“That’s because all they care about is competing with each other to see who can get the most out of this thing,” Crow muttered with a roll of his eyes when Penelope spoke about the other nobles. It was exactly the kind of behavior he’d always despised about the aristocrats of the inner kingdom. They looked down on everyone outside of their own families, gossiped to ruin names, and only acted in another person’s benefit if they could get something out of it too. It was ridiculous how many little games they played because of their greed.

As Naida and Penelope spoke about more of the specific people who were at the banquet, Crow raised a brow curiously. He’d been so caught up in his nervousness about the ceremony that he hadn’t realized William was here. Suddenly wondering if there were any other people he knew, he took another look around and spotted John standing with some noblewomen he didn’t recognize. The older knight wasn’t looking at him, but he felt a strange sense of relief knowing there was at least one other person here who didn’t hate him—well, at least one who didn’t hate him as much as everyone else. He was still rather sure that Penelope’s father was mad at him after he’d caught them in bed together.

Crow listened in on Naida and Penelope’s conversation again when his sister asked about the nobleman the knight had been sitting with. At Penelope’s response, he smiled faintly. Though she may not have been on good terms with the other man, he was glad that she’d found someone to spend time with at the banquet. He disliked the thought of her being forced to sit among people she didn’t get along with, and since he and Naida couldn’t abandon the head table to be with her, he supposed this stranger was the next best thing.

“Me too,” Crow agreed when the knight said she couldn’t wait for everything to be over. He glanced at the crowd again. “Everyone is finished eating, so it shouldn’t be that much longer right?”

“Maybe,” Naida shrugged, finishing off the rest of her wine. “But everyone’s still drinking, so it could be a while.” She raised her hand to flag down her attendant for another refill, but in the next moment, a hand reached out to swipe her goblet. “Hey,” the tipsy princess frowned, spinning around in her chair to see who had taken her drink.

“This isn’t a tavern, Naida,” the queen, who’d been sitting silently on her daughter’s other side until now, spoke sternly.

Crow leaned forward slightly to eye her with interest. It was the first time he’d seen the woman speak since he’d met her earlier that afternoon. He couldn’t help but wonder what sort of person his father had married.

“Mind your manners,” the queen went on chidingly. “Every important nobleman and woman in the kingdom is here. You need to make a good impression.”

“I’m not [i]that[/i] drunk,” Naida muttered, turning slightly red as she was reprimanded in front of her friend.

“And that’s why you will stop before you embarrass yourself,” the queen insisted. “Now sit up straight. There could be potential suitors here, and you need to act like a lady.”

“Yes, mother,” Naida sighed, rolling her eyes as she corrected her posture.

The queen turned away again, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the group for a moment. Crow glanced between the mother and daughter, not quite sure what to think. His own mother had never been so stern with him, especially in a public place like this. Even when he’d gotten himself into trouble as a child, she would always rebuke him in private. It seemed a bit harsh of the woman to treat Naida as she had, but, unfamiliar with the customs of noble families, he couldn’t tell if it was normal here or not.

In an attempt to move past the tense moment, he cleared his throat to get the others’ attention. “I don’t suppose anyone would notice if I snuck out of my own banquet, would they?” he asked with a lopsided smile.

Naida visibly relaxed as she eased back into the conversation. “Sorry, Collin, but there’s not a chance you would get away with that,” she smirked. “You’re going to have to wait for it to end just like everyone else.”

“It was worth a shot,” he shrugged, resting his chin against the palm of his hand.

“Stop that,” Naida reached out to flick him on the arm. “If I have to act proper, then so do you. Get your elbow off the table.”

“Why?” Crow grinned at her teasingly without moving. “I’m not looking for a suitor.”

His sister snorted. “Yeah? Well, no woman is going to want you to be [i]her[/i] suitor if you act like that,” she pointed out cheekily.

“Well, maybe I’m not looking to court anyone,” Crow replied carelessly.

“Really?” Naida stared at him in surprise. “Why not? You’re certainly handsome enough now that you’re all cleaned up, and you’ve got one of the highest titles in the kingdom. You could have any woman you want.”

Crow shifted his weight, his eyes flicking briefly to Penelope, before he lied with a shrug, “I’m just not interested in courting anyone right now. That’s all.”

“Hm,” Naida frowned. In the next moment, she looked between Crow and Penelope as a devilish smirk crossed her lips. “You know, Penelope, you really do look amazing in that dress,” she chirped, flashing her friend a grin before she turned back to her brother. “I let her borrow one of mine for the ceremony. What do you think, Collin?”

Crow blinked, caught off guard by the question, and glanced back at Penelope. She really did look beautiful, but he couldn’t give away his feelings for the knight in front of the princess. “Yes, it’s flattering,” he said as casually as he could manage, hoping his sister would think he was just being polite.

“Mhm,” Naida smirked and then turned to Penelope again. “He looks pretty dashing too, doesn’t he?”