As soon as Attila left, Yuki turned to Sean.
"You're joking, aren't you?"
Sean smiled.
"Yes. But poisoning attempts on princes and kings is almost a... Tradition."
"Don't say that. We wouldn't be able to drink water in peace if that threat was hanging over our heads."
"In the few months you've been here, you've probably ingested more poisons than a cobra is capable of producing."
"If that were true, we wouldn't be talking right now."
"Maybe." He said enigmatically.
"Don't leave me in the dark, Sean. Have you been trying to poison me?"
"I would never do that. It wouldn't do any good. You're Farida and no one is what they're not born to be. As Farida, you're immune to poisons, just as a gunshot can't kill you."
"You think my destiny was to be..."
"You never told me you were a possessive, jealous woman." He interrupted.
"I'm not."
"Uhn. What about Farida's wish used to banish Celesty from my room?"
Yuki smiled.
"I don't like her."
"You know that won't stop me from visiting her in the harem, right? And once there, I'm sure I'll be tempted by the other women. They're virgins and young. And beautiful."
"I can use my desire for Farida to stop you from going." She said, reveling in all the power she had just by wishing.
"You can? Then ask me to do it. Ask me to interrupt my obligations to the women in the harem."
Yuki felt challenged and when she opened her mouth to make that request, her eyes darkened and suddenly, it felt like night and she felt like she was standing outside a large window, watching a war being waged in the darkness of a dirty room with a few soldiers. Selytha was bigger. She must have been fifteen and leaned over a table where several soldiers wore white armor. When she stood up, she pointed at the map on the table with her finger.
"We should go to this place." She said and her voice sounded ghostly.
One of the soldiers approached and looked at the place she was whistling about with a frown, but Yuki couldn't see his face, and then he looked up.
"We can't go back to that place, Selytha. It belonged to the fire people. Now that there are no more illegitimate children of the pharaoh, we are exiled forever."
She looked back.
"Everybody out!"
The soldiers immediately retreated.
Selytha began to remove her armor as soon as she was alone with the man in front of her.
"What are you doing?"
She looked steadily at him.
"What do you think? You are Pharaoh's only son. We need to ensure your descent. We need to ensure that you have more heirs so that we can win this war."
"You've gone mad! My children with you would be..."
"Bastards? Yes. We need bastards." Selytha said, getting naked.
"No. Mother would never forgive me."
"Celesty is hungry, and so are all our people. What do you choose? Stay here with your morality intact, or do what must be done with me, to save your people?"
The man seemed to think and slowly began to remove his armor.
"No!" Yuki said and he turned back as if he had heard and Yuki saw with horror that the boy could only be Attila's son.
She blinked and all those images disappeared.
"I'm waiting, Yuki."
She looked around and they were still in a clean, bright place with a table full of food.
"I saw something scary and..."
"There's no need to describe your vision. I imagine you saw part of what will happen to our world if you ask me to abstain from my concubines."
"Your concubines? Are they many?"
"No. There are fifteen of them. Sixteen with Celesty. They were chosen from birth and at least one child is required from each of them. These children will beget heirs of the blood of the pharaohs for our needs for a long time to come. But every woman in the harem who gives the king more than one child is entitled to a house of her own. And as long as she bears Pharaoh's children, she can enjoy a life of nobility, going to parties and requesting Pharaoh as her husband, to accompany her and sleep by her side. And after they bear their fifth child, if you wish, you can leave, with a fortune or... You can pass on your right to freedom to one of your children."
"Then it's best that none of them has more than one child. And it would be good if you didn't get into bed with them again once they've borne your child."
"Is that Farida's wish?"
Yuki frowned.
"I'd love it to be, but no."
Sean stood up.
"Do you think that the other Faridas who existed didn't think to stop this? That they didn't want Pharaoh, just for themselves? Your jealousy is legitimate and well-founded, Yuki. Don't feel bad about it. Your vision doesn't make you selfish. There is a magic present in this country and it works fiercely to warn us and make us make the choices it sees fit. It has probably made you see a future that involves something sensitive to you. That's how she convinces us."
Sean said and left.
...
Yuki heard Selytha's voice shouting excitedly outside and got up hurriedly and went out into the garden.
