Chapter 17 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Weeks have passed since the hunt, and Marion's position in the House has deteriorated sharply. Cecelia's cruelty toward her escalates: at dinners, Cecelia pretends not to hear Marion when she speaks, abruptly changes the subject to exclude her, and recounts her nights with Lisavet in lavish detail—wine, laughter, deep conversation, and shared passions. Meanwhile, Marion has received no invitations from Lisavet since the hunt. The other bloodmaids attend court regularly, but Marion is never summoned. She passes Lisavet in the halls only occasionally, and the Countess doesn't even glance at her.

Elize tries to reassure Marion during an enrichment hour in the greenhouse, offering flimsy explanations for Lisavet's distance—perhaps the Countess is letting Marion acclimate before subjecting her to the rigors of court. But Marion's anxieties deepen when she realizes she's being bled far less than the others. Irene and the twins are called to the bleeding parlor several times a week, Cecelia almost daily, while Marion often goes more than a week between bleedings. She concludes that Lisavet has lost interest in her blood as well as her company. Cecelia notices and relishes Marion's fall from grace, her gloating growing sharper.

One evening, Marion confesses to Irene that she doesn't understand Cecelia's hatred. Irene is distracted, sitting at her vanity, too weary to comb her own hair. Marion offers to help and notices how frail Irene has become—bones protruding, posture stiff, skin unblemished but her body aged beyond her years. As Marion combs, clumps of Irene's hair come away in the comb. Irene explains she's been losing hair for weeks and shows Marion the bruises in the crooks of her elbows from frequent bleedings. When Marion suggests Irene ask for rest, Irene explains that doing so would mean losing her rank or being replaced. She reveals that Lisavet is gravely ill and requires a constant supply of healthy blood to keep her condition from deteriorating. Irene insists she's more than just a vessel, but Irene counters that there's no shortage of lovely girls willing to bleed—girls whose memories taste better. She warns Marion that it's a mistake to believe Lisavet has any special attachment to them; there will always be a girl she favors more.

Marion asks Irene about the word