Valdemar closed his eyes, trying to steady his racing heart. How could he choose between his children? On one hand, Astrid—his tender, selfless daughter—deserved justice and protection. Her sacrifice was so immense that even the thought of it brought unbearable pain. On the other, Prince Harold, heir to the throne, the future of the kingdom. If the truth came out, it would spell disaster for the Estridesen dynasty, which Valdemar had sworn to protect.
The king lifted his head, his gaze falling upon the portraits of his ancestors lining the walls. Their stern faces seemed to condemn his weakness. The tormented father made his decision: he would choose bloodline over happiness. The weight of this choice crushed him.
When the heralds, with drumbeats echoing, read the decree in the square, the crowd fell into stunned silence. People listened with frozen faces; many wept.
*"Poor Astrid,"* whispered a young girl, clutching a flower to her chest. *"She was always so kind to us common folk."*
*"And her father… may the Lord forgive him,"* muttered an old man, crossing himself. *"He always shielded us from the jarls’ tyranny. And now… they say he accused his own daughter to save his son. I can’t believe King Valdemar would do such a thing…"* His voice broke, and he fell silent.
Instead of anger or protest, the crowd was overcome with grief. People knelt, praying for Astrid and for God to enlighten her father.
In the royal chambers, a tense silence reigned, broken only by the murmurs of priests. Physicians hovered over the pale king, bleeding him of his "black blood," believing they could master the monarch’s fate. An unspoken mourning fell over the kingdom—all classes drowned in genuine sorrow.
**The White Swan’s Exile**
The *White Swan*, once a proud beauty of the seas, now disfigured and renamed the *Lost Soul*, drifted aimlessly in the open ocean. King Valdemar, watching it vanish into the mist, felt an icy hand clutch his heart. He had sacrificed his daughter Astrid to preserve the dynasty, turning her into a symbol of royal "justice."
The riches loaded onto the ship could not fill the void in his soul. He remembered her childhood smile, her tender embraces, her devoted gaze… and realized he had condemned her to a terrible fate at the mercy of the ruthless sea. The thought gnawed at him like a beast tearing at his flesh.