Before dawn, Kai walks the castle’s empty halls and savors the rare quiet. He reflects on how far he has been changed by duty, thinking of the distance between the prince he was and the feared Enforcer he has become. Although he usually carries the burdens of his role, this day matters for more personal reasons.

Kai goes to the kitchen, where Gail is waiting as she is every year. The familiar setting and her care remind Kai of childhood and of the affection she provided when the queen could not. During their conversation, Kai reveals that he has just come from Kitt’s study, where the newly crowned ruler gave him his first mission, and Gail correctly guesses that the target is "her." Kai says he will carry out the order because duty demands it.

Gail also asks whether Kitt remembered what day it is, and Kai answers with quiet sadness that remembering is not Kitt’s responsibility. Because Kitt is absent, Gail has made only one sticky bun instead of two. She gives it to Kai and urges him to go spend time with "her," showing that this yearly ritual honors someone both Kai and Gail loved deeply.

Kai carries the sticky bun through the palace gardens to a willow tree he visits whenever he can, but always on this day. He places the bun beside him, improvises a candle with a single lit match, and sits in the dark beneath the tree. Addressing the absent person directly, he says, "Happy birthday, A," revealing that the ritual is a private act of remembrance and grief.