The other nobles, most with stiff faces and tightly closed lips, nodded in agreement with Callisto's statement. Some even dared to snort, showing their displeasure openly, a clear sign they felt the same as the Duke expressed.
These were men who saw Viana as a brave princess, an undefeated war hero, yet also a young, unmarried princess now living with her own 'harem' of men.
That, they believed, did not align with royal ethics, nor with Elysia's long-held traditions. What Viana was doing was not fitting for a princess of her pure bloodline.
Viana held back, but felt an almost uncontrollable anger. But she knew that showing emotion or acting defensively would only worsen things, or confirm what they wanted to see—an impulsive and uncontrolled young woman.
She felt the war she now faced was more exhausting and draining in a different way than what she had experienced on the battlefield.
