Valerio stared at the man in disbelief, incredulous at the boldness of the supposed ambassador. In his three years as First Councillor, this was the first time he had been treated with such disrespect, and he was fairly certain that none of his predecessors had been treated like that. He adopted a stern expression, and locked his eyes on the ambassador.
"I am Marco Valerio, First Councillor of Sartoria." he paused to let that sink in "I am your host."
He turned to his aide and spoke in a voice low enough so Yutan wouldn't hear. "Make sure that man is seated away from me at the state dinner."
Valerio then walked to his seat in the round table and called for attention. "Friends, I want to open this summit by welcoming each and every one of you to the Principality of Sartoria. Our nation was founded on the ideals of freedom and equal opportunities for all, and those are the same values that we hope to espouse at this summit. Today we will make history if we agree on measures to build an open and cooperative world, one based on open trade and free peoples. Please join me at this table so we can take the first step towards a brighter future."
The First Councillor of Sartoria sat and waited for the other delegates to follow suit. The Mekselia Summit had begun.