Only Amren accompanies Feyre and Rhys to the Summer Court, because Cassian cannot change Rhys’s mind, Azriel is away handling spies and the human realm, and Mor remains to guard Velaris. Their plan is for Feyre, disguised as Rhys’s pampered companion, to use the access granted to her to locate and eventually steal the first half of the Book. After a brief exchange in the town house, Rhys winnows them directly into Adriata.

At the palace, Tarquin and his court receive them formally but with clear caution. Feyre immediately feels an unexplained recognition toward Tarquin, tied to the piece of his power that now lives in her, and realizes that some part of her magic remembers him. Rhys presents Amren and Feyre, while Cresseida, Varian, and the others study the Night Court visitors as possible threats. Feyre notes the city’s beauty, the court’s wealth, and the absence of lesser faeries as they are led inside.

During the walk and the meal, Tarquin and Rhys test each other through polished conversation. Feyre flatters Tarquin and endures his probing questions about immortality and her place in Rhys’s court, while Rhys identifies her as a member of his Inner Circle and his emissary to the human lands. The political discussion then turns to Hybern, and Rhys makes clear that war is no longer a distant possibility but imminent. Tarquin confirms that Summer will fight Hybern, but Rhys says he has not come to ask for military aid, showing that their true purpose remains hidden.

The conversation sharpens when Cresseida raises the legal issue of Feyre as Tamlin’s former bride and suggests that, by law, Summer could be required to return her if Tamlin demanded it. Feyre firmly states that she left by choice and belongs to no master, but Cresseida’s warning reveals a serious threat to Feyre’s freedom and to the mission. Tarquin reins in his sister and reminds everyone that Feyre and Rhys helped save them Under the Mountain. Rhys then openly promises that if anyone in Summer tries to send Feyre back to Tamlin, they will die, and Feyre coolly matches the room’s tension. Tarquin ends the meeting by announcing a party that night and granting them freedom to move through Adriata, giving Feyre the access she needs while confirming that every step of the mission will unfold under suspicion.