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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow got a little hung up on what Naida said cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Cedric and Penelope continued to speak to each other, Crow focused on his meal again. Absently, he noticed that Naida seemed annoyed about something, although he wasn’t sure what had gotten under her skin. His best guess was that his sister didn’t want her friend to get close to any other men at the castle, since she was still hoping for the knight to be with him. However, if that was the case, he didn’t share in her concern. Penelope was already with him, after all, and Cedric didn’t look like he was flirting with her. The parts of their conversation that he picked up just sounded friendly to him.

When the nobleman eventually got up from the table to leave, Crow looked up briefly to watch him walk away. He picked up his drink to finish off the last of it and then turned back to Naida and Penelope as they began to talk. When the knight questioned his sister, he snuck a glance at the princess’s face, curious to hear what her answer would be. She had been in a strange mood since Cedric had shown up, and he wanted to know what she had against the man.

His history? He wondered, interest piqued. Though he wasn’t usually interested in castle gossip, he found that he did want to know a little more about this particular man. Cedric had been hanging around Penelope quite a bit from what he had seen, and he wanted to make sure there was nothing dangerous about him.

So, when the knight got up to leave, he rose from the table as well. “I should go too,” he announced. “Udolf was pretty upset with me today, so I want to make sure I’m well-rested for tomorrow’s lesson.”

“If you say so,” Naida winked at him knowingly.

Crow shook his head. “I’ll see you later,” he said, turning to walk with the knight toward the door.

“See you!” Naida waved.

For a while, Crow said nothing as he walked with Penelope. He didn’t want to ask her the question on his mind until they were out of earshot of the other nobles in the Great Hall. Once they made it to the hallway, however, he turned to her with an inquisitive look. “So,” he mused. “What was Naida talking about when she said, ‘given his history’?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Honestly xD

I figured Naida would make Cedric wonder a little lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Penelope spoke with Cedric, Crow turned his attention to his food. Now that he wasn’t as concerned about the nobleman’s motives, he didn’t feel the need to watch him as closely, so he kept to himself while they conversed. That, and he had other, more important things to think about. He chewed thoughtfully on a bite of venison, letting his mind wander to his plans for the night, but he didn’t have long to ponder over them before Naida’s voice drew his attention back to the others.

At his sister’s question, he looked up at her with an amused smirk. “If my memory serves me, that gift was from you too,” he pointed out.

“Penelope still picked it out,” Naida turned to Penelope with a mischievous grin. “She knew exactly what you would want.”

“I suppose so,” Crow shrugged, taking a swig of his wine. “I just want to give credit where credit is due.”

“Alright. Well, you still haven’t answered my question,” Naida rolled her eyes impatiently.

“I haven’t used it yet,” he admitted. “Udolf is having me focus on reading before I start learning to write. He said it’ll help me recognize and spell words better when I get around to it.”

He turned back to his plate to take another bite of his food. However, as he did, he caught a glimpse of Cedric’s face that gave him pause. The nobleman was eyeing him and Naida with a strange expression. His lips were pressed together in a thin line, and his brow was slightly knitted, giving him a contemplative look. It was difficult to tell what was on his mind, but whatever it was, the viceroy knew he didn’t like it. He kept the other man in the corner of his vision as he continued to eat.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow caught onto him a little bit, but not enough to realize what he'd doing lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Hey,” Crow greeted his sister as he sat down next to her at the table. He would have liked to sit beside Penelope again, but Naida had forgotten to “pressure” him into it, and he didn’t want her to get any ideas if he joined the knight on his own. Instead, he settled down comfortably across from her, returning her smirk when she commented on the fact that he was still roaming freely. He opened his mouth to reply, but then paused as he noticed her eyes wander to something past his shoulder.

Curious to find out what had caught her attention, he turned and found that the nobleman he had seen hanging around Penelope before was standing by their table. The viceroy studied him with a hint of interest in his gaze. Though he had no qualms with the knight spending time with other men—he’d only disliked Gavin because that particular man used to court her, and he’d been right that Gavin had been trying to win her back before—he did like to know what sort of people she spent her time with when she wasn’t with him. The interest was drawn more from his protectiveness of her than anything else.

As the stranger asked if he could eat with them, Crow glanced back at Penelope and raised a brow when she told him it was fine. He supposed he shouldn’t have been that surprised though. Since he had reunited with her in the outer villages, he’d learned that she was quite sociable with her comrades, especially those whom she was close to. She wasn’t the type to turn someone away without a good reason. So, he said nothing as the nobleman moved to join them at their table for supper.

