As the servants arrived with the food, Crow turned away from the others to watch them. His nightmares had turned his stomach before, but his appetite was beginning to outweigh the discomfort, so he was just as hungry as he usually was that morning. He tapped his foot impatiently beneath the table as Preston took a moment to test his food for poison. To his relief, the boy was quick, and he stepped away again shortly after setting down his plate, leaving the viceroy to eat in peace.

When Cedric spoke up again, Crow nodded in mild disinterest. Penelope had already told him plenty about the extravagant parties that nobles put on in the inner kingdom, so he knew it was going to be quite the experience. However, at the moment he was more absorbed in the food on his plate. It seemed the kitchen had prepared some sort of sausage with the regular bread and fruit they served in the morning. The meat didn’t taste familiar to him, but whatever animal it had come from, it was delicious.

So, when the male knight spoke again, the viceroy was caught off guard by his question. He snuck a glance at Penelope as she answered, sounding just as confused as he felt. He wasn’t sure where Cedric was going with the discussion, but he had a suspicion he wasn’t going to like it. His eyes flicked back to the other man’s face as he continued to talk, further baffled by his words. What was he talking about, ‘third wheel’? He couldn’t think of any couples she was going to be around at the party.

It all came together when Cedric clarified for them.

[color=fdc68a][b]“Well, yeah. Between the Lenz’s and then Collin and the princess, I imagine you’d end up as the ultimate third wheel. Right?”[/b][/color]

Crow choked on his food at that. He coughed into his fist and hurriedly reached for his drink to clear his throat, trying to ignore the way the other man was staring at him. Cedric thought he and Naida were [i]courting[/i]? The thought made him want to grimace in disgust. Even though he’d had a feeling that some of the other people in the castle who didn’t know they were brother and sister would come to that conclusion, it still made him feel nauseated to hear the speculation for himself.

“I’m sorry,” the knight frowned. “Were you trying not to spread word?”

“No, no, no,” Crow shook his head violently and held up his hands. “We are [i]not[/i] courting. We’re just… friends, that’s all. Nothing more will ever come of it, I promise you.”