A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen - Chapter 23

Ye Zhiqing followed the gaze upward from the well-defined knuckles resting near her lips and subconsciously opened her mouth to take the peeled grape.

The deep look in Edith’s eyes caused the smile on her face to dissipate, and the shadows on the side of her face grew a bit gloomier. Though her expression remained a calm mask that betrayed neither joy nor anger, Ye Zhiqing clearly read several streaks of dissatisfaction within it.

Giving a polite, slight nod toward Manefertiti, Ye Zhiqing averted her gaze and let out a soft, silent laugh.

“Zhiqing, sit closer.” The moist sensation on Edith’s fingertips vanished in an instant, the shimmering moisture under the brilliant golden light making her fingers appear even more beautiful.

Her stern expression softened slightly. Edith withdrew her hand and wiped it nonchalantly on her robe. “Zhiqing, come sit by my side.”

The serious look on Edith’s face didn’t seem like a joke. Seeing this, the curve of Ye Zhiqing’s lips became more pronounced. “Your Majesty Edith, that is your throne.”

She shifted her body back slightly, drawing closer to Edith, yet Ye Zhiqing never actually touched the throne beneath the Queen.

Ye Zhiqing didn’t mind their relationship moving a step closer, but she remained consistently clear-headed and restrained regarding certain boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed.

A flash of understanding rippled through the softness deep in Edith’s eyes. She smiled faintly, offering no comment on Ye Zhiqing’s movement.

Manefertiti took in every movement of the two on the high platform. She sipped the fruit wine in her cup slowly, her slightly upturned chin and neck forming a graceful curve that easily gathered the majority of the burning gazes at the banquet.

It was an allure created by the violent collision of purity and seduction, capable of capturing one’s soul.

Manefertiti enjoyed the secret scrutiny of the crowd with a clear conscience. To her, beauty was merely another tool to achieve an end, and tools were meant to be used in the proper places.

Suddenly, she raised her hand and drained the wine in her cup. A trace of unexpected frustration appeared in her reddish-brown eyes; the two on the high platform had paid no attention to any other movement at the banquet from beginning to end.

That included her.

Manefertiti set down her wine cup. Her gentle voice was highly penetrating, causing the noisy hall to fall silent in an instant.

“Your Majesty Edith, I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting the Lady Fu Jia at your side to tour Thebes with me?”

Manefertiti’s direct address undoubtedly revealed that she already knew Ye Zhiqing’s identity as the former Queen of Punt.

The perfectly timed, gentle smile made even Ye Zhiqing—suddenly called out by name—daze for a moment. As their gazes met, the two unintentionally ignored Edith beside them.

The festive atmosphere suddenly shook with a hint of eeriness.

Displeasure was hidden within the shifting, sharp spots of light. The gaze Edith cast toward Manefertiti was unreadable, her cool tone laced with a slight, heavy suppression.

Her gaze lingered on Manefertiti for only a few moments before shifting to Heshi in the shadows. “General Heshi, have you not arranged the Princess’s upcoming itinerary?”

It was a very deliberate tone of reprimand.

“King, according to the plan, after the peace treaty is signed, the Hittite King and Her Highness will have ample time to tour Thebes,” Heshi stepped forward from the corner and knelt in the center of the hall. Her lowered head made it impossible for anyone to see her expression.

Edith continued to bring different fruits to Ye Zhiqing’s lips, entirely ignoring the kneeling Heshi. Satisfied to see Ye Zhiqing swallow the fruits one by one, she then looked nonchalantly at Manefertiti. “Is the Princess perhaps dissatisfied with this arrangement?”

Edith’s attitude was already quite clear: she had refused Manefertiti’s invitation on Ye Zhiqing’s behalf while simultaneously outmaneuvering Manefertiti.

The Hittite mission was here for negotiations, and Ye Zhiqing’s current status in Egypt was merely that of a concubine. If she were to refuse Manefertiti’s invitation directly, it would more or less add friction to the negotiations.

But now Edith had thrown the question back to Manefertiti. If her answer was “dissatisfied,” Edith could simply turn her spearhead toward Heshi and lightly bypass the issue of Ye Zhiqing. If Manefertiti’s answer was “satisfied,” it was tantamount to a disguised acceptance of the refusal.

