In this chapter, we learn more about the school's unusual tradition of having a single student rule the school as a monarch. The monarch is supposed to have a page, or messenger, who acts as a display of his or her "monstrousness" . The page is a member of the royal court, and he or she has to act as a messenger for the king. The king and the page are supposed to kiss, but the page doesn't know why the king kissed her, and she's still not sure why she accepted the position. She curtsies to the king, and the king tells her to try her best not to be a traitor.