They brought her in the same way they brought all the others.
Clothed in silk.
Painted lips.
Eyes lowered, posture rehearsed.
But she did not tremble.
Nor did she flirt.
She simply stood — like someone who did not ask to be here, but would not be moved lightly.
I have seen a thousand women bloom under palace lights, but Esther… did not bloom.
She rooted.
The Girl Who Asked for Less
Hegai, my chief eunuch over the women, praised her quietly.
“She asked for nothing more than what I offered,” he said. “As if she already knew what was necessary.”
That was strange.
Most girls begged for more — more jewels, more oils, more instruction on how to please a king.
Esther?
She asked for less.
And that made me want to give her more.
The Moment That Lingered
The night she came to me —
she did not sing.
She did not flatter.
She did not weep.
She looked at me as though she saw something in me I had forgotten was there.
She listened.
Do you know how rare that is for a king?
To be listened to — not because of fear, but with genuine stillness?
She listened as if I were human.
And it made me wish I had more to say.
Favor Without Force
When she left my chamber, I could not stop thinking about her.
The way she walked — measured.
The way she held her gaze — not proud, not coy, just… steady.
She was not loud.
She did not seek attention.
And yet, the palace leaned toward her the way a garden leans toward the morning sun.
I found myself asking for her by name.
Not nightly. Not demandingly.
But often enough for the others to notice.
The Crown Once More
When the time came to choose a new queen,
I barely hesitated.
They draped her in royal garments.
Placed the crown on her head.
And for the first time since Vashti left,
I felt the court breathe again.
Not in fear.
Not in desperation.
But in possibility.
A New Kind of Silence
Esther filled the halls with something quieter than celebration.
Not obedience.
Not submission.
But presence.
She smiled when she meant it.
She bowed when appropriate.
But I could feel it — the line she never let me cross.
She belonged to me in title, yes… but not in soul.
And that… That intrigued me more than any conquest ever had.
