“Shut up,” Crow rolled his eyes at Penelope’s nudge, although his face reddened slightly at her words. “I didn’t mean we should go out of our way to tell them… It’s just that I don’t mind giving them the truth if they press for it. That’s all.” He averted his gaze uncomfortably. It still felt strange to him to put his trust in someone other than Penelope, but her friends had proven to him that they were capable of keeping a secret, so he knew he could trust them too. He didn’t think of it as a ‘soft side’ so much as a willingness to give credit where credit was due. Olivia and Gavin had earned the truth after everything they had already done for him and Penelope. That was it.

As Penelope went on to mention that Olivia might tease him about it, Crow shook his head. “I’m already expecting that,” he admitted with a shrug. Between Olivia and Gavin, he was more concerned about how the former would take the news. It was an interesting realization, since until now, he and Gavin had constantly been at each other’s throats whenever their paths crossed. Now that he was getting along better with Penelope’s former suitor, he didn’t expect the other man to react poorly to finding out that he was going to become the next viceroy.

“Honestly, I’m more worried about how my companions are going to take this,” he murmured, meeting Penelope’s gaze with a somber look. “I can’t hide it from them anymore. They don’t deserve that, so… no matter how they’re going to react, I have to tell them what’s going on.” He exhaled resignedly. “I just hope they’re still willing to accept me afterwards.”