"What if he refuses to say?" Alina questioned gently. "If he keeps denying, even if we know that he lies? Can you handle that, Nikolai? I just...you have lost a lot. You're under so much stress and pressure. Of course you should talk to the Apparat. But if he will not give you that closure, you need to be prepared for that, too. Because General Kirigan is right. We need to move forward. Otherwise, the other nations will sense an opportunity to strike."
And if that were to happen, it wouldn't be just her and him that would be killed. The entirety of the Little Palace would be slaughtered for their crime of being a Grisha.