“What?” I asked, stepping forward.

“The surveillance cameras near the chapel were disabled,” the officer said. “But we found a drop of fresh blood on the stone steps.”

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I pocketed the black tape and turned to the door.

“I am going with you,” Alexander said, stepping up beside me.

“No, Alexander,” Alaric said. “You must stay here and manage the press. If the media sees you running toward the chapel, the scandal will be uncontrollable.”

“My mother and my fiancé are out there,” Alexander said. “I cannot just sit here.”

“I will go,” I said. “I know how to handle this.”

“Take two of my personal guards,” Alaric said, gesturing to the officer at the door. “And be careful, Emily.”

I nodded and ran out of the study, the heavy carpet muffling my footsteps.

The air in the long hallway was cold, the stone walls sweating with moisture from the evening rain outside.

We descended the grand staircase and headed toward the rear exit of the palace.

The storm had passed, leaving behind a thick, low-lying fog that swallowed the manicured lawns.