Her daughter was jumping around a small miniature model of a blue Porsche 911, with her long blonde hair swaying in the wind, Yuki had the impression for a moment that she was floating.
Atila was standing next to the car, watching the girl's excitement with a cold gaze.
"Selytha! What are you doing?" Yuki asked as she approached.
Atila's eyes softened when she saw her approaching, but she remained silent.
"Mom! Mommy! Look what Uncle Atila gave me!"
"What?" Yuki asked, looking around.
"Mom! A car! Look at it. It's in front of you!"
Yuki didn't know what to say. It was so absurd that she was at a loss for words. She looked angrily at Atila, but before she could say anything, Selytha spoke again.
"The host is taking me to the park now, Mom. Then I'll play with my car." She said and skipped away.
Yuki was still in shock when she turned to Atila.
"What have you done?"
"Do you think only Sean knows how to give nice presents?"
"Sean threw a surprise party for Selytha, and left her a couple of dolls that are just right for four-year-olds. Have you gone mad, Atila?"
Atila started walking and Yuki followed him, but she was so furious that she didn't even realize where they were going.
"Selytha will believe she can drive around. She's only four! She's very smart, and as tall as..." Yuki said and fell silent.
"As tall as her father?" Atila asked, showing that he was paying attention to his words.
Yuki held his breath.
"Do you think you're her father?"
"We don't have to live with that doubt."
"I thought it was impossible to find out who her father is."
"Who told you that?"
"Janethe."
"You've become friends, right?"
"From the tone of your question, you don't approve."
"You trust too quickly, Yuki. And I'm afraid that one day you'll find out that you've always chosen the wrong people to trust."
"I trust you, Atila. Am I wrong?"
Atila was silent for a while.
"Janethe hasn't been honest with you. I found out a few days ago that there is a way to find out who Selytha's father is."
"You haven't explained why Janethe can't be trusted."
"Because she knows how to find out the girl's paternity."
"Maybe I don't ever want to know."
"Yes. That's your right. But Selytha also has the right to choose whether or not she wants to know who her father is."
"Selytha can't make her own decisions yet. She's a child."
"She won't be a child forever."
"I'll be her mother forever."
Atila stopped suddenly and Yuki lost herself in his brown eyes for a few minutes. He was strikingly handsome. And attractive. And strong.
"Yuki, I would never do anything to harm Selytha. That car you saw, it's powered by solar electricity. With the technology from my companies, I've created a sustainable high road and named it after Selytha. People will be able to bring their children to play in cars that only run on this road. There are plates on the roofs that provide energy for the cars. I've decided to put other cars on the road, not as cool as Selytha's Porche, so that Selytha doesn't feel lonely and bored in her own car. And by the time she turns twenty, I hope to have finished the city I'm building for her."
Yuki was in shock once again.
"Why are you doing so many things for her? She might not be your daughter and..."
"My paternal love for Selytha was never because of blood, Yuki. I loved her long before I knew she could be my daughter."
Yuki got a dark look on his face.
"You were the first man to enter that cave where I was." She said.
"Yes."
"You used me in degrading ways. You hurt me. You humiliated me!"
"I'm sorry about that. I wanted Sean to take his offering, totally... I didn't want to leave any part of your body untouched for him."
"Why would you care about something like that?"
"Because I was an idiot who sought to provoke him in every way. Pharaoh wanted him back and believed that igniting his hatred for me would make him come home and you... Well, the offerings don't live to complain."
Yuki shook his head.
"I can't hate you for what you did to me."
"Everyone has a place on the stage of life, Yuki. I was fulfilling what I was created to do. And you..."
"Sean believes that no one is something they weren't born to be."
"Maybe he's right."
"But you think differently."
"I prefer to believe that we can make our own choices."
"You would choose to be Pharaoh, Attila. Sean may be more right than we'd like to admit."
Atila smiled sadly.
"A Pharaoh is like a god king for our people. That's not my choice, but it's who I am. And Sean's throne will live under constant threat. If I choose to rule over the people of Mahagah, I need only extend my hand." He said and held out his hand, pointing behind Yuki, who followed his finger and watched in amazement as he saw the huge paved and fenced road he had built for Selytha.