A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen - Chapter 14

“Lamassu, is she still not back?” Edith reclined on the soft couch, her posture lazy, but her words betrayed an undisguised impatience.

Lamassu knelt to one side with extreme caution, reporting to the Queen who was faintly on the verge of fury. Miss Ye had been out for the entire afternoon; why had she not returned?

Edith glanced at the sky outside the window, which was growing darker by the minute. A storm simmered in her amber eyes. She reached out to take the wine cup placed to her side, but as if remembering something, her hand stalled in mid-air and she withdrew it.

Edith was a heavy drinker; all the female officials serving close to her knew this, so they always prepared fine wine within her reach at all times.

Edith stared blankly at the thin calluses on her palm. No one had ever advised her to drink less, except for that woman who always managed to surprise her.

The coldness on her face dissipated slightly as Edith said calmly, “Lamassu, withdraw. Report to me once she returns.”

“Yes.”

The flowing golden clouds woven from mist disappeared at the end of the horizon. Her body grew chilled by the evening breeze, yet Ye Zhiqing stood motionless at the highest point of the low wall, her thoughts empty and vast.

She was in a state of complete mental release. The firelight made the night seem even deeper, but Ye Zhiqing did not want to return to the courtyard.

Not until her limbs were frozen by the night wind did Ye Zhiqing move her stiff body. Not knowing where to go, she decided to wander around; since the royal guards were following her, she didn’t have to worry about anything happening.

It was a rare moment of self-indulgence.

Through twists and turns, only the sound of slightly disorganized footsteps could be heard in the thick darkness.

Suddenly, from around a corner, the faint sound of conversation drifted over. It was kept very low, and Ye Zhiqing could only catch a few intermittent words.

“You already betrayed…”

“Impossible…”

Secret scenes hidden in the dark often trigger the most curiosity. Ye Zhiqing stopped her steps in time, signaled the royal guards behind her to halt, and crept softly along the wall to look toward the source of the sound.

The source was still quite a distance from Ye Zhiqing, which was why she hadn’t been discovered. Fortunately, there were no obstacles in between, and Ye Zhiqing could vaguely make out two blurry figures in the distance.

One of the figures, Ye Zhiqing was certain at a single glance, was General Heshi. Ye Zhiqing focused her mind; the other figure gave her a very familiar feeling, as if she had seen her somewhere before.

Even from afar, Ye Zhiqing could see that the other figure had long hair that shimmered with a reddish-brown luster under the dim light, falling to her waist and outlining a graceful silhouette.

Very familiar.

Clear fragments flashed through her mind: long brown hair, a refined face as gentle as the moon. Doubt rose in her heart—could it be her?

That night, she had left water and rations, then vanished without a trace upon waking. Ye Zhiqing had never been able to guess her identity. Was she one of Heshi’s people?

But looking at the way the two stood facing each other, it didn’t seem likely. From a distance, that woman’s aura seemed even more dominant than Heshi’s.

Suspicion grew. Who exactly was she?

Click.

Just as Ye Zhiqing took a few small steps forward in an attempt to see more clearly, she accidentally kicked a pebble on the ground. The sound wasn’t loud, but it was particularly noticeable in the quiet night.

Her heart tightened. Ye Zhiqing watched helplessly as the pebble rolled away. When she looked up again, the other figure had disappeared, and Heshi was walking toward her.

Realizing she had been caught eavesdropping, Ye Zhiqing reacted quickly. She steadied her expression, took a few steps back, signaled the guards to follow, and took the initiative to meet her.

“General Heshi, you’re here as well at this late hour. What a coincidence.”

Heshi looked at Ye Zhiqing’s sudden appearance with a cold expression, slightly loosening her grip on the scimitar at her side.

She ignored Ye Zhiqing and looked instead at the captain of the guard responsible for Ye Zhiqing’s safety. “She doesn’t know this place is off-limits, but don’t you?”

“Reporting to the General: the King’s order was simply for us to follow Miss Ye and ensure her safety. We cannot interfere with where Miss Ye wishes to go.”

