-Tok, tap tap.

Along with the sound of leather shoes hitting the floor lightly, soon a beautiful woman with reddish-brown hair, Amira, blocked the path in front of Hades and Latifa.

Amira had beautifully let down her pretty reddish-brown hair along with healthy-looking desert skin, and was wearing a glamorous kaftan (women’s robe) embroidered with bright yellow and cream-colored flowers.

Her earrings that looked like falling water droplets and the circlet on her forehead with pretty red jewels also shone brilliantly.

‘She’s pretty. What kind of relationship does she have with General Hades?’

Amira’s voice, which wasn’t delicate but seemed to have a deliberate nasal tone, resounded loudly around them.

“Lord Hades!”

But Hades, even after hearing that voice, didn’t turn his head once and silently tried to pull Latifa up the stairs.

“Oh my. General Hades?”

“Just ignore it and keep walking.”

As Hades forcefully pulled her along, Latifa stumbled, and Amira seized that opportunity to approach Hades.

“Lord Hades! This is the first time seeing you since you returned from the Empire, isn’t it?! I, Amira, was so disappointed that I couldn’t see your face because you didn’t invite me to the Frau appointment ceremony, but seeing you again like this, you’re still as handsome and gallant as ever.”

She gave a brief curtsy and clung to General Hades’ other arm, starting to stare at him in a burdensome way.

It was the kind of pretty face that one might turn to look at again if encountered on the street, but Hades truly didn’t even turn his face.

“Lord Hades, unlike other men of the desert, has an overwhelmingly cold charm.”

Amira, undeterred by his cold treatment, continued to cling to him before turning her head slightly towards Latifa.

“Ah, is this the new war trophy? The silver hair that can’t be seen in the Grand Bazaar is quite exotic. But in the end, isn’t she just a trophy? I heard you named her Kalende, is that true?”

Amira sneered and mocked Latifa.

‘Wh-what’s with this woman?! And why isn’t General Hades saying anything?’

In a way, Hades seemed impressive for being able to perfectly ignore a woman clinging to him like that.

“When I heard the news about the trial, I begged my father and elder brothers to prepare a carriage and rushed here right away. To watch the trial! I might look a bit of a mess because I hurried.”

‘That’s a mess?! It looks like she put in more effort than I did!’

Amira, undeterred by Hades’ cold treatment, kept chattering and followed General Hades all the way to the door of the main palace.

‘You’d think she’d stop talking out of embarrassment after being ignored that much. I don’t know whether to call it impressive or pitiful.’

As Latifa glanced at Amira and their eyes met, Amira glared at Latifa with bulging fish eyes.

“Eek!”

Already intimidated by those eyes, Latifa quickly averted her gaze elsewhere.

Before they knew it, they had passed through the palace gates and arrived in front of the large oak doors of the audience chamber. They waited briefly while the doorkeeper opened the doors.

The sun was just setting, and torches were starting to be lit one by one inside the palace.

“You seem to have gotten thinner since I last saw you. Did I mention that I’ve been taking bride lessons lately? If you just try one bite of the cumin stew I made, you won’t be able to stop. Besides, isn’t that your favorite food, Lord Hades!”

“You.”

Hades finally broke his long silence.

“Yes, I, Amira. Whatever Lord Hades says…”

As Amira slightly lowered her head shyly and lifted her skirt a little, he paid no attention at all and turned to face Latifa.

“Um, General. That person keeps talking…”

Hades gently touched a strand of Latifa’s hair with his finger and quietly looked at her.

Then, very naturally, he moved his finger to caress her cheek.

At the strange feeling of the heat from his palm transferring to her face, Latifa quickly lowered her eyelashes.

“L-Lord Hades?!”

Amira’s voice had lost its nasal tone and was now filled with shock.

Ignoring Amira, Hades spoke to Latifa in a low, confident voice.

“I am Hades Caleb, the Ignite among flames. You too, as the Frau, burn without regret like a blazing flame.”

‘The flame among flames.’

As those words fell into Latifa’s heart, a small flame began to burn inside her as well.

“General Hades.”

As she called out to him with trembling breath at the approaching trial, he replied with a confident smile.

“It’s alright. Don’t mind the others, just believe in me and yourself.”

At that moment, the doorkeeper guarding the oak doors shouted loudly.

“General Hades Caleb and his Frau, along with the youngest daughter of Shadi, enter the Sultan’s audience chamber!”

As soon as the doors opened, Hades grabbed Latifa’s robe and swiftly twirled her, removing it in one motion.

As the outer robe was removed, a beautiful turquoise dress was revealed, and sounds of admiration could be heard from the surrounding people.

“So that’s Caleb’s Kalende…!”

“Indeed beautiful. But in the end, she’s still from the Empire.”

“Did she deliberately match outfits with the General? She must be receiving his favor.”

Hades had also removed his black robe and thrown it on the face of a nearby palace servant, and was now gracefully walking inside with his arm around Latifa’s waist.

“What’s with that wench?! She’s just a Frau of prisoner origin!”

Amira’s angry nasal voice could be heard about two steps behind.

Latifa tried not to pay attention to her mockery and walked slowly, feeling the texture of the carpet on the floor.

