She actually laughs at his question, smiling. "Caiaphas..." she says, sweetly. "You have no idea how much the others look up to you, do you? I know, and not<em>just</em>from her telling me, but really know, that you have far exceeded Meridia's expectations. She sees now the wisdom in her mother's choice, to bring you here, and regrets setting such a poor first impression. The others, I suspect, feel just as strongly. You are no fool; the Summer Knight is never a fool, and the Queen always chooses carefully. That you were selected within hours of meeting her was, to put it mildly, unprecedented. That's why Meridia was so late in arriving, when you first met; they weren't expecting you for another month."