This is beautiful. I know it’s been awhile since you added to this story, but I would love to see a chapter about the Naboo Queens finding out that Leia is also Padmé’s child. They already adore her as Bail’s daughter, so it would just be interesting to see them realizing she is even more than they knew.

Oh! Even better than I'd hoped~!
Because he can't even begin to absorb the details they chose to use, the significance of their colors and markings, when he's constantly overwhelmed by emotion. Which is basically how he's functioned for his entire life, never quite learning a way to manage it better, hence a lot of his disastrous decisions.
Of i/course/i he'd see them and think "ghosts". Padme is dead and Anakin is constantly torturing himself over it. What else was he going to think on first sight?
Heck, that's probably making them even more effective - he can't put the pieces together if he's purposely avoiding them due to the "ghost" effect. If anyone in the Empire actually knew the Handmaidens well enough to make the connection and identify them, it'd probably be him (the Emperor thinks himself too far above them to have paid them any mind - he may not have even bothered to notice that Padme and Sabe swapped places) and if he can't stand to look or think of them he can't make the logical deduction.

Then again, they may have known intimately how all of the Amidala stuff worked, but that doesn't mean someone else from Naboo couldn't copy the appearance fairly well with a different face underneath. The makeup is constructed from Traditional styles, after all, as is the details of the clothing.
And Amidala was very beloved.

*squeals delightedly and coos*

*cheers*

The fandom utilizes a lot more of "traditional" background information for the cultures of each character's origin than the movies have time to show us properly. If we get to believe these characters really knew this much of the cultures the were raised in, it would make sense if people like Padme and Anakin spent part of their time together teaching each other some of the significant details even if they didn't have time or opportunity to come anywhere near as well-informed as they are in their birth cultures.
And with that idea afloat, I do wonder if Anakin ever sees things and remembers...
The interpretation of a detail, a marking, as his mother would have seen it.
The similarities with something his Master and/or fellow Jedi might have once said or done.
The traditional meaning of colors as his wife would have seen it.

He might try to repress some of it, because it hurts, hurts so much because his mother and wife are dead, hurts because he still feels betrayed by his comrades (because allowing himself to think of them in another light would hurt even more).
But he can't forget everything forever, and he'd notice even if he refuses to allow himself to consider there might be more behind a simple coincidence.
Just like he may have noticed similarities between Leia and his mother or wife, but never let himself consider there might be a reason for it beyond being an impressive, passionate, strong young human woman. The reminder hurt, so he never thought about it if he could help it.
(It's not like the clues weren't there if he'd felt the need to look - her birthday isn't a secret and her adoption wasn't a really big one either even if her birth parents were. Given her adoptive father's identity, the theory that is the truth is plausible enough had he been looking at the matter calmly.)

Please make next time soon.

This is so perfect -a great combination of graceful and sweet!

Am I going crazy? Did I see homestuck on the ch8?
On topic, I just love your stories! It's hard to find something as well written as this. Thank you for sharing them with the world. You're an amazing writer.

I am entirely in love with this story series. Can't wait to read more.

Oooh! I love this concept! We don't hear much (or like... anything) about the handmaidens outside of their handmaiden-ness. And the imagery of the queens in a sense "haunting" Vader, arg, I just love it! Eagerly awaiting the next chapie!

Wow. Really actually makes you feel for him. Impressive.

OMG THIS STORY IS PEFECT! I love these heacanons and the characters! I'd love the Queens finding out Vader is Luke's father or them finding out Leia is Luke's sister!
Great job and please update soon!

Liked the update.

Indeed! Oh, I can't wait to read more chapters!

I really love your story. This chapter in particular is wonderful. I love how Vader reacts to the Queens. You did a great job with it.