Chapter 2 - Two Faces, One Crown
Gasps rippled through the seated guests as the second woman glided silently onto the polished marble floor. Her face was an undisputed mirror image of Clara's, right down to the tiny mole just below her left collarbone. Julian took an instinctive step backward, his eyes darting between the terrified woman at his side and the mysterious newcomer approaching the center aisle. Seven-year-old Mia remained standing by the microphone, her yellow hair ribbon swaying gently as she watched the drama unfold without flinching. The second woman stopped ten paces from the altar, her expression cool, calculating, and entirely void of fear. She looked directly into Julian's eyes and raised her hand, revealing a worn silver key hanging from a red velvet ribbon around her wrist. "Ask her about the key, Julian," the duplicate whispered, her voice echoing in the silent hall. "Ask her what it unlocks beneath the manor."
