After the wedding ceremony, Talasyn and Alaric share a private schooner ride to the reception at the Roof of Heaven. In the cramped cabin, Alaric finds himself unable to stop admiring Talasyn, reflecting on their kiss at the altar and quietly admitting to himself that he is attracted to his wife. When he reaches out to stop her from nervously picking at her veil's beadwork, their fingers intertwine naturally, and he traces the contours of her hand in an intimate, unspoken moment. The spell breaks only when the schooner begins its ascent to the palace.

At the grand ballroom, transformed into a wonderland of sunset colors, the couple is formally announced—Talasyn as Lachis'ka and Alaric as her consort. Talasyn is startled to realize that she is now, in effect, the Night Empress. They greet Urduja and Elagbi; Elagbi warmly tells Alaric to take care of his daughter and kisses Talasyn's forehead, but his casual remark about the improbable marriage between Talasyn and the man she was once imprisoned with plants a seed of suspicion in Alaric's mind.

The couple takes the floor for their first dance, initially struggling because Nenavarene custom dictates that the woman leads. After Alaric yields, their shared history of combat and magical dueling allows them to move together with breathtaking grace, generating a palpable charge between them that lingers through the dinner that follows. At the head table, they bicker—she slaps his bouncing knee, he deliberately encroaches on her space—falling into a combative dynamic that paradoxically feels comfortable to Alaric.

During dinner, Alaric presses Talasyn about why she returned to the Sardovian war effort after learning she was Elagbi's daughter, rather than fleeing to Nenavar immediately. Talasyn insists it was duty, but Alaric finds this difficult to reconcile with her admitted lifelong loneliness and desire for family. Before the conversation can go further, Niamha Langsoune informs them it is time to retire, and Urduja delivers a toast sending the newlyweds off.

Back in her suite, Talasyn is horrified to discover that tradition requires her to wear an almost entirely sheer nightdress for the wedding night. Despite her protests, she relents to avoid arousing suspicion that the consummation is a sham. Her lady-in-waiting Jie helps her change, dims the lamps, and exits. Talasyn waits alone on the canopy bed, mortified and anxious, as Alaric rings the chimes at her door.