The sentencing was a mere formality after the revelations of the palace massacre. The mercenaries had turned state's evidence, detailing how Graham had paid them in gold bars from the royal vault to "clear the hall" of anyone who could authorize a DNA test.
The Verdicts:
Graham (Chidi): Life imprisonment for the first-degree murder of King Amadi, Egeonu Amadi, and twelve members of the Royal Council.
Edna Mark: 30 years for conspiracy to commit murder, child trafficking, and treason against the traditional stool.
As Edna was led away in handcuffs, she passed Ekenne—the real Graham—standing in the hallway. He looked at her not with hatred, but with a profound, hollow pity.
"Why?" he asked softly. "You could have just taken me too. You could have had the real son."
Edna stopped. She looked at the man who possessed the face of the King she had once loved. A twisted, jagged smile touched her lips.
"The real Graham was a reminder of Richard," she hissed. "He was a reminder of the man who left me to rot. I wanted a son I could create. I wanted a King who owed his every breath to me. I didn't want a family, Ekenne. I wanted a monument."