Nearly half a month had passed since he arrived at Buto.
Perhaps influenced by Xin Hexue’s previously softened attitude, Shamule, contrary to his usual behavior, did not make any rash moves. Apart from insisting on holding Xin Hexue on his lap during meals at Meret Palace until he could feel a slight rise under his palm on the flat abdomen, he would then let go.
Steamed buns and honey-drizzled flatbreads were also fed to him by those hands.
Xin Hexue lowered his head to take food from the porcelain spoon in Shamule’s hand.
As he sat in Shamule’s embrace, he didn’t need to look back to sense the burning gaze fixed on him. It was unconcealed, like magma with a faint red glow surging beneath a volcano’s crater, turning into flames that could probably melt him.
What was behind him seemed not to be the Pharaoh of Lower Egypt, but a venomous snake with gleaming scales, its hood flared like a large fan, two long, sharp fangs exposed, its tail coiling around its prey powerfully.
It would definitely strike, just not now.
The cold-blooded creature was still soaking the warm temperature of its prey, so it retained some patience for now, restraining its greed and not sinking its fangs into the white, warm-blooded torso in one strike.
Shamule would wrap Xin Hexue in his embrace at night, but Xin Hexue knew he never stayed overnight, always leaving in the latter half of the night when the moon was high.
Because when he woke, the depression in the bed beside him had long cooled.
“Is the incense burner that was here before gone?”
Xin Hexue walked over to the window. This north-facing window looked out onto the plains and river outside, with morning mist drifting over the azure waters.
The maid hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yes…”
The drapery stirred in the wind. Xin Hexue’s gaze shifted to her, and the maid felt as if she were on pins and needles. For a moment, she felt like she had been seen through by the Divine Envoy’s eyes.
Xin Hexue: “I just think it’s a pity. The carved patterns on that incense burner were unique and so ingenious.”
The maid’s eyes lit up again, and she looked up to reply, “If you like it, My Lord, there are many exquisite incense burners in the palace treasury, all brought back by merchant teams sent to foreign lands. Would you like me to bring some for you to choose from?”
It seemed the incense burner wasn’t the problem; the issue lay with the incense. Xin Hexue withdrew his gaze, then lost interest. He couldn’t get any more information from the maid. “No need.”
On the night he pretended to have a stomach ache, he faintly heard the Red King say something about incense outside the curtains.
The maid turned around and gasped in surprise. “Prince Tisis!”
The young royal had crept into Meret Palace lightly, like a thief, and startled her again.
Tisis quickly raised a finger to his lips. “Shh… Really, you serve by the Divine Envoy’s side, how can you be so easily startled? Haven’t you grasped even a sliver of Thoth’s wisdom? Don’t be so loud; I sneaked in behind my brother’s back!”
Then, Tisis put on an obedient smile, his lowered head showing a posture of obedience and willingness to learn. “Divine Envoy, may I continue to seek your guidance today?”
His respect and admiration for the Divine Envoy were obviously far greater than those for the Pharaoh.
A sneer came from outside the hall door.
The familiar voice made Tisis’s spine stiffen nervously.
Xin Hexue looked toward the source of the sound. Sunlight floated with motes of dust through the long corridor, inexplicably avoiding Shamule’s golden hair and his sharply defined, sculpted face.
Shamule stepped in from outside the hall, his high and prominent nose casting a cold shadow on the side of his face. “Tisis, if your daily business is to come here and harass my Ankh, it seems I must instruct your teaching scribe to use the cane.”
Shamule was like Tisis’s natural predator; probably, this was the natural dynamic between half-brothers with a large age gap.
Therefore, in just a few seconds, Tisis wilted and admitted his mistake to his elder brother.
This wasn’t the first time he had sneaked into the Divine Envoy’s palace, but it was only the second time he had been caught red-handed.
The overwhelming aura of the Pharaoh’s power pressed down on everything in the palace, creating a sense of suffocation. “Kran, take your prince back. If you cannot discipline him properly, you will have another place to go.”
The servant, Kran, had followed Shamule all the way in.
Kran’s expression was somewhat grim; clearly, he would bear the punishment for Tisis’s actions.
He bowed to Shamule. “Under Isis’s protection, Your Majesty, I will do my best to ensure Prince Tisis follows your teachings diligently.”
