Captured by the Desert Tyrant - Chapter 66

Latifa was speechless at the thunderous words.

“I see. I will send a messenger to Hades.”

The Sultan answered without a moment’s hesitation to her words.

“Ah, no!”

Latifa quickly ran out and knelt before the two shadows.

“I, I am General Hades’ frau.”

“And?”

Karina’s cold words were heard.

At the firm words devoid of even a hint of mercy, Latifa, who had rushed out recklessly, was at a loss for words.

“I, I…”

Even as her lips trembled, Latifa slowly spoke, pressing her clenched fists to the floor.

“I, as Princess Astie’s maid, diligently performed my given duties and served her without lacking.”

“Yes. I know of your efforts. I will reward you separately for that.”

Karina replied, taking another puff of her water pipe and exhaling smoke.

“But the condition the Sultan originally set was not how hard you worked. It was how much effort Hades put in to move me.”

“…!”

“If Hades wanted to please my eyes, he should never have hurt my son.”

At Karina’s logical words, Latifa’s heart sank and she closed her eyes.

The people here were on a different level from the empire’s nobles and concubines who only spouted sophistry and boasted without wisdom or reason.

Petty arguments would not work.

Still, Latifa could not easily back down.

‘General Hades!’

Between her tightly closed eyes, Hades’ face appeared.

The man who picked her up from the ruins of the empire and recognized her true abilities. The man who urged her not to die when she was about to be hurt by a lion. The man who made her a goddess.

Thanks to Hades Caleb, Latifa was able to take a step in a strange foreign land.

Hades also came to the harem at the risk of his life and told her she was needed.

If he wasn’t there… No, if Latifa wasn’t with him.

Latifa felt her eyes growing hot as she bit her lip and murmured.

“I, I must return. To Caleb’s estate. If I don’t return… General Hades’ happiness…”

Overcome with emotion, Latifa could not finish her next words.

“I’m sorry, woman of a fallen nation. But I will treat you well for Caleb’s sake.”

At Latifa’s sniffling, Karina finally comforted her in a slightly regretful voice. But she did not reverse her decision in the end.

Kneeling on the floor in shock and unable to say anything, Latifa finally lost strength in her legs and was barely able to leave the place, led by Karina’s maids as she couldn’t even stand up.

**

“This can’t be happening.”

Latifa sat on the railing of the empty corridor, blankly staring at the night sky.

As she escaped from Karina’s palace filled with heavy fragrances and the cool night air cooled her heated cheeks, the reality of her situation began to sink in.

‘I have to live here for the rest of my life.’

She had become someone who couldn’t go to the empire, let alone Caleb’s estate, and couldn’t take a step out of the Grand Bazaar palace.

She felt pathetic for not being able to further protest to the Sultan and being dragged out by the maids in Karina’s palace.

“I have to return to Caleb! Why couldn’t I say anything earlier? Am I an idiot?!”

– Bang! Bang!

Unable to contain her sudden frustration, she started hitting the corridor railing hard with her fists dozens of times.

Even as her flesh was scraped and blood seeped from the marble railing, she couldn’t stop her anger.

She couldn’t help but despise the Sultan who spoke as if it was someone else’s business that his sons had grown up, while entrusting everything to Karina.

‘If you were going to take Prince Tarek’s side, why did you make General Hades put in such meaningless effort! He worked so… so hard!’

Tears welled up at the surging indignation.

Of course, she couldn’t know in detail what efforts Hades had made outside, but given his personality, he wouldn’t have done anything halfheartedly.

Moreover, wasn’t he the one who snuck into the harem to give her a jewelry box to reassure her?

“Right, that jewelry box is the problem!”

Hades Caleb, rumored to be the mad dog of the Grand Bazaar. Even he couldn’t break the ominous sign.

Remembering the jewelry box he had brought, Latifa jumped up and ran to her quarters. Then she lifted high the jewelry box she had preciously placed at the head of her bed.

