Brutal Prince

Callum and Aida’s arranged marriage functions as a key symbol in the novel, representing a forced political alliance that transforms into a genuine, chosen partnership. Initially, the marriage is a mechanism for damage control, a punishment for Aida’s recklessness, and a desperate truce between warring families. Her father declares, “You lit the match that started this blaze—it’s you who will put it out again. Not by violence but by your own sacrifice. You’ll marry Callum Griffin” (49). This command frames the union as a penance, stripping Aida of her agency and binding her to an enemy, foregrounding the novel’s thematic interest in Navigating Identity Within the Confines of Family Legacy.

Aida’s two wedding rings map the couple’s journey from coerced alliance to mutual respect and affection. The first ring, chosen by Callum’s mother, symbolizes their families’ contract—an impersonal, transactional object imposed upon Aida. The scene in which Callum acknowledges the impersonal nature of the ring signals the ways he’s coming to know and care about Aida as a person. He reflects, “Looking at [the ring] on her hand, I realize it doesn’t really suit her. Aida would have picked something more comfortable and casual” (123). When