Tisis was led away by Kran, casting a pitiful glance at Xin Hexue before leaving.
Only after the poor Tisis disappeared beyond the palace door did Xin Hexue sigh. “Please do not treat Prince Tisis so harshly. It was I who permitted him to come anytime.”
“Ankh Ir, it seems you do not understand your situation.” Shamule’s purple eyes were gloomy, like the sky before a storm. “Everyone on this land is driven by me; everything is dispatched by me.” He displayed once again the attitude he had during their first meeting, high upon the throne, reminding everyone that the king of Lower Egypt was indeed a tyrant who meant what he said, very different from the benevolent king of Upper Egypt.
Shamule spoke each word in a solemn tone. “Do not mistake me for that agreeable, foolish White King. Any words of yours cannot sway my attitude.”
With each word spoken, he stepped closer to Xin Hexue, his tall figure like the rigid and perilous Gobi Desert, his voice carrying rolling hot sand. “I do not want to hear another man’s name from your mouth in the future.”
Xin Hexue held his gaze for a long moment.
Tisis was just a child.
He lowered his eyelashes, restraining all emotions in his eyes and giving up on the idea of prying open Shamule’s head to see what was inside.
“…Okay, I understand.”
Xin Hexue replied obediently.
But for some reason, seeing the Divine Envoy’s obedient, respectful posture only filled Shamule with infinite irritation.
His tough attitude would only make the Divine Envoy respect and keep him at a distance, and he was acutely aware of this, but why should he care?
He did not need the Divine Envoy’s love.
Whatever he seized became his; he was not the weak and incompetent Rahotep.
Even hatred would be firmly grasped in his hand; not a single bit of what belonged to him should slip away.
So what had he been doing all this time?
Had he been begging for affection from the other party?
And for this, he was acting so timidly, not daring to touch the other party at all?
A thick storm stirred in Shamule’s eyes.
After a long time, he snorted coldly. “Haven’t you had breakfast yet?”
Seeing Xin Hexue shake his head, Shamule said to the servant, “Serve the meal.”
…….
With Prince Tisis’s coming and going as a trigger, the previously suppressed conflict was triggered in an instant, and a quiet and cold atmosphere spread through the Meret Palace.
The servants attending nearby kept their heads down, trying to conceal their presence as much as possible, even lightening their breaths, hoping not to incur the Pharaoh’s displeasure.
The entire palace was shrouded in a cloud of oppression, yet Xin Hexue seemed oblivious, leisurely enjoying his breakfast.
Contrary to his usual behavior, Shamule did not forcibly pull him over, which pleased Xin Hexue.
He was relatively satisfied with the current growth trend of the love value and was in no hurry.
The less hurried he was, the more anxious someone on the side became.
Shamule had never suffered such a cold reception. The countless treasures sent to Meret Palace were returned to the treasury without a glance. Many times he tried to start a conversation, only to receive terse replies from Xin Hexue. Even the attitude toward Tisis was much better than that toward him.
Having got the cold shoulder for so long and not receiving a smile from the other party despite all his efforts made him feel helpless.
But the Pharaoh’s patience had limits, and his anger was uncontrollable, so he would certainly not let the Divine Envoy before him off easily.
The plate of vegetable salad closest to Xin Hexue was pulled away.
A full plate of fresh shrimp was abruptly placed in front of him from across the table.
He raised his eyes; a small mountain of thick shrimp shells was piled up beside Shamule’s hand.
“…”
Xin Hexue frowned slightly and scooped up the shrimp in compromise.
The slight change in his expression naturally did not escape Shamule’s eyes.
The pent up anger in Shamule’s chest rose to his throat, and he let out a cold sneer. He had administered punishment and achieved his goal. The pleasure derived from forcing the Divine Envoy to compromise was far more enjoyable than conquering an oasis.
When breakfast ended, the remnants on the table were cleared away by servants. Shamule’s left hand moved slightly as he approached Xin Hexue, as if wanting to reach out, but it stopped mid-air.
With a pull, Xin Hexue was forced to lean toward Shamule due to the force.
“What are you doing?” He lifted his eyes and looked at Shamule.
“Don’t you want to go out?” Shamule said, looking ahead.
Xin Hexue glanced back at the maid in the corner of the palace; he had indeed expressed boredom from staying too long in the palace.
