Chapter 23: The truth

"Ramses."

"Dedyet."

"I want you to explain."

"Explain what?"

"What your father just meant."

"…He said that we should marry. Didn't you listen?"

"Why did you visit our palace?"

"Uh…" Crap.

"Was this all for show?"

"No!"

"To get power?"

"Dedyet-"

"Do you even love me?"

"Of course I do!"

"You know that this was my first time."

"Your first time what?"

"My first time letting someone get close to me after all those years." Her eyes filled with tears.

"Dedyet. Please don't cry."

"I am crying because of my own ignorance."

"What do you mean?"

"I really thought I had found someone special." The first tear was now rolling down her cheek. "Someone to share anything with."

"You have!"

"No! You and your family only love power! My brother was right when he said that you wanted to take his throne away from him! And now I left him right when he needed me the most!"

"Let me explain!"

"Explain what?! That your family is addicted to power?! Willing to manipulate a young woman into marriage?!"

"No!"

"Was the plan to get me pregnant?!"

"No! Dedyet! My story is sad, too!"

She crossed her arms and looked him in the eyes, willing to give the prince a chance.

"My father and I have visited your palace, because he is…going to die soon."

Dedyet seemed surprised. "Really? Or is this another one of your lies?"

"No."

"Can you," she rubbed a tear away, "elaborate?"

"A few months ago, my father had an unappealing dream. Our feared god Anubis was looking at him with a stern glance, holding a papyrus that said 'Meet your ka at…' and a date in a few months. He was shocked when waking up and immediately kneeled down to pray. Somehow, the only good he could find connections to was Anubis. He talked to the priests and everyone is sure; on the said day, my father will die."

She looked at him in shock. "Ramses, I… I didn't know!"

"Since then, he keeps preparing."

"Maybe he should talk to some of the priests in Lower Egypt? They might have a different idea about this!"

"Dedyet." He looked her in the eyes. "You cannot change the plans of the gods. My father will die and Anubis will guide him."

"Is that why he wants to unite Egypt before his death?"

"Well, partly. He wants me to do it! After his death, I will become pharaoh. And a pharaoh needs, you know…a queen."

"Why won't you marry your sister? Don't people do that in the South?"

"Well, yes, but I refused. And when I saw you… Wow. Just wow."

Dedyet smiled.

"You were just so beautiful."

"Thank you. Sometimes I wish people wouldn't only judge me for my looks, but I know it seems ungrateful – the gods themselves have told me."

"Do you think… Do you think that I am selfish?"

"Selfish?"

"Selfish for wanting to take away your brother's kingdom."

"It depends on the reasons," she told him. "Do you want to do it to stop the peoples' suffering? Or is it for your own benefit?"

"My father keeps saying that the de Niles are the greatest. I have grown up with that thought."

"Knowing your self-worth is important, Dear... It doesn't make you selfish."

"But I worry about myself more than about others."

"And what are you worrying about now?"

He looked at her. "I'm afraid that I will never see you again."

She smiled sadly. "I have no idea what we should do now, having so many problems at once."

"Now we will go eat breakfast. And then I will introduce you to my family. And after that, we will write your brother a letter. It will all be fine. I know it."

"Thank you, Ramses."

"For what?"

"For not letting me down."