A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen - Chapter 25

For five or six days straight, Edith did not appear at the Hall of Khonsu. In her absence, Ye Zhiqing developed a habit of going out for idle strolls.

However, since that encounter with Manefertiti, Ye Zhiqing rarely strayed far, sticking instead to the paths circling the Palace of Ra and the Hall of Khonsu.

From dawn till dusk, whenever Ye Zhiqing walked past the Palace of Ra, she saw officials streaming in and out. She would stand before the Palace of Ra for a while each day—just standing, never entering.

The sunlight struck the grand, desert-hewn architecture, lending it a warm and profound aura. It was against this backdrop that the priest Saul appeared in Ye Zhiqing’s line of sight.

He still possessed that otherworldly air, untainted by a single speck of dust, with eyes of absolute clarity.

Ye Zhiqing smiled faintly to herself; she hadn’t expected ancient Egypt to have its own “mystics,” especially one who triggered her survival instincts. Having learned from their last encounter, Ye Zhiqing lowered her gaze early this time to avoid Saul’s eyes.

“Miss Ye,” a voice as smooth and warm as jade fell by her ear. Clad in his pure white robe, he unexpectedly came to a stop in front of her.

She and Saul had no prior intersection. Assuming he would head straight into the hall, Ye Zhiqing suppressed her surprise and looked up. “Chief High Priest Saul.”

His eyes were as piercingly insightful as before, but as he gazed deeply at her this time, they did not bring the same sense of danger.

Saul let his gaze linger on Ye Zhiqing for a long time without uttering a word.

Ye Zhiqing was clearly patient as well, her tranquil eyes meeting Saul’s in a quiet stalemate.

Suddenly, Saul spoke. “Miss Ye, your soul does not belong to this world.” Leaving behind this baffling sentence, Saul vanished into the hall in an instant, leaving no room for questions.

Lamassu spoke up anxiously from the side. Although she couldn’t understand the meaning behind the Chief High Priest’s words, judging by the atmosphere, she sensed it was nothing good.

Ye Zhiqing shook her head in silence and turned back toward the Hall of Khonsu. Her pace grew faster and faster. Though her expression remained calm and steady, no one could know the massive tidal wave that single sentence had set off in her heart.

The violent thumping of her heart echoed clearly in her chest.

Saul had stated so bluntly that “her soul does not belong to this world.” Without a doubt, he knew her origins. This meant that the chance to return to the 21st century—something Ye Zhiqing had been desperately searching for—had just appeared effortlessly before her.

She had never imagined that a hope so slim would arrive so suddenly.

Blood raced through her veins, and a damp mist of sweat broke out across her delicate skin. Before she even reached the Hall of Khonsu, the fabric on her back was already soaked through.

“Lamassu, prepare my clothes. I wish to bathe.”

“Yes.”

As the stickiness was washed from her body, the cool water successfully halted her chaotic thoughts.

Closing her eyes, Ye Zhiqing leaned against the pool wall, meticulously dissecting the meaning behind Saul’s words.

What was his motive for being so blunt about knowing her true origin? Was Saul’s intent toward her benevolent or malicious?

Furthermore, what other clues regarding the 21st century did he possess? Did he know a way back?

Her long hair drifted in the water, swaying with the current. The more she thought, the calmer she became. She splashed water over her face; it seemed she had to take a more proactive role in Edith’s life. Only then would her chances of returning home sooner be maximized.

Inside the majestic and spacious council chamber, the ministers below were locked in a heated, red-faced argument. The severe consequences of the Nile’s rising water levels were already beginning to show; many downstream fields had already been washed away.

“Thebes is already the most densely populated city in Egypt. If we accept a non-stop stream of refugees, it will put unbearable pressure on the social order and public facilities, just like in previous years.”

“Unaccepted refugees are often the source of riots! According to you, are you going to force them back into rebellion?”

“…”

In the face of this meaningless bickering, Edith turned her head. Her gaze traveled past the window frame and the eaves, settling on the Hall of Khonsu, which was nestled in a patch of lush greenery.

A chill seeped in through the desk beneath her palms. Edith had gone several days without sleep; the mountain of tedious political affairs could no longer be delayed. Meanwhile, the negotiations with the Hittites, the surging Nile, and the fast-approaching Nile Festival demanded equal vigilance.

She rubbed her temples, her pressed lips revealing that she had lost her patience. Her voice, cold and majestic, quickly silenced the noisy chamber.

“Prepare to receive the refugees immediately. Follow the measures used in previous years. Furthermore, deploy the Vulture Legion from outside the city to the interior.”

Having given them so much time to deliberate only to receive no feasible solutions, a sense of irritability surged within her. Edith leaned back. “That is all for today. You are dismissed.”

The Queen’s increasingly grim expression caused the crowded chamber to empty out rapidly.

Setting down her documents, Edith looked at General Situ, who had not yet departed, masking the exhaustion screaming through her body. “Does General Situ intend to stay and continue discussing state affairs?”

In her noticeably softened tone, a hint of a joke was audible.

“Your Majesty Edith, you need to rest.” Situ was an old official who had followed Edith for years. After she was exiled to the frontier, Situ’s family had unhesitatingly abandoned their prominent status in Thebes to follow her.

Without them, Edith could never have survived those countless assassinations unscathed.

A very faint smile flickered across her face as Edith nodded. “Fine.”

The Queen’s temperament had grown increasingly solitary and volatile over the years. Situ’s face bore unconcealed worry. He had watched Her Majesty grow up, but in recent years, she had poured all her soul into Egyptian politics. Suddenly, she had arrived at this irredeemable state where she only listened to the counsel of a few veteran ministers.

Bowing in silence, Situ withdrew, filled with concern.

Closing her eyes, a heavy exhaustion filled every corner of her body. She picked up a cup of wine and took a shallow sip, the sharp sting in her throat driving away her lethargy slightly.

After resting for a moment, Edith stepped down the stone stairs and walked unhurriedly toward the Hall of Khonsu.

It felt as though it had been many days since she last saw Ye Zhiqing, and the palpitation in her heart had been trembling violently these past few days.

A warm wind stirred ripples on the water’s surface that spread into the distance. The slow-flowing water felt comfortable against her skin.

Only the occasional soft sound of splashing water echoed in the hall. Ye Zhiqing was lying on a protruding stone ledge in the bath, her eyes tightly closed as if she had fallen asleep.

Her graceful body, submerged in the water, flickered in and out of sight beneath the shimmering ripples. Her breath catching, Edith took a long towel from the side, stepped into the water, and lifted her up steadily.