Chapter 37: Víctor Returns and Santángel Weighs His Choices

⚠️ 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

Víctor De Paredes returns to La Casilla after the chaos of the second trial. Santángel senses his master’s presence and finds Víctor in his grand rooms, already aware that Teoda Halcón has been branded a heretic. Víctor dismisses Pérez and the Inquisition as "dogs" now gone. Santángel asks about Doña Maria, learning she is back in the city, shaken.

Santángel challenges Víctor’s assumption that Teoda acted alone, arguing that Fortún Donadei had the most to gain. He recalls his own history of failed attempts to harm the De Paredes family—poisoning Jorge, stabbing Isidro—each ending in supernatural failure and harsh punishment, including being buried alive. These experiences have broken him into submission.

When Víctor suggests the tournament continue, Santángel proposes withdrawal, calling it prudent. Víctor dismisses the idea, insisting Luzia will win and that Santángel will forget her in time. Despite his centuries of bondage, Santángel worries that freedom may be as terrifying as servitude, and that leaving Luzia would be his first true mistake.

Key Events

Víctor returns to La Casilla, timing his arrival to avoid the Inquisition.
Santángel learns Doña Maria is unharmed but shaken in the city.
Santángel tells Víctor he does not believe Teoda Halcón acted alone.
He suspects Fortún Donadei of being the true architect of the chaos.
Santángel recalls two failed attempts to harm De Paredes: poison for Jorge and a dagger that slid aside against Isidro.
His punishment for the attempted betrayal: locked in a box underground, buried alive.
Santángel suggests withdrawing Luzia from the tournament; Víctor refuses.
Víctor assures Santángel that Luzia will win and that he will eventually forget her.
Santángel reflects on the terror of mortality and the risk of choosing Luzia.

Character Development

Santángel
For the first time, Santángel openly questions his master’s strategy and reveals his own history of rebellion. His memories of failed poisonings and stabbings show how systematically his will has been crushed. Yet he still dares to suggest withdrawal—a move that would protect Luzia but delay his own freedom. His internal monologue reveals fear of mortality and a growing attachment to Luzia that he cannot rationalise away.

Víctor De Paredes
Víctor remains calculating and dismissive. He brushes off Santángel’s concerns about Donadei and the Inquisition, focusing only on the prize. His remark about Santángel forgetting Luzia highlights his view of people as disposable tools. He sees no value in prudence when victory is within reach.

Luzia (offstage)
Though absent from the scene, Luzia shapes every decision. Santángel’s desire to protect her overrides his usual obedience. She represents both a chance at genuine connection and a potential new chain of servitude.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Servitude and rebellion
Santángel’s failed attacks on the De Paredes family serve as a symbol of how thoroughly his power is turned against him. Every attempt to break free only tightens the leash. The motif of the “leash” appears explicitly: Santángel feels Víctor’s return “like the hand on the leash, pulling him to heel.”

Suspicion and hidden motives
The chapter revolves around who truly caused the disaster at the second trial. Santángel’s suspicion of Donadei introduces the theme that appearances are deceiving—Donadei’s charm and white teeth mask ambition. Even Pérez is suspected of playing a deeper political game against King Philip.

Fear of freedom
Santángel’s reflection that he may “fear freedom” introduces a psychological complexity. After centuries of servitude, the prospect of a single, mortal life to squander terrifies him. Freedom is no longer pure escape; it is a burden he must learn to carry.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the novel’s political plot by shifting suspicion away from Teoda and toward Donadei and possibly Pérez. It also lays bare Santángel’s inner conflict: his historical inability to harm the De Paredes family, his painful submission, and his growing determination to protect Luzia at any cost. Víctor’s refusal to withdraw sets the stage for the third trial, while Santángel’s lingering anxiety about freedom foreshadows a difficult choice ahead.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Santángel suspect Fortún Donadei of sabotaging the trial?
Santángel points out that Donadei had the most to gain. With Teoda and Gracia eliminated and Luzia nearly killed, the Prince of Olives is the last major competitor standing. Santángel also distrusts Donadei’s excessive charm and notes that the Inquisition can be used to eliminate competition, whether in business or miracles.
What past attempts did Santángel make to harm the De Paredes family, and why did they fail?
He slipped poison into Jorge de Paredes’s cup, but Jorge grew stronger instead of dying. He stabbed Isidro de Paredes in the heart, but the dagger slid aside without finding purchase. Both failures suggest his own supernatural luck—the same power that serves the De Paredes—turned against him when he tried rebellion.
What does Víctor mean when he tells Santángel, “You will forget her in time”?
Víctor implies that Santángel’s attachment to Luzia is temporary. Because Santángel will eventually be freed and become mortal, his life will be finite; his feelings will fade as he experiences the wide world. This dismissive remark also reveals Víctor’s belief that people are interchangeable and that Santángel’s centuries of service have conditioned him to obey and move on.

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