Corvina’s palace was a short walk away from the main square. Eva had tried to convince them to take a carriage, but Anne had insisted on walking. After all, she hadn’t yet really had time to look around the capital.

The architecture of Wyernwolf City gave the impression that the original author of The Foundling’s Wings was going for something that was half old-Europe, half old-Rome. Delicate brightly-colored building facades contrasted with grand stone columns and classical statuary that lined the streets of the Noble Quarter. The effect felt like a fascinating kind of anachronism, except of course this was its own unique world with its own unique history, so how could it be anachronistic?

Anne and Agis walked together down a busy cobblestone thoroughfare. 

At first, Anne had been slightly nervous about being recognized, but it seemed that word of her makeover hadn’t gotten around yet, because there were no cries of "Saintess!" from any passersby. 

And Agis was also wearing a hood to hide his ears, so there was no chance of people making a fuss about seeing elves in the street, either. They were able to walk in peace. Which meant Anne was able to take a good look around.

This particular street was crowded with tourists of all classes, despite still being in the Noble Quarter. They all seemed to be here to see the statues—there were about eight of them, lined up along one side of the street, all marble renditions of various women with their hands clasped in prayer.

“What are these statues of?” asked Anne. They all seemed quite well-carved.

“The other Saintesses, I think…” said Agis. “They all have that sort of churchy look to them.”

“Hmmm,” said Anne, thoughtfully. From her understanding there had only been a few Saintesses throughout the history of the church. They only tended to crop up every few generations or so.

“Do you think they’ll carve a statue of you?” asked Agis with a teasing grin. “You’ll look pretty silly next to all these beautiful women, what with your new look.”

Anne stopped in front of the final statue, fascinated. This woman stood out next to the others. While the other women wore modest dresses, this woman wore flowing robes. Instead of having her hands clasped in prayer, her hands were held by her side. And instead of having her eyes closed or lowered, she was staring straight ahead with determination. Her hair tumbled down her back, and her ears…

“Oh, that’s not actually a Saintess, I don’t think,” said Agis. “I think that’s actually the Goddess Coris herself.”

“How do you know all this?” asked Anne.

“Oh, um…” Agis rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. “I may have gone on a tour while you were at the ball yesterday… I was bored!”

“I’m not judging you,” said Anne. “But did the tour guide say why the ears of the statue seem to have been knocked off?” Anne pointed to wear there were two clearly broken pieces on either side of the statue’s head.

“Oh, huh,” said Agis. “I didn’t notice that before. The tour guide didn’t say anything.”

“Huh,” said Anne, before moving on. She didn’t want to be late for tea, and she could always look into this more later. 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” said Agis.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Why did you cut off your hair anyway?” asked Agis.

Anne sighed. “I just like it better this way.”

Agis nodded. And then he grinned and pointed at himself. “You know, with your hair this way, you look even more like my sibling! We could practically be twins, huh?”

Anne hadn’t thought of that before but they did both have the practically the same hairstyle now. Actually, Agis's was a bit longer, even.

“Maybe if you weren't so damn skinny," said Anne, giving Agis a playful shove. "If you'd just put on a few pounds then whenever I had a really boring meeting I could dress you up like me and make you go instead."

"You wouldn't dare!" said Agis, making a face.

Anne chuckled a little. Then she stopped in her tracks. They were standing in front of a dark, looming building.

“I think this is it,” said Anne. “Now hide, I don’t want them to see you.”

Agis saluted and then leapt away, disappearing into a nearby alleyway.

#

Most nobles in the Wyernwolf Empire kept primary estates on whatever land they personally controlled, and owned secondary homes in the capital city. Most of these secondary homes were simple townhouses, or small mansions if they were particularly rich. Even Grand Duke Marshal, whose territory included the capital city itself, kept his primary estate outside of the city, and stayed in the Imperial Palace while he was in town.

The reason for this mainly had to do with space. The capital city was overcrowded already, and there simply wasn’t room for the kind of large mansions and extensive gardens that were expected of a noble’s primary estate.

