Chapter 23

Regan arrives at the Avari engagement ball, noting that Lady Avari and the Board have forced Viktor to concede to the event, a rare check on his authority. Outside the refectory, she finds Bloodguards lounging while a dwarven First Year, Dani, is nearly exsanguinated. Professor Rodriguez confronts them; Regan recognizes Dani’s medical danger and the political risk with the dwarves and orders Rodriguez to take Dani to the infirmary, publicly disciplining Silvio.

Florence and Medra witness the hallway scene before entering. Inside the ballroom, Regan endures nobles’ scrutiny, exchanges tense politeness with highbloods, and reflects on her isolation, Viktor’s leverage over her through Persis, and her complicity in Bloodguard excesses. She watches Kage waltz with Florence, imagining the costs of their arranged match.

Kage intercepts Regan as she tries to leave and compels a dance. Their close, intimate waltz exposes Regan’s vulnerability and Kage’s resolve; he insists on her worth, contrasts himself with Viktor, and challenges her worldview of fear and control. He reveals he will end his engagement that night, claiming he can still protect Florence from Viktor’s designs without binding her.

Regan warns him of the humiliation and backlash from his House, but Kage prioritizes Florence’s safety and calls out Regan’s earlier hallway choice as proof of her buried compassion. Regan, haunted by Persis’s captivity and Viktor’s threat of soul-binding, insists she is not free and refuses to let Kage sacrifice himself for her.

As the waltz ends, Kage asks Regan to meet him at midnight in the abandoned Dragon Court to talk, promising only conversation. Regan, inwardly certain she cannot risk it for Persis’s sake and fearing Viktor’s retribution, watches Kage leave to confront his House, realizing he is about to defy immense power—largely for her.