Chapter 21
The sunrise over the Hague was a cold, clinical white, illuminating the frost that clung to the iron gates of Noordeinde Palace. For Casper and Elisa, the victory of the press conference felt increasingly like a pyrrhic one. The vipers had been caged, yes, but the palace was far from empty. By 8:00 AM, the "retirement" of Princess Beatrix and Bastiaan was already being processed with the surgical precision of the Royal Household. Black trunks were being loaded into unmarked vans at the side entrance. There were no tearful goodbyes. Bastiaan had been seen one last time in the corridor, his face a mask of frozen, silent rage, escorted by two members of the Royal Military Police who now reported directly to the Regent. But as one set of shadows departed, another crept over the threshold.
- Writer
