The palace did not panic.
It performed.
That was what made it dangerous.
Servants moved faster but kept their heads bowed. Guards doubled quietly at doors, their faces blank. Ministers slipped through corridors like shadows, murmuring into sleeves, pretending they weren't afraid.
The entire kingdom was holding its breath.
Alexander moved through it like a knife.
He didn't ask permission.
He didn't wait for council approval.
He didn't soften his voice.
He had one truth lodged under his ribs: Lucien was out there, and every second wasted was another second the conspirators used to reshape the story.
Alexander reached his study, and his people were already there with maps and lists. The clasp Lucien had left behind was heavy in his pocket, a small piece of metal that somehow felt like a heartbeat.
"Report," Alexander said.
