Crow studied Penelope curiously when she seemed to hesitate at his suggestion. After everything she had just told him about her home, he would have thought she’d jump at the chance to go there with him. Instead, she almost looked nervous. He wondered if it was because of the “unpleasant” family members she had mentioned to him before. Did her fear of running into them outweigh her desire to show him her house? It seemed strange, but then again, he didn’t know her aunt or cousin at all. Perhaps they were terrible enough to be concerned about.

He didn’t dwell on the thought for long before she seemed to brighten again and agreed to pay her home a visit. Content that she was in a good mood once more, he let his questions drop in favor of focusing on the present moment as she led the way to the small house. Like his other queries, it wasn’t worth asking about if it meant dampening the pleasantness of the day. Besides, if any of his curiosities were important enough, he could always talk to her about them at a different time.

Walking alongside the knight, Crow let his gaze wander over the grounds of the estate. To his former peasant eyes, the place nearly seemed like a miniature version of the castle. There were impressive buildings, manicured gardens, stables with horses, and even a few servants milling about as they performed various tasks for their masters. He wondered if all nobles lived the same way, regardless of where they were located in the inner kingdom. In the outer villages, every town was different in its own unique way, but here, it almost seemed as if there was a mold that everyone was trying to fit into. He wasn’t sure what to think about that.

When they reached the front door, the viceroy turned back to Penelope as she explained that they shouldn’t have to worry about running into anyone in her house. That only meant one thing to him: privacy. He grinned as he followed her inside. Though he had wanted to spend some quality time with her that day, he’d been hoping they would find someplace to escape to where they could be alone. If what she said was true, this was probably the best opportunity they were going to have.

Stepping into the den with her, Crow’s eyes roved over the small space. It looked quite cozy with cushioned furniture and some shelving for storage. Although not as grand as the other spaces he had seen inhabited by nobles in the past, he found it to be quaint. “Well, I think it’s just as good as a room in the castle,” he argued, casting her a fond smile. “All that decorative stuff is unnecessary anyway. I call this functional.”

He was just about to reach for her hand again, but then flinched when he heard a tentative voice call out Penelope’s name. Turning toward the source of the sound, he was surprised to see an older woman in servant clothes appear from the adjoining room. Having expected the house to be empty, he was caught off guard by her sudden appearance and glanced subtly to the knight in the hopes that she would know what was going on.

As the woman faced him and asked who he was, Crow shifted his weight, finding himself in a rather strange dilemma. For the first time, he couldn’t give either of his names. Collin Lockton was now known as the king’s viceroy throughout Brerra. For the sake of keeping his closeness with Penelope a secret, he couldn’t tell her that was who he was. However, on the other hand, Crow Lockton was an infamous thief. If he introduced himself by that title, he would risk frightening the woman and sending her running to the nearest guards. Instead, he opted for something simpler.

“I’m a friend of Penelope’s,” he said, offering the servant a polite smile before turning to the knight. “I was just accompanying her on an errand she wanted to run in Bellmare.”

For a moment, the knight just stood there as she took in the sudden appearance of the servant. She didn't even understand why Letitia was in her home and now that she had stumbled across the older woman with Crow, she wasn't sure how to recover. Penelope glanced at the viceroy as he answered her question vaguely, nearly making the knight grimace. Knowing Letitia well enough, she knew that the servant would want an actual name rather than a vague label. Unfortunately, both of his names wouldn't be of much help at the moment. Both would cause for some much unwanted questioning.

"Oh?" Letitia mused with a hint of curiosity in her voice. "You know I think I've met a good deal, but I don't really recall her ever bringing you around. Although your face does kind of look familiar.." Her gaze flickered between the two for a moment before a knowing smirk spread over her lips. "Ooooh you must be that mystery man she was talking about from last time."

Penelope tensed as Letitia brought up their old conversation. She had nearly forgotten that she had told the servant about breaking her courtship up with Gavin and that she had admitted to loving someone else. Of course, back then, she had thought that Letitia and Crow would first meet once things had calmed down and they were allowed to publicly court. Not accidentally caught sneaking into her own home together. "No, no it's not him." she denied quickly, despite the light blush that took over her cheeks.

Letitia blinked and looked over at her before giving an amused smirk. "Oh dear, come on now, there's no reason to lie to me." she snickered. Stepping closer to them, she gave Penelope's cheek a playful pinch. "The only other man you've ever brought around here was Gavin! I may be getting old but I'm not daft, Penelope. I'm a bit hurt actually. You said you'd introduce me to him when you could!"

