As Penelope continued to lead the way through the city, Crow fell in step beside her. He tried to look around the area as much as he could, curious to see the places that would have been familiar to her, but it was a bit difficult with so many other people around. He found that he frequently had to duck his head just enough that his hood covered his eyes whenever they got too close to anyone else. It was hard to say whether any of the nobles here would recognize him, since he hadn’t left the castle after taking on the title of viceroy, but he didn’t want to take any chances. At the very least, someone might remember his face from his old wanted posters and put two and two together when they remembered that the once-infamous thief of Brerra had been made the king’s ambassador.

So, focused on keeping his head down for most of the walk, he was relieved that it didn’t take very long to reach her family manor. When the knight announced that they had arrived at her home, he looked up to see that they had come to a large estate made up of four separate buildings. He raised a brow in surprise. Though she had told him plenty of times that her family was wealthy, he hadn’t expected this. The Vermillions really must have been a powerful family to own so much land. After all, from the little he knew of the noble hierarchy, land was supposed to be one of the most important assets. He casted her a sideways glance, wondering just how luxurious of a background she had come from.

As Penelope went on to explain that she hadn’t lived in the largest house, Crow turned back to look over the estate again. He supposed it made sense, considering what she had told him about her rocky relationship with the rest of her family. Offhandedly, he wondered if it had ever bothered her to live in one of the smaller houses, knowing she had been ostracized from the main manor because of something her parents had done. Unsure if it was a sore subject for her, he decided not to ask though. He didn’t want to bring down the mood when it was their first full day alone in weeks.

When the knight pointed out the building she had actually lived in, Crow followed her gaze. All things considered, she was still quite fortunate in his opinion. Though it was practically a hovel compared with the huge manor her family members had inhabited, the small house was still much bigger than anything the peasants in the outer villages could ever dream to own. He wondered what it looked like on the inside.

“I think it’s nice,” he said, returning her smile. It made him happy to see her face light up when she talked about her past. He gave her hand a tug. “You’re here now. Why don’t we go in?”