Chapter Fifty-Five

Violet meets Narelle, an elderly Deverelli woman who has been safeguarding books written by her father, Asher Sorrengail. After proving her intelligence through three challenging questions—about her father's manuscript, the Krovlan uprising, and her breakup with Prince Halden—Violet obtains six password-locked tomes. Later that evening, Violet and Xaden share an intimate moment in their quarters.

Violet, Xaden, Mira, and Dain arrive at a bookshop in Deverelli run by Leona, whose mother Narelle has been guarding Asher's life work. When Leona's children Urson and his sister attempt to stop them, a brief violent confrontation ensues before Narelle dismissively sends them away. Narelle reveals that Asher left his writings specifically for Violet, not as trade goods but as a test of her mind and worthiness. She poses three questions. First, Violet correctly identifies a manuscript as "Subjugated: The Second Uprising of the Krovlan People." Second, Narelle challenges Violet to explain why the Krovlan uprising failed, forcing her to theorize that Krovla had promised dragons to Deverelli as part of a brokered deal but could not deliver them. Dain confirms this theory by analyzing linguistic evidence: Krovlish raiders in interrogation records were hunting "feathertails"—dragons. Third, Narelle provocatively asks why Violet left Prince Halden, and Violet admits she discovered him with a professor. Narelle approves of Violet's self-respect and refusal to pursue power at the cost of love, granting her the six books. Notably, Narelle also cryptically remarks to Mira that her father deliberately excluded her from this mission, implying each of them has different roles to play. The group departs with the books, all password-protected. Later, Violet bathes in a separate chamber and reflects on whether Halden has made progress securing Deverelli as a home post. Xaden enters, clearly affected by seeing her in the tub, and after some banter about her physical recovery, he initiates a passionate kiss.