The interaction between the two lasted for a long time.
From the edge of the bath to the water itself, from lying down to standing, at last, they finally stopped.
Lazily lying in the man's arms, feeling the strength of his body, Nitocris felt a deep sense of happiness rise within her heart.
In the past, she had stood alone, trapped under the control of her enemies. She had been so desperate and helpless.
Even revenge had seemed distant and unattainable. Back then, she had almost resigned herself to death.
In her despair, she had begun to pray for the help of the gods.
One night.
Two nights.
Three nights.
…
Countless nights passed, yet no god came to help her.
Those gods who claimed to be the protectors of the Pharaoh, the guardians of Egypt, had stood idly by when Egypt faced disaster. This had left her deeply disappointed.
And at that very moment, this man had appeared before her.
He was her hope. The hope of her revenge, and the hope of escaping loneliness.
By his side, she was no longer helpless, no longer alone.
When she wanted revenge, he was willing to act. When she wanted to take revenge with her own hands, he taught her the power to do so.
This man was always so reliable. No matter what trouble she encountered, she could depend on him.
Now, her great vengeance had been fulfilled, and after that, she had gained a long-awaited love.
Originally, she had never expected such a thing.
After all, how could someone whose own fate was constantly on the brink have the energy to think about love?
But now…
Looking at the man beside her, the more Nitocris thought about it, the happier she became. She even let out a silly laugh.
What a romantic scene. Just now, it had been like their first meeting.
She had been talking to herself in the bath, while he had remained invisible beside her, listening.
Then he appeared and fulfilled her wish.
How romantic…
Wait!
That man, he had been invisible the whole time, listening. So that meant he had heard all her earlier mutterings, right?
All those embarrassing words, all those tangled thoughts, he had heard them, hadn't he?
At this realization, Nitocris's body stiffened. She stammered as she asked Alaric.
"Of course," Alaric replied with a smile.
"I heard everything you said. I heard someone calling me dense and stupid, and worrying that I might care about her past…"
Before he could finish, the girl's small fists stopped him.
Her soft punches landed repeatedly on his chest.
But for Alaric, this was clearly a kind of enjoyment.
Soon, the girl stopped, then buried herself in his arms, too shy to look at him.
After all, having all her embarrassing thoughts heard was too much for the proud Pharaoh.
Patting her little head, Alaric smiled and comforted her.
"Actually, there's nothing embarrassing about it. In all those complaints and worries, I heard your deep love. I was very touched. To have a girl care about me so much, to worry about my feelings like that… thinking about it, I'm truly happy."
His words eased Nitocris's embarrassment.
She raised her head from his chest and looked into his eyes.
"Since you feel happy, then you must cherish that girl," Nitocris said seriously, enduring her shyness. "Never abandon her. For that girl, love only comes once in a lifetime. If you abandon her, her heart will be forever shattered. She would… die."
"I won't," Alaric said, stroking her violet hair and her cute jackal ears.
"Never. My magic will always be with that girl. My power will always protect her. Whenever she needs me, I will appear at her side."
"Mm."
The two quietly embraced…
…
…
This night would be unforgettable for Nitocris.
And for all of Egypt, for Memphis, it was the same.
Because that night, dozens of princes and nobles were murdered in their own homes.
Without exception, these nobles were among the most powerful people in Egypt.
Some were Viziers, some were important ministers, some were generals commanding legions, and some were high priests of the gods.
Such people were never lacking in slaves or guards. One could say that aside from the royal palace, their residences had the strictest security in Egypt.
Yet even so, they had all been infiltrated and killed in a single night.
During this process, their families, guards, and servants had not raised a single alarm. No one had sent any message to the outside world.
Because all of them had been knocked unconscious in their homes.
The result made their residences seem like separate worlds from the outside.
Eventually, the truth came to light when an official went to visit his superior and found the door had not opened and no one responded.
This strange situation immediately alerted him. He quickly summoned the city guards of Memphis and forced the door open.
What he saw was terrifying. His superior was dead, and everyone else lay unconscious.
Such a scene was far beyond what he could handle. But within the horror, he also saw an opportunity.
Political assassinations were not unfamiliar to him.
If his superior had been assassinated, and he was one of the subordinates who could inherit the position, then if he handled this well… might he replace him?
Thus, he went to report the matter to a powerful noble he was close to, the Chief Justice of Egypt.
But when he arrived, the doors of the Chief Justice's residence were also silent. After forcing entry, he found the same scene.
Now, the matter had grown far more serious.
Two high officials assassinated in their homes could not be explained by simple revenge or political conflict. These two had not even belonged to the same faction.
At this point, the official abandoned thoughts of promotion or seizing power.
He had a premonition that these assassinations would stir a storm in Egypt's political world.
He was right.
But what he had misjudged was the scale of that storm.
He visited more high officials, hoping they could handle this crisis. From Viziers to generals, he sought them all.
Yet shockingly, every household showed the same result. The master dead. Everyone else unconscious.
Finally, under the Pharaoh's orders, the city guards of Memphis launched an emergency search across the entire city.
And they revealed a horrifying truth.
Throughout Egypt, from Viziers to high priests, every single powerful noble, without exception, had died in their own homes.
The heavens of Egypt… were about to change.