Penelope rolled her eyes. "It's not what you think." she tried denying again. It was very much what Letitia thought but Penelope was a bit hesitant to let her know the truth, especially when they were still waiting for her father's blessing. "I was just stopping by to grab a couple things and he happened to be with me... Why are you here anyways? I thought Krea would have had you busy with the main house?"

Unfortunately, the knight's attempts to deflect went in one ear and out the other. Letitia gave her a dismissive wave and instead settled her gaze on Crow. She was already far too convinced that he was the one Penelope had spoke of before. While Letitia was completely right with her assumptions, it left Penelope with a feeling of unease. She wasn't sure how the older woman would react to finding out that while he was the man she loved, he had also been the infamous criminal that she had once escorted to Younis and was now the viceroy. Penelope knew that she would have had to tell Letitia one day but she was hoping that when she did, she wouldn't have to worry about any disapproval. If the servant held his past against him now and came forward to try and keep them apart, it'd just cause another obstacle for them. She shifted on her feet, glancing nervously at Crow, as if hoping he could find a way out of the current mess they were in.

"I'm sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Letitia, servant to the Vermillions and once the caretaker of this one when she was just a child." Letitia smiled, giving Penelope a small nudge. In the next moment, she eyed Crow with both a hint of mischief and intrigue. "So exactly who has gone and stolen my little girl's heart? What's your name sir? I don't think I recall your face from any of the noble families around here."

When the old woman said she didn’t remember meeting him before, Crow gave a wordless shrug. He supposed it wouldn’t be too difficult to say that he was a recent friend of Penelope’s. However, as she went on to mention that his face looked familiar, he averted his gaze. It wasn’t a longshot to guess that her memory of him had come from his old wanted posters around the kingdom. If she happened to remember where she had seen him before, there wasn’t much he could do to convince her she was wrong. He just hoped she wouldn’t go running to the guards as soon as she figured him out.

As the servant suddenly mentioned something about a “mystery man,” the viceroy blinked confusedly, casting Penelope a sideways glance. It sounded like she had already told the woman something about him. He wasn’t sure if he should be flattered or concerned, as the news brought him a mixture of both emotions. While he thought it was endearing that she talked about their relationship with the other people in her life, it also made it quite a bit harder for them to tell the servant that he wasn’t who she thought he was.

Apparently, the knight was going to try anyway. He shifted his weight slightly as she tried to dissuade the old woman from the notion that he was her lover. Of course, her efforts didn’t do much to help their case. In fact, the more she tried to argue, the more the servant seemed more convinced that she was right about him. He doubted there was much, if anything, either of them could say to stop her from believing he was the one she had spoken of before.

Even when Penelope tried to change the subject completely, the woman remained steadfast. As she turned to him again, obviously prying for a name by introducing herself, he hesitated. Part of him was tempted to give her a fake name, just to avoid the discomfort of revealing who he was. However, he knew he couldn’t do that. This woman—Letitia, he corrected himself—sounded like she was heavily involved in Penelope’s life. That meant they were probably going to cross paths again in the future. Lying to her now would only put him on bad terms with her, and he didn’t want to start off that way.

Additionally, he supposed there was one out that might still work: He didn’t have to give her a surname. Perhaps if he merely told her his first name, she wouldn’t make the connection that he was the thief-turned-noble who had moved into the castle recently. It wasn’t like his name was that uncommon, after all. As long as she didn’t ask too many questions, he was sure he could play it off.

Turning briefly to Penelope, he offered her a helpless shrug before looking back to answer Letita’s question. “My name is Collin,” he said with a sheepish half-smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Penelope ran a hand through her hair as Letitia asked Crow for his name. She gave a small frown at his helpless shrug and looked towards Letitia as he introduced himself using his real name. Worried about Letitia piecing together who he was, she held her breath as she subtly eyed the older woman's expression. However, Letitia didn't seem to connect the dots at first. The servant smiled at him and gave a respectful dip of her head. "Well it's lovely to finally meet you, Collin." she said in a friendly manner.

Just as Penelope was beginning to relax, however, the older woman paused as the wheels in her mind seemed to begin to turn a bit more. Her friendly demeanor faded slightly and she glanced towards Penelope. "Say.. Isn't the new viceroy named.." she trailed off and her gaze snapped back to Crow. As Letitia's eyes widened in realization, Penelope cringed. She could already tell Crow's attempt to keep her in the dark about who he truly was hadn't worked. Though it had taken her a moment, the servant had already connected the dots that tied his familiar face and name together.

"Letitia, wait—" Penelope took a step towards her, trying to intervene before Letitia could react.

