Noir's heart pounded as the words continued to echo in his head—she's dead. He stared at Lexie, then Etienne, then finally Duke Eugene, whose frame stood firm against the door like a wall he could neither climb nor destroy.
"Move," Noir said, his voice trembling with rising fury. "Move, Eugene."
But the duke did not. He met Noir's glare with quiet, heavy, sad eyes. "Your Highness, listen to me—"
"I said MOVE!" Noir's fist struck Eugene's chest with the force of desperation, again and again. "I want to see her! Let me go! Open that goddamn door!"
Duke Eugene endured each blow without moving. "You can't," he said through clenched teeth. "If you go now, if the emperor finds out you were anywhere near the East Tower—he'll suspect. You know what that means."
"I don't care about him!" Noir shouted. His voice cracked. "I came back to this cursed world for her! Not for power, not for thrones, not for this party or this name—I don't care about any of it anymore!"
