Hades couldn’t bring himself to agree with Rashid’s words and protested instead.

“Iota, that vicious woman, not only insulted the pure bloodline of the royal family but also tried to take the lives of my subordinates on their way back by using trickery first.”

“……”

“Proud warriors would have been buried in the desert sand, unable to return safely, Sultan!”

“Yes. I heard that the soldiers lost their water on the way back. But that’s a separate issue. And there’s probably no evidence that it was Iota’s doing.”

“……!”

At Rashid’s words, Hades glared at him while breathing heavily.

Ruhan was also unsettled.

“Father. What does it mean to offer Lati to the royal palace?”

Offering a woman to the royal palace had two main implications.

Either becoming the king’s concubine. Or becoming a maid in the palace.

Then Hades, who had been silent, slowly opened his mouth.

“Sultan. Are you perhaps planning to take my Frau as retribution for not offering the Golden Princess to you last time?”

At those words, Rashid laughed heartily and said as if it were preposterous.

“You’re overestimating me because I look young. Although you’ve dressed her up as the Moon Goddess, when you strip away the facade, she’s nothing special as an imperial. Taking such a woman would only lower my reputation.”

To this, Hades replied while gritting his teeth.

“I am a meritorious subject who has returned after great achievements in war. If you take away my happiness like this, I inform you that it will also damage your reputation.”

Rashid snorted at Hades’ excuse, which seemed to be barely suppressing his anger.

“This impatient behavior is unlike you. Do you perhaps have special feelings for that Frau? The kind of feelings men have for women.”

At Rashid’s words, Hades hesitated for a long time, as if he was about to say something but couldn’t.

Ruhan also silently watched Hades, waiting for his answer.

After contemplating for a while, Hades finally said with an expression full of irritation.

“……What nonsense. To such an unremarkable woman from a ruined country……!”

At his answer, Ruhan wore a slightly complicated expression.

“Then I truly don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with her.”

“……Isn’t it obvious? She is a raw gem I picked up and a piece of jewelry I personally crafted. How can I easily give up my masterpiece that I created?”

At Hades’ ambiguous explanation, Ruhan bit his lower lip.

But Rashid didn’t give any answer to that, and Hades’ face began to contort strangely.

“Damn it!”

“Hades, mind your manners.”

Seeing Hades finally utter a small but clear curse, Ruhan called out to him as if to reprimand his attitude.

At Ruhan’s scolding, Hades lowered his voice a bit and spoke.

“Anyway, you can’t take my Frau like this. She is mine alone, found in the ruins of the empire.”

Rashid shook his head and said.

“I won’t reverse the judgment.”

Then Hades protested again, breathing heavily as if he couldn’t control his anger.

“Sultan, you can’t treat me like this. What have I been doing! What things have I been committing for you! What deeds have I been doing, being called a mad dog like this!”

Hades began to groan, tearing at his hair.

“Let’s speak properly. The things you did weren’t for me, but for Ruhan, the queen’s son, weren’t they?”

Hades jerked his head up and glared at Rashid at his firm words.

Though the madness had subsided, Rashid sighed seeing the black eyes filled with pure anger different from madness.

“Sultan, does someone like me not even deserve the right to happiness?”

At Hades’ voice, which seemed slightly wet, Rashid patted his shoulder.

“Huu. Hades. I’m not going to take away your happiness forever. So calm down. I know well that you’re working hard for Ruhan.”

Ruhan, who had been listening quietly from the side, asked.

“If it’s not forever, then what is it?”

“I will send Hades’ Frau to the harem.”

At Rashid’s words, Hades and Ruhan’s eyes widened to the size of walnuts.

Seeing the two grown young men standing there with their mouths wide open and eyes huge, looking dazed, Rashid burst into giggles, finding it somehow funny.

“Ahaha! Look at your faces! Hahaha! It’s such a shame there’s no mirror here! Ahaha!”

“Father! This is no laughing matter! You clearly said earlier that you had no intention of taking her!”

Ruhan chided Rashid, who was laughing holding his stomach.

“Ahaha. You two were being so serious, I couldn’t help it. Oh my, Hades. Don’t glare at me like you’re going to eat me alive. Ruhan, you too, smooth out your expression. A royal should never show their emotions so easily no matter what happens. Especially if you aim to become Sultan.”

“It seems the Sultan still has childish sensibilities.”

Hades growled, his eyes flashing sharply.

“I will send her as a maid to the harem palace where the concubine Karina is, while her wounds are being treated. Hades, I want to turn a blind eye to this incident, but too many people have witnessed your disgraceful behavior. Iota, who hates showing an unsightly appearance more than death, running barefoot in the audience hall…… Tsk, she must be greatly distressed by this incident. If I don’t give you a suitable punishment, the order of the Grand Bazaar will crumble.”

Ruhan cautiously asked Rashid.

“Why specifically a maid in the harem palace? It would be sufficient to make her just a palace maid.”

Rashid smiled kindly at his son and said.

