The episode begins with Arthur Bersford winning a competition, earning him the position of an imperial guardsman and the admiration of his peers. While Princess Pride, Prince Stale, and Princess Tiara are on their way, they encounter a man named Val, who has collapsed on the street. Val, who has a feudal contract with Princess Pride, reveals that two lower-class children, Kemet and Sefec, have been kidnapped by human traffickers. Despite his initial reluctance to accept help, Val is placed under house arrest by Princess Pride, and she decides to assist in rescuing the children.

Val struggles with his emotions and denies any attachment to the children, even though the opposite is proven true. Princess Pride recognizes the pain Val is feeling and confronts him about his past and his feelings for Kemet and Sefec. She explains to him that his feelings of nausea and anger are, in reality, concern for the children, and that this concern is a form of punishment for his past actions. His tears, she explains, come from thinking about family, and his discomfort without the children shows how much they mean to him.