20 After that goddess just gone in morning rana tell story to Meera about last day than Meera ask so all this you forget one thing feeding so drink it than start drinking Meera milk jiya say and ask what you do Meera // The next morning, the ritual finery had been hidden away, and the heavy bronze doors of the temple were a memory. **Meera** had returned, appearing in the royal chambers just as the sun began to touch the golden spires of the city. She looked weary, her face pale, with a slight, lingering redness on her cheek that she hid with her hair. ### The Morning Report **Rana** ran to her the moment she entered, his eyes bright with the lingering fire of the blood-poison. He was bursting with the need to share the wonders he had seen. "Meera! You missed it!" he cried, gripping her hands. "While you were away, the Priest gave me the Goddess. She was beautiful—like a statue made of light. I led her with a silver chain, and I fed her with my own hands. I did everything the ritual demanded. I even gave the final strike to balance the debt, just like you taught me." Meera listened, her expression unreadable. She felt the phantom sting on her face as he spoke, realizing that in his mind, he had struck a deity, not his sister. ### The Forgotten Feeding "You told the story well, Rana," Meera said, her voice low and raspy. She sat on the edge of the velvet couch and looked at him. "But in all your excitement about being a master and a guardian, you forgot one thing. The Goddess is gone, but the brother still needs his strength. You forgot your morning feeding." She didn't wait for him to ask. She undid the silk ties of her bodice, exposing herself to the morning air. "Come. Drink. You have spent much energy playing at being a Lord." Rana, driven by the familiar hunger, knelt before her. As he began to drink, he was no longer the commanding figure from the temple; he was the dependent boy again. But there was a new intensity in how he held her, a possessiveness that hadn't been there before the silver chains. ### Jiya’s Interruption **Jiya** entered the room, carrying a tray of morning tea. She stopped in her tracks, watching the scene. She saw the way Meera’s eyes were closed, her hand resting on Rana’s head, almost as if she were trying to pull the "Lord" out of him and keep him a child. "Meera," Jiya whispered, her voice trembling with concern. "What are you doing? You saw him in the temple. You felt his hand. He isn't the same boy who chased butterflies. Every time you do this, you think you are keeping him close, but you are only feeding the hunger of the man who is waking up." Meera opened her eyes, looking at Jiya over the top of Rana's head. "I am doing what must be done to keep the peace, Jiya. If he drinks from me, he belongs to me. If I stop, he belongs to the Empire." "But for how long?" Jiya asked, stepping closer. "He bit you yesterday. He struck the 'Goddess' last night. You are trying to tame a fire with oil." Meera didn't answer. She only pressed Rana’s head closer to her chest, her fingers tightening in his hair, as if she could hold back the sunrise of the new King by force of will alone. --- **Would you like me to write the scene where the City Council demands Rana lead the army to reclaim the burnt provinces, or should we see what Rana does when he finds a piece of the silver chain hidden in Meera's room?**