The bronze cage was barely enough for a grown man to lie down with his legs stretched out, nor could one stand up completely straight. Of course, this made sense. This cage had been forged when Seto was still a child. The reason it was still preserved now was precisely because it represented a sense of punishment. Only wild beasts did not sleep lying down like humans, nor did they walk upright like humans.
To get out of the cage, one must obey the civilized rules of etiquette of human society.
At the sound of footsteps from outside, a pair of hands suddenly shot out from the shadows, abruptly grabbing the cage bars with so much force that the knuckles stood out. The entire cage and the restraining chains at its four corners clanged and rattled!
“Seto! Calm down!”
Rahotep looked at his brother with the frustration of iron not becoming steel
Xin Hexue’s disappearance had delivered a great shock to Seto. Simply being unable to confirm the Mother Goddess’s safety was enough to shatter his will. So much so that the current Seto seemed to have regressed to his most primitive state as if he had suffered a traumatic relapse, just like when Rahotep had seen him long ago.
Trapped in the cramped, narrow cage, his lean, powerful limbs held the blood stained lion skin rug on the cage floor. The pair of golden-brown, narrow eyes hidden in the shadows were filled with intense aggressiveness.
His back arched, his teeth bared, and a low guttural roar came out of his throat as if his vocal cords were strained and spasming.
Humans do not have such actions and demeanor, so seeing such a state appear on a human body was very shocking, piercing directly to the soul.
So much so that the Vizier, who was seeing this scene for the first time, was rendered speechless.
“I cannot let you charge into Lower Egypt without regard for any consequences,” Rahotep said coldly. “If you lead a team of chariot elites there, it would be a waste of soldiers’ lives. If you go alone, what confidence do you have that you can fight your way in and out of Buto City?”
A roar erupted from within the bronze cage!
Seto paced inside the cage restlessly, looking like he hadn’t listened at all.
“You know the strength of the Lower Egyptians, and you know Shamule’s madness, right?” Rahotep asked.
Once, a conflict between Upper and Lower Egypt had erupted at the border of Memphis. It was during that conflict that Seto had faced his elder brother, whom he had hardly met before.
That kind of bloodthirsty, inhumane strength… Even Seto could not defeat him.
Even more terrifying was that many Lower Egyptian soldiers displayed this state. They were like an unstoppable force of steel bodies, unaware of pain, unaware of death, as if possessed by evil spirits. In that border conflict, the Upper Egyptians were completely defeated in close combat.
Rahotep said coldly, “If you just charge into Lower Egypt like this, I’m afraid your Mother Goddess will have to go to the swamps outside Buto to collect your bones by then…that is, if the river crocodiles are willing to spit out the bones of their food.”
Seto suddenly stopped moving. But in Rahotep’s view, it wasn’t because he had finally listened to reason, but because his words had mentioned a key term.
As the elder brother, Rahotep felt his temples throbbing. Even though he had many brothers, few were usable. Some, like Anket, were already fortunate if they didn’t cause trouble. The rest were mostly wine sacks and rice bags…good-for-nothings, more likely to hinder than help. After picking and choosing, only Seto was left who could bear responsibility. And Seto also had fatal flaws.
Rahotep tugged on the chains attached to the cage. The continuous clinks of iron against bronze made Seto fix his attention in his direction.
“It won’t be too late.” To ensure Seto would listen, Rahotep added, “Your Mother Goddess designed a repeating crossbow… the blueprint has already been put into production and the physical object made. We just need some more time for the soldiers to learn and apply it in siege warfare.”
It was already May. There were still two months until the Shemu season ended.
Once all the harvesting work concluded, the granaries of Upper Egypt filled with golden wheat grains, the golden light of the sun and the white gleam of Sirius together piercing the night sky, the overwhelming floodwaters would carry silt and rush over the plains on both sides of the river banks.
The new Aket season would bring a new round of the overflowing and surging Nile waters.
The great army of Upper Egypt would board warships, ride the current downstream, and trample through the land of Lower Egypt.
A long white robe floated into the cage. The familiar, slightly astringent scent of sandalwood sobered Seto for a moment. He embraced the white robe with deep nostalgia, as if wanting to return himself to the warmth of amniotic fluid, burying himself into the white robe.
But having been away from Xin Hexue’s body for too long, the white robe no longer carried the warmth from the Mother Goddess’s skin.
