Cal and Mare go to her sitting room to dance to a little portable speaker and have many shipper moments.

For the first time, he looks like he doesn’t have the weight of a throne on his shoulders.

First time? What about when you first met him and thought he was a random servant dude? Or when he took you home and he was all cheery about inventing/building a motorcycle?

Mare is concerned about guards coming to stop them since she’s not supposed to be alone with valuable squishy princes, but Cal shrugs it off. You know, for all the book keeps trying to woobify these boys with a ‘gilded cage’ routine, no one seems to ever actually stop them from doing whatever they want.

After baiting us with shipper moments that only serve to piss me off (I don’t care if he has work-calloused hands; those are pretty common when you train in martial arts from a young age and they don’t negate a life of plenty and luxury), they start talking about Sarah Skonos. Cal isn’t happy to talk about her, and all he lets slip is that she used to be his mother’s best friend, she said something she shouldn’t have a long time ago, and was ‘punished.’ Now she can’t talk. Although talking isn’t the end-all-be-all of communication, so that doesn’t really explain her spacey act from the last chapter.

Cal is all atwitter over talking about Sarah, so he cuts their lessons short. When Mare gets back to her room, she realizes all the cameras are off, and Maven is there.

Man, just…really no oversight on these boys that I can tell. Amazing that when people write about princesses under watch, they’re locked down tight, but princes spout the same rhetoric and yet get free run of the palace security systems.

Maven reports that Farley was by again, asking for names of who to target. Maven is upset about giving in, but also agrees that shit needs to get done and hands over four names of people ‘too big to ignore.’

Um…what makes you think the crown can hide several major bombings but not four assassinations? Sure, it’s going to come out that they died, but that doesn’t de facto mean rebels.

Also one of the people listed was a major military commander, and her death will mean so much disruption that Maven thinks no one will risk sending Cal out to the front.

“[Colonel Macanthos] commands a half legion and heads the war council.

…really? A Colonel?

Like, I would never say this to a Colonel’s face, but at nation-wide levels of strategic warfare, Colonels are the ones that fetch coffee and make copies. Metaphorically. They command brigades, not armies.

Wait, even in that quote it says she commands only half a legion. But what’s a legion in this army? That’s not a commonly used unit size in modern militaries. In Roman times it was anywhere from 5,000 to 1,000 personnel. In the last chapter, talking about the sneaky silvers, they referred to that group as being a ‘legion,’ and it was hastily put together and few enough people for them all to come to brunch. And COL Macanthos only has half that much? How big is this army if that’s going to throw the front into dissaray?

And somehow she’s also head of the whole war council? Is she a field commander and a strategic commander?

Oh my god, structure of this fictional army just got really confusing to me.

As difficult as this might be, I’ll trade her life for Cal’s. I’ll do it a thousand times.

First of all, you’re gross. Cal is determined to keep things at status quo and COL Macanthos was the only person at lunch willing to ask pointed questions to the queen. Trade Cal’s ass for hers and recruit her to your side.

Second of all, dude, the entire front will be in disarray for months. Sure, that means Cal stays home, but the entire front will be in disarray for months.

DID YOU FORGET THAT THE ENTIRE FRONT IS MADE UP OF RED CONSCRIPTS????

Fuck you and your pissass romance shitbomb, book. How dare you have Mare suddenly forget about her own people, and throw them under the bus, for this lily-assed pampered privileged pretty boy.

The next day at lessons, Julian mentions that Mare seems very attached to Maven, and Mare goes on a tirade defending Maven’s character. That awkwardly goes around to talking about Sarah and Julian mentions her tongue was cut out. That could be healed, but no one would cross the queen like that. So…yeah, doesn’t really affect her ability to write and/or sign, does it?

So Sara has to live like that, shamed, forever.” His voice echoes with memories, each one worse than the last. “Silvers don’t mind pain, but we are proud. Pride, dignity, honor—those are things no ability can replace.”

…so now we can add ablism to this book’s list of isms. How fun.

Look, there’s lots of ways to play this without acting like being mute is something so horrible that it’ll break your mind and spirit. Hell, even just having her Silver power be something voice activated could have done the job, but no. She can’t talk, therefore life over and she’s a shut-in forever. Fuck this book.

Later that night, Cal comes by for more dance lessons but Mare’s head is full of thoughts of the people they’re going to kill and the ball that’s coming up. Cal notices and they stop dancing to talk about how Cal would much rather be a soldier full time than be future-king, but alas that’s just the way it has to go.

Really? Because he’s mostly just done a lot of soldiering since we saw him, and also I don’t understand why this world would have strict primogeniture rules. I mean, if both parties are wholly willing, why couldn’t a younger brother inherit? That seems like something you’d only really need to enforce if they both wanted it.

Oh and also there’s some shippy shit about how Cal smells good.

It’s our nature, Julian would say. We destroy. It’s the constant of our kind. No matter the color of blood, man will always fall.

I didn’t understand that lesson a few days ago, but now, with Cal’s hands in mine, guiding me with the lightest touch, I’m beginning to see what he meant.

I can feel myself falling.

First of all, god damn this romance.

Second of all, I’m really sick of seeing this whole “man’s nature is to destroy” line, considering we went from caves to modern cities and on average we’ve been getting less violent as time goes on. I mean, more efficient and visible with what violence we do have, but still. (Also less tolerant with it, which, YAY. But just because we’re going “no, even that much is too much” does not mean we’re more violent than yesteryears.)

Whatever I might feel or think, Cal is not the prince I’m promised to. More important, he’s on the wrong side. He’s my enemy. Cal is forbidden.

I really hate the “forbidden” bit tacked on the end there. Makes it sound more like outside forces are keeping our lovebirds apart, rather than the far more relevant fact that he thinks keeping your family oppressed is a necessity.

Like, why would the fact that he’s already engaged be less important than that?

And then they kiss, because of course.

I’m really not seeing the attraction to Cal here, other than the fact that this chapter has thrown us some lusty lines about dancing together. They don’t really have any personal connection, they haven’t spent a lot of time together, and most of Mare’s feelings are just forced pity because “aw, his dad has expectations of him, who knew?” I don’t know, maybe it’s because every time this shows up I go back to “but he wants to opppreeeeeeessss yoooooooooooooouuuuuu!” and I miss any chemistry, but then again, someone’s got to keep that other bit in mind because this book sure won’t!