Crow smirked amusedly as Penelope suddenly seemed to realize all the changes she was going to be making now that she wasn’t going to be losing her status as a knight. After all the times she had altered her plans to accommodate him, it felt good to ease her burdens by doing the same for her. Even though he hadn’t been intending to make up his mind at that very moment, he was glad he’d done it. Seeing her reaction restored his confidence that he was doing the best thing for both of them, and gave him peace that he would be able to handle the changes that noble life would bring to him.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” he said assuredly, pressing one more kiss to her cheek before following her gaze to the view of the inner kingdom—the place he was soon going to be calling home. The thought was still strange to him, but he supposed he would get used to it eventually. He just hoped that entering into the lifestyle of a nobleman wouldn’t change who he was. Holding the knight a little closer, he leaned his head against hers to take comfort in her touch. He wanted to believe his morals were rooted deeply enough that he wouldn’t get swept up in the riches and luxuries that the castle had to offer, but money corrupted people. He’d been a thief long enough to figure that much out on his own. If he didn’t keep his guard up, he was well aware that he could get lost in the ease of nobility and lose sight of his values.

As Penelope pulled away from him, Crow looked down at her and nodded. “Yeah… It’s been a long day.” He let her lead them back down from the tower, following along closely behind her as they descended the long stairwell—it was relieving to go [i]down[/i] the winding steps instead of up this time. When they reached the bottom, his stomach chose that moment to let out a hungry growl, and he reddened slightly. “I hope we’re not too late for supper,” he said with a lopsided smile. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

Suddenly, another thought came to him, and he went on in a lowered voice, “By the way, I’m sure this already goes without saying, but when we get back to the castle, don’t tell anyone I’ve decided to take the offer. I want to talk to my father about it tomorrow personally, okay?”