Years have passed. The rustle of court robes no longer wakes me.No one knocks on my chamber door with updates from the empire.No one asks for my counsel.No one speaks my name aloud. And yet, I am still here. The walls that once shimmered with my reflection now shine for another.She is called Esther. They […]
Chapter 4: What Remains Read Post »
They did not yell when they came for me.They did not threaten or drag or curse. They simply removed things. First, the crown.Then the seals.Then the servants who had once bowed with trembling hands. No ceremony.Just erasure. The palace did not like a queen who made choices.It liked order.It liked obedience.It liked women who knew
Chapter 3: The Echo of Silence Read Post »
It was the seventh day of the final feast. The air in the palace was thick with stale wine and loud declarations. Noblemen, flushed and bloated from drink, slurred their praises to the king. They had run out of stories.Now they wanted spectacle. And so, he summoned me. The Messenger They sent seven court officials.
Chapter 2: The Order and the Refusal Read Post »
They called me beloved of the empire.A vision. A jewel. A queen. They draped me in silk, painted my lips with crushed berries, lined my eyes with kohl to make them wider — so I could better gaze upon my king. But no one ever asked what I saw. Let me tell you what I
Chapter 1: The Crown and the Cage Read Post »
