Crow’s eyes widened just as much as Naida’s when Penelope answered his sister’s question truthfully. He turned to her in surprise, wondering if she had given up on keeping their relationship a secret from the princess or if she had simply decided there was no reason to keep doing it when he would be speaking to his father about their courtship within the next two days. Her wink was enough to tell him what she was really doing though, and he relaxed slightly, realizing that she was messing with her friend.

As the subject was changed to the results of the council meeting, he turned back to his sister with a grin. Now that he knew he would be able to have more time with Penelope than he’d thought, it was easier to speak about the topic from an optimistic perspective. “It went great, actually,” he told her honestly. “Preparations are already underway for my trip to Younis to petition the king for peace. I’ll be leaving the castle in just three days. With any luck, this war will be over in a month.”

“Really?” Naida mirrored his expression. “I can’t believe that actually worked! Father is usually too stubborn to take anyone else’s advice besides his old advisor, Gerard—and Gerard is a kiss ass anyway.”

“Well, I guess three hundred and forty-seven voices were enough this time,” Crow laughed.

“Going to Younis sounds exciting too…” the princess fidgeted nervously. “Do you… Do you still think you can convince father to let me come with you?”

“I can’t promise anything,” the viceroy admitted. “But I’ll do what I can.”

“Thanks,” she perked up slightly, looked across the table at Penelope and then frowned again. “Oh… I guess this means you couldn’t court anyway, huh? Not when Collin is leaving so soon. What are you going to do now that the war might be ending?”