Genevieve awoke in Rowin’s bed with Umbra licking her awake and Rowin’s arm around her. Rowin explained she had lost a lot of blood and that sharing body heat was the fastest way to warm her. They exchanged thanks about saving Umbra and Genevieve’s life, and Rowin framed them as partners who would save each other.

Desire escalated as Rowin asked to show gratitude. He used his mouth, hands, and shadows to pleasure Genevieve, establishing a snap-signal for consent and safety (inspired by Covin’s practices) and repeatedly edging her before letting his shadows bring her to intense climax. He stayed clothed, checked on her, and they traded teasing remarks, but Genevieve recognized the danger of her attachment despite their stated “just fucking” arrangement.

Needing a bath, Genevieve insisted on privacy, but Rowin stayed nearby for safety because of Grave. In the tub, a flashback to the river attack triggered panic; Rowin immediately pulled her up, calmed her with reassurance, and respectfully shielded her with a towel. The domestic calm unsettled Genevieve as she battled tears over an impossible tangle in her hair that symbolized her jumbled emotions.

Rowin used shadows to gently pin Genevieve when she kept moving and demanded to know what had changed. She confessed the sex had affected her and that the game made her feel like a pawn. When pressed for what she needed, Genevieve first said they should stop being intimate, then reframed it: they would only be intimate for show. She revealed that Knox had propositioned them to give the audience more excitement, and she wanted to leverage that to win Favored if Rowin was going to “ruin” her for others.

Rowin accepted, turned her back to the mirror, and spent nearly an hour detangling her hair with meticulous care, mentioning he learned by helping Ellin when their mother was absent. He finished in time for dinner, and they noted she had slept less than expected.

When Rowin said the date was the twenty-third, Genevieve realized tomorrow was her birthday. After a brief exchange about whether he would have cared before, Rowin began preparing for a celebration, and Genevieve proposed a performance as well, suggesting that winning Favored could be her birthday gift.