
— And so, — by this time Larian Twice had finished his speech and moved to the main event of today's proceedings, — allow me to open the emperor's final decree. Let us learn the last will of Oliver Lapiz Reime! — With nimble finger movements, Twice broke the seal on the envelope and carefully removed the letter; he glanced briefly at the contents and barely perceptibly raised his eyebrows, after which he began to read. — ... I appoint Sonata Reime as my heir.
A wave of surprise swept through the hall once more. Many had been prepared for such a turn of events. Some rejoiced, while others refused to believe it with all their might. The reaction of Empress Liatris, standing behind Twice's back, however, was different from everyone else's — her face betrayed boundless bewilderment.
— W-what does th-this mean, Twice? This is not what is stated in...
— What are you referring to, Your Majesty? It is written here in black and white exactly as I have just spoken.
— No... — Liatris was horrified. — The real hei...
— My apologies, Your Majesty, you do not look well and are in need of immediate rest.
Along with this phrase, Larian Twice delivered a powerful blow to the empress's solar plexus. He struck very accurately, and therefore caused her no severe damage. This, however, was enough to send the elf into the world of dreams for a long while.
This time, silence reigned in the hall; everyone was too shocked to say anything or react in any way. What was happening seemed impossible.
— What are you doing, Larian Twice??? — The silence was broken by the indignant shout of Renar Jaeger, Commander-in-Chief of the forces of Akkerwald and the city guard of Reime. — How dare you?!! You...
Renar Jaeger did not have time to finish his intended sentence; an unseen blade passed through his flesh and instantly ended his life.

— Oh, I am so glad. Father truly decided to entrust this great responsibility to me. — Sonata Reime spoke in her usual pleasant voice, slowly ascending the stage where Larian Twice and her unconscious mother stood. — Rest assured, I will not fail...
The silence in the hall began to be replaced by chaos. Those present did not know what was happening or what they should do.
— What does this mean?! — Duke Brightwin Faith Gillingston rose from his seat and gripped the hilt of a two-handed sword. — If you think that you can simply take the throne of the empire like this and everything that happened today will go unpunished, then...
The duke's speech was interrupted by a volley from several ephemeral pistols. They fired into the air, and no one was wounded. This, however, produced the desired effect and somewhat calmed those who were ready to take up arms besides the duke himself. The shooters were located in different parts of the hall. There were about a dozen of them, and each was armed with modified sylphids, bastard swords, and improved armor. An outsider appeared from somewhere in the shadows.

— Esteemed guests, please do not interrupt the ceremony; behave yourselves. — He took some document and writing instruments in his hands, after which he walked through the hall. — Be so kind as to place your signature opposite your family name. Now, calmly, no rush; it will not be very good if someone spills ink on the paper.
This document was obviously another of the formalities of this ceremony — those present were to certify the legitimacy of the conducted ceremony on behalf of their families.