Penelope trotted after Cedric as he lead them away from the crowds and towards the back of the room. He finally came to a stop near an isolated spot by a window and then turned to face her. The female knight still felt rather annoyed with him, now both because of the previous stunt as well as due to his constant interruption during her time with Crow. With both of those things in mind, she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Well go on then." she muttered as she leaned back against the wall.

Cedric frowned at the bitter tone of her voice. "Penelope I'm sorry about what I did when we danced. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.. I was actually just hoping you might have been starting to see me in that way again." The knight shuffled his feet in a nearly bashful manner. 

"Why the hell would you be hoping for that?" Penelope snorted shaking her head. "You said you wanted to rekindle a friendship with me Cedric. I've forgiven you for the past but I certainly haven't forgotten it." That and she was already fully taken by Crow. Of course, she couldn't tell him that at the moment so she hoped whatever thoughts he had about trying to court her would disappear if she mentioned the past. 

"I know, I know. I really screwed up back then and I wasn't fair to you at all." Cedric lowered his head shamefully. "I was speaking the truth when I said I wanted a friendship but as time when on, my feelings began to change and now I can't help but wish for more... You're an amazing woman, Penelope."

Penelope shifted uneasily, not sure what to say at first. The past told her that Cedric was likely just trying to figure out how to use her for his own personal gain but some part of his words registered as genuine to her, making her annoyance begin to burn out. "Cedric.. that's sweet but I'm not—"

"You don't have to make a decision right now." Cedric cut her off, holding a finger up to her lips. "Just please consider me... I know you have eyes for someone else right now." She swore she saw a flicker of annoyance in his gaze. "But I don't think he's right for you. I may have messed up in the past but his record is even worse than that... Not to mention the rumors that will spread about you two. You said William was already responsible for trying something that. They'll believe him if you court Collin."

Penelope froze at the mention of Crow. She didn't think she had been that obvious of her emotions towards the viceroy when Cedric was around but apparently she had been wrong. Either way she disliked the fact that he was trying to dissuade her from pursuing him. She wished she could just come clean and tell him that none of that matter to her since the two were already secretly seeing each other. However, since she couldn't, the female knight elected to remain quiet instead as he spoke.

"I just don't want you to get hurt again." Cedric said offering an apologetic smile. "Just think about it though... and remember it's not uncommon for a noblewoman to have to suitors if you're that unsure. I love you, Penelope." All of a sudden his finger tips traced the side of her face, making the knight stiffen, and he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

The knight felt her head hit the back of the wall, almost instinctively trying to pull away from him before it could happen. However, she had unknowingly cornered herself and wasn't able to react fast enough to stop it. Luckily Cedric made it a quick kiss, rightfully fearing she'd rejected it if he lingered. As he pulled back, he casted her a soft apologetic look and then turned to walk away. Penelope quickly pushed herself off the wall, rubbing the back of her head that was now lightly throbbing from the hit. Her heart began to beat anxiously as she took in what had just happened, feeling a strong wave of guilt for not putting a stop to Cedric's actions sooner.