Captured by the Tyrant of the Desert - Chapter 3

December 9, 2022

Latifa raised her head and froze at the sight of the man before her. His dark skin and intense gaze were unmistakable—it was Hades.

‘…A bandit!’

The jet-black hair framing his sharp, dark eyes was unlike anything she’d seen among the Empire’s people. He stepped closer, his hand gently brushing her hair aside. Despite the surprisingly soft touch, Latifa’s fear was palpable.

“Empire citizen?”

The deep, foreign words of the desert language reached her ears. Luckily, she knew it, but understanding didn’t erase the dread.
Her mind conjured a bleak future.

‘I’ll be taken as a slave… This is the end.’

Hades’s fingers lingered, tracing the trembling line of her brow. His hand smelled faintly of sand and sun-scorched earth.

“The most unusual color I’ve ever seen in an Empire native.”
Latifa flinched as he leaned in. His lashes, long and dark, were close enough for her to see clearly as he narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air.

“This scent… It matches.”

‘What is he looking for…?’

Though he had invaded their refuge with confidence, he seemed caught in thought, eyes still locked on her. The intensity made her feel like prey snared in a predator’s trap.

Suddenly, a child’s cry broke the tension. Hades snapped his gaze toward the huddled figures in the corner. His expression shifted to brief surprise, realizing he had overlooked so many.

“Was this planned? If so, it’s worthy of praise. I was completely captivated,” he muttered, a faint smile curving his lips.

“How did this many people remain undetected? Even with hounds, they should’ve been found.”

Latifa, who understood his mutterings, swallowed hard.
‘He really is a bandit. He might kill us all for tricking him!’
Desperately, she looked around, noticing the frightened eyes watching her, silently accusing. The weight of guilt pressed down on her—she had failed again.

As she stifled a sigh, Hades’s sharp eyes returned to her, stepping closer.

Then she spotted Brenda behind him, making frantic gestures.
‘She wants me to distract him… so everyone can escape?’

Latifa’s heart pounded as she read the silent plea. The broken walls left enough openings for people to slip away if his attention was drawn. But it meant sacrificing herself. Resolving to act, she bit her lip.

‘If I can save everyone by being the bait… I have to do this. I’ve caused enough trouble already.’

For once, she embraced her role, clenching her fists with the determination of a forgotten princess.

‘Maybe, just maybe, this could lessen the Imperial family’s sins.’

Willing her shaky legs to move, she slowly stood.

“Wait, please…”

The words in the desert tongue caught Hades’s attention, and he approached her swiftly. The thick scent of sand overwhelmed her, stoking her fear, but there was no turning back.

“You speak our language?”

“Yes.”

Shaking but upright, she stood before him, his presence towering. Hades was larger than most desert men she had known.

“If an Empire citizen knows the desert tongue, it means one of two things.”

“…”

“Either you were a noble with too much time or the lowest smuggler trafficking stolen goods.”

Latifa’s heart sank at his sharp insight. Revealing her royal status would gain her nothing here.

“If I were a noble, I’d be on a ship far from here, not suffering in this ruin.”

“True enough.”

Hades’s curiosity seemed piqued by her trembling defiance, and he spared no attention to the people behind her.

Emboldened, Latifa posed the question.

“Aren’t you curious how we stayed hidden?”

Manute watched the direction where Hades had disappeared on horseback. It was common for him to vanish on whims, leaving commands behind, but this was not the time for indulgence.

Latifa’s eyes met the dark-skinned man standing before her—Hades. The shock was so great that her mind went blank.

‘…A bandit!’

Underneath the midnight black hair that no Imperial man possessed were sharp, obsidian eyes locked onto her. He stepped closer, gently brushing her hair away with a touch that belied his fierce demeanor. Yet, even with the tenderness of his gesture, Latifa couldn’t shake off the tension and fear gripping her.

“Empire citizen?”

The exotic sound of desert speech reached her ears. Thankfully, she knew the language, but understanding it did nothing to ease her fear. Her mind raced with thoughts of a dismal future.

‘I’ll be taken as a slave… It’s over.’

Hades’s hand, smelling of earth and sand, grazed her trembling eyes as if to study her reaction.

“The rarest color I’ve seen in an Imperial.”

Latifa gasped as he leaned even closer. His long, dark lashes swept down when he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the scent around her catching his attention.

