Celaena sits in her bedroom at night after Nehemia returns to her own rooms, visibly steadier after grieving the murdered Eyllwe rebels. Celaena suffers severe cramps because her monthly cycles have returned after months of recovery from near-starvation in Endovier. Philippa brings tea, offers sympathy for Nehemia, and gently helps Celaena through the discomfort.

Chaol visits late after hearing about Nehemia. While Celaena tries to manage her pain and nausea, Chaol admits that the massacre of five hundred rebels sickens him and that seeing Endovier changed him. He says Celaena’s loyalty to Nehemia is admirable and concedes that, if his own country were conquered, he might fight for its freedom too. Before Chaol can finish asking Celaena something, Celaena vomits, then explains that she is not ill but menstruating; Chaol is embarrassed and leaves quickly.

Dorian arrives soon after, amused by Chaol’s reaction and determined to distract Celaena despite her protests. Their banter turns playful as Dorian offers cards, mentions that Celaena’s dog is doing well, and discovers the scandalous romance novel she has been reading. Celaena teases Dorian into taking the book by pretending Chaol had refused to read it, and their teasing reveals growing ease and attraction between them.

The scene shifts into Dorian’s thoughts as Dorian watches Celaena and impulsively calls her beautiful. His attraction is interrupted by guilt over Adarlan’s massacre of the Eyllwe rebels and by shame at the brutality of his father’s empire. Dorian tells Celaena that she must hate him and his court, admits he does not want to be part of Adarlan’s atrocities, and confesses that he chose Adarlan’s Assassin as his Champion because it was one of the few ways he could annoy his father without openly rebelling. Celaena quietly tells Dorian, “I don’t hate you,” and reassures him that he is not like them.

Dorian mentions the Yulemas masked ball, but Celaena is barred from attending because she is still only a Champion. When Dorian leaves, he kisses Celaena’s cheek, and Celaena responds with sadness and resignation rather than simple tenderness. Alone afterward, Celaena longs to attend the romantic ball, wonders whether Chaol had been about to invite her before she vomited, and then returns to darker concerns: Cain’s strange behavior, the murdered Champions, the hidden evil in the castle, and the five hundred Eyllwe rebels buried without honor.