Chapter 46

Squads 15, 9, 7, and 8 are lined up in the walkway, along with a few knight guards.

The arrival of a guest is announced at the Palace's entrance.

The aristocrats' parade has come to an end, and the commoners and middle class are the next to arrive. Nash is looking forward to seeing her friend Katherine.

"There's your friend." Aeries whispered, he's the one next to Nash.

Nash cautiously moved her gaze to the door and was taken aback by Marais's beauty. Marais is dressed in a modest yet lovely red gown. Her brunette hair was curly, and she wore it half up, half down. She broke out with a broad smile as soon as she saw Nash.

'Her freckles are gone! That's her best asset!'

"Let's meet later after the ceremony," Marais said as she walked past Nash. Nash didn't respond and simply smiled as Marais passed by.

'She's wearing the necklace I gave her.'

Nash purchased a silver necklace that she thought would go with everything Marais wore.

It's already been an hour, but guests keep arriving. Despite the high number of visitors, the dance hall does not appear crowded because the Imperial Palace's ballroom hall is the empire's largest ballroom hall.

Someone murmured, "Here's the Lady of Barcley's Dukedom," and Nash heard it.

A big carriage passed by them and the knights followed it as it passed.

The doppelganger Katherine is dressed in a light blue sleeveless dress with laces and other embellishments. She is wearing see-through gloves that go all the way up her elbow and match her dress. Her hair was pulled up, and she wore expensive jewelry.

There are few who admire her beauty but Nash glared at her.

"Lady Katherine Barcley has arrived," the guard announced, and the charade began. Katherine walked down the hall. Everyone regarded her with admiration.

Katherine greets those she has interacted with throughout the years.

"It was good to see you again, Sister Celeste," Katherine murmured as she hugged the Imperial Princess.

Celeste smiled awkwardly, "How are you? You look gorgeous today!"

"Thank you! But you look more elegant than me."

The Duke of Barcley burst into the ballroom. He walked to the center of the dance hall. Everyone fell silent as they waited for the Duke to speak.

"I want to congratulate everyone on this beautiful day, especially my precious daughter. I express my heartfelt gratitude to my friend Roven, the Emperor, for agreeing to utilize the Imperial dance hall for this event because I want the best for my daughter."

They all look at the fake Katherine smiling shyly.

"Please walk forward, my beautiful daughter, and stand beside your dear father." Katherine went with her father. "This is Katherine, my only daughter, and this is the second time I will officially introduce her."

The guests clapped their hands as they smiled wide.

"The duke is sweet."

"I know right?"

The duke continued to talk preciously about her daughter.

Meanwhile, in Nash's room.

"Are you ready?" Ivelisse asked.

"I am, empress,"

"Good, now slap their faces!" Ivelisse cheered.

"Thank you so much, Empress."

"You were my daughter's only friend when she was a child; how could I have ignored you after what happened?"

Ivelisse hugged Katherine.

"Now go!"

Outside Nash's room is where the Duke Barcley is. Her long beard is gone and looks exceptionally handsome unlike before.

"Shall we?" Katherine nodded and held onto her father's arm.

The fake duke Barcley is still delivering his speech.

"Again, I want you all to enjoy this ceremony, the temple priest will arrive shortly so have fun with your friends"

"Wait? Who's that?" One noble lady exclaimed loudly, pointing to the two-way slip staircase.

"Wait? Huh? It's the Duke and the Lady..?"

The dopplegangers look behind them, where the stairs are, and stare in disbelief at the originals.

A lady in a blue outfit walks down the stairwell, accompanied by her father.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know"

The real Duke and Katherine approach the imposters with a solemn expression before turning to face the guests.

"I am the real Katherine, and my father here is the real Duke Barcley. This is a doppelganger we met and the one who caused our accident a few years ago."

"What are you saying? You're the fake one!" Fake Katherine countered.

"This is confusing."

"Do you have any proof?!" Fake Katherine exclaimed, trying to hide her nervous emotion.

"Right! Do you have any proof?!" Fake duke added.

Katherine scoffs, "you know... the more you ask for proof, the more guilty you look."

The doppelgangers remain shocked.

Before the doppelgangers counter, the high priest arrived along with the Emperor and the Empress.

"Emperor!" The fake Duke exclaimed.

The high priest makes his way to the center, where the doppelgangers can be found. As the high priest approaches, the doppelgangers walk back.

If the high priest touches their heads, they will be in grave peril. If they are purified, their faces will vanish and they will return to normal, as they were before encountering Kath and the Duke.

"Ahhh!" Fake Katherine shouts as one knight holds her upper limbs trying to keep her from moving.

Slowly, the high priest enchants some words as she places her hand on Katherine and the duke's head.

"Noo! Stopp!"

"Amen!" The high priest exclaimed.

As soon as the high priest finishes her chant, the doppelganger's face melts away, leaving only the hair and outfit.

"It's true!"

"They're doppelgangers?!"

Roven nodded to the guards and escorted them to the Imperial Jail, where no one ever escaped.

"It's nice to see you again, Emperor Roven." Duke Barcley said.

Roven kept his blank face. "Tsk. Let's go now. There's too many people, I despise it."

"Fine, let's go," Ivelisse intertwined her hands to her husband. "Please have a good time, everyone. Rest certain that such incidents will not occur again."

"The empress is so beautiful!"

"The Emperor looks sweet with the empress... scary."

Ivelisse heard it and laughed as they walked out of the hall.

She turned to face Roven as soon as they exited the hall. "Don't worry, you don't appear frightening to me at all."

"Tsk. As if I care about those things!" He exclaimed. Ivelisse chuckled.

"Okay okay..."

'I just want to pinch my husband's cheeks... how cute.'

...

Meanwhile, outside the palace.

The knights in front of the palace are all staring at the Imperial Palace. They can't see what's going on inside because the door is shut. The loud music was the only thing they could hear.

The fact that a few guards had entered the Palace alerted them to the fact that something was going on.

"There they are..." a knight whispered.

They all look at the doppelganger being dragged outside and go to the Imperial Prison.

Nash kept her face blank, but deep inside she was relieved that all things were going as she planned.

"What are those?" Aeries asked. "They don't have faces at all."

"I guess they're doppelgangers?" Nash said, as if she's guessing.

"They're real? I thought they were just legends and myths." Aeries said, looking confused.

Nash shrugged, "But they do look like doppelgangers. I wonder whose doppelganger they were..."

...

The time the doppelgangers leave, the murmurs continue looking at Katherine and Duke Barcley.

The high priest raised her hand, and the guests' murmuring faded, leaving them riveted in front of the high priest.

"I urged you to forget about what happened just a few minutes ago. This is a great occasion for all of you, so let us all rejoice in your maturation. Now, I'd like to urge you to kindly come forward so that I may begin blessing you as you reach an age where you begin to focus on your obligations and so that you can be close to the saintess to support you with any difficulties you may face in the future."

The nobility and commoners of the age stepped forward and bowed their heads, close to the high priest.

The high priest chants some words and soon, a dazzling light surrounds the hall, and when the light fades, glitters begin to rain on them.

"Enjoy this ceremony to your heart's consent!"

The high priest leaves as soon as she ends the blessing.

As the high priest walks out the Imperial palace, she saw Nash from a distance.

She walks towards her.

"High priest... the carriage is thi---" a priest was interrupted by the high priest as she lifted her hand to stop him from speaking.

"Young lady..."

Nash looked up to see the high priest standing in front of her.

'Shi... why is the high priest in front of me?!'