"Emperor killed! - The surrounding people exclaimed in amazement. The crowd noisily, worried and took Andri in its inexorable whirlpool, led him away from the square. Only behind the building of a large living room, he managed to turn from the frighteningly dense mass of human bodies and slide into a life-saving alley. The passageway was so narrow that it would have been difficult for a horse to pass through, and in addition to Andri, there were two other young girls in maid's dresses and an elderly gentleman with a long, beautiful mahogany cane hiding from the crush. Rare gray hairs on the gentleman's head were bent, and a broken monocle was hanging from his pocket on the chain.
Trying to breathe, Andrew pressed against a cold stone wall and covered his eyes for a few moments. The Emperor's figure still stood in front of his eyes, and the thunder sounded in his ears, which turned out to be a shot.
But it was necessary to get out and go home.
Andrew pushed his blades off the wall and slowly walked down the alley to the side opposite the avenue. His legs were shaking for some reason, and everything was still shaking inside as if a terrible rumble had rattled only a couple of seconds ago.
My father's words came true... And so soon! What will happen now?
The alley was stretching and stretching. The gray walls of the houses were hanging over their heads, pressing as if they didn't want to let their prey out, and Andri was speeding up the pace more and more. Finally, he jumped into the wide Lantern Street and quickly ran towards the house.
Tall cast-iron lanterns with a beautiful twisted pattern, which gave the street its name, flashed one after the other. Andrew did not look at them. He didn't notice anything at all, wishing only one thing - to be home soon and see that his whole family is safe and sound.
It seemed to him that the road would never end.
But finally, there was his own doorway leading to the back stairs of their house.
Andrew drove past Peter's phlegmatic janitor, crossed the square well and opened the back door. Usually, this way was used only by the maid, but to get home through the front door, it was necessary to go out on the avenue, and there were still shouts of frightened, rushing away townspeople.
Andri took off on the stairs and made a fist at the door of his apartment. Not even a minute later, he was discovered by the excited Antony.
- What happened?! - She annulled. - Father, Andri, what happened to you?
Only now he remembered about the fight and glanced at himself. Yes... A snow-white shirt with a lace gate turned into a gray rag stained with blood spatter. Tidy black trousers were also stained with dust.
Andrew sighed. But what did it matter now?
- The emperor was murdered," he said briefly, looking into Antonia's eyes, and without dropping another word, he headed to the bathroom.
There, in the big mirror, Andrew fully appreciated his terrible view. His clothes were not only dirty but also torn and his hair was junkie. The cheekbone was darkened by a fresh bruise, a small but noticeable one.
And the others had not returned yet...
Andrew quickly threw off his spoiled clothes and washed with pleasure under a stream of cold water from the tap. Before he could reach his wardrobe and find a clean suit, his ears were full of excited voices and noise from the front door.
We're back! Thank God...
Andrew quickly pulled up his daily home pants and shirt and then hurried to meet his parents.
-... Here he is, here," Antonia said soothingly. - He had just rushed in.
The babysitter did not say a word about the terrible look of her pupil.
- Mom! - Andri ran up to her first and hugged her tightly. - Mom, did you see what happened? Was the emperor really killed?!
She didn't answer, she just held him to herself desperately. Andrew heard the heart-pounding under the white cloth of an elegant dress...
My father spoke.
- When we left, the Emperor was taken on a stretcher to the palace. He was alive, but he lost a lot of blood," said Goran, the elder Goran, who sank hard into a chair in the hallway. - I think we're all in for a big change...
Continued in the next part of 19.