Evie, Arthur, and Becky are herded by Valiant Guards into a clearing with other captured civilians near the party site. Evie spots Trystan's unconscious body among another group and pushes through the crowd to reach him, relieved to find him alive but bleeding from a head wound. Arthur checks Trystan's pulse and confirms he will be all right, noting that the knights don't know what The Villain looks like—and whoever did has vanished. Becky suspects the entire event was a setup orchestrated through King Benedict's informant.

With Trystan unconscious and no one to give orders, Evie decides she must take charge herself. She feigns hysterical distress, approaching a Valiant Guard and claiming the unconscious Trystan is her injured husband. She begs to be allowed to take him to a healer, playing up tears and feminine vulnerability. When the knight remains hesitant, Evie escalates her ruse by mentioning her monthly cycle and the embarrassing lack of supplies, which visibly unsettles every knight within earshot. She also tells them The Villain fled during the guvre attack, diverting suspicion away from Trystan.

Her ploy nearly succeeds—the lead guard is on the verge of releasing them—when Trystan begins to wake up. Evie realizes that the moment he sees the Valiant Guards, he will react violently, exposing his identity and getting them all killed or captured. In a split-second decision, she rushes to him, grabs his collar, and kisses him before he can act, using the gesture to prevent him from revealing himself.