At the Crow’s Nest, Blood Guard captain Gideon Sharpe broods over Rune Winters’ sudden balcony invitation and his own contempt for her “shallow” aristocratic persona. Harrow joins him at a sticky tavern table, and Gideon’s thoughts drift to how long Alex Sharpe has been fascinated with Rune, which has always made Gideon determined to keep his distance.

Harrow brings urgent news: the twin witches who escaped weeks ago—the night the Crimson Moth stole them from Gideon’s custody—left fresh casting signatures on a cargo ship that recently docked at Harbor Grace. The signatures suggest the witches used illusions to hide among the cargo, and Harrow’s contact traced the ship’s ownership back to Rune Winters.

Gideon initially argues that ship ownership does not equal guilt, and he cites his own memory of Rune’s apparent coldness when the Blood Guard arrested and executed her adopted witch grandmother, Kestrel Winters. Because Rune has no witch bloodline and publicly “sent her grandmother to the purge,” Gideon insists she cannot be a witch sympathizer. Harrow counters that this is exactly the sort of deception the Crimson Moth would employ.

Forced to admit the lead is his best in months, Gideon reconsiders his long-held suspicion that the Crimson Moth moves among the elite. If Rune is the Moth—or connected to her—Gideon needs access. Harrow proposes the only practical method: Gideon must infiltrate Rune’s social sphere by attending her party and wooing her, because Harrow cannot pass in aristocratic rooms.

Gideon balks, partly because Rune insulted him and he snubbed her invitation, and partly because courting her would look like he is taking advantage of Alex’s long-standing crush. But Gideon decides Alex’s safety matters more than appearances; if Rune is a predator, Gideon must keep Alex from falling for her. The chapter ends with Harrow pressing Gideon to get to the party, regain Rune’s favor, and “beat out the competition” to make the courtship convincing.