“Sending her to a forbidden area for men would put Hades at ease, wouldn’t it? It’s not for nothing that storekeepers put multiple locks on their warehouses and stand guard in front of them when storing their goods.”

“……Lati is not a commodity.”

Ruhan said, seemingly displeased.

“Hades has already designated her as his private property, and I’m merely respecting his wishes, my son.”

“There’s also Hagnu, why Karina? It would be better to send her to Hagnu of the same Caleb……”

As Ruhan kept replying regretfully, Rashid raised his palm to stop him, as if to say that’s enough.

“Hades. I will give you a 1-month grace period. After observing your behavior for 1 month, I will entrust everything entirely to Karina, a third party, to decide whether your Frau can return to you.”

At those words, Hades’ fists clenched tightly, but he barely suppressed it and said to the Sultan.

“You knew I dislike the concubines and yet you handed down such a punishment. I, Hades, sincerely admire your wisdom.”

“Hades, don’t just look at the tree, see the forest. Now, I must go comfort Iota. Don’t you two have different places to go?”

Rashid chuckled, patted Ruhan’s shoulder, and leisurely left the audience hall.

**

Ruhan and Hades, who had left the audience hall, slowly walked along the arched corridor with beautiful symmetrical curves.

It was a refreshing night air, just right with a slightly cool breeze blowing and tickling their hair, but they just walked that path without saying anything.

“The moonlight is faint tonight.”

Hades, who hadn’t said anything, casually spoke to Ruhan first.

Ruhan looked up at the sky briefly at those words.

Indeed, a faint crescent moon was hanging, and even that was obscured by a thick halo, not particularly good scenery.

“So it is.”

“Ruhan, the Sultan must love you very much.”

“……You think so?”

“I realized it when I heard him say not to look at the tree but see the forest.”

“Hmm.”

“He sent Latifa to Karina, who is close to neutral, neither on your side nor on Tarek’s side. That must mean he wants you to bring her to your side to become the future Sultan.”

“……Then I’ll have to do it.”

Ruhan answered with a slight smile.

“I will definitely do it. I don’t even need a month. I’ll get my Frau out of here as soon as possible.”

Was Hades’ resolute voice for a vow to himself?

Or was it a warning to the other grown man beside him?

“……Right.”

What else could Ruhan say here?

Step, step. The two men walking along the corridor eventually reached a dead end.

The path curving to the left led to the royal infirmary where Latifa was lying, and the path curving to the right led to the main gate leaving the palace.

“Wait.”

Hades grabbed one of Ruhan’s arms as he was about to naturally turn left, and took off one of the gold bracelets jingling on his wrist to hand it to him.

It was one of the emblems of Ignite that the Sultan had given to Hades before, which Hades had given to Latifa to wear and had gotten back from Manut.

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Give this to that stupid woman. Tell her to wear it on her wrist.”

To Hades, who had returned to his usual self with a sneering tone, Ruhan wore a blank expression for a moment.

“You’re not going to see her? She’ll be moved to the harem palace tomorrow. You won’t be able to see her freely after that.”

The harem palace, a forbidden area for men, was a place only the Sultan could enter, and men’s entry was allowed only up to the fourth door out of the seven doors of the harem, and even that was only for the gatekeepers.

“What’s the point of going to see her now when she’ll obviously be lying there with her eyes closed like a corpse? The doctors will be watching closely, so I can’t do anything ‘special’ either, it’s just not fun at all.”

When he said ‘special’, Hades tapped his index finger on his lips, wearing a slightly mischievous expression.

Ruhan blushed slightly and hurriedly turned his gaze away.

“She is my Frau. So I need to put a nametag on her saying she’s mine so that everyone in the palace can recognize it.”

“What? Nametag?! As expected, no one can match you when it comes to eccentricities.”

Ruhan clicked his tongue as if dumbfounded.

“Ruhan, it’s only natural to properly write your name on your belongings so you don’t lose them. I won’t say that you don’t know what even a three-year-old child knows, right? Hahaha.”

He laughed cheerfully and gave a slight bow to Ruhan as a simplified courtesy.

“Then this prodigal son will go ahead, Prince.”

Hades bowed like that and turned towards the right corner of the corridor without hesitation.

Ruhan watched where Hades had disappeared and hurriedly conveyed his greetings.

“Hades, wait! Take care! Oh my…… He’s already gone. That guy is always quick on his feet.”

Ruhan muttered to himself and then looked at the golden bracelet in his hand.

The Ignite gold bracelet, with quite a few small scratches here and there, showed the years it had spent with him.

Ruhan quietly looked at it and then took out a small bracelet that he had kept deep in his pocket.

It was a cute and dainty bracelet with a beautifully intertwined peony pattern.

“……Nametag.”

A shy pink aura settled in Ruhan’s chestnut eyes and a small smile bloomed on his lips.

Ruhan hurriedly turned his body towards the left corner of the corridor and quickened his steps.