21 September, 1368. St Ivan's Palace, Havietten
"Princess, I'm sorry to have brought up your parents if they're a difficult subject for you." Lucas said awkwardly after a long pause. "My own parents' marriage is an unhappy one so I know it can be a hard thing to talk about."
Celia shook her head, as if to clear the old memories away. "Oh, it's alright. I'm fortunate that I respect for both of my parents. Individually, they're both quite remarkable souls. And they have great respect for each other. It's just that…"
"Just that what?"
"My father is a great many wonderful things." Celia smiled a little sadly. "But a faithful husband isn't one of those things. My mother tolerates it of course, and I've never heard her make a fuss over it. But it wasn't until very recently that I started asking myself whether she's actually wounded by Papa's infidelities or not."
"I expect she is." Lucas looked pensive. "Wouldn't any woman be hurt by her husband straying?"
