“I hope so,” Crow mused when Penelope said she was sure there would still be food in his room when they got back. She was probably right. Hunter had said that his father had tasked the servants with preparing a private meal for him the day before because he had missed supper. If they were late again, he would likely just do the same thing. The thought of another small feast of noble dishes made his mouth water. Aside from the fact that Penelope would no longer have to give up anything for him, the flavorful food was the biggest perk of accepting the king’s offer. He’d always been envious of the meals that noblemen and women got to enjoy, but now he would be able to have them every day too. Knowing that made the transition just a little bit easier for the thief.

As Penelope agreed to keep his decision between the two of them until he could speak to his father, Crow casted her a grateful smile and then nodded in agreement when she added that it wouldn’t be good if the news got out anyway. That was the main reason why he hadn’t wanted the word to spread before he had a chance to talk to the king first. The last thing he wanted was the unwanted opinions of the other nobles in the castle, who would surely want to threaten or pressure him out of taking the job. Plus, he wouldn’t have been surprised if there were people here who had been vying to become the next viceroy, but simply hadn’t earned Albin’s favor. If someone like that learned that the position was about to be usurped by the most wanted thief in the kingdom, they would probably do something rash. He shuddered at the thought.

“My father seemed to feel like the dissenters would come around in time,” Crow said softly, letting his eyes wander over the courtyard as they made their way back to the castle. “When we spoke last, he said he thinks I’m going to make a talented ambassador and that the other people in the castle would see that and stop fighting the decision with time.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how well I’ll actually be able to do the job when I can barely even write my own name, but for my own sake, I hope he’s right.”

He fell quiet as a small group of knights walked by, probably heading to the palace for their own supper. The men casted the thief scathing looks as they passed, and he narrowed his eyes at them in return. He guessed they were probably frustrated that the criminal they had all been trying to arrest for so long was finally in their midst, yet they could do nothing about it.

When the knights were out of earshot, Crow turned back to Penelope with a roll of his eyes. “I just hope they come around quickly,” he muttered. “I’m starting to get tired of all the dirty looks that everyone around here keeps going out of their way to give me.”