X – The Convent of the Holy Virgin of the Most Pure and Immaculate Heart

All foreign faiths are tolerated within the territory of the Empire, so long as they do not interfere with the ruling authorities in secular matters. Catholicism was introduced to Sensuka by Jesuit missionaries over two centuries ago, although the religion has never really caught on there. Nonetheless, the belief has taken hold among the wealthy classes that Catholic convent schools provide the ideal education for young girls. It is a common practice for the elite from all four corners of the Empire to send their daughters off to these institutions, which are thought above all to instill a desirable sense of guilt, paradoxically combined with total obliviousness as to “the ways of the world.”

The Convent of the Holy Virgin of the Most Pure and Immaculate Heart in Sensuka is the pre-eminent of these educational institutions. The sisters who run it have taken every precaution to preserve their wards from any exposure to corrupting outside influences, having gone so far as have a moat constructed around the perimeter of the very high-walled and very small-windowed convent complex. All references to romance have been redacted from the books in the convent library, as well as any images depicting excessively handsome young male saints.

And yet, and yet, for all that… there will be times when the peculiar expression on a girl’s face will give a sister pause, and set her wondering.