[ Another shrug. There's a slight quirk to his lips that indicates some emotion that borders on irony - he's certainly not pleased or charmed by this bit of bloody history. But it's certainly not a trauma for him, either. And more to the point, he enjoys Prior's shock enough to far outweigh any bitterness he has at the injustice of it. ]

The official story is war. The lady is Betan - Beta is another planet, I've mentioned it, it's the one you'd adore - and we were fighting against them at the time. So: the sanctioned action of a soldier in a time of war. [ But. ] But it's quite convenient, it seems to me - a man sees his ex-lover murdered and later marries the woman who did it. And then ascends to the most remarkable political prominence. Of course, we can't know what really happened - after all, three people in that room, and one of them is dead - but one cannot help but reflect on the advantage of a rising political star cutting the throat of his embarrassing past peccadillo.