It wasn't long before the queen learned of her prized prisoner's escape. Though her outward demeanor remained cold and calculated, beneath her composed façade raged a storm of fury and panic. Her mind churned with questions, each more vexing than the last. How had he slipped through her iron grip? Who, if anyone, had helped him? The thought that her impenetrable lair could be breached gnawed at her pride.
"How did this happen?" Her voice was low, deceptively calm, yet each word was sharp enough to cut through the still air. She stood at her throne, her piercing gaze fixated on the trembling guards before her.