Meanwhile, at the farthest corner of Earl Verion Flame Born's estate, stood the Outer Western Palace—a place of both luxury and quiet isolation. It was a structure that bore all the aesthetic and architectural grandeur of the Star Race's legacy: soaring silver-white columns, hovering crystal chandeliers, and expansive gardens that glowed faintly under a twilight sun.
Yet despite its splendor, its status was known to all who understood Star society: this palace was reserved for the unimportant. For those who were tolerated, not welcomed. For those who did not command the respect of the Star Throne but were not insignificant enough to be discarded.
To the Star people, the Minotaurs were exactly that—beings of strength and culture, yes, but not equals. And so, while they were granted hospitality, they were granted it here—at the fringes.
