No choice left!
This sentence fell like a heavy hammer, solidly striking the hearts of the young people.
They...
Did they really have a choice?
Perhaps there never was one from the beginning.
Tonight's banquet was not a negotiation but a submission!
At Katerina's signal, the maids withdrew the red wine and opened the champagne that signified celebration. The golden liquid, effervescent with bubbles, was poured into slender champagne glasses. Then, Katerina, holding her champagne, stood up and said to the young people whose faces were somewhat unsightly, "Gentlemen, please remember, 'The light shall shine upon the Romanov!'
After finishing the champagne, Katerina said softly, "Now, you may leave. Take the content of tonight's discussion to the elders of your families and ask them whether they wish to assist me or be enemies with the entire Romanov Kingdom."
