Knave is some sort of fairy or other magical creature
He’s just a little TOO innucuous. Lucia brought Modeus to life with the rose that he gave her in the tournament.
We learn in Ch. 7 that you can cast spells with flowers, and we learn in Ch. 22 that fairies have their own magic. From my POV, we don’t see any sentience in Modeus until after he gives her the rose in Ch. 3. Maybe Lucia accidentally cast a spell with it? Kirsi will try to marry off Lucia to Norrix.
Kirsi's status would allow to legally enforce a marriage between courtiers, and she'd likely do so thinking she was helping her best friend. Kirsi seems the type to want to do things for Lucia without considering the ramifications of her actions or understanding Lucia's feelings on the matter.There's always been a distance between them, and she would interpret Lucia's apprenticeship as a sign of growing compatibility (not helped by Norrix's evident attraction to her).
