Extra's Harem: Invincibility Starts with Marriage and lots of Children-Chapter 41 - - Two Dolls?

"What did you just say?"

’!?!’

It was not even a millisecond since I had uttered those words while looking towards the palace, which was still far away.

I hadn’t even reached its entrance where the metal gate was located, yet a voice came from just beside my ear—she was behind me without me sensing it.

’Not again.’

But in that moment, the sigh that left my lungs was one of control.

At that instant, due to fear or some unknown emotion, I instinctively felt like using my ability to kill her, sensing her as a threat due to the surprise.

It made me realize how I needed to control the repulsive thoughts of casually killing others, as it would only delay my own death.

Considering this woman had just arrived so close without me sensing her, if individuals like her were determined to kill me, it would not even take many seconds for me to realize that I was dead.

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Composing myself, I slowly turned to face her, keeping my mind calm.

Yet, based on my recollection of her description, I pictured a red-haired woman, but instead, what I saw were two women, to be exact, covered in red clothing like some Chinese bridal veil dress.

[First Doll, Crimson Moon Bloodline, Hollow Frame Physique, 400 years of cultivation, Celestial Veil Qi, Early 4th layer Disciple.]

[Second Doll, Crimson Moon Bloodline, Hollow Frame Physique, 300 years of cultivation, Celestial Veil Qi, Middle 4th layer Disciple.]

’Huh?’

As I looked towards both of them and their status windows, I realized that they were not that woman, but part of her—the body doubles of Selenia Veyra, or Empress Dowager.

"Utter, what impudent remarks did you make about our queen?" came the voice from the First Doll, her tone firm and cold, unlike the Second Doll, who had a soft, melodious voice.

"Everyone knows this within the Arcutus Family, and even the Princess confirmed it too, considering how you ignored my presence here.

I simply mentioned the truth, which I found to be a plausible reason for such ignorance from your side."

I uttered while ensuring to mention the Arcutus family, as this would align me with either side of this queen with an inferiority complex.

To be exact, when Princess Aleriana’s mother was alive, she was a childhood friend of the present king in the form of a bodyguard.

It was a rather romantic story where they both grew together while developing feelings for each other.

Given the age difference between the Empress Dowager and Aleriana’s mother was not that significant, they viewed each other as competition.

However, the Empress always remained a level ahead of her, until developing a hidden inferiority complex due to realizing she pursued immortality and grew exponentially stronger, while that woman stopped prioritizing her training, married, and settled down with a child.

The woman whom she had thought of as her perfect rival had turned away and settled into her life while being far happier than she ever could be, leading to a buildup of hatred in her mind.

Unknowingly, this turned into an inferiority complex, causing her to begin bullying that rival, more of a friend, by using the position of the King’s sister.

This inferiority complex was mostly rooted in the assumption that if Aleriana’s mother were still alive, she could have surpassed her, leading the Empress to accept a mental defeat.

She had hit her limits, and her cultivation had finally become stagnant due to her weak Physique.

But let’s be real—from my perspective, this woman was a monster, and no one could have achieved what she did on her own.

At least from all the characters I’ve encountered so far in this entire story, even if she believed someone would.

A prime example lay simply in these two dolls, which in themselves proved why that woman was far superior to anyone.

"Coming here uninvited, provoking our queen, and then inviting her to a wedding?

You expect me to attend?"

The second one replied in a calm yet pouting tone.

"I see my mistake then. How about you come instead?"

I shifted the target away from both the empress and the first doll, landing directly on the second one, who clearly seemed much easier to handle given her gentle demeanor.

"Eh? What? Me?"

Her voice seemed confused, pointing her finger at herself, leading me to notice her milky white delicate fingers with rainbow-colored nail polish, expressing her surprise.

"Yes, Lady Nista, I would like it if you at least attended," I stated, putting on a smile and ignoring the presence of the other woman.

Even though they were dolls and treated as such, they had their own consciousness shaped by the identity and way of thinking the real Empress had at different stages of her life.

But these dolls were real people, just more like an extension of the Empress.

"What Nista? I am the second doll. Do you mistake me for someone else?"

The voice sounded curious about my words, inquiring why I had referred to her with a name.

Yes, indeed—after 50 years of life, that heartless woman had not even given these dolls a particular name, even after knowing they also have feelings.

"Nista in my hometown language means ’Second level of devotion.’ Aren’t you second and someone I want to have devotion for?"

I replied with a shrug of my shoulder, a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

"Pfft, you are amusing."

She chuckled, placing her palm over the veil, clearly entertained and showing a side opposite to what one might expect from someone destined to become a vessel for an immortal’s arrival.

Indeed, while trying to achieve Ascension, the Empress Dowager made a mistake that caused her second doll to become possessed by the spirit of an immortal from the upper realm.

This led the doll to kill herself and suffer injuries that resulted in her future defeat, just like Olea at the hands of a stronger Immortal who came to take revenge for the dead immortal residing in the second doll’s body.

A story of a woman who pursued immortality, only to die due to her mistakes.

The difference between Olea and the Empress was that the Empress died because she weakened herself by killing one of her after-images—the second doll who was possessed.

Olea died because she was already weakened after fighting the Arcutus family.

"I hope you truly appreciate my humor. Come to my wedding, Lady Nista," I repeated again, knowing I just needed someone from the Empress’s side to attend to trigger the attention of those who had already deemed Princess Aleriana useless.

They needed to realize she is a threat and come after her—more specifically, come after me for EXPs.

I wasn’t going to remain a low-key pig here but stack up as much bloodline and other loots as possible to empower my wives.

"Hm, fine, I will—" As expected, nodding with a chuckle as Nista was about to agree, the first doll interrupted with the same impassive and cold voice.

"How dare you try to take advantage of my sister’s naivety? Do you not fear death, son of the Arcutus family?"

Death? Not a chance.

"Then how about Lady Prista? Will you also come?"

"Don’t give us random names, you fool!?"