Rune flees the ballroom in tears when the music being played turns out to be Alexander Sharpe’s last song. The performance forces her to confront her grief over Alex’s death, her homesickness for the New Republic, and the humiliation of breaking down during a celebration of her engagement to Prince Soren. She drinks from a whiskey bottle as she runs, trying to numb herself before anyone can see her collapse.

While escaping, Rune reflects on how she trapped Soren into proposing under Cressida Roseblood’s orders. Rune deliberately charmed the Umbrian prince because Cressida needed his fleet and army, but Rune does not want Soren or the marriage. Even so, Rune believes she must secure the alliance because witches in the New Republic are being hunted and executed, especially now that the Blood Guard has captured the sibyl Aurelia Kantor and is using her visions to find witches in hiding.

Rune thinks through the larger political trap. She knows Cressida is cruel and dangerous, but she sees the New Republic and Gideon Sharpe’s witch hunters as a greater immediate threat to witch survival. Because every route into the New Republic is heavily guarded and the Blood Guard will never stop hunting witches, Rune convinces herself that helping Cressida reclaim the throne is the only way to keep witches safe, even though it fills her with self-loathing.

In the powder room, Rune tries to pull herself together. She studies her tear-streaked face and the gold dress Soren chose for her, feeling alienated from the role she is playing and uncertain who her true self is anymore. She also admits that Alex’s death has made pretending harder, and that instead of freedom, exile has forced her into another performance.

Rune’s thoughts then turn to Gideon. She remembers that Gideon once offered her a future, but she bitterly tells herself that Gideon only loved the girl he thought she was and could never love a witch. She is wounded that he never came after her, then tries to force herself to move on by imagining Alex forgiving her for marrying Soren.

That effort fails, and Rune finally breaks into uncontrollable sobs at the sink. When the powder room door opens, she assumes Soren has sent a guard to retrieve her. But when she looks into the mirror, she recognizes Gideon Sharpe beneath the guard’s uniform as he removes his hat and points a gun directly at her.