The next day, Nikki goes back to work. She is determined to convince her client to lower the price of the house she is trying to sell. Her ex-husband, Darius, works with her; they have remained friends and co-parents since their divorce six years ago.

Darius asks Nikki what is wrong, as he can tell that she seems “sad.” She tells him the story of her trip to North Carolina and Mother Rita’s fight for the land. He sympathizes with her, then suggests that she think about what she truly wants. She realizes that she wants to keep the land, not only for Mother Rita, but for her family. Darius tells her that she needs to find a way to buy back some of it, even if it’s just the few acres that Mother Rita lives on.

Later that night, Nikki goes to a genealogy website and looks up Mother Rita’s mother, Lily. She learns that her mother was named Cordelia Montgomery Lovejoy. As she reads through her different relatives, she thinks of how much pride they must have had to finally have their names recorded, unlike the property ledgers that the enslavers used to keep.

In 1895, there are only around 60 people left in the kingdom. Robert left and many of the elders died off, leaving Luella as the sole leader. Many of the younger generation left the hills, finding work in nearby towns. The women still grow and sell their own vegetables, finding a way to make things work.

A young man, Vernon, comes to Luella and William to ask for Sunny’s hand in marriage. Sunny is 17 years old. Luella agrees, recognizing that Vernon is someone who makes her daughter happy. However, she is uncomfortable with Vernon’s insistence that they are going to move out of the kingdom to make a new life.

A few weeks later, Luella decides that she wants Robert at Sunny’s wedding. He moved out 10 years before, never able to forgive Luella. Shortly thereafter, William and Luella started sharing a bed, though they never had sex. Rather, their relationship was built on friendship and love, and they raised Robert’s children together.

When Luella tells William of her plan to find Robert for the wedding, William agrees, even though Luella can tell it bothers him. She assures him that William is Sunny’s father, which comforts him.

In preparation for the wedding, Luella finds someone to sew the best dress possible for Sunny. She begins cutting and selling flowers in town for extra money. She also decorates the chapel with roses, determined to show the Lovejoys—Vernon’s family—and the rest of the town how proud the kingdomfolk are.

On the day of the wedding, Robert arrives. Luella can tell how delighted Sunny and Wade are to see him. When Robert proclaims that he wouldn’t miss the wedding for anything, Luella thinks to herself how hypocritical he is for having missed most of her life. She goes into the church without saying anything.

During the ceremony, Luella takes pride in how beautiful the church is. She notices a woman with Robert. She is upset that he remarried and brought her to “parade” in front of Luella.

The next morning, Luella is still angry about the woman that Robert brought to the wedding. While she works in the garden, Robert comes with the woman and William. Luella is shocked at how jealous she feels.

Robert introduces the woman as Ursula, his sister. After he left Luella, he spent the time searching for his siblings. He managed to find 10 of them, all of whom were sold off as children by enslavers.

When Ursula and William leave to talk about the kingdom, Luella and Robert talk privately. Robert breaks down, crying as he tells Luella about all his siblings he spent years searching for. She thinks of how enslavement “complicated” love for them, making it difficult to trust and commit. She realizes that she still deeply loves Robert.

The two discuss the past. Luella is bitter toward him, but Robert tells her that he couldn’t wait around for her to decide. She admits that she would have chosen him. Robert then asks how long he would have to wait for her to decide this time, and she admits that she would take him back immediately if he returned.

Robert and Luella sit down with William and tell him that they are going to be together again. William is agreeable, as Luella realizes that he must feel guilt over breaking up her family. He moves into Papa’s old house. She thinks of how their history is behind them. She feels grateful for what he did for the kingdom and for her, including stepping aside to let her rule the kingdom and rekindle things with Robert.

Robert returns to Charleston to take Ursula home, promising to return. However, after two weeks, he is still not back. Luella and Wade spend their days preparing and trying not to worry. She also notes how Wade has begun sneaking around with a girl at night, but she doesn’t stop him.

One afternoon, William comes to her home, along with two white deputies. They tell her that someone was in Saluda last night, 10 miles away, and let the cows out of a farmer’s gate. They were told that it was the queen’s son from the kingdom. Luella adamantly defends Wade, even though she isn’t sure where he was the night before. However, at William’s insistence, Wade relents and goes with the deputies.

When Nikki gets to Mother Rita’s with Shawnie for the court date, she is surprised to see Mama’s car in the driveway. She realizes that she must have driven there from DC.

Inside, the women sit together. Nikki is overwhelmed by emotion, thinking how she had imagined this moment as a happy one, but she isn’t sure how her mother or Mother Rita feel. After Mother Rita greets Shawnie warmly, Shawnie excuses herself to the living room to set it for lunch, leaving the three others to talk.

Mama expresses her anger at Mother Rita for not telling her that she is sick. Mother Rita asserts that it wouldn’t have made a difference, as Mama abandoned her. Despite Mama’s insistence that she just needed space to live her own life, Mother Rita accuses her of doing “nothing” while they were “robbed” of their land (283). Luella is confused by the accusation but she stops their fight, demanding that they all sit and enjoy lunch together.

Luella learns that the charges against Wade are worse than she was initially told. Bulls were let out of a fence, which caused a man to be trampled to death. She thinks of how Black people around the South live in “terror” in the 1890s and that she was ignorant for thinking that they were safe in the kingdom.

Robert comes home the next day. He goes with Luella to see the lawyer, Weaver, who did their paperwork for the land deed years before. When they arrive, Luella is hopeful because Weaver is respectful toward them. He listens to them and even compares Wade to his own 15-year-old grandson.

Weaver agrees to help Wade at trial if Luella and Robert pay him. He writes down a number, but it is too much for them. Instead, Weaver agrees to help if they will give him the deed to their land. Luella hesitates, trying to bargain with just part of the land; however, Weaver insists on all 205 acres. Finally, Robert relents, but makes Weaver sign paperwork agreeing to give them back the land if they pay him in full within two years.