Lahat ng Kabanata ng Queen of the Eternal Nile: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

"Kharef..."The name lingered in my mind.Kharef… Why did it sound so familiar?I frowned…No… Not familiar but I knew that name somewhere… Somewhere I had heard it before.Kharef quietly watched me, his golden eyes never leaving my face. He seemed to be waiting for my reaction but my thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.Kharef...Kharef...Then, like a bolt of lightning, memories flooded back.The museum, Professor Hassan, the forgotten journal, the old photograph, the restoration center, the ancient scroll.Then every page I had read during my trip through Egypt; every legend, every whisper and every mystery.My breathing caught."No..." I whispered.My eyes slowly lifted toward him."Kharef..."I repeated his name but this time, not as a question but as realization. I stumbled backward until my legs touched the edge of the bed.My gaze darted toward the open balcony.Beyond it… Towering sandstone buildings stretched toward the bright blue sky. Temple pylons, obelisks, palm-lined

The moment Kharef stepped back and gestured toward the adjoining chamber, I finally relaxed.At least… I would be alone.I gave him a small, grateful smile before stepping through the carved stone doorway.The bathing chamber beyond was just as breathtaking as the first. Steam drifted lazily across the surface of a crystal-clear pool. The scent of lotus blossoms and fresh herbs filled the warm air. Sunlight streamed through carved stone windows, reflecting across the water like liquid gold.For a long moment… I simply stood there in silence."This place… It's unbelievable."There wasn't a single modern pipe or faucet yet warm water continuously flowed into the pool through beautifully carved lion-head fountains.Everything was handmade and magnificent.I looked around once more to make certain I was truly alone. Only then did I slowly remove my borrowed linen dress, folding it neatly beside the bath.The bruises covering my arms and shoulders caught my attention.The man with the scar

I took a deep breath to calm myself."Crying won't solve anything."The words came out as little more than a whisper.I looked at my reflection in the polished bronze mirror beside the bath. The woman staring back at me hardly looked like the same person who had boarded a plane to Egypt only days ago.Everything had changed; my world and my future. Maybe… Even my fate.I wiped the last traces of tears from my cheeks."No more tears. If I'm really trapped here… Then I have to survive. Crying will only make me weaker."Taking another deep breath, I wrapped the soft bath robe around myself and slowly walked toward the bedroom.I silently prayed.‘Please let Kharef be gone…’‘Please…’I pushed the heavy wooden door open then immediately froze when I saw three young women and an elderly lady standing quietly inside the chamber.The moment they saw me, they all bowed politely.The older woman stepped forward with a warm smile."Lady Maritza."I blinked in surprise. She… She knew my name.W

Dinner came to an end far sooner than I expected.For a brief moment, silence settled over the room. Meera stepped back inside just as Kharef slowly rose from his seat.I looked at him in confusion.Was he leaving?Kharef noticed my questioning expression and he spoke slowly, choosing simple words I had learned earlier."Work..." He pointed toward himself. "...not finished."Then he pointed toward me."Meera." Finally, he made a gentle motion with his hand toward the sitting room. "Go... with Meera."It took me a moment to understand."Oh… You only came because..." I searched for the words. “I didn’t… Eat."Kharef nodded once. His golden eyes softened for a brief second before he turned toward the door.Without another word… The Pharaoh left.I watched him disappear down the corridor and somehow… The room suddenly felt quieter.***Meera clapped her hands together, immediately pulling my attention back to the lesson.I reached for the language book again but she quickly shook her head

Steel clashed against steel.The palace chamber had become a battlefield.The royal eunuch stood before the doorway, fighting two assassins at once despite the blood running down his arm.Kasim remained in front of us, his sword moving faster than my eyes could follow.No one… No one was getting past him then something caught my attention. One of the assassins wasn't attacking but he was holding a clay jug."...What is that?"The man smashed it against the marble floor.Crash!Thick green smoke immediately poured into the chamber.My eyes widened. "No..."The sharp smell hit me instantly, this is not ordinary smoke, poison."Cover your mouths!"I shouted instinctively, grabbing the edge of my robe and pressing it tightly over my nose and mouth.I motioned frantically for Meera and the others to do the same."Like this!"They didn't understand my words, but they copied my movements. Meera quickly turned toward Kasim, trying to warn him but it was too late.Three woven baskets crashed o