Spring reaches the human lands as Feyre, Rhysand, and the others meet the queens again at the Archeron estate. Only the eldest queen and the golden-haired queen arrive, both guarded and openly hostile. The queens mock Feyre’s place beside Rhysand, insult Nesta and Elain, and demand proof that the Night Court’s intentions are honorable before they will trust the Book of Breathings to Feyre and Rhysand.

To answer that demand, Mor opens the Veritas and reveals Velaris. Through the orb, the queens see Rhysand’s hidden city in vivid detail: its peace, beauty, people, and prosperity. Rhysand explains that he has spent five thousand years protecting Velaris by letting the world fear him, and that revealing it now is a sacrifice made to win their trust and secure an alliance against Hybern.

The display does not produce the response the Night Court wants. The queens still refuse to decide, and the eldest queen even reads aloud a letter Rhysand had written begging them to act for the sake of Feyre’s former people and a better future. Instead of being moved, the queens question whether everything they have seen is manipulation. Nesta, furious at their arrogance, tells them to give Feyre the Book, arguing that countless innocent humans will die otherwise.

Nesta then lays out the human world’s grim reality: evacuation across the sea is impossible without an enormous fleet, and the humans are effectively trapped. When the eldest queen dismisses her, Nesta breaks enough to plead for help. Cassian crosses the room, promises that he will return to those battlefields to defend the house and its people, and gently wipes away Nesta’s tear. Even so, the queens leave without agreeing, and Mor realizes they were likely planning to refuse all along.

After they vanish, Rhysand reveals that the golden-haired queen secretly left behind a hidden lead box under her chair. Inside is the second half of the Book of Breathings and a note saying she believes Rhysand, believes in peace, and warning that the others cannot be trusted because the sixth queen was not truly ill. With the Book finally complete, Rhysand gives Nesta and Elain a choice: remain in the estate under hidden Night Court protection or come to Velaris. Elain cannot yet leave, but Rhysand promises continued safety, and Nesta quietly tells Feyre that this explains why Feyre painted stars on her drawer.