People kept reading Irene’s thoughts that day. She didn’t like it.
"Is it that I’m dressed up, or you’re under-dressed, Sir Trenton?" the young Duke quipped back.
There it was, that effortless wit.
"We’re simply lucky that, despite him being your apprentice, he decided to take after my clothing choices," Sir Alix added his own comment. "I think he looks suitable for the occasion."
Irene had practically only just realized Sir Alix was there. It seemed she did tend to prefer the bulkier, wilder-looking types compared to the refined nature of someone so deeply rooted in nobility. She didn’t think anyone could eclipse Alix’s appearance until it happened that evening.
She did have to admit that Felix did look nice, though. The silk on his green tunic was of the highest quality. Things that didn’t have to matter to a knight seemed to be so effortless for him.
"I appreciate the compliment," the Commander responded. "Though I must admit it was chosen for me. I am as tasteless as I’ve always been."
Irene felt strange relief, and she laughed with the others who had taken kindly to their new Commander’s humor.
His comment alone was enough to set the tone for the night because, after he said it, everyone else seemed to speak with one another more easily. There was no pretense that, while Commander Henry took the knighthood seriously, he didn’t take himself too seriously.
He would get along well with an order of knights who held no pretenses, simply the desire to protect the lands that were theirs.
Dishes were served that were a mix of those from the north and the south. It was mostly in the herbs and root vegetables that the biggest difference was. They had smoked and salted ocean fish that she had never tried before, considering Hydrogia’s proximity to the ocean.
However, the northern delicacy of beef and dark sauce was still one of her favorites, and she ate it down with no issue alongside plenty of carrots and bread.
"They really went above and beyond tonight," Irene admitted to Sir Trenton with another sip of her ale. "They’re surely trying to impress His Grace with all of this."
Trenton was laughing even easier than usual with all he had consumed. He was nearing his third mug and decided he ought to slow down.
"We can only be happy that we’ve benefited from this greatly," the other knight responded, patting his stomach as he did, as if there was something to be seen from all he had eaten.
"Merely looking at you makes me full," another knight admitted with a frown. "None of us could ever measure up to the endless pit that your stomach is."
Irene’s eyes crinkled as she laughed at this. She had been paying a bit of attention to Trenton’s food intake, and she was more impressed than anything else.
"Perhaps I should have eaten like that to get larger," she joked. "Sir Maximus, wasn’t it?" she asked the knight, remembering him from the war but not wanting to bring up the fact that the last time they saw one another, she was pretending to be a way.
"It was," the knight acknowledged. "And you’re Dame Irene. The one your Commander thought was too small to be such a good sword wielder, only to realize it was, in fact, a woman who puts us all to shame. You will certainly keep him on his toes."
How embarrassing it was to be called out in such a way. It caused her to realize that perhaps more people had witnessed the moment than she thought.
Trenton chuckled and seemed to shoot an accusatory glance towards Irene. It made her feel a bit unsettled to know that this caused others to look in their direction, wanting in on the conversation. Sir Trenton naturally lightened the moods, and people seemed to gravitate towards him.
Considering Sir Maximus was probably not much taller than she was, Irene realized that the comment was said with a bit of chagrin. She felt the need to defend those in their height group.
"Height doesn’t matter," Irene insisted, trying to brush off the previous comment. "We will keep the big ones on their toes because we’re always so much faster than they are. Strength and size don’t always win."
The comment caused Sir Trenton to erupt with boisterous laughter. On the other hand, Irene could feel her face redden, and she had to drink more ale to soothe herself.
She realized quickly that the laughter had caused the Commander to gaze in their direction as well. She hadn’t wanted to be noticed in such a way that night while she was trying to navigate through the unnecessary realization that she found the Commander attractive because she wasn’t at all used to him.
Despite feeling his eyes on her multiple times the rest of the evening, she did her best to continue conversing with the others and keep herself together.
Why was it bothering her so badly that he kept curiously glancing in her direction? Did her lack of dress bother him?
Since Irene didn’t dare glance in Commander Henry’s direction, it prevented her from having to see if he was displeased by her lack of dress or ladylike manners.
Eventually, Irene decided it was time to turn in for the night, and she excused herself. Read complete version only at novelFirｅ.net
Even though she wasn’t the first to leave, she usually stayed much later. Hopefully, the knights who were used to her wouldn’t say anything about her early departure.
As she stood from her bench, she finally got the courage to glance in Commander Henry’s direction. She decided she needed to see for herself how he perceived her.
To her surprise, his expression seemed to soften as their eyes met. He was almost caught off guard by having finally caught her eye.
She opted to bow her head slightly as she passed him to escape the dining hall.
"Goodnight, Commander," she bid.
It seemed that the true issue was that they needed to get used to each other.