“I thought I saw him in this area,” said the first. He recognized the voice, Lady Isa – no, Ire – well, it began with an “I”. Nice enough, but her family was so desperate for a match that they pushed her to act beyond the bounds of propriety. “He has to be around here somewhere,” said the second. Now her, he didn’t like. Lady Deva treated servants like dirt underneath her shoes. Father said he had to be nice to her since she came from a very important merchant family, so he gritted his teeth and smiled at her at formal functions. That didn’t mean he had to put up with her at any other time. “Ladies, what are you doing standing around the garden?” And this voice was the dearest to him in the world and welcome any time he heard it. “Kira, how nice to see you. We thought we saw His Highness and wanted to ask him if there was something special he desired for his twenty-fifth birthday. Now I’m sure he is here somewhere, since you wouldn’t be far from his side, would you?
