As the servants revealed each dish of steaming food, Crow licked his lips in anticipation. Every meal he’d eaten at the castle had been exquisite, so he couldn’t wait to try all the different plates he could see in front of him now. He was about to reach for some food on the closest plate, when Preston reappeared at his side. “Allow me,” the attendant said, collecting the food Crow had been eyeing with a silver utensil and putting it on his plate. When he’d piled on a decent amount, he turned back to the viceroy expectantly. “What else would you like?”

Crow blinked, caught off guard by the boy’s sudden arrival. “Um, I was going to try a little of everything,” he answered and then paused for a moment before adding: “Although I’d like a large portion of that venison on the end of the table there.”

“Of course,” Preston dipped his head and wandered off to fill the rest of the thief’s plate.

Crow leaned back in his chair as he watched him go. While he would have preferred to get his own food, he supposed it was kind of nice to sit back while Preston got it for him. The dishes were so spread out around the long table that it was easier for the servant, who was already on his feet, to do it anyway.

After a bit, the boy returned with his plate, which was now loaded with a wide assortment of different foods. Crow grinned eagerly, “That’s what I call a meal.”

Preston set the plate down in front of him with another dip of his head. However, before Crow had a chance to reach for a bite of food, his eyes widened slightly as the attendant suddenly took some first and ate it right off his plate.

“Hey, hey, hey,” the viceroy growled, brushing the servant’s hand away when he reached for another bite. “If you’re so hungry, get your own food. This is mine.”

Preston stared at him blankly. “Now that you’re a viceroy, I have to test your food for poison,” he explained, plucking a piece of cooked carrot from the plate. “I’m supposed to do it in front of you, so you know it’s safe to eat.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Crow said hotly, reaching to take a bite for himself.

The attendant batted his hand away. “I’m sorry, but I have to taste it first,” he insisted.

“I’ll take the risk,” the thief said stubbornly. “If I die, at least I’ll go with a full stomach.”

To his right, Naida laughed amusedly. “Oh, just let him do it,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “If you’re still hungry later, he can get you a second plate.”

Crow turned to see that there was a female attendant picking food from his sister’s dish too. He pursed his lips. “Fine,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. “Just make it quick. I’m starving.”

Preston nodded and made a visible effort to taste test his food faster. When he gave the okay for the viceroy to eat, Crow eagerly dug into his meal. Like every other dish he’d had at the palace, the flavor was outstanding. It didn’t take long for him to finish it all, despite the large amount he’d been served. When he was done, he leaned back again with a sigh and took a long swig of his wine.

“Gods, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you really were starving,” Naida said, staring in surprise at his empty plate and then at her brother with a hint of curiosity. “Where do you put it all?”

“Who knows?” Crow shrugged, resting his hands behind his head and stretching contentedly in his chair. Though the day was hardly more than halfway over, he was already quite tired and began to wonder if he would have time to take a nap later.

Absently, he let his gaze roam over the room full of nobles as he sought out Penelope again. After some searching, he spotted her off to his right, conversing with a nobleman he didn’t recognize. He wished he could find a way to be with her, but he couldn’t think of any way to do so without drawing attention to himself. For now, he supposed it would have to be good enough that he knew she was still in the room with him. He snuck a glance at his sister. Maybe he could come up with a way to approach her once everything calmed down later.

“Excuse me.”

Crow turned at the sound of an unfamiliar voice and was surprised to see a nobleman standing at his side. The man was young, but still a little older than the thief, and he had what was probably the fakest smile Crow had ever seen plastered on is face. “Can I help you?” he asked, eyeing the stranger warily.

The man said nothing at first, seeming caught off guard by the viceroy’s somewhat hostile question. However, after he took a moment to regain his bearings, he shook his head. “No, no. My name is Wayne Cardonell.” Crow noticed the man subtly emphasized his last name. “I just wanted to congratulate you on you on your new title.” His fake smile grew a little faker. “If you ever need anything around the castle, I and the rest of my family would be more than happy to assist you. Just find any guard and ask for the Cardonells.”

Crow studied him for a moment longer before he nodded, “Thanks.”

“Of course,” Wayne bowed courteously and walked away.

At his side, Naida prodded him, “See? They’re warming up to you already.”

“Please,” Crow scoffed, turning to her with an amused smirk. “You didn’t notice the way he kept glancing at Father? He just wants to use me to gain favor with the king.”

“Oh,” Naida’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even catch that. You’re good at reading people.”

Crow shrugged and took another sip of his wine. “I had to learn when I was a thief,” he explained, fighting the urge to cringe when he said he ‘was’ a thief. “I needed to be able to tell who was lying to me, since so many people were after my bounty. If I fell for a trick, I would have walked into a trap and gotten myself killed.”

“I see,” his sister mused. “Well, I guess that skill is useful here too, even if you’re not using it to survive.”

“It’s useful everywhere,” Crow smiled at her wryly. “If you want, maybe I could teach you sometime.”

“That sounds like fun,” Naida grinned enthusiastically.

“Alright,” Crow said with a nod. “I’ll do it then.”

The two siblings continued to talk casually with each other as Naida finished her food, while Crow let his gaze wander over the crowd every once in a while to keep track of where Penelope was.