Heading up the stairs and down the corridor, the knight made her way to the princess' room once again. Glancing around at passing guards and other nobles, she thought about the ceremony from the day before. Even from a distance she could tell most were a bit more bitter today than usual. Other then that, it seemed that things in the castle were carrying on as they always had. She couldn't help but feel a bit strange as well.

She was picking up where she left off in her plans for her future after the war and now she had Crow with her. Or rather, nearby. It had only been a day but she could already tell this distance between each other wouldn't be easy. She had seen him for most of the afternoon the day before but had only managed to steal a short conversation with him and even then it hadn't been alone. The knight let out a long sigh, praying that their days apart would go quick and that her father would give Crow his approval soon enough. Still, it still felt a bit surreal that Crow was now viceroy and there would come a day when she'd be able to walk through the castle at his side as his lover—and eventually wife. The days she stood besides him as a guard were done. 

The knight was pulled from her thoughts as she arrived at the princess' room. She came to a halt and knocked on the door before standing back. There was a short pause before it opened but this time, instead of Naida, it was a young servant girl who peered out. She blinked as her gaze fell on Penelope. "Did you need the princess, ma'am?" she asked in a soft, polite voice. 

"Ah yes. I just want to return this dress." Penelope explained with a small smile. 

The attendant was about to reply when Naida popped up from behind her, looking tired. She rubbed her eyes for a moment. "Who's here?" she asked. Her gaze fell on Penelope and she grinned. "Oh! Penelope! Come in, come in!"

"I just came to drop this off real quick. I've got a busy day ahead of me." Penelope explained with a shake of her head. 

Naida deflated slightly and seemed ready to agree until Penelope's stomach rumbled again, this time louder. The princess smirked. "Well, nothing gets done on an empty stomach! Let's go get breakfast together." she said eagerly.  

Penelope blushed slightly and then gave a small nod. "Alright."

"Here, I'll take the dress." the attendant offered. The knight complied with a small word of thanks as she handed the clothing over to her. As she took care of the dress, Naida stepped out to join her friend, waving her to follow her down the hallway. Penelope smiled and fell instep besides her as the two headed to the Great Hall. The knight glanced over at her she noticed the princess' gaze focused on her with a devilish smirk on her lips. She raised an eyebrow questioningly at her. "What?"

"Oh nothing." Naida quickly looked away and began studying her nails as if they had suddenly become interesting to her. However a smirk still tugged at the corner of her lips. "It just seems someone might fancy the new viceroy."

Penelope's eyes widened slightly and her heart began to beat nervously. It seemed she hadn't played off Naida's questions from the night before as well as she had thought. It seemed like Naida was just guessing so there was still time to keep her in the dark about her relationship with Crow. "What are you talking about?" she asked crossing her arms. 

"Don't try to act like you don't know! I saw how flustered you got yesterday." Naida grinned. "You like him don't you?"

"Naida, you've got it wrong." Penelope rolled her eyes. "I was just caught off guard yesterday."

"A likely story." Naida snickered. "Do you blush every time you get surprised?"

"When you're asking questions like that, yes." Penelope huffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"It can't be that ridiculous. You two clearly get along alright and he's attractive." The princess smiled excitedly at her. "Plus I certainly wouldn't mind having you for a sister Penelope."

Penelope pursed her lips together. It seemed convincing Naida that she didn't like Crow was more difficult than she anticipate. "That's nice but you've got the wrong idea. Besides I don't really feel like courting anyone right now." she stated. Naida studied her for a moment and began to open her mouth to object further but didn't get a chance to as they stepped into the Great Hall, which gave Penelope an opportunity to change the subject.

"Come on there's an open table over there. I don't know about you but I'm hungry." Penelope mused as she headed over to the empty seats. 

"So I've heard." Naida smirked as she trailed after her friend. "I'm surprised you're still hungry after that feast yesterday."

"Well I didn't gorge myself like some of the nobles there." Penelope mused with a shrug. As the two reached the table, she sat down and waited for the servants to bring them their plates while striking up a different conversation with Naida, hoping to keep her from asking anymore about her feelings for Crow.