beta
You'd think, that by Thekla willingly giving up the throne, and being content as a mere noble who is raising her children happily away from the palace and not causing an iota of trouble in all these years, that the king and queen would have realize that she and her children are not a threat to them or their standing as King and Queen. But no. They are so paranoid that they have to provoke Thekla and her family in a bid to show that they supposedly have the most power.
Not only does that show that they shouldn't even be on the throne (paranoia of any kind is a bad match for anyone in power), but they are both poking the proverbial bear and the proverbial bee hive at the same damn time. And they are going to regret it.