I ruled from India to Cush. One hundred and twenty-seven provinces bowed to my name.Their princes kissed my feet, their coins bore my image, their armies marched at my gesture....

The feast ended. The nobles returned to their provinces.The courtiers offered polished farewells.The palace was cleaned, the goblets counted, the linens perfumed and folded away. But the silence remained. The...

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 —...

A king does not need to understand everything.He needs to decide. That is what I’ve always believed. My father, Darius, ruled with scrolls and swords.I learned to rule with something...

I could not sleep. Not for lack of wine.Not for lack of warmth or women or music echoing from distant halls. Sleep simply would not come. And I, the king...

The second banquet was smaller.Quieter.No flutes, no nobles, no spectacle. Just me.Esther.And Haman — pale as parchment, trying to look calm. I thought this would be like the first: wine,...

The palace is quiet now. The crisis has passed. The gallows stand empty, the scrolls rewritten, the ink dried. Mordecai wears robes of blue and white.Esther walks with the weight...

They will remember me for the crown. Not for my doubts.Not for the nights I sat awake while the empire slept.Not for the weight I carried without ever truly holding...