“Aren’t you supposed to do something for the tsesarevich’s birthday?” Renata said. “You could repaint Nevsky Prospect as your move. You’d kill two birds with one stone.” “I’m not supposed to be killing birds. I’m supposed to be killing the girl.” “Her name is Vika.” “What?” Nikolai flinched. “Her name is Vika. I overheard the countess saying it to herself in her rooms before you left for Bolshebnoie Duplo.” “I . . . I don’t like the girl having a name.” Nikolai shook his head, as if he could shake her name right out of his skull. It made it harder to hurt her if she had a name. He could only
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