General Stova shocks the court by introducing Vasalie as his daughter, Vastianna Stova. He then announces her engagement to King Illian, revealing it as the fulfillment of a courtship agreement made 12 years earlier. Vasalie is stunned, realizing that Illian was the man she was to be wed to at 13—a fate her stepmother, Emilia, died trying to prevent. Her father whispers that he tracked her after she sold Emilia’s ring and that Illian found Emilia’s glove—embroidered with her name—among Vasalie’s belongings at the Melune, which cemented her identity. Vasalie realizes that Illian knew her identity all along and groomed her to be his bride.

Stova places Vasalie’s hand in Illian’s. Illian gives her a ring and kisses her for the first time, later admitting that he had vowed to her father not to touch her until given permission. During a waltz, Illian explains that her imprisonment was a non-negotiable part of their deal; her father demanded that she be punished for running away. Enraged by the lifelong manipulation, Vasalie publicly insults her father and his new queen before storming out of the reception.

Illian catches up with Vasalie in the hallway and reveals the full scope of his conspiracy against her: He helped Stova seize the Brisendali throne in exchange for Stova’s help in uniting all of Miridran under Illian’s rule. He also admits that he defied her father to bring her to the Gathering—at political cost to himself—because he needed her dancing talent to charm and influence key figures; her father had wanted her kept in the cell until the agreement was finalized.

Back in the antechamber, Illian taunts the chained Anton with the engagement news. He then reveals that Vasalie’s gown was designed to be torn away, leaving her in a revealing bustier and sash, and demands that she give him the private performance she owes him. Desperate, Vasalie bargains for Anton’s life, promising to be Illian’s willing wife if he sets his brother free. Illian agrees and orders Aemon to release Anton. The moment Anton is unchained, however, Illian grabs Aemon’s halberd and smashes the lever holding the pin on the crank, causing the chandelier’s chain to whip free and the massive fixture to drop onto Anton, impaling him on the carpet below.

As Anton lies bleeding, Vasalie attacks Illian with millen powder. His guards restrain her, but Sana deliberately leaves her shackles unlocked. Just as Illian is about to order her back to a cell, Anton’s court storms the room, led by his pet, Ishu; his guard, Basile; and Copelan, who had been freed by Laurent. Vasalie frees herself and joins the fight as Anton stops moving, presumably dead.

In the ensuing battle, Vasalie helps Copelan kill Aemon. Illian grabs Vasalie and drags her onto a balcony, stabbing her in the thigh. Suddenly, Vasalie sees that the chandelier is unmoved and that no corpse lies beneath it—then, Anton appears, alive. Illian’s panicked reaction and Anton’s own reference to surviving Mount Carapet make clear that he cannot be killed. Illian refuses to surrender, holding Vasalie hostage with a dagger. Seeing no other way to end Illian’s tyranny, Vasalie wraps her arms around Illian and deliberately throws them both over the balustrade, plummeting to the courtyard far below.

Overwhelmed by blinding pain from the fall, Vasalie’s first coherent thought is to check if her sacrifice worked. A few yards away, she sees Illian’s body, broken and lifeless on the stone. With the knowledge that she has finally ended his reign of terror, she feels a sense of peace. No longer fighting to hold on, she succumbs to her injuries and feels herself die.

As a weightless spirit, Vasalie watches from above as Anton kneels in the courtyard and gathers her corpse into his arms. She then sees the spirit of her beloved stepmother, Emilia, who appears before her. Emilia extends her hand, welcoming her to the afterlife. Eagerly, Vasalie takes her hand and departs the world of the living.

Vasalie finds her spirit in the lair of the Fate of Morta, a goddess named Moranya. Anton is also present, having carried Vasalie’s physical body into the realm of the dead. Moranya reveals that Anton has cheated death repeatedly because he has never loved anyone—Moranya appears as someone the dying person loves to compel them to take her hand, and since Anton loves no one, no disguise can compel him. Anton reveals that he possesses a special lens crafted from a magical mirror fragment that allows him to see through Moranya’s illusions. 

Anton attempts to use the mirror as leverage, saying he will mass-produce it and give it to other mortals to escape her if she doesn’t return Vasalie. Moranya proposes her own deal: She will resurrect Vasalie if Anton gives her a piece of his soul—specifically, his “goodness,” “warmth,” and “comfort” (415). Before accepting, Anton presses Moranya about whether she plans to bring Eremis back, connecting the bargain to the prophecy that Vasalie now realizes is about Anton, not Illian. Anton accepts the deal but negotiates one final day with his court as himself before the price is paid. Moranya agrees, and Vasalie feels her spirit being pulled back into her body.

Vasalie awakens a week later, fully healed, in the allied kingdom of Razam. Laurent and Gustav show her a device that Anton invented called a Lensgraph, which captures images called “stills.” They have photographic proof of the entire conspiracy between Illian and her father. Queen Sadira of Razam informs her that General Stova has been crowned King of Brisendale and is now preparing for war.

Sadira tells Vasalie that the “goodness” that Moranya took from Anton was his feelings for and recognition of Vasalie specifically. Anton retains other memories, including of the Gathering and of Sadira, but can’t perceive Vasalie; when shown the stills, he sees only a blank pane of glass. When Vasalie sees Anton, he doesn’t recognize her and treats her with cold indifference. Sadira explains that Anton, fearing he will become the destructive king from the prophecy, has asked to be imprisoned. Vowing to save him, Vasalie pulls Anton into a genuine kiss and, in that moment of closeness, secretly unhooks the chain around his neck so that his magical lens pendant falls into her palm, determined to find a way to reverse the bargain with Moranya.