Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

In his eagerness to meet back up with Penelope, Crow made good time going back to his bedchamber. Along the way, he noticed that the guards in the halls were eyeing him with more disgust than usual—they probably looked down on him for “sleeping” with Elizabeth when they weren’t even courting—but he ignored them. It wasn’t like he ever expected the knights to show him any respect that they weren’t already mandated to express because of his rank. If they wanted to believe the gossip about him, he couldn’t care less. The only ones he was concerned about were the high ranking nobles who could use their power to hurt Penelope’s name when they began courting officially.

Whether she cared or not, he didn’t want to become a stumbling block in her efforts to gain more influence in the castle. After hearing about her plans to help the people of the outer villages after the war’s end, he knew she was going to have to hold onto the power she had as a lieutenant, if not gain more to persuade more people to join her in bettering the peasants’ lives. It was already going to be difficult to come back from the fact that they didn’t have the most acceptable start to their relationship two years ago. If the other nobles thought he was just using her for her body or some other superficial reason, it would be even harder for him not to ruin her reputation when everyone else found out about them.

Deciding it was a problem for later, Crow pushed the thought aside and stepped into his room to look for a change of clothes. However, when he was inside, he found that he wasn’t alone. He blinked in surprise as his gaze landed on Preston, who was rifling through his wardrobe as if searching for something.

“Where have you been?” he asked, slightly surprised to see the attendant turn up out of nowhere after disappearing for a whole day.

Preston flinched at the sound of his voice and turned away from the open wardrobe, dropping down in a low bow. “I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly. “A personal matter came up that I had to attend to. I’ll be able to keep serving you soon.”

Crow studied him with a bemused frown before his eyes flicked to the wardrobe, “What were you looking for in there?”

The servant shuffled his feet, “Just one of the spare blankets… I promise I’ll return it.”

“I see,” the viceroy turned back to the boy as he realized he might know why he’d been acting so strange lately. Taking a shot, he asked: “So, how’s your sister doing?”

Preston visibly stiffened and lowered his gaze to the floor. “She’s not doing well,” he admitted in a soft voice. “The cold weather is starting to make her illness worse… It happens every winter. I was hoping that if I give her an extra blanket, her condition might improve, at least enough that she can get by without my help again.”

Crow fell quiet, feeling a pang of sympathy for the attendant. He’d never been upset with the boy’s disappearance, since he didn’t care if someone tended to him or not, but he had been concerned that something like this had happened. It seemed his hunch had been right. Without another word, he walked over to the wardrobe and began looking through it.

“What are you doing?” Preston asked nervously.

“Here,” the viceroy said, retrieving the thickest feather-filled blanket he could find and handing it off to the boy with a smile. “Take this one to your sister. I’m sure it’ll do her more good than it will sitting in a dark closet all day.”

Preston’s eyes widened, and he fumbled with the bedding in his haste to accept it. “T-Thank you,” he stammered, leaning forward in another bow. “I’ll bring it back as soon as I can.”

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Crow waved his hand dismissively. “In fact, let her keep it. I spent most of my life with nothing more than a couple wool sheets and the clothes on my back to get through the winter season. The blankets that are already on my bed are more than enough to keep me warm.”

“Are you sure?” Preston frowned. “Most men of your rank like the extra blanket when it starts to snow.”

“The other men here are too soft for their own good,” he snorted. “A little discomfort every now and then would do them wonders. Please, take it. I insist.”

“If you’re sure…” Preston dipped his head again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Crow said, turning back to the wardrobe to search for a change of clothes now that his attendant’s need had been taken care of.

Preston glanced at the door as if he was considering leaving, but then looked back at the viceroy, “Do you need something else while I’m here?”

“No,” Crow mused absently, shuffling through the clothing until he found a plain-looking, white undershirt. “You can go now.” He pulled the shirt down from its hanger and draped it over his shoulder as he continued to look for a cloak. For a moment, he wondered if his father had even given him one, since the king hadn’t planned to send him out of the castle for quite a while. However, his concern was quickly laid to rest when he spotted a hooded cloak in the back of the closet. It was dark in color—nearly black with a hint of maroon—and felt like it was made with a rather thick material that would keep him comfortably warm in a chill wind. Compared to the cloaks he’d worn in the outer villages, this one was quite a bit higher in quality. It might stand out if anyone looked at him closely enough, but he supposed there was nothing he could do about it since he didn’t have any other options.

“Are you going somewhere?” Preston, who was still lingering by the center of the room, asked curiously when he saw the cloak.

“Just for today,” Crow glanced at him. “I don’t have any lessons, so I’m going on a short trip with Penelope.”

