On the first day of the journey to Bellebryn, Ilsa decides the easiest way to endure Apollo is to ignore him. As they travel through the snowy countryside, she admires Lunwyn’s beauty but resents that the trip ties her future to Apollo’s decisions. She keeps silent through lunch and the afternoon ride, and Apollo mostly lets her. When they stop at the Rock Creek Inn, however, her anger returns after Apollo asks for a single room and makes clear that he intends to sleep there with her.

In the room, Ilsa challenges Apollo about the arrangement. Apollo argues that the threat against her is real, that he is her only guard, and that he cannot protect her from another room; when Ilsa suggests separate beds or a larger room, Apollo dismisses both options as impossible. Their argument then shifts when servants bring wine, firewood, and water. Ilsa criticizes Apollo for ordering inn staff around without courtesy, while Apollo says efficiency matters more than politeness. He finds her bad temper amusing, which only irritates her further, and he leaves so she can refresh before dinner.

At a pub nearby, Apollo again asserts control by ordering food and wine for both of them without consulting Ilsa. While they eat in near silence, Ilsa notices that the villagers are not merely watching wealthy travelers; they seem startled and uneasy because they know Apollo and recognize her resemblance to the dead Ilsa. Apollo then raises the practical problem of what name she should use. Forced to think about who she wants to be, and reflecting on the life and family she lost in her old world, Ilsa firmly chooses Madeleine, or Maddie, as her new name.

The conversation turns to Apollo’s late wife. Apollo explains that the other Ilsa often traveled through this area, sometimes without him, because she cared for people in need and worked as a physician, an unusual role for a woman in this world. Learning that the dead Ilsa was respected, capable, and generous makes Maddie feel inadequate by comparison. Wanting to move the conversation elsewhere, she asks about Apollo’s work, and he describes the House of Ulfr’s oil, gas, jewel, mining, and fur businesses, making clear how powerful and wealthy he is.

Maddie tries to joke that she and the malevolent witches must be burdens in Apollo’s busy life, but Apollo replies that the witches are a problem and she is only one when she is being churlish. The remark leaves Maddie feeling ashamed of her behavior even though the unequal dynamic between them still troubles her. Apollo ends the meal, escorts her back through the village, and tells her he will give her time to prepare for bed before joining her, closing the chapter with the same intimacy and tension she has been trying to resist all day.