Paedyn, overwhelmed and wanting air, tries to leave the castle for a moment but is stopped by a drunken Imperial who mocks her, refuses her request, and grabs her around the waist. Paedyn reaches for her dagger, ready to defend herself, before Kai appears and coldly orders the man to release her and open the door. After the Imperial obeys, Kai makes clear that touching Paedyn will have consequences, showing both his power and how seriously he takes the threat.

Once outside, Paedyn steps into the courtyard and lets the rain soak her. The storm and open space make her feel freer than she has in days, and the sensation pulls her back to memories of childhood in Loot, when rooftops and open air gave her relief from fear and confinement. Laughing in the rain, half from wine and half from pent-up emotion, Paedyn briefly forgets her troubles and simply enjoys being alive.

Kai joins her in the storm and quickly turns the moment intimate. He teases her about being a little lady, gives her a forget-me-not to remind her not to forget him, and reacts strongly when Paedyn says his full name, Malakai. As he shields her with his coat, Kai drops the teasing long enough to confess that he cannot stop looking at her or thinking about her. He asks what he should call her and admits that what he wants is to call her his, pushing their feelings into the open.

Paedyn tries to deny that she feels the same, but Kai notices her tell and knows she is lying. He wraps his coat around her shoulders, pulls her close, and gives her only the lightest brush of a kiss before drawing back, deliberately leaving her wanting more. Reminding her of her earlier promise that he could touch her when sober, Kai says he is never sober around her because he is drunk on every detail of her. When he asks whether a real kiss would earn him a dagger at his throat, Paedyn flicks his nose and tells him he will have to kiss her to find out, finally yielding to the desire she has been resisting.