"Just look at him," a whisper hissed from behind a thick brocade curtain in the east corridor. "Lord Cherion is practically glowing. Smile from ear to ear, he is."
"And why wouldn't he be?" another voice replied with a snicker. "Lord Philia is headed back to the palace soon. Good riddance, I say. It's only natural he doesn't want to look at that face a second longer than necessary. Not after His Highness chose Lord Philia over him."
Cherion didn't slow down, his steps echoing lightly across the polished floor. He heard them obviously. But strangely? He didn't care. Not even a little.
Reiner, however, was another story altogether. Walking half a pace behind Cherion, his jaw was set so tight it looked like it might snap. He shot a glare toward the source of the whispering, effectively silencing the chatter.
