When it becomes apparent that Azure's life is in danger, Nina escapes the castle to seek help from the former king. However, the former king's wisdom and cleverness quickly puts Nina in danger.
After sneaking out of her quarters, Nina runs into First Prince Muhulum, who is also out and about where he's not supposed to be. As the castle prepares to celebrate the Festival of Stars, Nina considers sneaking back into the city.
In the wake of the death of Fortuna's princess-priestess, Prince Azure purchases a girl from the slums who shares her most defining feature. He sets out to turn her into a convincing impostor to cover up the death of his half-sister.
As Nina and Azure's feelings for one another deepen, Nina becomes desperate to find a way to protect him from whoever is targeting him. She's given the opportunity in a one on one meeting with the king.
Set comes to Nina's rescue, and the two are stuck together for the rest of the night as they await help. Set's brothers come to greet them as they arrive in the capital, and Nina's strong personality very quickly makes an impression.
In Set's absence, the castle's guard captain begins blatantly abusing his power. Nina quickly concocts a plan to put him in his place. However, Set immediately confronts her about it once he returns.
A group of messengers arrive from Fortuna, and Azure appears to be among them. Nina wrestles with her feelings for Azure and her growing affection for Set.
Nina meets the King of Galgada and is surprised to learn she is a woman. Later, Nina abandons her plans to remain calm and collected when the tournament takes a dangerous turn.
The princes of Galgada begin vying for Nina's hand in bids for the throne. After hearing rumors from the other princes, Nina asks Set about the Temple of Blood and learns about the childhood that made him the man he is.
