In Paris in July 1724, Addie reflects that her “freedom” is not a grand gift from the darkness but a practical disguise: trousers, a buttoned coat, and a tricorne hat. Dressed as a young man, she moves through the street without scrutiny, bitterly aware that the same walk as a woman would be scandalous. It has been four years since Luc last appeared, yet the anniversary of her bargain still feels like it belongs to him, and she refuses to surrender the night to dread.

Determined to celebrate anyway, Addie steals and gathers a small feast to eat atop Sacré Coeur—bread, cured meat, cheese, and a rare indulgence, honey. As she travels in the lingering daylight, a young man collides with her and knocks the honey from her hand, shattering the jar. Addie bristles, then realizes the stranger has seen through her illusion; she tenses for exposure, but he sends his drunk friends ahead and stays, amused rather than threatening.

The young man releases her arm quickly, teases her about her disguise, and insists on making amends. He loops his arm through Addie’s and escorts her into a café, turning her secret into a shared game by keeping her close and steering her into dimmer light. Inside, he orders coffee for them and coaches her on how to sit and behave like a man while she studies the ease with which men occupy public space.

As they talk, Addie gives the name “Thomas,” and the stranger introduces himself as Remy Laurent. Remy’s lively curiosity turns to excitement when he spots a famous writer entering: Voltaire. Remy shows Addie a printed booklet and, noticing her struggle, learns she cannot truly read; he rails against women being denied education and rhapsodizes about books—poetry, philosophy, and “novels,” long invented stories.

Remy explains he is from Rennes, from a printer’s family, and came to Paris because reading and thinking made him hungry for the city’s ideas and change. Addie recognizes in him the same fear of wasted days that once drove her into the woods to make her bargain, even as she quietly notes how much easier idealism is for men. The scene ends with Remy’s hunger betraying itself and Addie remembering the rest of her stolen picnic, asking if he has ever climbed the steps of Sacré Coeur.