That is, until he picked up on the eagerness in the other man’s movements as he sat next to Penelope. The viceroy narrowed his eyes slightly but remained quiet as he began to watch the noble a little more warily. Though he knew nothing about this stranger, he seemed strangely excited by the prospect of eating with the knight. He wondered if there was a reason to keep an eye on him. However, as the nobleman moved to greet Naida with a courteous nod, he second guessed himself.

Maybe it’s not Penelope he’s excited to eat with, he mused, suddenly thinking about Wayne and the other noblemen and women who had approached him at the banquet. Perhaps this man was just trying to form connections with people who ranked higher than him as well. He was probably eager for the opportunity his friend had provided by joining a princess and viceroy for supper.

Relaxing a bit, Crow met the other man’s gaze as he introduced himself. He studied him for a moment longer before taking Cedric’s extended hand. “Collin,” he greeted him curtly. Even if the new arrival wasn’t here for Penelope, the former thief wasn’t quick to warm up to someone he didn’t know.

Cedric seemed to sense his standoffishness. His friendly smile wavered slightly as he retracted his hand.

Naida briefly glanced between them before nudging Crow’s side. “So, what have you been up to?” she asked, breaking the momentary tension with the question. It was hard to tell if she had done so on purpose. “I haven’t seen you in over a day, and then I hear you’ve been accused of stealing?”

“If you heard that, then I’m sure you also heard that I took nothing,” Crow said, his eyes flicking to Penelope. “They just assumed it was me because of my past.”

“That doesn’t explain why you disappeared all of yesterday,” Naida frowned. “I didn’t see you at breakfast or supper.”

Crow shifted his weight slightly and glanced at Cedric. Normally, he wouldn’t have minded telling his sister about his intention to build connections around the castle nor about the dinner he’d shared with their father. However, with an unfamiliar presence at the table, he didn’t want to bring up either of those subjects. Instead, he just answered with a simple, noncommittal: “I’ve been busy” and turned away from her as the servants arrived with their food.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Okay!
Udolf was angry ^^;

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“You have no common sense, boy! How do you expect to handle the duties of an ambassador when you can’t even show up for lessons that children go through?”

Crow let out his breath in a quiet sigh as Udolf continued to reprimand him for missing his last lesson. After breakfast, he had returned to his room to find the tutor waiting for him in a very foul mood. Apparently, he had gone to Albin completely incensed the day before and had demanded to be relieved from his duty of educating the new viceroy. Of course, the king had denied him, so now he was taking out his frustration on his student. He went on and on about how Crow was an “undisciplined peasant” and an “ungrateful criminal,” to the point where the former thief nearly wanted to go to his father and beg him to let the old man quit.

By the end of it, the viceroy was surprised that his ears weren’t bleeding.

Since Udolf was still furious, the tutor forced him to recite his etiquette twice before he even let him move on to practicing his literacy. Fortunately, even though he had missed one lesson, he managed to recall every letter except for ‘K’ and ‘Z’ on the first try, which seemed to put the old man in a slightly better mood. The tutor asked him to practice reading out loud for a while from the book he’d been working through and then left him to continue reading on his own. However, instead of letting him practice alone—he didn’t seem to trust his student enough for that anymore—Udolf planted himself at the table and worked on something of his own while the viceroy reclined on his bed to read.

After a while, Preston stopped in to announce that supper was being served, and Crow eagerly climbed down from his bed at the thought of getting away from his strict tutor. He slipped his book into his trouser pocket—there was no room for it in his tunic while he was still carrying the stolen jewelry—and walked with the attendant to the Great Hall.

“Have the guards tried to search you again?” Preston asked in a hushed voice as they made their way down the spiral stairs. He was eyeing the viceroy with a nervous expression. It was obvious that he wasn’t used to sneaking around the castle or harboring stolen goods. He looked like he could jump out of his skin at any second.

“Not once,” Crow casted him a sly smirk and lifted a finger to his lips. “But we shouldn’t discuss this right now.”

The servant nodded, and they made the rest of the trip in silence.

When they reached the Great Hall, Crow lingered by the front door as usual to see if he recognized anyone. Right away, he picked out Penelope and Naida from amongst the crowd. His sister spotted him in almost the same moment and waved him eagerly over to their table, grinning with her usual excitement as she nudged her friend in an indiscreet manner. He rolled his eyes at her antics but stepped over to join them nonetheless. Putting up with the princess was nothing if it meant he could spend more time with Penelope.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The greed is tangible xD

Crow started a rumor of his own to calm everyone down

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow parted ways with Albin when they exited the throne room. The king went back to his private chamber for breakfast, while the viceroy made his way toward the stairs, heading for the Great Hall to eat amongst the other nobles in the castle. He wasn’t looking forward to appearing in front of them though. Considering how riled up the crowd had been in the early morning, he had a feeling word had already spread that he had “stolen” from those three men.