“Oh,” the attendant watched him for a moment longer. “I take it you’re still on good terms with her after what happened then?”

“Of course,” the viceroy grinned at him, setting the clothes he’d selected down on his bed so he could change into them more easily. “She knows I wouldn’t sleep with someone else, so we’re just fine.”

“That’s good,” Preston nodded, tilting his head slightly. “I like you two together.”

“You’re one of the few then,” Crow rolled his eyes. He slipped off the tunic he had been wearing and replaced it with the plain shirt, throwing the cloak over top once he’d straightened it out.

“Yes, but I know she’s good for you,” the attendant said confidently. He bowed once more, “Have a good trip, wherever you’re going.”

“Thanks,” Crow smiled, appreciative of the servant’s support. Having been surrounded almost constantly by people who didn’t want them to be together, it was nice to have a voice on their side. He waited for the boy to leave the room before he finished getting ready, stowing one of his daggers in his boot just to be safe. With so many nobles around who would have liked to see him dead, he couldn’t be too careful after all.

Once he was done preparing, the viceroy headed out, a faint smile tugging at his lip as his excitement to meet up with Penelope grew.

Fortunately, the guards in the castle didn’t trouble him at all. Crow guessed that his father had already told them well in advance that he had permission to come and go as he pleased. Though they didn’t hold back from casting him the occasional glare, he made it to the front gates without interruption, walking with haste as he made his way through the citadel to get to the designated meeting place along the river.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow just thinks John doesn't like him cx

It's going to be great, haha. Also can't wait for Cedric's reaction, since he was trying so hard to play the slow game xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When Penelope said that whatever he’d told her father must have worked, Crow frowned, not as quick to share in her optimism. It was true that John had told him where to find her room, but the older knight always seemed to bear at least a little displeasure towards him ever since he’d discovered that he and Penelope were together. Since her father already didn’t like him, he was probably inclined to believe the castle gossips who said he had chosen to sleep with another woman. The thought was frustrating, but he didn’t know how to change the other man’s mind—or if he even could—so there was nothing he could about it.

“Thanks,” the viceroy sighed when Penelope said she would talk to her father for him anyway. He was glad she would still do it even if she didn’t think she had to. Now that he was joining the world of nobility, he needed John to at least tolerate him if he wanted to be able to court her for marriage. If the protective knight thought he was merely toying with his daughter’s heart, there was no way he would ever give him his blessing. He had to get this mess straightened out for the sake of holding onto the future they wanted.

As the table fell quiet, Crow worked on finishing off the rest of his food. It didn’t take long, and he looked up again when Penelope told him the rest of her plan for the morning. “Alright,” he nodded, downing the last of his water and standing up. “I’ll go back to my room now then to get ready. I don’t imagine it’s going to take very long, so I’ll try not to keep you waiting.”

Stretching his legs a bit, he casted her an playful smile, “I’ll see you soon, love. Don’t miss me too much.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's more worried about John xD

I'm excited for that, haha. And the reactions of people like Naida and William when they find out they were together all along

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow shook his head when Penelope said they might be able to have one meal without being bothered. It was frustrating to know that she was probably right in the statement. Before, it had been difficult enough with his sister lingering around and preventing them from having any privacy. At least then, they had managed to steal a few meals alone here and there. But now, with Elizabeth so determined to win him over, he doubted they would have any time to themselves at all until the noblewoman either gave up or he and the knight started courting openly. Knowing that, he was even more grateful that they were going to have a whole day to be together, since it was starting to look like it would be the last time for quite a while.

As Penelope brought up her concern that Elizabeth probably wasn’t going to quit her antics anytime soon, Crow grimaced. He was sure she was right about that too. The thought of dealing with any more surprises from the noblewoman made him taste bile, but there was nothing he could do to stop her since she wasn’t even put off by his open hostility toward her. It seemed that she wasn’t going to give up unless there was a barrier between them that she would be forced to admit she couldn’t get past.

Noticing that their food had arrived, Crow glanced up to watch the servants set down their plates. He frowned when he saw that the boy who had brought his breakfast was unfamiliar to him, wondering once again what had happened to Preston. It was out of character for the attendant to vanish without a word like this. However, he didn’t get the chance to ponder over it for long before Penelope drew his attention with another comment about Liz.

“I have no idea what she’s going to do,” he admitted, lifting a bite of food to his mouth. “I did make it quite clear to her that if she comes to my bedchamber again, I’m not going to tolerate it though. Hopefully she’ll learn that I’m not ever going to be interested in her soon enough.” He chased his food with a sip of water and then froze when another thought came to him.

