Now I'm going to have to reread every canonical reference to Esca's ears, aren't I?

And YES, there so needs to be a story about the epic power struggle between Cottia and Aunt Valaria! Aunt Valaria is presented as rather a weak figure in canon, but I don't think anything less than an adamantine will would have induced Cottia to answer to Camilla and otherwise conform to Aunt Valaria's Romanizing project.