The Pharaoh’s Favorite novel Chapter 19

I woke to cold sheets and lingering warmth where Amen’s body had been. My fingers traced the empty space, remembering the weight of him, the safety I’d felt falling asleep in his arms.

I had no right to expect him to stay. He is Pharaoh—his duties extend far beyond this chamber, far beyond me. And yet, after last night, after the way he held me, touched me, whispered my name like a sacred prayer, I had thought…

I shake the thought away before it can settle too deeply in my heart.

Sliding out from under the sheets, I wrap myself in a thin linen robe. My legs tremble slightly as I cross the room, a lingering reminder of his possession, of the way his body had claimed mine so completely that I no longer knew where I ended and he began.

I sink onto a cushioned seat near the balcony, inhaling deeply as I gaze out over the harem gardens. The breeze carries the scent of lotus flowers, mingling with the distant sound of temple bells. The Golden House remains quiet, the concubines likely still asleep.

A soft knock pulls me from my thoughts.

“Come in,” I call, adjusting the robe around my shoulders.

The door swings open, and Werel enters, carrying a tray laden with fruit, bread, and honeyed wine.

“My lady?” Werel’s cheerful voice broke through my melancholy. She bustled in carrying fresh linens, her eyes bright with barely contained excitement. “Oh, you won’t believe what I’ve heard from the marketplace!”

Despite myself, I smiled. Werel’s enthusiasm was infectious, and right now, I needed that more than I needed to dwell on Amen’s absence.

“Tell me everything,” I said, sitting up and wrapping myself in fabric.

She practically bounced as she worked, sharing tales of merchant scandals and temple gossip. A foreign princess had arrived with exotic gifts. Two rival priests had gotten into a fistfight over proper ritual procedures. The baker’s daughter had run away with a Greek sailor.

Each story pulled me further from my worries, reminded me that life continued beyond the walls of the Golden House. I found myself laughing, asking questions, feeling almost normal again.

At some point, her bright eyes become sharp with mischief, and I know before she even speaks that she has something to share.

“You look exhausted,” she notes with a grin, setting the tray down. “Though, I suppose that’s expected, considering where you spent the night.”

I arch a brow. “Do you make a habit of prying into my whereabouts?”

She laughs, unfazed. “The walls in the Golden House are thin, my lady. And more than one servant saw His Majesty carrying you back here like a prized treasure.” She smirks, slicing a fig in half. “There are already whispers about you. Some say Pharaoh favors you above all others.”

“Perhaps,” Werel says, popping a piece of fruit into her mouth. “But for now, you are the current. And the others are not pleased.”