“Um, speaking of what happened,” he turned back to her with a sheepish look. “I’d appreciate it if you’d tell your father that the rumors about me aren’t true. I don’t know if he still believes them, but when I went to his room this morning to find out where you were, he was pretty mad.”

~Bonsoir~

The following day, Vail awoke much earlier than he usually did after spending a night out. It wasn’t the most pleasant morning of his life either. Judging by the light that filtered in through the curtained window by his bed, it was probably around eight o’ clock. He had gotten plenty of sleep, but he felt like he’d hardly slept at all. He rolled over to face away from the light, drawing his sheets over his head. On top of waking up tired, his teeth ached as well. He had fed just two nights before, but he nearly felt like he had gone over a week without the sustenance he needed to function at his highest capacity.

He stretched his jaw uncomfortably, his lips peeling away from his long fangs as he opened his mouth. It was hard to say why he was feeling so terrible so soon after his last meal. Perhaps the human he’d fed on had had a health condition that had tainted her blood, or perhaps he simply hadn’t drunk enough of it to satisfy his body’s craving… or, perhaps it was because of a certain Crest heiress who had reignited his primal hunger with a single drop of blood that was different than anything he’d ever experienced before.

As his mind wandered back to that moment at the party when he had first caught a whiff of Lady Victoria’s cut, Vail could already feel himself beginning to salivate compulsively. Of course, he knew he couldn’t have her, since the politics between their families were far too complicated to risk inciting a war, but it was hard not to be drawn by his own curiosity. He wished there was a way for him to find out what it would be like to feed on such tantalizing blood without causing tension between the Crests and the Hygraces. In spite of himself, he even found that he was mildly jealous that Lord Spencer was able to have as much of it as he wanted.

Disturbed by the thought, he climbed down from his bed to get ready for the day, eager to put the events of the previous night behind him in favor of moving on. It wasn’t like there was any point in dwelling on what had happened anyway. He was never going to see Lady Victoria again, and it was unlikely that he would cross paths with her betrothed either. The best thing he could do was forget about the couple—and the Lady’s mouthwatering blood—and go on like nothing had changed.

As Vail dressed himself, he was pulled from his musings by a knock on his door. He turned around to see that his father was standing in the doorway with a bemused expression detailing his features.

“You’re up early,” Lord Peter commented, knowing his son well enough to find the behavior abnormal. Usually when he attended parties, he slept in until at least ten o’ clock the next day.

“Yes, well, I didn’t stay out as long as I’d planned to,” Vail shrugged, raising his arms over his head to slide on a clean shirt.

“Trouble with the Crests?” Peter asked with a concerned frown. “I knew it was a bad idea for you to attend this event, Vail. Did someone from the Order recognize you?”

“No,” the younger Hygrace answered thoughtfully. “I did run into Alexander’s daughter, but I told her my name was Griffiths. Even if she didn’t believe me, there was no familiarity in her eyes.”

“Good,” his father exhaled. “Since Lord Crest’s passing, relations between our family and the Order have been… tense, to say the least. The last thing we need is for one of them to think you’ve taken an interest in stalking the Crest heiress.”

“I would do no such thing,” Vail cracked an amused smile. “But I think someone else already has.”

“What do you mean?” Peter knitted his brow.

“There was a Wynter at the party,” Vail explained, absently checking over the clothes he’d put on in order to straighten out any wrinkles. It would have been an easier task if he could simply check himself in a mirror like a human would, but with no reflection of his own, he had to be a little more thorough. “He went by the name Spencer, but I’m sure it was an alias. Either way, he’s supposedly engaged to marry Lady Victoria soon. I don’t think she has a clue who he really is, poor girl.”

“That is concerning,” Peter crossed his arms. “If he marries Alexander’s daughter, he’ll become the next head of the Crests.”

Vail faltered at that. Though it was obvious to him now, he hadn’t thought about the consequences of a Wynter marrying into the Crest family before. Last night, he had been so caught up in his desire to keep out of the other families’ affairs that the connection hadn’t even crossed his mind. Knowing that his father was probably correct in assuming that was the rival’s end game, he felt more troubled about what he’d learned.

“Don’t worry about it for now,” Peter said, seeming to catch the uneasy look on his son’s face. “I’ll deal with the Wynters. You go downstairs and get some breakfast. Your mother saved you a plate, since we both expected you to be up much later.”

“Tell her I appreciate it,” Vail nodded. He stepped around his father to go down to the parlor, but then paused as another thought came to him. “Speaking of eating, I think I’ll be going out again tonight,” he mused, glancing at the other vampire once more. “I woke up feeling a bit famished, so I’d like to feed before I get too ill.”

