Until he'd called off the Royal Mourning, Emberlee had stronger faith in her Sovereign but his actions since had continuously demonstrated how his lust for power was a targetable weakness. Realistically the conquest of Traimore left Xutia vulnerable. The drought helped subdue a lot of the resistance for them but the army being focused there, and then the epidemic, resulted in Xutia having a victorious army but no way to replenish the ranks sustainably. Accepting a political marriage to Stussica that requires Xutian support to divide Guita only revealed that Andrion's intentions weren't about safeguarding Xutia at all. He'd liked the prestige being an Emperor gave, somehow being King hadn't been enough for him. She'd desperately wanted to live simply as Marchioness, and now she found herself far too embroiled in the political Game of the continent's Empires. Mother had not raised a coward though, Emberlee had survived despite all the other pitfalls her life path had encountered.
And then it was time for breakfast with her new 'family'. They'd deliberately skipped dinner with her the night before, so Emberlee was a little curious to see if they'd continue snubbing her. She'd rather another solitary meal as it would provide her time to ponder over the impending meeting with one of Méabh's Oberons. It wasn't an official meeting between the Nations, instead, Emberlee suspected it was due to her affliction with a Fairy Godmother outside of Adaba. But unfortunately, it didn't work in Emberlee's favour today; the stepfamily arrived en-masse to the dining room for breakfast. 
"Ah the vigour of youth, being up before the sunrise as if their energy is endless," Deirdre remarked to Ainsley as if they were a decade her elder instead of two years.
"The duties of Marchioness don't rest, and so I cannot until they are tended to, please join me for breakfast," she politely invited as if she leant technically scolded the other women. 
"And what does a child know of duties?" Jimena openly scorned, but in Stussican and while smiling to disguise it.
Emberlee understood, and so did the Stussican natives, but not the Xutian servants in the manor. Stussica was geographically far from Ortega, and the alliance is so new she could almost forgive them
for underestimating her in this regard. Not wanting to give away that she'd comprehended the language and insult, Emberlee remained politely smiling. 
"Do you not stand to greet your Elders?" Jimena demanded in Xutian as if expecting Emberlee to hastily rise in response. 
"We stand to greet our Superiors," she purposefully started to eat her meal while discussing the matter, "those higher in rank but not in age." She didn't ask them to sit a second time, uncaring of whether they would or not. 
Ainsley was the first to sit, hunger a stronger motivator for her than pride seemingly was. With her sister's capitulation, Deirdre quietly sat and Jimena followed suit with an audible scoff. In the winter it was harder to procure fresh fruits but Ortega had perfected a drying method that allowed for fruits even in the worst blizzard. But Stussicans were still able to have the freshest varieties according to Deirdre's bragging. 
Word of their official arrival had been sent so Emberlee expected that the gifts for the new arrivals would soon roll in; it would be an easy way to garner small favour with both the new arrivals and Ortega all at once. She'd likely receive some gifts and letters to attend events as well due to this, a fortuitous way to draw her out of the March to introduce her new family members to her acquaintances. Winter would limit the requests to more local Nobles like Poinsette or Mihal, maybe even the Viscounty Zieske or Lannigan. The rest would send gifts but the weather precluded attending events. 
"Have your butler discuss with Karl anything you should need, in my Father's absence it is my duty to see to your reasonable needs," she managed not to emphasize the word as she stood from the table, "I'll go first as this is not leisure time," she swept from the room and headed to her office for some peace. And espionage.