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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The next morning, Crow stirred at the sound of his door opening and closing again, followed by the quiet voices of two people. He shifted tiredly on his bed, only opening one eye to see who had come into his room. Despite Naida’s constant reassurances that he was safe in the castle, he didn’t trust anyone to watch his back beside himself, so he wanted to make sure whoever had come into his bed chamber wasn’t going to try to smother him in his sleep.

Fortunately, the two men who had come into his room were both people he recognized. Unfortunately, one of them was the court physician, Eldon. He groaned and buried his face against his pillow. Out of all the nobles he would want to greet him in the early morning, the healer was at the bottom of his list. He wondered if the arrogant man would go away if he pretended he was still asleep.

“Collin, there’s someone here to see you.”

No such luck.

“Tell him to come back later,” Crow muttered to Preston. “I’m busy.”

“You’re not busy,” the boy crossed his arms.

“I am busy,” the viceroy grumbled. “If you must know, I’m conducting a very important meeting in my head. We’re currently trying to decide what to do with the annoying servant who keeps waking me up so early in the morning.”

Preston ignored him. “Good luck,” he murmured under his breath to Eldon before moving to stand off to the side.

The physician said nothing in return as he approached the thief’s bedside and set down his bag of supplies. “Sit up, Lockton,” he said curtly. “The sooner you work with me, the sooner this will be over and we can both return to our separate lives.”

“What even needs to be done?” Crow frowned without complying. “I don’t need anything more from you.”

“Perhaps not,” Eldon replied. “But I need to make sure. The king instructed me to treat you until you’re fully cured of your ailments. Now, sit up.”

Crow hesitated for a moment longer before he reluctantly did as he was asked, sitting up on the bed with his back against the headboard. Though he disliked Eldon’s methods of treating him, he didn’t want the man to stick around any longer than he had to. If that meant complying with his demands, then he supposed that was what he was going to have to do.

Like the last time, the physician proceeded to examine his body, checking for any new health issues. Finding none, he moved on to his chest. The healer pressed down with two fingers on different places until he hit the spot that had triggered the thief’s coughing fit before. As expected, Crow doubled over coughing, but when the brief episode passed, he was surprised to see that hardly any blood had come up. The physician seemed pleased.

“Good,” Eldon nodded, reaching into his supply bag and digging around. “It seems that medicine is working perfectly.”

Crow said nothing in response as he stared at the small, scarlet droplets of blood in his palm. There was so little, he could have counted them all on one hand. He wasn’t sure what to think about that. On one hand, he was elated to know that he was going to be healed after all, but on the other hand, this meant that there really had been a cure for the Creeping Death in the inner kingdom all along. The villagers of Myrefall shouldn’t have been dying—his mother shouldn’t have died either. The thought made him feel a mixture of sadness and anger over their unnecessary loss.

“Here,” Eldon’s voice drew him from his thoughts. He handed the viceroy another dose of medicine. “A few more of these will clear that cough right up.”

“Thanks,” Crow muttered with halfhearted sincerity. He lifted the vial to his lips and downed the whole thing, handing the container back to the physician after it was emptied.

Eldon dipped his head in a curt bow and then turned to exit the room. Crow watched him go until he disappeared through the door. The physician seemed to have at least a little more respect for him now that he was the viceroy, but he was still just as unfriendly as before. Of course, this didn’t bother the thief. He still wasn’t seeking to be liked, so he didn’t care what Eldon thought about him. He was just glad that the man had stopped making snide comments about his peasant background.

“Breakfast will be served in the Great Hall soon,” Preston spoke up as he picked a few clothes from the wardrobe to give him. “If you want to eat this morning, you should go towards the beginning. Your tutor will be arriving before midday, so you won’t have another chance until lunch.”

“Tutor?” Crow repeated with a frown. He got up from his bed to get dressed when the attendant handed him the clothes he’d selected.

“Yes,” Preston nodded. “The king said you need to be educated now that you’re his viceroy, so he’s assigned a tutor to begin teaching you.”

“I see,” Crow slid his shirt over his head and smoothed down his clothes. This time, the attendant had given him black trousers and a royal blue tunic adorned with a plainly decorated leather belt. It reminded him of the garments he had worn as a peasant—aside from the fact that these were much finer and more richly colored—and he found them to be more comfortable than the layered outfit he’d had to wear for the titling ceremony the day before.

But, of course, he could never get away with being comfortable in the castle.

Just as he was about to put on his boots, Preston walked up to him with one more piece of clothing in hand: a black hat with a short top and a feather from some sort of bird protruding from the side. Crow took one look at it and wrinkled his nose. “I’m not wearing that.”

“You have to,” the boy insisted. “It’s what distinguishes you as the viceroy. All high-ranking nobles have headdresses that set them apart from everyone else.”

