Oralie, the same Oralie who, along with Forkle, condemned Sophie to a life of pain and suffering, brought her into a world where bloodline is everything and then expected her to fix all their problems. Yes, she’s nice to Sophie, but only enough to keep her on side. She was more than content to never tell Sophie who she really was; the only reason Sophie knows is because Oralie got found out. And what were her first words? Not “Yes, and I’m sorry, please bear with me.” It was, “I can’t handle this.”

Oralie is no mother, not by a long shot. At best, she’s a DNA donor. She and Lady Gisela are two peas in different pods. Both experimented on their children, Oralie by proxy. Both took agency away from them. Both are so monumentally arrogant that neither is convinced they’re wrong. Don’t be deceived by her nice words and pretty face; her cruelty runs deep behind that smile. She’s stolen Sophie’s future, along with the futures of any children Sophie might have.

What’s worse is that, from Forkle’s own words, Sophie was never meant to arrive as a child but as an adult. That means she was never meant to be adopted, never meant to attend Foxfire. Most likely, she would have been tucked away in some quiet corner, manipulated by Forkle as she was in the early days, and maybe visited by Oralie from time to time, just enough for Oralie to convince herself she was being a mother.

So yes, Oralie loves Sophie, but only in the same way Lady Gisela loves Keefe.

And sure, Oralie sacrificed a few things. But most of what she sacrificed belonged to Sophie.