The chapter opens with a soliloquy in which Caius compares Caius to a snake. He tells Caius that he is ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of Caius. Caius tells him to stand up. He promises that he will make Caius's dream come true. The chapter ends with Caius saying that he promised that he would spend his life with the queen. He then asks Caius if he can stay with him for the rest of his life, and Caius replies that he can, but he is afraid that he cannot bear the pain. He says that he has been living alone for a long time, and now he has his first guest in the house. The queen has rescinded the contract, so Caius is no longer bound to the queen physically. He is now a free person. He asks if he is still alive, and the queen says he can either get rid of his identity as a man or he can die. She tells him that he must rip out the contract from his heart. He must do this, she says, because there is nothing he can do if he cannot make it through this first step. She says that Caius has been released from the contract