Daughter of the Pharaoh

Thebes, 1279 BCE.  Beneath a scorching sun, Princess Neferet feels stifled by the gilded cage of court life.  Her true passion lies not in silks and jewels, but in the soaring geometry of temples, the silent language of stone. Secretly, she studies with the aging architect Imhotep, absorbing his radical philosophy—that buildings, particularly temples, can harness the feminine power of the cosmos, a heresy in male-dominated Egypt.  Imhotep’s death leaves Neferet bereft, but also emboldened. She makes a daring choice: to shed her royal identity and, disguised as a man, embrace her true calling as an architect.
Binding her chest, cropping her hair, and taking her mentor’s name, Neferet becomes “Imhotep,” a young apprentice in the bustling heart of Thebes.  Her once-delicate hands become calloused, her days filled with the dust and sweat of construction.  But her talent is undeniable.  She rises quickly, catching the eye of the ambitious royal architect, Senenmut, a man as ruthless as he is perceptive.  He sees in “Imhotep” a tool to further his own rise, but what he doesn’t see is the secret that burns within her.
Neferet’s designs, infused with her unique understanding of celestial alignments and sacred geometry, whisper of a touch from the gods.  As her star ascends, so too does the danger.  Her carefully constructed façade is threatened not only by Senenmut's growing suspicions but also by an unexpected, blossoming romance with Horemheb, a charismatic charioteer with a poet's heart. His love offers solace and connection, yet it also exposes a vulnerability that Senenmut, ever watchful, is poised to exploit.
When Pharaoh Seti announces a competition to design a grand temple to Amun, Neferet sees her chance.  This is not just a building; it’s the key to Egypt's future, a testament to her revolutionary philosophy.  But Senenmut, recognizing the power he covets within her design, uncovers her true identity. He offers a devil's bargain: her genius in exchange for his silence.
Torn, Neferet agrees, becoming a ghost architect, her brilliance fueling another's ambition.  But when a devastating earthquake rocks Thebes, threatening to crumble the still-unfinished temple, Neferet must choose between her secret and her kingdom's fate.  Will she risk everything to reveal her true self, a daughter of the Pharaoh who dared to defy tradition and rewrite the very foundations of ancient Egypt?