Free Asenath by Anna Patricio

myself and wandered around.
    Near the riverbank, I saw a group of people who looked my age. They must have been the ones Father mentioned to me about. My spirits lifted.
    I approached them with a bright smile. "Hello. Em hotep —in peace. I am Lady Asenath."
    They stared at me for a moment. Then they turned their backs on me and walked away.
    I froze. I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach.
    I had not been told what to do if something like this happened. I had not even expected it.
    I wandered around a bit more. But I did not know who I could possibly approach. I felt if I did, I would just be interfering.
    The rest of the day went by in a blur. I do not even remember how the hunt went.
    One morning, I awoke to a strange heaviness. At first, I thought it was just some momentary thing. But as the days passed by, the peculiar weight remained.
    Then I realised for the first time I felt truly alone.
    Until then, I always had a friend and companion by my side. Even during my captivity, I never felt truly desolate because Mekten was with me. But now, I was on my own.
    I did not want to be ungrateful. I knew there were hundreds, no, thousands of people who wished to be in my place. And why not?
    I lived a privileged life as a member of Heliopolis' most powerful family. I resided in a sprawling villa with a garden, a library, a pool, my own bedroom and an army of servants to do my bidding. Wherever I went, people bowed and greeted me with the utmost respect. Father had once said I was almost a princess.
    But I could not help this loneliness.
    Even worse, I had stopped hearing from Menah. At first, he wrote as he said he would. He was quite slack, but I did not mind. I was just happy to hear from him.
    But one day, I realised it had been a while since his last letter. I sent him a second letter, asking if he had received my previous one. I got no reply.
    I bade time then sent a third one. It also went unanswered. After that, I decided to leave it up to him. I had already done more than enough on my part.
    I might have talked with Pentephres and Satsepdu about these feelings. After all, they had turned out to be the kind and loving parents they had promised to be. I, too, had come to love them in return.
    But I knew if I mentioned this to them, I would appear ungrateful. It was probably even wrong of me to have these feelings. So I bottled everything up and faked a smile, even though I was slowly dying inside.
    One day, at a party, I once again met the group of young people who had snubbed me at the hunt. One of the girls said something while looking straight at me. Afterward, they turned to me with a sneer.
    I was very uncomfortable. But I knew the best thing to do was ignore them.
    "The stench of fish," the girl said. "How I detest it so." She made a rude noise.
    "Be careful not to get too close to her," her friend said. "You might catch one of her dirty peasant diseases."
    "You do know she was in captivity at one stage," another said. "No doubt she contracted something when one of those savages forced themselves upon her."
    They laughed.
    "That is disgusting."
    "You see how she is the height of a man? She could pass for one of those savage women. I hear they are as enormous as she is."
    The first girl said, "Look at that pathetic excuse for a necklace she's always wearing. No doubt she made it from one of her smelly fishing nets."
    That last one, I would not tolerate. I took a bold step toward the group.
    They backed away in unison.
    I looked the evil girl straight in the eye. "This is a gift from my mother."
    I briefly touched the precious lotus.
    She snorted. "You don't mean Lady Satsepdu, do you? Don't forget where you're from, fishing village girl. Your real parents are peasants, worth no more than livestock."
    I could not take it anymore. I lunged toward her and shoved her. One of her male companions delivered a hard blow to me.
    I fell to the ground. The world became a blur, though I was aware of shouts erupting above