Cambridge professor Emily Wilde has recently been granted tenure since completing her comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. While researching a backdoor into the Irish faerie realm for her fellow professor and secret faerie monarch, Wendell Bambleby—so that he may enter his realm undetected and reclaim his throne from the stepmother who wishes him dead—Emily has decided her next project will be compiling a map book of all the known faerie realms and their doors.

Though Emily has yet to accept or reject Wendell’s marriage proposal, they have daily breakfasts before work. On her way to breakfast, Emily is approached by a strange man carrying a tangle of ribbons and speaking in riddles. Wendell—who drank heavily the night prior to celebrate his birthday—seems to be suffering a major hangover. A student treats Wendell strangely, prompting Emily to believe that rumors of his secret courtly fae identity have traveled to Cambridge from Ljosland.

Department Head Dr. Farris Rose stops by Emily’s office to accuse her and Wendell of fabricating their research from Ljosland, anticipating firing them both in the coming days after compiling the evidence. Emily is offended, as her findings were entirely truthful, and suspects Rose is resentful of her because she published her encyclopaedia before he completed his own.