4 hours earlier,
Nicholas walked through the hallways, making his way to the dining hall. With a purposeful glance, he spotted one of his male servants cleaning the windows. "Where's Peter?" he called out, his voice resounding with authority.
"Tell him to come here right away."
Five minutes later, the heavy wooden doors creaked open, and Peter stepped in, his expression a mix of concern and curiosity. "You summoned me, Your Highness?" "Send 10 more men to guard the empress' courtyard," he said.
"Did something happen to the empress?" Peter asked in a grave tone.
Nicholas's eyes flashed with something indescribable as his mind went to Luciana's words. He didn't like that she was meddling and sneaking around his mother, but he couldn't deny there were some truths in her words. His mother had become restless these past few days.
"Nothing happened; just do as I say," Nicholas said.