Sculptures of the Horus falcon, the sun god Ra, and Amun stood on both sides of the colonnade. The murals on the four walls of the marble hall depicted epic scenes of the Pharaoh conquering the four directions. Blue lotus column tops were inlaid with lapis lazuli and red agate, and the reliefs were solemn.
Ministers stood quietly below the steps; the official holding the position of Vizier, the highest administrative officer, was reporting to the throne.
A tax scribe stepped forward. He came from Tanis, one of the twenty nomes of Lower Egypt. “Your Majesty, Tanis encountered locust plagues and storms during the Peret season. Many farmers had no harvest during the Shemu season. Forcibly collecting taxes would likely leave the people displaced…”
He finished speaking with apprehension. By the time he made the request to the Red King for a tax exemption for Tanis this year, his back was already soaked with sweat. The officials lined up behind him could even see the gleaming wetness on his spine.
All the ministers held their breath for this scribe from Tanis.
Did the scribe who came from Giza last year to request a tax exemption leave Buto alive?
The noble ministers within Buto couldn’t remember clearly. Vaguely, they only recalled that after the Shemu season, rumors flowed into Buto, and they learned that the head of Giza’s nome chief hung on the city gate of Giza, dried and shriveled from the sun, vultures having pecked out the corpse’s eyes.
Under such tyranny, they had to worry about their own heads every moment. Most nobles had already had artisans carve tombs for themselves and prepared burial goods for the afterlife.
Each time they left the administrative palace, they had to feel their necks to confirm their heads were still attached.
Sometimes they even prayed for an uprising to overthrow the tyrant’s rule, but it was futile. The Red King possessed that demonic-like iron army; even the cavalry of the Hittite Empire could not defeat them, let alone a disorderly rabble of refugees.
From the golden throne came the sound of fingers lightly tapping on the armrest, one after another, like a death warrant.
“Killing them won’t do…?”
“Then what do you suggest?”
A hoarse voice with a hint of amusement rang out.
The assembled ministers looked up and realized that today, the administrative palace was unusually draped with large curtains, blocking the view of the subjects below from seeing the throne on the steps.
There was layer upon layer of curtains and beaded strands, so not even a shadow of a human form could be seen.
Those standing at the front heard a clear, pleasant voice, but the words were spoken too softly, and the content was indecipherable.
Behind several layers of curtains, Xin Hexue was pressed by the shoulders into sitting on the golden throne, while Shamule stood at ease with his long legs crossed, one hand braced on the backrest behind him. If one could see from the front, it would appear as a possessive posture, attempting to completely encircle the person from behind.
The column inlaid with carnelian reflected fragments of light onto the Divine Envoy’s snow-white, elegant profile.
Xin Hexue said softly, “Why not have each farming household in Tanis provide one laborer? After the Shemu season ends, the Nile floods make farming impossible. Since it’s the agricultural off-season, have their laborers come to build temples and pyramids for the King, using corvée labor to replace this year’s tax burden.”
“This way, it saves the expense of buying slaves for construction next year. Allocate a portion of the funds as wages, exchange for seeds for them to take back, and the following year, grain can be collected as scheduled.”
Shamule stared at his lips moving as he spoke, his gaze sharp, then he suddenly laughed. “Is this a divine decree? Then let it be done so.”
He raised his voice, relaying exactly what Xin Hexue had said to the ministers below without missing a word.
The tax scribe from Tanis was as if granted amnesty, prostrating himself on the ground, grateful for the Pharaoh’s magnanimity.
The Vizier continued to stand at the head of the officials, reporting to the Red King the harvest situation in the twenty nomes of Lower Egypt during this period and the financial plans for the coming year.
Shamule’s robe was tugged by Xin Hexue.
He coughed lightly and leaned down, imitating Xin Hexue’s lowered voice. “What is it?”
He had just adopted the Ankh’s suggestion; was the Ankh now pleased and decided to give him a smile?
Xin Hexue kept his gaze down, speaking in a calm tone, “The method just now was inspired by what I heard from Prince Tisis…”
“You’re pleading for him again?” Shamule’s face darkened immediately. “Remember what I said? Don’t let me hear another’s name from your…”
His words cut off abruptly.
Soft fingertips pressed against his lips, silencing him.
