The group—Violet, Xaden, Aaric, Cat, Mira, Garrick—dines with the Hedotis triumvirate, Nairi, Roslyn, and Faris, with Talia present as witness. The setting is informal yet ceremonial, and Xaden is emotionally distant, presenting a colder demeanor. After a blessing to Hedeon, awkward small talk gives way to probing questions about dragons, gryphons, and loyalty, revealing Hedotis’s values and suspicions.

Nairi and Roslyn press for strategic marriages among the young royals and leaders. They specifically push Xaden to contract-marry Cat for several years to secure heirs and alliances for Tyrrendor and Poromiel. Cat clarifies she accepted previously but Xaden refused and that she is now with someone else. When Faris and Nairi treat the contract as a corrective to "unwise" choices, Xaden counters by publicly declaring a lifetime commitment to Violet instead, pointedly rejecting their proposal.

The pressure exposes family wounds: Xaden confronts Talia for abandoning him in Tyrrendor after his father’s death and during the rise of dark wielders, while Talia argues she could not take him without risking execution and claims she did what she thought best. Xaden accuses her of choosing a peaceful life on Hedotis over motherhood. Mira cuts through the charade, stating the triumvirate never intended to share knowledge or ally with them, calling the meeting a sham.

Test questions resume: Violet critiques the city’s engineered perfection and erasure of history, and notes the lack of a port, hinting at Hedotis’s fear of the sea. Roslyn taunts their ignorance of their continent’s true name; Aaric supplies historical variants and condemns the Continent’s arrogance and division. Aaric then rebukes the triumvirate for hoarding knowledge and lacking an army, stating he is only present because Violet leads a mission to find the seventh breed, irids, as dark wielders spread.

Roslyn asks Violet to confirm her bond to a seventh breed; Violet does and tries to pivot to alliance talks focused on fighting venin. Faris remains coy, implying he requires sharper reasoning. Dessert arrives: chocolate cake, framed as Xaden’s favorite and an early birthday treat from Talia, who has been stockpiling chocolate. Violet realizes this implies advance knowledge of their arrival and suspects a test.

Violet notices the triumvirate lacks forks while the guests have them and concludes the cake is compromised. She stops Xaden from eating and snatches Aaric’s fork, but Garrick has already consumed several bites. He sways and collapses as Aaric catches his head, shouting that Garrick is not breathing. The chapter ends with Garrick unresponsive, confirming the dessert was a lethal or incapacitating trap within the "wisdom" test.