ISHAQ
My eyes followed the beautiful woman’s every sweet, graceful movement of her hands, arms, and hips. Her whole body, in fact. She was slender, with olive skin and eyes like a beautiful night, which shone whenever she smiled. Olabisi danced in front of my mistress, Queen Cleopatra.
When her father Ptolemy XII died, my mistress became the ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, starting 51 BC. As one of her favoured errand slaves, I was always close to her, even before she became the ruler. And that was how I came to know of this beautiful royal labourer that was now entertaining our mistress.
Queen Cleopatra was lying at her side in a long duvet that was covered by gold silk. A male slave served her fruits, placing them on the table in front of her. There were a few narrow-necked
