The art hall fell into a silence so complete that Yetao could hear his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. All eyes turned toward him, including those of the lavender-haired beauty he had just insulted.
It's over. She's going to bury me alive, he thought, squeezing his eyes shut in embarrassment.
But instead of the punishment he expected, a melodious sound shattered the tension—laughter. Yetao's eyes flew open to see Lisa herself doubled over in delight, her shoulders shaking as she laughed with abandon.
The other ladies in the hall exchanged bewildered glances, their murmurs filling the room like rustling leaves. It seemed their future queen rarely showed such uninhibited emotion.
Lisa composed herself and approached Yetao with graceful strides. He stood frozen, torn between the instinct to flee and the strange absence of malice in her demeanor.
"I haven't seen you around here. You must be new," Lisa said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She studied his unusual appearance with interest. "And judging by your hair color, you must be a foreigner. Where are you from?"
"I..." Yetao's tongue felt tied in knots.
The old woman—Hanan, as Yetao now knew her—materialized at his side like a protective spirit. "She doesn't know. She lost her memories," she explained.
"Oh!" Lisa's delicate hand flew to her mouth in concern.
"I need to take this lady somewhere else," Hanan continued, her voice unusually hurried. "So I'll leave now. I'll leave the other girls here, my lady."
"Hanan, is something the matter?" Lisa's concern was evident.
"It's nothing, dear. I'll take her for now." With surprising strength for her age, Hanan gripped Yetao's wrist and whisked him from the art hall, leaving Lisa tilting her head in confusion.
Once they were safely out of earshot, Yetao pulled his arm free. "Um... did something happen?"
Hanan paused, drawing a deep breath before turning to face him. "Yetao... Listen to what I'm about to say and don't panic, okay?"
Her somber tone immediately set Yetao's nerves on edge.
"The king wants you to work in the library wing," she announced.
Yetao blinked. "But I don't think I can read..."
"You're just going for cleaning and arranging," Hanan explained. "You don't need to know how to read for that, but..." She hesitated, her weathered face creasing with worry.
"But what?" Yetao pressed.
Hanan released a heavy sigh. "The king ordered Seshat to watch over you. So Seshat will always be monitoring you from now on." Noticing the alarm in Yetao's eyes, she hastily added, "But don't fret, he's a kind and wise man."
Yetao's mind raced with implications. "So... will the king be there too?" The thought of facing Bam's penetrating gaze daily made his stomach knot.
"You don't need to worry about that," Hanan assured him quickly. "The library is a place handled by Seshat. Our king always stays in the main palace. He rarely goes there."
Relief washed over Yetao. "Then I guess I don't have a choice," he said with a forced smile.
....
That afternoon, Yetao made his way to the library accompanied by a few palace girls he'd just met. They chattered amicably, explaining the palace layout and protocols as they walked.
"Your voice doesn't sound like a girl at all," one girl remarked bluntly. "Did you hurt your throat when you were little?"
Another girl elbowed her sharply, but a third jumped to Yetao's defense. "She should have a flaw, right? Otherwise, with her beauty, she would be in danger everywhere."
She patted Yetao's shoulder sympathetically and leaned closer to whisper, "She's just straightforward. But she means no harm."
"It's okay," Yetao replied with a genuine smile, grateful for the unexpected camaraderie.
When they reached the library—a cavernous chamber lined with endless shelves of scrolls and leather-bound tomes—Seshat sat at a central table, absorbed in reviewing a scroll. He didn't look up as they entered.
One of the girls whispered in Yetao's ear, "We shouldn't make noise while we're here. Finish your work like you're not even here. Got it?"
With that warning, the girls dispersed to their assigned tasks, leaving Yetao to fend for himself.
Taking a deep breath, he entered the library proper. Purposely drifting as far from Seshat as possible, he began examining the shelves, occasionally pulling out a book and flipping through its pages.
As he suspected, he couldn't decipher a single letter. After attempting to make sense of three or four volumes, he sighed in defeat and returned a book to its shelf.
"That was fast. Did you read everything within that time?"
Yetao jumped at the voice. Seshat stood leaning against a bookshelf, watching him with amused eyes.
Before Yetao could respond, Seshat plucked the book he'd just replaced and glanced at its title. His eyebrows shot up. "You wanted to read about adult affairs? That was unexpected."
Heat rushed to Yetao's cheeks. "I didn't know... I can't read," he blurted out, immediately regretting his admission.
"Huh? You can't read?" Seshat's eyes narrowed. "Then how are you going to pass on our military secrets?" The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable.
Anger flared in Yetao's chest. "I already said I don't remember anything. Didn't you just check it yesterday with your cock feather?"
Seshat coughed, clearly startled by Yetao's terminology. "That was not a cock feather but an ostrich's. No wonder you're so dumb," he sighed.
"Yep. I'm so dumb that it can affect you too if I stay close to you any longer. So I'll just take my leave." Yetao turned to go, but Seshat caught his wrist.
"Wait..."
Yetao paused, surprised by the gentleness in his voice.
"Don't you want to read?" Seshat asked.
The question hit a chord within Yetao. It's true that I need to read in order to find a way back to my world. After all, books are ancient Google. But...
"I'll teach you," Seshat offered, interrupting his thoughts. "You could gain your memories back if you gain some wisdom."
