Rohan grows impatient as he and Savannah remain stalled on their current riddle. Although Rohan understands that riddles cannot simply be forced, he believes action is more useful than waiting, so he tries to change the dynamic between them.

Rohan proposes a wager: he claims he can solve the riddle before Savannah. He recaps possible interpretations of the clue involving black and white, while Savannah adds playing cards to the list, but neither answer seems correct. Rohan admits that he does not have the solution and frames the bet as a way to create pressure.

Savannah suspects that Rohan is either hiding an answer or trying to provoke one from her. Rohan offers terms: if Rohan wins, Savannah must tell Rohan why Savannah wants victory in the Grandest Game so badly; if Savannah wins, Rohan will reveal what Rohan knows about the other competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, tragedies, and secrets.

Savannah realizes Rohan may genuinely have hidden information despite the competitors not being publicly announced. Rohan hints that knowing secrets is part of Rohan’s job, which makes Savannah curious enough to alter the stakes. Instead of other players’ secrets, Savannah demands the truth about Rohan’s job, with no evasions or lies.

Rohan accepts, despite knowing that the Devil’s Mercy is meant to remain secret. The wager sharpens the conflict between them: Savannah has a chance to uncover Rohan’s hidden life, while Rohan believes that when losing is not an option, Rohan always finds a way to win.