Lady Severa shows Alex the imperial bedchamber where she was born and begins installing her in the life of a princess. Alex is overwhelmed by the chamber’s lavish, sinister decor, the view over Troy, and the arrival of four noble handmaidens—Athenais, Cleofa, Zenonis, and Placidia—who are assigned to serve her. Severa explains that it is her duty to anticipate Alex’s needs before Alex asks, and she reveals the private chapel and bath prepared for her.

As the handmaidens undress Alex and help her into the bath, Alex’s discomfort grows because luxury and intimate service feel unnatural after her hard life. Severa tries to steady her by pointing out that even Eudoxia, despite physical frailty, inspired fear and authority. When a hidden dagger falls from Alex’s dress, Severa reacts coolly, treating it as a sensible precaution and smoothly taking charge of it, which reassures Alex that Severa is competent rather than shocked.

The chapter’s main emotional conflict comes when one of the handmaidens produces a knife to cut a tangle from Alex’s hair. Alex panics, leaps up, and prepares to fight, showing how deeply past violence still governs her instincts. The girl is terrified, and Severa calms the situation by saying Duke Michael has told her enough to understand that Alex has survived terrible things. Severa insists that Alex is now protected by loyal servants and hundreds of guards, and she frames Alex’s survival as something saintlike rather than shameful.

After Severa and the handmaidens leave, Alex repeats to herself that she is safe and tries to believe it. Standing alone at the window, eating grapes and looking down on Troy, she briefly feels the difference between performing as Princess Alexia and simply being Alex. That private moment is broken when Sunny emerges from hiding, having secretly stayed behind until the attendants were gone.

Alex and Sunny joke about courtly service, Severa, and the absurdity of palace life. Sunny gets into the bath Alex left full for her, and their teasing turns flirtatious. Alex watches Sunny with growing affection, and after Sunny pulls her into the bath, Alex abandons her robe and joins her. The chapter ends with Alex echoing Severa’s earlier words—promising to know what Sunny wants before she asks—as their reunion becomes openly intimate, giving Alex a rare moment of comfort, desire, and chosen closeness inside the palace.