The blue shield of aquamarine craftsmanship on the lid sparkled beautifully in the moonlight even in this situation.

“Because of this…!”

Latifa tried to throw it hard on the floor, but her hands trembled above it and couldn’t move.

“My mother, the empire. I can’t protect any of my precious things, what shield is this!”

Latifa ended up shouting in anger. But she couldn’t bring herself to throw it on the floor.

She couldn’t understand what she was so angry about.

Was it Karina, who had never shown her face but passed judgment for her to stay in the palace?

Or was it the Sultan, who pretended to be kind while leaving everything to Karina?

Or was it her pathetic self, helplessly tossed about unable to do anything?

Was it her father, the emperor of the empire, who made her live such a wretched life?

Or.

“Hades…! I hate you the most!”

After saying he’d be behind me.

After telling me not to worry.

She couldn’t help but resent how easily her connection with him was severed after making her have all sorts of expectations.

“If you made even my shoulders like this, shouldn’t you take responsibility?! Hades Caleb, I hate you the most!”

Latifa finally collapsed on the spot and burst into tears. The jewelry box fell weakly to the floor and its lid opened.

The scent pouches inside fell to the floor, emitting a strong jasmine scent.

“Claiming to be the flame of flames and going around acting all high and mighty! You can’t even persuade one concubine you look down on! You incompetent fool with just a fancy exterior!”

Latifa pounded the floor in uncontrollable sorrow, venting all her anger.

“You shouldn’t have said anything! You shouldn’t have made me expect anything! Waaah!”

Astie’s maids came running, startled by Latifa’s cries, and began to comfort her, but no one could stop Latifa as she wailed and cried out in the imperial language.

“You think you’re so great?! I was the fool for trusting someone as reckless as you! I was the fool! Ugh! Hades!”

“Gods protect us! Latifa, my goodness! Don’t cry!”

“Oh no, what do we do? It seems the result wasn’t good.”

Latifa took off Hades’ gold bracelet from her right wrist and threw it on the floor.

Seeing the gold bracelet bounce hard on the tile floor with a loud clang, Latifa hung her head.

‘I should have just believed in and prayed to the gods.’

To believe in a mere mortal human.

And not just anyone, but Hades Caleb who goes around doing all sorts of strange things.

‘Why did I believe in him! Even after being deceived in the empire!’

Was her reason clouded for a moment, intoxicated by the scent of heated sand rising with the thick jasmine fragrance?

“What’s all this commotion in the night?! Latifa?! Why are you crying?!”

“Move aside, birdbrain!”

Astie and Tatkan rushed out at the great uproar to check on her.

“Latifa, don’t cry! Does anyone know what happened?”

“Latifa. Don’t cry! Don’t cry!”

“Don’t cryyy, Latifaaa! What’s wrong? Hm?”

“Ugh!”

It was Astie, who started crying along with Latifa while clinging to her waist without knowing what had happened.

It was the day she shed the most tears since arriving in the Grand Bazaar, the desert people’s city where everything was unfamiliar and everything boiled hot.

**

In the upscale residential area of the Grand Bazaar’s downtown. Following the white and clean brick road of the residential district lined with grand mansions, there was the largest and most splendid Caleb estate.

The Caleb estate was as perfect and beautiful as ever, but it couldn’t shake off an indescribable desolate atmosphere.

“I thought I’d hear ‘Damn it! I’ll kill them all! I’ll kill everyone and come back!'”

Luke Wan looked somewhat anxiously towards the main building where Hades would be.

“It’s too quiet, isn’t it, sister?”

Yanan said nothing as she peeled chestnuts with a small knife.

“…Sister. I don’t think it’s too late to run away even now.”

Luke Wan kept mumbling and kicking the basket of chestnuts piled up in front of him.

“I don’t have time to talk with you. I need to quickly make some snacks for drinking. I have to roast chestnuts and simmer them in honey, so either bring some firewood and brazier, or run away by yourself.”

“…Wow. Even sister Yanan is really angry.”