Xin Hexue’s voice was gentle, yet it carried an invisible force of suppression. “Then tell me your birth name.”
He moved his fingers to touch Shamule’s jaw and thin lips, feeling them. “I will remember its pronunciation.”
Shamule was stunned.
When a Pharaoh ascends the throne, countless people will reverently call his divine name, royal name, and honorific titles throughout his life. Countless people will devoutly praise “the incarnation of god,” “the sun on earth,” “the great Pharaoh.” But the name representing this young royal at birth becomes buried in the sands of time.
The Red King had not heard anyone call him by his true birth name for so long that he himself had grown unfamiliar with the sound. “Shamule.”
Compared to his elder brother’s name, which meant “Ra is satisfied” and carried divine protection, “Shamule” simply meant “camel.”
Who would name their child after a beast?
But his twin brother was the firstborn, bathed in the sun god’s radiance.
From the very beginning, Shamule was in Rahotep’s shadow.
Xin Hexue released his hand. His pink eyes reflected Shamule’s form, allowing the Red King to clearly see his own existence within them. “Shamule.”
Now, Shamule started to feel like the syllables of this name sounded good.
His originally leaning posture changed. He placed both hands on the armrests, as if laying in wait and ready to pounce.
Their words were unknown to the ministers beyond the curtains.
The Vizier finally reached the last matter on his papyrus that was filled with notes. “It is said that someone encountered a pride of lions in the hills near the outskirts of Buto, toward Sais. The lions have already caused ten consecutive injury incidents… Your Majesty, I believe we should order someone to go and eradicate them.”
After a while, there was still no response. The Vizier asked with confusion. “…Your Majesty?”
Behind the curtains, separated by mere layers.
Moist breath passed between them, so close there was no room for another person, so close that the powerful heartbeat in Shamule’s chest was known to both at this distance.
Xin Hexue had no room to retreat or avoid, and his body was pressed back into the throne. Shamule forced his knee between Xin Hexue’s legs, the force wrinkling the carpet beneath.
Despite the curtains separating them, it was still a public setting. Xin Hexue’s fingers curled slightly, but they were immediately invaded by the interlocking fingers.
In the end, he had to lean back with all his might to avoid the hot breath, saying in a low voice, “Shamule, no…”
It was clearly a warning tone meant to dissuade, but the name called out became a catalyst, the initial spark that ignited the blazing fire, the first stream of scorching magma from a volcanic eruption.
Shamule’s voice was hoarse. “I told you, you cannot sway my attitude.”
Both wrists were bound and held above his head. The rubbing of the bridge of the nose brought a subtle electric-like stimulation, leaving the fair skin flushed wherever it passed.
Until a large hand clamped over his jaw and the other party’s lips crushed down hard, seizing his senses and submerging his lashes in a wave of physiological tears.
Xin Hexue’s breathing lost its rhythm.
Shamule finally got his wish to kiss the lips that had called his name. He was experiencing his first taste of desire, so he was restless like a fierce beast, wishing he could devour Xin Hexue whole.
He plundered everything, turning it upside down, just like the oasis lands he had once attacked and seized.
Juices were taken, and tongues entangled until soreness.
The curtains separated two worlds: one cold, hot; one moving and one still.
No one could guess what was happening behind the curtains, but they had a feeling that something unusual was happening.
Before the Vizier could ask again, Huowen stepped out from among the ministers and declared. “I, Huowen, voluntarily request to lead the hunt against the lion pride outside the city, to protect the people of Buto for the King.”
Suddenly, a loud “pah” sound came from behind the curtains.
Huowen looked up sharply. Although he couldn’t see anything behind the curtains… Did the King applaud his courage by slapping his thigh?!
……
“Heh.”
A low, hoarse laugh escaped Shamule’s chest.
He leaned forward, bracing himself on both sides of the throne, his tall shadow encircling Xin Hexue within. But his left cheek had been slapped, forcing his head to the side.
Xin Hexue stared at him coldly, and Shamule returned the gaze.
Ankh Ir’s originally light pink lips were now red and swollen, and his eyes were watery and shimmering.
Shamule tasted faint threads of blood.
The infinite irritation and frustration that had accumulated in his chest during the previous conflict suddenly cleared.
His mood was like the port of Alexandria after a storm, the sky clear and bright, endless blue stretching out.
“I feel better now.”
