When he opened his mouth, a peculiar nasal accent came out. If Laya had not been so stunned by the foreigner’s presence, she might have laughed aloud. “Thank you, uh, Your Majesty,” the man said.

He took a few tentative steps toward the table where Laya and her family were seated. Behind his spectacles, his eyes darted from side to side, overwhelmed by the sight of the Gatdulas. But when his gaze fell on Laya, his expression steadied. The spectacles magnified his eyes, which were round and bright and full of questions. Up close, he appeared curious, not overwhelmed. She scowled in return. He continued to stare brazenly at Laya, not as though she were a gift from the gods, but like she was some stubborn equation. If the king had not invited him over, she would have had the guards escort him out. Who did he think he was if not some common foreigner?

Laya didn’t know this man, but she decided in that moment that she hated him.

“It’s probably time for you to meet my daughters,” Hari Aki said jovially. He gestured to them. “This here is Dayang Laya. And fiddling over there with her metals is my youngest, Dayang Eti.”

Eti jerked to attention at the sound of her name. Her eyes settled on the stranger, blinking as if she had just noticed his presence. “Father, who is this?” she piped up.

Laya frowned at the king. “Yes, Father. Who is this?”

The king chortled, unperturbed by their questions. “Don’t you see, darlings? I thought I’d surprise you.” He rose and clapped the strange man on both shoulders. “This here is Dr. Ariel Sauros. He’s one of the finest scholars on this side of the Untulu Sea. I’ve invited him to stay with us a while at the palace as our honored guest.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with us,” Laya said.

To the king’s right, the man named Ariel cleared his throat. Her gaze snapped to his. She could have sworn she heard him bite back a chuckle.

“I was about to get to that, my dear.” Hari Aki looked pointedly at Laya, a silent warning sign she had seen over a thousand times before⁠—Be nice. He drew another puff from his pipe, then guided Ariel to his side of the table. “Dr. Sauros is a skilled linguist, philosopher, and writer, among other things. He’s traveled all the way from Orfelia, so I suspect we have a great deal to learn from each other.”

“Orfelia?” Laya echoed, incredulous. “That pathetic little colony to the east?”