On the night of the torneo’s second trial, Valentina dresses in black velvet and watches how much her husband, Don Marius, has changed at La Casilla: he eats, hunts, laughs, and shares himself with her in a way he never did before. Remembering a recent evening of drunken joking and unexpected intimacy, Valentina accompanies Marius as Concha finishes styling Luzia’s hair for the event.

In the torchlit gardens, the atmosphere feels more like a lavish party than a holy test, with lanterns, music in the trees, and a small stage set for a puppet show imported from Italy. Catalina de Castro de Oro joins them, offering a wine-and-lemonade mixture called matar judíos, which Luzia notes with quiet irony.

Valentina notices Víctor de Paredes already seated beside his wife, and she wonders about the rivalries and status implied by Víctor’s choices—especially why his mistress rather than his wife oversees Luzia. Catalina points out famous guests, including the playwright Quiteria Escárcega, whose bold look and direct toast to Valentina leave Valentina flustered and intrigued.

Luzia grows increasingly anxious about the coming “purity” trial and about Santángel’s shifting behavior: he trains her and strategizes for the puppet-show setting, yet withdraws sharply, reminding Luzia that their closeness may be only a temporary pact for Víctor’s sake. Luzia’s fears broaden beyond the torneo—if she wins, she may become the king’s weapon, used not just against foreign enemies but against “heretics,” indios, and Jews, echoing Teoda Halcón’s bloody visions.

Santángel arrives and instructs Marius and Valentina to present Luzia to the vicar and the church deputies; afterward, Santángel will deliver Luzia to Víctor once the blessing ends. As Luzia approaches the dais, she compares the scene to a miniature auto de fe and silently recites her practiced Catholic identity, yet feels her hidden song-magic and Jewish past as a condemning thread. Hualit, who once crafted “La Hermanita,” has slipped away rather than face the Vicar of Madrid.