Her father's words had cut deep, and the pain of her past trials had resurfaced. Yet, beneath her sorrow, there had been a glimmer of understanding.
She had known that her father's regret was genuine, and in that moment, she had found it within herself to respond to his plea.
"Your Highness," Sophia had said, her voice gentle yet filled with conviction, "you did your best. I can see that now."
King Reinald shook his head with a somber expression, his features etched with the weight of his own transgressions.
He knew that jesting at a moment like this was not only inappropriate but also impossible.
The gravity of his actions had caught up with him, leaving him with a heavy heart and the haunting memory of his failures.