At the royal court, nobles buzz over Princess Joselyn's homecoming with her husband, Prince Emmitt, praised as favored by the King and a match for Zuyenne. They sneer that Lainey must be dead, but Lainey unexpectedly appears alive among local "barbarians," miserable in mismatched travel clothes and complaining about the design. Court women gawk at Emmitt's looks and royal chariot, escalating social humiliation. Emmitt is welcomed inside to meet the family, but the reunion stalls when Father intervenes and says, "We can wait a bit," leaving Lainey's fate and the court's reaction unsettled.