Ye Zhiqing smiled, her posture relaxed and natural, candidly accepting Heshi’s scrutiny.

Heshi took two steps forward, stopping beside Ye Zhiqing, and said in a volume only the two of them could hear, “Miss Ye, I must remind you to always remember your status—a prisoner of war of Egypt, a lowly concubine. If I discover you have any treacherous designs against the King, the scimitar in my hand will not hesitate to strike off your head.”

Having said that, she left with large strides without staying.

Ye Zhiqing stood there for a long time. Heshi’s reaction was very strange; the high state of alert and the offensive posture she took when approaching her were obvious.

She had no clues for the moment and no time to investigate deeply. Knowing she couldn’t stay near here, Ye Zhiqing thought for a moment and turned to walk back.

Her slender body seemed as if it would be swallowed by the thickening night, with only the campfires on both sides of the road still emitting sporadic warmth.

A sharp, loud whistle suddenly rang out under the night sky, moving from far to near, accompanied by the faint sound of galloping hooves.

An identical sharp whistle suddenly answered from behind her. Ye Zhiqing stopped; this was a method of signaling. she guessed that someone was coming for her.

As expected, the sound of hooves grew closer. To Ye Zhiqing’s surprise, however, the person sitting upright on the lead horse was actually Edith.

Her expression was cold. Edith brought the horse to a halt in front of Ye Zhiqing, a dark light swirling in her eyes. The shimmering moonlight in the night breeze made her emotions impossible to read.

“Get on,” the indifferent voice rang out as Edith extended her hand toward Ye Zhiqing.

The last experience of riding a horse had not been pleasant. Ye Zhiqing instinctively took a step back. “Your Majesty, I can walk back myself.”

Ye Zhiqing didn’t notice at all that after she said this, the royal guards following behind them all revealed expressions of undisguised shock, which even surpassed their original contempt for her.

No one had ever dared to be so disrespectful to the Pharaoh.

A flash of sharpness crossed Edith’s brow as she tightened the reins. “I will say it once more: get on.”

A soft sigh vanished silently into the flickering firelight. Ye Zhiqing reached out her hand, and they clasped hands, one above and one below.

The moment she touched Ye Zhiqing’s ice-cold palm, Edith’s amber pupils constricted slightly. Just like last time, she pulled her onto the horse, but the movement was much gentler.

The sound of hooves rose again, but it was much steadier and slower, ensuring the person on the horse wouldn’t feel the jolting.

A wave of warmth hit her from behind. As soon as she was on the horse, she was pulled into Edith’s embrace under the cloak. The hand pinning her waist was supple and powerful, forcing Ye Zhiqing to lean tightly against Edith’s chest.

The flowing warmth gradually drove away the cold in her body, and her limbs began to warm up. Strands of ink-black hair swept gently against Ye Zhiqing’s cheek with the wind, stirring up an unbearable itch.

It carried an arrogant sense of possessiveness.

Ye Zhiqing held her back stiffly. The buildings on both sides grew sparser and her vision wider; this was not the route back to the courtyard.

“Your Majesty Edith, where are we going?”

“Be quiet.”

Sensing the warming body temperature of the person in her arms, Edith quickened her pace and galloped toward the outskirts of the city.

The faint sound of rushing water reached her ears. Brilliant stars were reflected in the dark, slightly bluish water. The cool moonlight gently soothed her restless heart.

She hadn’t expected that outside the sandy city of Tanis, there would be such a charming scene.

“So beautiful,” Ye Zhiqing praised without stint.

The corners of Edith’s lips curved slightly. She was the first to dismount and walk toward that dreamlike, enchanting water. Her long robe swayed in a small arc, steady and elegant.

The two stood still by the water’s edge, their silhouettes under the clear starlight looking exceptionally warm and harmonious.

“Ye Zhiqing, why didn’t you return so late?” Edith asked in a casual tone, her expression unchanged as she continued to gaze calmly at the beautiful water.