The King Has Been Found

In Queen Oda's cruel worldview, it was a form of poetic justice, the harsh balance of betrayal and retributive loss maintaining equilibrium.

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Her words, laced with dark satisfaction, echoed in the grand room. The pricking sting of Sophia's escape had been anointed with the soul-crushing calamity of her offspring's death.

In Queen Oda's cruel worldview, it was a form of poetic justice, the harsh balance of betrayal and retributive loss maintaining equilibrium.

A deep breath of satisfaction rolled through Queen Oda as she relished the myriad of events unfolding before her.

With a sense of finality, she handed the lifeless infant to her closest attendant, her anticipatory gaze darting toward the grand doors creaking open yet again.