In this short scene, the princess' mother is overcome with grief. She blames herself for her daughter's death. She tells her daughter that the emperor favors her daughter more than her own daughter. The princess's father, the prince, is also favored by the emperor, but the prince's mother, the queen, is not. The queen asks the prince to come to her house, and the prince does so. He tells his mother that she is gentle, kind, and intelligent, and that everyone in the country praises her. He also tells her that he is angry because someone leaked the information that the prince is not her biological child. If the emperor knew, he would have no choice but to take action against the leaker.