In this chapter, we learn that the painting is empty, which means that the magic portal to the "magic world" has been closed. This means that once the painting loses its magic, it will no longer be able to communicate with the outside world. This is bad news for Mariane, because if she hears about the situation, she will tell the guards that they cannot bring Mariane back home. Mariane begs them to wait outside so that she can fix the problem.