“Did I?” Crow mused, pretending to think it over even though he knew quite well that the competition had been his idea. He shrugged, casting her a playful smile. “Well, it’s your word against mine, darling. Looks like we’ll never know.”

His eyes drifted down to her lips, and he met her eagerly as she leaned up to kiss him. Now that they didn’t get to be physical very often, her touch felt amplified to him, and he didn’t want her to pull away. Luckily, she seemed to have the same thought. He smiled against her lips as he felt her press into him, wrapping his arms around her in an affectionate embrace. All urgency to get back to the castle was temporarily forgotten as he lost himself in the moment. The only thing he could think about was the woman in front of him.

When she eventually pulled back from him, he chuckled breathily at her joke. “Maybe I should start blaming you for things more often,” he teased, intertwining his fingers with hers when he felt her take his hand. All joking aside, he found her sudden spontaneity exciting. He glanced up at the sky, wishing they had more time together. As soon as they passed back into the citadel, they were going to have to return to pretending they barely knew each other. The thought was especially disheartening after the luxury of having her company all to himself for most of the day.

“Alright,” Crow nodded when Penelope said they were close to the river. He followed her lead as they made their way out of the narrow street, his eyes wandering absently over the surrounding buildings. From the river, it was a pretty clear shot back to the castle. They wouldn’t have much more time to be alone.

“It won’t be much longer, right?” he asked quietly, half speaking to himself. He turned to the knight with a frown. “It’s been hard… telling everyone we’re not together. I’m proud to be with you, and I want them all to know it.” He sighed, letting his gaze settle on the path ahead. “Honestly, I don’t know how much longer I can go without letting it slip that I’ve already have a partner I love to one of the other women who’ve been approaching me lately.”