As the silence continued, Penelope was hopeful that she could stuff down just a bit more food to not make herself look too suspicious when she excused herself early. Unfortunately, she couldn't even have that. A terribly familiar voice caught her attention and she turned her head to see that Elizabeth had appeared had her arms wrapped around him. The knight felt a fresh stab of hurt at seeing the other woman appear. It also left her with a bitter taste in her mouth. After all the harassing Liz had done to her before, Crow had still caved in. Along with hurting, it made her feel weak and small, as it seemed her paranoia had been right. While she might have been enough for him when they were together, she just wasn't enough to wait for. Not when he had someone like Elizabeth throwing themselves at him.

However, in the next moment, she was caught slightly off guard by his hostility towards her. It made her look over at him and for a brief moment, she wondered if the rumors had just been made up after all. Her hope was quickly dashed by Elizabeth though that went on to confirm it in a way that made her blood boil. The vixen was clearly flaunting the information like some trophy she had won with the glance she gave the knight. Penelope shifted her gaze away from the two. Part of her wanted to throw a solid punch to the noblewoman's face but a larger part of her just wanted to be alone so she could properly deal with the pain and betrayal she felt, out of the public eye. 

As Crow spat at Elizabeth again, she side glanced at the viceroy. She supposed he was still trying to cover it up. Or perhaps he actually regretted it. It made the knight wonder if he had been planning to speak with her alone about it. [i]It's not like it would change anything if he had..[/i] she thought with a wince as she forced herself to take another bite of her food, trying to act uninterested in the conversation happening besides her. That was easier said than done though as Elizabeth kept running her mouth. Penelope clenched her jaw as she caught the look the noblewoman casted her before giggling. 

"That's true." Cedric suddenly jumped in giving an amused look as he watched the three, either completely obvious to the situation or choosing to ignore the tension. "It's the hot topic of the day. Certainly no way to keep a low profile, right?" he chuckled glancing to Penelope for support. 

Penelope hesitated to answer despite feeling his gaze on her. "Right." she muttered finally without looking up from her food. She felt her throat beginning to grow a bit tight again and she suddenly stood up. The knight had reached her limit with this conversation. "I better get going." she said abruptly without meeting anyone's gaze.

"Aw so soon?" Elizabeth pouted. 

Cedric glanced at the noblewoman before looking to Penelope with a concerned expression. "Are you feeling alright?"

Penelope nodded her head stiffly. "I.. have letters to write." she said softly. "I'll see you around, Cedric." She gave a curt dip of her head before turning and beginning to walk briskly out of the Great Hall, keeping her head low as she felt her eyes grow watery with tears.