"Aron! You are back! Here, have some soup."
Aron looked down at the girl who was hiding in the kitchen, half crouched near the stove, and frowned slightly at her loud 'whisper'. "Mira?Shouldn't you be getting ready for the banquet? I thought Shiqi's maid was going to dress you up."
Mira giggled, her eyes bright with mischief as they always were. She shifted the clay pot closer to him and lowered her voice. "She wants to put me in that fancy dress and tie my hair up tight. But I ran away and hid here." She wrinkled her nose. "I would rather eat than let Molly pull and play with my hair."
Aron glanced at her tangled hair and then at the corner where she had clearly tried to make herself invisible. He sighed, then looked down at the clay pot brimming with fragrant soup. Taking it from her hands, he said, "You are still a glutton."
Mira grinned as if he had just paid her a compliment. "Of course," she said proudly. "Food is the best."
