The Silvers host a birthday feast for Genevieve, with the dining room draped in pink and gold and all mirrors covered to avoid performing for Knox. Remi’s failure to eliminate anyone earns him ridicule, and Covin arrives last before the party games begin. The first tradition, choosing who carves the birthday ham by passing it around, ends with Covin winning after Genevieve deliberately drops it to avoid smelling like ham and refuses to eat it afterward.

Barrington arrives with a small gift of Genevieve’s mother’s favorite chocolates, a pointed reminder of her past. The siblings explain their “best secret wins” tradition, where the winner gets first stab at Barrington as part of a ritual that vents resentment over the Hunt. Secrets rapidly surface: Sevin reveals Ellin was proposed to by Gareth Serpentine; Ellin counters that Covin has been sleeping with Nessa Serpentine; Covin exposes that Grave stopped visiting their mother months ago; Grave accuses Remi of stealing Sevin’s blood and trading it for Demon’s Breath. Remi refuses to share a secret.

Rowin calmly declares he killed Cedric Wrathblade at the masquerade, with Sevin helping dispose of the body, shocking Barrington and alarming him about Daemonica retaliation. Rowin explains they dumped the body among high Vampires to obscure the culprit. Genevieve privately asks if Rowin did it because Cedric threatened her; Rowin confirms he killed Cedric for touching his wife without permission. Ellin explains Daemonica is a prestigious secret Demon society.

Rowin wins “Best Secret” and takes the first of seven knives, stabbing Barrington in the ribs and wishing Genevieve a happy birthday. Each sibling follows, with Barrington enduring in silence until the final blow, after which he pulls out the knives, wishes Genevieve a happy birthday, and leaves trailing blood. Ellin frames the ritual as deserved suffering for Barrington’s role in trapping them in the Hunt, and Sevin pivots the family to cake.

Later, in Rowin’s room before the next Hunt round, Rowin helps Genevieve unlace her corset and suggests “two truths and a lie.” Genevieve contrasts the chaotic night with memories of simple birthdays with her mother and Ophie, and lies that her favorite moment was Covin swallowing a knife, masking that her favorite was Rowin’s intimate attention earlier. Rowin senses the lie but lets it pass.

Genevieve asks if Rowin truly hates Barrington, and Rowin admits complicated feelings: resentment for Barrington’s absence and shame, more than for the original mistake that bound them to the Hunt. Genevieve shares her own parental wounds—her mother’s secrets about their father, Phantasma, the family curse, and debt—leaving her unprepared after her death. They agree that those meant to protect can inflict the deepest scars, and Genevieve admits she sought answers inside the manor, only to find Barrington equally damaged.

With less than an hour until midnight, Rowin presses Genevieve to ask the questions she is avoiding. Cornered, she finally asks why he has hidden letters from Grimm Manor—her letters—in his desk. Rowin freezes, but before he can respond, the clock strikes midnight, cutting the conversation short and signaling the start of the next Hunt round.