Trystan regains consciousness believing he is dreaming, and when Evie kisses him to maintain their cover, he responds passionately—pulling her close, running his fingers through her hair, and deepening the kiss. It is only when he notices the surrounding crowd of Valiant Guards and civilians that he realizes the kiss was real. Evie quickly communicates through coded language that she told the guards they are married and struggling to conceive. Trystan plays along, and the lead knight dismisses everyone, assuring the crowd they are working to capture both the guvre and The Villain. Trystan claps along with the crowd, darkly amused.

As the crowd disperses, a shorter guard leads Arthur—badly injured—toward a healer, with Becky following. Before Trystan can follow them, a redheaded knight named Fredrick offers to take Trystan and Evie to a separate healer. Trystan agrees with the intention of dispatching the knight once they're isolated. However, as they walk into the dark woods, a second knight named Erix ambushes them. Fredrick holds Trystan at swordpoint while Erix grabs Evie from behind, covering her mouth. The knights reveal they have Arthur in custody, believing him to be The Villain, and they want to question Trystan and Evie as possible accomplices.

Evie refuses to be subdued—she bites Erix's hand and kicks him hard between the legs. With the distraction, Trystan grabs Fredrick's blade with his bare hand, shoves the sword aside, and beats Fredrick unconscious. Standing over the cowering Erix, Trystan reveals his true identity in a whisper and kills Erix by stabbing him through the heart, enraged that the knight threatened Evie. The scene leaves Trystan blood-soaked and Evie's dress splattered.

Rather than recoiling in horror, Evie throws her arms around Trystan and thanks him. He stands stiffly, unsure how to return a hug, and she gently guides his arms around her. Their exchange is tender and lightly humorous—she teases him about ruining her dress; he promises to buy her a new one. In this moment, Trystan arrives at a devastating internal realization: he is in love with Evie. He recognizes that he has known since she first called him "pretty," seeing her not as light but as color—vivid, undeserved, and woven into his very being. Yet he resolves never to tell her, believing his dark future would only drag her down with him.