Character Analysis
We guess "dying of fright" isn't just a metaphor. At least, not for the Queen of Dor. Although we don't get to meet Queen Rosemary during the course of the book—because she's already dead by the time the story begins—it's clear that her life and death have a huge impact on the other characters. Her husband and daughter love and miss her terribly. Her death sets in motion the plot of the book. Because her death is caused by Roscuro falling into her bowl of soup, it's what makes him resent Princess Pea and become twisted by his plan for revenge. It's what leads King Phillip to outlaw both soup and rats in the Kingdom of Dor.
Consequences, reader, consequences.