The atmosphere grew increasingly stagnant. Ye Zhiqing inwardly cursed Edith for being an old fox. Hiding the smile in her eyes, she leaned her body forward slightly. After weighing it for a moment, she was about to speak to break the deadlock.

Suddenly, a pull came from her waist. Edith had clearly sensed Ye Zhiqing’s intention; her slightly darkened gaze forced the words Ye Zhiqing was about to say back into her stomach.

Manefertiti still wore her most elegant and proper smile, her refined and harmless aura elevated to its peak. Her peripheral vision swept over the kneeling Heshi. “Your Majesty Edith, I am naturally very satisfied.”

The seemingly frozen air relaxed in an instant. Ye Zhiqing continued to remain silent at the side. Edith dismissed Heshi, and the festive mood of the banquet gradually began to warm up again.

Edith seemed to have become addicted to feeding her, tirelessly bringing food from the table to Ye Zhiqing’s mouth.

“Your Majesty Edith, that’s enough.” Ye Zhiqing, who had intended to go along with Edith, had to speak up and refuse when she saw that Edith had no intention of stopping.

“You are too weak; you need to eat more.”

“I’m full.”

Her brow furrowed. Edith set down the food in her hand. She hadn’t fed her much; how could she be full already?

Banquets like this were inevitably dull and uninteresting to both Edith and Ye Zhiqing. For the remainder of the time, Edith and Manefertiti exchanged a few formal remarks regarding the treaty before falling silent.

the peaceful facade perfectly masked the treacherous undercurrents swirling beneath.

The banquet gradually drew to a close. The noise faded, and the crowd below dispersed until only Edith and Ye Zhiqing remained in the hall.

Brushing away non-existent dust from her robe, Edith walked down. Noticing no movement behind her for a long while, she stopped and looked back.

Ye Zhiqing sat in place without moving. “Majesty, my legs are numb.”

Arched her eyebrows in surprise, Edith stepped forward to pick her up, but Ye Zhiqing hurriedly struggled to refuse. “Majesty, just support me.”

Leaving the hall, Edith waved away the sedan chair. She and Ye Zhiqing walked slowly toward the Hall of Khonsu.

The moonlight was distant and clear, stretching their shadows long—leisurely and tranquil.

Halfway there, Edith spoke suddenly. “One month from now will be Egypt’s grandest annual event, the Opet Festival. It won’t be too late to experience the customs and people of Thebes then.”

Ancient Egyptians took the annual flooding of the Nile as the start of the year; on this day, Sirius and the Sun met on the horizon in Lower Egypt.

Based on the rise and fall of the Nile and the growth cycles of crops, the Ancient Egyptian calendar divided the year into three seasons: Inundation, Sowing, and Harvest.

The famous Opet Festival occurred at the peak of the Nile’s inundation, featuring grand sacrificial rites held upon the river.

Ye Zhiqing recalled that she had mentioned back in Tanis that she wanted to see the customs of Egypt. After the incident at the banquet, she wasn’t surprised that Edith brought it up, and she nodded in agreement.

The real face of Egypt from thousands of years ago held a massive attraction for her, a former history enthusiast.

Meanwhile, Manefertiti was accompanied by her young royal brother Narmer, while Heshi and her royal guards escorted the Hittite mission that had attended the banquet.

The palace path was brightly lit. While still a long distance from the guest palace, they saw High Priest Karnak and his party waiting ahead—clearly waiting for Manefertiti’s group.

It was a very ordinary exchange of pleasantries, not avoiding anyone. The gist was that if Manefertiti wished to tour Thebes, she must visit the Karnak Temple.

Those unaware naturally wouldn’t understand, but to Heshi’s ears, these words held a different meaning.

Silently memorizing the details the two discussed, Heshi’s face remained a mask of frozen coldness.

The night grew deeper. Heshi followed silently behind Manefertiti, intending to leave once they reached the entrance of the guest palace.

“Stop. General Heshi, did I allow you to leave?” Manefertiti waved for the others to go inside first. Shedding her gentle facade, her dark eyes seemed to swirl with a storm.

She paced slowly toward Heshi. With every step closer, Heshi’s guard grew deeper, and the struggle and pain in her eyes grew more intense.