Heh, I have a bit of free time right now, so I'm posting an update to this story faster than I usually do.
Roanna Luna: Frankly, I don't know why it's written like that. I guess Youlan made the characters a bit telepathic, since they seem to know what the other is thinking at a given moment.
Chapter 11
"That's enough! Stop arguing!" Meti barked, his voice stopping the dispute the two were having.
"Hmph!" The two turned their heads away, refusing to look at the other.
'What is wrong with these two? Were they born as natural enemies?' Meti thought before asking, "Betuke ... you are ...?"
"I am actually ..." Atem stopped for a minute before revealing his identity. "I am the son of the current Pharaoh, Akunamukanon, the Crown Prince Atem. This is the first time I've used my true identity with anyone, Priest Meti."
"Crown Prince? But he should have ... sixteen years ago ...!"
Meti had nearly revealed about the forbidden ceremony sixteen years ago. Hastily, he covered his mouth with his hand and turned away from the two.
"Grandfather?"
"Priest Meti?"
Both Atem and Seto found Meti's actions to be rather odd.
"It's nothing ..." Meti turned back towards them. "... Then the Queen had you dressed as a girl?"
"Hmm ... how annoying ..." Atem leaned on the wall a bit mournfully. "Whenever I ask my mother, I could never find out the reason why ... she only tells me that it's for my safety ..."
'The Queen is trying to protect you, I'm quite sure ... Because the chances a female member of the royal succeeding to the throne are so slight, there wouldn't be as many people trying to assassinate you in an attempt to secure the throne to themselves.' Meti thought. "But continuing like this isn't the answer either ... after all, you're male. You can't always be pretending to be female. Sooner or later you'll be discovered. Hmm ... what should we do ..." Meti started to ponder the dilemma.
"Grandfather, what about this?" Seto explained the plan he had thought up to his grandfather.
"Oh?" Meti thought proudly, 'I never thought that you would be so clever. You even thought up a plan already.'
"How about it? Grandfather, do you think it would work?" Seto asked. 'We only need to exploit the Egyptian's superstitious nature in order to easily accomplish our goals.'
"Haha, I'm proud of you." Meti laughed as he suddenly slapped Seto's shoulder. 'With your brains and personality, you may end up inheriting my rank.'
"That hurts!" Seto called out quietly. 'What did the old fellow think of this time?'
"Then Your Highness, do you know of Seto's plan?"
"Yes."
"I think you should first return to the palace. It's best that we wait until the day you turn eleven before we go ahead with the plan."
Meti then got a carriage ready for Atem. When Atem was about to enter it, Seto suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Wait a minute! You're still dressed in male attire!"
"Ah?!" Atem realized it himself. 'I almost forgot ...' "What should I do? Do you have any girl's clothing?" Atem looked around.
"Hmm ... come here." Seto pulled him towards a room.
"What?" It was obvious that this was a girl's room but it looked like it hadn't been lived in for a long time.
"This is my younger sister's room." Seto spoke as he opened a wardrobe.
"You have a younger sister?!" This was the first time Atem had heard of it.
"She's dead. She died with my parents." In Seto's hands were a pile of clothes.
"Uh ... I'm sorry ..." He really regretted what he had just said.
"Anyway, I've already forgotten that I had a younger sister ... take them." Seto passed over to him a pile of girl's clothing. "I wonder if they can be worn or not ... these clothes were from five years ago ..." Seto moved to the dresser to look for jewelry worn by girls.
Atem changed into one of the outfits. What a surprise, it fit exactly!
"It looks pretty good ..." Seto had taken out a pile of jewelry.
"Your younger sister ..." Atem had a sudden thought. 'She couldn't have been able to wear this outfit five years ago, right? How scary ...' He quickly shook his head. "... I must be thinking too much ..."
"That outfit was prepared for her to wear on her eleventh birthday ..." Seto threw to him the jewelry he had just found. "I think you know how to wear those, right? There's some makeup here ... but I think you don't want to use them."
Seto saw Atem's face darken for a moment at the mention of makeup.
"... Thank you ..." Now Atem had completed his look.
'This guy actually looks a lot like a young girl ...' Seto watched Atem for a moment, sighing softly.
" ...What are you thinking about?" Atem felt the look Seto was giving him a bit odd. "If you're planning on telling me that I am a witch, then forget about it ... my temper isn't that great ..." Atem left the room.
"Hah, how intelligent." Soon after, Seto followed him.
"Damn ..." Atem looked a bit angry at that. He entered the carriage. " ... Find some time to come to the palace." He told Seto. "If I have to spend all day playing with other girls, I'm suffering in hell." The carriage began to move as he finished the sentence.
" ...I'll consider it ..." Seto returned to his room. "Argh!" He discovered that Atem had forgotten to take his puzzle with him. " ... The idiot ..."
'Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the royal palace after all ...'
Author's Corner:
Seto: There's a good reason why you would lose your memory ... you've even forgotten about that item ...
Pharaoh: What?! 'Say that again!'
Seto: It looks like the dwarf's brain capacity isn't that large ... (He knows what will happen but says it anyway.)
Pharaoh: Damn you, Seto!! (The two start arguing and fighting)
Youlan: (takes out ear plugs) Here we go again ...
Posted on September 19, 2004.