As she was sitting there, absorbed in the music, Idris so reminded him of a young Cordris, back when things were different, that his heart ached. Since Codris had taken the position as the Queen's Lady-in-Waiting, things between him and his wife had both gotten worse and better. Better because now Cordris was always happy to see him the few times a year that she did. Worse because it was obvious to him how much his wife liked to be away from him and his dream of a real family.

Idris was the lovely daughter of his son Idran's tutor, and it seemed that she just got more lovely every day. She was the shyest creature he had ever seen, and one day when he couldn't stay away from her anymore and went to her room just to see her, she hadn't known what to do with herself.

At first, all he had wanted was to be near her. The way she looked, the way she talked, and the way she laughed all reminded him of his wife, and he couldn't get enough. He could almost fool himself into thinking that this was really Cordris, and he had a chance to start all over and finally make her happy.

As the months progressed he went to great lengths to see her, both in her private room and when he could find her in the living room she shared with her family, and it wasn't long before things progressed from flirting, to little kisses, and even further.

And then one day he found out just how different she was from Cordris because she wanted a real family like he did. A family that she had never had herself.

So what was he supposed to do, with a pregnant wife that he loved on the way home, and a little mistress who adored him and who seemed to want all the things he did, and who might be the second chance he had been hoping for?

Her annual summer-visit at Lehill Castle was over, and it would be hard for her to leave her son behind once again. She had already missed so much. However, being the Queen's Lady-in-waiting was an honor that Cordris couldn't refuse, and she was needed at the Queen's side at all times. Because she lived at Cynebury Castle she only saw her son a few times a year, and that was if her husband brought him to her. Her husband, Duke Nellus, was a member of the Queen's Royal Council and was a frequent guest at Cynebury Castle.

Living with the Queen and her family was no easy task. The Queen and the King had gotten old, and though the Queen's affections for him had not lessened, Cordris found herself dodging the King's advances.

It wasn't because Cordris was a lady who only had eyes for a husband who was too far away, but she knew who she really wanted in this castle, and it wasn't the old King.

The young, handsome Crown Prince was much more to Cordris' liking, and though it took a while for her to get his attention, she didn't regret one moment of it once it started. That was, until a day in the late summer..

Cordris was at a loss. She didn't know who her child's father was. It could be Duke's but it could also be the Crown Prince's. She decided to tell Gilan, but he told her that it was not his, that he wanted nothing to do with her anymore, and that she needed to go home to her husband.

And that was how Cordris lost her position as the Queen's Lady-in-waiting, and had to go home to her husband, fearing the consequences of what she had done.