“Ugh……”

The first thing Latifa saw when she opened her eyes was a faint light.

“Ah, are you coming to your senses now?”

“This place…!”

Startled by the sudden sound of a man’s voice, Latifa quickly sat up and retreated backward, her eyes still unfocused.

Before she could remember what had happened, a man approached her side and handed her a water pouch.

Latifa could now see the man’s face in detail.

And as soon as she saw the pitch-black eyes looking down at her, all her memories came flooding back.

‘It’s that thief! I’ve been captured!’

Quickly glancing around, she realized she was inside a dark tent.

The only thing barely visible by the light of a small exotic lamp was the man who had approached her.

“Hiss…! D-Don’t come any closer!”

Latifa recoiled in shock at the man’s attire, which was briefly visible in the darkness.

The man wore only a black robe, and it seemed he wore nothing underneath as his dark chest was visible through the collar.

However, the man maintained a relaxed expression, as if her wariness didn’t concern him at all.

“So you really can speak the desert language.”

“…!”

“It’s water. Drink it.”

As a large pouch was placed in front of the confused Latifa with a thud, she shrank back again.

“It would be best not to think about escaping. Your leg is injured, so it’ll be difficult to move.”

At those words, Latifa quickly looked down at her ankle. The white cloth wrapped around it was clear evidence that someone had treated her.

She became a bit dazed. If he were just a simple thief, there would be no need to treat her, right?

“Why on earth…?”

“Rest more. We’ll talk tomorrow morning.”

The man spoke indifferently and retreated back into the darkness beyond the lamp’s light.

It seemed as if he had no intention of laying a hand on her.

She stared at the water pouch in front of her, trying to fully understand her current situation. But her confused mind wouldn’t cooperate.

Just then, she heard the sound of a water pouch being shaken from the darkness, as if the man was drinking. Then a series of wild gulping sounds echoed from the darkness.

Hearing those sounds made her realize her own intense thirst. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gulped down cool water, having been constantly on the run.

Though fear of the man still lingered, the instinct for survival couldn’t be ignored either.

She swallowed dryly and cautiously reached for the water pouch in front of her.

“A-Are you a thief?”

Still maintaining her wariness, Latifa asked in a small voice towards the darkness. The man’s voice came back from the shadows.

“In this situation, if I said I wasn’t a thief, would you readily believe me?”

“…No.”

The man’s tone was a bit arrogant, but he wasn’t wrong.

“Then there’s no need for unnecessary explanations. You’ll find out everything when daylight comes, so just get some more rest. Nothing dangerous that you’re imagining will happen.”

Hearing the man’s refined pronunciation and arrogant way of speaking, she finally realized that it was the language used by high-ranking nobles of the desert.

‘Judging by that way of speaking, he doesn’t seem to be a thief…’

Then who is he? A desert merchant? A noble young master enjoying travel? What is he doing in the fallen empire’s land?

‘But regardless of who he is, the fact that he’s a desert man remains unchanged.’

As if watching her hesitate to put the water pouch to her lips, the man’s voice came again from the darkness.

“As a proud desert man, I have no intention of harming you, who knows the desert language. So just rest for now.”

After that, the man fell silent. Only the sound of soft breathing could be heard.

‘Who on earth could he be.’

With numerous questions in mind, Latifa carefully opened the leather pouch. At first, she timidly put it to her lips, but soon she was gulping down the cool, clean water noisily, savoring it after so long.

By the time she had emptied the entire pouch, the small light had completely faded, leaving the tent in darkness and silence.

The wariness towards him that had kept her on edge soon dissipated.

As soon as her thirst was quenched, she was overcome by drowsiness and closed her eyes.

Though the sudden situation was confusing, the comfortable sleeping place after so long didn’t feel too bad.

Moreover, the sweet scent wafting gently from the tent was further calming her mind.

‘…I wish tomorrow would never come.’

In her drowsy state, she vaguely felt someone covering her with something. But exhausted and languid, she had already fallen into a deep sleep.

**

Latifa woke up with a start at the sound of birds chirping cheerfully.

“…!”

She looked around frantically at the inside of the tent, now clearly visible in the morning sunlight.

