Unknown’s POV

The corridor outside Nikolai's office had never felt longer than it did tonight.

Esmeralda's heels struck the stone with each step, sharp and precise, the only sound in the empty hallway. Her face was composed, her posture perfect, the mask of the princess she had been trained to wear since birth. But inside, something was burning.

That woman. That thing outside his door.

She had seen her there, pressed against the wall like a frightened mouse, clutching a glass bottle like ...