"Can somebody please tell me what's going on?" Kiyi asked one more time.
"There's nothing to say, honey" their mother said "Now eat your food."
"I know something happened!" she insisted "Everyone has been acting weird for days, but no one will tell me why!"
"Eat your food" Ikem's tone was a bit sterner than Ursa's, and this time, Kiyi did as she was told, looking unhappy.
A long silence took over, making them all uncomfortable. Or rather, making most of them uncomfortable. When Zuko looked at Azula, he saw that devilish gleam in her eyes, one that he knew too well, that let him know she was far too amused by the situation to just let it go. He grabbed her hand underneath the table and quietly begged her to leave it alone, like he often did when they were kids.
As usual, it didn't work.
"She's going to find out sooner or later" her words made Kiyi instantly lift her head and stare at her with excitement in her eyes.
"Azula, please don't do this" their mother pleaded, sounding tired. Her husband on the other hand, just looked scared - he still didn't seem to be completely sure he was safe around Azula and would often keep his thoughts to himself when she was in the room.
"We were going to tell her eventually anyway, so why not do it now? It's not like any of you will manage to make her drop the subject. And it's only a matter of time before some servant or guard let's it slip in front of her" Azula's tone was playful, yet still a little cruel.
Why are you doing this? You were trying to get along with our mother just a few days ago. Why are you antagonizing her now?
Ursa just sighed in defeat "I can't believe this."
"Tell me! Please, Zuzu!"
"Kiyi..." Azula turned to her, lifting an eyebrow.
"Please, Zuko" their little sister corrected herself.
Everyone at the table turned to him, making him nervous. He had gotten used to giving big speeches in front of his nation, giving orders to the guards and servants, and even to being a figure of authory in council meetings, but being the one with the most power in his family still felt weird to him.
"Azula and I are getting married."
Kiyi seemed confused "I thought siblings weren't supposed to marry each other."
"They weren't" Azula explained "Because a Fire Lord said so. But now Zuzu is the Fire Lord, and he says it's okay, so it is okay."
She made a disgusted face "Does that mean that if mom has another son, I'm gonna have to marry him?"
"No!" Zuko, Ursa and Ikem all answered at the same time, startling Kiyi and making Azula laugh.
"You could if you wanted to, but you wouldn't have to."
Their little sister nodded and eventually went back to eating her food, not even seeming to realize she had, lost in her thoughts like she would often be whenever someone explained 'adult things' to her. No one said another word until the meal was over.
"It's getting late" Ikem broke the silence as he got up from his seat "You should get ready to go to bed, sweety."
"Okay" she gave Azula a quick kiss on the cheek "Thanks for helping me, Zula."
Zuko didn't hide his smile as he saw just how stunned his sister was by Kiyi's action.