Nice explanation. To be clear, I was just citing a use of Lua in embedded rather than promoting it. I don't use it. Since you brought it up... :P
...the advantage was predictability, simplicity, performance, extensability, and tiny memory footprint. The simplicity, predictability, and performance are where Python was a no-go for embedded. So, those are the areas you need to focus on in your implementation to get parity or beat it.
Plus, these traits of Lua are a pre-requisite to high-assurance systems that take things to next level. I've considered a medium or high assurance Python a number of times. Language and implementation were too complex for me to even start. So, I welcome a simpler take on language that others might take to another level.