At the second ball, which is held in the palace gardens, Lenny escorts Paedyn into the festivities and jokingly leaves her to find Kitt. Kitt quickly finds Paedyn, and their dance feels easier than before because Paedyn no longer flinches from his touch. When Kitt starts asking whether his father spoke to Paedyn after he left the previous day, Blair cuts in, ending the moment before Paedyn has to answer.

As Paedyn steps away, she collides with Kai and spills his wine all over him. Kai is clearly drunk, laughing openly and acting with little restraint, so Paedyn pulls him beneath a willow tree to clean him up in private. Their usual banter turns more intimate when Kai studies her, wipes wine from her cheek, admits he was watching her dance with Kitt, and says that if he ever gets to have her, it will only be because she allows it. Paedyn is shaken by how much she wants the moment, but she finally pushes him back and insists that, because he is drunk, he is not allowed to touch her.

Kai ignores the attempt to end things and pulls Paedyn onto the dance floor. While they dance, their teasing gives way to surprising honesty: Paedyn tells Kai that she likes his real smile, the one he shows when he drops his masks, and the queen briefly interrupts, revealing his full name, Malakai. Kai then asks whether Paedyn is ready for tomorrow’s Trial, and when Paedyn presses him for the truth, Kai admits that he is not ready either, though he insists they will survive as they always have.

As the dance continues, Paedyn becomes overwhelmed by the crowded garden and by her own feelings for Kai. The pressure of the bodies around her and the emotional spiral trigger a claustrophobic panic attack, something she has not suffered in years. When Paedyn gasps that she cannot breathe, Kai immediately gets her away from the crowd, keeps her under the willow, and loosens the laces of her dress so she can take a full breath again. His quick action calms her, even though it also leaves her furious and embarrassed.

Once Paedyn recovers, she realizes that Kai is not only distracting her from the panic but also caring for her in exactly the way she needs. She thanks him for helping, even while protesting his method, and asks him to tie her dress back up more loosely. After doing so, Kai tells her she should rest and insists on walking her back toward her rooms. Paedyn lets him escort her, and their final exchange makes clear that their bond has deepened into something dangerously tender on the eve of the next Trial.