As the three servants bowed respectfully and turned to walk away, Crow murmured his thanks to Preston for bringing out his food. After a long day of studying and archery practice, he was looking forward to having a hot meal, and it looked like his attendant had filled his plate more than usual. He picked up his utensils to eat, mouth watering in anticipation, but before he could lift the first bite to his lips, he paused at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name.

Peering back over his shoulder, he smiled at the sight of Penelope approaching the table with unbridled excitement. Since he had been in the room when Hunter and his father had discussed the time of their meeting, he had a feeling he already knew what she was going to say before she said it. His heartbeat quickened in his chest. If he was right, and she had managed to persuade Albin to negotiate with the king of Younis, they were one step closer to ending the war and beginning their official courtship. He held his breath, waiting eagerly to hear the rest of her sentence until he remembered his company.

His eyes flicked toward his sister, who had just been on his case about their suspected relationship less than a minute ago. Between her surprisingly accurate collection of observations from the party and the way Penelope had addressed him just now, it was going to be difficult to lead the persistent princess off their trail again. The knight seemed to notice it too, as she chose to tell her friend about the news instead of him. However, his concerns about Naida were quickly forgotten when Penelope announced that she had been able to convince the king to seek an alternative solution to the war.

“That’s great!” he agreed with the others, his smile turning into a grin. Absently, he wondered if his father would include him in the next council meeting. Even if Albin had been swayed by the petition, there was no telling what the other noblemen on his court would say. The viceroy wanted to offer his support of the peace agreement if he could. He felt like his voice should matter, since he was the one they would be sending to the foreign kingdom they chose.

Crow was drawn from his thoughts when his sister chose that moment to bring up their closeness again. Rolling his eyes, he cut in before she could push her theory anymore. “I’m glad you came to us first,” he said to Penelope, though he wouldn’t have expected anything less. “Now let’s just hope the king pushes this new plan as quickly as he wanted to push the last one.”

“Are you ready to meet with the Younisian monarch?” Percival asked, knitting his brows.

“More ready than I would have been to speak with the king of Gorm,” Crow answered with a shrug. “At least I’ve been to Younis before. It’s familiar territory.”

“I bet he’ll be willing to negotiate too,” Naida chipped in, seeming to have forgotten about her matchmaking mission for the moment. “It sounds like Younis hasn’t been doing much better in this war than we have.”

“They haven’t,” Crow confirmed, popping a bite of food into his mouth. “With any luck, this whole thing will be over in a month, and we can finally start rebuilding our borders. Gods know the villagers out there need it.”