The Pharaoh’s Favorite novel Chapter 53

The court’s disdain for me grew by the day, though they still hid behind their masks of civility. They thought their whispers went unheard, their glances unnoticed.

But I felt them. Always. Their gazes clung to me, lingering too long, their voices slithering through the halls like venomous snakes.

Still, none dared to show outright disrespect. Not to the Pharaoh’s favored concubine.

Not yet.

Sahety’s presence loomed over me like an unshakable shadow. He no longer attempted to speak with me, yet he was always there—watching, lingering at a distance.

Whether in the harem or the palace, he remained within sight, a silent specter following my every move.

I hated it. I hated knowing he was near. Hated that no matter how much I ignored him, he would not simply disappear.

And yet, even I could not deny the changes that followed his arrival.

The strange whispers outside my door had ceased. The eerie footsteps in the night—gone.

Even Heket had stopped her constant provocations. For now.

Perhaps Sahety thought his presence would protect me. Perhaps he believed I should be grateful. But I refused to see it that way. I refused to owe him anything.

One evening, the main palace hosted a grand banquet for diplomatic envoys and political figures from neighboring nations.

The banquet was grand, as all royal gatherings were, filled with laughter that never reached the eyes of those who laughed. Diplomats, generals, and high priests filled the vast hall, gathered to discuss matters of the kingdom under the guise of merriment.

The conversation shifted, as it always did, toward the state of the kingdom—the unrest at the borders, the troubling signs emerging from the south.

“The villages are frightened,” one of the envoys reported, his voice tinged with unease. “They whisper of shadows moving through the fields at night. Of voices calling to them from the dark. Some claim to have seen creatures, things that do not belong in the land of the living.”

A heavy silence followed his words. I could feel the tension thickening in the room, pressing against the walls like an invisible weight.

“The common folk are prone to superstition,” a general scoffed, swirling the wine in his goblet. “Let one man see a jackal in the night, and by morning, the entire village will swear it was a monster sent from Duat.”

“Yet the disturbances continue,” another official countered. “It is not just frightened peasants seeing shadows. There have been disappearances. Entire caravans vanished without a trace. And livestock found… mutilated.”

At that, the murmurs grew louder, uncertainty rippling through the assembled nobles.

“These matters require a firm response.” Heket leaned forward, her voice smooth and authoritative. “We cannot allow panic to fester in the hearts of our people. The army must increase its presence along the borderlands, establish order before these foolish rumors gain too much power.”

“And if they are not just rumors?” The question came from a high priest, his expression unreadable. “What if these omens are a warning from the gods? Signs of divine displeasure?”

At that, Meritaten folded her hands in her lap, her face a picture of serene contemplation.

“If the gods are speaking,” she said in her soft, measured voice, “then we must listen. Pharaoh is their chosen vessel. He will know their will. We must not be hasty in assuming this is merely a mortal affair.”

“His Majesty has already decreed that additional forces be sent south,” Heket said, brushing off Meritaten’s words with an elegant flick of her fingers. “The military will handle it. We cannot afford to appear weak in the face of these… disturbances.”

I listened, silent as the conversation played out around me.

I had no intention of involving myself in these matters—not when I already knew how little the court valued the voices of women, concubine or not. And yet…

They were fumbling. Debating endlessly, grasping at solutions without understanding the true nature of the problem.

I exhaled slowly, setting down my goblet. And then, before I could stop myself, I spoke.

“You will not solve this with swords.”

A ripple of surprise spread across the table. I felt their attention shift toward me, their gazes sharp and assessing.