How To Rewrite History

With the approach of the Marisol festival, many new attractions were waiting for me.

It was the Queen who invited us out to the sea. Her boat, the 'Sea Breeze' was a mid-sized boat made especially for enjoyment. The deck was decorated with tables, cushions, gauzes and veils, and underneath were private rooms. The ship can't withstand the harsh currents, but now that the sea calmed down, it left its harbour once again for a particular purpose.

"During the heat, the best way to escape the midday sun is to go out at sea. The breeze is refreshing, quite different from the desert wind." Leila had explained.

Of course, that's not something everyone could do. While only the imperial family would own a ship for enjoyment, ordinary people would take a break from work, sleep or rest at home or go to the beach at utmost. The bustling city was still operating, but it was much calmer when the sun hit the peak. Even the children avoid running under the scorching sun.

"We can stay here until afternoon," Ramsis said, using a fan to cool himself down. "Each year, I ask myself how I survived the previous heat. In the end, it is only about endurance and taking it step by step."

"Drink something. It's important to stay hydrated in this heat." Eric took it upon himself to take care of me. He brought a tablet with fruits and a goblet.

"What's this?" I asked, knowing that it wasn't water at least.

"It's a mix of mashed fruits, tea and some herbs," Eric explained. "I was unconvinced at first when Ramsis made me drink it. But it is indeed refreshing and better than drinking water which easily becomes stale in this heat."

"You can also use milk instead of tea. But Enkir prefers tea, so we thought you might also prefer tea." Ramsis chimed in. "It might be because you are more used to drinking tea rather than milk in Florencia."

"It's good! But I want to try the version with milk, too!" Fruits and milk - doesn't that suspiciously sound like a milkshake? I don't mind having a milkshake in this weather. Or a smoothie.

Although the food I get to eat nowadays was unlike everything I had before, looking like it was prepared by a 5-star chef, but I still felt the craving for simple dishes and beverages. Those I grew up with the first time, like instant noodles, fried chicken and carbonated soft drinks; what to do? Maybe I should follow the footsteps of all those transmigrated characters and open up a food stall?

"What weird thoughts are running through your head right now?" Eric asked.

"Has the heat gotten to you? Is it a sunstroke?" Ramsis scrutinised and winked a maid over and ordered her to close the curtains around us. Our seats were outside so we could view the ocean and savour the cooling wind, but there was a roof covered with soft fabrics to prevent sunburn. Afraid that I was still under-protected, the two men left nothing unattended.

"You guys are really..." Just when I was about to retort, an interruption occurred.

All heads turned towards the cabin door that was forced open with a bang. A shadow stormed out.

"Nadia! Stop right there!" I could hear Queen Qūin's voice calling after her. Slightly angered, she stepped out after Nadia. Behind her followed Leila with a concerned expression.

"You never listen to what I have to say!"

"It's you who never listen! Otherwise, you wouldn't have such a ridiculous demand!"

"Why is it ridiculous? All I asked was to invite Rashan and the others..."

"Impossible! You're asking for the impossible!"

"Why is that, aren't they part of our clan - our family...?"

"Don't call them your family! You are too young to understand!"

Stopping in the middle of the deck, they began to argue. I understood why Nadia was so fierce. It was because of Rashan. She hasn't given up on inviting him into the palace.

Her face was bitter with dissatisfaction. It dawned upon me now why she asked me not to tell anyone that we met Rashan. Whatever the reason, he wasn't welcomed by Her Majesty. Their relationship was probably not as sweet and smooth as I thought it was.

"I understand that it was you who betrayed and forsook them! That's why you're afraid to even meet the eye with them!"

"This matter... you..." Queen Qūin was taken aback at her daughter's words.

"But have you ever imagine what they have to go through? Rashan has never said a bad word about you ever since!"

"Nadia, you mustn't listen to what others say! We are your family! We have only your best interest in mind! Mother had her reasons!" Leila broke her silence for the first time in this argument.