“It’s the scent…”

‘What is he searching for…?’

He seemed momentarily lost in thought, even though he had boldly entered their hiding place. His intense gaze never left her, making Latifa feel like prey caught in a trap.

Suddenly, a child’s cry broke the moment, snapping Hades’s attention to the other figures huddled behind her. A flash of realization crossed his face, as though chastising himself for not noticing them sooner.

“Planned, perhaps? If so, it’s a commendable tactic. I was completely ensnared,” he murmured, a wry smile curling his lips as he surveyed the scene.

“How did this many escape detection, even with the hounds?” he muttered to himself, unaware that Latifa understood.

‘He might kill us all for deceiving him!’

A wave of guilt flooded her as she noticed the frightened, accusing stares of those around her. Their eyes seemed to say, ‘Because you hesitated, we’re all caught.’

Her heart pounded in her chest as Hades returned his attention to her, inching closer.

Behind him, Brenda’s frantic gestures caught her eye.

‘Distract him so everyone can escape?’

Latifa’s breath quickened as she understood. The broken walls would make it possible for them to flee in different directions if she could hold his attention. But that meant sacrificing herself. She clenched her fists, resolve hardening in her chest.

‘If my sacrifice means saving them, I must do it. I’ve been a burden long enough.’

Summoning her courage, she forced herself to stand despite the searing pain in her ankle.

“Wait… please,” she said in the desert tongue, drawing Hades closer.

“You speak our language?”

“Yes.”

He towered over her, larger than any desert man she had seen. His presence made her feel impossibly small, but she stood firm.
“If an Imperial knows our language, they’re either a noble with too much time or a smuggler from the lowest rung,” he said, studying her with unsettling insight.

Latifa’s heart sank, but she forced a response.

“If I were a noble, I’d be on a ship fleeing this place, not trapped in these ruins.”

“True enough,” he conceded, intrigued by her defiance. He glanced over at the people only briefly, his focus drawn back to her.

“Would you like to know how we stayed hidden?” she asked,
desperately trying to keep his attention.

Hades’s brow furrowed in thought, his curiosity piqued.

“Very well. It better be convincing.”

The man leaned in, so close that she could feel his warm breath, his eyes mirroring her terrified reflection.

“Aha. I see.”

Before she could react, Hades smirked, meeting her wide, blue eyes.

“You’re trying to distract me so they can run,” he said, a triumphant glint in his eye.

‘How does he see through everything?’

Latifa felt her hope shatter, but she couldn’t let it end here. Taking a deep breath, she made her final move.

“Run now!” she screamed, launching herself onto Hades’s arm, clinging to him with all the strength left in her frail body.
“Let go! Do you intend to alert the rest of the bandits?!” he shouted, alarmed, thrashing his arm as she clung tightly.
“Go, run!” she yelled again, voice hoarse, as the others bolted in every direction. The sound of barking dogs erupted, and chaos spread as people fled.

Hades cursed under his breath, watching the scene with frustration.

“Damn it… Well, Manute can handle the rest.”

With a sigh, he raked a hand through his damp hair, turning to the girl who clung to him like her life depended on it.
“You need to let go now. This place will be swarming with bandits soon.”

But Latifa, eyes shut and trembling, held on tighter, as if releasing him would mean the end of everything.

“Enough of this,” he muttered, tapping her head. Her grip weakened, and she collapsed forward, spent and unconscious.
Hades caught her before she hit the ground, the faint jasmine scent in her hair drifting up to him.

“What on earth is this?”

His voice carried a hint of exasperation, but the corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile.

“Why put up such a fight only to end up here in my arms?”
He chuckled softly, surprised by the girl who, after trembling and facing him with defiance, now lay unconscious against him. Perhaps it had been too long since anyone had dared to challenge him, the notorious “Mad Hound of the Grand Bazaar,” head-on.

“Reckless or courageous—who can tell?”

He muttered to the hounds staring at him curiously as he adjusted Latifa’s limp form in his arms. His eyes caught on the edge of her skirt, revealing her ankle, swollen and bruised with angry shades of crimson.

“By the gods… she stood on this?”

Carefully shifting her to avoid worsening the injury, Hades spoke under his breath.

“It’s been a while since I’ve found someone this interesting.”