Crow frowned when Penelope’s expression turned uncertain, and he felt a pang of worry that his father hadn’t been as reasonable as he’d been hoping after all. As she explained how the meeting had gone, he averted his gaze, wondering whether or not Albin would choose to take her advice. He didn’t know enough about the man to make any guesses, but he wanted to believe his father would be willing to listen to the knight, even if she was quite a bit lower in status than anyone a king would normally take advice from.

[i]Maybe he just wanted to discuss it with his advisors first,[/i] the thief thought hopefully. Albin hadn’t given her a ‘no;’ he probably just wanted to think about it more before making up his mind. Feeling slightly reassured, he rubbed one hand along Penelope’s upper back as she pressed into him, listening as she went on to tell him how she wanted to get the barons involved. He wasn’t entirely sure how well that idea would work, since amongst the three in her battalion, only Mia seemed reasonable enough to support her. The other two gave him the impression of warmongers who would rather fight and die for glory. But that was just the opinion of one thief, so who knew? Maybe he was wrong and they would agree with her.

Crow leaned his head against Penelope’s, biting the inside of his lip as she mentioned that they might not be in the castle for much longer. Though he knew she was right since he hadn’t made up his mind, he also felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of dragging her back to the outer villages with him before she had finished her business with the king. If he accepted the job as his father’s viceroy, they would have all the time in the world to persuade Albin to end the war—not to mention, she would never have to leave her life as a knight behind at all. It was starting to look like there were more benefits to taking the offer after all.

Still, he wasn’t sure if he could give up his simple peasant life. Being a thief gave him everything he wanted. Could he really change everything about himself and join a group of people he despised for her sake? [i]She was going to do it for me,[/i] he reminded himself. While Penelope may not have had the same hatred towards commoners that he had towards nobles, she was still prepared to give up everything to be with him. How could he say he was really trying to give her the life she deserved if he wasn’t willing to do the same?

[i]Oh, gods. Am I going to become a[/i] noble[i]?[/i] He grimaced at the thought. Just picturing trying to coexist with the snobby aristocrats turned his stomach, but he couldn’t dismiss the idea as easily as before. There were too many pros for him to just push the option aside. [i]Stop getting so worked up,[/i] he took a calming breath. [i]I don’t have to decide yet. I can take one more day to think about this, and then I’ll make up my mind.[/i]

“I think that’s a good idea,” he murmured, suddenly realizing she was still waiting for him to respond. “Anything could help.” Still feeling a little overwhelmed, he pulled away from the knight to take her hand in his. “We’ve got quite some time left before supper. You should show me around the citadel,” he offered her a halfhearted smile, hoping she would provide him with a distraction so he could stop drowning in his own uncertainties.