“Could be,” Crow smirked when Penelope said she hoped they would be the ones to end the war. Even though their deadline to change his father’s mind was fast approaching, he was trying to remain optimistic that they could still pull it off. After all, one of the gods believed they were capable of doing it, and he was pretty sure that heavenly beings were smarter than he could ever become in his limited lifetime. If Toreus was confident in them, then he had no reason to think that just because things were looking grim from his point of view meant their mission was hopeless.

As the knight announced that she needed to go, Crow nodded. “I should too,” he said, standing up to stretch his legs. “It probably wouldn’t look good if I show up late to my first lesson after I got a day off.” He had enjoyed being able to take a whole day to do whatever he wanted, and he didn’t want to lose the opportunity to do so again. In a strange way, it reminded him of the day he’d been released from prison. Once he’d tasted freedom again, he would have fought anyone who tried to force him to give it up again. Now, he would do the same to keep from being metaphorically tied down by endless lessons.

“I will,” he agreed when she told him to sneak his letter to her when he had a chance to write back to Hazel. At her following question, he considered his options. He would have liked to write with her for the sake of spending more time together, but with the party just around the corner, he doubted that checking his spelling would be a productive use of her time.

“I think I’ll try to write it on my own this time,” the viceroy stated decisively. “If it turns out to be too difficult, I’ll let you know, but I want to see if I can do it by myself first.” He offered her a smile, “I guess I’ll see you later, love. Good luck with the Lenz’s.”