This chapter's epigraph comes from a conversation between the master of the reabas and his young disciple, sansa. The master asks sansa if he can control the windward house one day. He wants to know if the younger generation can do so, and sansa answers that they can, but they're still inferior to other masters in the empire. This is also the last wish of the master, and he wants to be the leader of the house. He doesn't want baron to be in charge now, because he's too old. He also wants to make sure that isabella is in charge when he takes over the house, because she's the best talent in the house and the leader's favorite. He asks her if she thinks she can do it, and she says that she'd be happy to do it. She also tells him that she thinks they'll face a lot of trouble if they go against the master's wishes, because the master is at the level of the emperor and the emperor's son. She says that if the news comes out that the master stayed overnight in the room with isabella, then jonas and evan will be very upset. They'll be able to blackmail the master and force him to sell his daughter.