Lady Corvina Wyernmal's estate, built in the heart of the city, included quite a large mansion, and the third largest gardens in the city, after the Imperial Palace and the Grand Cathedral. 

Anne was greeted at the door by Lady Corvina's butler, a stern-looking older man with long purple hair pulled back in a ponytail and a bushy purple mustache.

She was led through the mansion first, which had felt almost oppressive and overwhelming. It was a gothic-style mansion, with ceilings so high that the walls felt like they were looming, and a distinctly maximalist furniture style that made the whole massive, empty house feel somehow crowded. A few maids curtsied to her from a distance down hallways that all felt a little too long.

When they made it out to the gardens, they seemed light and refreshing in comparison, but also strangely austere. Most nobles would fill their gardens full of flowers, bushes, trees, and all sorts of exotic plants to show off their wealth. Corvina’s gardens had one row of trees and bushes towards the outer fences, to block off the view of the surrounding buildings, a small pond, and a large manicured lawn with, in its center, a lone gazebo.

Lady Corvina herself was waiting in the gazebo, with a full tea-set set out. She stood as Anne and the butler approached, and Anne had to be careful not to allow her jaw to drop.

Lady Corvina wore a dress made of a billowing blood-red fabric draped across her figure and cinched just below her bust line. Golden embroidery perfectly accentuated her neck and shoulders, which were left mostly bare. Her hair had been left down, but gathered to one side, so that it was flowing across her right shoulder. Anne couldn’t tell if the dress had been perfectly tailored to enhance Corvina’s beauty, or if perhaps it was her beauty that enhanced the dress.

Lady Corvina smiled. “Welcome to my estate,” she said, with a small curtsy. Anne suddenly couldn’t remember how to curtsy, and returned a bow instead.

“Please, sit,” said Lady Corvina. She swept her hand out in an inviting gesture to Anne, and then nodded to the butler to leave them.

“I hope you don't mind that I didn't come to meet you at the door,” said Lady Corvina, pouring a cup of tea for Anne. “After last night I wasn’t sure what you might blurt out, and there are many ears within the house. I wanted to speak to you somewhere safe.”

Anne must have looked confused, because Corvina continued to explain by gesturing to the lawn around them. “We can see all around us here and there’s nowhere for an eavesdropper to hide within hearing distance, as long as we speak quietly. I had my garden renovated a few years ago just for this purpose.”

“Holy shit, that’s genius!” said Anne, suddenly understanding the strange layout of the garden. Then, realizing her outburst, Anne blushed. “I mean, that’s very prudent of you, Lady Corvina.”

“What did you think of my home, by the way?” asked Corvina. She was watching Anne carefully and Anne couldn’t help but squirm a little.

“It’s very… fancy,” said Anne, unable to think of anything better to say.

Corvina nodded. “The daughter of an Emperor must be seen to be wealthy,” she said.

When Corvina stared off into the distance, it was almost a relief to be free of the pressure of her gaze. When Corvina spoke again, she sounded a little sad and wistful. “My father built this estate for me when I was four years old. He demolished almost two full city blocks of old, well-respected buildings with storied histories of their own, just to make room for it. Why do you suppose he did that?”

Corvina looked sideways back towards Anne, and suddenly Anne was certain that this was some kind of test.

Anne tried to remember back to The Foundling’s Wings. What did she remember about Corvina’s relationship with her father, the Emperor?

“Since you were in a unique situation, the Emperor had to demonstrate the power of the Imperial throne and show that he supported you so that all the other nobles would know you were above them in the aristocratic hierarchy,” said Anne. Then she took a deep breath. “And he had to show you that you were still an outsider,  and there was no place for you in the Imperial Palace.”

Corvina smiled. “Yesterday you told me you were no good at politics. I think you may have underestimated yourself. Please, drink your tea. Try one of the cakes.” Corvina took a sip of tea herself. “We have much to discuss.”