Nortze was confused when he returned.Prince Tudor had weeping Rikilda in his arms. And the girl he had with him wore wedding dress. As of the girl dressed in normal cloak, she was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?" asked Nortze.

"We have passed the verdict." Doctors whom Nortze had failed to spot said from the king's table.

"You already have?"

"The girl who came here saying she was real didn’t have fertility." Doctor said.

Saer stole my daughter's fertility and transferred it to doppelganger. Nortze's feet felt boneless.

The woman with Tudor dug face in Tudor's chest to hind her crying. Nortz walked towards her. The doppelganger left the prince and hugged Nortze.

"Everything is fine, Rikilda." Nortze cupped her head. When he moved his head sideways, he saw priests gazing at them. Only the prince did not have that look on his face among them. Nortze got fed up of it and glanced at King Lacroix. His lips looked to leak a command at anytime.

"Continue the ceremony." King said.

People there could not tell whether it was a decision taken in sedation or soberness. Since neither counselor nor priests spoke against the decision, musicians began playing their instruments. Very soon the atmosphere calmed with flow of wine in mugs of guests.When the last drop of tear left the girl's eyes, the ceremony resumed.

Jehaule stood in his designated place with the same smirk readable through his helm. Nortze tip toed to him.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Where is the doppelganger?" Nortze asked.

His smile came to end but he did not answer him.

"I am talking to you."

Jehaule turned at him, "It shouldn’t concern you, my lord."

"It should concern everybody. The doppelganger might have been sent from one of my enemies in Shiver Fault." Nortze said, "I know how to destroy them."

"We have our own ways of destroying doppelgangers."

"Where have you kept her?"

"Should we be keeping it?"

"You killed her?"

"Yes I did."

Nortze was grateful Jehaule was not looking at his face when he said it. His guts wrenched and he felt nausea grasping him. Though Jehaule had his head turned at other direction, he still could hear Nortze's long gasps. When he talked to Jehaule another time, he sounded like a different man.

"Where is my servant?" said Nortze.

"Good for him you remembered." Jehaule said, "He is in the dungeon."

"Dungeon? He should have been freed by now."

"Then go. Pass the word to him."

"Me? And pass the word?" Nortze's eyes looked for an escape from its sockets, "Remember, you are talking to a lord."

"You should also remember you are talking to a King's Guard. Not a squire."

Nortze's nostrils flared in rage. He ditched his manners on the exact occasion and stormed out of the throne room without king's consent. He raised eyebrows of some people there but the ceremony remained unaltered.

King Lacroix squinted at Jehaule and tapped his empty mug. For the first time it meant something more than a refill.