"Seems not much has changed, these two months, aside from young men come to court to be made knights. Gwen is not speaking to him, because of some other argument," he pauses. "Aside from my love for them, and that I miss them, such that it pains me like a physical wound, I cannot say he gave me much reason to miss it."

This is definitely a by-product of the palinka, though it's sincere in its way.