Chapter 54

Agda watched from a distance as the two individuals on the passenger ship entered the cabin. Beside him, Prince Bunis looked on with a complex expression, yet he did nothing to intervene.

Guards had been stationed in the shadows around the fleet. Since that person was able to board the ship so silently, it must have been with Prince Bunis’s tacit permission.

“Your Highness, who is that person?”

“Agda, do not ask what should not be asked. Issue the order: strengthen the defense of that ship. No matter what they do, remember not to obstruct them,” Bunis said calmly. He took one long, deep look in the direction where Ye Zhiqing had disappeared, then turned to leave.

The woman of the Egyptian Queen… heh, interesting.

As for what kind of connection she had with his mother, it wouldn’t be too late to investigate that after he reached Thebes.

Compared to offending Edith, collaborating with her was clearly the better choice.

Outside the cabin, the temperature dropped sharply. The biting river wind caused goosebumps to break out instantly across exposed skin.

Inside the passenger cabin, Edith listened quietly as Ye Zhiqing recounted her experiences over the past few days. Edith’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, and her grip on Ye Zhiqing’s hand tightened unconsciously.

Allowing Saul to accompany Ye Zhiqing was not merely because of his talent in architectural design; more importantly, it was because Edith had sensed that Saul harbored a specific, secret design regarding Zhiqing.

Edith had intended to use this opportunity to uncover Saul’s true motives, but she hadn’t expected the situation to spiral out of control.

“From now on, I will never let Saul near you again,” stolen content Edith said, her voice firm as a vow. Her pupils, shimmering with golden flecks, held a rare, naked sincerity of love as she gazed at Ye Zhiqing.

Whether out of shyness or a touch of a guilty conscience, Ye Zhiqing proactively turned her head away and leaned against Edith’s shoulder. “Your Majesty Edith, it was a close call, but I am safe now. Do not worry anymore.”

While telling her story, Ye Zhiqing had, for some inexplicable reason, not been entirely truthful. She concealed the fact of her soul transmigration, and similarly hid the fact that Saul had offered her a way to return to the 21st century.

Now was not the right time to confess everything to Edith. Ye Zhiqing wanted to wait a little longer—at least until she could verify the origins of what Saul had told her at the bottom of the Valley of the Kings.

Edith was the monarch of Egypt. Those who stand at the pinnacle of power do not fall in love easily, but once they do, it is a bond that lasts until death.

Ye Zhiqing understood this well. Edith had also told her about the recent events in Thebes; there was no longer any need to doubt Edith’s feelings for her.

Turning her thoughts to Edith’s hurried departure from Thebes, Ye Zhiqing calmed herself down. Given the current chaotic internal state of Egypt, Edith’s situation was likely very precarious.

“Your Majesty Edith, what is your next plan?” Ye Zhiqing knew very well that Edith’s brother, Inanhote, had long been conspiring with officials in the Temple. Under the current circumstances, Edith’s immediate return to Thebes was undoubtedly the best choice.

Ye Zhiqing’s fingers were soft and slender, glowing gently in the warm light. Edith took one of her hands and tucked it into her own robe, answering irrelevantly, “Your hands are too cold.”

Whether it was from the friction of the callouses on Edith’s palm or the warmth radiating from her hand, a flush quickly bloomed from the base of Ye Zhiqing’s ears, spreading up to her cheeks and down to her neck. Under Edith’s gaze, her skin turned from pink to a deep crimson.

A smile played on Edith’s face. “You want me to return to Thebes?” she asked, her tone rising with a hint of playful mischief.

Ye Zhiqing looked up, half-exasperated and half-surprised, and shot Edith a glare. “Your Majesty Edith, I am asking what your next plan is.”

The smile on Edith’s face spread rapidly as she again dodged the question. stolen content “Have you missed me during this time?” Her eyes shimmered with a soft light.

The gaze fixed on her was so intense it felt as if it could pierce holes in her face. Ye Zhiqing looked up helplessly at Edith, her expression a mix of annoyance and tenderness. “Your Majesty Edith!”

Finally unable to suppress the mirth in her throat, Edith let out a bold, unrestrained laugh. The room was soon filled with the sound of her light, hearty laughter.

Placing a hand on the back of Ye Zhiqing’s head, Edith leaned down and pressed her forehead against Ye Zhiqing’s. “Zhiqing, you need not worry so much for me. I have already made arrangements.”

The surroundings were silent; their eyes locked.

The atmosphere turned subtle and intimate in an instant. Ye Zhiqing looked into Edith’s smiling eyes with surprise, the temperature of her face rising steadily as she stared, dazed and motionless.

In the past, when Edith was with her, she was either sullen or cold, but now… well, Ye Zhiqing couldn’t find the right words to describe it.

“Ah—”

While Ye Zhiqing was lost in thought, Edith suddenly scooped her up and walked toward the bed.

Feeling that familiar sensation of weightlessness, several thoughts flashed through Ye Zhiqing’s mind, but the current situation left her no room for careful deliberation.

Edith placed her gently on the bed and leaned down to press a kiss onto her forehead.

Under Ye Zhiqing’s stunned gaze, Edith reached out to undo Ye Zhiqing’s robe.

When only her last layer of undergarments remained, unauthorized copyYe Zhiqing belatedly struggled and rolled toward the inner side of the bed, quickly wrapping herself in the blanket. “Your Majesty Edith… sleep.”

“Alright, let’s sleep,” Edith said, her voice full of laughter.

Then, Ye Zhiqing watched with wide eyes as Edith unhurriedly removed her own robes, lifted the blanket, and lay down beside her.

With a reach of her long arm, Ye Zhiqing was pulled firmly into Edith’s embrace.

Their heartbeats echoed in each other’s ears.