“Collin!”

He was drawn from his thoughts by the sound of a familiar voice as he headed down the corridor that led to the dining area. Looking up, he saw Preston walking toward him at a brisk pace. The attendant had a distressed look on his face and occasionally glanced over his shoulder as if he was afraid he was being followed.

“What’s going on?” Crow frowned, slowing to a stop as the servant reached him.

Preston took another quick look around. There were no guards posted in this part of the hallway, but he still spoke in a low voice as he explained the reason for his fluster, “The royal guards have begun searching the servants’ quarters for the missing jewelry. They’re starting with the lower level servants first, so they haven’t gotten to me yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they do.”

Crow cursed under his breath. “You still have them in your pocket, right?”

“Yes,” Preston nodded, fidgeting nervously with his shirt. “But they’re searching all the servants too, not just our rooms.” His eyes were wide with fright. “Collin, what should I do? I don’t want to go to prison!”

“Calm down,” the viceroy hushed him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not going to prison. I’ll take care of it.”

“How?”

“Give me the jewels,” he held out his hand, keeping it low so the pass would be discreet. “The knights already searched me earlier and found nothing. If they try to do it again, I’ll just make a fuss.”

“Okay,” the attendant fumbled slightly in his anxiousness as he retrieved the pendants and rings from his shirt and slipped them to the viceroy.

Crow smoothly closed his hand around the jewelry and dropped it into his tunic. “Let’s keep going,” he said quietly, leading the way toward the Great Hall as soon as the stolen goods were secure. “It’ll look strange if someone catches us whispering in the hall.”

“Okay,” Preston said again, quickly falling in step beside the viceroy.

When they reached the Great Hall, Crow’s suspicion was proven to be true. Almost everyone turned to look at him as soon as he stepped through the doorway. There was a mixture of hatred and confusion on the nobles’ faces as they tried to figure out why the thief in their midst had yet to be punished for his crimes. He held his head high and avoided their searching gazes by looking for a place to sit. Yesterday, he had arranged to eat with the three noblemen he’d met before, but now he wasn’t sure if they would be willing to dine with him. After all, they were probably under the impression that he had been thieving too.

As his eyes swept over the room, he spotted Penelope sitting with the same man he had seen her with before. He shifted his weight slightly. He wanted to join her, since she was the only friendly face around, but he didn’t want to draw attention to their closeness while everyone was staring at him. Since Naida wasn’t around to give him a pass, he couldn’t go up to her.

Suddenly, Crow’s attention was drawn by a flash of motion to his left. He turned and was surprised to see Wayne waving at him from a table near the edge of the Great Hall. The gesture caught him off guard, since he had been expecting the noblemen to want nothing more to do with him, but it seemed that their drive to use him outweighed their reservations about eating with a thief.

After a moment of hesitation, he made his way over to join them.

“I’m guessing that, since you’re here and not in a cell, you weren’t the one who stole those pendants?” Wayne said as the viceroy sat down at his side.

“Of course not,” Crow snorted. He was relieved that at least some of the people here seemed to have their heads on straight. “They just assumed it was me because of my reputation.”

“It looks like plenty of them still do,” Percival noted as he looked over the crowd.

“They’ll figure it out soon enough,” Crow held up his hands. “See? No chains. That’s proof enough that I was cleared.”

“In the meantime, it’s probably a good idea for all of us to check our own belongings,” Robyn mused. “Three people were stolen from, so obviously someone is taking things.”

“If someone took any of my heirlooms, I’m going to make sure the king hears about it,” Wayne growled.

“I’m sure the criminal will be caught soon enough,” Percival said confidently.

“If there’s even a criminal at all,” Crow muttered, drawing the other’s attention to him.

“What do you mean?” Robyn asked.

“Well,” Crow looked up at them with a frown. “Think about the timing of all this. I just got here a week ago, and suddenly things are ‘going missing.’ I’d bet anything those men just checked their belongings because they didn’t trust me and discovered they were missing things that could have gotten lost a month or a year ago. There’s no way of proving that someone is stealing right now.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Wayne said contemplatively. “But I’m still going to go through my own valuables to be sure.”

“Me too,” Robyn agreed.

Percival just grunted noncommittally.

“Do it if you want to,” Crow shrugged. “I’ve just got a feeling that your thief is a phantom created by conjecture and paranoia.” He turned away from them as Preston appeared with a plate of food for him.

All in all, the viceroy was feeling quite pleased with himself. It seemed like he had successfully convinced the noblemen that they were overreacting—or at least planted doubts in their heads. Now all he had to do was wait for them to spread the word around to the other people in the castle, and hopefully the tension would die down before he made his attempt to return the missing jewelry later that night.