“Well, I don’t need any more attention than I’m already getting,” Crow shook his head. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not going to put that thing on my head.”

“It’s not that bad,” Preston kept trying. “You only have to wear it when you’re in public. Just put it on for breakfast and take it off when you get back.”

“Public is exactly where I don’t want to be seen wearing a hat like that,” Crow snorted.

“But the king said—”

“I don’t care,” Crow held up his hand. “It’s too early in the day for me to make a fool of myself. My answer is ‘no,’ and that’s final.”

Preston fell quiet for a moment before he gave a reluctant nod, “Fine.”

“Alright then,” Crow put on his boots and walked indignantly to the door. “Now that that’s settled, I’d like to have my breakfast.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh definitely lol

It's starting to hit Crow a little harder that he's not a peasant anymore cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Much to Crow’s displeasure, the banquet dragged on until the sunlight faded from the stained-glass windows of the Great Hall. As time passed, he and Naida grew too tired to continue thinking of things to talk about, so they lapsed into a weary silence until the princess wandered off to spend some time with Braden and Willow. Sitting at the table by himself, the viceroy toyed with the idea of getting up as well to find someone else to talk to. However, the only other people he knew were Penelope, whom he needed to keep some distance from; John, whom he was still treading carefully around after their last encounter; and William, whom he didn’t even want to talk with.

So, with no other options, he sat quietly by himself, studying the golden candelabras on the table and estimating their worth until, at some point, he fell asleep.

Crow wasn’t sure how much time passed before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He blinked drowsily and lifted his head from the table, looking up to see that his father was standing over him with a sympathetic expression. “Tired?” he asked with a smile.

“No, I just really like the way this tablecloth feels on my face,” Crow muttered sarcastically and then yawned.

Albin chuckled. “Alright, I think you’ve had enough festivities for one day,” he gave the thief’s shoulder a squeeze before removing his hand. “I’ll dismiss the guests.”

Crow nodded sleepily and rose to his feet while the king addressed the crowd. As always, Preston appeared at his side right away to escort him back to his room, and the two walked out of the Great Hall together, heading down the long corridor that led to the stairs.

When they arrived in his bed chamber, the viceroy leaned against the edge of his bed and yawned again, taking a moment to unwind before he took off his boots. Preston offered his assistance yet again, to which the thief said ‘no,’ and undressed himself without help. With nothing more to do, the attendant said a curt ‘goodnight’ and left him to be alone.

As soon as the door closed, Crow laid back on his bed and let out his breath in a long exhale. Though the day had been busy, he supposed that, all in all, it hadn’t been bad. The ceremony had proceeded until completion, the banquet had been eventful, and he’d even had a chance to see Penelope, if only for a little while.

He drew his blanket up to his chest and rested one arm behind his head, staring up at the ceiling of his room. It was still hard for him to believe that he was actually a nobleman now. The thought felt so surreal. He’d lived his entire life as a peasant, never dreaming that he would someday climb in status to become a viceroy. It was hard to believe it was real.

But it is real, he thought, holding his hand above his head and flexing his fingers. It wasn’t a dream. He was really in the castle, and he had really just been given a noble title. Something he had never believed would be possible had just happened, and his life was going to change forever.

With that thought in mind, Crow settled down more comfortably on his bed and drifted off to sleep.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Naida noticed and definitely harassed Crow a little xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow averted his gaze uncomfortably as Naida prompted Penelope to comment on his appearance. He wasn’t sure what his sister was trying to do, but he knew they couldn’t let her find out about their relationship. From what he’d seen, she wasn’t a very good liar. If she learned they were together and someone else questioned her about it, he was certain word would get out before they wanted it to. For the sake of keeping their heads down until the other nobles got used to him being their viceroy, the princess had to stay in the dark.

When Penelope answered the question vaguely, Crow looked up again, relieved that she had kept calm. However, in the next moment, his eyes widened slightly as he saw that the knight’s cheeks were rosy. He casted a subtle glance at Naida. While he’d found Penelope’s reaction flattering, he worried that his sister might have noticed her blush too. Of course, it was hard to tell, since the princess was a bit drunk. She still had the same mischievous look on her face as before.

As Penelope suddenly announced that she should get going, the thief felt a pang of disappointment. After going the whole day without seeing her, he wanted to talk for a while longer. However, he didn’t voice his opinion, since he knew it would look strange if she lingered for much longer. He let out a quiet sigh. It was going to be frustrating to be so close to her at the castle, yet unable to be as close as he wanted.

“Alright,” he finally said, offering her a smile. “I’m sure my fake supporters will be pleased. Anyway, I’m glad you stopped by. It was good to see you again, love.”

