Page 20 of Markets & Mooncakes

"You seem to know everything else," I mutter, but keep my eyes on the front like I know Mama expects.

"I assume it's her," Veronica says. "I mean, she is beautiful."

I look at the woman and nod. "She is."

She gives me a strange look, but I ignore her. "Apparently, the ambassador is a member of the Empress of Shengda's family."

"So they're royalty?" I ask, looking at the man and trying to work it out from his appearance. Without knowing anything about what Shengdanese royalty wears and is supposed to look like, I have no way of knowing if he is or not.

"No, just high nobility," Veronica responds.

Ember spreads out her wings, hitting me in the face as she does.

"Ow."

Squawk. Her protests are rather ridiculous considering she caused the situation in the first place.

"Shh." I dig into my pocket and pull out another piece of dried beef, just as Mama is alerted to the commotion. She gives me a reproachful look, which isn't entirely fair considering this entire situation could have been avoided if she'd let me leave Ember in my room and not insisted I bring her here.

I do my best to look contrite, even though it isn't really my fault I'm making noise.

Lord Sun Zizhen reaches the front of the throne room and comes to a stop in front of my parents. He puts his hands together, his sleeves joining and covering them completely, before he bows from the waist. "Your Majesties," he says in a deep voice accented by Shengdanese. "It is a pleasure to be received in your kingdom."

"Welcome to our court," Father responds, getting to his feet and offering a shallow bow in return, no doubt in part to ensure that he's giving Shengda the respect he believes it to be due. "We hope that you had a pleasant journey to be with us."

"We did, Your Majesty. Those we stayed with on our progress towards this city were very welcoming," he says in Falhavien that's easy to understand. He's clearly spent time learning, which gives me hope that we'll also be able to communicate with his daughter. That will make the tour of the castle we're supposed to give her a lot easier.

"May I also present my daughter, Lady Sun Jinglan," the ambassador says, gesturing to the woman behind him.

She steps forward and puts her hands together in the same way her father did. The embroidery on her sleeves matches up perfectly in a way that I have to admit is pleasing. I would be forever infuriated if the patterns on one of my dresses didn't line up correctly.

"Your Majesties," she says with a bow. Her accent is slightly thicker than her father's, but she seems fairly confident. Certainly more so than I would if I were trying to speak Shengdanese.

Mama gets to her feet and smiles. "Welcome. We would also like to introduce our children to you." She guides the ambassador to where Kathryn is standing beside me, and they exchange pleasantries, while my stomach dances with nerves.

I don't like being introduced to new people. I never know what they'll make of me, and I almost always say the wrong thing, which doesn't help anyone. And especially not when there's such an important treaty riding on everything going well surrounding the ambassador's arrival.

"Our second daughter, Princess Evelyn," Mama says, gesturing to me.

I dip into a small curtsy even though I don't have to. I second-guess my decision when Ember wobbles precariously on my shoulder. I raise a hand to steady her and offer the ambassador what I hope is a smile rather than a grimace. "Welcome to Falhaven, Your Excellency."

"Thank you, Your Highness. And who might this be?" he asks, looking at Ember.

I clear my throat. "I was gifted a dragon egg when a delegation from Shengda visited six years ago," I respond. "She hatched from it."

"She is magnificent."

"She is," I agree.

"Princess Evelyn has been taking good care of her, Your Excellency," Mama says.

"I can see that. It is a rare thing for a dragon to hatch. Where did you keep the egg, Your Highness?"

I look at Mama, knowing that she probably wants me to lie, but I don't think that I can. "In the oven, Your Excellency."

He laughs. "That is marvellous."

"Thank you?" It's more of a question than a statement. I don't really know what the expectations are on dragon rearing, only that I'm to show off Ember.