"Please, take a seat," Feng offered, gesturing toward the lone chair.
"I prefer to stand," Yue replied, snapping her jade fan open. "I do not like sitting with my clients."
Feng chuckled nervously and shifted his posture. "We are hardly just clients. You are a close friend of our princess, making you practically part of the family."
"I prefer to leave royal and noble titles out of my business dealings," Yue countered smoothly.
Feng cleared his throat to move past the awkward rejection. "Allow me to introduce Lord Jian. He is the uncle of our princess and the brother of our queen."
Lord Jian offered a minimal nod without leaving his cushions.
"And who exactly did you bring into my chamber?" Feng asked, looking at the group of teenagers. "Introduce them."
Yue gestured toward the peach-haired boy. "This is Marco."
