For a moment, Crow felt like they were falling into a comfortable rhythm as the subject of his future responsibilities was dropped. However, the short-lived peace was shattered with the sound of an unfamiliar voice. He peered around Penelope’s shoulder as one of the noblemen from a different table approached the knight with a greeting. The sight made him want to groan. It seemed like any time he got his hopes up that he would be able to spend time with her, some other man would swoop in and try to steal her away. He supposed he should have been happy that her increased popularity was a sign that she was gaining influence in the inner kingdom, but he wished their time wouldn’t be interrupted so often. Until they were publicly courting, he couldn’t do anything to prevent it either.

As the nobleman flashed a smile at Penelope, Crow lifted his mug to his lips to stifle a sour expression. He had already known why the stranger had sought her out, but it was still vexing to watch someone else flirt with her when he was sitting right there. If they hadn’t been trying to keep their relationship a secret, he would have slipped his arm around her waist to show Papert that she was already spoken for. Instead, he took a slow breath and reminded himself that it didn’t matter. Whether anyone else was aware of it or not, Penelope was with him, and that wouldn’t be changing anytime soon. The other man was wasting his time.

Unfortunately, the reminder wasn’t enough to stop him from tensing when Papert politely asked to join them. A sharp ‘no’ was on the tip of his tongue, but he restrained himself. He was put off by the thought of allowing the nobleman to join them, but he also didn’t want to come off as overly hostile when the newcomer hadn’t knowingly done anything to feed his temper. Coming up with a more tactful excuse, he turned to the other man with parted lips but didn’t get the chance to turn him away before Penelope spoke first.

Crow glanced at her, bewildered, and then blinked in surprise when Papert squeezed in next to the knight on their side of the table. The noble was surprisingly shameless.

Of course, Naida noticed it too. “What was your name again? Papert?” the princess queried, studying the blonde with a frown as she tried to place him.

“Kane Papert, my lady,” the nobleman replied with a respectful nod.

“Oh,” Naida’s eyes swept over the three people sitting across from her. “Sorry, I don’t remember where I might have seen you before.”

[i]Probably because you were busy downing goblets of wine,[/i] Crow thought dryly, suddenly remembering that Kane was one of the men he’d seen Penelope dance with at the party. It looked like he was still trying to stand out from the other nobles who’d begun vying for the lieutenant’s attention.

“Anyway, we were just celebrating Penelope here,” the princess went on with a thin smile. “She did so well with her speech that she earned a few drinks and a fun night out with her friends.” The slightest emphasis was added to the last word, and Crow guessed that his sister was trying to hint that Kane wasn’t included in the statement. He sipped idly at his mead, keeping the nobleman in the corner of his eye as he watched to see how he’d react to Naida’s frosty comment.