There was a makeshift bed made of crates, a desk, and a few scrolls rolling on the floor, but overall it was a noble and neat tent.

It was hard to believe that just yesterday she had been barely scraping by with a group of refugees, huddling around campfires, and now she was in such a neatly organized tent. Latifa pinched her cheek to make sure.

“Ouch…. So it’s not a dream.”

Pushing aside the exotic silk blanket that reflected the desert people’s taste, she sighed slightly in relief as she confirmed that the man from last night was not there.

‘He really didn’t do anything to me. Just who is that man?’

As she unconsciously took a step off the bed, she collapsed back down due to the intense pain in her ankle.

“Ugh! My leg…!”

At that moment, someone approached the tent from outside, and two desert men entered.

“When should we issue the order to move?”

“Finish preparations so we can depart at noon.”

The ones who entered, lifting the tent’s curtain, were Hades and his right-hand man, Manut.

Hades, who had entered the tent, glanced at Latifa sitting awkwardly but passed by nonchalantly, speaking to Manut.

“We’ll be a bit short on supplies, but we need to reach the Sorute border region while conserving as much as possible. We’ll replenish after joining the main force. It was the condition that we sell their goods.”

“Understood, General.”

“General?!”

Surprised at his identity, Latifa unconsciously blurted out and quickly covered her mouth. Hades and Manut’s gazes turned to her.

There was only one person who came to mind at the mention of ‘General’.

Hades Caleb, the supreme general of the desert kingdom, Grand Bazaar, who played the biggest role in driving out the imperial forces and toppling the empire with unstoppable force.

That very person was standing right in front of her.

“So she really can speak the desert language, an imperial.”

“Did you think I had nothing better to do than lie to you?”

Hades responded irritably to Manut’s amazed comment.

“Actually, I thought it was just an excuse you made up to bring a woman along. Should I leave you two alone?”

“It’s not your business, so don’t worry about it. Now, send these to the messenger.”

“Yes, General.”

Hades turned his head back as if it was nothing, and Manut also respectfully obeyed his order without a word.

But Latifa’s mind was filled with confusion.

The fear she had momentarily forgotten was creeping back.

‘Is this really General Hades?!’

Just when she thought she had escaped the clutches of thieves, she encountered General Hades, who had toppled the empire she was from. She couldn’t have worse luck than this.

‘And to think we were running away from his soldiers…!’

She felt like crying at her life that seemed filled with nothing but misfortune.

“Then I will finish the withdrawal preparations and we will depart at noon.”

Having finished his business, Manut bowed respectfully to Hades and left the tent.

Hades slowly approached Latifa, who was sitting dazed at the realization that the man who had helped her was the general.

Latifa could now see his face clearly.

Under the dark desert skin and curly black hair, his handsome, masculine features stood out.

And his leather-bracered forearms, toned muscles, and well-balanced body clearly showed that he was an excellent warrior.

But Hades was the man who had toppled the empire and the Tania royal family in an instant. The thought that she might not be safe if he discovered her true identity made her breath catch.

‘It’s okay. No one knows I’m the princess. He couldn’t have noticed.’

She kept reassuring herself, but she couldn’t stop her heart from pounding at the pressure he exuded.

“You look so anxious even though you know I’m not a thief. Are you really the same woman who clung to my arm and shouted last time?”

He reached into his clothing and pulled out a ripe apple, holding it out to her.

“Or are you thinking of trying to bewitch me and escape again?”

Latifa’s mind went blank under his gaze.

“It seems the empire doesn’t have the custom of thanking those who save your life.”

His black eyes, burning like black flame, were focused solely on Latifa.

Hades seemed to be waiting for her to open her mouth.

Feeling that he would keep staring at her until she spoke, Latifa finally opened her dry lips to answer.

“Should we call you benefactors, you who destroyed our empire?”

His face twisted slightly at her words.

“I have nothing to say about that. You got me there.”

“And if you hadn’t found us, we could have passed by quietly. We wouldn’t have been scattered like this either.”

Though she was scared, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything nice to the man who had turned the empire into a wasteland, now standing right in front of her.

At Latifa’s gently accusatory tone, Hades snorted as if exasperated.

“Ah, I have a good excuse for that. If I hadn’t saved you then, you would have eventually been discovered by the remnants of the bandits and taken as slaves.”

