At the final ball, Paedyn deliberately avoids Kai because her attraction to him feels dangerous and distracting. While watching Kai dance with other women, Paedyn forces herself to focus on her mission instead: stealing a key from Kitt for the Resistance. During a dance with Kitt, Paedyn uses a staged stumble to slip her hand into his coat and steal the largest key from his ring, even as she feels guilty for betraying someone who has treated her kindly.

Immediately afterward, Paedyn dances with Lenny and passes him the stolen key hand-to-hand. Lenny confirms the plan, warns that surviving the final Trial may be the hardest part, and takes the key to use later. As they part, Paedyn reminds Lenny about the passage and wishes him luck, showing that the theft is one step in a larger Resistance operation unfolding alongside the Trials.

Left with her thoughts, Paedyn reflects on how few competitors remain and on the death the Trials always bring. She notices Kitt with Jax, spots Blair, and tries not to look for Kai. When Jax asks her to dance, Paedyn agrees, but the formal waltz rotates partners until she is eventually passed first to Kitt and then to Kai.

Kai immediately calls out Paedyn for avoiding him. As they dance pressed closely together, Kai teases her, then more seriously asks why she keeps pushing him away. Paedyn is intensely affected by Kai’s nearness and by how openly he looks at her, and she admits to herself that she longs for him. But Paedyn also remembers the truth she is hiding: she is an Ordinary, and Kai, as the future Enforcer and the king’s son, would be expected to kill someone like her if he knew. That fear explains why Paedyn keeps rejecting what she wants.

Before Paedyn can answer Kai, Jax rotates back in and innocently breaks the moment by finally blurting out that she looks beautiful. Overwhelmed by the crowd and by her own emotions, Paedyn leaves the dance floor and heads for the courtyard doors in search of air and space. Just as Paedyn reaches for freedom outside the ballroom, a Flash suddenly speeds between her and the exit, cutting off her escape.