Chapter 155 "Forgiveness Is Not Forgetting"

• “Queen Catherine is hereby demoted to the rank of noble lady,” the herald proclaimed, his voice echoing through the high-vaulted chamber. “Her royal title is to be revoked for the charge of inciting the people against the Crown. She shall be cast from the palace and dwell among the common folk, until such time as Her Majesty sees fit to recall her.”
• Queen Magdalena stood beside the great throne, her presence still and sovereign. Upon that throne none had yet sat, for by ancient custom, it remained vacant until the Queen's coronation was complete. Atop it rested a golden crown, gleaming beneath the light of the stained-glass windows like the sun upon fresh-forged steel.
• A rustle stirred through the gathered court—murmurs of assent, soft gasps, and nods exchanged among nobles. The judgment was bold, yet no one dared question it aloud.