The chapter opened with Kai pacing in his chambers, consumed by worry as Paedyn began the first Trial across the Scorches. He felt torn between his role as Enforcer and his desire to be with her, replaying Kitt’s ultimatum that failure in the Trials means Paedyn’s death. He admitted to himself that, though he wants Paedyn, he wants even less for Death to take her.

Leaving his room, Kai wandered the castle to distract himself and noticed light from a door long kept off-limits by their late father. Inside, he found Kitt sitting on a dust-covered bed in Iris Moyra’s preserved chamber, holding a jewelry box. The brothers spoke candidly about secrets their father kept, Kitt’s shift from obedience to pursuing legacy, and their bond. Their banter eased tensions, and Kai appreciated a rare moment of uncomplicated brotherhood before leaving Kitt alone with the relics of his mother.

Kai then climbed to the west tower infirmary, a place tied to past loss, to visit his mother, Queen Myla. He was struck by her frailty and guilt over his absence. Myla acknowledged the difficulty of being in the infirmary because it holds memories of Ava’s death and shared that losing Kai’s father has left her near death herself. Kai restrained his anger at her lifelong devotion to the king and her complicity in past secrets.

Myla asked to be buried close to the king and entrusted Kai to continue caring for Kitt, confessing regret over not being there for Kitt and recognizing that Kitt misses his father. She revealed awareness of the kingdom’s turmoil and the engagement between Kitt and Paedyn. Perceptively, she told Kai that Paedyn is more than “the Ordinary,” especially to him, and said she had noticed their connection since the first dinner with the Purging Trial contestants.

Addressing the heaviest subject, Myla bluntly referenced Paedyn killing the former king and recognized that this might not make Kai hate her, given his history with his father. She apologized for not stopping the harsh training his father inflicted on him, and Kai reassured her that she made him strong. Their exchange mixed remorse and tenderness, underscoring Kai’s loyalty to both his mother and brother.

Before he left, Myla warned that Paedyn belongs to Kitt and urged Kai not to let her divide the brothers. When he would not promise that, she asked him instead to promise not to let Paedyn be his weakness. As he departed, Kai silently acknowledged that Paedyn has been his weakness since their first dinner before the Purging Trials, reaffirming the depth of his conflict as Paedyn’s Trial continued unseen.