Argalia travels back to Florence, where the brief exile of the Medici family has ended and the era of the Republic is over. The Medici family has returned and taken over the city; Il Machia was tortured during their return but was eventually found innocent and allowed to return to his day-to-day life. He was arrested because of a document found in the possession of a guilty man, which bore one of Il Machia’s many names: Machiavelli. Now, he is a cynical figure who craves a return to public life, which is frequently denied to him. He loathes the people of the city and the speed at which they have adapted to the end of the republic, claiming that the people deserve “their cruel princes” (300). He is married now to a “waddling wife” (305) named Marietta Corsini. They have many children together, but she does not stimulate him romantically so he still visits brothels, much to Marietta’s chagrin.

Argalia enters Florence with his small army of janissaries. The arrival of Angelica and the Mirror immediately causes a stir, and the city is awash with talk of their beauty. Argalia seeks out Il Machia and together they hatch a plan, based on Andrea Doria’s recommendation.