The golden-brown eyes, which had had no focus until now, narrowed. Seto lifted his head to look at Rahotep. “Lower Egypt. I want to be the commander-in-chief.”
Rahotep saw through the eyes burning with pain and understood Seto’s determination to break through the Lower Egyptian royal city and welcome back the Mother Goddess. He warned, “Remember, Shamule must be taken alive.”
The twin brothers’ shadow-like, empathy that was like a curse made it necessary for them to spare each other’s lives. Once one died, the pain from the fatal injury would also backlash onto the other.
Therefore, for the sake of his own life, after the war is won, he would not kill Shamule, but he would not let the other party off too easily either.
Seto pressed against the cage bars and answered hoarsely, “Mm.”
“Click!”
The iron lock of the cage opened.
Seto held the soft white robe and came out silently.
The Vizier reminded Rahotep from the side, “Your Majesty, according to the letters sent back, the old king of Nubia is already seriously ill. Our envoys sent there…”
During this time, the royal city of Nubia would inevitably fall into chaos due to the succession issue. But before long, a new ruler would grasp power.
Supporting a young royal who held a friendly attitude towards Upper Egypt to ascend was no different from gaining another ally, especially at this critical juncture when Upper and Lower Egypt were at daggers drawn.
“Let them handle it as they see fit,” Rahotep said.
The Vizier steadied his mind and sighed. “Let’s hope the Red King does not do anything to harm the Divine Envoy.”
He probably won’t, right? After all, the Divine Envoy is the person from the prophecy. Unless the Red King does not want the Divine Envoy’s support, unless he has no ambition to unify Upper and Lower Egypt.
Seto tightened his grip on the thin fabric in his hand and lowered his head in silence.
His heart was filled with anxiety and restlessness after the separation.
From Thebes to Buto, sailing along the winding waterways of the Nile was at least eight hundred kilometers. Such a distant foreign land…he was not by the Mother Goddess’s side.
What if…what if the Mother Goddess saw a child he likes more…what if he was no longer the Mother Goddess’s only child, then what should he do?
…….
The Divine Envoy, who had been refusing food and fell ill in the palace, carefully covered his mouth and nose and let out a small sneeze.
Who was thinking about him?
Xin Hexue thought about it, many faces flashing through his mind.
But being in Lower Egypt, having the heart but not the strength, Xin Hexue stopped dwelling on it. Refusing food and falling ill were just some combustion-aiding ingredients he added himself to the Red King’s forced love script.
After all, according to the precious “legacy” he left for Upper Egypt, the war for unification between Upper and Lower Egypt wasn’t far off, so the Red King’s imprisonment act wouldn’t last long either.
During this time, all the things that should be intimate and done should progress smoothly like flowing water. Otherwise, anything could happen in war. If the Red King died, he would lose a lot of love value and heartbreak value that could be farmed.
So, the best state was: the Red King forcibly seizes and plunders, persistently forcibly seizes and plunders, then he and the Red King fall in love mutually, and the love value reaches full marks.
Finally, he smoothly becomes a widow after the war ends.
The reason for cruelly thinking and hoping for the Red King’s death was that if too many people survived, he would be overwhelmed.
Although he was refusing food, Xin Hexue would not really mistreat himself.
Refusing food meant not eating or drinking when others could see. During the gaps between the palace servants’ shifts, K would work without complaint and connect to the big world’s kitchen to bring him food.
Falling ill wasn’t something he intended; it was just that he caught too much cold wind when he went to the courtyard to digest food at night.
Buto was close to the sea and surrounded by a network of rivers. In theory, the temperature difference between day and night shouldn’t be that great, but unfortunately, the wind here was strong.
“She., ahem…”
Xin Hexue covered his lips as he coughed. His face was pale, but his cheeks were flushed with an unnatural rosy hue from the illness.
The maid of the Meret Palace had already called the court physician to see him. Seeing that the worsening condition could no longer be hidden, she could only run to report to the Red King while trembling.
Before the Red King arrived, Xin Hexue first noticed a boy peeking his head around the palace door. He waved, signaling the other party could come in. “Prince Tisis, please come in.”
Tisis was discovered peeking again. He subconsciously straightened his posture, bringing out his noble manners, and walked in stiffly.
“Your Highness came to find me, is there something?” Xin Hexue asked gently.
