Alexander said coldly, "Please step aside. There is nothing you can do."
Count Bobrinsky's pupils contracted; he shouted to the servants, "Stop them, including the Crown Prince! This is a coup!"
Alexander swept a glance over the seven or eight burly servants—elite fighters whom Count Bobrinsky had picked from the Gemini Trading Company's guards, all very good in a fight—and couldn't help but frown. He knew his father might escape at any moment; he absolutely could not delay any longer.
He suddenly drew his pistol, pulled back the hammer, then turned the muzzle toward his own heart and shouted loudly to Count Bobrinsky, "I was wrong. I will take responsibility for all of this."
Immediately, he pulled the trigger; the booming gunshot stunned everyone present.
