As I read this chapter, I experienced a mixture of conflicting emotions such that I wanted to write my own version of this chapter and change the decisions the two brothers made at every point in this story. Yes, I know it sounds silly but I'm unhappy about the way king Schahriar handled his issue with his wife's infidelity.
In the last chapter, he gave readers the impression that he's not affected by the disloyalty of his slaves with his wife and would seek counsel and experience while on a journey. Now we see him taking out his pain and vengeance on innocent virgins. I understand he's a ruler but the power he's been given is too absolute for one person to handle.
I must confess I did not understand the conversation that took place between the kings and the teenage girl such as, “Come on! Pierce me with the spear a violent and hard piercing!" 😅 But as I read on, I deduced that they slept with the girl and gave her their seals as a keepsake.
Will Scheherazade save the remaining virgins in that city? I admire ladies like Scheherazade. They are not held back by the demands of culture and society that prefer to silence women in that time. She's wise and smart. Literacy and her love for books save her from death (hopefully). Now we understand why she tells the atrocious king stories every night. I wonder what King Schahzaman does when he gets back to his city and hope he's a better king than his brother. I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Thank you for these tales. 😊😊