Paedyn Gray, bleeding and cuffed in the throne room, braces for death as the price for her treason and killing of King Edric Azer. She avoids looking at King Kitt Azer, fearing what he has become since the Trials and the battle in the Bowl. When Kitt gently commands her to look at him, Paedyn finally meets his eyes, and he pointedly says a future queen bows to no one, overturning her expectation of execution.

Kitt orders her uncuffed. Paedyn searches the crowd for Kai, desperate for his presence, but he is not there. An Imperial with brown eyes roughly frees her, worsening her wounds. Kitt offers his hand, a gesture that both reassures and asserts control, and draws her forward with a subtle reminder that she has no choice.

Addressing the court, Kitt reframes Ilya’s history with the Plague and the rise of Elites, then acknowledges that Ordinaries also survived and were later banished and hunted. He announces a plan to welcome Ordinaries back into Ilya. The court erupts, but Kitt continues, explaining that since ascending the throne he has learned of Ilya’s dire shortages—space, food, and resources—exacerbated by decades of isolation and severed ties with Dor, Tando, and Izram.

Kitt credits former Resistance leader Calum—once his prisoner—with teaching him about the kingdom’s failings, and he cites external pressures: neighboring cities refuse to trade with an Elite-only society, the Shallows have become treacherous, and food and water are dwindling. He argues that reopening borders and reintegrating Ordinaries are necessary to prevent Ilya’s collapse.

Turning to Paedyn, Kitt states her treason is not what it seems and frames their union as a peace offering that will welcome Ordinaries and entice other cities to restore trade. He declares their marriage will inaugurate his reign and a stronger Ilya. Paedyn realizes she herself is the “gesture of goodwill,” the symbol to unify Ilya and its neighbors.

Kitt opens the ring box; both he and Paedyn visibly wrestle with fear and the weight of what it represents—defiance of his father’s legacy and Paedyn’s sacrifice for her people. Despite pain and uncertainty, Paedyn chooses resolve, raises her hand, and nods consent. Kitt slides the ring onto her finger, sealing the political and symbolic engagement before the shocked court.