“You remember wrongly, my lord,” Malini said. “I did not kill the priests at the lacquer gardens. They died willingly for me, to save my life. You have heard the prophecy that named me heir to Parijatdvipa. Theirs was the fire that made my crown and placed it on my brow. I do not kill priests now, but I ask them to heed the will of the mothers and the nameless god alike: They must burn.”
Also like, it would be way worse for the empire if their leader, whose only heir to the throne is a baby, were to die???????? It’s all bad but destabilizing the empire by letting the empress die would be so bad too 💀
