Crow didn’t speak to Naida much. As soon as their food arrived, the viceroy went to work cleaning his plate. Since he hadn’t been getting good sleep lately, his appetite had grown a bit to accommodate the lack of energy he had throughout the day. He found it difficult to keep from reverting back to his old habit of eating with his hands, since the utensils hindered him from eating as quickly as he would have liked. Despite the slight frustration, he managed not to give in to impulse, just in case someone would see him dining like a “savage” and tell Udolf. He was going to stay on his best behavior until his father allowed him to take a break from his studies.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think father was starving you,” Naida said amusedly as she watched him from across the table.

“It’s good food,” Crow shrugged, popping another bite of red meat into his mouth.

“It is,” his sister laughed. “That’s why you should at least [i]try[/i] to taste it before you swallow.”

Crow made a face at her and went back to his meal, continuing to eat until he heard the princess exclaim a greeting. As Penelope joined them at the table, he looked up, forcing himself to keep a neutral expression despite his eagerness to see her. Though Naida’s motivations for forcing them to sit together were annoying, he was glad that she herded the knight to his side. He enjoyed sitting beside her when it was hard for them to get any closer during the day.

As the two noblewomen spoke amongst each other, he listened quietly, unsure if he was interested in the topic of discussion or not. However, his interest was piqued when Penelope told his sister about the nobles who had offered their support to help her end the war. At the mention of them, his heart fluttered with nervousness. Since Albin had mentioned that he might be able to have a day off soon, he’d nearly forgotten about the more distressing part of their meeting that afternoon. He casted her a discreet glance. Now that it was settled that he was going to Gorm in one month, he needed to let her know that she didn’t have much time left.

“Just training,” Naida shrugged in answer to Penelope’s question. “I didn’t have anything else to do, so I joined some of the other knights in sparring.” She turned to her brother. “What about you, Collin? More tutoring with Udolf?”

“Yes and no,” Crow fidgeted with his fork, looking up to meet Penelope’s gaze with a frown. “Father had me attend a meeting with his court today.”

“Really?” Naida snickered. “Braden’s going to be jealous when he finds out you went to that meeting. He wasn’t allowed to go.”

“Father said it would be good experience for me,” the viceroy explained simply and then turned back to the knight. “He also wanted me to go because their decision impacted me personally.” He casted a furtive glance over his shoulder and lowered his voice before going on: “He’s decided that since the war hasn’t been going in our favor, he wants to send me to Gorm to petition the king to form an alliance with us against Younis.” He lowered his gaze anxiously. “If nothing changes, I’ll be leaving in a month.”