Crow felt a pang of guilt for telling Penelope he wasn’t a liar and then following the statement up by lying right to her face. Technically, it was true—they were nothing more than friends—but it still felt wrong to say it aloud. He wanted to be more than friends. He [i]ached[/i] to be more than friends, but Olivia was right: Nothing good would come of it. A thief and a knight? It was unheard of. [i]Besides,[/i] he thought gloomily. [i]She wouldn’t be happy with me anyways. I can’t provide for a noblewoman. The best I could do would be to steal her jewelry from wealthier women, and that’s no life for someone of her status. She’ll be better off with a man who can love her properly.[/i] Crow decided to let his feelings for her remain buried. He and Penelope would finish their mission and return to their separate lives with no romantic involvement. It was better this way.

“Olivia was quite a minx, eh?” he said with a forced smile. “She managed to trick both of us. I don’t know about you, but I feel like quite a fool for getting caught in her web of lies.” The thief shook his head and let his gaze wander to the passing scenery outside of the cart. He exhaled, relaxing his tense muscles as the stress of the situation finally passed. His friendship with the knight was still intact. There was no need to be worried anymore.

Crow looked back at Penelope with a smug expression, “By the way, how is your accent coming along?” He spoke in the lilting voice of a Younisian native. “I believe we’ve reached a point in our journey where it’s imperative that you knights try to master it. You don’t want to get arrested now do you, love?”