Evie discovers that a map detailing the Valiant Guards' regular routes into the city is missing from the cartography closet, which requires a magically warded key to access. She reports this to The Villain, who reveals there was a third key—but refuses to tell Evie who holds it, insisting she let it go. Evie reluctantly drops the matter, noting her exhaustion and her need to go home to check on her family and sister Lyssa.

The Villain announces he plans to give everyone the next day off so he can have the office formally searched for clues about the spy. However, he immediately revokes Evie's day off, telling her he needs her help with the search. Before they can discuss further, they hear two employees approaching and Evie panics, shoving herself and The Villain into a hidden room behind a wall panel. In the cramped space, they overhear two interns gossiping cruelly about Evie, calling her a "charity case" and mocking her capabilities, while also speculating about the identity of the mole.

The interns reveal a critical piece of information: other interns found a mask bearing King Benedict's emblem in a stairwell near the site of the explosion, but no one reported it to The Villain out of fear of being suspected. The gossips also mention that The Villain punished an intern named Joshua Lightenston not for a slight against himself but because of something Joshua said about Evie. The Villain grows visibly angry during the conversation, and Evie has to physically silence him by covering his mouth to prevent him from revealing their presence.

After the interns leave, Evie emerges from the hidden room with a bleeding hand—her nails scraped a blister from her acid burns when she clenched her fists in stress. The Villain reveals he has known about her burned hands since the previous night but chose not to mention it because she was clearly trying to hide the injury. When Evie presses him about what Joshua Lightenston said about her, he refuses to repeat it, calling Joshua merely "impertinent." Overwhelmed by exhaustion from the guvre encounter, her injuries, and the hurtful gossip, Evie prepares to leave. The Villain insists on taking her home. As they depart, Evie reflects on the unsettling realization that Trystan knows who holds the third key to the cartography closet—and therefore likely knows who stole the map.