Kingdom of the Wicked

Emilia and Wrath go to the same chamber in which Vittoria died. Emilia asks why he tasted Vittoria’s blood on the night she was killed, suddenly very suspicious of Wrath. He explains that he was tasting her blood to determine if she had an affiliation with a Prince of Hell, but Vittoria did not have a blood bond at the time of her death. Wrath concludes that the summoning materials in the chamber are not suited to summon Pride: Princes of Hell can only be summoned using materials relating to their Houses. Uncertain about what to do next and frustrated at Wrath’s constant denials that his brothers are responsible for Vittoria’s murder, Emilia threatens Wrath with his own dagger. She demands that he tells her the truth about his dealings with Pride and the curse.

Wrath calls Emilia’s bluff, claiming that she cannot kill him. Antonio then discovers them in the chamber. He is immediately suspicious about Emilia’s presence beneath the cathedral with a stranger. Emilia lies to Antonio, telling him that she is there with her friend praying for Vittoria, convincing Antonio to leave. Having determined their investigation to be a dead-end, Wrath decides that he will alert the next potential bride about the offer of a bargain with Pride. Emilia resists this plan, fearing that this will cause another murder. Wrath must proceed because Pride has already “sent a messenger” alerting him of the next candidate (193). They agree to meet the next day after Wrath has spoken to her.

At home, Emilia’s mother confronts Emilia about her recent activities: Antonio visited earlier to express his concern about finding Emilia with a strange man the night before. Her mother assumes that Emilia is sleeping with this man to cope with her grief over Vittoria’s murder. Emilia is embarrassed but does not tell her mother the truth about Wrath. Emilia takes food to the monastery and confronts Antonio about coming to her house. He tells her that another young woman has been murdered, and he worried that Emilia was the victim. Emilia goes to find Wrath to investigate the latest murder.

Wrath and Emilia go to Salvatore to get information about the most recent murder. Wrath never made contact with the potential bride before she died. Salvatore tells them that the murder happened by the palace, but the scene is too crowded to gather any information. Wrath does not detect any indications that his brothers were at the palace recently, but Emilia is not convinced. Wrath decides to get the name of the next witch candidate for Pride’s bride. Before they leave, Emilia notices a sign depicting “a pawprint clutching a stalk of” fennel (that she mistakes for a “stalk of wheat”) on a food cart (207).

While working at her family’s restaurant, Emilia receives a note from Wrath instructing her to meet him at the Castello della Zisa, an abandoned palace by the sea. Wrath secured the palace as his temporary home in the human realm while he is bound to Emilia. He invites Emilia to live there with him, claiming it is safer than her staying at home. Wrath has news: His associate, Anir, witnessed Pride’s messenger, Francesco, passing information to an unknown individual. Wrath decides to interrogate Francesco about his dealings with the mysterious figure.

While they wait for Francesco, Emilia asks Wrath about his intentions working with her. She is suspicious about his motivations to find and kill her sister’s murderer. When Francesco arrives, Wrath uses physical violence to gain information, but Francesco refuses to answer Wrath’s questions. Emilia casts a truth spell on Francesco, forcing him to reveal that he gave the information about the next witch candidate for Pride’s bride to a man he does not know. Emilia’s spell erases Francesco’s recent memories, and Wrath is angry that she used this type of magic. They leave to meet Anir.

Anir was waiting for the mysterious individual Francesco dealt with, but they never arrived. He reveals that the next candidate for Pride’s wife is Valentina Rossi, Claudia’s cousin. They rush to Valentina’s home to get her to safety before the murderer reaches her. They are too late, however, and find Valentina dead in the street near her home. Anir inadvertently reveals that Emilia and Wrath are engaged in a marriage bond—not just a bond of protection. Horrified that Wrath did not tell her that her spell had bound them in marriage, Emilia runs away.

Wrath finds Emilia at a seaside restaurant. He can sense her location due to their matching tattoos that appeared in Chapter 10 when their bond was formed. He explains that he concealed the matrimonial details of their bond in the hopes of gaining Emilia’s trust over time. They discuss the curse and Wrath promises to tell her the truth: La Prima cursed Pride because she was angry that he and her daughter fell in love. Wrath explains that the gates of Hell are deteriorating, slowly letting demons into the human realm. An Aper demon suddenly approaches their table, sending Emilia into a panic.

Emilia runs through the city from the “enormous” Aper demon that resembles a wild boar. They reach a dead end, and as the demon attacks Emilia, Wrath slays the beast. Wrath tricked Emilia and summoned the beast to prove his point that the gates of Hell are deteriorating. They discover a door with the same paw print and fennel symbol that Emilia saw on the food cart in Chapter 26, but neither of them knows what it means. They decide to see where the door leads.

There is fishing equipment stored inside the building. Wrath and Emilia do not find anything useful, even though something about the space feels familiar. Emilia goes home to discover that her bedroom is destroyed, and Vittoria’s belongings are gone. Emilia is scared and deeply saddened that her sister’s belongings are gone. She decides that she is endangering her family by living there and decides to temporarily relocate to Wrath’s palace. Emilia visits Claudia on her way to the palace. She asks Claudia to “cast a ward around” both of their homes for greater protection (255), fearing another invasion is imminent.