Kitt sits alone in his office, exhausted, ink-stained, and overwhelmed by the role of king. He reflects that he feels less like a ruler than a frightened boy pretending to fill his father’s place, and he keeps his curtains closed to avoid the servants and the rumors spreading through the palace.

Calum enters for one of their regular meetings and immediately presses Kitt on the same problem he has raised before: Kitt still has not addressed his people. Calum warns that Kitt’s silence is letting others define the story around him, while Kitt admits that he is struggling and still hurting. Even so, Kitt also acknowledges how much he has relied on Calum’s guidance.

Calum then returns to his newest proposal, setting a small velvet box on the desk. Kitt reacts with shock and resistance, making it clear that he understands what Calum is asking and sees it as a painful personal sacrifice. Calum argues that Kitt’s life no longer belongs only to him, and that the decision is necessary for the good of the kingdom and for the people Kitt has not yet faced.

To persuade him, Calum invokes Kitt’s father and the royal motto about the qualities of a great king: being brave, benevolent, and brutal. He frames accepting the proposal in the box as an act requiring all three virtues. By the end of the conversation, Kitt has not openly refused; instead, he takes the box in hand, showing that Calum’s appeal to duty, legacy, and sacrifice is working on him.