The Pharaoh

Chapter 27

Nothing was the same as it had been before. The capital was in ruins and all the people were mourning someone that had been important to them... especially Aiden. He went through his days but he seemed to be a whisper of the man I had started my journey with.

He rarely smiled and joking around never occurred anymore. He would get up at dawn and I usually didn't get to talk to him until after the sun had gone down. It was common for me to see him during the day but he was always busy. Whether he was in meetings, capturing what was left of the resistance, or helping to rebuild the capital, he was constantly in motion.

A part of me wondered if he even sat still long enough to feel the weight of everything that was happening around him. It had been weeks since he killed Byron and we returned to the palace yet Aiden hasn't spoken about the event to anyone. I had to be the one to recount the events to his advisors and the rest of the nobles. Apparently, quite a few of the nobles had been supporting the rebellion in secret and when we announced that the only person who could've possibly rivaled Aiden's power was dead, they started to beg for their lives.

As far as I know, the majority of them are in prison until further notice. Aiden hasn't quite decided what to do with them yet. I told him that he should execute them to prevent another uprising from happening in the near future but he's concerned about public and economic backlash that could come from their families' businesses being wiped out from their deaths and therefore lack of leadership. So for now they're going to remain in prison until the person in question can prove their loyalty or we find someone suitable to take over their roles for them.

It's been tiring, to say the least. Aiden has been trying to find people he can see as trustworthy to help him with some of his tasks but he always ends up doing it himself. I tried to convince him to at least let one of his advisors oversee the construction of the city, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He said, "How can I trust someone I only talk business with when I couldn't even trust my own half-brother."

That lead me to where I was now. Walking through the roads of the city to find Aiden and force him to take a break. His relentless schedule had led him to skip meals and a maid from the palace had informed me that her husband who was on the construction team had seen the pharaoh nearly collapse.

I had never felt so much worry in my life. In all my years of looking over Serena and in bunkers underground as the earth above me was bombed, I had never felt this way. This man is going to single handily send me into an early grave.

As I walked people's eyes would latch onto me. I could hear what we're now the familiar whispers of curiosity. Some said how I was now the pharaoh's wife and others wondered if I was a demigod or a goddess. It was still weird to me that my hair and eyes were considered rare and heavenly but I was growing accustomed to the constant stares.

After walking for a while I realized there were too many construction sites for me to simply walk around and find Aiden. He could be anywhere. This is pointless.

I turned to my right and saw a woman with dark brown hair holding a small child on her hip. I walked up to her and she held the child tighter which caused the child to look behind her. She looked incredibly nervous as I approached her. I gave her a sweet smile and hoped that it would ease some of her anxiety. "Hello, would you be able to tell me where the pharaoh is?"

The woman was trembling slightly and pointed he thumb behind her as her child still stared behind her. I began to walk that way and after I passed her I realized that I forgot to thank her. I turned and saw the child staring at me with their big purple eyes. The woman had started to leave and I found that by the time I could speak free of shock, she and the child were too far away to hear me.