A couple of points on Alexander II and his "democratic leanings"
The institutions he creates are heavily weighted towards the nobility. As an example, let's look at the Municipal Statutes-
Only people who paid direct taxes where entered into the rolls with the largest taxpayers on top. The roll was then divided into three groups each paying 1/3 of the taxes. Each group then elected 1/3 of the Duma.
For Moscow this meant that: of 753,500 residents
222 voters elected 1/3 of the seats
1,360 elected another 1/3
18,310 elected the last 1/3
Furthermore, some of these voters aren't people but institutions and women voted through a male proxy. Essentially, only about 2% of residents had the vote and 1% of them got 1/3 of the seats
Such a system perhaps does result in better managers (the people voting knowing something about such matters) and given the restricted authority of the Cities, it might make sense. But for representative government, its a joke and its not hard to see why such a council enjoyed no mass support
The provincial assemblies and zemstvos are elected in a like matter. They enjoyed no support from the people at all
On the other hand, we must remember that most people lived in the villages and the villages were pretty free to handle their own affairs. They collected the taxes, drafted recruits and ran the communal lands.
Here, we see the anomaly of Russia. For the villages are as democratic a form of government imaginable- everyone who had rights to the communal land voted (by household) and its one household, one vote
Emperor Constantine's note on Alexander III's health is valid. We don't know for sure he will die in 1894 or not. The chance that Nicholas succeeds his grandfather, however, can't be ruled out either.