Violet confronts Xaden for letting her stew about the deal he made with General Sorrengail and for keeping painful truths—like the scars her mother carved into his back. Xaden argues he has urged Violet to ask real questions and claims she still hasn’t forgiven him or fully trusted him.

They spar over responsibility and secrecy until Violet’s “battle-ax in the armoire” analogy becomes literal: Xaden’s shadows produce a hidden knife to show he’d never let secrets harm her. Pressed, Violet admits she fears his love began with the deal, not genuine feeling, and that she’s avoided answers she dreads.

Choosing to ask something real, Violet demands to know Xaden’s second signet and explains her deduction—Sgaeyl once bonded Xaden’s grandfather, and a direct descendant often manifests a second signet or madness. Xaden is visibly shocked and shuts down, and Violet wonders how Sgaeyl was allowed to choose him at all.

Brennan pounds on the door with an emergency: a horde of wyvern is flying from Pavis toward the cliffs. Xaden asks if Violet is ready to raise the wards now or wait for the enemy to reach the gates, forcing immediate action amid unresolved truths.