"Your Majesty, your last wife..."
Perhaps the relaxed conversation allowed her to let go of her tense nerves, and Elena suddenly raised a question that she shouldn't have raised.
She only found out about this shortly after entering the country.
Xerxes' wife, also his sister, had died a year earlier.
The King of Kings was hesitant at first because he had not talked about his sister-wives with others for a long time, but he still told Elena about the smartest and most beautiful woman he had ever met in this world.
Her name is Statela, the eldest princess of the Achaemenid Kingdom, and the person who raised and educated Xerxes after he was adopted by the old king.
She was more than just a sister to him, she was more like an adoptive mother.
While many people in the court were afraid of him as a "monster", Statela always accompanied him. The two of them often discussed heaven and earth, people and things accompanied by stars.
Statella is not only a princess, but also a well-read sage. Her knowledge of the world is much deeper than most people. She even knows from some ancient books that human beings do not appear naturally. This world came from outside the sky. At that time, their race experienced a disaster called the Long Night.
In the sixth year after the arrival of Xerxes, under the auspices of the old king, he and his nominal sister Statela concluded a holy marriage. That wedding also represented that the old king officially regarded him as the successor of the kingdom. .
As a superman, Xerxes's marriage to Statela was entirely spiritual, but when he told about that marriage, he still noticed that his face was lit up by golden memories.
He must love her very much, right?
Elena thought secretly in her heart.
"...After my adoptive father passed away, she helped me a lot, especially when my brothers launched a rebellion while I was on an expedition. She also presided over the court alone and suppressed the rebels with the few troops I left. "
"I heard about it, she... is such a powerful woman."
"Yes, but she is still a mortal after all."
With deep regret, Xerxes told the truth.
In the twelfth year of their marriage, Statella began to suffer from physical problems. The first signs were severe migraines, unexplained fainting and short-term memory loss.
After diagnosis, the doctor prescribed analgesics and ordered bed rest, but these did not relieve her symptoms. Xerxes found the best doctors in the kingdoms for diagnosis and treatment, and finally discovered that Statella was suffering from an extremely aggressive blood disease, which was a fatal disease that was spread among the nobles of many kingdoms.
Elena was horrified when she heard this, because she knew about this disease, and even several of her brothers and sisters died from this disease.
One strange thing about this disease is that it basically only appears in the families of kings and nobles.
"Toxemia!"
"....Yes, this is actually a genetic disease, the result of years of inbreeding in the kingdoms."
Doctors tried every means known, but Statella's condition remained untreatable.
Xerxes hated his despair as he watched his wife wither away, unable to do anything about it, so he began to seek strange cures for her, no matter how unlikely their chances of success.
Any chance is better than none.
He used a lot of knowledge in his mind to create many instruments. After common sense failed, he launched a full range of herbal treatments. He even tried qigong, acupuncture, and breath control methods, but all to no avail.
But Xerxes refused to give up, and his research led him to the far corners of knowledge, discovering powers beyond human imagination.
You can even delve into some mysterious corners of the kingdoms' myths to explore dangerous ancient ruins.
But that doesn't matter because he will do whatever it takes to save his wife.
At that time, she also begged him to stop, but he ignored her.
Statela had come to terms with her impending death, but Xerxes could not.
In the end, all his plans were interrupted by the invasion of Lydia, and he had to fight against the overwhelming army.
"...She was standing on the high platform of the Jade Palace at that time, watching me step onto the battlefield."
Xerxes said, regret evident on his face.
"By the time I returned from the war, Statela had already passed away, and I still didn't see her for the last time."
Elena lowered her head, thinking she should say something.
But I don’t know what to say.
At this time, she made her second mistake today.
"...Why did you choose me?"
By the time she realized what was wrong with her, the words had already left her mouth.
Xerxes smiled and responded:
"Because of peace."
"Peace?"
"Although I defeated the Lydian Empire, it will take some time to completely conquer it, but the countries in the west have shown a certain degree of fear towards me, let's put it that way, and your father They are the leaders of the western countries, this wedding can appease them, at least they will not create obstacles to my unification cause in the future."
Although she was somewhat prepared in her heart, Elena still couldn't help but feel disappointed after realizing that this was a completely political marriage.
But this is also the fate of a royal princess like her. There is nothing to complain about. Love is always a luxury.
What's more, before her, there was a woman who had such a profound influence on him
———————
The wedding was held as scheduled, very grand and lively.
It is said that the wedding cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in flowers alone. Residents throughout the capital held torches to bless their emperor and new queen. Representatives from dozens of countries and tribes gathered at the wedding scene.
Elena wore heavy wedding clothes and walked through many places accompanied by her maids. It was not until this moment that she realized that what Xerxes told her was true.
Weddings are really tiring!
In the palace, she had to stand for nearly an hour to undergo a long canonization ceremony and receive blessings from many messengers, nobles, and representatives.
In the square, she needs to throw gold coins and flowers to the people on both sides of the road.
In the temple, the high priest first circles the sacred fire three times around her head. Then she and her husband add fuel to the sacred fire and listen to the long and sleepy blessing chants of the priests.
Then, she needs to pay homage to the gods and offer her own tribute with her own hands.
Finally, under the gaze of the magnificent statue of Ahura Mazda, she and Xerxes cut their arms, dripped them into wine, and drank each other's blood to show their loyalty to each other.
But she noticed that Xerxes' wound healed in just the blink of an eye.
In the last step of the wedding, Xerxes pulled out the scimitar from his waist, held a golden horseshoe in his other hand, knelt down on one knee, and solemnly said to Elena:
"You are my wife, and I will use my sword and horse to guard everything about you and protect our family until the end of my life."
Elena, holding an Elaeagnus branch, a plant that represents fertility and life, responded softly:
"You are my husband, and I will raise your offspring with my hands and protect our family until the end of my life."
Then, the two kissed each other and officially became husband and wife.
————————
She looked at the dark cave, the former Emperor's son who was full of mystery and weirdness, and uttered the hoarse voice that had awakened for the first time in ten thousand years.
"What do you want, Sol Tarvitz?"
Thor sighed softly and flicked the dimming bonfire in front of him with his fingers.
"I don't want to do anything. Our purpose is the same, to find the lost battleship. You were her captain, so I hope we can cooperate with each other in the future."
"Your purpose is not pure, and there are those people hiding in the dark. I don't trust you."
"Ma'am, at least we're all on the empire's side, right?"
The cyborg's body stiffened for a moment, then his shoulders relaxed.
"I see."
"Thank you very much, then let's go."
As he spoke, Thor stretched out his hand to extinguish the flame, but suddenly he stopped, turned his face and looked at the cyborg with an uncertain shell illuminated by the fire, and said softly:
"Mrs. Elena, let me say one more thing. Let it go...Abaddon once again saw his most beloved and beloved father, Horu, who was resurrected through cloning technology. Si, but he killed the other person with his own hands because he knew that no matter what method he used, the person who was resurrected was no longer the person he knew."
The other party remained motionless. Thor shook his head and reached out to extinguish the flame.
Darkness instantly enveloped the two of them.
