Pharaoh’s Concubine - Chapter 13

Editor: Anonymous Stickman

Winter had already arrived, and a cold drizzle began to rain down in London. People donned warm coats, held gray-hued umbrellas, kept a polite distance from one another, and walked on the wet streets emotionlessly.

Suddenly, a girl ran over, her red rain boots slapping against the streets and creating a “pop” noise. Although she repeatedly apologized politely, she still caught the attention of the passer-bys. Perhaps it was her seemingly rude behavior that disrupted the city’s usual rhythm.

“I can’t believe it!” People whispered, watching as the rash girl sprinted past them and rushed into the library.

Ivy anxiously entered into the library’s history area, quickly searching for books on ancient Egyptian history. The empty and deserted library seemed extremely quiet, but Ivy’s mood was contrary to it. Various thoughts flowed like a tide inside her mind, creating a rumbling tweet in her ears. It echoed the words that the Cambridge University professor had told her on her interview day: Ramses II died in less than two years after he succeeded the throne . . . only married three concubines … along with a foreign princess named Nefertari who died early. After the Second World …

She didn’t believe it!

She remembered everything clearly, and could swear in the name of her wisdom and mother that the version of Ramses II’s story that he spoke of was definitely not the case!

For more than sixty years of his reign, he had more than ninety heirs, six queens, dozens of secondary wives and countless concubines. Among them, there were many high-ranking officials, princesses of enemy countries, and beautiful women … In all the countless years of his life, he fought north and south [1], achieved countless military exploits, and made great efforts in civil engineering. Ramses II became the most glorious monarch of the nineteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt, so people would often compare him to Emperor Kangxi of China [2]!

If he died only two years after he succeeded the throne, those great achievements would just be empty talk! She, Ivy Modiet, must’ve been daydreaming, right?

“Found it!” Ivy jumped excitedly from the bookshelf, shouted, and hurriedly covered her mouth. However, her out-of-control voice was enough to attract the dissatisfaction of the few people within the library. Almost everyone lifted their eyes to glare at her.

Ivy bit her tongue and whispered apologetically, but she still couldn’t restrain her eagerness.

Her white fingers trembled as she gently touched each letter upon the title adorning the history book’s dusty cover. Within it were slightly teared and wrinkled pages.

“Ramses II …”

She found it! All her questions would be answered. She felt her heart beating against her chest violently, almost jumping out of her body. She suppressed her overflowing excitement and flipped open to the first page.

Ramses II was the seventh son of Seti I, a famous and brave monarch of ancient Egypt, and had become the “son of the elder king”, ordained by Seti I himself.

—— “His Royal Highness is the seventh son of the Pharaoh, the ‘Prince Regent’, the son of the elder king, and the future heir to Egypt.” A short summary popped up into her vision.

When he was very young, he was entrusted with important political affairs. When Seti I went on an expedition abroad for major events within North Korea and China, Ramses II took full responsibility.

—— “His Highness dealed with the peasants’ problems while he discussed the agricultural issues with the minister …” Another sentence. Ivy shook her head hard.

Seti I also appointed Ramses II to manage Aswan’s quarry, which helped to cultivate his ability to manage people and build great fortifications. He laid a solid foundation for his future successions.

—— “Many farmers were willing to work in Aswan’s quarry while the Nile was flooding. It seemed as though the pyramid that the Pharaoh wanted to build could be completed in advance!” Ivy found that her feet couldn’t support her body. She slowly pulled over a stool and sat down.

If it weren’t for his short life, which ended two years after his succession to the throne, Ramses II’s achievements would far surpass his father Seti I along with his grandfather Ramses I …

“But wasn’t that not the case? ” Ivy’s eyes were red, and she held back her emotions and continued to read.

In the various murals and documents left by Ramses II, only three wives and concubines were recorded. Being the son of the Pharaoh, his father Seth I had chosen the Hittite Princess Maathorneferure, and the ministers and prophets had recommended his sister (name is not recorded). Then there was also his favorite, the foreign princess named Nefertari. Within his short life, in all the temples he’d built, where there was a statue, there must also be a figure of Nefertari. He’d also engrave one sentence: “The sun rises every day because of you.” It showed that Ramses II loved her deeply.

However, according to historical data, Nefertari’s life was also very short, blooming as briefly as the broad-leaved epiphyllum [3]. From the murals, one could only see the endless longing of Ramses II, but no more information was recorded. In the past, even the cause of her death was not recorded in detail.

Slap! Ivy shut the book and rested her forehead against it. She felt thousands and thousands of galloping horses within her mind, making it difficult for her to concentrate and think clearly.

Ridiculous, ridiculous! This was a big joke created by God!

Bifitu was Ramses II, and Ramses II was Bifitu! And she, an unimportant nobody, had arbitrarily broke into an era that she shouldn’t have been involved in, and changed history inadvertently!

There was no foreign princess or short life! The original Nefertari’s story wouldn’t have been like this. The ‘Nefertari’ in the history books that everybody believed in was only an alias for Ivy.

How ridiculous! How could Nefertari, who was an Egyptian, become a foreign princess!? The real Nefertari was originally Ramses II’s most favorite concubine. The Abu Simbel Temple was built by the Pharaoh for Nefertari, an Egyptian beauty who was frequently mentioned in mural history books, a woman whom Seti I had chosen for Ramses II, and a person within the harem of Ramses. She was the most beloved concubine among the hundreds of beauties he had … And it was because of how special and talented she was that even the later generations would know her name. That was why Ivy had heard of her and chosen her name as her alias in ancient Egypt.

If Ivy was the Nefertari in the history books now, where did the real Nefertari go?

Who could tell her what had happened?

Why did Ramses II, who was supposed to live at least ninety years, die after two years of succession?

He should have two hundred wives and concubines, along with more than ninety sons and sixty daughters. Why did he have only three wives and no concubines?

Bifitu, why? What happened to you in the end?!

When Ivy raised her head, she realized that no matter how much she wanted to forget that time, she could never abandon him. No matter how much determination she had to erase him, the cold, brutal, and despotic man had already rested within her memories. The deep traces of him were unwittingly hard to forget.

. . .

[1] 南征北战 – fight north and south; campaign all across the country

[2] The Kangxi Emperor, given name Xuanye, was the fourth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The Kangxi Emperor’s reign of 61 years makes him the longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history and one of the longest-reigning rulers in the world.

[3] existed briefly