, the man, seeming guilty about something, suddenly started to run away.

“Wait! Stop right there!”

As the man fled, Ruhan, growing desperate, also started running quickly.

“Ugh, for a guy built like a mountain, he’s quite fast!”

Though the burly man was difficult to follow as he weaved through narrow alleys, Ruhan, who knew the local geography well, also nimbly jumped over objects.