! Part of the process of wedding Aksinya off is a ritual cutting of ties that A) gifts her to her husband's people and B) cuts her ties to the royal family's ancestral/pet monster-spirits, so that they remain in main-line-of-descent's control and cannot be called upon for a foreigner's wars. This is somewhat devastating (particularly when there's actual magic and strong connection involved), and part of why a bride sometimes cries going off to her husband's family.

The Prince Prima is witnessing this ceremony and seeing how strongly it affects Aksinya, and is all like what are you doing to my wife?!