In which Gwynplaine unexpectedly discovers himself in the presence of a striking and enigmatic duchess who embraces him with a fiery mixture of passion and scorn, her impetuous words revealing a fascination both with his deformity and his mysterious arrival. Their intense encounter is abruptly interrupted by a royal summons that decrees an irrevocable change in Gwynplaine’s fate, compelling him to confront a harsh new reality with silent resignation.