‘You’re the one who turned the empire into a sea of fire!’

Latifa glared at him angrily at his tone, which seemed to imply he wasn’t such a violent person. Hades’ eyebrow quirked mischievously at her fiery gaze.

“Your group that escaped then has all been brought in by my subordinates and is being kept safe. We plan to escort you to a neutral third country.”

Latifa blinked in surprise at the unexpected news that all the refugees were safe.

“A-All of them?”

She had clearly thought they would take the prisoners of the defeated country and treat them ruthlessly.

“Yes. All of them. I heard my men ran in all directions to catch them.”

As Hades proudly listed off, Latifa, who had been dazed, finally came to her senses and asked urgently.

“Even the children?! There were many children there!”

“Yes. I heard they brought everyone. There’s no one who would dare give me a false report, so you can check for yourself later.”

“Haa… Thank goodness. Thank goodness.”

Latifa muttered in the imperial language, rubbing her chest in relief at the fact that even all the children were safely gathered. Hades, who had been watching her take a deep breath while rubbing her face, opened his mouth again.

“Moreover, I’m treating your leg, and now I’m even personally sharing food with you. You must still be half-asleep if you don’t know who has the upper hand here.”

At his tone that seemed both scolding and teasing, she thought ‘Oh no’.

She finally realized that if she provoked his anger, he might harm her and the imperial prisoners or take out his frustration on them. Latifa quickly shut her mouth, blaming herself for her foolish mistake.

“You were talking so boldly earlier, but now you’ve closed your mouth? It was entertaining, please continue.”

Hades said with a chuckle, and she couldn’t understand his intentions. Come to think of it, it was strange that he had separated her from the group and was treating her like this.

He didn’t know she was the princess, and as far as he knew, she was just one of the refugee group. Why show such kindness?

There must be a hidden motive behind it.

As she pondered with her muddled mind, a scene from the past flashed through her head.

It was her standing with arms spread in front of Hades. And it was her trying desperately to divert his attention. Above all, it was her who had clung to him tightly, wrapping her body around his.

“Oh my.”

‘He must be trying to make an example of me for trying to deceive him then…!’

No matter how she thought about it, that was the only explanation.

Wherever she went, it was customary for those in high positions to punish those who had deceived them, and for General Hades who had toppled the empire, there couldn’t be a more certain reason. Because.

‘That’s right. General Hades’ nickname was… the Mad Dog!’

The moment she recalled this, her face turned pale in an instant. Even in the imperial palace before she fled, rumors about him were rampant.

– They say his nickname is Mad Dog. I heard he’s crossing the border right now!

– We’ll all be torn apart by the Mad Dog! Run away!

– They say the Mad Dog’s fangs are this big and he foams at the mouth!

“Ugh……”

Lati, the Mad Dog might tear you apart.

At the warning voice echoing in her head, she kept her mouth shut tight and lowered her gaze. It felt like any moment he would drop his playful smile and bite her neck.

As the reality became clearer, her body trembled so much her teeth chattered. It was fine if she was punished. She was more worried about the other refugees.

“……”

Seeing her suddenly turn pale and start trembling violently, Hades sighed softly and forcefully placed the apple he was holding into her hand.

“Sigh. Just eat this. You shrink back at every word, one more and you’ll faint again.”

Her heart started pounding loudly again at the hot sensation of his hands on hers. Hades’ voice pierced her ears.

“We depart at noon. Since your leg hasn’t healed yet, you will ride the same horse as me. Rest here until then.”

With those words, Hades immediately left the tent.

Left alone again, Latifa clutched her still-dazed head and slowly sorted through the situation that had just occurred.

So they weren’t thieves, and the refugees were still safe.

And she was left here separately to receive some sort of punishment for deceiving him.

That much was within the realm of understanding.

But the problem was what came next.

She was to accompany Hades?

“R-Ride the same horse…? Why…?”

At the words that somehow didn’t add up, Latifa wondered for a long time if she had heard wrong.

And until Hades personally lifted her up and placed her on the horse’s saddle, receiving the curious gazes of numerous desert soldiers, she firmly believed that what she had heard was an auditory hallucination.