"You!" Pointing her finger at Leila, who stood next to her mother, Nadia shook in anger. "You stay out of it! This is between my mother and me! I know that you're not even her daughter! Why are you butting in in our matters?"

White as a sheet, Leila stumbled backwards as if she was hit with force.

When the tears in her eyes formes, Leila was already on her heels, running back into her quarters.

"NADIA!" Before the Queen could react, the crispy sound of a slap reverberated through the silence of the ship.

With wide, teary eyes, Nadia looked up to her brother. Still not believing what had happened, she whispered while holding her burning cheek: "You have never hit me before..."

No one had hit her before in her life.

I have never seen Ramsis with such a look on his face, such cold and hard eyes as if he was on the verge of going to war. Nadia, who was two heads smaller than Ramsis, lost all of her momenta and even seemed to forget how to speak. Not even her, but even I, who at first wanted to take a step forward, stopped still. His momentum was enough to make people submit to their knees.

"I didn't want to. But my body moved on its own when I heard what you said." Ramsis admitted, "Leila is unmistakably our father's daughter. That makes her our sister. If she is not family, then who is?" Despite the look in his eyes, his voice was calm like he was talking about the weather. "You mustn't say such foolish things, or one day you will regret it... Does it hurt?"

When Ramsis raised his hand to feel her cheek, his hand got slapped away.

"Don't touch me! You don't have to fake concern for me while you're also taking her side!" Nadia swallowed her fear down when Ramsis' anger turned into concern for her. She still had so many grievances inside of her that she couldn't contain it anymore.

"You have been neglecting your duties as the heir to the throne! You should have become the next king of Coronia, but here you are, fooling around all day long with foreign emissaries, doing minor tasks such as patrolling the harbour while she is always at mothers side! Don't you know that she wants to take away your birthright? Leila is trying to become the next Queen!"

"Everyone with the capabilities can become the next ruler of our country, even you, if you wanted to, don't you understand?! That's what mother has been fighting for, you foolish girl! What have you learned until now? Who has taught you such poisoning thoughts?" Ramsis gripped her shoulders as if he wanted to shake the truth out of her.

Nadia pushed him away with all her might, making him stumble for a few steps.

"No one except for the Raj should rule over this country! We are the ones who have united the kingdom! We have brought peace and prosperity over it, and now we have to bow down to them just to have them join a table with us! Don't you think this is stupid? You would have been such a good king! You were born to be king! They should bow their heads to you! You could bring back peace the moment you ascend the throne!"

"No Raj will ever lay their hands on the throne in my lifetime!" Ramsis didn't know how else to vent the anger and frustration in his heart apart from hitting the boat's railing with all his might. A small dent formed and little fragments of wood fell to the ground by the impact, making even Eric flinch. Out of breath, Ramsis spat out another declaration: "Including myself!"

When I tried to step forward to stop these siblings from fighting, I felt Eric's hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"Brother..." I whispered pleadingly.

He shook his head slightly and then aligned his unwavering gaze back on Ramsis. I could still feel the worry Eric felt deep down because his hand on my shoulder was trembling imperceptibly. But in his eyes, there was a deep trust which origin I couldn't fathom. So I decided to stay out of it as well. Brother knew the siblings better than I did.

Everyone must have their reasons.

"There was no peace during your father's reign and none before him." Finally, Her Majesty stepped forward, examining Ramsis' hand while trying to calm down the situation.

"Your brother was wrong to hit you. But the fault lies with you. Leila might not be my flesh and blood, but she is as much my daughter as she is your sister. You must remember to apologise to her later."

They were all her children. She couldn't find fault with them and can't bear to see them miserable. Apart from treating them all the same and giving them equal opportunities, she doesn't know what else to do.

"All of you have never taken me seriously..." Nadia murmured, biting her lip.

"I see that you're now old enough to think about state affairs to such a degree. We will sit down and talk about everything after the Marisol festival. I will tell you everything you need to know. Since you are not a child anymore, we will not treat you like one."

With that, Her Majesty also stepped back into the cabin; heading for Leila's quarters. There was still another daughter who needed her attention.