An unwelcome guest

"Trying" was the word Cael would've used in Ginevra's place, too. Clearly, Ginevra inherited no good will from Enzo, and earned little of it on her own.

Cael didn't meet a warm welcome himself. The rumors of who he was and how he defeated Ginevra with "demonic magic" spread quickly amongst the court. With them came the rumors that Cael bathed in the blood of innocent maidens and transformed into a bat at nights to fly to sabbaths of other dark mages like himself.

He was really glad that his own family never held court. But Nuvoloso lands were bigger, and there was more about them than a single person could control. First you had to host a land agent, then representatives of your vassals, then someone responsible for your guards—and this was how a court grew to life.

But like her father, Ginevra squashed any attempts at rebellion with dark glares and explicit threats. Despite her lack of the official fourth rank, everyone treated her like she had it already.