She was to late though. "You're the thief turned viceroy!" Letitia exclaimed with visible shock. "I've seen your wanted posters before.. and I've certainly heard plenty about you from the family I serve." Her gaze darted to Penelope and she shifted to put herself protectively in front of the knight. While it might have been a bit of an amusing sight to see a servant trying to defend a knight, this was the exact reaction Penelope had been afraid of. "What on earth is going on here? What business do you have being with her, thief? I may just be a servant but I won't stand for any nonsense here!" she declared, holding up her head a bit defiantly as she eyed Crow warily.

“Likewise,” Crow nodded to Letitia when she said it was lovely to meet him. There didn’t seem to be any familiarity in the servant’s eyes, so he relaxed, assuming his name must not have rung any bells to her. It seemed his choice to only give her his first name had been enough to keep her from figuring him out after all. However, his relief only lasted for a moment before something in the old woman’s face changed and she turned to Penelope with the start of a question.

At her words, Crow blanched, realizing she had recognized him even though it had taken her some time. Her reaction wasn’t quite what he expected though. As Letitia planted herself protectively in front of Penelope, the viceroy gawked at her. Aside from the fact that her gesture was innately pointless, he was surprised by her hostility. Until now, everyone he’d met who knew of his new status had treated him with at least some respect, even if they didn’t like him. Whether they were trying to get something from him or were afraid of the consequences of speaking out of turn to someone who outranked them, no one had truly spoken their minds to him in weeks.

Yet, here this servant was, calling him thief.

He snorted, biting his lip before he burst out in a laugh. “Oh, I like you,” he snickered, turning to Penelope with a grin. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a servant like her? I would have come with you here sooner.” Taking a moment to get his breath back, he shook his head. “I can assure you, there’s no ‘nonsense’ going on that you need to be concerned about. My intentions with Penelope are pure.” He casted the old woman an amused smile. “Although I’m sure you can gather that much by yourself if she’s spoken to you about me before.”

Penelope looked down at Letitia with a hint of shock in her expression as the servant addressed him with such hostility. She knew that Letitia could be quite protective of her but even she was surprised to hear her speak unfiltered to someone who held the title of viceroy. Had it been anyone other than Crow, she might have actually been worried about what response they would have. As Crow turned to her, she raised eyebrow at him, slightly caught off guard by the amusement her showed. Letitia clearly was too as she saw the servant falter and glance over her shoulder at the knight.

"Well I was going to introduce you two once things had calmed down more." Penelope mused with a shrug.

Letitia remained a bit tense despite Crow's words to assure her that there was nothing to be concerned about. Though still clearly wary of him, her hostility lessened slightly as an equally strong wave of confusion washed over the servant. Seeming unconvinced by the former thief, she turned to Penelope, looking for a better explanation. "I don't understand. How is he the one you were talking about? When I talked to you, he had barely even gotten the position!" She shook her head. "And aside from that, what about all that I've heard from your uncle's letters to Krea, huh? I've heard about this man stealing from your battalion! Attacking your brother!"

Penelope shifted a bit on her feet. If Letitia's only knowledge about Crow was from Edward's letters, then it was easy to assume that the baron had likely painted him out to be quite the villain. "Well.. if you heard all of that, then you probably also heard about me working with him before, right? I'm sure he must have mentioned something about that. Layth and him had been furious with me." she said with a small shrug. Letitia would probably piece together that the two had been seeing each other before he had been promoted to viceroy so the knight didn't feel the need to hide it. She had already figured them out so if telling her a bit about their past would better the servant's view of him then Penelope had no reason not to.

Letitia raised a brow at Penelope. "I recall that... I try not to pay too much when he talks ill of you, dear." Her gaze flickered between them and she blinked with realization. "Gods Penelope since then?"

"Ah, a bit longer than that actually." Penelope said with a small laugh. She moved to shift closer to Crow's side, casting him a fond smile. "It's a bit of a complicated story but point is, he's not like Edward makes him out to be and you have nothing to worry about."

"I see you've been taking after your father." Letitia mused with a shake of her head. The servant let out a long breath as she took in this new information and then looked over to Crow. "Don't think I'm not still keeping my eye on you, boy." she told him sternly before breaking out into a smirk. "But from what I can tell, you make her happy so I'll try not to give you too difficult of a time."

No longer as worried about the turn of events than he had been before, Crow leaned back against the wall by the front door while Letitia went on to question Penelope. It seemed the servant wasn’t very quick to trust him, though he couldn’t blame her for being suspicious. After hearing which details the knight’s uncle had chosen to share about him, he would have been skeptical too. It sounded like the head of the Vermillion family had tried to make him look like scum of the earth.

