As Penelope spoke with Cedric, Crow turned his attention to his food. Now that he wasn’t as concerned about the nobleman’s motives, he didn’t feel the need to watch him as closely, so he kept to himself while they conversed. That, and he had other, more important things to think about. He chewed thoughtfully on a bite of venison, letting his mind wander to his plans for the night, but he didn’t have long to ponder over them before Naida’s voice drew his attention back to the others.

At his sister’s question, he looked up at her with an amused smirk. “If my memory serves me, that gift was from you too,” he pointed out.

“Penelope still picked it out,” Naida turned to Penelope with a mischievous grin. “[i]She[/i] knew exactly what you would want.”

“I suppose so,” Crow shrugged, taking a swig of his wine. “I just want to give credit where credit is due.”

“Alright. Well, you still haven’t answered my question,” Naida rolled her eyes impatiently.

“I haven’t used it yet,” he admitted. “Udolf is having me focus on reading before I start learning to write. He said it’ll help me recognize and spell words better when I get around to it.”

He turned back to his plate to take another bite of his food. However, as he did, he caught a glimpse of Cedric’s face that gave him pause. The nobleman was eyeing him and Naida with a strange expression. His lips were pressed together in a thin line, and his brow was slightly knitted, giving him a contemplative look. It was difficult to tell what was on his mind, but whatever it was, the viceroy knew he didn’t like it. He kept the other man in the corner of his vision as he continued to eat.