Diem enters Lumnos City with Henri and is overwhelmed by the Descended capital’s wealth, beauty, magic, and casual excess. The sameness of the Descended’s flawless appearances makes Diem reflect on the mortal imperfections she loves in Henri and remembers in her mother. Henri explains that Diem’s assignment at House Benette is not a gift but a loyalty test for joining the Guardians: she must use her role as a healer to gather information from Evrim Benette, a powerful weapons dealer whose shipments could help arm mortals if intercepted.

At House Benette, Diem is received rudely by Lorris, Evrim’s adolescent son, and left in the parlor. Instead of waiting, Diem follows him and overhears Evrim discussing missing shipments, Sophos research, rebel explosives, possible business with Umbros, and orders from Meros and Fortos. When Lorris interrupts to report that the healer has arrived for Evanie, Evrim dismisses both Lorris and the illness with contempt, revealing a brutal, neglectful household.

Lorris takes Diem to Evanie, his young sister, who is feverish, frightened, and covered in swollen ring-shaped welts after receiving flowers from a strange woman. Diem recognizes the cause as deathshade exposure and treats Evanie with medicinal candy and cream. During the treatment, Lorris’s cold manner briefly softens as Lorris comforts Evanie and distracts her with an imperfect butterfly made of light magic, but Lorris recoils when Diem praises his care and retreats into the hard values his father has taught him.

After Evanie reveals that the woman who gave Evanie the flowers had dark, chocolate-colored eyes, Diem realizes the illness may have been deliberately arranged by mortals, possibly the Guardians, to create Diem’s opening into House Benette. Diem is furious and uncertain whether she wants any part of such tactics, but Diem trusts Henri would not knowingly harm a child and decides the chance to undermine Evrim is too important to waste.

Diem sneaks into Evrim’s office, steals a blueprint that appears to show a large armory, copies names from a ledger, and takes additional documents. When Evrim returns, Diem hides under the desk and narrowly avoids discovery because Lorris interrupts to report that the healer is missing. Evrim beats and berates Lorris for leaving a stranger unattended, and after they leave, Diem escapes through the house.

Diem tries to cover her movements by entering the kitchen and claiming she is looking for the master of the house to collect payment. A kitchen woman catches her using a mortal expression and drags her back toward Evrim and Lorris. Diem maintains her cover, demands three gold marks, mentions the medicine left for Evanie, and leaves as quickly as possible while suppressing her anger at Evrim’s cruelty.