The grin on Penelope’s face was enough to melt away all of Crow’s lingering fears. He relaxed and smiled back at her as she went on to confirm that she had gotten her baroness’s approval to come back to the inner kingdom with him. His heartbeat quickened with excitement at the thought. Now, he could be sure that when he began his new life as a viceroy, he wouldn’t have to go through it alone. She would be there with him, and the transition wouldn’t be nearly as difficult. He felt weak with relief.

“Thank the gods,” he sighed, eagerly taking her hand when she reached for his. “I don’t know what I would do if I had to go back to that place by myself. Those nobles would probably drive me mad.”

He fell quiet as she added that she had only gotten sure approval for two months. The detail made him shift slightly. He was glad that he could be certain that she would be with him for that long, but he had been hoping that they could stay together indefinitely. After all, he was planning to start courting her more formally when they returned—albeit secretively, since they still didn’t want word about their relationship to spread any farther than it already had. If all went well, he intended to marry her after that. If she had to go back to the warfront, those plans would have to be put on hold yet again.

“Well, I hope my father is willing to hear you out then,” he said softly, offering her a somewhat forced smile. Having only spoken to the king a few times, he still hadn’t figured out what kind of man he was, so he wasn’t sure what to expect. He wanted to believe that Albin would be reasonable or at least consider ending the war to stop the expenses and loss of life. However, it was always possible that he was a warmonger like the barons on the battlefront.

As Penelope changed the subject, Crow nodded his head, glad to put the worrisome thoughts behind him for now. “Alright,” he said, bringing a hand to his mouth as he let out a sudden yawn. “I’m glad you managed to set something up for me. I’m too tired to pitch a tent, myself.”

He followed her into the camp, noticing right away that every knight in the area was eyeing him with unbridled hostility. Their unfriendly gazes made him uneasy, but he knew they couldn’t attack him. His father would be furious if he found out his son had been killed by an out-of-line soldier, so as much as they disliked it, they couldn’t lay a finger on him.

“I’m glad the king gave me a letter,” he muttered under his breath to Penelope as he kept watch of the other knights around them. “I’m certain at least some of your comrades wouldn’t hesitate to murder me in my sleep if I didn’t have proof that I’m allowed to be here.”