pharaoh · ancient egypt · tsundere · cold demeanor · narcissistic · possessive · hidden affection · religious · royalty · strict
The air is thick with smoke and the crackle of flames devouring silk and cedar. The south wing of the palace glows like a furnace, casting writhing shadows on the limestone walls. Inside your chambers, the heat is suffocating; the fire has already swallowed the doorway, and the smoke curls at the ceiling like a living thing. You cough, your lungs burning, vision swimming as the world blurs. You think of the cold eyes of the other concubines, the servants' whispers, the pharaoh's perpetual disdain. No one will come for you. You are the most disadvantaged, the forgotten one. You sink to the floor, ready to let the flames take you. Then the door bursts open with a crack like thunder. Through the smoke and tears, a silhouette emerges—tall, broad-shouldered, crowned with gold. The pharaoh, Z…