the back of his closed fingers. The Chancellor nodded at Sekai, approving of Coraset.
She pulled a small square glass pad out of her jacket pocket and checked off Coraset’s name. Chancellor Erato went back to Aisling. He offered his arm to her, and her bright smile broke through her red lipstick as she took it excitedly. Chancellor Erato escorted her to another set of doors where the Elite Guards were ready to lead them into the great hall. Trumpets began to sound on cue, and a large set of doors swung open to an awaiting crowd that was applauding the Chancellor Erato.
Sekai went back to her constituents in the middle of the room, and they began directing the women that were left in the room towards another door away from the great hall. Coraset and Katarin were among them, and they were taken down a corridor with tall thin windows, heavy red velvet curtains and golden trimmed tables in between them.
Fifteen ladies were led outside behind the Doric temple, through a maze garden of red potentilla shrubs, white rock roses, and tall smoke bushes. Coraset loved the floral smell of the garden, and she stopped taking in the beautiful scenery, nearly forgetting where she was. The women continued moving, and Coraset had to kick off her heels to rush and catch up. They entered a side door into the palace.
After going through numerous doors, hallways, and stairs, they were finally led into a white spacious room with perfectly lined up white armless chairs. All of the women were directed to sit down. Coraset made sure she sat in the back row. The goal was to stay out of sight and out of the mind of the four women that led them to the room. All of the women were quiet as they filed in and found a seat.
Sekai closed the door once her last constituent walked in. The four other women in suits stood behind her against the wall, facing the sitting women. The room remained quiet as everyone waited for Sekai to speak.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sekai stood straight like a stone statue in front of the ladies. She had an expression of seriousness as she spoke, “My name is Sekai. On my far left are Jorda, Hanako, Lacey and Reyna. We are the Chancellor’s staff. In order to be in the harem, you must pass your pap smear, pelvic exam, and a physical. I understand that some of you have already been to your own physicians. Chancellor Erato only trusts his own doctor, and he will be seeing all of you today.”
The women eyed each other silently.
“If you are positive for any kind of illnesses, you will be sent home. There is no exception to this rule. The moment you step into the harem, you belong to Chancellor Erato. No man including your father, brother, and/or uncles are allowed to see you, talk to you, or touch you. There is no exception to this rule, either.”
The moans erupted from the group of women along with a barrage of complaints.
A sandy blonde raised her hand and stated, “I have a question.”
Sekai continued, “There will be times when Chancellor Erato will request one or more of you in his bedroom at one time. You must comply. If you refuse, you will be executed.”
“Executed,” a brunette bellowed from beside Coraset.
“Yes,” Sekai answered as she glared at the brunette. “Like I said before you will be his property, and he will not allow you to just live in his harem or go home after you’ve refused him. Mind you, he won’t force you, but he will expect you to do his bidding.”
The brunette spoke up angrily, “It is forced no matter how you put it. If I refuse to sleep with him and another girl, then I die? What real choice is that?”
Sekai answered calmly, “It’s a harem. What do you expect?”
The woman shifted in her seat uncomfortably.
With no real expectation for the brunette to answer, Sekai moved on with her speech, “The harem will have a common living area. There’s a pool, sauna, sitting area, places to eat and drink, among other things. There are bedrooms, but there are two beds in each one. No one will have a room to themselves. Choose your roommate carefully because you may be stuck with them for a while. You can’t leave once you’ve been in the harem. If you change your mind and want to go back to your region, you can’t. The only way out is death.”
Sekai let the reality set in on the room before saying, “Question.”
The sandy blonde raised her hand again. Sekai looked at her and the woman asked, “When are we going back to the ball? I want to dance with the Chancellor.”
“The Chancellor already has a date. You saw who he left with.” Sekai answered dryly. “Any other questions, ladies?”
The sandy blonde woman looked down in disappointment.
“Is it too late to back out?” The same angry brunette asked.
“No, as a matter of fact, I was going to say this was your last chance. Reyna will escort everyone back to the ball who does not want to be a part of the harem.” Sekai stated.
Reyna opened the door and waited to see who was going to leave. The brunette stood first, and she made her way into the hallway. Four other women followed suit. Coraset wanted to leave, as well. She wanted to run out of there as fast as she could, but she remained.
Sekai announced, “This is your last chance, ladies.”
She waited to see if anyone else was going to walkout. The women all looked at one another. No one else moved. Sekai stepped outside and spoke to Reyna in a whisper and came back inside closing the door.
She pulled out the glass tablet and spoke two names. She instructed them to stand and follow Jorda and Hanako. They were the first to be examined. The selected women were directed out of the white room, and Sekai left the room, as well.
The remaining women began to relax a little. Coraset slipped on her shoes and adjusted her dress. Katarin was sitting in front of her, but she soon jumped up and sat in the open seat the angry brunette once occupied.
“So, what do you think?” Katarin asked nervously.
“About what,” Coraset asked as she looked at her curiously.
“This whole thing. I’m kind of excited actually. Can you imagine being with the Chancellor of Erato? He said something to that Sekai lady while he was standing in front of me. Did you hear what he said?”
Coraset stopped her and said, “Slow down, Katarin. You need to take a breath.”
She quickly exhaled and admitted, “I’m just really nervous. How come you’re so calm?”
“I can’t think of a single reason to be excited.” Coraset remarked with a dry attitude.
“Are you kidding me, Coraset? What if he decides he wants to marry one of us? Better yet, what if he decides he wants to marry me? I would say yes in a heartbeat.”
“You’re not breathing again.”
Katarin kept right on going, “I would say yes, and I would be considered more important than the Senators. I will be Mrs. Erato.”
“How will you feel as a wife when he decides to bed one or more of his concubines?” Coraset asked pointedly.
Katarin pulled at her neck as the question sunk in.
“What if he gets tired of you? You’ll be pushed aside for one of the other girls he’s not so bored with, and they’ll be his wife instead. You’ll be resolved to being another concubine in his harem.” Coraset was trying to bring her back to reality. Being a concubine wasn’t a goal in life. At least, that’s what she was trying to get Katarin to realize. “How old are you?”
“I’m…uh…twenty four years old.” She answered.
“Do you really think you’re emotionally prepared for this?” Coraset asked.
“I didn’t know there were emotions to prepare.”
Coraset didn’t even want to comment on her answer. “What was your job before you came here?”
“I was a dressmaker in the Timur Region.”
“Is there something else you wanted to do?”
“I don’t know. I never thought about it. It doesn’t matter now anyway. This is all I have. I’m tired of having nothing, Coraset.”
She wanted to speak against Chancellor Erato and tell Katarin he wasn’t the beginning or the end of her life.
