The Courtesy of Kings | ☑ Queenkiller, Kingmaker #2

08.1

Isla woke to a cold sweat. She had revisited the labyrinths in her sleep, lost in its dungeons, chased by shadows and lurking beasts. Only in her dream, she had no salamander to light her way.

She reached for the satchel she kept beside her bedroll. Her handkerchief was buried deep inside. She found it in the dark, wiped the perspiration from her neck and face. It still smelled of Pepper's fire, despite how many times it had been washed. The swirls where the salamander had singed it had faded to a calligraphy of auburn swirls. Isla inhaled the scent, now wiping not sweat, but tears from her eyes.

Tam Mai tossed and whimpered in her sleep, her bedroll close to hers. Gently Isla shook her, pulled the sheets tighter around her shoulders. Isla tiptoed to the window only after her sister settled into a reasonable peace. The world was still dark. Torchlight bobbed up and down the castle bridge. Today was the day.

The hokkan baths were still empty when she made her way down. She bathed quickly, slipped into the yi-sang and robe she had specifically bought for this day. When she returned to her room, Tam Mai was already up, the bedrolls cleared.

'How are you feeling? You didn't sleep so well last night.'

'Nervous. Excited!' Tam Mai took the washing basket from Isla's hands. 'I can't wait to meet your friend!'

'I can see that. Just remember to let me do all the talking, all right?'

'Will Kazu-dasang be with us the whole time?'

Isla grimaced. 'You should not call him that.'

'Why? Yui-assa calls Chou dasang all the time. She says it's a polite way to address your elders.'

Isla was still adapting to the Tsun customs herself, but she could sense when something was improper. It was not something her sister had a natural instinct for. 'It's too casual. General Eunkoji is not like Yui or the innkeeper. We don't know him well, and he holds a very important position on top of that. You could use seung, I suppose. That's more formal. It's a bit similar to our use of raj or syuri. Or perhaps use djung? Ah, I don't know. Just address him as General.'

The excitement visibly drained from Tam Mai's face. Isla could see her trying to keep up and failing.

'It's a lot to take in. You don't have to understand it all at once.'

'I'm sorry I'm so slow. It's always like this, also when you and Noi were trying to teach me Eling.'

'You're not slow. You're doing so well with your Kapuluan. This place is completely different from Surikhand, it's only natural for you to struggle with its customs. I do, too, you know.'

'It doesn't look that way.'

'I'm just better at hiding it, Tamma.' Isla sighed. It was something Tam Mai would have to learn as well. She was a terrible liar. Even the simple act of withholding information already caused her discomfort. It never mattered so far—they had never been in a situation where they really needed to defend their assumed identities—but that was bound to change.