When Ambessa talks about the day Zoya died she sometimes says something about there being a "truth" to it.
She spends the months after Zoya's death hiding from the truth.
She wonders if Menelik chose Ta'Fik as heir because he learned the truth of what happened that day.
Everyone knew that Ambessa prioritised the drakehound hunt over Zoya's life. Ambessa says as much at the beginning of the book.
Menelik knew what Ambessa did as well and he rewarded her for her ruthlessness.
I find it so interesting that Ambessa seems to think that there is a separate truth to it that probably has very little to do with what was done and more with what it meant.
What could Menelik have found out about Zoya's death that made him chose Ta'Fik as heir ?
That Ambessa wasn't as solid in her decision-making as she claimed to be? That she took a gamble with Zoya's life and was too cowardly to face the consequences of her actions?
Or did he find out how deeply selfish Ambessa had been in that moment?
Im the actual story Menelik choosing Ta'Fik probably has nothing to do with Zoya's death. I don't think Menelik ever questioned his own philosophy.
But Ambessa is questioning it. In those moments where she remembers Zoya's death and remembers a version of it where she isn't proud of her own actions, she is questioning what her grandfather taught her.
I just find it so tragic that even while doubting his lessons, she does not blame Menelik himself.
If there is a "truth" where she did Zoya wrong, Menelik must have known it before her and rejected her for it.
