Maddie arrives at Fyngaard’s Winter Palace with Apollo, his children, and their allies, and she is dazzled by the city, the palace, and the people waiting to receive them. She meets Queen Aurora, who proves reserved but kind, and then meets Cora and Tor, with Cora warmly embracing her as a fellow woman from Maddie’s home world. Inside, Aurora has the children taken off to be cared for while the adults gather for refreshments, and Maddie watches the affectionate but teasing dynamic between Aurora and Finnie.

As they settle in the drawing room, Frey abruptly announces that Finnie is pregnant. The happy news quickly leads to a startling realization: Cora is also pregnant, Lahn confirms that Circe is expecting, and Maddie suddenly understands that she has missed her cycle and may be pregnant too despite taking pennyrium. Apollo immediately turns tender and protective, and when Maddie panics about carrying a baby in a world without modern medicine, Apollo promises that after their enemies are dealt with, he will take her back to her own world if that is what she needs to safely have the child.

The celebration becomes strategic when Circe points out that all four women being pregnant may not be a coincidence. Apollo explains that a final plan is ready: the women will remain protected in the palace, Helda will be lured out and captured with the help of Lavinia and Valentine, and Specter Isle will be attacked at the same time by dragons, elves, and Valentine’s forces. Apollo states that Helda’s allies will be killed without trial and that he intends to personally punish Helda for what she did to Maddie. After the men leave to inspect the defenses, the women remain behind, share tea instead of champagne, and toast themselves as a "dream team," mixing hope and fear on the eve of the coming confrontation.

The chapter then shifts to Apollo’s point of view late that night. Still focused on the next day’s operation, he summons Valentine to ask about the other-world version of himself. Valentine confirms she can no longer see that man and believes he may now be in this world, close enough to threaten Maddie, and she also tells Apollo that Maddie is carrying a daughter. Apollo then briefly consults Meeta, who senses no immediate danger, and he visits Élan and Chris to ensure both children are safe in bed.

When Apollo finally goes to Maddie’s room, he finds her emotional because Chris has left her the unfinished story he is writing about Loretta and Hans. Apollo understands that this private gift shows real progress in Chris’s acceptance of Maddie, which makes the day even more meaningful to her. Apollo then warns Maddie that Pol may be in this world and could be used in a plot against her, but Maddie calmly dismisses the threat because she is certain she could never mistake Pol for Apollo. Reassured by her confidence and buoyed by the pregnancy news and Chris’s gesture, the two turn from danger to intimacy and end the night celebrating together.