The chapter opens with a toast to the meeting between Ganymede and Gualtieri. Gualtiero is the only one in the room who treats him like he's joking. He says that he is afraid of losing his "mark of purity" because he was once hurt, and that he wants to break his heart so that he can fall in love with him again. He also says that she is selfish because she chose someone who loved her so deeply. He asks her to do him a favor and he will tell her who wants her to kill him.