The narrative moves forward. Waking from a dream, Evie holds a dagger to Trystan’s throat. She is reeling from the revelation that her parents manipulated a prophecy and used magic to pass her destined villain role on to Trystan, who is the true prince. Evie discovers the study they’re in was Trystan’s private sanctuary. She recognizes this as the room she accidentally destroyed with a bomb in the previous book. She accuses him of lying when he’d claimed nothing important was inside. Trystan admits the room’s contents weren’t important compared to the alternative of losing her.

Distraught, Evie suggests that perhaps fate intended for her to die. Trystan angrily forbids her from invalidating the sacrifice made by Arthur, his adoptive father. The reminder of Arthur’s death causes Evie to collapse in sobs. While comforting her, Trystan accidentally calls her “love,” shocking them both. He then reveals that, long before the bomb, he had stopped visiting the study for peace. When Evie asks where he went for safety instead, he confesses, “I would find you” (13).

Evie’s younger sister, Lyssa, awakens Rebecka. Lyssa claims she saw Trystan’s sister, Clare, with a suspicious man in a black cloak. Joined by the healer Tatianna, they find Clare, who appears flustered and evades their questions, blaming her distress on arrangements for her father’s sea burial. After Clare rushes off, Lyssa discovers a discarded handkerchief nearby with the words “It’s me” written in a familiar hand. As she pockets the cloth, Lyssa feels an unnerving sensation of being watched.

Lyssa notices Trystan looks sad and arranges a tea party with him. When Lyssa asks if he plans to marry Evie, Trystan is so startled he falls and breaks his chair. Blade, a dragon trainer, enters and teases him before delivering bad news: He was unable to find Trystan’s friend Kingsley, a frog. After Lyssa leaves, Trystan confides in Blade that he and Evie had sex. A shocked Blade questions Trystan’s choice of a barn for the encounter. When Blade asks why he told him, Trystan deflects, “Because you’re here, I suppose” (22). Their conversation is cut short when they find Trystan’s chambers have been ransacked. The stolen pages of Rennedawn’s storybook are burning in the hearth, and Kingsley’s crown is missing. Suspecting a traitor, Trystan heads for the dungeons.

This brief chapter is from Kingsley’s viewpoint. The entirety of the text is the single word “Finally,” suggesting that a long-awaited event has occurred. The page also includes an image of a single sneaker.

Trystan summons Evie to his office, where she finds him interrogating Marv, the gate guard who betrayed them. Marv admits to helping Evie’s father but claims he was coerced by Valiant Guards through a magical, poison-laced vow that is now killing him. When Trystan moves to execute Marv, Evie instinctively protects the guard by unleashing her dark magic, which bends Trystan’s sword. She is shocked when the magic, unlike Trystan’s version, sparkles in the sunlight. Trystan explains that the magic mimics its user and urges her to master her new power rather than fear it. He declares her his equal, not his employee. Sparing Marv for further questioning, Trystan announces he is taking Evie for a walk to a wishing well.

Tatianna urges Clare to help treat Marv’s magical poison. Their argument is interrupted when a pixie reports a man in the laundry room. Clare immediately rushes to the scene with a confused Tatianna in pursuit. Amid the chaos, Clare tries to dismiss Tatianna by quickly providing a potential cure for Marv. Refusing to leave, Tatianna demands to see the cloaked figure Clare is shielding. Clare pulls both Tatianna and the figure into a storage closet, making Tatianna promise not to tell Trystan. The cloaked man then lowers his hood, and Tatianna gasps in recognition.

Rebecka “Becky” Erring finds Lyssa engrossed in writing a story about Fate and Destiny as rival entities. Blade arrives to warn Becky that her brother, Roland, is approaching with a letter from their mother. Touched by his concern, Becky kisses him. Roland delivers the letter, and its contents horrify Becky. She declares they must find Evie and Trystan immediately, warning that “the manor is about to be torn apart from the inside” (37).

Trystan leads Evie to a clearing in Hickory Forest. He awkwardly confesses more of his feelings, admitting that he has so many pillows on his bed because he adds more every time he dreams about her. They arrive at a weeping willow near a well. He explains that making an offering to the well creates a pocket of pure magic, giving a safe place to practice. When Evie tosses in a coin, the tree bursts into song and flowers. Trystan encourages her to use her power, but it lashes out, pulling him toward her. As the magic shoves them together, Evie kisses him.

Evie and Trystan have sex in the clearing. Afterward, she worries about pregnancy, but he reveals he has been taking a contraceptive leaf since they kissed the second time because he was hopeful they would one day be together. Their moment is broken when Evie discovers her magic has destroyed the willow tree; its flowers and leaves are now dead and colorless. Horrified, she resists Trystan’s attempts to console her. Their argument is cut short when Blade and Becky arrive on a dragon with urgent news. Becky reveals that the magical locks at the Fortis Fortress have failed, and since Massacre Manor uses the same enchantments, its dungeon locks may also fail. They realize all of Trystan’s captured enemies could soon be loose inside the manor, trapping everyone within.

Chapter 10 is an extremely brief chapter consisting of a single expletive from Kingsley’s point of view, accompanied by an illustration of a sneaker. The chapter conveys, through Kingsley’s terse internal reaction, a moment of sudden alarm or dismay, though the specific cause is not stated and is left for context from surrounding chapters to clarify.