“The start…of a new era,” she said, and a low chuckle cracked in her throat. Slowly…it graduated to a grin, then a thrilling laughter.

The whooshing wind kept blowing inside through the crashed window, scattering papers and documents across the room.

Her laughter stopped suddenly, then she dragged the bodies of the two guards out of the room.

She summoned two guards from her own quarters. Her trusted guards.

They were shocked when they saw the bodies, but they didn’t argue when she ordered them to take the bodies away to burn.

The bodies were taken, then she proceeded to clean all the blood Sergei had passed out.

He made...