Geralt assumes the role of translator for Agloval, the Duke of Bremervoord, and his beloved mermaid, Sh’eenaz. Agloval is deeply enamored of Sh’eenaz a desires her to exchange her tail for legs and share a life with him on land. In stark contrast, Sh’eenaz yearns for Agloval to exchange his legs for a tail, envisioning a life together beneath the waves. She struggles to grasp the fundamental difference—while she can breathe on land, Agloval cannot survive underwater. The exchange reaches an impasse, and the two hurl bitter insults at each other while Geralt dutifully translates the verbal sparring.

Back on land, Geralt tells Dandelion that Agloval has withheld payment for the translation services because Sh’eenaz refuses to marry him. Geralt and Dandelion struggle with financial woes after Dandelion’s clash with the Rangers, a militant group with a grim agenda against non-humans; he is now burdened by substantial fines for the ensuing damages.

Their economic situation takes an unexpected upturn when a stranger extends a job offer to Dandelion for a performance at his daughter’s betrothal banquet. Dandelion, initially hesitates, displeased to be sharing the stage with another bard, but Geralt persuades him to embrace the opportunity as “a little sacrifice” (190).