“I could never get tired of hearing stories about you,” Crow teased Penelope with a grin. That, and he was still enjoying the blush that formed on her cheeks when he brought up anything to do with her childhood. He found her bashfulness endearing, but he supposed he could stop pestering her after this final question. She had been embarrassed enough for one day—and he had to save [i]some[/i] stories for another time. It would ruin the trick he’d discovered if he used them all up in one afternoon.

However, as the knight confessed that the servant had been referring to an old toy she had played with as a little girl, he blinked in mild surprise. The story reminded him a lot of the children in the outer villages. Growing up with nothing, they had often used commonplace objects to make up games and entertain themselves while their parents worked in the fields. Even though he knew she hadn’t been given the same luxuries as other nobles’ kids, he hadn’t realized just how similar their upbringings were. The thought brought a smile to his lips.

“Alright, alright,” he sighed in mock disappointment when she said he wouldn’t be getting anything more out of her that day. “I suppose I can stop pestering you for now.” Brushing his hand against hers, he casted her a playful look. “But if it makes you feel any better, I did the same thing when I was a boy. I wasn’t as creative as you, but I used to play with a piece of tumbled quartz I’d found in the river.” He chuckled at the distant memory. “I even used to bring it into my bed with me every night because I thought it could protect me from evil spirits.

“Of course, it sounds ridiculous now,” Crow shrugged. “But kids believe a lot of ridiculous things.” Meeting Penelope’s gaze again, his expression turned eager again. “Anyway, where are we going now?”