Character Analysis
Augustine is the ruler of Westmark… at least in theory, anyway. He's currently sunk in grief over the death of his only child, Princess Augusta (spoiler alert: she's not dead), and is under the thumb of his chief minister, Cabbarus. Auggie doesn't really rule the kingdom anymore, instead leaving that job to Cabbarus so he can grieve. It's common knowledge throughout Westmark, as you can see here:
"King Augustine must have been out of his wits," retorted Theo, "taking Cabbarus for any kind of minister; let alone the highest in the kingdom."
"Out of his wits? Yes, with heartbreak, losing the princess and not another child since then. And that's six years gone. Queen Caroline faced up to it better than he did. More's the pity, he could have been a good king."
"I can understand it broke his heart. The one to blame is Cabbarus," said Theo. "He's the one who speaks for the king. No, he does worse than speak. He lays down the law, if you can call it that, for there's no justice in it. He has every printer in Westmark by the throat. Well, I wish I had him by the throat. I wish somebody would—" (1.40-42)
Augustine was a loving father and wants more than anything for someone to resurrect his daughter from the dead. Cabbarus manipulates his desire by providing fake necromancers for him. Each failure makes him sadder and sadder, allowing Cabby to stay in power and increasing his chances of remaining there for good.
Augustine remains mostly sickly—despite Torrens's efforts to revive him—until Cabbarus tries to use Mickle as the spirit of Princess Augusta. Once it's revealed she is the princess and Augustine has his girl back, Augustine—understandably—gets a bit better. Just check this out:
King Augustine had come unannounced into the chamber and had been listening silently. Though he moved with the gait of an invalid still unsure of his legs, his face had regained a little of its color. Although one weight had been lifted from him, he seemed to bear another. (26.24)
This family man is happy to have his kid back, but the weight of the reality of how he's been duped—and the inevitable impact on his kingdom—sits on his shoulders now. While it may be sweet that King Augustine has opted to prioritize his grief over his kingdom—he just loves his daughter that much—it's also troublesome, since he's the ruler and all. Time will tell if he can set things right again after Cabbarus's little reign of terror.