Of course, everything Edward had said was true, but he’d done much more than just sabotage the Brerratic battalion and attempt to kill Penelope’s brother. He’d also stolen from the Younisian frontlines plenty of times, and he’d been instrumental in the defeat of the thieves who had done far more damage to the knights than he ever had. In his opinion, the baron owed him some respect after everything he’d sacrificed on the battalion’s behalf—well, Penelope’s, really, but he had helped the other nobles too.

Crow folded his arms loosely over his chest, watching the two women converse from a slight distance. As Penelope attempted to get the Letitia’s mind off the negative things she had heard about him, he noticed the old woman hesitate a bit more. It seemed that they were finally getting through to her. He was relieved about that. Even though he doubted she would go running to the guards anymore, he didn’t want her to keep looking at him like he was a terrible man who was just going to abuse the knight or some other nonsense. He’d had more than enough of that treatment in the past few months.

As Penelope shifted closer to his side, the viceroy slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her to himself in a half embrace and casting her an affectionate smile of his own. Whether the servant supported them or not, it was too late to hide the fact that they were together. He saw no reason to pretend like he wasn’t proud to be with her as long as the old woman already knew about them.

Crow turned back to Letitia with an amused look as she mentioned that Penelope had taken after her father. He supposed she would have been around the Vermillion family long enough to find the current situation familiar. Offhandedly, he wondered if John’s past with Liliana would encourage or discourage the old woman from supporting the knight in her decision to be with a man who was once a wanted criminal.

It seemed the latter was true.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he grinned when the servant said she would be keeping an eye on him. At her following words, the viceroy turned back to Penelope, his features softening as he held her gaze. “Well, that’s good, because making her happy is everything I strive for.” He pressed a playful kiss to her cheek. “I must be doing a good job if you think so too.”

Penelope gave an amused look at Letitia. She was glad that her words seemed to have gotten through to the servant. Though she doubted Letitia would go running to the guards, she did worry about her trying to convince her father to keep them separate. Especially with everything she knew from Edward. It made the knight inwardly cringe to think how John would react if he learned about Crow attacking his son. She was hoping to put off dealing with her brother learning about them for as long as she possibly could, especially since she didn't need him whispering anything in her father's ear to make him despise Crow more.

As Crow's gaze softened, she blushed lightly at his words, feeling a burst of affection for him. "Well, I don't have any complaints." she mused with a smile, leaning slightly into his side.

"Good lad." Letitia casted Crow a smile before shifting her gaze over to Penelope. "So, assuming that errand talk was all lies, what brings you here? Not that I don't mind the surprise visit."

"I was actually just showing him around Bellmare. It's the first time we've both managed to have a day off." Penelope admitted, seeing no reason in trying to cover up the real reason behind their visit now. "This was just our first stop. I'm planning to take him to the marketplace next."

"Oh how nice." Letitia said then paused as a mischievous gleam entered her gaze. "Of course, if you're showing him around, I sure hope you're including some stories about this place." As Penelope casted her a confused look, the servant clapped her hands together with sudden excitement. "It's fine if you haven't dear. I can take him on a more detailed tour of this house. If you're interested Collin, I can show you the dent in the wall where a seven year old Penelope tripped her seventeen year old brother, that's always a fun story. There's also a doorway where we kept track of her height as she grew older.. She was such a funny little girl. She'd try to cheat by standing on a stool and claiming that it counted."

Realizing where Letitia was going with these stories, the knight's face grew a bit red and she shook her head. "Oh gods please don't bring up my childhood."

It didn’t take long for the rest of the tension in the room to die off. Crow glanced away from Penelope when Letitia offered him a small compliment, glad that the servant was at least somewhat supportive of them. He couldn’t tell if she was still suspicious of him, but she was polite enough that he felt at ease with her around. The smile on her face was a welcomed change from the disapproving looks they usually got too. Absently, he found it interesting that, aside from his sister, the only people who seemed to be happy for them were peasant servants. He wasn’t at all surprised though. Nobles were so judgmental; it was hard to imagine them supporting anything outside of their definition of what they deemed acceptable.

As Penelope explained to Letitia what they were really doing in Bellmare, Crow let his gaze wander to the nearest window, through which he could see the stables where the Vermillions kept their horses. Distracted, his mind wandered to the remaining lessons he needed to complete before his father could send him to Gorm. Riding was on that list. He watched the animals curiously as the stable boys tended to them. The only experience he had with the beasts was when he had tried to control the stallion he and the knight had stolen in Younis. The attempt had gone rather miserably, and he hadn’t taken up any reins since. It was strange to him that he was going to be taught how to do it now.

