“Well, the good news is that my father has formally decided to try negotiating with Younis before he makes a pact with Gorm,” Crow started, finding this half of the meeting easier to deliver than the next. It was exciting that the petition Penelope had worked so hard on had been enough to persuade Albin to cooperate with them, and he was happy to be the one to tell her that her efforts had paid off. But as he prepared to deliver the second half, he sighed. “The bad news is that he’s gotten impatient and has decided to send me to Younis in three days.”

Beneath the table, he stretched out his leg to rest against hers and met her gaze solemnly. They had come so close to being able to court that it discouraged him to know that even if he managed to convince his father to give them the go-ahead before he left, they wouldn’t be able to really start courting for at least another two weeks. It felt like he had reached for the handle and pushed open the door just to have it slammed in his face after he’d gotten a glimpse inside. Unfortunately, they had already pushed the king as far as they could. Albin wouldn’t be making any more compromises regarding the negotiation.

“I hate this,” he groaned, dropping his head into his hands in frustration. “I know it’s just one trip, but I was hoping we would be able to start courting in the next few days. At this rate, we’ll be lucky to get even one full day together before I have to leave.”