Gideon's Chapter: 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
The chapter opens with a newspaper announcement that catches Gideon's attention: Prince Soren Nord and Lady Rune Winters, a witch who escaped the New Republic, are engaged, with the wedding to take place within the month. The announcement also reveals that Soren has publicly declared his support for Queen Cressida's claim to the Roseblood throne. Reading this, Gideon immediately deduces that the couple is in Caelis, the capital.
Gideon knows two things about his targets: Rune loves fashion and keeps up with the latest styles, and Soren likes to flaunt his possessions. Suspecting the prince would want to show off his new fiancée to the upper classes, Gideon heads to the wealthier shopping district. He waits in the shadows, scanning the weekend crowds, and soon spots the couple. He follows them at a safe distance as Soren escorts Rune into a bridal shop, with bodyguards taking positions outside.
Gideon considers his options—wait for Rune to exit and take a shot, or get her alone inside. Soren makes the decision for him: after a few minutes, the prince emerges without Rune, perhaps to buy his own attire or to avoid seeing her in the wedding dress. He leaves one bodyguard to watch the shop and continues down the road with the other. Gideon sees this as an opportunity.
He swipes a fedora from a hatter's display to disguise himself, tips the brim to shadow his face, and walks past the guard into the shop. A bell dings overhead, but the guard barely glances at him. Inside, the shop matron confronts him, suspicious that he's a thief. She blocks his path with her cane and threatens to call the guard outside. Gideon tries to explain that he's looking for his fiancée, but the matron dismisses him, judging his suit—which once belonged to his father, a famous dressmaker employed by the witch queens—as cheap and unworthy.
Just as the confrontation escalates, a group of fashionable young women enters the shop, distracting the matron. She releases Gideon from her gaze to greet the new customers, mouthing