It was a deliberate positioning: acknowledging she was new and of lower status, but also making clear she had legitimate right to be there as the young master's wife.
An older merchant—a man named Master Feng who'd known Samuel's mother—approached them with a kind smile.
"Young Master Samuel! Good to see you. And this must be your new bride?" He bowed slightly to Heena. "Congratulations on your marriage, young mistress. Welcome."
Heena bowed back properly. "Thank you for your kind words, Master Feng. I'm honored to meet someone my husband speaks of with such respect."
'I have no idea who this man is,' she thought, 'but flattery costs nothing and gains everything.'
Master Feng looked pleased. "Ah, the young master speaks of me? Too kind, too kind!"
He turned to Samuel. "Your mother would have been pleased to see you married. Though I suspect she would have had opinions about your... unconventional choice."
There was no judgment in his tone—just honest observation.