He was always more patient with children than with his targets.
Tisis blurted out, “Can’t I come to see you without a reason?”
Xin Hexue’s gaze swept around the palace. “But I have nothing here to entertain Your Highness.”
There were indeed plump fruits, exquisitely brewed fine wine, and almond cakes sprinkled with cinnamon powder on the table before them, but Tisis could effortlessly obtain these elsewhere in the palace.
Perhaps expressing his fondness for the Divine Envoy so directly made Tisis somewhat shy and tongue-tied, so he hesitated for a while, then took out the homework assigned by his teaching scribe from behind his back.
“I want to ask you for advice on some questions.”
Tisis was still in the stage of enlightenment and learning. The homework left by the scribe wasn’t complicated, but a casual remark from Tisis caught Xin Hexue’s attention.
“There are pest infestations again this year. After the Shemu season ends, those farmers with poor harvests will riot. It’s always like this. Why can’t they have them build temples during the inundation season when they can’t farm, with the palace paying them wages?”
Everything in this land relied on the gift of the Nile. If the Nile’s water level was too high one year causing floods, or insufficient to inundate the plains on both sides of the river, it could easily shake the land’s agriculture.
Those farmers who worked hard all year but had little harvest would riot after the harvest season because they couldn’t pay taxes.
These were things Tisis could absorb unconsciously through constant exposure and learning.
But what really made Xin Hexue take notice was that Tisis proposed a simple idea similar to providing work for relief.
He was very smart, perhaps with a talent in politics yet to be discovered. So Xin Hexue’s attitude towards him gradually became more serious, occasionally offering a few words of guidance during their chat.
When the Red King arrived, this was the scene he saw.
The young man sat to the side, answering his foolish younger brother’s questions. A few strands of silver hair hung loosely behind his ears, and his profile looked gentle and serious. In short, it was a world of difference from the attitude shown towards him.
The Divine Envoy always held pity and benevolence for the weak.
The Red King stood outside the palace door and admired for a while, not allowing the palace servants to break the silence. Only when Xin Hexue turned sideways and coughed slightly behind his hand did he walk into the palace.
“Tisis.” His tone was cold. Shamule lowered his voice and questioned, “Haven’t the palace staff taught you not to run around everywhere?”
Tisis stood up abruptly. Although he resented the Red King’s rule, he still had a natural fear of this elder brother. “E-elder brother, Kran is sick, so…”
Kran was his personal attendant. He had fallen ill since yesterday. With no one to replace him, naturally no one was supervising the young prince running around everywhere.
Shamule didn’t have the patience to listen to his explanation and sent someone to chase him out.
He then turned to ask Xin Hexue, “How did you get sick so easily?”
Last night, he stabbed him with a knife, and he hadn’t even had time to settle accounts with this person, and now he was sick?
Shamule’s gaze traveled from Xin Hexue’s pale lips to the rosy flush at the edge of his cheek, which seemed to have been brought out from coughing too hard.
The sick Divine Envoy turned around in his chair, not facing Shamule’s direction.
This was a clear posture of refusing communication.
Shamule asked the maid nearby, “The physician has seen him?”
The maid bowed her head and affirmed. Just then, another palace servant entered carrying a pottery jar. The already brewed medicinal herb soup inside swirled around.
The medicine bowl was presented to Xin Hexue.
“No.”
Xin Hexue refused concisely, his lowered eyelashes not glancing at the medicinal soup at all. He turned away, his attitude resolute.
The palace servant anxiously approached again. After several rounds of pushing and refusing, the medicine bowl slipped from someone’s grasp and fell to the ground with a “crash”.
The palace servant immediately knelt and prostrated on the ground, tremblingly begging for forgiveness and admitting fault.
Xin Hexue stood there with an indifferent expression. He looked up at Shamule, and said, “It’s not his fault.”
The way he looked at him was so wary, as if he were a tyrant who would drag people out to be killed without discerning the situation.
Shamule thought with keen interest.
Oh…it doesn’t seem wrong.
Shamule said with a smile, “Bring another bowl of medicine for Ankh Ir.”
Suddenly, something slithered in through the palace door.
“Uraeus?”
Shamule looked back at the cobra.
Uraeus raised the front part of its snake body. It was still slowly flicking its tongue. Its copper-yellow scales gleamed coldly, and the snake’s hood was like a spread-open fan, full of deterrence.
