This chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel. It is the middle of the night, and the Duchess is in the palace. She has come to confess that she has lied to the court about the nature of her family's crimes. The Duchess tells the King that she is innocent of the charges against her. The King is shocked, but the Duchess assures him that she will not be held responsible for the crimes committed by the King's family.