"I at least hope so." Penelope said, mirroring his smirk. She smiled as he squeezed her to his side and was just beginning to lean her elbows onto the table as Naida's squeal startled the knight. Turning her head to look towards the source of the sound, she watched as her friend rushed towards them. Her excitement over their newly and informally announced courtship was already refreshing. After all the stares and glares they were already receiving, it was nice to have someone reacting so positively. As Crow confirmed their courtship to the princess, she met his gaze with an affectionate look of her own. 

She gave a soft chuckle as Crow also went on to tell Naida just how long they had really been together. The knight moved to place her hand over his, enjoying the lack of space between them. The days of sneaking small touches under the table were gone. Her gaze flickered over to Naida as she addressed her and gave a small sigh. "There were a lot of reasons. He still needed to get my father's blessing and then dealing with the king but the main reason was because I was heading the petition to end the war peacefully." she explained with a small shrug.

As Naida gave her a confused looked, Penelope went on, "If we had started courting before I got the support I needed, there was a large chance that many nobles wouldn't listen to me due to the fact that we already had a history together." she explained. "At least if they try to slander my name about it now there's not anything to risk."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense then." Naida mused with a thoughtful nod. She paused and gave Penelope a curious look. "Why do you think they'd slander your name though? You have a pretty decent reputation, especially now, and it was just one mission."

The knight paused and gave a sheepish smile. "Well...mainly because one knight[i] might [/i]have figured out we were romantically involved on said mission.." She looked over at Crow and gave her shoulders a small shrug. Now that they were courting and seeing William's reaction, she saw no reason in hiding their history together. It was likely William would spread the story around the castle, likely twisting it in a way that would make it seem much worse than what actually occurred.