CHAPTER 4: THE PALACE REMEMBERS THE TRUTH
The next morning, Princess Khenmet sat in the grand audience hall of the palace, flanked by her royal advocates.
She had changed into her finest pleated linen dress. She had reapplied her flawless makeup and donned her grandest golden headdress. She was smiling coldly, confident that her royal blood would shield her from any real punishment.
Until Detective Reese activated the glowing blue artifact in the center of the court.
Khenmet’s own high-pitched, furious voice boomed through the stone hall, echoing off the statues of the gods.
“You ruined my life!”
Then came the horrific audio of a violent shove, followed by the heavy, sickening thuds of Merit’s body tumbling down the stone steps.
High Priestess Teti began weeping silently in the corner, dropping her head in shame. Khenmet’s own royal advocates lowered their eyes, unable to defend the indefensible.
Prince Seti stood across the room, his eyes dead and cold, unable to look at his sister.
Khenmet tried to laugh it off, her voice laced with desperation. “That proves nothing! The girl provoked me! She is a threat to the crown!”
Reese tapped the artifact again, playing another recorded conversation.
Khenmet’s voice echoed out once more:
“If she loses that baby on the stairs, the court will finally see she was cursed by the gods, and she will be banished from Egypt forever.”
The entire audience hall went deathly cold.
Seti stepped forward, his hand gripping the hilt of his ceremonial sword.
“You were going to let my wife and my child die for a crown.”
Khenmet’s regal mask finally shattered, her face twisting into venomous rage. “She took you away from me! She destroyed our dynasty's purity!”
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“I am your brother, and the defender of Egypt,” Seti said with absolute finality. “Not your puppet.”
For a split second, Khenmet looked like she might beg for mercy. But the heavy bronze-armored guards moved in, clamping heavy stone shackles around her royal wrists.
