I've been trying to answer that for myself for a long time, Ion. [She almost laughs, once. It is a sad sound.] There are several answers, but the trust one is probably that I was young, and in love, and thought my whole world had just fallen apart. So the decision I made felt right at the time...but wasn't, not really.

Perhaps I panicked. Maybe I wanted to spare him, or felt that the truth wasn't good enough, that he would never accept that. ...We had heard similar rumors about the future Emperor marrying nobility before. [If Ion didn't know already, he does now.]

I don't know why. But I regret not being honest with him.