Suddenly, the viceroy blinked as he realized Letitia was including him in the conversation once more. Turning back to her, he smirked, amused by her excitement to show him around the house. In a way, the servant reminded him of a proud mother, and he wondered just how close she had gotten to Penelope when the knight had been young. Perhaps that was why Penelope had more of a heart for peasants than most other nobles too? It made sense to him. If she had been raised by someone of Letitia’s status, then of course she would have been able to see the value in commoners like them.

He glanced at the knight as she grew flustered by the old woman’s suggestion. Seeing an opportunity to tease her, he nudged her with his shoulder, “Why not? It sounds like fun to me. I’d like to hear all about what you were like as a little girl.”

Penelope rolled her eyes at Crow as he nudged her shoulder and quickly jumped in on the chance to tease her a bit. It wasn't like her childhood had been particularly bad but as most people, she knew that she had done some things that she now considered embarrassing. She would prefer to keep such things to herself rather than having them retold. Of course, Letitia was only further encouraged by Crow's reaction though. The servant gave a laugh and nodded her head.

"I figured you would." Letitia grinned. "Believe it or not but she was quite the feisty little child. Always pushing the boundaries with everyone... Although to be fair, she had quite a few restrictions because of where she came from so it was hard for her not to." The older woman casted Penelope a half hearted smile before looking back to Crow. An amused glint entered her gaze and her smile grew into a smirk as she recalled the past. "I think the worst habit she had back then was picking fights with local boys around here."

"I did not pick fights with them, you're exaggerating." Penelope stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Letitia quirked a brow up at her. "Dear I remember you throwing rocks when they came by and hitting them with sticks if they approached you."

Penelope blushed a little and then shifted her gaze away. She knew exactly what Letitia was speaking about. Some of the noble boys had developed a habit of picking on her when she was a child. With her father busy as a knight and her brother being doted on by her uncle, she had often either been left to her own devices during the day or under the care of servants, namely Letitia. Back then, word had spread about her and her peasant heritage. Since their parents had looked down on her, she supposed it was only natural for the children to follow in their footsteps, except to a slightly worse degree. Luckily it was mainly just mean and taunting words rather than anything actually physical.. At least on their side.

"Well... yeah." she admitted reluctantly before going on in a defensive manner, "They kept making nasty comments about me and my family so I tried to chase them off by throwing rocks. I was only like ten, I didn't know any better way to handle it.. Plus in my opinion they deserved every bit of it. They were snotty brats."

Letitia looked at her with fond amusement and leaned over to Crow. "I also think that's why John decided to make her a knight. Probably thought she had scared away all the potential suitors." the old woman snickered. "'Course he's caught onto how wrong he was in recent years. Likely a lucky thing for you too since he waited until recent to try and marry her off." Letitia mused with a wink.

Crow smirked when Penelope rolled her eyes at him. He found it amusing that she was so embarrassed about parts of her past. It was quite different compared to how he looked back on his own life. Though he was secretive, there wasn’t much he kept to himself just because he wasn’t proud of it. Everything he’d been through, good and bad, had made him who he was today. For that, there was little he felt ashamed about. Unless his past actions had hurt someone else, like when he had joined Jaxon’s group or hurt Hazel, there wasn’t anything he would change about the experiences he had endured.

As Letitia spoke up again, the viceroy turned to her with interest. “Really?” he laughed when the servant said Penelope had been feisty as a child. It was hard for him to imagine her acting that way. When they had first met, it had been like pulling teeth for him to get her to bend the rules with her comrades. Even though she’d always buckled to him eventually, her first inclination had never been to side with a thief. He wondered how she had gone from rebel to rule-follower when it seemed like such a stark change.

At the knight’s outburst, Crow pulled her closer to his side with a grin. Despite what she claimed, he could easily picture her fighting with the other children in Bellmare. It seemed to be true too, as she confessed after a bit more prompting from Letitia. It was no wonder she made such a talented knight. She was a warrior from the very start. Feeling a burst of affection for her, he leaned down to press another kiss to her cheek. “They just didn’t know who they were messing with,” he teased her fondly.

As the servant told him about Penelope’s father, he nodded in agreement. It certainly was lucky for him that John hadn’t arranged her marriage sooner. If she had been with someone else when they had met two years ago, they probably would have never fallen in love. It was strange to think that in another life, he might have known what it was like to walk without her by his side. He was glad that things had worked out this way instead, where they could look forward to a life together.

“I think I owe those boys a word of thanks then,” Crow chuckled. “Because of them, the rest of the men in this city missed out on marrying the most amazing woman in the kingdom.” He hugged her again, casting her a wry wink. “And now she’s all mine.”

