The most likely reason the author uses the <em>word hapless</em> to describe the king is A. A. It has a negative connotation, which suggests that the king is weak.
This is shown based on the given description that the prince was ready to consecrate and the king was weak and powerless and thus she told him to redeem his gifts.
<h3>What is a Connotation?</h3>
This refers to the tone used to describe a thing and can either be positive or negative and this shows the way readers view a character or situation.
Therefore, we can see that the use of the word hapless has a negative connotation as it suggests that the king is weak.
And this is shown based on the given description that the prince was ready to consecrate and the king was weak and powerless and thus she told him to redeem his gifts.
This is seen as the Queen is described as young and she is also further described as one with eyes filled with envious hate, so she treats the king with disdain as the Prince was about to be consecrated.
Read more about negative connotations here:
brainly.com/question/18904700
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