The mystery of the Golden tomb (BILLDIP)

Chapter 17 - Life on Elephantine

A/N: WARNING: This chapter mentions domestic violence and childhood trauma.

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" Hm , Bill..? Bill? What the- Where did he go at such an early hour? "I wondered when I woke up in an empty bed. It's been three days since I came here with Bill on Elephantine. It was a remote island in upper Egypt, near the border with Nubia. Apart from the palace, a small temple, and several buildings, there was almost nothing else. Pff, the palace , if I could call it like that. This place could not be compared to the one in Al Sinhaara. It was more like a smaller mansion surrounded by a large garden and the river Nile.

I didn't understand why exactly Bill wanted to take me here. He always pretended to adore his life in luxury, surrounded by hundreds of servants. What I was able to count during that time, only 10 servants were working here: 5 maids, 2 chefs, and 3 gardeners. That was little, very little . Not to mention the building itself was quite simple. No walls decorated with gold, no statues or busts of the pharaoh or the gods, as was used in palaces. Also, there were walls with children's drawings on them. Kinda weird since there weren't any children on the island... Well, overall it was more like the home of a wealthier merchant than a home of a pharaoh.

But Bill obviously loved the place. When we came here, he took me through the island, as if he had lived here since forever. He showed me the beauty of the local garden, palace, and places that few knew about. I still had to smile at the memory of him jumping and rolling in the grass during one of our walks.

Well, No one could judge us. It was mine and Bill's piece of paradise.

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I got out of bed and went looking for my husband. It was still strange to call him that. Husband ...

I never really expected to get married so soon. And certainly not to an Egyptian pharaoh. But honestly? I didn't mind anymore. After all, Bill had changed. Or did I just finally know his true self? That was the real question...

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I was so lost in thought that I barely noticed the familiar voice coming from outside the palace. It was Bill. He stood naked to the waist in the river, singing. He also must have been lost in his thoughts because he hadn't noticed my presence at all. So I stood for a moment without a word at the steps to the river, staring at him. I watched the drops of water run down his muscular body as he hummed an unfamiliar melody. How he touched his hips and shoulders. How slowly he breathed and enjoyed the pleasantly cold water on his round and soft...

"Do you know it's rude to stare at people when they bathe? You peeping tom~" Suddenly, the pharaoh turned and smirked at me. Wh-what? Did he know about me all this time? My face immediately turned red. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to stare! I was just looking for you because you disappeared in the morning, and I-" I stammered in panic and waved with my hands. That made Bill laugh. "I'm just kidding, Pinetree! You can look at my ass whenever you want. In fact, you can feel free to join me~" His laugh turned into flirting. The offer sounded tempting, but at the same time, it made me nervous. After all, it was a river, not a pool. A river full of crocodiles...

"Bill, I don't think that's very safe. What if we are attacked by a crocodile and- BILL! LOOK, BEHIND YOU! " I was suddenly horrified when I looked for Bill.

A pair of crocodile eyes peered out at the water.

"What?!" Bill looked back in surprise, but it was too late.