Crow’s smile brightened when Penelope said she loved the gift. He was well aware that she wasn’t the type of woman who drooled over fine clothes and jewelry, so it had been a bit of a gamble on his part to steal a necklace for her. However, he had liked the thought of giving her something she could wear, so she could keep it with her all the time if she wanted to. Hearing her say that she would wear it every day while they were apart made him sit up a little straighter, happy that she was planning to keep it close all the time.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said and then nodded when she reminded him that they should head back to the inn. As much as he enjoyed being alone with her in the woods, he knew she was right. He didn’t want to find out how long it would take before Otto became so impatient that he sent a search party after them. It was better to go back to the room before the baron did anything drastic. Although, he still wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable reprimanding they were going to have to face when they returned.

“I hope not,” he wrinkled his nose, standing up from the ground and taking Penelope’s outstretched hand. “Sometimes I wonder if he realizes I technically hold a higher rank than he does. It’s starting to get on my nerves how he treats me like an apprentice who doesn’t know anything.” He rolled his eyes. It was true that he hadn’t been a nobleman for very long, but he still felt like Otto was out of line for taking total charge of the group and behaving as if he was the most important person there. He and Naida were both above him. The only reason why they stepped back and let the older man lead them was because his sister didn’t seem to enjoy authoritative roles, and he preferred spending his time with Penelope instead of managing the party. As soon as the knight parted ways with them, however, he had half a mind to remind the baron who Albin had actually assigned to this mission in the first place.

As they walked back into the town, his eyes drifted up to the starry sky and then down to the woman beside him, lingering on the pendant that now hung around her neck. It looked good on her, and he was pleased that it seemed to have been a good choice after all. “You look beautiful,” he smiled at her affectionately. “I mean, you look beautiful all the time. I just felt like I should remind you again.” With a low chuckle, he leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek before he added in a whisper: “And I wanted to take partial credit, since I just gave you the necklace that looks so dazzling around your gorgeous neck.”