Although Crow’s opinion that Otto was unnecessarily strict hadn’t changed, he had to agree that he didn’t want to waste any time when they got to Younis. It was a beautiful kingdom, but his top priority was convincing the king to agree to end the war on peaceful terms and returning to Brerra as fast as he could to reunite with Penelope. The most he planned to do was take in the views on the ride to the castle which, if his memory served him, were still impressive to behold. He was curious to find out what the landscape looked like in the winter and whether or not the Younisian peasants were well prepared to handle the harsher weather.

“I’m unopposed to surveillance, Vermillion, but I would hope my knights know better than to be distracted from their duties by a pleasant view,” Otto replied with a clipped edge to his voice. It was apparent that he was losing his patience the longer his authority was challenged, but he still managed to keep his temper under control.

Crow rolled his eyes. It had been the baron’s own decision to get involved in their lighthearted conversation in the first place, so in a way, he was responsible for the fact that no one had appreciated his intrusion. He and the others had just been chatting about what Younis was like, not trying to change the predetermined plans. “You know that isn’t what she meant,” he folded his arms with a frown. “She isn’t even coming with us past the border, so why do you think she would try to reroute us?”

Otto glanced at him briefly before turning away to casually flag down a bar wench. “I was merely ensuring we don’t fall behind,” he justified calmly. “We have a tight schedule to keep if we want to reach the castle in exactly ten days.”

“It doesn’t matter that much,” the viceroy stared at him bemusedly. “We don’t know how many days it could take the Younisian king to decide if he’ll agree to our terms. I doubt Albin would be that upset if it takes us a day or two longer to come back.”

Otto quirked his brows, seeming surprised by how informally Crow referred to their monarch. After a moment, he recovered, “I understand that, but we still ought to do our best to return to him as quickly as possible. Wouldn’t you agree, Collin?”

“Well, yes…” Crow admitted, studying the older man perplexedly. He was beginning to realize that ever since they’d left, Otto had been especially insistent that they hit every checkpoint on their journey at perfect intervals. Either the baron was an extreme perfectionist, or he had his own reasons for wanting to come back to Brerra swiftly. He glanced at Rayner. Maybe Otto had a wife waiting for him at home who he was eager to see again.

Not interested in prying, he let the subject drop and looked up as the other wench returned to serve them all their dinners. The aroma of freshly cooked red meat stole the former thief’s attention right away, and he dug into his meal with fervor. “Gods,” he sighed, taking a swig of his drink. “The fact that this is the last time I’ll be able to eat like this for weeks is heartbreaking.”