Captured by the Desert Tyrant - Chapter 48
On the opposite side of the imperial palace where Latifa’s trial was in full swing, Ruhan and Tarek were continuing their conversation in the prince’s palace.
“Persuade Iota to ensure that Hades’ Frau will not be punished at the trial.”
Tarek snorted and refused.
“Hmph. It’s my shoulder that’s injured, not my head. Why should I do that? Is your mad dog ordering you to do so?”
“If you do this for me, I won’t do anything at this year’s Grand Bazaar Mercatus.”
Ruhan went straight to the point and stated his proposal.
The Mercatus was the ‘Festival of Merchants’, a grand festival held once a year at the Grand Bazaar.
It was such a magnificent festival that most desert people wished to participate in the Mercatus, and it was a good opportunity for princes competing for the Sultan’s position to gain public support.
Surprised by the sudden, dramatic proposal, Tarek forgot to get angry and stared at him blankly before asking.
“Do you realize what you’re saying, elder brother?”
Then Ruhan slightly revealed the brown side hair covering his ears, showing an ear cuff decoration densely studded with emeralds.
It was similar to the decoration hanging on one of Tarek’s ears.
“I swear on the green emerald symbolizing the Basili dynasty. Of course, I’ll write up a contract too.”
In the Grand Bazaar, the kingdom of merchants, a contract was more sacred than scripture, and a prince’s oath on the green emerald was as solemn as a vow to keep it even after death.
“So, if I persuade mother and make sure there’s no punishment for the Frau, you won’t do anything at the Mercatus, elder brother?”
“Donations, crime prevention activities, event hosting, occasional easing of regulations. I promise not to do any of it.”
Tarek kept snorting in disbelief. To him, it seemed like a heavily one-sided deal.
“Does your mad dog know about these conditions too?”
Tarek asked Ruhan, who was speaking calmly without changing his facial expression. Ruhan laughed leisurely, as if finding Tarek ridiculous, and said.
“Hades is a close friend and at the same time my servant. He should be watching out for me, why should I be watching out for him?”
After pondering for a moment, Tarek suddenly stood up and hurriedly took out a quill pen.
“Fine. Let’s get the contract.”
Ruhan continued to fiddle with the bracelet in his hand and smiled slightly.
**
In the Sultan’s audience chamber where the trial was in full swing.
Latifa glanced at Hades, but as expected, he said nothing.
‘What, what are you going to do? Just sit there doing nothing?’
Seeing that it seemed difficult to get any help from him, Latifa slowly opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry, but that’s a completely separate opinion unrelated to my charge of ‘taming a lion and injuring a prince’. What’s important is whether I tamed a lion and injured him. Without evidence of that, it’s just speculation fitted to the situation.”
At Latifa’s words, Iota’s face instantly hardened again.
“The Frau’s words are correct. Iota, is there evidence that she tamed the lion?”
The Sultan gently extended his hand towards Iota.
“People say that even though the lion was in a very ferocious state, it did not attack this wench. That should be evidence that she had completely tamed the lion.”
Hmm.
That’s quite right.
Latifa unconsciously nodded at her words. Then General Hades poked her waist sharply as if to tell her to come to her senses.
“Ouch! That hurts!”
While she was rubbing her sore waist, the Sultan extended his hand towards Latifa, and many people’s gazes were fixed on her.
“Good. Then what evidence is there that the Frau did not instigate the lion?”
Feeling cold sweat running down her back, Latifa carefully opened her mouth.
“I heard that Prince Tarek rushed at the lion with a sword. While my presentation of the lion in the stadium was planned, Prince Tarek charging with a sword was not planned, so how can you say the two are the same?”
At her words, one middle-aged man watching the trial shouted.
“I saw that too, Sultan. I was there, and many people were shocked when Prince Tarek suddenly drew his sword and ran to the front of the stadium. No one could have anticipated that situation.”
Then someone else spoke loudly from another side.
“No, that’s not true. First, General Hades shouted that Prince Tarek would catch the lion, and the prince was pushed into it.”
At those words, General Hades snorted.
