Sonia's face falls at that. One, no, two generations later, and Barrayar still hasn't outgrown its cruelties? She supposes it must take some time, and the war...well, the war must have slowed things down, certainly...

"I'm sorry," she says, a little helplessly, not knowing what else to say. "I thought -- I thought that maybe it would be better, by then."

Because Byerly's fantastical Vorbarr Sultana seemed like it oughtn't have those things anymore. That they should have been banished from Barrayar along with the Cetagandans. But...that isn't how Barrayar works.

"No wonder you left," she murmurs, rubbing her mouth. Maybe she'd left too, by then. Maybe it would've been too much for her to stand after all.