Chapter 9 Summary: When the Prince's Frustration Boils Over

⚠️ 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

Cardan is lounging in a garden, resting his boots on a rock and using a mortal novel as a pillow. He has developed a taste for human stories, trading smuggled roses from the royal gardens to a hob in the market for these books. Nearby, sprites in acorn caps battle with tiny glaives above tiger lilies. Nicasia arrives with a picnic basket, laying out cakes wrapped in kelp and a bottle of greenish wine. She asks Cardan to take her back, insisting that nothing between them needs to change. Cardan refuses, noting that he no longer wants her, even though he once hoped to hear those words. He reflects that Balekin had been right about her dalliance being trivial, and that without her he is only the despised youngest prince—but he cares little for politics.

Nicasia then reveals that Locke has taken one of the mortal girls as a lover. She argues that Locke means to humiliate Cardan as much as her, and she urges Cardan to punish Locke and both mortal girls, suggesting he recruit Valerian to torment them. Cardan agrees, saying he would have agreed just for fun.

The scene shifts to Cardan glaring down at Jude, who stands waist-deep in a river, fighting the current. Ink swirls around her from a pot Valerian dumped on her, and sharp-toothed nixies lurk nearby. Jude’s hair is plastered to her throat, her cheeks flushed with cold, but her eyes blaze with hatred and contempt. Cardan tells her to give up, expecting her to submit, but Jude refuses with an unnerving smile. Cardan threatens her with soft, menacing words, but then leaves her clambering back onto the riverbank. He realizes he was the one who retreated, the one who backed down.

For many nights afterward, Cardan cannot stop thinking about Jude. Her hatred warms him, but her contempt unsettles him, making him feel as though she sees beneath his sharp edges. He envies her conviction, whatever made her stand and defy him. He wants to make her kneel, beg, and surrender, but he cannot stop obsessing over the coils of her hair, the calluses on her fingers, and the way she bites her lip. He is disgusted by his inability to stop.

Years later, Cardan sits at a table in the Court of Shadows while the Roach teaches him to spin a coin over his knuckles. Cardan tries repeatedly but fails. When the Roach asks why a prince would want to learn a rogue’s trick, Cardan says he wants to control fate. The Roach slams his hand on the table and replies that all one really gets to control is oneself.

Key Events

Nicasia approaches Cardan with a picnic and asks him to take her back, but he refuses.
Nicasia reveals that Locke has taken one of the mortal girls as a lover and urges Cardan to punish Locke and both girls.
Cardan agrees to the punishment, partly for amusement.
Cardan confronts Jude in a river after Valerian dumped ink on her, demanding she give up.
Jude defiantly refuses, and Cardan retreats, realizing he backed down.
Cardan becomes obsessed with Jude, unable to stop thinking about her for many nights.
Years later, the Roach teaches Cardan to spin a coin, and Cardan expresses a desire to control fate, only to be told that self-control is the only real control.

Character Development

Cardan is shown as increasingly cruel, but his cruelty carries a sharp edge of despair. He admits to himself that he has always been awful, but now he is worse. His refusal of Nicasia reveals a shift: he no longer wants her, even though he once did. His confrontation with Jude exposes his vulnerability—he expects submission but is met with defiance, and he retreats. His obsession with Jude shows a growing internal conflict: her hatred warms him, but her contempt makes him feel seen, which unsettles him. He envies her conviction, something he lacks. The later scene with the Roach shows a more mature Cardan, still wanting to control fate, but learning that self-control is the only true power.

Nicasia is desperate and humiliated. She tries to win Cardan back, then reveals Locke’s betrayal, hoping to redirect Cardan’s anger. Her suggestion to punish the mortals shows her own desire for revenge, but also her inability to act alone.

Jude is defiant and unyielding. Even waist-deep in ink-filled water, with nixies nearby, she refuses to give up. Her smile suggests she is surprised by her own boldness, but she does not back down. This moment cements her as a figure of resistance in Cardan’s mind.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Cruelty as a shield: Cardan’s cruelty is described as having a sharp edge of despair, suggesting it is a defense against his own vulnerability. He has learned to shield himself with villainy, as the text notes.

Obsession: Cardan’s inability to stop thinking about Jude—her hair, her calluses, her defiance—becomes a consuming fixation. He is disgusted by his own obsession, but cannot break it.

Fate vs. choice: Cardan’s desire to control fate is explicit in the coin-spinning scene. He wants to master chance, but the Roach’s reply reframes the idea: the only thing one can control is oneself. This echoes Cardan’s earlier reflection that no one chooses a future, only a path.

Envy of conviction: Cardan envies Jude’s conviction, the quality that makes her stand and defy him. He lacks that certainty, and it draws him to her.

Power and submission: Cardan wants Jude to kneel and beg, but she refuses. His retreat reveals that his power is not absolute, and that her defiance unsettles his sense of superiority.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal in Cardan’s arc. It marks the moment his indifference toward Jude transforms into obsession, setting the stage for their complex relationship in later books. The confrontation in the river is a turning point: Cardan expects to dominate, but Jude’s refusal forces him to confront his own weakness. His obsession with her becomes a driving force, and the later coin-spinning lesson introduces a key theme of self-control that will resonate throughout the series. The chapter also deepens the political and emotional dynamics among the faerie court, showing how Locke’s manipulations and Nicasia’s desperation ripple through Cardan’s life.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Cardan agree to punish Locke and the mortal girls, even though he initially claims not to care about how Locke’s actions make him look?

Cardan agrees because Nicasia’s suggestion appeals to his sense of fun and his desire for revenge. He says he would have agreed just for fun, indicating that the punishment is not about political optics but about indulging his cruelty. His earlier claim that he doesn’t care how it looks is undercut by his willingness to act, suggesting that he is more affected by Locke’s betrayal than he admits.

2. What does Jude’s refusal to give up reveal about her character, and how does it affect Cardan?

Jude’s refusal shows her defiance and conviction, even in a hopeless situation. She is mortal and can lie, but she chooses to stand firm. This defiance unsettles Cardan because it makes him feel seen—her contempt suggests she sees beneath his polished cruelty. It also makes him envy her conviction, and it triggers his obsession with her, as he cannot stop thinking about her afterward.

3. How does the coin-spinning lesson with the Roach relate to Cardan’s earlier desire to control fate?

Cardan wants to control fate, as he says when learning the coin trick. But the Roach’s reply—that all one really gets to control is oneself—directly challenges that desire. This lesson connects to Cardan’s earlier reflection that no one chooses a future, only a path. It suggests that Cardan’s obsession with Jude and his attempts to dominate her are misguided; true power lies in self-mastery, not in controlling others or fate.