Feyre reaches a sprawling, eerily quiet estate bursting with spring despite winter in the mortal lands. Weakened and hungry, she tests escape but can barely stand, deciding to secure food and an opportunity later. She enters a grand hall and is guided to a banquet she refuses to touch, recalling mortal warnings about faerie food.

The beast settles at the head of the table and transforms in a flash into a golden-haired, masked High Fae wearing a warrior’s tunic. He urges Feyre to eat and pointedly notes he is not her jailer, saying the gates are open. Feyre holds her ground, wary of enchantment and his concealed claws.

Lucien, a red-haired High Fae in a fox mask with a scar and a golden replacement eye, arrives and pointedly asks about Andras. The master confirms Andras died from an ash arrow and that Treaty magic led him to the mortal responsible. Lucien mocks and resents Feyre; the master notes she admitted the killing. When Lucien suggests disposing of her, the master snaps for him to behave and decrees Feyre will stay, unharmed, until they know more.

A servant, Alis, escorts Feyre through opulent halls to a lavish bedroom. Servants bathe and groom her; she refuses a dress and is eventually given trousers and a tunic. The wealth of the room contrasts sharply with Feyre’s former poverty, and she worries about how long her family’s food will last.

As Alis braids her hair, she advises Feyre to keep quiet, listen, and trust neither senses nor appearances. Alis acknowledges some may resent Andras’s death but says most understand the Treaty and their master’s mercy. Feyre remains cautious, planning to bide her time.