When he made it past the front gate of the castle, Crow slowed his pace ever so slightly so he could look around the citadel. He’d seen quite a bit of the area through the windows in the palace, but since he hadn’t been able to leave in two weeks, this was the first real chance he’d had to explore it. Already, he could tell it was an energetic place. The streets were filled with wealthy vendors and nobles browsing their wares. The surrounding buildings were impressive too. Compared to the small homes in the outer villages, the large manors towered overhead as if their builders had been trying to reach into the sky. Overall, the whole place screamed of riches in a way the viceroy found both captivating and disturbing.

In addition to that first impression, Crow also noticed that the citadel was remarkably untouched by the ongoing war with Younis. It was a stark contrast with the bordering villages, which were growing more and more worn down as the fighting raged on. If he didn’t know better, he might have guessed that the nobles here didn’t even know there were battles happening at all. He sighed. If the enemy kingdom conquered them tomorrow, no one in the inner cities would be prepared for the consequences.

As he meandered through the crowd, Crow was drawn from his thoughts when he noticed a group of women gesture in his direction and mutter amongst themselves. He grimaced and drew the hood of his cloak over his head. Since he was on his way to meet up with Penelope in secret, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself before he reached her. The less people recognized him, the easier it would be for him to get to and from the castle without being asked too many questions.

Luckily, once he started being more mindful of his surroundings, the viceroy managed to make it to the edge of the river without letting anyone else see his face. By the waterside, he was able to relax. There weren’t any other people close enough to see him this far from the nearest city. Still, he kept his hood drawn, just in case he happened to pass by any castle servants bathing or washing their masters’ clothes in the stream. 

Eventually, Crow came across a clearing, and he smiled to himself as he recognized Penelope’s familiar figure on a large boulder by the water. As she came over to greet him, he reached up to lower his hood. “Of course not,” he smirked at her jokingly, wrapping his arms around her in a loose embrace. “Your directions were flawless, love.”

Leaning down, the viceroy touched a playful kiss to her lips and then pulled back with a grin, “Are you ready to go to Bellmare?”