Celaena wakes injured after the duel and finds Dorian entering her room. Dorian is shaken and sleepless, haunted by watching Cain beat Celaena while she was drugged and hallucinating. Celaena tries to reassure Dorian despite her cracked rib, wounded hand, and cut leg.

Dorian tells Celaena that Chaol will be fine but has taken time off after killing Cain. When Celaena starts to blame herself, Dorian insists Chaol made his own choice. Dorian then confesses that he feels guilty for not stopping Cain or preventing Kaltain from drugging Celaena, but Celaena argues that interfering would have disqualified her.

The conversation softens into intimacy as Dorian lies beside Celaena. Dorian says he knew Celaena would win from the moment he met her and admits he is grateful the brutal competition brought Celaena into his life. Celaena deflects with humor, and Dorian kisses her.

The scene shifts to the King of Adarlan, who sits on his glass throne while Perrington kneels before him. The king has not yet sent Celaena her Champion contract because Celaena's closeness to Dorian and Nehemia makes Celaena potentially dangerous, but Cain's death leaves Celaena as the king's best and only viable choice.

The king reflects on Chaol's intervention, Dorian's defiance, and Celaena's mysterious Wyrdmark. The king recognizes that someone or something dead interfered to save Celaena during the duel, so the king decides not to kill Celaena until the mark's meaning is discovered.

The king then discusses Perrington's manipulation of Kaltain and the power linked to their black rings. Cain demonstrated physical transformation, while Kaltain has shown that thoughts and emotions can be influenced. The king plans future experiments, intends to use Kaltain later, warns Perrington to stop pushing the plan involving Nehemia, and hints that they will soon act across Erilea.