Chapter 5: One Year After Transmigrated
Hypatia succeeded in robbing the book with her pleading smile. She even deliberately makes her smile as pitiful as she could when she grabs the book in her chest, not letting it go.
The woman who sat next to the stone, which seemed to own the book, had a worried face. But finally she let Hypatia go with her maids, taking her book away.
Hypatia knows her maid must be anxious, so she magnanimously lets them bring her back. At least, she now held a book and could learn how to read.
Not long after she arrived at her room, right when the maid just finished changing her clothes, Chilonis came with her maids.
Hypatia hurriedly held her book, grip it tight, then show it to Chilonis. Chilonis often teaches Hypatia to call her with other words which Hypatia suspects the meaning is mother. But it's quite long words, unlike simple words that describe mother in many languages on earth.
Hypatia put on her pitiful face again, and showed the alphabet. She gestures several times to make sure Chilonis understands that she wants to learn how to read.
For her whole 33 years on earth, Hypatia sucks at playing word guessing games, so she really hopes her pitiful gesture now could make Chilonis understand.
Chilonis has dinner together with her that night, then her father also comes. Chilonis pointed the books to Cleombre, which made him frown. They call the old man with white robe once again. After short discussion which included the old man torture Hypatia by checking her body thoroughly, finally it seems they reach a conclusion.
The next day, after she had lunch, another old man came to her room. He brought material similar to paper, but thicker and light green coloured. Papyrus? Whatever, the most important thing is that she could use it to write.
The old man also brings ink and a wood pen with a soft white brush. Seems it was made from animal's fur.
Hypatia delighted. The old man seems to be her teacher. He wore a dark blue robe with gold arm bangles on both of his arms.
Unlike the 26 modern alphabet, this language only has 23 alphabets. Hypatia almost burst into tears. This will make her life easier.
She spent the whole afternoon until late at night after dinner to repeatedly write the alphabet and read it loudly, memorise it to her heart, etch it on her muscles. The teacher only brought ten sheets of paper and a small amount of ink.
Hypatia already makes her writing as small as she could, but before she gets sleepy, she already runs out of her paper. The maid repeatedly persuades her to stop writing, but she ignores them.
The next day, the teacher gasped to look at Hypatia's work. Hypatia grinned and fluently repeated the writing of 23 alphabet while loudly saying them. After that, she learned the numbers, and how to write her name, also her family name, and all her maids' names.
Hypatia started to learn words from that day. She targets herself to learn 50 words a day. Even though she was not a genius nor had talent in language, she was familiar with long hours studying and working hard.
With nothing to do except walking in the garden, she soon felt 50 words is not enough. She madly wants to learn more and more, making her teacher's eyes glisten with the same madness.
In winter, even walking in the garden was not suitable anymore. Her body is still weak. She often had a fever, and guiltily saw her maids punished every time she had a fever. Hypatia then stops going outside. She doesn't want to let her maids punished because she was so fragile.
Whole day lock herself inside her little palace, without Hypatia realizing, her learning speed steadily increased into 100 words per day.
When the weather gets warmer, flower buds start to shyly peek under the bushes. Hypatia starts to understand why the words used to call her mother are long. That's because instead of a simple mother, she is called Chilonis by her title.
Royal Mother The Queen.
In Spring, Hypatia already fluently writes and reads in this country's language, and also learns mathematics. Her teacher didn't limit anything she wanted to learn. She was very happy. Her teacher is beyond happy.
Once, her Royal Father, who rarely visits her in the noon, met her teacher.
"Greetings, My Royal Mighty King Cleombre."
"No need to be formal, Honorable Dionius. I just want to visit my daughter and check her progress."
"Her Royal Princess Hypatia is really gifted, My King. I really can't believe she started to study again just half a year ago. Her lesson right now in the same state before the tragedy. But I'm afraid I can't accomplish my task."
Cleombre raises his hand and caresses Hypatia's black hair which is tied in a simple braid. Hypatia refused the maid to do her hair in a complicated way.
Hypatia smiled and look at her father who look at her with sad eyes. "It'll be good if this could make her remember again. But even though she can't remember anything before the tragedy, it still fine. As long as she's happy, and healthy. No need to feel burdened, Honourable Dionius." Cleombre's voice is full of sorrow, but his smile is genuinely happy.
Hypatia didn't want to let this golden opportunity be wasted. She held her father's hand and did her magic trick which had a 100% successful rate if applied to her father and her brother. "Royal Father, I pity Honourable Dionius who always brings thick books to my room. Can I study with him on the reading room?"
Hypatia had not yet learned the word yet, so she said reading room instead. Her magic trick works once more. Under her constant teary eye attack, King Cleombre utterly defeated.
When summer started to replace the breezing spring, Hypatia's body got stronger, and she also learned a lot about this world and her background.
King Cleombre rise to the throne 10 years ago at age 34, after Hypatia's grandfather, King Paulitus died at age 64 years old. Cleombre actually the second son of Paulitus and his queen. But Paulitus's first son died at age 35 year, 9 year before Paulitus died, without any heir.
The heir could only be born between King and Queen, or crown prince and crown princess. Unluckily, Paulitus's first son indulged his concubine more than his own crown princess. This led to his three sons all born from his concubine, and he only had two daughters from his crown princess.
Chilonis is not Cleombre's first wife. Cleombre's first wife died 16 years ago, after giving birth to her second son, Cleonymus. She didn't have luck enthroned as a queen.
Chilonis married Cleombre 11 years ago at age 23. She was the daughter of an honorable teacher. Her aunt is Paulitus's favourite concubine. Chilonis's maternal family famous for their beauty. Some say her aunt is even prettier than Chilonis, it makes some people speculated that Paulitus killed her aunt's husband, a vice general, just to let her be a widow and willing to be Paulitus's concubine.
