The party continued, and by then, the entire hall already knew what Lior was still sitting there with his mouth open about. Word-to-word transmission of gossip in such a confined setting was frighteningly quick, but as always, the more it traveled, the more it twisted.
It began with: "The nineteenth prince has a consort."
Then it shifted to: "The nineteenth prince is gay."
Then again: "The nineteenth prince has been bewitched."
And by the time it reached the royal majesty, it had turned into: "The arcane prince, tragically, will never be able to give birth to sons or daughters."