Penelope didn't bother to point out that her father had only changed his mind because he thought she was acting careless. The knight had to agree it was quite lucky though. Every step she had taken in her life, mainly career wise, had led her to him. From proving her abilities to William so he would recommend her for the king's mission to becoming Mia's lieutenant to end up in the battalion near him, everything took her to him. Though, she supposed that was also largely thanks to some divine interference but she wasn't going to complain about that. Even if most of their meetings had been planned by someone else, she was still grateful she wouldn't have to know a life where they had never crossed paths.

She smiled a bit bashfully at Crow's words and wrapped her arm around him as he hugged her. "Yes, well, things certainly worked out for the best in that aspect." she mused resting her head against him as she casted him an affectionate look. The knight glanced back over to Letitia and gave her a small smile. "We should probably get going though. This was just our first stop for the day."

"Already?" Letitia frowned a little and then crossed her arms. "You're just trying to get out of here before I bring up Scratch aren't you?"

"Well I wasn't until now." Penelope felt her face growing warm again at the name. She shook her head and smiled at Letitia. "We'll be back again at some point so I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to tell him more stories then."

"And don't think I won't." The older woman grinned. "You two better stop by again soon." She stepped over to wrap Penelope up in a hug. She gave her a firm squeeze before letting her go and turning to Crow. "It was nice meeting you, Collin. I'm glad the new viceroy isn't as horrible as some say.. Good thing too since I would have whacked you if you were." She gave him a playful wink and patted him on the back. "I'm sure her father isn't giving you an easy time so good luck. If I hear or see him, I'll put in a couple good words for you.

Crow smiled as Penelope rested her head against him. Even though it hadn’t gone the way he’d expected, he found that he was enjoying their visit to her home quite a bit. He’d gotten to learn more about what she had been like as a child, and he’d even met a servant who had been an important part of her life. He was glad she had suggested the idea. Along with the fact that it was entertaining, finding out more about the knight made him feel closer to her.

It seemed they weren’t going to be sticking around for much longer though. When Penelope announced that they should keep moving, the viceroy let his arms fall from around her. As fun as it was to torment her with stories about her childhood, he knew there were other places she wanted to show him in Bellmare, so he didn’t complain. Instead, he stood aside as she said her goodbyes to Letitia, waiting so they could go to the marketplace.

As the servant turned to address him next, Crow grinned. “I don’t doubt it,” he chuckled as she patted his back. She certainly seemed protective enough to swat anyone she didn’t think was worthy of the knight’s affection. He was relieved she’d come around to see that he wasn’t the kind of man Edward had probably made him out to be. “Thank you,” he added with an appreciative nod when she offered to put in a good word for him with John. At this point, he was grateful for anything and anyone who might help him get on the stubborn knight’s good side. If she wanted to help with that, then he wouldn’t stop her.

Turning back to Penelope, he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle tug. “Come on, I’m ready to see the next thing you have planned for us,” he smiled eagerly, offering Letitia one more dip of his head in farewell before heading out of the house.

Once they were outside, he let go of her hand and drew his hood over his head again, just in case anyone else was around who might recognize him. “So,” he mused, casting the knight a sly smirk. “What’s a Scratch?”

Penelope smiled as Crow took her hand and she nodded her head in agreement. She gave Letitia one last wave goodbye before turning to follow him out of the house. As they stepped outside, she swept her gaze over the area, making sure it was still as clear as it had been before. Luckily it was and she began to lead the way off her family's property and back onto the road. Though their visit with Letitia had gone rather well, she was eager to move on and show him the rest of Bellmare. Especially since she was hoping to stop from talking about her childhood anymore that day.

Her hopes were quickly dashed though as he turned back to her with a sly smirk. The knight blinked and looked over at him as he asked about Scratch. "You just had to ask didn't you?" she chuckled rolling her eyes at him. "I was hoping you'd heard enough from Letitia about me for one day." Penelope let out a small sigh feeling her cheeks grow warm again. Although she didn't really want to explain it, there was no reason not to aside from her own embarrassment.

"Well if you must know, Scratch was a toy dog made out of straw. Letitia gave him to me when I was young and I named him Scratch because... well, the hay was scratchy." She said with a sheepish smile. The knight shrugged her shoulders and looked ahead as she began to lead them towards the market place. "He was my favorite toy to play with back then...I also might have had quite the imagination when I was young." Her cheeks reddened a bit as she glanced over at Crow with smirk. "I used to claim he was as big as the house and if I ever got in trouble, my go to was usually to say that it was Scratch and not me. Unfortunately that excuse only really worked with Letitia."

She shook her head at them memory and gave his side a nudge. "But that's all you're getting out of me today. I'm sure Letitia will tell you plenty more whenever we see her again." she said with a small laugh.

“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 some 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?”

