Here’s a thought I’ve been toying with for a while.
What if, after embracing the Void, Ghost manages to drag the badly weakened, but still alive, Pale King out of the Dream Realm. (Because they went through too much, for too long, cleaning up his mess for him to get out of his responsibilities that easily.)
The Pale King diligently sets to work helping the survivors of Hallownest rebuild…but stays well clear of Deepnest, where the Hollow Knight is healing under the reawakened Herrah’s care.
Hollow is devastated, believing that their father is disappointed in them for failing to contain the Radiance…or, worse, that the Pale King only ever saw them as a tool; that the love they imagined feeling from him was only that, imagined.
Hornet confronts her father, fully prepared to literally AND metaphorically tear him a new one…
…Only to learn that the Pale King DOES, in fact, love Hollow deeply, entirely blames himself for his plan’s failure; and genuinely believes that, after what he did to them, his presence would be nothing but an additional source of pain and fear for Hollow.
Fortunately, Hornet is able to talk sense into the King; and, after a tearful reunion and apology, Hollow gets to spend the duration of their recovery being pampered and fussed over by their father.
