The Sultan's son

11. The Sultan's wives

"There you are, dear child," the Sultan greeted her. "Sit down."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, I ... I didn't mean to disrespect you before."

"I'm sure, I'm sure," he said with a smile. "But the subject is interesting and I wanted to talk about it with you."

"Of course, Your Majesty," she said, confused.

“You see, dear, I know that in the world there are great disparities in wealth, and, believe me, since I have the burden and the honor of governing a country, I feel responsible for all my subjects, especially the poorest. Not only that, I feel it is my duty to improve the lives of those who do not live in my country but are so poor that they find it hard to stay alive. But I don't hold myself entirely responsible for their poverty. Can you guess why?"

"Because they aren't your subjects, your majesty?"

"In a sense. You see, there are many areas in the third world where people go hungry. And despite the efforts of the local population and the international aid, which I also give, after years and years the situation does not change. You could say that it is the fault of the drought, or their land is not arable, or in any case, the nature of the place is not favorable. But in nature, when any herd of animals encounters unfavorable territory, what does it do? "

"Er ... it moves to more favorable territories?"

“Exactly, or perishes. These people do not move and do not die, but they are kept alive with difficulty and with many losses. Have you wondered why? Why do the same areas, the same people always suffer from hunger? Why don't they recover, or why don't they die out? "

"Well no, now that I think about it, there is something wrong."

“The reason is political, my dear. They are people abandoned by their own rulers. Maybe their farms have been expropriated to sell the land to some multinationals, they have been forced to leave their homes and their lands because they are of interest to someone else and forced to move to arid areas without essential services, from which they cannot move. Aid can keep them alive, but if their government doesn't take care of them, they will be a bottomless pit that continually needs outside help. The entire ruling elite has to change to do this, but the powerful ones cannot bear to have empty pockets. We can only hope for the next generations. This is why I allocate part of the wealth of my country to the missions. With our funds, we help missionaries to build hospitals, schools, and wells. In short, we encourage the local population to take their lives in hand. They don't have to be addicted to aid forever. But not all of our savings are destined for it. I have my people to think about. I can assure you that in Krupahw nobody dies of hunger, nobody. All are helped for free, and we take care of our poor, who are very few. I have worked and am still working tirelessly for this, the well-being of my people is very important to me."

She was left speechless. She had never thought about it, she occasionally saw advertisements asking for funds for starving populations, and she had donated some of her meager savings to the missionaries of her parish, assuming that if everyone donated money, hunger in the world would disappear. With his speech, the Sultan had made her understand that the situation was more complicated than she had imagined.

“Your Majesty, I owe you an apology. I spoke without thinking, you have a very big heart and also take care of the poor who do not live in your country, and I judged you. Forgive me ... ” She was ashamed, and tears came to her eyes.

"There is no need for forgiveness, my dear, I just wanted to explain to you why I allow myself to embellish my home and my ship with these luxurious things. Moreover, even the artisans who work with fine materials need to work, and they don't have many customers… unfortunately” he smiled.

"I am terribly embarrassed, Your Majesty, you are very good."

“I'm full of flaws, dear, like everyone. We must try to fight them. But I've spoken too much. I'd like to hear what you think."

“Majesty, you offered me a different point of view from what I had always believed, for that I thank you. I'll think about it."

"Well!" replied the sovereign, standing up. "Now, if you're not busy, you can take me to see the chef, I have to commission him a birthday cake!" he added with a warm smile.

“I would accompany you with pleasure, but they are waiting for me downstairs to finish the job. But can I ask you whose birthday is it? "

"It's my dearest wife's."

"Lady Naisha?"

"Sure. My first wife, Quarin's mother, left us two years ago. "

"Oh. I'm sorry,” she could say nothing more.

"I know what you're thinking: Joridey is 10 years old."

"Majesty, it's not my business, I would never allow myself to think about anything!" Regina hastened to answer confusedly.

“Don't worry, I'm the one who wants to tell you. Unfortunately, my first wife, Freya, fell ill 12 years ago. She had a mental illness, she was no longer herself. We suffered a lot, especially Quarin, who was only 10. Furthermore, the doctors gave us no hope of recovery. You see, the Queen is a fundamental figure for our country, she is the link between the people and the sovereign, and my poor wife could no longer fill that role. So the royal court council insisted a lot that I remarry. At first, I refused. Our religion allows polygamy, but no one takes more than one wife except in very rare cases, in particular, the Sultan chooses only one Queen. No Sultan before me has had two wives. But I didn't want to remarry anyway, I was very much in love with Freya. She was a Norwegian princess, you know? She was named after the goddess of love." The sultan got up and looked out the window while he remembered. "I met her while studying in Europe. My parents were hoping that I'd marry a girl from my country, but as soon as I saw her, I became hers forever."

The Sultan wiped away a tear.

“Alas, however, over the years her condition worsened, and she slipped into a permanent vegetative state, she needed everything. After changing so many nurses, we found a really smart girl, with a degree in medicine, who cared for her with love, and even treated Quarin like a son, so much so that he was genuinely fond of her. And she gave me so many words of comfort too. Her wisdom, her competence, and her love for me and my son made me fall in love with her. And since I was reciprocated, and that Quarin needed a mother, I decided to remarry. I have not regretted it. Naisha is an exceptional woman." And a slightly sad smile appeared on his face.

Then Naisha had taken care of his first wife ... she had certainly washed her, changed her ... she was not at all a cold and snobbish queen as she had imagined her. In her case too, she had a mistaken judgment. And she was more than thirty years old, if she had graduated more than 12 years earlier. And what about Quarin? Was she wrong? Certainly, he had suffered a lot in his life. But why was it up to her to pay the price? She noticed that the Sultan was watching her and collected herself.

"I am happy for you, and best wishes to your beautiful wife!"

"Thanks, dear. Of course, on her birthday you will be my guest. We will have lunch with all the staff, then everyone will be free to do what they want. Queen's decision!"

Regina cheered. The cruise was great for those who enjoyed their vacation, but the staff worked hard and could not visit the holiday resorts where they stopped, or even take a dip. Or rather, someone managed to go out even once a week, but she was just too exhausted to participate, and after a short phone call to her parents, she collapsed in bed. She missed the sea, the long swims.

“Well, my dear, I'll leave you to your duties. I know my son is making you work a lot. If it's too much, don't hesitate to talk to Bernard or me about it."

"I can manage, Your Majesty," she bowed.

“Better this way. I would like to ask you to have patience with my son. If you know him well, he is a great guy. Sooner or later he will realize that you are a wonderful person, and he will learn to respect you as I do."

Ah, fatherly love. It made a father completely blind to his son's faults, she thought. But she was used to finding the good in any situation, and she appreciated his compliment.

“Thank you for your appreciation, sir. I assure you it's completely reciprocated,” she smiled.