Sean made his way to his Wing. He entered the room with the oval bed without looking around and made his way to the living room. As he had predicted, Celesty was there talking to Selytha.
"Leave me alone with that girl, Celesty."
Celesty kissed the girl on the forehead and left.
Sean sat down and stared into the girl's curious eyes. He didn't understand why he hadn't realized, the countless times he'd seen her with the host, that she was a child version of his grandmother.
"I think we need to talk about your fate, Selytha."
The girl came over and sat down next to him.
"We don't need to talk, you do." She said enigmatically.
"Yes, I do. It seems that everyone in this palace knows everyone's secrets. Except, of course, Pharaoh."
"Pharaoh must have more important things to do than keep himself busy with palace gossip."
Sean looked at her proudly.
"You're a dwarf? I don't think a child can be so wise."
Selytha laughed.
"I'm not a dwarf."
"But you're not very tall either."
"I'm a child!"
"Do you think you'll grow up to be taller than me?"
She shook her head.
"No. Not taller. But I want to be your size."
"There's a secret to growing up like me, did you know that?"
"A lie Mom always tells me when she wants me to eat something that isn't tasty."
Sean laughed.
"You're very clever."
"I couldn't not be, right? I inherited my father's intelligence."
The smile died on Sean's face.
"Do you know who your father is?"
The girl got off the sofa.
"Of course I know!"
"Who's your father?"
She looked thoughtfully to one side, as if listening for something that only she could hear, and then turned to Sean.
"It's not Mom's fault. I know you're thinking that she infiltrated your company in Michigan to seduce you, but that's not what happened. I got sick. The doctor said I needed a blood transfusion. The blood had to be my father's, or they'd have to buy it from Mahagah. Of course, no one knew that if I had received any blood other than my family's, I would die. Mom needed to work and believed that you were my father. She wanted to approach you to ask you to donate your blood, because she didn't have the money to order it from Mahagah. What mother goes to such lengths to save her daughter? She's no different. What she didn't know was that you donated blood to the hospital every six months. And Uncle Atila transfused your blood, and then his own. I got better, but not well enough. I needed to come to this country. The 837,000 dollars she asked for was to pay for my treatment in this country. And when you found her coming home at dawn, it was because she had gone to sleep in hospital with me."
"And who is your father?"
She became pensive again.
"One day you'll know. But don't look forward to that day."
"It won't be you who reveals this secret to me?"
"No. I don't owe you anything and this information is too precious to be revealed like this. You're not ready to know yet." She said and held out her hand. "Shall we? You came all this way to take me to the room next to Mom's room, right?"
...
The day of the Great Feast arrived. Attila entered the palace feasting hall, which was packed with important guests. The governors of the Pharaoh's cities, their families and all those whom the Pharaohs had granted titles of dukes and barons, for giving up their daughters and sons to serve in the royal palace. All the women in the harem belonged to these noble families and they too were in the hall enjoying themselves.
From a distance, he saw Yuki holding tightly to Sean's arm, while he chatted concentratedly with Kurtin.
Atila frowned. He could tell that they had crossed the threshold and consummated the marriage. And he felt sad. He couldn't help thinking that Sean had everything he wanted for himself.
Atila was distracted by the guests who came to kneel before him, as soon as they recognized him, for a while. He felt a soft hand touch his arm and, turning around, saw the blue eyes of the woman who had once been the reason for his masturbation.
"You're still beautiful, Helena." He said with an appraising look.
"And you've finally become a man."
"That happened many years ago. You wouldn't believe that a man of twenty-six doesn't already have a very long list of conquests."
Helena smiled, forming two dimples in her cheeks and making her look younger.
"Killing isn't the same as loving."
"The thrill of practicing both is... Strong."
Helena looked at Atila's muscular body without disguising her desire.
"I can't understand why I never realized how attractive you are."
Atila looked away from the crowd of guests.
"Sean paid you to go to bed with me?"
Atila didn't see the discomfort her words caused the woman.
"Do you think he has to pay for women to want you?"
"No. But I prefer my presents wrapped."
Helena slapped him and walked away.
Atila put his hand to his face and followed the direction Helena went and soon Kurtin approached.
"Is there a problem, prince?" He asked mockingly.
"Your sister." Atila said and looked at Kurtin. "Take Helena to my room. The party's over for her. Tell her to wait for me there." Atila said and saw the indignation on Kurtin's face. "What? Did you and Sean think I'd marry your slutty 'sister'? No! Not even you could be that stupid. But Sean got my present right. I've always wondered what it would be like to enter Helena's not-so-secret garden." Attila said and walked away satisfied when he saw Kurtin's face red with anger.
The party went smoothly. Atila didn't see Helena again and people were interested to know why Sean wasn't celebrating his birthday either, and he was tired of repeating that it had never been a habit among their family.
It was when he had made up his mind to go to his room, making plans for Helena who was supposed to be waiting for him, that he glanced at Yuki, and then back at her again more attentively.
Yuki was trembling as Sean wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked more closely and realized that the happiness they were showing was false. He went after the host. He hadn't kept anything from the prince. Attila learned of the family drama that had taken place in his absence and his heart filled with fury.
...
Sean accompanied Yuki to her room. She thought he would come in, and she was looking forward to it, to a chance to make his anger cool down, but he put his hands in his trouser pockets and stopped at the doorframe.
"Selytha's birthday is today. Attila and I were also born on this date." He said thoughtfully.
"So the island ritual took place a few months after you turned twenty-one?"
Sean stared into Yuki's eyes.
"Yes. Yuki, you've behaved very well these days and I can't thank you enough for the dedication with which you've taken care of every detail of the Great Feast, but I thought you might like to have your daughter close to you." He said and pointed to the door of the room next to Yuki's. "She'll live in there for now. When you're... When you give me my first child, I'm going to give you the gift of living next to your daughter all the time."
"How can I get pregnant if you don't visit me?"
He looked away.
"Celesty is pregnant."
Yuki felt the hand of bitterness squeeze his chest.
"Is the child yours?"
"Of course it's my child, Yuki. Not all women are as vulgar as you. And it won't be long before other sons appear for Pharaoh, Yuki. I'm attending the harem."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I want the two of us to have a good relationship and that can't happen if there are secrets between us. You should know that a Pharaoh needs many children. And that..."
"You can have all the children you want with me!"
"They can't all be my heirs, Yuki. The children we have will all be heirs to the Pharaoh's fortune. But the children of the harem cannot share in the inheritance of the legitimate children."
"Attila doesn't look poor."
"My father set aside part of his fortune for Atila while he was still alive, and Atila inherited a considerable fortune from his mother."
Yuki held out his hand.
"Come on. Let's talk in here."
Sean looked at the outstretched hand.
"I can't, Yuki. Not yet."
"Are you still disgusted with me?"
"No. I wasn't disgusted by you. I was disgusted with myself. Of everything I'm capable of doing, of everything I've thought of doing to you, to get revenge. And that's not fair, because you're not to blame for what happened. If anyone is responsible for it, it's me. I wasn't a virgin on the island. I could say that I did something to you, without having done anything. Your sheets already bore the mark of your purity. I should have let you go and left."
Yuki became pensive.
"So... You were the second man that day."
Sean took a deep breath and turned back to the corridor.
"Selytha must be looking forward to your visit." He said as he walked away.