Sora, posing as the courtesan “Mila,” steels herself in a luxurious villa in the City of Use, reminding herself that every kill is the price of keeping her sister Daysum safe. With no weapon but her own body, Sora endures Maricelus Silla’s advances long enough to deliver the Count’s chosen method: poison. As Maricelus kisses her, ungu takes effect, swelling his tongue and paralyzing him; Sora whispers Count Seok’s name so Maricelus knows who condemned him, then tidies the scene and slips past the guard.

Sora flees into the night, switching horses and riding hard back to Gain before the death can be discovered. Inside her small cottage in the flower district, she finds brief comfort in her tabby cat, Dot, and destroys her dress and veil in the fire to erase evidence. Exhausted, she notices a calling card on her pillow ordering her to report to the Count immediately, leaving her no choice but to go before dawn.

Riding to Count Seok’s walled estate, Sora reflects on the “school” that turned unwanted girls into poison maidens, the deaths that reduced them to only a few survivors, and the Count’s cruelty—including the murder of a rebel and Sora’s lover. She is admitted by Irad, the head of household, and taken to the Count’s study, where Seok coolly acknowledges the completed kill and pivots to a new assignment.

Count Seok tells Sora to assassinate King Joon, a blasphemous and seemingly impossible command. When Sora refuses and considers betraying him to the authorities, Seok counters by threatening Daysum’s debt and future under his brother, Lord Sterling. Seok then offers an astonishing bargain: if King Joon dies, Sora’s and Daysum’s indentures will be cleared, proven by a filed amendment bearing Yusan’s official seal.

Sora demands to know Seok’s motive and is punished with a calculated slap, underscoring that the deal is coercion, not mercy. Seok makes the stakes explicit: if Sora dies without killing the king, Daysum will be left to pay with her body; if the king dies, Daysum is freed even if Sora does not survive. Before dismissing her, Seok adds a final constraint—his cruel son, Tiyung, will accompany Sora to Tamneki and carry the indenture to burn upon success—binding Sora to the mission and ensuring Daysum remains leverage.