After the storm eases, Talasyn and Alaric return by coracle and House Matano ship to Iantas. Talasyn avoids Jie, the Lachis-dalo, and Alaric, retreating to bathe and busy herself with reports and invitations. When Alaric requests her company for a meal, Talasyn refuses because she is overwhelmed by what happened between them on the beach.

Alaric comes to Talasyn’s study anyway and teases her for running from him. His provocation turns her frustration into action, and the argument becomes another passionate encounter as they move from the study to their bedchamber. The storm outside intensifies while Talasyn and Alaric stop resisting their attraction.

The next morning, Talasyn wakes in Alaric’s arms and panics at the intimacy. Alaric proposes that their physical relationship need not mean anything beyond attraction until it fades, and Talasyn, thinking of the inevitable conflict between her cause and the Night Empire, considers accepting pleasure while she can. When Talasyn jokes that Alaric might fall in love with her, he flatly rejects the idea of love as a luxury leaders cannot afford, hurting her despite their apparent agreement.

Alaric then reminds Talasyn to see a healer for a preventive, which Talasyn realizes she had forgotten. Their awkward, charged conversation turns playful when Talasyn blames Alaric for her soreness and throws a pillow at him. Later, the castle’s flooded first level forces both rulers to help servants salvage supplies and artifacts, with Talasyn putting a mop in Alaric’s hands.

By dusk, after working through accumulated messages, Alaric seeks Talasyn in the library. Gaheris tries to summon Alaric into the In-Between, but Alaric shrugs off the call when he sees Talasyn, choosing her presence over his father’s demand. Alaric and Talasyn begin another flirtatious encounter among the shelves, only to be caught by Prince Elagbi, whose furious entrance leaves Alaric terrified.