human
Lucrezia:  But all around them, unrest was brewing. Lucrezia narrowed her eyes and pointed to Oscar.
gpt
Lucrezia:  "At the time, Farsas and many other countries were growing stronger. Tuldarr had broken off diplomatic relations with all other nations, and internal debate raged over whether that should continue. The Reformists urged Tuldarr to engage with foreigners and exchange technology with them. The Traditionalists insisted that Tuldarr was a special country that was better not intermingling. Neither side would yield. Eventually the king fell ill, and the Reformists championed Tinasha while the Traditionalists sided with Lanak. They argued over which would be heir."
human
Als:  "You say they argued, but wasn’t it basically already decided that Miss Tinasha would take the throne?" Als inquired.
gpt
Lucrezia:  "Yes, it was. Which is why the Traditionalists hatched a plan. They plotted to kill two birds with one stone by preventing Tinasha’s coronation while also fortifying Lanak’s power." Lucrezia took a breath, licked her red lips, and continued.
human
Lucrezia:  "At the time, Tinasha was thirteen. One night, she woke up and found herself being spirited away in Lanak’s arms. She wondered why, but Lanak told her, ‘Something good’s about to happen,’ and she trusted him. For someone like Tinasha, who was separated from her parents and brought up in the castle, Lanak was the one person who understood her circumstances. He carried her into the cathedral and laid her down on the altar… “And then…very slowly, he cut open Tinasha’s belly with a dagger."
gpt
Lucrezia:  "I remember Tinasha told me that it was ‘the kind of thing that happens all the time.’ She’d been smiling, her dark eyes closed, as if she hadn’t even been the one it’d happened to."
human
Oscar:  "…What did you just say?" Oscar asked, swinging his legs back onto the floor and sitting up.
gpt
Lucrezia:  The others were staring at the Lucrezia, varying degrees of terror on their faces. The witch giggled, although her eyes were filled with anger. "Oh, did you not catch that? Lanak and the Traditionalist mages used the blood and guts of Tinasha—a powerful mage—to summon magic. They didn’t want her to die partway through, so they used a life-prolonging spell but did nothing for the pain. When the magical power appeared, Lanak absorbed it."
human
Als:  "Didn’t he think of her as his sister? !" Als shouted, half rising out of his seat.
gpt
Lucrezia:  Lucrezia curled her lip scornfully. "He did. But he had his wounded pride to think about, too. A young girl who relied only on herself had a power that far outstripped his, guaranteeing it was she who would succeed to the throne, not him, despite him being prince."
human
Sylvia:  "Unbelievable…," Sylvia faintly murmured as her eyes welled up with tears.
gpt
Doan:  Next to her, Doan was uncharacteristically biting his lower lip in fury.
human
Oscar:  Oscar recalled Tinasha’s strange reaction when he’d picked her up and placed her in bed. That incident far in the past, four hundred years ago, must’ve left an unforgettable mark on her mind.