This Woven Kingdom

Content Warning: This section of the guide briefly discusses suicide.

Alizeh is working in the household of Duchess Jamilah. As she hides and gets lost in her thoughts in the duchess’s room, she is jolted back to reality by the arrival of Prince Kamran, who is the duchess’s nephew. Alizeh’s attempt to quietly exit the room goes awry when she spills soapy water and injures herself in a slip. Mrs. Amina berates Alizeh and is poised to punish her when Prince Kamran intervenes, highlighting the illegality and immorality of beating servants. This intervention spurs a tense discussion between Kamran and Duchess Jamilah about the treatment of servants.

Prince Kamran grapples internally as he witnesses the mistreatment of Alizeh. While he engages in a conversation with his aunt, Duchess Jamilah, his thoughts are preoccupied with Alizeh’s circumstances. Kamran is baffled by her submissiveness despite the evidence that she is more than capable of defending herself, especially when her life is in danger. Puzzling over her decisions, he concludes that her position as a servant must offer her a degree of anonymity and protection, which makes her occupation an ingenious cover.