“Yeah,” Naida agreed with a grin as she waved her friend goodbye. “See you later, Penelope!”

The two siblings watched the knight go before Naida nudged Crow playfully in the side. “So, are you still going to tell me you don’t want to court anyone?” she snickered.

He turned to her, feigning a confused look, “What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on,” his sister rolled her eyes. “Even I could see that she fancies you.”

“What makes you say that?” Crow asked, continuing to play dumb even though he was pretty sure he knew why she thought so.

“She got flustered when she talked about you,” the princess grinned. “It was so obvious, Collin. Are you really going to tell me you didn’t notice?”

“I mean, sort of,” he admitted with a shrug. “But you did spring that question on her out of nowhere. She could have just been flustered because she wasn’t expecting it.”

“I don’t think so,” Naida’s grin widened. “I think she fancies you, and you can’t change my mind.” She clapped her hands together. “This is so great! If you get married, she’ll be my sister!”

Crow felt a bubble of nervousness form in his chest as the princess got louder. Though Naida still didn’t know about his relationship with the knight, he needed to keep her from getting any closer to the truth. “Slow down,” he shook his head. “Don’t get so far ahead of yourself. First of all, you still don’t know for sure that you’re right. And second, I already told you I’m not interested in courting anyone. Even if she was interested in me, that hasn’t changed.”

Naida deflated at his words. “Oh, Collin, please?” she begged, taking his hand in both of hers and meeting his gaze with a pout. “Would you at least consider it? She’s a great girl, and I think you’d really like her if you took the time to get to know her.”

Crow averted his gaze again. No matter what he did, it seemed like she wasn’t going to give up. “Could we talk about this some other time?” he muttered, trying a more direct approach. “I’ve already had enough to deal with today. I don’t want to think about adding anything else to my plate right now.”

“Oh… okay,” Naida frowned disappointedly but dropped the subject.

As the evening wore on, the two siblings spoke about lighter topics, occasionally watching the crowd as they waited for the banquet to end so they could finally leave.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I figured I'd introduce the queen cx

Naida's already shipping Crow and Penelope lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“That’s because all they care about is competing with each other to see who can get the most out of this thing,” Crow muttered with a roll of his eyes when Penelope spoke about the other nobles. It was exactly the kind of behavior he’d always despised about the aristocrats of the inner kingdom. They looked down on everyone outside of their own families, gossiped to ruin names, and only acted in another person’s benefit if they could get something out of it too. It was ridiculous how many little games they played because of their greed.

As Naida and Penelope spoke about more of the specific people who were at the banquet, Crow raised a brow curiously. He’d been so caught up in his nervousness about the ceremony that he hadn’t realized William was here. Suddenly wondering if there were any other people he knew, he took another look around and spotted John standing with some noblewomen he didn’t recognize. The older knight wasn’t looking at him, but he felt a strange sense of relief knowing there was at least one other person here who didn’t hate him—well, at least one who didn’t hate him as much as everyone else. He was still rather sure that Penelope’s father was mad at him after he’d caught them in bed together.

Crow listened in on Naida and Penelope’s conversation again when his sister asked about the nobleman the knight had been sitting with. At Penelope’s response, he smiled faintly. Though she may not have been on good terms with the other man, he was glad that she’d found someone to spend time with at the banquet. He disliked the thought of her being forced to sit among people she didn’t get along with, and since he and Naida couldn’t abandon the head table to be with her, he supposed this stranger was the next best thing.

“Me too,” Crow agreed when the knight said she couldn’t wait for everything to be over. He glanced at the crowd again. “Everyone is finished eating, so it shouldn’t be that much longer right?”

“Maybe,” Naida shrugged, finishing off the rest of her wine. “But everyone’s still drinking, so it could be a while.” She raised her hand to flag down her attendant for another refill, but in the next moment, a hand reached out to swipe her goblet. “Hey,” the tipsy princess frowned, spinning around in her chair to see who had taken her drink.

“This isn’t a tavern, Naida,” the queen, who’d been sitting silently on her daughter’s other side until now, spoke sternly.

Crow leaned forward slightly to eye her with interest. It was the first time he’d seen the woman speak since he’d met her earlier that afternoon. He couldn’t help but wonder what sort of person his father had married.

“Mind your manners,” the queen went on chidingly. “Every important nobleman and woman in the kingdom is here. You need to make a good impression.”

“I’m not that drunk,” Naida muttered, turning slightly red as she was reprimanded in front of her friend.

“And that’s why you will stop before you embarrass yourself,” the queen insisted. “Now sit up straight. There could be potential suitors here, and you need to act like a lady.”

“Yes, mother,” Naida sighed, rolling her eyes as she corrected her posture.

