Stephanie went with her,
telling her not to be so upset, and consoling her as best she
could.
"Isn't it terrible?" said the princess. "Here I am, scolded by
the very mistress who nursed me! What if she had seen me doing
something really bad? I believe she would have sent out a crier
to advertise it in the court and to the entire city. I trust God
that her wicked, dishonest, cursing tongue will have the
punishment it deserves."
"It's normal," said Stephanie, "for maidens in the court to be
loved and courted, and for them to have three kinds of love:
virtuous, profitable and vicious. The first one, which is
virtuous, is when some grandee loves a maiden, and she feels very
honored when others know that he dances, jousts, or goes into
battle for her love. The second is profitable, and it is when
some gentleman or knight of ancient and virtuous lineage loves a
maiden and sways her to him with gifts. The third is vicious,
when the maiden loves the gentleman or knight for her own
pleasure, and he is generous in words that give her life for a
year, but if they go too far they can end in a heavily curtained
bed among perfumed sheets where she can spend an entire winter's
night.
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