Virginia stands in the Ocular Sphere atop the Citadel of Light, meditating on her father’s warnings about power and the emptiness of Octavia’s former symbols now in her possession. She resolves that only her family and those who truly know her matter, confronting the weight of rule and the fear of losing Darrow and Pax.

Using the Sphere, Virginia surveys Earth, Deepgrave under the waves, and war-churned Mercury. She sees a jamField over Heliopolis and worries for Darrow, reaffirming her love. Turning to Luna, she studies the swelling crowds for the Senate vote, expecting to unite Vox and Optimates with Dancer and to overcome Publius’s maneuvering.

Sevro, armored for war, arrives with Daxo as Virginia outlines a coordinated offensive: house troops and Darrow’s Seventh Legion will strike Syndicate assets across Earth, Mars, and Luna while Sevro and two cohorts extract the Syndicate Queen from Old Tokyo during the vote. Kavax joins, noting Niobe’s departure to Mars to rendezvous with their fleets and the Ecliptic Guard.

After teasing Sevro, Kavax privately praises Virginia’s patience, courage, and goodness, insisting she deserves this day. He plans a family dinner to celebrate Daxo and declares he is going to the sea with Sophocles, leaving Virginia buoyed by his faith in her.

Sevro jokes about cloning Kavax; Daxo muses he could be a good father. Virginia cautions Sevro about Old Tokyo’s Warden territory, orders him to use the tunnels, and demands the Queen’s head if possible. Sevro agrees and departs, while Daxo closes by acknowledging Virginia as the model he hopes to emulate.