Crow watched his sister amusedly as she prematurely welcomed Penelope into their family. They had only been courting for less than the span of a whole evening, but the princess was already too ecstatic to wait any longer. He decided not to tease her this time though. Considering the fact that Naida was among a group of nobles he could count on one hand who supported them, he appreciated her avid response to the news. It was going to be encouraging if or when they started hearing more from the people who weren’t as excited about their newly public relationship.

His eyes shifted to William’s irate figure on the other side of the room, protesting the courtship with John. Right now, the only ones who were actively upset about their passionate announcement were the men and women who had been trying to use them to rise up in the social hierarchy. However, he had a feeling even more people in the castle would side against them as the petty old knight spread the word that they had been intimately involved when Penelope had been his guard two years ago. Nobles were shallow, so he knew they would judge the lieutenant for falling in love with a criminal. It was only a matter of time before someone’s tongue would slip, and their true thoughts would start to show through.

When Naida asked Penelope about the ceremony, Crow turned back to her with a bemused smile. The princess really didn’t waste any time. Her question gave him pause though. He hadn’t thought much about what a wedding ceremony would look like now that he was a nobleman. Having grown up with the traditions of peasants, he only knew about the handfasting ceremonies the villagers would throw together to get married. It didn’t take much planning, since all a couple needed was an officiator and at least one witness, but it sounded like members of the upper echelon of society planned much more elaborate events.

He glanced at Penelope, noticing that she had gotten visibly flustered by the subject. Her awkwardness surrounding their future was cute to him. When they had first started talking about it near Farhill, he’d been just as uncomfortable as she was, but the more he thought about it, the more his excitement replaced his nervousness. He knew what he wanted, and he knew she was on the same page as he was. Now, the prospect of marrying her was more thrilling than anything else. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her.

“Me too,” he agreed, leaning in to press another affectionate kiss to the knight’s cheek. “I don’t care if we get married in a manor or the middle of the woods. I just want to be with you.”

“And have a banquet full of good food, right?” Naida teased him with a grin. “Since you like hors d’oeuvres better than women.”

“Better than every woman except this one,” Crow corrected her with a wink, wrapping his arm around Penelope’s side. He knew nobles usually weren’t as openly affectionate as he was being now, but he was enjoying the ability to be so close to her without hiding it anymore. And he wanted to make it clear to every man in the Great Hall that she was off the market. “But yes, if there’s going to be a banquet on our wedding day, I’m going to be eating venison. That’s non-negotiable, love.” He shot Penelope a playful smirk.