“Escort my father and mother to their rooms. Keep them under watch and ensure that they speak to no one. I will have your abdication by morning, Father, or I will have you in irons.” The King looked from Nikolai to the guards who now flanked him. The Queen clutched at his arm, her blue eyes panicked. “You are no Lantsov,” snarled the King. Nikolai merely bowed. “I find I can live with that fact.”
