After surviving a dangerous night, Joseph Smith (a professor) and Ben Smith trade barbed jokes while bracing for a tense palace visit. Inside, military aides argue border soldiers versus cavalry and nobles flatter Lady Roxanne and Lady Lisa to calm proceedings. The mood snaps when a court attendant reveals files about border defense hidden in the consorts' wedding gifts' crates—called "proof of treason." That discovery turns a ceremonial inspection into a direct accusation, leaving the court stunned and an immediate treason reckoning threatening to derail the visit.