The next morning, Crow was roused by the soft light that flooded in through his window. It was a much more pleasant way to wake up compared to the last two days. He sat up on his bed and stretched, running one hand through his hair to smooth it down. Now that he’d had some time to rest and recover from his trip to the outer villages, he was feeling much better. His old wounds didn’t pain him anymore, and he wasn’t as exhausted as he had been before.

It seemed he’d had perfect timing too, because in the next moment, the door knob rattled, and Preston stepped inside. The attendant looked up at him in surprise, “You’re awake.”

“I don’t sleep through every morning,” Crow rolled his eyes. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, stretching a bit more as he did.

“Given your record, you could see why I would have thought so,” Preston said casually as he retrieved a set of clothes for the viceroy to wear that day.

“If you keep up with those comments, I might do it just to spite you,” Crow muttered, taking the clothes from the boy’s hands. He changed out of the linens he’d worn for the night and put on the new garments. Like everything else he’d been given at the castle, the clothes were fine and more brightly colored than anything he’d worn in the outer villages before. He didn’t like how much the striking yellow tunic caught the eye, but at least it was comfortable against his skin.

Once he was ready, he walked with Preston to the Great Hall for breakfast. He hoped he would run into Penelope again, but when he arrived, he didn’t see her anywhere amongst the crowd. Instead, he spotted Naida, who was sitting with the rest of their siblings at a table near the back of the room. He hesitated at the sight of them. Apart from his sister, he didn’t know the rest of his family very well, so he didn’t feel comfortable approaching them. However, Naida seemed to want him to join them, and he also didn’t want to eat alone. He supposed he might as well stop by for a little while.

Crow made his way across the Great Hall, ignoring the glares of the nobles he passed, and sat down at his sister’s side, across from Braden and Willow. Though his sister had been eager to see him, he could tell the other two weren’t nearly so excited. Braden wrinkled his nose, and Willow lowered her gaze, poking uncomfortably at the remining food on her plate. There was a clear air of tension amongst them, but Naida didn’t seem to notice it.

“So, how was your first lesson yesterday?” she asked him curiously. “I didn’t see you at dinner.”

“That’s because my tutor made me work through most of supper,” Crow shook his head. “He spent the whole day teaching me etiquette.”

“Sounds like a bore,” Naida made a face.

“It was,” the viceroy grimaced. “And from what I’ve heard, yesterday was just the beginning.”

“Of course,” Braden spoke up. “It’s going to take a lot of work to turn a peasant like you into a decent nobleman. Honestly, I don’t know why father is even bothering to try.”

“Braden,” Naida hissed, giving her brother’s shoulder a shove. “You shouldn’t speak to Collin that way.”

“Why not?” the prince shrugged. “It’s the truth.” He tilted his chin up as he met Crow’s gaze. “Father should have given the position to a man of respect and left you in those dirty, rat-infested villages where you belong.”

“Watch your tongue,” Crow narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Those ‘dirty villages’ are my home, and the people there are more [i]respectable[/i] than any nobleman I’ve ever met.”

“Is that so?” Braden said apathetically. “Well then, if you like them so much, why don’t you go back? I’m sure it won’t be hard for father to find a replacement for you.”

Crow clenched his jaw. “Believe me, I would,” he growled. “But I’ve got a reason to stay, so I won’t be going anywhere.”

At that, Braden tensed and shot him a cold look. “And what reason might that be?” he asked accusatively.

“My reason is my own,” Crow answered vaguely. “It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with.” He looked up as Preston stopped by the table to bring him a plate of food.

“I find that hard to believe,” Braden clenched his hands into fists with visible tension. “You just don’t want to tell me because you know I’ll have every reason to concern myself with it, isn’t that right?”

“Calm down,” Naida rolled her eyes. “He’s not after the throne, Braden.”

“And how would you know that?” the prince challenged.

“Because I’ve told her repeatedly that I have no interest in that kind of power,” Crow answered for her with a one-shouldered shrug. “The crown of Brerra brings more trouble than it’s worth. I should know. I tried to steal it once.” He bit into his bread before he added, “Believe me, it’s all yours, little brother.”

Braden bristled, seeming to dislike being reminded of his relation to the former thief. “You can say that as many times as you want,” he snarled. “But I know every man wants the throne, and you’re no exception. I’ll be keeping my eye on you, [i]Collin[/i].”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Crow snorted, taking another bite of food. He could tell that, while Naida was friendly toward him, Braden and Willow weren’t going to be so quick to accept him.

The four siblings continued to eat in tense silence as the morning dragged on.