Crow casted Penelope an affectionate smile when she placed her hand on top of his, listening to her explain the reasons why they had kept their relationship under wraps for so long. Each point she listed felt like shackles being shed. All the reasons why they had decided not to tell anyone were valid, but now they didn’t have a hold on them anyone. After more than two years of waiting, he and the knight were finally on the right track to get married and have a life together.

As Penelope went on to tell Naida about their history in Younis, he smirked at his sister’s reaction. “Wait, [i]what[/i]?” Naida squawked incredulously, eyes darting between them as she processed the information. “You’ve been together that long? And when he was your prisoner? I have so many questions.”

“Such as?” Crow prompted her amusedly and glanced at Penelope. “We don’t have anything to hide anymore, so go ahead and ask.”

“Well…” the princess started thoughtfully. She went on to inquire about their relationship, and Crow answered each question honestly, letting Penelope fill in details as well if she wished. He told her about how they had first gotten together while they were still prisoner and guard in Younis, why they had lost touch after they returned to Brerra, how they had reconnected when the knight’s battalion had joined the warfront, how they had gotten back together when she had ended things with her last suitor, Gavin, and more. It felt good to finally open up to someone about the true story when everyone always seemed to make so many assumptions when they found out about their unorthodox history.

His sister made a great listener too. She hung on every word, enraptured by the tale he told. When she finally ran out of questions, she shook her head, “When I saw you two kiss today, I thought I was going to take credit for this courtship, but it sounds like you didn’t need me at all.”

“Not a bit,” Crow grinned in agreement and took a bite of his food. The servants had arrived with their plates during the time he had been telling the princess about their past.

“Either way, I’m happy,” Naida professed, beaming at them joyfully. “My best friend and my brother are going to get married!” She reached out to clasp Penelope’s hand across the table. “Is it too soon to welcome you to the family?”