As he had done at breakfast, Crow searched for an empty table away from the crowds that had gathered in the Great Hall for supper. Knowing that Naida and Penelope were probably going to be gone for the whole meal, he didn’t bother looking for them anywhere. Instead, he made his way over to the empty edge of a long table near the east side of the room. When he reached it, he sat down to wait for Preston to return from the kitchen with his food, letting his eyes sweep over the other people around him as he did.

Though the day had been lonelier to him than usual, it also brought him a sense of relief. Just a few days ago, he hadn’t known if Penelope would be able to return to the castle with him, and now that he’d experienced what the palace would have been like without her around, he was all the more grateful that her baroness had let her come back with him. He supposed he still had Naida, but he knew he still would have missed the knight dearly if she had stayed with her battalion. It was much better to only lose one day with her than months.

Leaning forward, Crow folded his arms against the table and let out his breath in a long exhale. As he continued to watch the noblemen and women eating and conversing with one another, he wondered if he would ever fit in well enough to do the same among them. It was a strange desire, especially since he had never wanted the approval of nobles before, but now that this place was his home, he found himself wishing that he fit in more—or at least that he felt more comfortable here. He could handle their constant disapproval up to a point, but he dreaded to think what his life would be like if the rest of the inner kingdom continued to despise him the way they did now. It was difficult to go about every day surrounded by people who glared and whispered behind his back.

After some time passed, Preston reappeared by his side with a plate piled high with food. The boy seemed to have learned quickly that the viceroy preferred to fill up on large portions, and for that, Crow was glad. He leaned back from the table as the attendant went about the usual routine of testing his food for poison, watching him with a hint of curiosity in his eye. “You’re surprisingly calm about eating food that could supposedly be tainted,” he commented.

Preston glanced at him as he took a small bite of bread. “It’s just part of my job,” he said with a shrug. “Besides, I’ve never seen anyone get poisoned in all my years at the castle. It seems unlikely that anyone would be killed that way now.”

“Then why do it?”

“Well, suppose someone did want to kill you,” Preston said.

“I’m sure there are plenty here who do,” Crow smirked.

“Right,” the boy nodded, unfazed. “If you do have an enemy here who wants to kill you, they would be much more likely to try poisoning your food if they saw you eating without a taste tester. I’m just here to keep someone like that from trying in the first place.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Crow admitted, looking over the crowd once more. It was unsettling to think that there could be someone in the Great Hall at that very moment who was biding their time to kill him. However, he wouldn’t put it past any of them. He could think of plenty of people who hated him enough to want him dead. It was why he still kept his guard up around them all, despite the fact that he was now their equal in rank. Nobles were deceitful and manipulative. If they were determined to get rid of him, it was going to take more than just the king’s opinion to stop them.

Almost as if on cue, Crow felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he got the sudden impression that he was being watched. His eyes flicked between the faces of the other people in the room until they landed on a man on the far side who was glaring at him venomously. The viceroy studied the stranger warily. He remembered this man from his titling ceremony—he was the one who had spoken out so adamantly against his father when it had been announced that he was going to be the next ambassador. He narrowed his eyes. Perhaps there was a reason for Preston to continue inspecting his meals after all.

When the attendant finished his task, he took a step back from the table and bowed before turning to leave the viceroy to eat his supper alone.

Crow watched him for a moment and then called after him, “Hang on.”

“Yes?” Preston turned back to him with a bemused look.

“Why don’t you have your dinner with me tonight?” Crow suggested. “I’ve seen where you go—that corner in the back by yourself. Why not just stay here?”

Preston’s eyes flickered toward the other people in the room before returning to the viceroy’s face. “It wouldn’t look good for you to be seen sharing a table with a servant,” he said leerily. “I don’t want to damage your reputation.”

“What reputation?” Crow laughed. “You mean the one where I’m hated as the most wanted thief in the kingdom?” He waved a hand at the open bench across from him. “Sit, sit. I don’t give a damn what those arrogant fools have to say about me.”

Preston wavered for a moment longer before he nodded, “A-Alright. I’ll just get my own food and be right back.”

“You’d better,” Crow grinned as the attendant hurried away.

--

For the rest of the evening, Crow spent his time with Preston. They didn’t speak much—mostly because the attendant was so soft-spoken—but the viceroy enjoyed it. Of course, the other noblemen and women in the Great Hall casted him more foul looks whenever they caught him dining with his own servant, but he didn’t mind. To him, the boy was much better company than any of them would ever be.

When he finished his meal, he waited for Preston to eat the last of his bread before they headed out of the Great Hall together. The attendant held his head low as they walked past the other nobles, seeming uncomfortable beneath their scrutinizing glares, so Crow rested a hand on his back to usher him along in much the same way as he would have done for any friend. Naturally, the familiar gesture only served to disgust the nobles more, but it seemed to encourage the attendant, who walked with his head a little higher by the time they reached the door.

Eventually, Crow returned to his bed chamber for the night and settled down to sleep. Feeling good about how he had treated his servant and excited about the prospect of finding Penelope tomorrow, it didn’t take long before he drifted off into a content slumber.