The queen turned away again, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the group for a moment. Crow glanced between the mother and daughter, not quite sure what to think. His own mother had never been so stern with him, especially in a public place like this. Even when he’d gotten himself into trouble as a child, she would always rebuke him in private. It seemed a bit harsh of the woman to treat Naida as she had, but, unfamiliar with the customs of noble families, he couldn’t tell if it was normal here or not.

In an attempt to move past the tense moment, he cleared his throat to get the others’ attention. “I don’t suppose anyone would notice if I snuck out of my own banquet, would they?” he asked with a lopsided smile.

Naida visibly relaxed as she eased back into the conversation. “Sorry, Collin, but there’s not a chance you would get away with that,” she smirked. “You’re going to have to wait for it to end just like everyone else.”

“It was worth a shot,” he shrugged, resting his chin against the palm of his hand.

“Stop that,” Naida reached out to flick him on the arm. “If I have to act proper, then so do you. Get your elbow off the table.”

“Why?” Crow grinned at her teasingly without moving. “I’m not looking for a suitor.”

His sister snorted. “Yeah? Well, no woman is going to want you to be her suitor if you act like that,” she pointed out cheekily.

“Well, maybe I’m not looking to court anyone,” Crow replied carelessly.

“Really?” Naida stared at him in surprise. “Why not? You’re certainly handsome enough now that you’re all cleaned up, and you’ve got one of the highest titles in the kingdom. You could have any woman you want.”

Crow shifted his weight, his eyes flicking briefly to Penelope, before he lied with a shrug, “I’m just not interested in courting anyone right now. That’s all.”

“Hm,” Naida frowned. In the next moment, she looked between Crow and Penelope as a devilish smirk crossed her lips. “You know, Penelope, you really do look amazing in that dress,” she chirped, flashing her friend a grin before she turned back to her brother. “I let her borrow one of mine for the ceremony. What do you think, Collin?”

Crow blinked, caught off guard by the question, and glanced back at Penelope. She really did look beautiful, but he couldn’t give away his feelings for the knight in front of the princess. “Yes, it’s flattering,” he said as casually as he could manage, hoping his sister would think he was just being polite.

“Mhm,” Naida smirked and then turned to Penelope again. “He looks pretty dashing too, doesn’t he?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow and Naida are both happy about that xD
Naida is also a little drunk

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Crow continued to talk with Naida, their conversation was occasionally interrupted by a few more noblemen and women like Wayne, who approached the viceroy to offer him various small favors and make sure he was aware of their family name. Each time, he just offered them a curt ‘thank you,’ though he knew he would never take them up on any of the things they tried to give him. He may have chosen to let himself enter into noble life, but that didn’t mean he was going to give in to the pandering of people who just wanted to use him to gain power for themselves and their family lines.

Naida seemed to find their persistence entertaining. As each noble stopped by, she watched them with a scrutinizing gaze, trying to practice picking up on the little signs that they were lying. Every time she and Crow found themselves alone again, she would ask him if she was right or wrong, and he would give her pointers.

The thief found his time with his sister to be enjoyable, despite the countless other unfriendly faces in the Great Hall. She took his mind off his lingering stress and helped him to see some of the things he was going to like about being a nobleman—namely getting to be with people like her and Penelope, who he felt like he could relax around. Between her friendly banter and the wine they’d been drinking, he found the banquet to be much more bearable than the ceremony had been.

Eventually, the afternoon turned to evening, and Crow waved Preston off when the boy offered to refill his glass again. He was a bit inebriated from the three drinks he’d already had, and he didn’t want to risk getting drunk. Aside from his own personal reservations about it, there were far too many people around who hated him. He needed to keep his wits about him, just in case he needed to defend himself or get away from anyone who might decide to throw caution to the wind and attack.

He was just beginning to think he’d made a good call when he caught sight of someone else approaching the table. Turning away from Naida, he expected to see another nobleman coming over to “wish him well” and offer more favors. Instead, he blinked in surprise as his eyes landed on Penelope.

Having not been able to get a good look at her all day, he was caught off guard by how beautiful she was in her dress. His gaze swept over her, mesmerized. The clothing she wore flattered her attractive figure and the emerald green color made her eyes look bright. He lightly bit the inside of his lip, wishing he could compliment her, but forcing himself to hold his tongue as the knight spoke to his sister.

When Penelope turned to him next, he stared at her for a moment longer before he snapped out of his trance and offered her a smile. “Thanks, love,” he said softly.

“You know, you’re the first person today who’s said anything nice to him and actually meant it,” Naida grinned at her friend and took another sip of her wine. Though Crow had stopped drinking, his sister had let herself go a bit more. “Definitely a light at the end of the tunnel,” she added after a pause, nodding sagely.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

He seems like fun

Some nobles are already trying to take advantage of Crow lol