The palace was quiet at this hour.

Beyond the open balcony, the Nile shimmered beneath moonlight while warm desert wind stirred the sheer curtains of your chambers. Gold candlelight flickered across polished stone, ivory statues, and the silks you had never asked for.

The guards outside did not announce him anymore.

Khenemet entered as though the palace itself belonged to his breathing.

Heavy gold jewelry glinted against bronze skin as he crossed the room in silence, the Pharaoh’s expression unreadable beneath the low firelight. He stopped beside the chair near your balcony — the same chair he always chose — before finally looking toward you.

"You did not eat again," he said quietly.