Beauty and the Pharaoh

Chapter 38 - [Beauty and the Marriage Proposal]

I stared at him in shock for a good fine minutes. I think he was pretty freaked out too because he also didn't say a word the entire time.

     "What?" I repeated.

     Atem rolled his eyes. "Why are y–" He cut himself off, looking annoyed but probably not wanting to say something inappropriate in this situation. "I asked you to marry me."

     I scoffed. "Are you serious?"

     "Of course I'm serious," he said. "Do you think I would ask you this as a joke?"

     "Why would you ask me this?"

     Atem let out a breath. "It has become clear that I need to get married in order to consolidate my position on the throne. I need to make everyone believe that I have the possibility of an heir being on his or her way."

     "Like a kid?" First marriage, now children?

     "Yes," he said. "A kid. The nobles are not going to invest in me if they feel like my dynasty and myself have no future. And because of the rush of the current situation, my court needs their investment and support if we want to be able to properly fund and push through a proper military campaign. So I have two options," he said. "My first is that I marry you. My second is I marry another, high classed Egyptian girl."

     I narrowed my eyes.

     "Frankly, I'd prefer to marry you than some other, annoying girl."

     "What does that even mean?" I asked.

     "What does what mean?"

     "What does... marrying you even mean?" I asked. "I'm only nineteen! I can't–"

     "Well, in Egypt, being unmarried and nineteen is actually old."

     "Atem."

     "What."

     "You just asked me to marry you," I said. "Do you know how big of a deal that is?"

     "Yes," he confirmed. "I know that."

     "You're not serious," I said as I began to walk past him, as if I knew where I was going.

     Atem grabbed my arm before I could go anywhere. "I am serious, May."

     I could tell by the seriousness on his face that he was being serious. But I didn't want to believe it.

     He was asking me to marry him? That's crazy. "We've only known each other for a year."

     "Some people get married as strangers," he said. "I think a year is more than enough time."

     I stared at him, stunned.

     He was serious.

     He started walking, pulling me with him and making me realize that I would have gone the wrong way if I continued off on my own. "The ceremony will not be big. It will be in the temple with the only the court and a few noblemen and women–"

     "Are you–"

     "We have no time to for a grand wedding. I am departing for Memphis tomorrow night–"

     I pulled my hand away, stopping in my tracks. "Hold on, hold on, hold on!" I scoffed and held my hands up, stopping him from talking. "If I were to say yes... we would get married tomorrow?"

     Atem blinked. "Yes."

     "Tomorrow!"

     "Yes. At noon."