Crow snorted when Naida said Preston didn’t speak with a filter. “Yeah, well if he keeps up with those little remarks, I’ll make him wish he was still dealing with the horses,” he muttered annoyedly. While he didn’t mind bantering with other people, he preferred to be at the administering end of a joke rather than the butt of someone else’s. Still, he supposed he should be glad that the boy felt comfortable enough around him to let his tongue slip—even if the comments he made were rather rude. He wanted him to know that he wasn’t going to treat him like the other noblemen in the castle treated their servants. Social hierarchy meant little to him, so he had no intention of having Preston punished or thrown in a cell for simply speaking his mind.

He was drawn from his thoughts when Penelope spoke up to announce that she had to go. His shoulders fell slightly. He’d been hoping they would have more time together now that he had gone through the rites to become a noble, but it seemed they wouldn’t be able to see each other much more than they had the day before. He felt a pang of disappointment at the thought but managed not to show the emotion on his face as he returned her smile.

“See you around,” he said as casually as he could.

“Later, Penelope!” Naida raised her hand. “If you’ve got any free time later, be sure to find me!”

As the knight left, Crow turned his attention back to his plate, finishing off the rest of his breakfast and chasing it with a draught of water. Without looking, he could tell that Naida’s eyes on him. “What is it?” he asked, looking up at her with a frown. Despite his question, he had a feeling he already knew what she was going to say.

“So?” Naida fidgeted slightly in her excitement, tipping her head towards the door Penelope had left through. “What do you think of her?”

“Not this again,” Crow groaned.

“Oh, come on,” Naida pressed. “You said we could talk about it later, and it’s officially later. So, tell me: Do you like her?”

“I told you I don’t want to court anyone right now,” he reminded her shortly.

“I didn’t ask if you wanted to court her,” Naida grinned cunningly. “I just asked if you like her.”

Crow glanced toward the door, stalling for time as he debated how to answer her. He knew he couldn’t lie and say that he [i]disliked[/i] Penelope, but perhaps he could at least throw his sister off their trail.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, turning back to her and resting his chin in his hand. “She seems kind of… serious. I mean, she’s pleasant enough to be around, but even when she was my guard, her priority was always her work.”

“Well, yeah,” Naida frowned. “She’s a knight. All knights are serious about their work.”

“You’re not,” he pointed out.

“That’s only because I haven’t been given a real job in ages,” Naida reached across the table to flick him on the arm. “If I was on a mission, I’d be serious too.”

“I don’t know if I believe that, but go on,” Crow smirked at her teasingly.

Naida rolled her eyes, “I was [i]going[/i] to say that she’s not always serious. When she’s not working, she’s a lot of fun to be around. I think that if you give her a chance, you’ll see that too—What?” She crossed her arms as she realized he was staring at her with an amused smile.

“Why is this so important to you?” he asked with a laugh.

“Because…” Naida blushed before going on hurriedly. “Because it just is! She’s one of my closest friends, and you’re my family. Why shouldn’t I want you to end up together?”

“Because you’re being meddlesome,” Crow poked her on the forehead and then stood up from the table. “Look, if it happens, it’ll happen on its own, but you shouldn’t try to force us into a courtship just because it would make [i]you[/i] happy, okay?”

“Okay,” Naida muttered, although the tone of her voice didn’t convince him that she was going to stop.

“Anyway,” he went on, changing the subject. “I should get going. From what I’ve been told, I’m going to have a long day of being lectured at by a tutor.”

“Ooh, good luck,” Naida’s smile returned.

“Thanks,” Crow grinned back at her. “I’ll probably need it.” With nothing else to say to his sister, he turned to make his way out of the Great Hall, while Preston, who’d been chatting with a few other attendants off to the side, fell in step beside him.