Kai stood amid a press of courtiers flowing from the throne room to the gardens as the court prepared to attend refreshments and gossip during the second ceremony planned for Loot. He reflected that most Elites despised the idea of the royals going to the slums, underscoring the social divide, while he focused on his failure to stop the first wedding.

As petals drifted down onto the dais where the vows had been exchanged, Kai leaned against the wall and internalized the reality that he had been too late. He contemplated what he might have done—steal his brother’s bride or choose between duty and desire—and condemned himself for becoming a bystander trapped between the two.

Accepting that Paedyn was now a wife and queen, Kai sank to the floor and mourned her, believing their lives would forever pass by each other without converging. He framed their relationship in terms of duty: he remained her Enforcer and she his queen, with anything more consigned to the past and anything less likely ahead.

Kai reflected that Paedyn had given him purpose and made him better, a contrast to the beast their father had shaped in him. He dreaded who he might become when required to bow to her, insisting he would have knelt for devotion rather than duty. He resolved that Paedyn would once again be his mission to protect, while acknowledging that Kitt would have her heart and life.

Overcome by rage, Kai punched the wall, causing a fist-sized hole and pain that radiated up his arm. He noticed white dust and debris and suspected his anger had latched onto a nearby Brawny, suggesting an involuntary amplification or influence by surrounding powers. Recognizing his volatile state, he acknowledged he was dangerous when stripped bare by grief.

The chapter closed with Kai’s stark acceptance of loss—Paedyn was gone to him—and a bleak self-judgment that “Beasts don’t get the beauty,” encapsulating his self-loathing and resignation.