Hades touched Latifa’s cheek as he spoke.

“You seemed to have gained some weight, but now you’ve become thin again.”

“…I’ve been emotionally distressed because of the lion.”

His dark face illuminated by the flickering torch was flawlessly handsome, except for the dried dark red blood at the corners of his mouth.

“I ordered Yanan to fatten you up like a piglet’s belly. Now poor Yanan will be the one to receive punishment.”

Although Hades’ voice was slightly cracked at the end, perhaps from shouting too loudly during the earlier performance, it was still an attractive low tone.

“Are you going to punish her for that?”

“If the goddess wishes it.”

When Latifa asked worriedly, he chuckled playfully. Then he stretched out his thumb and rubbed Latifa’s mouth firmly.

Latifa frowned at his touch, which was a bit too insistent and strong to be considered a gentle caress for a woman.

“What is it?”

“There’s lion’s blood on you, but it’s already dried and won’t come off easily.”

“There’s no use trying to wipe it off. The blood has already spread everywhere. Caesar’s blood… Eek!”

Lick.

Latifa let out a shrill scream, startled by the soft and hot sensation touching around her mouth.

Hades had lightly licked the bloodstain on Latifa’s face like a cat. Then he pressed the bloodstained area again with his thumb.

He seemed to be trying to wipe off the dried stain by moistening it with saliva.

‘You could just wet your finger and wipe it off!’

“I-I’ll wipe it off myself!”

A flustered Latifa quickly pulled her face back.

Hades Caleb, his actions were always beyond Latifa’s range of prediction.

It wasn’t solely because he was a desert man different from her, an imperial.

Just like that. Just as it’s considered a truth that the sun is red and the moon is blue, the truth Latifa realized was that the man named Hades Caleb was simply ‘strange’.

“The blood of an emperor isn’t particularly sweet or special in taste. It’s just ordinary blood. When you think about how many people are struggling to obtain this ordinary blood, while humans are no different, it’s not even funny.”

Hades quickly rubbed the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth, then slowly slid his finger to play with her small lips.

“What about you? Do you also crave the blood of an emperor?”

His voice asking that sounded as if he was testing Latifa. Like dangling a tempting bait at the end of a fishing line.

But Latifa firmly shook her head.

“No.”

“Liar.”

As the torch hanging on the wall blazed strongly and flickered, intense fire shadows began to fill his eyes completely.

“Why do you think it’s a lie?”

“You hid the fact that you tamed the lion without my knowledge, and you didn’t move according to the plan I had laid out, changing it as you pleased. Why? Did you want to impress him rather than me when you heard that the Sultan’s bloodline had arrived here?”

Latifa was so dumbfounded by his slightly impatient growling words that she couldn’t say anything.

When did he ever tell her to impress the prince when he assigned her the task?

Now he’s rebuking her for brilliantly accomplishing that task?

As Latifa was too stunned to answer due to Hades’ contradictory behavior, he just stared at her face while biting his lip. He seemed to be urging her to answer quickly.

“General Hades.”

Latifa wanted to argue that it was the job he had ordered her to do, but after slowly catching her breath, she spoke composedly.

“I have now become your Frau. Your happiness. From now on, my job is to make you happy to the best of my ability. I don’t care who the Sultan’s bloodline is.”

‘And the blood of an emperor is useless to me. Even the honor of being the imperial princess of the once-glorious Tania Empire has now become more useless than a rag.’

Latifa continued speaking.

“What you want is for the prince you’re backing to become Sultan. And I helped with that. All of it was for you.”

“…”

“To see you happy. Because… that’s our deal.”

Cautiously checking his expression, his sharp glare seemed to have softened a bit. But his expression still looked somewhat uneasy and anxious.

Latifa carefully touched the dried bloodstain on his lips and said.

“You ask if I crave this blood? Not at all. What I want most right now is a small, fresh, sweet pomelo.”

Hades stared intently at her as she caressed his face. The texture of his skin under her fingertips was infinitely soft, contrary to the expectation that it would be extremely rough.

The sound of drummers beating large drums – boom, boom – was spreading from the stadium through the silence between Hades and Latifa.

Thump. Thump. Boom, boom.

It was impossible to tell whether it was hearts pounding or the sound of large drums echoing off the walls. A subtle tension lingered between the two.

The black abyss of his eyes, impossible to read, sparkled as they focused entirely on her.

Latifa’s own heart felt strange as she looked into his eyes. It seemed like she wanted something from him, but she didn’t have the courage to properly face what it was.

She had a strange premonition that if she faced it, she would never be able to go back to the way things were before.

Trying to avoid the strange atmosphere, Latifa quickly changed the subject, taking her hand away from his lips.

“We should wipe off the blood.”

Then Hades urgently grabbed her wrist.

“Ugh!”

“My goddess.”

Hades slowly leaned towards Latifa. Latifa tried to back away with her heart pounding, but she couldn’t retreat any further as her back hit the wall.

“If you would wipe the dirty blood from this body.”

“Huh…”

The sensation of Hades’ exhale settling on her neck made her whole body tingle. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

Latifa couldn’t utter a word, feeling like her heart might jump out if she opened her mouth. She didn’t know what to say either.

“That too would be an honor beyond compare.”

“G-General Hades…”

“Shh. We are merely wiping off blood.”

