After some time passed, Naida was the one to break the silence between the four siblings again. She looked between them all and then cleared her throat. “So, what are all of you doing today?” she asked with a smile that looked a bit forced in Crow’s opinion. He wondered if she was just trying to start up a conversation because the quiet as uncomfortable to her.

“More of the same,” he answered with a shrug, sipping at his drink.

“A few lieutenants from one of the southwestern battalions are here to report to father,” Braden sat up a bit straighter. “I’ll be attending the meeting with them as we discuss battle strategies.”

Interest piqued, Crow snuck a subtle glance at his brother. He wondered if Penelope knew about the lieutenants he was speaking of. He didn’t know much about the southern battalions, since they were so far away from the villages in the north that he called home, but he remembered that she wanted to reach out to all the barons she could. If the knight didn’t yet have any connection to the southwestern barons, then perhaps this could be her way to reach them.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to ask about the lieutenants before Naida spoke up again.

“What about you, Willow?” the princess asked, turning to the youngest girl, who had been sitting silently for the entirety of their breakfast until now.

Crow followed her gaze curiously. Of all his siblings, he knew the least about Willow. His younger sister never seemed to speak unless spoken to, so the only things he knew about her had come from his conversations with Naida, and even she hadn’t told him much. All she’d said was that Willow had no interest in the adventurous life of knighthood, so she was being raised by their mother, the queen, to eventually wed a nobleman. Even when they had all been children, she had apparently been the meekest among them, never causing trouble or disobeying the rules set in place by their parents. Looking at her now, he could believe it. She definitely had the temperament to be a ‘proper noblewoman,’ as he could imagine Udolf saying.

Willow shifted slightly in her seat, seeming uncomfortable with being the center of attention. “Mother wants me to review the list of suitors she’s chosen to start courting me in the winter season,” she said in a soft voice.

“Wait, you’re already going to be courted?” Crow blurted out in surprise. He bit his tongue, reddening slightly at his own outburst. It wasn’t her age that caught him off guard, but rather the fact that she was the thirdborn—well, technically [i]fourth[/i]—child of Albin. He would have thought Braden and Naida would be married off long before Willow. It was strange to him that the youngest sibling was going to be wedded first.

Willow seemed just as uncomfortable with his comment. She said nothing as she dropped her gaze to her lap again, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

Luckily, Naida jumped in to explain: “Father wants Braden to focus on his studies, and most noblemen of high rank don’t want to marry a woman who’s also a knight.” She shrugged. “That just leaves Willow to form a connection between our family and another powerful family in our kingdom.”

“Why does she have to do that at all?” Crow frowned, studying his younger sister, who looked unhappy to him.

“Because it will help our family solidify our place at the top of the kingdom,” Braden said with a sneer. “Father hasn’t been in power for very long, so if we join with another strong clan and gain their support, we’ll be more firmly accepted as the true royal family—not that I would expect a criminal to understand such complex matters.”

“I do understand,” Crow shrugged. “It all just sounds petty to me.”

Braden scoffed, “That’s because you’re a simpleton.”

“Or I just know a waste of effort when I see one,” Crow smirked. He lifted his glass to his lips and downed the rest of his drink before standing up from the table. “Anyway, I should go. I’ve got another long day of tutoring that I’m already late to.”

“See you later, Collin!” Naida said with a grin.

Crow didn’t wait for the others to respond before he turned and headed back to his room, unexcited to see Udolf for his second lesson.