The rumors did not stop after the ball. If anything, they spread faster.
Circe noticed it over the following days in the subtle shifts that passed between nobles whenever she was in their midst. She noticed how their conversations usually ended abruptly whenever she entered a room.
She still got some odd stares from people, a few of them even daring enough to glance down at her stomach before quickly averting their eyes.
Yet, no one said anything directly to her.
That almost irritated Circe more.
Cowardice, the lot of them. They were fine with spreading lies about her but none of them had the gall to say it to her face.
By the fourth day, she was nearing her wits end.
The next afternoon, she arranged another private tea with two out of the ten women she invited the first time and she did so under the pretense of continuing discussions regarding potential ladies-in-waiting.
Lady Selene Arvath.
And Lady Oria Gyles.
