Until I read your post, I never really stopped to think about Shae: what her role was in Tyrion’s life, why she ended up with Tywin, and why Tyrion killed her. All of that somehow escaped my attention.

Reading your post made me realize how sensitive Tyrion actually was, even though he grew up within a system built on power, control, and cruelty.

Maybe that’s why removing her changes the whole feeling of the scene and makes it almost perfectly logical.