One evening, as Neferet prepared for the temple's nightly ritual, Ra-Hotep, the High Priest, summoned her.
"You are walking a dangerous path, Neferet," he said, his sharp eyes gleaming like a hawk. "The gods see all. And so does the Pharaoh."
She bowed her head. "I have done nothing to dishonor Hathor."
"Not yet," he said, his voice like a serpent's hiss. "But the heart is a treacherous thing, Priestess. Love makes even the most devoted blind."
Neferet swallowed, but she did not answer.
She did not know then that Ra-Hotep had already set plans into motion.