The Hetasept Blessing
Bertil smacked his lips and continued in a leisurely drawl.
“It was a sight that could turn the world upside down. People from every nation gathered, all shapes and colors, and among them were women so beautiful and seductive they took your breath away. Especially… the maids from Kepet… now they were something else. A most enjoyable encounter, indeed.”
“What?”
Magnus’s mouth fell open in shock, his earlier confusion wiped clean away.
“U-Uncle, you don’t mean… something actually happened there, do you?”
“I’ll leave that to your imagination.”
“Huh?”
Fearing someone might overhear, Magnus clapped a hand over his mouth, then lowered his voice to a whisper.
“B-But Uncle, you also… took the Oath of Chastity… didn’t you…?”
Bertil simply offered a meaningful smile and tipped the honeyed liquor down his throat in one long gulp. When the cup was empty, he set it down with a decisive clack and leaned in even closer, murmuring with conspiratorial delight.
“Yes, yes. In our Solinar, the men swear that sacred Oath of Chastity. A holy vow to give our hearts and bodies to only one partner for the rest of our lives.”
Bertil raised an eyebrow and let his gaze drift into the distance. The memory of some secret day softened his eyes with unmistakable fondness.
“But listen well, Magnus. Kepet’s customs are quite different from ours…”
“I don’t understand a single word you’re saying.”
Magnus clutched his cup tighter, looking on the verge of tears.
“Aigoo! Whether it’s pure innocence or just plain thick-headedness…”
At last Bertil resorted to more direct language.
“It means the women of Kepet are the ones our prince must be most wary of during the training competition. Princesses from other kingdoms will be there too, but Kepet is different. Those hot-blooded young women are shut away on that island in small groups for six whole months. If a seductive princess starts hovering around right in front of him, what do you think will happen? And the worst part is they bear no responsibility whatsoever. They can enjoy each other’s company and simply go their separate ways afterward. That’s all there is to it.”
“But that’s not how things work in Solinar at all. Breaking the Oath of Chastity means losing all dignity and honor as a man of Solinar. Especially for His Highness the Prince…”
“Nothing in this world is perfect, Magnus. I’m simply sharing my concerns.”
“No, no, that’s not it at all!”
Magnus cut him off, expression incredulous.
“This is no time for such talk. The training competition is everything to His Highness, and he knows that better than anyone. You know it too, Uncle. Right now the prince is walking a razor’s edge. He’s filled with such fierce determination to win this competition and turn everything around!”
“Magnus.”
Bertil let out a low sigh and slid another cup of liquor in front of his nephew.
“Shall I be completely honest? I’m not expressing these worries for no reason. Prince Arkin has reached his limit. One small push and he could go completely off the rails.”
“No one understands His Highness’s heart better than I, who attends him every day,” Magnus replied, face twisting.
“His Highness, stray from the path? From childhood he has walked only one road, always giving his utmost to meet the expectations placed on him. And he has succeeded perfectly every single time.”
“Exactly, Magnus.”
Bertil swirled his cup with a bitter smile.
“The problem is that he suppresses himself far too much!”
Magnus could not fully grasp what his uncle was trying to say.
In Solinar, where the virtues of patience, restraint, and humility were prized above all, where could one find a man more exemplary than Prince Arkin?
“Speaking of which, how have the prince’s nights been lately? Is he still suffering from nightmares?”
“That… is not something I can speak about.”
Bertil actually looked impressed by his nephew’s caution. He filled Magnus’s cup one last time and smiled gently.
“Good. That is exactly how a courtier should behave.”
After draining his own cup, Bertil looked at Magnus and added one final remark.
“The bit about Kepet women was only half a joke, so forget it. The important thing is that the prince’s situation is that precarious. You understand what I mean, yes?”
“…Yes, Uncle.”
The quiet conversation gradually died away until only silence remained between them. Bertil fiddled absently with an empty bottle, then finally exhaled a long sigh. With a troubled expression, he left his nephew one last request.
“It would be wonderful if the prince achieves excellent results in the competition. But Magnus, if by chance… His Highness shows you a side different from what you expect, do not be disappointed. Stay by his side. He has no one but you.”
Magnus wasn’t sure he fully understood, yet his resolve to remain at Prince Arkin’s side never wavered. He nodded vigorously.
“Of course. I am always on His Highness’s side.”
Meanwhile, a taut standoff still stretched between Arkin and Nefetia.
Arkin shoved away the hand that had once again crept onto his forearm and glared at her in warning.
“Would you stop touching my body?”
Despite earning Arkin’s resentment, Nefetia refused to yield an inch.
“It’s natural to feel rejection at first. But the only way to confirm it is through that very sensation. When my hand first touched your face, didn’t you feel something incredibly intense? Dizziness, shortness of breath—apparently the symptoms differ from person to person, but…”
Without thinking, Arkin brushed a hand across his own face. His cheeks had been burning so fiercely that his palms still felt warm. His heart was pounding as if he had sprinted at full speed, leaving his head faintly dizzy. The first moment he had opened his eyes and truly registered Nefetia standing before him, the sensation had been so scorching and disorienting he had nearly fainted on the spot.
Yet Arkin hardened his expression and shook his head.
“As I keep telling you, I felt nothing at all.”
Arkin’s stubborn refusal was beginning to frustrate Nefetia; her voice rose.
“This is an extremely rare phenomenon. Not just anyone can experience it. When two people are confirming whether they are each other’s destiny, shouldn’t we be thorough?”
“No matter what you say, I have no desire to confirm—wait, what?”
Arkin, who had been waving her off, suddenly widened his eyes. Destiny? Each other’s what?
“I told you earlier. When two people feel this intense sensation the first time their bodies touch, it is called ‘the blessing of Hetasept.’ The two are bound by fate and spend their lives giving each other pleasure. If you had read Kepet’s ancient texts properly, you would already know…”
“Heta… whatever. Fine. Giving each other what?”
Arkin’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her. Fate? For a moment he wondered if she had some scheme, but that expression of hers made such suspicion seem impossible.
“Pleasure. And it’s not Heta-t, it’s He-ta-sept.”
Perhaps because she had never needed to persuade others in her life, Nefetia was gradually reaching the limits of her ability to explain this astonishing, mystical fate in coherent terms. Or perhaps Prince Arkin’s capacity for learning was lower than his appearance suggested.
“So you’re saying you and I are fated partners? You do realize we only met less than an hour ago, yes?”
“I feel the same way, Arkin. I can hardly believe this situation myself. It feels like a dream.”
“Of course it does. Everything you’ve been babbling on about is complete and utter nonsense… I’m losing my mind.”
Arkin clutched his head in disbelief. Nefetia thumped her own chest in equal exasperation.
“I’m the one who’s about to die of frustration here. Are you perhaps slow in the head?”
“Since I felt nothing, that means we don’t share that kind of relationship.”
Arkin drew a firm line, as if he had heard quite enough. His eyes, looking down at Nefetia as though she were a madwoman, were filled with deep wariness.
“Not when you were kneading my face earlier, nor when your hand touched me just now. I felt nothing unusual. And I would appreciate it if you stopped calling my name so casually.”
“If it bothers you that much, then call me by my name too. You may call me Nefetia. It is not a name I grant to just anyone, so consider yourself fortunate.”
“Ha.”
Just what kind of person was this?
Arkin’s patience, already worn razor-thin, was on the verge of snapping completely.