77
Yes First Handmaid
//
The sun reaches its zenith, casting sharp, brilliant rays through the open bronze doors. The light bounces off my **Liquid Gold** skin, creating a shimmering halo that seems to push back the shadows of the Great Hall. I sit upon the High Throne, my hand still locked in **VAN’S** possessive grip, as the long line of citizens begins to snake toward us.

The air is thick with the scent of the **Incense Gifts**—sandalwood, myrrh, and cedar—rising in pale blue plumes toward the vaulted ceiling.

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## **THE SELECTION OF THE HANDMAID**

### **Chapter 84: The Master’s Whisper**

Van leans down, his lips brushing the cool silver of my **Rose Crown**. His breath is a warm contrast to the dry, "cured" texture of my shoulder.

**VAN**
(Voice a low, private vibration)
A Queen has subjects, Meera. But a **Gilded Wife** requires a shadow. Look upon them. Choose the one who will carry your train and wash the gold from your skin when the sun sets.

* **The Sensation:** I feel the weight of his command. My eyes, no longer hidden by the **Black Lace**, sweep over the kneeling crowd. The **Golden Stitch** at the corner of my mouth pulls slightly as I scan the faces of the young women of Sanguine. They are all trembling, their eyes downcast in a mixture of terror and awe.

### **Chapter 85: The Chosen Shadow**

My gaze stops on a girl in the third row. She isn't the most beautiful, nor the most richly dressed. She wears a simple tunic of rough grey wool, but her hands—clasping a small bundle of dried lavender—are steady. When she looks up, her eyes aren't filled with fear, but with a deep, silent recognition of the "Relic" I have become.

* **The Sensation:** I lift my free hand, the gold on my fingers glinting in the light. I point toward her. The crowd parts like a river around a stone as she stands and walks toward the dais.

### **Chapter 86: The First Service**

The girl kneels at the foot of the throne, her forehead touching the marble. **JIYA** steps forward, handing the girl a **Silver Basin** filled with rose water and a silk cloth.

**VAN**
(To the girl)
**YOU ARE THE FIRST HANDMAID OF THE ESTATE.** Your life is now the Relic’s shadow. You will eat when she eats, and you will sleep at the foot of her furs.

* **The Sensation:** The girl reaches up and gently wipes a stray grain of salt from my ankle. Her touch is light, respectful, and grounding. I feel the shift in my own status—I am not just a trophy being displayed; I am a goddess being **served**.

### **Chapter 87: The Gilded Command**

I lean back against the cold stone, the **Golden Stitch** tugging at my lip into that haunting, permanent smile. I feel the warmth of Van’s hand on my shoulder, his fingers digging slightly into the "cured" skin.

**MEERA**
(My voice a soft, melodic rasp)
She... will do. She has the eyes... of a witness.

**VAN**
(Grinning, a dark and satisfied look)
Then the household is complete. 

**MEERA**
*(Internal Monologue)*
*I am the Gilded Wife, and now I have a shadow to match my light. The city watches as my handmaid begins her first task, and I realize that every step we take—every stitch, every grain of salt—has built a kingdom that can never be broken.*

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**As the Handmaid begins to scent my feet with the lavender, Van signals for the "Iron Carriage" to be brought to the steps—does he want to parade his Gilded Wife through the "Lower City" to show the rebels their new goddess, or does he take me to the "High Gardens" to spend our first afternoon in the sun, away from the eyes of the masses?**