When Crow arrived at the Great Hall, he paused near the doorway to take a quick look around. Knowing that there were already nobles scheming against him, he wanted to start building connections as soon as he could. That meant spending some meals amongst the nobles whom had reached out to him after his ceremony. His green eyes swept over the numerous faces in the room. It had been five days since he had last seen them, so he had to focus to remember which ones had made offers to him before. However, after a moment, he caught sight of one familiar face: Wayne Cardonell, the first man who had approached him at the banquet.

A subtle smile spread over the viceroy’s lips. Though he didn’t like the idea of getting close to any of the self-righteous noblemen in the castle, he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited at the prospect of using them for his own purposes. He was confident in his ability to trick them into doing what he wanted. It wasn’t one of his most honorable traits, but manipulating others was a useful skill, and it was one he prided himself on since it had saved him many times in the past.

Crow was just about to make his way over to the table where Wayne was sitting but then froze as he felt someone’s eyes on him. He glanced to the side and wrinkled his nose slightly when he saw that the same blonde man as before was glaring at him from across the room. Now that he knew what the man was doing behind his back, he had half a mind to cast him a rude gesture. However, not wanting to give away the fact that he was in on the baron’s plans, he restrained himself and turned instead to head to Wayne’s table as he’d originally intended.

As he approached, the nobleman caught sight of him and visibly stiffened. Crow fought the urge to roll his eyes. It was clear that even though some of the nobles in the castle had been willing to use him to gain favor with the king, they all still despised him just as much as anyone else. Luckily, the viceroy was already used to being hated, so he concealed his annoyance with a smile as he stopped by the other man’s side. “Mind if I join you?”

Wayne exchanged a brief glance with the two other noblemen who were sitting across from him before turning back to the viceroy with that fake smile of his, “Go ahead.”

Crow nodded and sat down on the bench beside him. The other three nobles grew tense, clearly unsure how to act around the former thief, so he took it upon himself to break the silence. “So,” he said, resting his forearms on the table as he looked between the two men across from him. “What are your names? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

The man on the left blinked, seeming surprised even though it had been a simple question. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, “My name is Robyn Shepherd, son of Count Randall Shepherd.”

The man on the right glanced at his friend before turning back to the viceroy and sitting up slightly straighter, “I’m Percival Granger, son of Duke Pearson Granger.”

“A duke, huh?” Crow mused. “Are you any good with a sword?”

Percival scoffed, seeming offended by the question. “I’m a knight of the royal guard,” he boasted. “Of course I can use a sword.”

[i]This one might be worth keeping in my pocket,[/i] Crow thought, eyeing the knight over. With a duke for a father and a role in the king’s army, he had a feeling Percival’s word would carry quite a bit of weight in the castle. “Alright, it was just a question,” the viceroy threw up his hands in an innocent gesture. “No need to get defensive.”

“A knight’s swordsmanship is his pride,” Wayne smirked. “You might have well have questioned his honor.” He studied Crow with a curious look. “Anyway, did you want something from me? I’m assuming you’re here because of my offer, right?”

“Not particularly,” Crow shrugged. “I’m just trying to get to know the people around here better. After all, I may be the ambassador for the king, but I’m going to be representing all of you.” He casted the nobleman a wry smile. “How can I be an intercessor for anyone when I don’t know anything about you or what you want?”

Wayne’s eyes widened slightly, and Crow could practically see the wheels turning in his mind. It was obvious that he believed he had stuck an opportunity to gain favor with the king. The viceroy had intentionally worded his question to make him think so. If he didn’t know anyone else, the first man to win him over would have a leg up on his competition. The other two seemed to realize it as well.

“Well, what do you want to know?” Robyn grinned. “I’d be happy to help. My family knows quite a few of the other counts and countesses around the inner kingdom.”

“Yes, and my family has connections within the [i]castle[/i],” Wayne pitched in. “My father is a marquess.”

“My father does as well,” Percival nodded. He casted the viceroy a forced smile. “Don’t worry about that comment earlier. No harm done. In fact, if you’d like help adjusting to life here in the castle, I’d be happy to assist you.” The others quickly put in their agreement.

Crow bit back a grin as the three noblemen threw more offers at him. It had almost been too easy. Now all he needed to do was solidify the connections he was beginning to form, and he would have a strong barrier between himself and the nobles who wanted him gone. Subtly, he glanced back at the older blonde man, who was still glaring at his back. However, this time, there seemed to be a hint of concern in his cold gaze.

The viceroy turned back to continue conversing with the others, but then paused as something else caught his gaze. Near the front of the Great Hall, he spotted Penelope, who seemed to be leaving. He noticed that she was looking around and, assuming that she was searching for him, casted her a smile and a dismissive wave, hoping she would understand that he would catch up with her later. For now, he planned to stay with the other noblemen for a little longer to work on gaining more of their trust.