When La Esmerelda arrives in Valenda, Tella is awestruck. She has never seen sights like the solid docks and the sky carriages, which carry passengers through the sky. She, Scarlet, and Julian disembark from the ship and walk toward a sky carriage that will take them directly to the palace. Before Tella leaves the dock, a small boy stops her and delivers a message from her friend, who welcomes her to Valenda, provides her with an entry ticket to Caraval, and indicates that he will meet her at the opening ball the next night. Although she is nervous, she intends to make her case for taking the entire week to win Caraval before paying her debt.

Tella makes her way to a sky carriage and rides to the palace with a malicious nobleman who threatens to push her out of the cart and assault her later for her attitude. He then silently mocks her as she experiences the wonder of Elantine’s palace for the first time. When the car arrives, she roams with a guard behind her until she finds the Sapphire Wing, where Legend’s players are staying. The matron stops her and asks for her name, checking it against a list of approved individuals.