Shamule glanced out of the corner of his eye and noticed Xin Hexue’s momentary stiffness when facing Uraeus.
“Alright,” Shamule said, having discovered the Divine Envoy’s weakness. “Then let Uraeus supervise you drinking the medicine.”
Xin Hexue’s pupils contracted slightly. He saw the named Uraeus slithering to half a step in front of him, hissing and flicking its tongue, its snake eyes fixed on this unfamiliar guest.
He took the medicine bowl handed over by the palace servant and shifted his gaze to meet Shamule’s eyes.
After a moment, Xin Hexue pursed his lips and lifted one side into a very small curve.
His hand tilted, and the cooled medicinal soup poured out from the bowl. The bowl was then thrown, accurately hitting Uraeus on the head.
He was showing Shamule that such danger could not threaten him; he would not comply.
Either let him go, or he would resist to the end.
Uraeus wobbled from the hit. The medicine bowl spun around on its head a few times before steadily covering it upside down.
“Hiss, hiss…”
Its tongue protruded from under the rim of the bowl, probing the object that enveloped all the light without understanding why.
“Hiss, hiss…”
‘Stupid.’
Shamule had no time to deal with the stupid snake. He snatched the new, full bowl of medicine from the maid’s hand and strode with vigorous strides towards Xin Hexue until Xin Hexue was forced to retreat to the edge of the long table.
This was a distance with no retreat, and they were so close that the heartbeats in their chests felt squeezed together.
Because of the chill, the outfit Xin Hexue wore wasn’t so revealing. The pleated, wide-cloth kalasiris wrapped around his upper body, with almost no additional exposed skin.
But from this angle, Shamule could see the shadowed hollow of a collarbone within the crossed collar.
The Divine Envoy possessed a lean and slender physique.
“I think I would be very happy to share illness and pain with my own Ankh.”
Shamule’s lips held his habitual careless smile, but his tone was somewhat serious.
His figure was tall, his skin a deep honey color that accentuated his lean and powerful shoulder and back lines. He was like a lion poised to strike, emitting an oppressive, suffocating sense of intimidation.
Dangerous, paralyzing, heavy.
A kiss, like the stifling air before a storm, pressed down heavily.
“….Hmm!”
The rest of the words were swallowed.
Shamule’s large hand firmly clasped the back of Xin Hexue’s head, leaving no room for retreat. He pushed the bitter medicinal soup into the soft lips and tongue.
As if to avoid Xin Hexue resisting and pushing him away, he forcefully occupied the mouth.
The bitter taste of the medicine soup churned tumultuously on the lips and tongue.
Just from this, Xin Hexue already felt the root of his tongue go sore and weak. After the mouthful of medicine was swallowed, he finally managed to push Shamule away, his chest heaving violently as he breathed, his eyes a misty.
The servant gasped and began searching for ointment and bandages.
The reason was the blood dripping from a wound on the side of Shamule’s neck.
The wounded person himself, however, laughed nonchalantly. “Ankh, are you willing to drink the remaining half bowl of medicine yourself, or would you prefer to share it with me?”
“Mad man.”
Xin Hexue looked at him coldly. The fragment of the broken bowl was clutched in his hand; it had just cut open a wound on Shamule’s neck.
It was a kiss filled with the smell of blood and the bitter taste of medicinal herbs.
[Shamul love value +5]
Xin Hexue took the medicine bowl this time and slowly drank the medicine until it was finished. When he drank the medicine, his eyelashes cast a faint shadow, and he actually looked somewhat well-behaved.
Shamule wiped the blood from his neck, letting the servant bandage the wound. His eyes still stared fixedly at Xin Hexue. “I like it when you speak to me, no matter what you say.”
Xin Hexue did not doubt his words.
After all, when he said “Die” after stabbing him, Shamule could still laugh and praise his voice for being pleasant.
Shamule swept a glance around the palace. There were only fruits and alcohol on the long table. “He hasn’t eaten yet?”
He got a negative response from the maid.
“Were you waiting for me?”
Shamule raised his sharp eyebrows. As he spoke, he walked to the chair in front of the long table and sat down.
Xin Hexue used a handkerchief to press against the corner of his mouth leisurely, wiping away the adhered medicinal soup.
The maid wiped the sweat from her forehead and spoke deliberately: “…The Lord said he has no appetite.”
