ansset first experiences unwanted sexual attention in the form of a palace guard who searches him in preparation for his first meeting with mikal. the guard suffers a steep price for lingering just a little too long, a harsh punishment swiftly dealt by mikal on ansset's word. very soon after his induction into the palace and into mikal's life, rumors circulate that surely, such a beautiful boy would have shared the emperor's bed. on a student group visitation to the palace, however, kya-kya, a former member of the songhouse, silently debunks such rumors: