"They sound like stories told to frighten children."said Pallas, shaking her head. "Be good or you might end up in the Evil Field, or something."
"Stories to frighten children!"exclaimed Vesta. "Good Galaxy, no! They're true!"she grabbed Small Lady, who was closest to her, by the shoulders and shook her. "True! Your Imperial Highness knows it! They are true! They truly are!"
Ceres had never seen Vesta so worked up. She went to pull Small Lady from her.
"Obviously, it seems they just might be."she said, as Small Lady brushed out her skirt.
"Might!"
"It's not really logical to bury someone alive."said Pallas.
Ceres imagined being locked in a little coffin while hearing outside, someone putting dirt on top of the coffin. She shuddered.
"They would die of lack of oxygen."Pallas explained. "Not technically being buried alive. Besides, I just can't imagine being buried alive."
Vesta had an expression between terror and fury.
"I don't know how you can doubt it!"
Pallas was obviously enjoying debating this with Vesta, who looked terribly upset. Ceres went to the window.
"The Evil Field or whatever it is must be seen from here or somewhere, mustn't it?"
"Not from the ducal apartments, no!"exclaimed Vesta.
"It's probably a field like any other."dismissed Pallas.
"I have never even gone near the Evil Field. No one in their right minds would."said Vesta.
"The ones who bury these women?"asked Pallas. "Just who would be assigned to such a task? You see? Those would just be stories told to warn the Vestals to keep their vows."
There was a collective sigh from Small Lady, Ceres and Juno.
"You're right. There's no way anyone would bury people."said Small Lady.
"Thank goodness! I was beginning to think…but perhaps ignorance is bliss."said Juno.
"Ignorance is never bliss!"insisted Pallas. "It's not possible to die buried alive. It's not possible to bury people alive. Then they never were buried alive."
"You're interested in proving whether or not they bury people alive?"asked Ceres.
"I'll take it at face value!"volunteered Juno.
Pallas glared at her.
"Why would anyone wish to bring such a thing upon themselves? You yourself said that they are very honored courtiers. Why would anyone give such honors and a contented life up so they can be buried alive? You said they are buried alive if they break their chastity vows."
"Very honored perhaps, but it sounds like you have to be very careful of your reputation. And it sounds dull. It seems more the life of a housemaid to me."said Ceres.
"You must always be careful of your reputation. Whether to are a Vestal, or not. And of course, it would be that of a housemaid, because what better thing than looking after the home? Vestals are different from other courtiers in that they are under my protection, and they serve me. No one must ever be able to say a bad word about them."
"If they did?"asked Ceres.
Vesta looked furious.
"I would go to all means to find the offender."
"And if there really was no offender?"
Vesta's eyes flashed.
"He would be found and sentenced, for having tempted her. For her, it would be straight to the Evil Field, for having allowed herself to be tempted! One must not present oneself as easy prey for men. They are weak, but we are strong."
"I mean if there really was no offender, in that they fell in love."said Ceres. "Or they want to marry."
"Given that they are part of my court, I would have to grant permission for them to marry. For a Vestal, I never could. That is part of their vows. She would have to fulfill her years of service first. Just like I can't marry until I become princess, they can't marry until they fulfill their years of service."
"That's true! Duchesses of Vesta don't marry, do they?"Ceres remembered.
"Of course not. Only Princesses of Mars. You see? Just like a Vestal. You could kind of see it as when I ascend to the throne, I have fulfilled my years of service. I could not go back to being Duchess of Vesta, though, like they can remain Vestals if they wish."
"Hmm."
Ceres wondered what she would do then. It would be up to her, she remembered, to negotiate the terms of the marriage treaty when Vesta became Princess of Mars and did marry, just as her mother had negotiated the terms for the marriage of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, as well as the other senshi. She remembered she hadn't even done so for any of the girls in her household, as Juno had. Her own would be done by the Empress, or by her own ambassador.
"Has any Duchess of Vesta ever been buried in the Evil Field?"she asked.
The others' attention suddenly perked. Vesta's eyes grew wide.
"Of course not!"she said firmly.
"No?"
That wouldn't be something they would say, would it?she wondered to herself. She said so aloud.
"Duchesses would be buried in tombs, just like any other member of the Martian Royal House."Pallas reminded her.
"If she did marry? Or took a lover? Duchesses of Vesta can't marry, but that doesn't mean they can't fall in love."Ceres pointed out.
After all, it was marriage that was important to Jovians, not exactly love itself. Just because one couldn't marry, didn't mean one couldn't love, Ceres reasoned to herself.
"If a duchess did that sort of thing, I don't know. Lose her title? Be barred from the succession? That would include, of course, being a senshi. It's never been done. I can't imagine a member of the royal house being sentenced to death."Vesta frowned. "If they were barred from the succession, the succession would pass to another branch of the family. But maybe it would only be her who would be barred, her issue, wait, she would have no issue…oh, now you've confusing me! I don't know! Like I said, it's never been done."
"Not even as a tale?"asked Juno.
"No. All Martian royalty are buried at Phobos-Deimos, not here. I don't know if anyone's ever kept track of anyone buried in the Evil Field, but like I said, no Duchess of Vesta would ever be sent to be buried in the Evil Field."
"If they did, it sounds as if it were something like the story about the Princesses in the Crystal Tower!"said Small Lady, and she shivered.
"It's impossible for such a thing to happen, Highness."Vesta assured Small Lady. "One is hardly ever alone. There are always Vestals assigned chaperones."she gestured around the room. "Usually the ones that are still students serve as chaperones."
Ceres noted a bit of exasperation in Vesta's voice.
"You'd have to have an accomplice! One of the Vestals! She could chaperone you to see your paramour! Oh, how exciting! How romantic!"exclaimed Ceres.
Vesta made a gesture as if to dismiss Ceres's comment.
"You think so? It would seem so pointless to me."
"Are tombs listed in the Evil Field?"asked Juno. "You said no one bothered to keep track of those buried there. Maybe there really is one of your ancestresses buried there! All we'd have to do is find the tomb!"
"Or maybe she was forgiven!"said Ceres. "And never made it to the Evil Field in the first place!"
Vesta shook her head.
"I can't see that happening."
Ceres stood up.
"Now we have to go find that tomb and see if there really is someone royal buried there!"
"Galaxy, no!"exclaimed Vesta. "Never! You will go! I will not!"
"I thought you weren't afraid of ghosts."said Juno.
"Not ghosts."
"The dead?"
"No. It is just that it is a terrible place. No one wants to end up there."
"We won't end up there. We may leave."Ceres looked up at the ladies in the room, including the Vestals. "Everyone will leave us, summon only the Vestalis Maxima. She's bound to know the way."
She looked at the women, as if daring someone to contradict her, which no one did. They left, the Vestals casting fearful looks at Vesta.
"You're crazy!"she said to Ceres.
"The Vestalis Maxima should know the way."she told them. "We'll ask her to take us, and we'll look."
A little while later, the Vestalis Maxima entered the room.
"We want to visit the Evil Field."Ceres told her.
"The what, Your Grace?"asked the Vestalis Maxima.
"We want to see it. The tombs there, too."
"Let's wait until tomorrow."said Juno. "I don't want to be stuck there in the dark."
"Tomorrow, then. Tomorrow you will take us to see the Evil Field."Ceres told the Vestalis Maxima.