The Saintess and the Villainess

Chapter 12

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?"