On a boat along the Sol River, Royo endures Aeri Soo’s nonstop chatter during a lavish lunch, trying to stay focused on his paid mission. The mood snaps when Aeri asks who “Lora” is, revealing she heard Royo say the name repeatedly in his sleep. Royo panics, briefly threatens with a knife, then retreats to the balcony to keep from losing control and jeopardizing his chance to earn money.

Aeri follows to apologize and, unusually for her, stays quiet. Royo admits Lora was not his mother but someone he once knew, and Aeri’s own guarded mention of her mother hints she understands guilt and loss. Trusting Aeri more than he expects, Royo begins to explain what the name means to him.

Royo recounts falling in love with Lora, a rich merchant’s daughter, after he intervened when a powerful boy was assaulting her. Their secret relationship ended catastrophically when two gang goons followed Royo to Lora’s home; Royo left through her window thinking her father had arrived, then heard a scream and kept walking. The next day, Lora was found stabbed to death, and her father, Hwan, was arrested and sentenced for the murder despite Royo knowing the timing proved Hwan’s innocence.

Later, the same goons attacked Royo, admitted they killed Lora because they could not find him, and mocked her dying for him. Royo killed them slowly in revenge, but it did not ease his guilt. He tells Aeri he is trying to “make it right” by raising a fortune to bribe a guard named Savio to help Hwan escape Salt Prison, especially since King Joon has ordered old convicts hanged and Hwan has at most two months.

Instead of rejecting him, Aeri accepts his need for atonement, and Royo feels unexpectedly lighter and understood. When Royo asks about Aeri’s mother, Aeri spots something on the horizon: a fire ship. Royo recognizes it as a sign of an imminent pirate attack, throwing their fragile calm and their plans into immediate danger.