It was almost midnight when Andry returned to the palace. Though it was quite late now, he wondered if Crown Prince Hemeri was still awake. As he knew that the Crown Prince would surely be eager to hear the result the coroner concluded, he decided to go and see if he was still awake, just in case.
The guard knocked on the door, lightly, and when he heard Crown Prince Hemeri's response, he felt a bit relieved. However, the moment he entered the chamber, he immediately noticed Empress Aleida who was sitting opposite the Crown Prince.
She was here?
Flustered as he was, Andry lost no time to kneel so that he could show his respect to the Empress. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"It's been a while, Andry." Empress Aleida greeted her son's right-hand man with a pleasant smile on her face. "Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The guard rose to his feet but still kept his gaze lowered respectfully.