A day from Ilya, Kai lies with Paedyn in the cave and dreads what awaits them. He knows he is taking Paedyn back to King Kitt, but he no longer knows what Kitt will do with her or whether Kitt will believe the journal proving the lie about Ordinaries. Kai also admits to himself that the journal fits what he knows of his father’s cruelty and control, which deepens his unease about returning home.

When Kai notices blood on Paedyn’s leg, he sees that the arrow left a cut in her calf and calmly bandages it with a strip torn from her ruined skirt. The care leads to a more painful truth: Paedyn explains that blood became unbearable after Adena died, because being covered in the blood of loved ones changed her. As they prepare to leave, Paedyn stares at the dagger beside the severed remains of her braid and asks whether she will ever get it back, then bleakly tells Kai to bury it with her.

On the road, Kai hides the pain from his wounded shoulder, but Paedyn reads it anyway. Their conversation turns to how Paedyn faked being Psychic by training herself to read people instantly, and Kai admits she was convincing enough to distract even his suspicions. Paedyn then proves her skill by correctly noticing Kai’s blister, his dislike of growing a beard, and the missing Enforcer’s ring. When Paedyn broods over learning that she was adopted and not a Mix, Kai reassures her that the people who raised her were still her true parents because love matters more than blood.

As the landscape turns green near Ilya, Kai leads Paedyn toward the field outside the castle. Paedyn is astonished by the sea of red-orange poppies and runs into it with rare freedom. Kai follows, catches her, and carries her laughing through the flowers, treasuring the sight of her acting carefree despite grief, hunger, violence, and the chain still linking them.

In the poppy field, the mood softens into open tenderness. Kai lowers Paedyn into the flowers, tells her not to look at him as though he is worthy, and then accepts when she asks him to dance. With Paedyn standing on his feet, they sway together while Kai openly admires her looks and stubborn strength. When Paedyn reminds him that this is their last night before Ilya, they choose to enjoy the moment anyway, though the final word between them, pretend, exposes the lie they are both trying not to name.