Paedyn rides in silence to the palace with Ace and Hera, watching the city grow grander as they leave the slums behind. At the palace, an Imperial explains the contestants’ coming schedule: training, introductions, interviews, and a first ball before the Trials begin, with the same routine repeated between each Trial. Ace and Hera are each assigned escorts, and Paedyn is paired with Lenny, a red-haired Imperial whose easy manner immediately sets him apart from harsher guards. Lenny shows Paedyn to an extravagant room, but his warning that she will spend a great deal of time there soon proves ominous.

Paedyn is then confined alone in her room for two days under guard. Although she has books, food, baths, and a real bed, the comfort only makes the isolation feel more like a trap. She grows increasingly anxious because the king’s strategy is clearly meant to unsettle the contestants before they even face the Trials. When Lenny finally returns, he confirms that the isolation was deliberate and tells Paedyn she will attend dinner that night with the other contestants and the royal family.

While preparing, Paedyn worries about the Trials, her lack of powers, and the danger of being exposed as an Ordinary. Unsure how to dress, she calls for Lenny but instead finds herself face-to-face with an unfamiliar young man who already knows her name. He reveals himself as Prince Kitt, the future king and Kai’s brother, and thanks Paedyn indirectly for saving Kai. After Kitt leaves, Paedyn meets her maid, Ellie, who helps her dress and admits that palace rumors say this year’s Trials will be different, which deepens Paedyn’s unease.

Lenny escorts Paedyn through the palace to the throne room for dinner. Entering last, Paedyn immediately feels out of place among the Elite contestants, but she breaks the tension with a joke about dinner. Several contestants introduce themselves, including the friendly Andy, Braxton, Jax, Sadie, and the openly disdainful Blair, whose hostility makes the class divide unmistakable. The chapter ends when a familiar voice from across the table identifies himself as Kai, confirming that Prince Kai is present among the contestants and tightening the pressure on Paedyn as she must now survive both the Trials and close proximity to the royal family.