"Huh. I suppose I can manage."

A brougham-style carriage is summoned from a nearby shop, and a couple of guards are mounted up to escort it to the palace. It is exceedingly well sprung, and is well able to take Coriander.

It’s going to be slower than her broom, but probably more comfortable and novel. She’ll take it. And take photos of it, holding her phone with metallurgy.

Sothis, down on ground level, is poor and rich at the same time- with construction happening constantly using cranes patched together from wood and massive solid blocks of iron.

And soon enough they arrive at the great beetle, and are bought to the gates of the Inner City

"Greetings. I am Usermat, Third Rank Palace Majordomo. It is presently believed that you have been pointed out as a very significant potential trade partner by Abadar. We would like to buy up to an hour of your time. It is standard practice to in this situation to sufficiently compensate the Prince's interlocutors to ensure maximal cooperation. You may take this compensation as a separate fee notwithstanding and unrelated to any trade deal later struck. Our original offer, merely for your time, is six hundred pounds Absalom."

She was going to want to discuss this at some point anyway.

“Sure.”

"Excellent. Here is the paperwork. Now, some notes- all of this is in the paperwork as well, but:

• There is an antimagic field in the Audience Chambers. It does not affect the Prince. The king oath-commits that during a span of time directly before, during, and subsequent to this audience,
  • You will not be subject to any spells cast on you at any time in the specified span
  • You will not be detained or held for any reason as a result of any actions taken during the specified span, unless directly physically or magically attacking the prince or his representatives

We also include some notes on the customs of the royal court of Osirion:

• For legal reasons, we ask that you at all times when you need to refer to the Prince you do so as His Highness.
• When approaching the Ruby Prince, You may, depending on your religious preferences:
  • bow,
  • briefly place a coin on your heart
  • kowtow
• It is generally thought best not to speak until spoken to by the Ruby Prince, but he asks that you are reasonable in the maintenance of this tradition.
  
• It used to be the practice to not look at the Ruby Prince unless told to do so, this practice has ended by princely decree.
• Note that the Ruby Prince
  • Is the direct representative of Abadar on Osirion,
  • Has ninth circle spells
  • Has, in theory, absolute legal power in Osirion, though this power is wielded judiciously and generally in the service of Abadar. "

He hands Coriander a large scroll.

She takes it and looks at the antimagic field explanation. It still doesn't quite answer her question.

"My clothes are summoned. Will an anti-magic field dismiss them?"

This is a familiar refrain. "Permanent* effects cease, Instantaneous* effects continue.  Summoned creatures are generally abjured, but objects often not."

(*)Magic terms of art

She doesn't quite feel like "often" is good enough for not losing her clothes in front of the leader of a country that wanted to know where her oldest male relative was.

Also, she's pointing a shiny light-up rectangular object at the scroll now.

"Would it be possible for me to borrow a change of clothing? I can prestidigitate it afterwards. Also, if his Highness … do I literally need to say 'his Highness' the whole time or do I say 'your Highness' if I'm talking to him … would prefer it, I'll be able to Send to him without any limit aside from him declining to be Sent to once we meet, so if he'd rather I briefly see him from a couple hundred feet away that's also an option."

"Contact from outside the Beetle is generally blocked, but we would be glad to provide you with an appropriate court outfit. Your Highness is fine when appropriate."

One is brought rather rapidly. It is a sleeved dress in red-and-yellow silk.

She'll go get changed. She empties her pockets, revises her Garment to underwear only (she likes her jacket but she might like it less if it didn't do climate control), puts the dress on and adjusts her keyring and some keys into a necklace with a clip for her phone and a hook for her goggles. (Her phone is going to have less than a minute of power in an antimagic field, but she'd rather have a brief snippet of terrible video than not.)

She keeps the hat. She'd like to know if it gets dismissed and she's willing to risk having her goggles fall on her face.

Eriape suggested kowtowing. She … thinks she knows how to do that. She'll add a chin strap to her Hat since she's going to be in an antimagic field.

She leaves the changing room.

"The audience Chambers are down this way."

They pass an assortment of guards, art, scattered courtiers on pillows, some rather obvious adventurers, and quite a variety of other petitioners, and eventually come up to a set of double doors.

She follows along.

Usermat offered options of which Eriape suggested kowtowing, which sounded like a kind of bow and translated to a word that appears in her Wikipedia archive. (This doesn't require her to touch her phone. Technopathy hath its perks.) …there could in theory be a translation issue.

"Kowtowing is when you put your knees and forearms on the floor and face the floor, right?" She'll Send him a mental image along with this.

"You do that, then touch your forehead on the floor. It's very respectful, and the Prince likes it, though the previous generation rather frowned on it."

A woman holding a big leaf gives a signal

Usermat touches the double doors. "Ready?"

"Sure."

And Userhat opens the door. Magic withers away around her. 

The Ruby Prince sits on a floating throne, backed by what has to be either a Gate or an illusory window, wearing a rather daring long red-and-yellow dress that hangs down all the way to the floor from the hovering throne. 

The Ruby Prince wears a tiara and a light frosting of adamantine jewelry, and is carefully studying a gorgeous leather folder, and looks rather more female than has been otherwise implied.

Coriander does not totally manage to avoid glancing at … her … while in the process of getting on the floor but this is apparently fine!

(Someone good at reading people could probably tell that Coriander does not feel religious about this. She thinks this is outdated and feels a bit silly doing it but like it's not a big deal.)

Her hat is still on her head, which suggests her outfit would have been fine.

The Ruby Prince closes the folder with a metallic tick.

"Rise, and be welcome. I am Ruby Prince Khemet." The voice is a pleasant soprano. 

"Would you care for some refreshments before we begin? I have ever had planar and planetary visitors, and I have an impression of what things might be new to such."

She gets up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you–r Highness. I am interested but came here directly from lunch, so I wouldn't want to delay your Highness on my behalf."

She's not sure why this person's title isn't Ruby Princess or Ruby Queen. Maybe Eriape's translation spell isn't functioning correctly.