Like Setau said, they went unnoticed. It was as if they were covered by an invisible dome, that allowed them to see people around them, but they weren’t able to see them.
Soon, they had walked by the guards in silence, and they were entering through the main gate. The huge doors opened up for them in silence, just to close again behind their backs, while all of the torches lighting the place lit up, allowing them to see the interior as if Ra himself was lightening the pyramid.
Aneksi was in awe. The paintings on the walls were fantastic, the colors so vivid she could almost see the scenes coming to life. She walked down the halls in silent amazement, and Setau followed her, with an amused grin on his face.
“This is amazing. A place worthy of the gods,” she finally uttered, when they reached the last chamber.
“I’m glad you like it. I have to admit the artisans are doing fantastic work,” he nodded, pleased. “It’s the kind of construction that will mark the world and its history.”
“Your mark in this world,” she said with reverence.
“Yes, exactly, our mark,” he agreed. “It wasn’t easy to teach your people to build this, but I have to admit they have exceeded our expectations.”
“Thank you for bringing me here. I have wished to see it for a long time, but unless I volunteered to work on the construction, that wouldn’t have ever happened,” she explained, with a scowl.
“There are some advantages to putting up with me, after all,” he teased her.
She chuckled and nodded, “Yes, I have to admit it.”
He took her back to the palace and straight to bed. His eagerness for her didn’t seem to fade, and she had to admit hers matched his perfectly. She loved the way he took her to paradise with just a few caresses and kisses.
The following morning, he informed her they had been invited to several parties. “The Pharaoh has asked me to attend them, so you’ll have to accompany me.”
“Are you sure it’s a good idea? I’m sure my presence won’t be welcomed,” she pointed out, sure the reason behind those invitations was a blatant intent to gain Prince Setau’s favor, and she was sure there would be a parade of single women for him to choose from.
“I don’t care. You’ll go with me,” he stated, in a firm tone, and she knew it would be useless trying to change his mind.
“As you wish. Just try not to leave me alone with the beasts. I might not survive,” she joked, with a scowl.
He chuckled. “You’ll be fine. No one would dare to harm you.”
She shook her head. “You don’t know us very well if you think that. People will do anything they think will take them where they want to get,” she warned him.
“I’ll protect you, don’t worry.”
She nodded, but she had to admit she wasn’t convinced.
That night, they were carried across the city to their first party, at the house of one the Pharaoh’s younger brothers. The man had five daughters, some had already married, but at least two of them were still single, so the reason behind the invitation was quite clear.
As expected, Aneksi’s presence was received with cold glances and impolite comments. She did her best to ignore them, staying next to Setau as much as she could, but that didn’t help her avoid the confrontation with the two single daughters of the house. They cornered Aneksi right after dinner, just when Setau was talking with their host.
“Aneksi, right?” one of them said. “What made you come to our house tonight? You weren’t invited,” she asked, in a scornful tone.
Aneksi let out a sigh before she answered. “Prince Setau was invited, and where he goes, I go. I thought you knew that. It’s common knowledge, really,” she said, in a calm tone, with a hint of mockery. She wasn’t going to let these women upset her.
She hadn't chosen Setau. He had chosen her. It wasn’t her fault if people had trouble accepting that fact.
“Of course not. I’m sure you forced Prince Setau to bring you here,” the other girl said, sounding annoyed.
Aneksi shook her head, with disbelief. “Do you really think any of us would be able to force a man like him to do anything he didn’t want to?” she pointed out.
The other two women looked flustered and unable to find the words to reply her question. “Even so. You know why we invited him. You could have found an excuse not to attend,” the first girl said, after a few moments.
“I have no say in this. Haven’t you realized that? I do what he tells me to do, not the other way around,” she told her, impatient. “Look, I’m sorry you weren’t chosen to be with him, but that’s not my problem. Just deal with it.” With those words, she walked away from the two women and wished he hadn't chosen her.
But she immediately took back her wish. It wasn’t sincere. She didn’t wish Setau hadn't chosen her. He was giving her the time of her life, and though she knew there was no future in it, she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could. She joined Prince Setau with her best smile and didn’t leave his side for the rest of the night.
“I saw you talking with the prince’s daughters,” he said when they were on their way back to the palace.
“They weren’t pleased with my presence like I told you,” she replied, scowling.
“Do you want me to talk to their father and let them know I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior from them or anyone else, for that matter?” he asked, with a deep frown.
“It’s not important. The last thing I want is to make more enemies for my family and Ime. I’ll have to live with these people after you’re gone,” she replied, trying to assure him she could deal with the situation.
He stared at her with a strange look on his face and even opened his mouth as if to say something, but ended up not saying anything.
“I’ll do all I can to make things easier for you, I promise,” he finally said, after a few moments of silence.
“It’s alright.” She smiled at him.
He leaned forward and cupped her face to claim a passionate kiss from her lips. “You’re too good.”
“Of course not. I’m just a normal woman, I’m nothing special.” He shook his head but didn’t insist.
The following days were a succession of similar parties, and in each, Aneksi was confronted by the daughter of the house about her presence at the party. The situation would have been comical if it wasn’t tiring and stressful.
When they were invited to her friend Berenib’s house, she thought she would finally have a pleasant night, but unfortunately, her friend turned out to be exactly like all other girls.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this Berenib. I thought we were friends,” she grumbled when her friend confronted her.
“You knew how much I wanted to be chosen,” Berenib said, whining.
“You’re talking as if I had any choice in this,” she said, waving her finger in front of her friend’s face. “I was chosen, not the other way around and you know I had no choice but to say yes.”
“You can’t tell me you’re not happy he chose you,” the other girl protested.
“No, I can’t, but that doesn’t change the facts. Nothing I could have done would have changed things,” Aneksi pointed out, in a cold tone.
Her friend sobbed, “You didn’t want this.”
“True. But it happened, and I can’t say I regret it. Prince Setau is an amazing man and being with him has been a fantastic experience.”
Her friend grunted but finally realized she was acting irrationally. “Gods of heaven. I’m acting like a lunatic.”
“Yes, you are. As my friend I expected you to be happy for me,” she said, with half a smile.
Berenib hugged her. “I’m sorry, you’re right.”
“I understand. Now, why don’t you tell me what has been going on while I’m at the palace?” she asked, with a smile.
Berenib complied and quickly updated her on the latest gossip. Most were related to Setau, but some were just part of the daily life of the town.
“You look a bit more relaxed tonight,” he said, when they were returning to the palace.
“Yes, I guess I am,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling a bit tired. “Berenib and I have been friends since we were children,” she explained, closing her eyes pleased when he kissed the top of her head.
“I’m glad to hear that. I guess she didn’t give you a hard time, like the other women.”
“Oh, she did, but she soon realized she was acting insanely,” she replied, with an amused smile. “You’re too much of a prize for any woman to stay indifferent to your presence,” she added, chuckling.
“Do you think I’m a prize, too?” he asked her, raising her chin to make her look at him.
She shook her head. “I know I’m here because of who you are, but your status doesn’t matter to me. I care more about the man behind the status,” she explained, as best as she could.
“I’m not exactly a man,” he reminded her.
“Yes. I know, though that’s very easy to forget,” she admitted.
He smiled. “That’s because I haven’t shown you my real self.”
“Will you ever?” she asked, cuddling against him.
“Do you want me to?” he asked instead of answering.
“Yes, I would love to know all about you and the place you come from,” she assured him.
“Then, I’ll tell you about it,” he promised.
They arrived at the palace a few moments later, and they went straight to their quarters.