Alizeh lands inside the royal ball after falling through darkness with the copper-haired stranger. Disoriented by the crowd, music, and sensory crush, she immediately worries about Miss Huda, whose voice the stranger had magically taken. Though the protective gown keeps other guests from noticing or mistreating Alizeh, she fears the stranger may have trapped or bewitched her.

The stranger follows Alizeh and tells her he has restored Miss Huda’s voice. He demands Alizeh’s promise that she will not run away, explaining that he was sent to collect her but also intends to settle other business to repay large debts. Alizeh refuses until the stranger swears not to harm Miss Huda, and the two strike an uneasy bargain: he will return at half past the hour to escort Alizeh to his transport before midnight.

Alizeh asks whether the stranger’s business involves Hazan, but the stranger seems genuinely surprised by Hazan’s name. After the stranger leaves, Alizeh sees Hazan intercept him, which reassures her that the two men do know each other and that the escape plan may be real. Alizeh considers finding Miss Huda, but decides instead to follow Hazan and the stranger so she can ask Hazan her urgent questions.

When Alizeh tries to follow, the stranger silently warns her away, and the nosta warms as if confirming the danger. Immediately afterward, Iblees’s voice invades Alizeh’s mind with another ominous riddle about gold, a crown, an eye, kings, darkness, friends and foes, and three sovereigns. Alizeh panics, flees through the crowd, and collapses against a marble column after the voice leaves her, terrified because Iblees’s visits have always preceded calamity.

Kamran finds Alizeh by the column, dressed as a prince in green and gold. His circlet reminds Alizeh of his royal position, while his open longing unsettles her. When Kamran complains that his formal coat feels like needles, Alizeh recognizes that the silk is woven and embroidered with real gold and suggests he may have an aversion to it.

The encounter turns intimate when Kamran touches Alizeh and asks whether she came back for him. He says he chooses her and wants her despite the bride-selection expectations of the ball, but Alizeh insists such a choice would be madness. Kamran withdraws, realizes Alizeh came for another reason, and finally asks how she knows the Tulanian king.