In this chapter, the narrator explains that the smell of the "king's" scent is so bad that he thinks it smells like grain. He tells the Queen that he went out one day and saw a woman and man begging for food in a crowded street. He asked the beggars if they liked the food that was being given to them, and they said they did not. He was curious about this, so he asked them while they were giving them food. The children came, and it turns out that the children's parents were the ones who were giving the food to the starving beggars. The King is called "the father of the people" and the King's happiness depends on whether his people are able to have a full meal every day. The smell of grain reminds the narrator of a woman feeding her own child through her body. The Queen announces that the results of the test will be announced, and the first candidate has 21 votes. The second candidate has 22 votes.