The Sultan’s audience chamber was also a magnificent place. Long, ornate columns with graceful curves supported the large space, and the walls were decorated with beautiful paintings of blue and gold tiles.

Exotic chandeliers and colorful glass lamps hung from the ceiling, brightly illuminating the audience chamber, and exotic sculptures and vases were placed between the walls.

The scent of solemn camphor incense rising indicated that this was a serious place.

Quite a lot of people had gathered around, sitting or reclining on cushions and pillows with gold tassels, drinking tea from golden trays as they watched them walk in.

Amira, who had followed behind Latifa, also mixed into that crowd and took a seat.

As Latifa bit her lower lip nervously and looked ahead, an elderly man wearing a large white turban sat in the highest seat in the center, gesturing with a solemn expression for them to come closer.

‘That person must be the Sultan.’

He wore a necklace made of large pearls and jewels around his neck and several thick, antique gold rings on his fingers, but what stood out most was the green emerald ear cuff on one of his ears.

‘I think Ruhan was wearing something similar on his ear too.’

Turning her head slightly, she could see a beautiful black-haired woman, Iota, sitting right next to the Sultan, being fanned by her maids.

‘General Hades was right. She’s the only woman looking down on us so arrogantly.’

Iota. Latifa’s heart began to beat a little faster as she faced the person responsible for trying to bring them down.

“Infinite glory to the Sultan. Hades Caleb Ignite has entered the palace at your summons. I am in awe of the Sultan’s efforts to establish order even at this late hour.”

Hades knelt down to pay his respects, and Latifa also knelt down to greet politely as Yanan had taught her.

“Infinite glory to the Sultan.”

The Sultan nodded with a small, benevolent smile on his face, and Hades and Latifa crawled on their knees to sit on the cushions prepared nearby.

‘I thought the Sultan would look very scary, but he looks quite kind-hearted!’

Contrary to Latifa’s expectation that the leader of the desert people who had overthrown the Empire would look frightening, he looked like a very benevolent middle-aged man.

At that moment, Iota spoke to Latifa in an arrogant voice.

“My, a slave who can speak the desert language! The golden princess in my palace is barely speaking in fragments now. You, where did you learn the desert language?”

‘I was told not to respond to anything Iota says.’

Latifa remained silent as Hades had instructed.

Iota then flared up slightly and became a bit irritated.

“You. Do you dare to deceive me, a mere prisoner slave from a fallen country?”

“Perhaps in her fallen country, concubines weren’t even worthy of being addressed, Iota.”

“My goodness, Sultan!”

Hades chuckled and sneered at Iota.

‘Ugh! So that’s why he told me not to respond! Is he trying to provoke the enemy further?!’

Seeing Iota’s face contort in an already uneasy situation made Latifa’s lips dry up even more.

At that moment, the Sultan addressed Latifa.

“Now, everyone, that’s enough. Hades’ Frau, what is your name?”

Latifa bowed her head respectfully and answered politely.

“My Sultan. My name is Latifa, my family name is Glacia, but the Empire has fallen, so the family name has lost its meaning.”

“You speak the desert language better than any Imperial I’ve seen. How clever! There should be no problem in conducting the trial!”

The Sultan exclaimed in genuine admiration and joy, speaking loudly to those around him.

“We will soon begin the trial to charge Hades’ Frau with the crime of attempting to assassinate royalty. Let everyone swear to the guardian deities that they will be responsible for their own words in a dignified manner, and let us embark together on the arduous journey to uncover truth and justice.”

Latifa took a deep breath, inwardly flustered by the scene that resembled a debate hall rather than a trial.

“The defendant is Hades’ Frau. The plaintiff is my concubine Iota. The charge is attempted assassination of royalty, for injuring Prince Tarek. Now, Frau, speak without lies about the situation you experienced that day.”

At the Sultan’s words, Iota quickly interjected.

“There’s no need to speak, she’s guilty. Prince Tarek was seriously injured. That insolent thing trained a lion to hurt the prince.”

At her words, several people around were seen nodding their heads.

Not knowing what to do, Latifa glanced at Hades, but he only made a slight chin gesture as if to say ‘go ahead and speak’.

‘Ugh. And he said to just trust him…’

With everyone looking only at her, Latifa had no choice but to take a long deep breath and speak about that day’s events.

“That day, due to a moment of carelessness, the lion escaped from us first. In that gap, the prince provoked the lion and got hurt, and I assure you there was absolutely no intention to harm him.”

It was all true, but the phrase ‘a moment of carelessness’ was a bit of a lie, which did prick her conscience.

After all, Latifa had deliberately let Caesar loose.

At Latifa’s defense, Iota shouted loudly.

“Lies! Sultan, do you believe the words of that wench?”

“Very well. Iota, now tell us why you think the Frau’s words are lies.”

As the Sultan gestured, Iota glared sharply at Latifa and said,

“General Hades never liked me to begin with. Moreover, it’s a well-known fact throughout the desert that General Hades, being loyal to Prince Ruhan, keeps Prince Tarek in check. It was suspicious from the start that such a person invited Prince Tarek to a banquet for the appointment of a mere Frau. He deliberately set a trap.”

“Haha. There is some logic to that.”

The Sultan closed his eyes tightly as if in deep thought.