“Are you saying that Prince Tarek was trivially swayed by my words?”
“Yes, that’s disrespectful talk that belittles Prince Tarek! It’s an insult to the dynasty!”
Another person agreed with Hades’ words.
“Talk sense! How is that insulting the dynasty?! Injuring the prince is more insulting!”
Yet another person rebutted the following words.
And for a moment, people started to become noisy, arguing about who was right and who was wrong.
As Latifa became dumbfounded by the suddenly chaotic atmosphere, Hades whispered to her.
“At times like this, don’t just stand there stupidly, but figure out who my enemies and allies are, Latifa. That’s politics. Even without the parties involved, this is also a fight between Ruhan and Tarek.”
At those words, Latifa quickly came to her senses, looked around, and whispered.
“There seem to be quite a lot of forces supporting Prince Tarek.”
“Yes. They’ve increased a lot while I was away on expedition.”
Amidst the commotion, Iota pleaded tearfully to the people.
“I believe that parents with children will understand my feelings. Setting aside the name of the Basili dynasty, he is my precious son, and what mother would just stand by and watch this? Prince Tarek was injured. Does it make sense that there is no perpetrator?”
At her emotional plea, people briefly stopped their commotion and started to quiet down.
‘That’s true. What mother would stay still when her child is hurt…’
As Latifa reflexively nodded again at Iota’s words, Hades once again poked her waist sharply with his finger.
“Ouch! General, that hurts.”
“Get your act together. Iota is a woman with excellent eloquence. You should never underestimate her.”
While Latifa was grumbling, public opinion quickly began to lean towards Iota.
“That’s right. Regardless, the prince was injured and that’s a clear fact. It’s only right to punish the one responsible for this incident.”
“If we’re talking about the person in charge, it must be Hades Caleb…”
As public opinion tried to push Hades into a corner, Amira suddenly pointed at Latifa and said.
“Responsibility? General Hades is also a victim! Everything happened because of that Frau wench!”
At Amira’s sharp words, Latifa hesitated for a moment.
‘Right. I did plan something that even General Hades didn’t know about.’
But Latifa raised her head proudly and looked at the Sultan.
‘But I didn’t do anything wrong. If I have to be punished for a crime I committed, I’ll accept it, but this isn’t my crime!’
“You must punish that wench. Not only did she injure a member of the royal family, but she’s also tarnishing Caleb’s name!”
‘Why is that woman taking out her anger on me?!’
Latifa couldn’t understand at all why Amira was being so hostile towards her, when it was Hades who had completely ignored her.
As Latifa was about to retort in disbelief, one brown-haired woman sitting next to the Sultan intervened.
“Hoho. Sultan. That child is now Caleb’s Frau, so why would she deliberately tarnish Caleb’s name?”
“Indeed, Hagnu. What do you think?”
Iota spoke savagely to the woman called Hagnu.
“Sultan. There’s no need to listen to Hagnu’s words. What would she know, having no children?”
Then Hagnu also giggled and retorted to Iota.
“Iota. Isn’t Prince Tarek ‘someone with nothing but physical strength’? He’ll recover soon, so aren’t you being too harsh on General Hades’ cute Frau?”
It was the courtesans’ eloquence, elegantly cutting each other down without a single curse word.
But Hagnu’s brown hair and chestnut eyes strangely resembled someone.
Latifa quickly asked Hades.
“General Hades. Who is that woman?”
Hades glanced at where Latifa was pointing while receiving a scroll from a man who had approached his side, then frowned deeply.
“The Sultan’s third woman.”
“She’s helping me. Seems like she’s on our side.”
“Yes. If she has any shame, that’s the least she should do.”
Hagnu yawned slightly as if drowsy, then settled herself right on the Sultan’s right leg and gently rested her head on his knee.
‘Is that allowed during a trial?!’
Latifa’s face suddenly reddened slightly at their unexpected freedom.
But no one in the hall paid any attention to them, and they were in the midst of debating among themselves about who was at fault.
Hagnu asked the Sultan in a soft voice.
“Sultan. If I were lost in admiration of a beautiful glass lamp and accidentally broke it, cutting my hand, who should I blame?”