“He said he has no appetite, so you took the food away?” Shamule leaned back against the leather back of the chair. His rising tone made people’s backs feel cold. “The crocodiles in the sacred beast pool have quite a good appetite though…”
Only when Xin Hexue silently stood in front of the maid did Shamule, staring into those misty eyes, reluctantly change his tune. “Fine, reset the dishes.”
……
Light fabric curtains hung in the palace windows, billowing in the shape of the evening wind. Through the wide-open shutters, one could see a branch of the Nile dispersing as it flowed through the delta. The evening’s cooler temperature let golden-red mist spread within it, and the river surface was sparkling.
The roasted goose was coated with spices and honey, its skin golden and crispy. After being cut open, the color was bright and the meat tender and smooth.
Lamb chops sizzled with dripping grease. Roasted sea bass was drizzled with fresh lemon juice for flavor. A basket of bread and flatbreads, two plates of fresh vegetables, herbs, and dried fruits mixed into a refreshing salad to cut the richness.
Court musicians played melodious tunes on flutes.
It seemed the Red King of Lower Egypt always enjoyed such extravagant luxuries.
“Thump!” Uraeus bumped into the edge of the table edge, destroying the atmosphere.
Xin Hexue sat on a seat not far away. The food in front of him remained untouched, as if he truly had no appetite as he said.
Shamule’s gaze shifted from Uraeus to Xin Hexue. He could easily observe that Xin Hexue didn’t Uraeus, and that this stupid snake completely failed to intimidate the other party.
“Take it away. Its venom hasn’t been cleared these past few days,” Shamul ordered.
Turning his head, Shamule looked at Xin Hexue. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Xin Hexue put down his utensils, even though the salad before him looked almost the same as when it was first served. “I’m not hungry.”
Shamule seemed somewhat troubled. “Really… what a pity.”
Xin Hexue lifted his eyelids, not quite believing Shamul would let him off so easily.
His gaze was like some excitement factor that could instantly ignite the passion in Shamule’s chest. He smiled. “What a pity. Poor Huowen won’t see daylight tomorrow.”
Xin Hexue frowned and grasped his dining knife. “You’re threatening me?”
“Yes,” Shamul admitted frankly, resting his elbows on the tabletop. “Is it effective? Think of poor Huowen, the servants of this palace, oh, and perhaps Tisis too…”
Regardless of who else, his threat seemed to work.
Xin Hexue’s dining knife wasn’t thrown at him. Instead, he slowly and reluctantly cut a small piece of goose meat.
But Shamule’s goal was far from just that.
“…..!”
Xin Hexue was suddenly lifted into the air. He was directly scooped up and landed lightly on Shamul’s lap.
The plate was also moved over afterwards.
A pair of hands reached around from behind him and began cutting the meat for him.
Xin Hexue raised his hand to press down. Shamule’s wrist movement paused. “Think of Huowen…”
He didn’t finish his sentence. The Divine Envoy, who is always full of benevolence and compassion, released the resisting force.
Shamule chuckled
The Divine Envoy sat in his arms, his head lowered docilely. His silver hair parted over his shoulders, revealing some skin on the back of his neck, like the tail of a cool white snake.
‘So good…’
Shamul’s narrow eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
The Divine Envoy was probably in a lovers relationship with his elder brother, right? That’s why he was so resistant and opposed to him.
But why should all the good things in the world go to Rahotep?
He will insist on it. He will insist on making the Divine Envoy become his Ankh Ir, and make his dear Ankh sob beneath him. Even if he’s unwilling, he’ll only tremblingly clamp his waist with his legs.
Besides, Rahotep had raised the person so poorly… Shamule’s hand swept over Xin Hexue’s thin abdomen, his lips pressing downward.
Only after the meal, when he felt some fullness rising under his hand, did Shamule’s thin lips lift again.
Like this then.
He will spoil his Ankh.
He will be Ankh’s hand; only if he cuts the food for Ankh everyday will Ankh be full. He will be Ankh’s legs; no matter where Ankh wants to go, he can only reach it by being carried in his arms or on his back)…
He will make Ankh Ir abandon the useless Rahotep.
He wants to be inseparable from him, for him to soften his attitude towards him, and to fall in love with him eventually…
Then, with tears in his eyes, he will voluntarily sit on his face.