As Latifa exhaled, his hot breath collided with her lips.

His lips, soft yet firm inside, shattered hotly against hers.

‘Yes, this is… just wiping off blood…’

Hades’ low, sweet voice always had a strange persuasiveness to it. It had the power to make things seem like they would happen if he said so.

If he told her to do translation work, she could do it, and if he said she could tame a lion, she really could. If he told her to make it rain, it really would rain.

If he told her to become a goddess, she really would become one.

It was like that now too.

That this was nothing to us, just wiping off blood.

Even Latifa, who had been flustered and hesitant, gradually relaxed her body.

“Mmm.”

Latifa’s legs, which were already trembling, now seemed to have no strength left to stand as they gave way and she collapsed towards Hades.

Hades firmly grabbed Latifa’s waist as she fell and continued to share his hot breath.

Latifa, exhausted by the whirlwind of heat, had only Hades to lean on.

The bitterness of the dried bloodstain faded momentarily as Latifa hugged his neck even tighter. And she quietly accepted the lips of the man hotter than sand heated by the sun.

Boom, boom, the drum beats from outside were getting faster and faster.

And as the drum beats escalated to a rapid rhythm, their breathing quickened.

Only after the drum beats reached their climax and stopped did he finally part his lips.

The droplet of blood that had hardened on his lips seemed to have melted, as a thin scarlet line glistened briefly before breaking.

“Haa.”

‘It’s so intense I don’t know where to put my mind. General Hades’ actions are truly unpredictable like a desert windstorm.’

As soon as the scarlet kiss ended, Latifa seemed to feel the limit of her willpower that she had been holding onto, as she staggered and rested her head on Hades’ chest.

Not knowing what expression to make, she kept her eyes lowered while catching her breath. Then Hades whispered playfully in her ear.

“Let’s see. A box of precious pearls received as a reward and the glory of an emperor. Subtract the price of a basket of fresh pomelos from that. You also took the expensive golden lion I brought in, so we should deduct that cost too. And you injured a royal. As long as Iota persists, it will be difficult to avoid punishment. We should also subtract my efforts regarding that…”

“W-what is that?”

Latifa asked in confusion at Hades’ sudden calculations.

“Yes. Despite all those losses, I have gained the Moon Goddess Callende as my Frau, so how could this not be a profitable business?”

Hades, letting out a small laugh, carried Latifa in his arms and leisurely walked towards the inner part of the private property.

In the opposite direction from the stadium continuing the night’s feast in a frenzy of excitement.

As they exited into the arched corridor connected to the outside while she was held in his arms, the loosened night heat of the Grand Bazaar was blowing in warmly.

When Latifa slightly raised her head to look at him, Hades’ expression illuminated under the soft full moonlight seemed completely relaxed.

Seeing his relieved expression as if everything was finished, she too could feel a small sense of relief.

‘Phew. The inauguration ceremony is really over now. I want to rest quickly…’

Latifa’s blue eyes were already drooping closed. She prayed to the heavens while trying to calm her still pounding heart.

During this desert night as she closed her eyes, leading her body tired from numerous storms.

That nothing would happen.

**

A harem maid hurriedly ran along the corridor inside the harem palace.

“Lady Iota! Lady Iota!”

The white stone building the maid entered was the largest and most beautiful palace among the harem palaces.

She rushed to the innermost hammam of the palace and said to the maids attending to the bath:

“Quickly, an audience with Lady Iota!”

She quickly approached Iota, who was lying face down on the central seat of the hammam receiving a massage.

The hammam, where rose water that requires hundreds of roses to make a single drop was poured generously, always resonated with the scent of freshly picked roses.

As the maid knelt and paid her respects, Iota lazily waved her hand without even raising her face, as if telling her to get straight to the point.

The maid nervously glanced at the other maids around, giving them a look. Understanding her meaning, the women hurriedly cleared away the fragile porcelain dishes and colorful glass perfume bottles nearby.

“Lady Iota. I swear by the guardian deities of the desert that I deeply regret having to deliver such news to you. Please forgive me first for having to convey such irreverent words.”

At those words, Iota slowly raised her prostrate body and composed herself with a towel woven from high-quality fabric.

Iota’s skin was smooth and pleasantly dark honey-colored, with black silky hair flowing softly.

“I forgive you. Quickly state your business.”

The maid, with permission from Iota, bowed her head and barely opened her mouth.

“Prince Tarek…! It is said that Prince Tarek was gravely injured at General Hades’ banquet!”

“What?!”

Iota sprang up and shouted, and all the maids around bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.

“It seems… General Hades released a golden lion at the banquet, and Prince Tarek, falling for his provocation, stepped forward to catch the lion, but then… he was injured on the shoulder by the lion’s claws.”

All the maids trembled, waiting for the next outburst at the news of Tarek’s injury.

But strangely, no words were heard from Iota.

Instead.

“Ah… my son, Tarek.”

– Thud.

Iota chose a much quieter and more efficient method than raging and throwing a fit.

“Kyaa! Lady Iota!”

“Lady Iota! Guardian deities! Lady Iota! Come to your senses! Girls, quickly call for a physician! Lady Iota! You, go and inform the Sultan immediately!”

On the luxurious and sophisticated gold and silver tiled floor, crafted by the hands of various artisans, lay Iota with her beautiful black hair scattered.