Crow looked away from Naida and Penelope as they talked about going to Bellmare together. Even though he was the one who had made the decision not to go, he couldn’t help but feel a little left out. His sister and the knight were the only two people in the castle that he got along with well, so he could already tell that their absence was going to feel quite tangible to him tomorrow. He wished he could just ditch his lesson and go with them, but unfortunately, Udolf’s threats to speak with his father were too much of a risk. It was better to miss out on one day with Penelope than lose the future he was working so hard to secure for them because of one impulsive decision.

Caught up in his thoughts, it took the viceroy a moment to realize that Penelope had changed the topic to speak with him. He blinked and looked up from his plate. “Yeah,” he nodded, casting her a helpless smile. “We went over everything he taught me yesterday and then added some more etiquette that I’m supposed to know for my specific job.”

“And it was worse than prison, right?” Naida snickered, referencing his earlier comment.

“Of course,” he grinned back at her. “I’ll take a cold cell over Udolf’s teaching any day.”

“Wait,” Naida’s eyes widened. “Your tutor’s name is Udolf?”

“Yes,” Crow tilted his head slightly. “Why?”

His sister snorted, “Father gave you the same tutor that educated the rest of us.”

“He did?” Crow raised a brow, surprised to learn that Albin had given him the same teacher that he’d hired for the rest of his children. “That’s funny. He doesn’t seem to know we’re related.”

“Who knows?” Naida shrugged. “But now I know why you hate your lessons so much. Udolf is a real stuffed shirt.”

“So I’ve noticed,” Crow said dryly. He casted a furtive glance at Penelope and bit his lip again. He wished he could talk to her more openly, but with the princess around, there wasn’t much that he could say without arousing suspicion. With a subtle exhale, he finished off the rest of his dinner and stood up from the table. “I should get some sleep. I’ve been late to my last two lessons, and I’d rather not get another earful about it tomorrow.” His eyes flicked toward the knight before returning to Naida’s face. “I guess I’ll see you in two days.”

“See you!” Naida raised her hand in a wave. “Try not to miss us too much.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll find someone else to bother while you’re gone,” he said with a wry wink. “Night.” Glancing at Penelope one more time, he dipped his head in a curt goodbye and then headed back to his room to turn in for the night.