At her question, the Sultan’s eyes curved nicely, looking just like he was trying to hold back laughter.
“I may have been injured, but the glass lamp was broken due to my carelessness. Then I should blame my foolish self, right?”
“Indeed, Hagnu. That was an accident. It was your fault.”
“Then this incident could also be seen as an unfortunate accident that occurred because Prince Tarek first brandished his sword, couldn’t it?”
Hagnu, who said that, winked at Latifa.
‘This woman called Hagnu is helping me.’
But Iota was persistent too.
“Sultan. If a fierce dog bites and injures someone, who should pay for the treatment? Isn’t it clearly stated in the law that a dog is legally the owner’s private property, and if that private property harms another person, the owner should rightfully take responsibility?”
Iota slowly stood up and reached out towards Latifa, her magnificent purple dress fluttering.
“Therefore, this is the responsibility of that Frau who failed to properly tame the lion.”
It was the moment when responsibility was being shifted back to Latifa.
At that moment, the doors of the audience chamber opened and Ruhan and Tarek walked in, causing Iota’s eyes to begin filling with astonishment.
‘Ruhan!’
Latifa’s face lit up with a happy expression, inwardly glad to see Ruhan walking in confidently.
“Ruhan and Tarek. My proud sons have arrived! Good. Let’s take a brief recess! Everyone, have a cup of tea and think calmly.”
The Sultan welcomed his sons with a bright smile, and Hagnu, who had been lying on his knee, also got up and disappeared into the crowd.
“Mother.”
“Prince Tarek! Wh-why did you come to the trial when your body must not be well?!”
“Since this trial is related to my injury, shouldn’t I come and see?”
Tarek sat down right next to Iota and started whispering something in her ear.
Ruhan approached Hades and Latifa.
“Ruhan. There was no need for you to come out.”
Hades spoke to Ruhan in a somewhat displeased voice, but Ruhan’s attention was already focused on Latifa.
“Lati, it’s been a while. I should have greeted you separately after that day, but there wasn’t a suitable opportunity. Didn’t I tell you? That we would surely meet again someday.”
As Ruhan smiled brightly and greeted her politely, Latifa also smiled broadly and bowed her head.
‘Ruhan really is a prince here. He must have come to help with my trial since he’s on Hades’ side. So when Hades said to trust only him, he meant Ruhan would help.’
Latifa looked at Hades with a happy expression, finally confident that she would win the trial with Ruhan’s appearance. But Hades was just staring ahead with a terrible expression, as if something was displeasing him.
“General Hades?”
Latifa cautiously called out to Hades, but she had to turn her head again as Ruhan spoke to her from the side.
“Lati. I’m sorry if I surprised you at the Frau’s appointment ceremony. I didn’t hide being a prince with bad intentions. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Hearing Ruhan’s kind voice from when they first met in the spice market, rather than the solemn voice from the Frau appointment ceremony, Latifa waved her hands and responded.
“Forgiveness? I should be more sorry for not properly thanking you for saving me!”
Hades pulled the seemingly embarrassed Ruhan to sit beside him and said.
“Ruhan. There was no need for you to come. I didn’t ask you to.”
Hades’ black eyes flashed sharply as he looked at Ruhan. Then Ruhan whispered awkwardly to Hades.
“Hades, I made a deal with Tarek.”
“What deal.”
Hades continued to reply grumpily, as if still displeased.
“Tarek will persuade Iota.”
“It won’t be for free. What’s the price?”
“I hope you won’t get angry.”
Ruhan scratched the back of his head slightly and hesitated to speak.
“What good would come from me getting angry at the prince? Hurry up and tell me.”
“I gave up participating in this year’s Mercatus.”
“…”
Hades said nothing and just glared at Tarek and Iota on the opposite side.
“I’m sorry, Hades. I know it’s a foolish thing, but I didn’t want you and your Frau to be in trouble. As long as Iota persists, it won’t be easy to avoid.”
“Don’t do unnecessary things, Ruhan.”
Hades muttered lowly, almost growling.
*
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“How dare you!”
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At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
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_____
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