After the throne room confrontation, Oraya is escorted back to her chambers by Ketura's guards while Raihn strides ahead without speaking to her. Raihn disappears down a side hallway with Cairis, Ketura, and his new Head of War, while the guards lead Oraya toward the staircase to her rooms. She notices Raihn's whitened knuckles, a sign of the tension he's concealing beneath his casual demeanor.

On the stairs, Septimus joins Oraya, making conversation about the Rishan nobles' hostility toward Raihn. He remarks that the Rishan resistance exceeded his expectations and muses that he'll need to bring in more Bloodborn troops. Oraya largely ignores him, too drained to engage. Septimus notes that she has become much quieter, and she dismisses him curtly. Near the top of the stairs, Septimus's guard Desdemona approaches with urgent news about an attack on a place called Misrada, mentioning the need to pull troops from the armory within two weeks. Oraya's attention is drawn, but she is ushered into her room before she can hear more.

Once inside her bedchamber, Oraya loosens her dress and waits for the familiar sound of all four locks clicking shut. Only two clicks come. Investigating, she discovers that the upper two sliding bar locks are closed, but the bottom two—including the deadbolt that had previously thwarted her escape attempt—have been left open. A spark of hope ignites in her for the first time in weeks.

Oraya begins strategizing her escape. She reasons that she should wait until after sunrise, when most vampires have retired. She also considers Raihn's habits, noting that he often doesn't return to his adjacent room until well after sunrise. She plans to time her attempt during the window when the castle is quietest but before Raihn comes back. Vincent's voice echoes in her mind, reminding her that she knows the castle better than anyone—she grew up there and learned to move through it undetected. Oraya resolves to bide her time and make her escape.