“You’re probably the only one in the Caleb estate who’s not angry. Go to the children’s room now. It’s like a funeral house there.”

At Yanan’s words, Luke Wan snapped back in frustration.

“No, I’m just frustrated too! Hades spent nights and days roaming the Grand Bazaar to put pressure on the Makali Company, but the palace sends one messenger to say ‘Cannot send the frau’ in one sentence, is that the palace’s manners?!”

At his words, Yanan sighed softly and said.

“…What can we do when our master is staying still.”

“That’s what I’m saying! If he’d just rage like usual and what? Half-destroy this place too, and swing his sword a few times, and? Trample twenty companies in a row with camel hooves, then I’d at least slap one of those palace guard bastards on the cheek and come back, you know?”

“I’m worried about Hades. He’s been drinking constantly since receiving the message yesterday. It seems he can’t sleep either.”

“Should we call the big master?”

At Luke Wan’s words, Yanan paused her knife, seeming to think for a moment.

“Yes. Send a message. Say that Hades has gotten into some trouble. But I’m worried it will take over a month for the big master to come even if we call him now.”

“How many bottles has he emptied?”

“One oak barrel is nearly empty.”

Not just bottles, but one oak barrel meant he had been constantly drinking fruit wine at every chance without even sleeping.

“Damn, does he intend to die from a burst stomach.”

“…Without happiness, living is not living.”

Yanan stood up with teary eyes, holding the basket of peeled chestnuts.

“The Sultan is too much!”

Luke Wan sighed deeply again, looking worriedly at the main building.

Both Yanan and Luke Wan had worked at Caleb for a long time, and Hades in particular was a lord they cherished and served more than their real family.

They couldn’t have failed to notice Hades’ somewhat changed appearance since Latifa’s arrival.

Yanan also silently looked at the main building where Hades would be.

Perhaps Hades could have lived a happy and peaceful life like others in this Grand Bazaar.

“Starting the morning by removing the linen that blocks the desert-scented morning sun together. The man holding a tray full of flat bread, the woman holding a basket of fresh grapes.”

Luke Wan could only listen with sad eyes to the poem Yanan was murmuring.

It was a poem singing of desert lovers’ happiness.

“Empty the bronze incense burner when it’s full of ashes, fill the water pipe with herbs when it’s empty.”

“…”

“Draping a single robe over shoulders to prevent skin from burning in the hot afternoon sun, moving in step together. Entering the same hammam, washing away the day’s fatigue while gazing at the lover’s face…”

Perhaps Hades could have forgotten the past and spent ordinary, happy days like others.

“Let’s reverently greet the desert night, holding hands and lighting glass lamps.”

“Damn it. Those palace bastards must really hate seeing Hades doing well.”

Luke Wan spat on the ground and turned his back.

“Ignis (Sun God) and Kalende (Moon Goddess). Please watch over these two people who resemble you.”

Yanan quietly offered a prayer and silently resumed her duties as the Caleb head maid.

**

In a corner of the prince’s palace, Astie looked around quickly, checking the guards’ attention, then started running across the wide corridor.

The guards then made a fuss and chased after Astie.

“Ah, Princess Astie! You can’t go in now!”

“Stop right there, Princess!”

“How dare you! Move aside, birdbrains!”

Tatkan interfered with the guards by pecking at their faces as they chased after Astie, who was running breathlessly towards the oak doors of the prince’s palace audience hall.

“Elder brother Ruhan!”

As Astie, who had run quickly, called out for Ruhan at the top of her lungs while opening the doors of the audience hall. At that moment, as the doors of the audience hall flung open and someone came out, Astie couldn’t help but collide hard with that figure.

– Thud!

“Ouch! Who dares to interfere with me! I am the princess of the Grand Bazaar!”

Astie looked up while rubbing her nose. She who had been angry could only trail off with a tearful expression upon seeing the fierce-looking man standing right in front of her.

“…I thought the ground was shaking.”

“M-Mad dog. Hades…”