Penelope smiled at him amusedly as she felt him brush his hand against hers. The knight gave a soft chuckle as he explained that he had once played with some quartz when he was a boy. It definitely made her feel a bit better, more so just because she enjoyed hearing about what he had done as a child. She supposed she understood his eagerness to hear the stories Letitia had of her when she was growing up. Offhandedly, the knight wondered if, when they had a kid, they would act similarly to how she and Crow had growing up. The thought made her heart speed up, keeping a blush on her face. It had been a while since she had thought about their far off future due to everything that was going on and now that it had crossed her mind. Now that it had, she began to realize how different it would look now that Crow had taken the title of viceroy.

"That's for sure." she agreed with him, clearing her voice a bit awkwardly as she tried to push away thoughts of the future. Though she knew they both wanted that, it was too far off to be focusing on it now. As he turned to her with an eager look, the knight's smile widened into a grin, finding his enthusiasm infectious and also welcoming the subject change. "Next up is the market place! It's pretty big.. I also might use this opportunity to actually do one errand that I need." she admitted with a small laugh.

"I need to get an appropriate dress for this party otherwise Gavin's sister will have my head." she explained with an exasperated sigh. "Normally I wouldn't agree with her but eyes are going to be on me when I try to convince everyone to support the war's end so I suppose I'll to dress to impress." Penelope shrugged her shoulders and gave him a teasing smirk before nudging his side. "Some of us don't have our wardrobe already picked out for us unfortunately."

As a blush appeared on Penelope’s face, Crow studied her curiously, wondering what had crossed her mind that would make her so flustered. Personally, he’d thought their conversation had been quite lighthearted. Had he said something that embarrassed her? He opened his mouth to question her about it but didn’t get a chance before she told him where they were headed to now. Apparently the marketplace was next on the list. He put his brief confusion behind him as his eagerness to explore the city with her replace the emotion.

“I can’t wait,” he said with genuine excitement. No matter where they were, marketplaces had always been a scene he enjoyed. The lively crowds of vendors and consumers were thrilling, and there were often stands of goods that had been traded from neighboring kingdoms. He liked seeing the artistry and exotic produce from places like Medora and Waithen. This was a noble market too. That meant there would be a surplus of expensive products like jewelry and weapons that he wouldn’t be able to see in the outer villages, where there was no demand for such fine items.

Plus, the busy streets were the perfect cover for a thief.

While he had been keeping his hands to himself since he took on the title of viceroy, Crow couldn’t help but feel tempted to pocket a few coin purses or rings. Stealing was his favorite part of visiting any marketplace. He had gotten quite good at it and hadn’t been caught in years—aside from once in Younis when Hartley had sold him out to the local guards. There was no bratty kid to ruin his odds this time though. As long as he was careful, it could be the perfect opportunity for him to brush up on his skills.

Keeping the thought to himself, he met Penelope’s gaze with a roll of his eyes, “I may have my clothes picked out for me, but they’re nothing I would have chosen for myself. Everything is so bright and gaudy. The only nice thing about them is that the fabric is softer than what I wore as a peasant.” He shrugged and casted her a playful smile. “Besides, I don’t know what you’re worried about. You impress me no matter what you’re wearing, love… even if you’re not wearing anything at all.” He added the last part in a lowered voice, winking at her flirtatiously.

Penelope gave a laugh as Crow rolled his eyes at her. She had just been teasing him but she had to admit that he was right. Personally, she was still adjusting to seeing him in noble clothing, especially such luxurious ones that went with the title of viceroy. The bright and expensive clothing was a large leap from the attire he used to wear as a thief. Of course, with everything else changing just as fast, she hadn't thought much about it.

As he shot her a playful smile, she blinked and then rolled her eyes amusedly at his sultry words. She shot him a coy smile and leaned in a little closer to him. "Well if that's the case, maybe we can find some time today for me to impress you." she mumbled, returning his flirtatious wink.

The knight smirked up at him and folded her arms. "On a more serious note, I appreciate the sentiment but unfortunately I don't think that's going to help me in the case of the party." she said with a small laugh. Penelope looked up at him and smirked. "If the only person I had to convince was you, it'd make things a lot easier. Sadly most nobles don't share your values though. If I'm going to be a partial host to this thing, I've got to dress up a bit more than I'd usually like to."

The knight shook her head at the thought of having to dress up for such an occasion. She had never really been at the head of any big party so her usual choice of dresses didn't matter nearly as much. However, she had plans to speak to and convince many high ranking nobles about her effort to end the war on peaceful terms and nothing attracted their attention more than power and wealth. She'd have some power to display through her title of lieutenant and her connection to the princess and viceroy so all that was left was to put wealth into the mixture. The thought made her want to wrinkle her nose. After this party is over, I'll just sell the dress and jewels off so I can start the funding to aid the outer villages after... she told herself. Knowing that the coins she would spend today would eventually go towards something she actually wanted to spend them on, she felt a little less annoyed by the thought of buying something a bit more extravagant than what she currently owned.

