The Soulbound Queen

“Bereft at the deathbed of his beloved wife Josephine, King Antoine II ordered her soul preserved in a gem. The ruby of Josephine, the last Queen of Astoria, was affixed as the centerpiece to the Crown of the White Swan, first worn on her wedding day.

The Crown and supposed soul of the queen are said to lie hidden within the palace’s labyrinthine gardens—a rumor substantiated by the presence of guards bearing the old Astorian colors.”