22: EYES, HANDS, OR SPHERES?

At the king's outdoor feast, rumors about an alleged assassination attempt on King through his saddle girth intensify. When his mother, the stately and intelligent Lady, arrives unexpectedly after months away, she brings news of advances in half-shard technology. However, the chapter culminates with the king appointing the cunning, ambitious to the recent investigation about girth, effectively removing from the matter—an elegant political maneuver that greatly disadvantages .

Two days after a highstorm incident, walks with his sons toward the king's outdoor feast in a flooded basin with stone island platforms connected by decorative bridges. and have investigated the cut saddle girth with leatherworkers who disagree on whether it was deliberately cut or simply worn. decides to speak with the king and suggest they've reached a dead end. At the elaborate feast with segregated dining islands, sits separately from his sons, enduring appraisals from other lighteyes who now keep their distance. The jester sits at the bridge entrance insulting arrivals. When the king's mother, the beautiful and politically astute, arrives unexpectedly—shocking everyone—she engages with and reveals she has returned for three reasons: news about new "half-shard" shields developed by the, confirmation that the warcamps are now the kingdom's true political center, and a private matter she wishes to discuss with in one week. She questions the king's competence while affirming her loyalty to him. After she departs, is visibly flustered by her presence. Later, reveals to that the king is appointing the ambitious and cunning to be the new position of as a step toward potentially creating a position of over the highprinces. This move effectively strips from his investigation into the girth—a brilliant political maneuver by that may cast suspicion on , since the hunt was 's responsibility. The king remains oblivious to how he has been outmaneuvered.