"Just don't judge me for what I might buy today." Penelope mused as she looked ahead towards the marketplace as it came into view. It was bustling with nobles and their servants as they traveled around to the various merchants. The place was just as busy as the knight remembered it to be. Turning to Crow she flashed him an eager smile. "So, any place in particular you'd like to start looking at first?"

When Penelope returned his banter with a sultry offer of her own, Crow grinned. Since it was turning out to be a busier day than he’d expected, he hadn’t been sure if she thought they would have time to be alone. Now that he knew it wasn’t off the table, his spirits lifted even more. It had been a while since the last time they had been able to be together, so he was looking forward to it quite a bit, especially after everything that had happened with Elizabeth. He wanted to get the other noblewoman out of his head and remind himself even more of his feelings for the knight.

As Penelope went on to explain why she had to dress up for the party, Crow shrugged. “Well, if they can’t appreciate you without fine clothes, then that’s their loss,” he asserted. Of course, after going through his titling ceremony two weeks ago, he understood that she was right about having to keep up appearances in front of the other people in the castle. It was the reason why his father’s servants had worked so hard to clean him up into a “respectable” looking nobleman. If he had stood in front of the crowd unwashed and ragged, none of them would have taken him seriously. They cared far more about what someone looked like on the outside than what they were actually like on the inside, as the peasants did. It was frustrating, but if the knight was going to convince anyone, she had to play by their rules.

“I won’t,” Crow casted Penelope an amused look when she told him not to judge her. “I know I’ve been teasing you, but I do understand why you need to do it.” He sighed, letting his gaze wander over the other people in the market. “As much as I hate to admit it, you were right before when you told me you can’t go through life in the inner kingdom without caring what other people think—at least a little bit. Other nobles’ opinions matter a lot more than I thought they did.”

He frowned as he considered it more. He couldn’t even make personal decisions without getting someone else’s approval anymore. As a peasant, he’d never had to think about how his desires impacted anyone else, but now, he had to work constantly to please the people around him who had a say in his life. He pandered to his father to keep his position as viceroy, he pretended to be interested in shallow conversations to befriend men like Wayne, and he was always walking on eggshells around John, since he had to get the knight’s permission to marry Penelope. With so many people tugging him in different directions, he felt like a puppet, no longer as free as he used to be to live life as he pleased. It was a discouraging thought.

Realizing he had fallen quiet, Crow turned back to Penelope to answer the question he had neglected. “Not particularly,” he mused with a half-smile, still slightly somber due to the things on his mind. “We can go wherever you’d like. I’m sure anyplace you choose will be great, love.”

Penelope looked over at him as he admitted to her being right in the past. She gave him a momentarily confused expression before she recalled the conversation they had once had about noble life. The knight gave a small murmur of agreement. Part of her was a bit glad to see him coming around to understand the world she had grown up in and why she behaved the way she did with other nobles. Especially at the moment when she was trying to garner support. Usually she didn't even have to bend this much to others but the Lenzs were doing quite a bit for her, so for now, she'd have to play by Dimia's rules.

Her gaze shifted onto Crow, noticing his small silence despite her question. She frowned faintly as she realized it likely had to do with their previous topic of pandering to other nobles. Back when they had first discussed it, he hadn't seen the point in bending to what others wanted, even if it was just a bit. She guessed now that he had mentioned it, it had been an unpleasant thought. Further convinced of it as she noticed his half smile, the knight felt a small bit of guilt. She knew it had been his own decision to make but he wouldn't have been forced to worry about what other nobles thought if he hadn't taken the position of viceroy to be with her.

The knight paused for a moment, glancing around the marketplace until her gaze landed on a nearby stand. "Let's start over at this one then." she said, choosing it for no particular reason other than to give him a quick answer. Penelope side glanced over at him and gave a half hearted smile. "You probably won't have to care as much about other nobles once your training finishes and people like Adam give up on trying to get you removed though. At least then, more people will be worried about pandering to you rather than the other way around... For the most part at least." she pointed out quietly.

Penelope gave her shoulders a small shrug before looking back ahead at the stand she had chosen on a whim. Looking at it now, she realized it was a mixture of different goods from clearly a different kingdom, although it wasn't one she was familiar with. She could only tell by the strange craftings of figures as well as the way many of the jewelry had been made, which were different than what she was used to seeing in Brerra.