Penelope frowned as her father compared Crow to Albin. She knew that wouldn't go over well with the thief and sure enough, she watched as Crow responded angrily. The knight began to reach for him, a bit instinctively, as she wanted to calm him down as well as reassure him. However, she wasn't able to as John gave her a sharp tug. Her attention turned back to him and she dug her heels into the ground defiantly. Though she was afraid of what her father might do now that he knew about her and Crow, she wasn't going to fold to him easily. 

"Just let me explain, please." she begged with a hint of desperation. "He's not like whatever you think he is. If you'd just listen to me first you'd see—"

"I've seen his type plenty. I don't need to hear whatever lies he's been feeding you." John glared at her. "I'm not going to let you throw your life away just because you're infatuated with this criminal. You're making a mistake and one day, you'll thank me for stopping this."

Penelope pursed her lips together and met his gaze challengingly. "Is that what my mother was to you? A mistake? I bet your father said something similar when you left to be with her right?" Her words struck a cord with John as she noticed her father suddenly freeze. A bit of anger faded from his face as he nearly looked shaken by her bringing up the past. For a brief moment, she felt hope rise in her that she might have gotten through to him. Unfortunately, all it did was make John eye her guardedly. 

"Enough. It's not the same." he insisted sharply. He pulled her in front of him and let go of her wrist. "When we get to the inner kingdom, you will marry the first proper nobleman I can find. And as for you," he whirled to turn to Crow with a cold look his eyes. "keep your distance. I don't care who's bastard you are, I won't let you disgrace my daughter any further."