"He came from an orphanage, you know. Not a single drop of noble blood in his veins."
"Is that so? Then why on earth is His Highness keeping him so close? I heard he even brought him straight into the private wing of the palace quarters, despite already being formally engaged."
"It's ridiculous. A commoner strolling through the royal gardens as if he owns the place. His Highness is simply too soft-hearted for his own good."
The same whispers seemed to follow Philia wherever he went through the imperial palace. He'd heard every version of the gossip imaginable since arriving at the palace.
He never reacted. He never faltered. He simply walked past the gossips with his head held high, a gentle, entirely harmless smile playing upon his lips as if he were completely deaf to their words.
In truth, when Philia had first arrived at the palace, he couldn't have been happier.