“I thought you went out recently,” Peter studied him confusedly. “Do you really need to go again so soon?”

“I think the woman I fed on must have had a disease,” Vail lied, deciding not to tell his father about what had happened with Lady Victoria. “Regardless, I’m already aching. I need to go out soon, and I see no reason why I should be confined to the manor tonight.”

“Alright,” Peter relented. “Just be careful.”

“I always am,” Vail smiled, turning away from him to get something to eat downstairs.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Elizabeth didn't know what to do when they ganged up on her cx

Honestly, John might get his way xD
It would definitely make things interesting, since they're used to doing whatever they want lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow shot Elizabeth a glare as she tried to convince Penelope that they had slept together again. Even though they had already talked through it in private, it was still recent enough to be a sore subject. He didn’t want to keep listening to the noblewoman poke at the knight’s insecurities too. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not, he felt a surge of protectiveness now that he knew how Penelope felt, and it frustrated him to watch someone as vengeful as Liz use that to her advantage.

He was just about to tell the noblewoman to eat her breakfast somewhere else, but Penelope spoke first. The viceroy glanced at her, confused at first when she seemed to side with Liz. However, in the next moment, he bit back a laugh as she revealed that she knew what had actually happened in his bedchamber on the night Elizabeth had been referring to. Her newfound knowledge seemed to throw the other woman off too. He guessed that Liz either hadn’t expected him to tell her what had occurred—other noblemen might have chosen to save face rather than admit to forcing a woman to leave in nothing but a sheet—or thought the knight wouldn’t have believed the truth, even if he tried to convince her.

Amused by the situation, Crow propped his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand, covering his smirk by pressing his mouth against his palm. His eyes flicked to Elizabeth, who was now looking quite shocked by the sudden turn of events. She sat silently for a moment before letting out a scoff. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand,” she chuckled, though the viceroy could hear a hint of nervousness in her laughter. “Collin, dear, why would you tell her that you were trying to get rid of me? I thought our night together was quite special.”

“Oh, it was,” Crow agreed with an airy shrug, casting her a smile that was laced with warning. “Trust me, I won’t forget about what you did for a long time… I might even tell everyone I know.”

Liz pursed her lips together again, seeming to realize there was no way for her to win against both of them. After a pause, she shook her head, continuing to feign innocence as she stood up from the table, “I don’t know why you’re being so horrible to me today, but I don’t like it. I’ll be back when you get over this mood of yours. Good day.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Crow muttered as she walked away. Once Elizabeth was out of earshot, he turned to Penelope with an exaggerated sigh, “Thank the gods that’s over.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Of course xD
Crow won't like that, since he's the type to feel honor-bound when he makes a promise to someone

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow nodded and followed Penelope over to an empty table she had spotted on the other side of the Great Hall, far from where Elizabeth was seated. Despite what he’d said to her, he knew Liz was going to join them as soon as they settled down. She’d already caught sight of him when he’d entered the room and was now watching him move through the crowd like a wild animal stalking its prey. Her unwavering gaze sent a chill up his spine. He wished she would give up on winning him over already. Though there had never been any chance of him returning to her to start with, she had done quite a poor job of seducing him. After her harsh words to the knight and her unwarranted appearance in his bedchamber, any attraction he might have felt to her before was thoroughly extinguished.

Crow slid onto the bench across from Penelope when they reached the table. He would have liked to sit directly next to her to make it clear to Elizabeth whose side he was on, but knowing the gesture would look strange to anyone else in the room, he contented himself with merely letting his leg brush against hers beneath the table.

As the knight announced that Liz was already making her way over to join them, the viceroy groaned. He really didn’t want to deal with the noblewoman so early in the morning, but it was starting to look like he wouldn’t have a choice. At least he would have the rest of the day to spend with Penelope after breakfast. Looking forward to that, eating one meal with Liz would be just a little more tolerable.

Almost as if on cue, her familiar, sing-song voice sounded unpleasantly behind him.

“Morning, Collin,” Elizabeth cooed, sitting close enough to him that her shoulder was pressed against his. “Sleep well?”

“Better, since you weren’t there,” Crow said coldly. With everything she had done to both him and Penelope, he’d given up on being civil with the stubborn woman. Hopefully now that he was being more upfront about his dislike of her, she would get the hint that he wanted her to leave him alone.

Liz frowned but made no move to go anywhere. “Oh, come now,” she leaned into him a little more. “I’m sure you slept great after my visit two nights ago.” A devious smirk crossed her lips, and her blue eyes flickered toward Penelope. “I mean, I was thoroughly exhausted after that game we played. If you weren’t tired, you really must have quite the stamina.”