Penny blinked in surprise, unable to react immediately. It wasn't so much that she didn't believe Gen but rather, what she had said had caught her completely and utterly off-guard. It had never occurred to Penny that they could just kiss boys; it didn't seem proper. And yet, the idea seemed so utterly romantic!
"Julius?" Penny echoed skeptically, when the name sank in. "Do you mean the stable boy?" She didn't exactly mean to be insulting but being brought up as she had been, he hadn't even really been a blip on her radar. Sure, she was polite and she always thanked him but she hadn't really conversed with him other than exchanging pleasantries here and there. The notion of kissing him had never even crossed her mind. As she tried to process this information, she found herself experiencing a swell of curiosity even, though she wouldn't admit it, a pang of jealousy. After all, though she'd had several marriage proposals, she'd certainly never had an encounter that resulted in actual kissing.