Evie doesn't scream when Blade grabs her, but she elbows him in the stomach and breaks free. She confronts him with the certificate of employment from King Benedict, demanding an explanation. In a frantic attempt to retrieve the letter, Blade accidentally slaps her cheek, which mortifies him. Despite the chaos, Evie refuses to hit him back and insists he explain.

Blade reveals the truth about his past: he didn't find the dragon egg while hiking as he previously claimed. He grew up in the Gleaming City, where his father served as a political adviser to King Benedict. Blade never fit into the political world, feeling far more connected to animals than people. When his father brought him to a court meeting, Blade learned that the kingdom planned to sell a dragon egg to a foreign kingdom for profit. Upon seeing the egg, Blade felt an overwhelming connection and possessiveness toward it.

Blade explains that he infiltrated the egg's transport by claiming he was there on his father's business, then simply walked out with the crate containing the egg. He fled to The Villain's territory because he knew The Villain was the only person unafraid of King Benedict. When the dragon hatched, finding The Villain became even more urgent. Blade applied through the whisper network and was hired immediately, never disclosing the egg's true origin.

Evie starts to connect Blade's secret to the ongoing sabotage investigation but stops herself from revealing too much. Blade surprises her by admitting he already knows about the traitor — the interns figured it out and have been talking. Evie is relieved Blade isn't the traitor but insists he must confess to The Villain soon, warning that the boss will eventually discover the truth on his own. She takes the certificate with her for safekeeping. As she leaves, Blade mutters something that sounds like "You have no idea, do you?" — leaving Evie uneasy about whether trusting her friends might ultimately doom them all.