"I heard it from my maid, who heard it from her sister. He healed a dying child in the marketplace with nothing but a touch. The entire street saw it happen."
"Really. And they say he is the same Viktor Ktorian who caused such a stir at the academy."
"The very same. The territorial lord whose territory is being aggresive nowadays."
Soft laughter rippled around the table. One woman hid her smile behind a painted fan.
"They also say, and this is only what I heard, mind you, that he has a rather passionate reputation with his supporters. Mothers, mostly. Widows. A certain class of woman."
"Mothers! You scandalize me."
"The papers do not mention that part."
"The papers never mention the fun parts."
The princess let them finish. Then she spoke, and her voice cut through the amusement like a blade drawn slowly through silk.
"It does not matter who he was. It does not matter what passions he indulges or with whom. If he possesses real power, his past is irrelevant to us."