Yetao tilted his head, suspicious of this sudden generosity.
Seeing his hesitation, Seshat sighed. "I'm the only one here who can help you gain your memories fast. If you don't believe me, you can ask anyone."
After a moment's deliberation, Yetao relented. "Okay, I'll accept. Thank you, master." He bowed formally and left abruptly before Seshat could say more.
Behind him, Seshat's laughter echoed softly. "She's a funny one," he mused.
....
That night, Yetao sought out Hanan, the only person he truly trusted in this strange world.
"Hmm... If Seshat says something, there has to be meaning behind it," the old woman confirmed as she folded linens. "After all, he's the son of Thoth, God of Wisdom."
"God?" Yetao's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yes. Seshat is a god himself. He inherited his father's wisdom and his mother's judgment. His mother is Ma'at, goddess of justice."
Yetao's mind raced. I've seen this somewhere. Gods walk among humans in Egypt. Could it be true? Then I must be really far away from the future world.
Hanan watched his expression with concern.
Snapping back to reality, Yetao asked, "Then, is the king also a god? Sand god?"
Hanan smiled knowingly. "He is indeed a god, but not a sand god. That's just an ability passed from his father, Seth."
Curiosity bloomed in Yetao's chest. "Then what was his mother's ability?"
Hanan flinched visibly. Her already wrinkled face seemed to age further as shadows of memory darkened her expression.
Yetao waved his hand before her eyes, bringing her back to the present.
"He did not have a mother, my child," she finally said, her voice barely audible. "His other father is Horus, our protector. That's all you need to know for now." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Sleep early, dear."
With that, she hurried from the room, leaving a cloud of unspoken history behind her.
Yetao lay restless that night, mind spinning with new information. Two fathers? Does that mean his parents are gay? He readied his bed and tucked himself under a blanket. Even so, can two men have a child?
After wrestling with these thoughts for a while, he kicked off his sheets in frustration. "Whatever, none of my business," he declared to the empty room before finally drifting off to sleep.
Author's note: For anyone who's wondering, Seth is the God of war who can control the sand and Horus is his niece. I'll update the family tree in the future when it is necessary.
....
The next morning, Yetao woke early to bathe and prepare for Seshat's lessons. To his surprise, the god proved to be an exceptional teacher. With determination fueling his efforts, Yetao progressed rapidly.
Seshat created an atmosphere of comfort that allowed Yetao to gradually open up, though he maintained an invisible boundary—never fully trusting anyone from this world. Even though Seshat surely sensed this reservation, he respected it, perhaps appreciating Yetao's lively and bright presence that seemed rare in the somber palace.
"Can I call you Chen? Seshat is too hard to pronounce," Yetao suggested one day.
The god agreed with an indulgent smile, and from then on, "Chen" became his name in Yetao's presence.
They found unexpected joy in each other's company—laughing, teasing, and sharing quiet moments of comfort between lessons. Days turned into weeks, and before Yetao realized it, a month had passed.
Rumors spread through the palace like wildfire—tales of how a foreign beauty had seduced the God of Knowledge. These whispers eventually reached the king's ears.
Bam clenched his fist upon hearing such gossip. "I knew it. That woman is no ordinary one." He ran a hand through his hair in agitation before storming toward the library.
What greeted his eyes left him momentarily speechless.
Earlier that day....
Yetao had noticed Chen's kohl had smudged slightly. Claiming he would fix it, he had instead intentionally made it worse, transforming the dignified god into something resembling an evil spirit.
Annoyed but amused, Chen had given chase, pursuing Yetao throughout the library. Like children playing a game of cat and mouse, they darted between shelves, their laughter echoing off ancient walls.
"What the hell is going on?" Bam's thunderous voice shattered their merry.
Startled by the sudden intrusion, Yetao collided with a bookshelf. The massive structure teetered precariously before beginning to topple toward him.
Bam reacted instantly, manipulating sand to stabilize the shelf, but not before precious books and scrolls cascaded to the floor, some tearing upon impact.
Drawing a breath of barely contained fury, Bam swirled his hands. Sand particles materialized from thin air, coiling around Yetao like a rope. He stood immobilized, heart hammering against his ribs.
"Um... Bam, leave her. I can restore it," Chen attempted to intervene, only to be silenced by the king's glacial glare.
Ignoring his fellow god, Bam retrieved a half-torn scroll, examining the damage with mounting rage. "Why are you creating chaos in the library?" he demanded, eyes boring into Yetao.
Yetao averted his gaze. Though he wasn't responsible for the shelf's near-collapse, he dared not voice this aloud. Defying a god—especially one already incensed—seemed a fast path to death.
The tense standoff was broken by the sudden appearance of an armed guard, who burst into the library at full sprint. "Zababa is here!" he shouted, voice thick with urgency.
Both Bam and Chen froze, exchanging meaningful glances that spoke volumes of shared history and concern. Meanwhile, a completely clueless Yetao looked helplessly to Chen for explanation.
The sand restraints around Yetao loosened slightly as Bam's focus shifted to this new threat. Whatever—or whoever—Zababa was, it clearly warranted immediate attention.
Chen's expression hardened into something Yetao hadn't seen before—the face not of his friendly tutor, but of a true god preparing for conflict.
To be continued...