What makes Cleombre falls for Chilonis was not only her beauty, but also because she was famous for her brain. The maid told Hypatia that Cleombre was falling in love with Chilonis before he saw her face due to her chess ability. He was defeated 7 times in a row when playing against Chilonis.
At that time, Chilonis was always wearing a veil to cover her face. Chilonis refused to hear those men accuse her of using beauty as a distraction that led to the men's defeat.
Chilonis herself didn't want to be a queen nor have a bad marriage. She often said it's better for her to remain unmarried rather than having men limiting her freedom. Women in this kingdom were having freedom to choose. They even have the right to divorce their husband and remarry.
But if she married as Cleombre's wife, she would be bound to him until his or her death. If she becomes his concubine, she is only allowed to go outside or remarry under Cleombre's order. She was not allowed to choose her next husband.
So she reject Cleombre's proposal many times. Instead of pushing her, Cleombre actively pursues her. Sending her valuable jewels, rare books, exquisite chess pieces, exotic flowers and pets, showering her with everything Cleombre could offer as a crown prince. So finally Chilonis gave up and made a ridiculous request if Cleombre still insisted on getting her as his wife.
This request is actually a copy from her aunt's request when Paulitus took her as concubine. Chilonis's aunt request Paulitus not to take new concubine until she died.
But Chilonis's request even harsher than her aunt. She told Cleombre that after marrying her as a crown princess, Cleombre wasn't allowed to take a new concubine until he died. Even if Chilonis died first, Cleombre is still not allowed to take a new concubine nor have a new wife. Chilonis made Cleombre take a vow in the temple under the Highest Priest's watch. Out of her expectation, Cleombre happily agreed.
This softened Chilonis's heart. Which man in this world wants to lower himself in order to marry her? She finally opens her heart, and they have a happy marriage for years until now.
Compared to his grandfather who had more than 300 concubines, or Paulitus who had 42 concubines, Cleombre only had 7 concubines, all taken before his marriage with Chilonis.
Cleomenes, 19 years old, and Cleonymus, soon to be 16 years old, born from Cleombre's first wife, while Hypatia and Cleomidas, 6 years old, were born from Chilonis.
Actually, Hypatia had another brother, the second son of Chilonis. He just turned two years old this year, named Cleomitre. But because Hypatia fell ill, she never yet met her little brother until her birthday. The people at this time believed a baby was not allowed to meet a sick person.
Hypatia felt this was reasonable.
She also has 5 brothers and 3 sisters from her father's concubine. None of them were born after Cleombre married Chilonis. But all of their status is lower than her. Even if they share the same father, they have to call her 'Her Highness The Royal Princess'.
In this kingdom, only the King, Queen, and the children born under their marriage, who are allowed to use the unilateral earpiece and Royal title.
She also learns about her tragedy. The original Hypatia in this age was very lively, heavily doted as the only princess born from Queen Chilonis and King Cleombre. Even though Cleomenes and Cleonymus didn't share the same mother, they dote on her the same because Chilonis treated them like her own son.
Especially Cleonymus who didn't have the privilege of being raised by his own mother, Chilonis truly a real mother for him. Thus Cleonymus heavily doted on Hypatia. Cleonymus often taught her about many things she needed to know about this world. He visits Hypatia almost everyday.
Hypatia herself was born one month after Cleombre rose to the throne. She just turned 10 years old this year. Her birthday was in spring, where the flowers bloomed into their utmost beauty.
The tragedy happened one year ago, when the naughty 9 year old Hypatia celebrated her birthday in the garden near the pond. She loves to run and play with her father's concubine and their daughters.
Who knows what happened that day, she fell into the pond and her head was heavily injured. She was unconscious for one month before she finally opened her eyes.
Hypatia suspecting not only her head is injured, but also her neck, because she was almost paralysed for months. Maybe the original Hypatia in this world passed away, and her soul flew into this body.
Hypatia now knows why the maid was so anxious when she met those ladies in the garden. The ladies were supposedly not allowed to meet her, since Cleoymus suspecting her injury was due to their fault.
Under Cleonymus' rage, along with the King and Queen's grief, all the maid who attended the birthday party was demoted to slave, all the slaves were killed, and all the ladies punished with prison in their room until Hypatia could walk outside her room.
That time when Hypatia met them was the first time they're allowed to freely roam in the garden, to the place where the tragedy happened one year ago.
No wonder all her maid and those ladies were so intense.
Hypatia herself was so immersed in her lessons, she only talked to her family, her teacher, and her maids. Even her birthday was not extravagantly celebrated like last year. She only requested to meet her two year old brother.
Babies are truly cute!
Hypatia slowly adapted herself with her new family, with her surroundings, with this world with two moons. Sometimes she stares at the window, looking at the smaller moon, missing her original family.
She wants to dream about them. She's afraid she will forget their faces soon. But life is so cruel. Her dreams were full of trash images such as playing in the garden or going to the library and facing another language which was so complicated she wanted to cry.
Not even once, she was blessed with a dream about her original world. As if her 33 years on earth was just a vague illusion. Dissipated in a hazy fog, faded away from her memories.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Meine_Meow
Meine_Meow Chilonis's aunt inspired from the life of Nur Jahan. She was the aunt of Empress Mumtaz Mahal.
Familiar with that name? Yes, Mumtaz Mahal is the only woman whose tomb is so magnificent that it has to be the most expensive tomb built for a Queen in the world, an UNESCO’s site, included in 7 wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal.
Other expensive tombs which cost more than the Taj Mahal exist, but all of them are tombs for Kings. None of them were built by a man who was grieving the loss of his beloved wife.
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