I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 255: Hard To Get Used To

Even if there were no intentions behind it, laying their eyes on a beautiful girl after seeing so much ugliness on the battlefield for two years felt like a breath of fresh air.

However, realizing that the person they were staring at was one of their own, whom they fought alongside every day for years before, caused conflicting responses. Most decided not to say anything at all. They were unsure of how to approach someone they thought they knew, but turned out they didn’t at all.

Even though the standard of beauty was a woman in a beautiful gown, Irene shone without all that. Her face was fresh, and her eyes were bright green. Her hair had grown out and fell in wonderful waves around her shoulders. Even though she had been on horseback, it gave her a bit of volume that seemed wonderfully unkempt.

Luckily, Sir Gunnar whipped them all back into shape, and they realized it wouldn’t help to be silent while one of their own reentered the knighthood after being injured and taken away for months at a time.

"Sit down and have something to eat," Sir Sven directed first. "Take a load off. Commander Lothian left us barrels of golden ale to enjoy while we get things back together."

Irene was immediately relieved to hear someone acknowledge her first.

As she looked towards the kitchen, she was surprised to smell that something was being cooked. After remembering how the kitchen looked when they found Agnes, she never thought it would be functioning ever again.

"Ah, right," Sir Gunnar realized. "We have three maids. Cooking will be slow for now, but they are doing their best. After all, we’re lacking in knights as it is. There aren’t many mouths to feed."

As if on cue, Ingrid walked out of the kitchen with two steaming bowls of stew in her hands, and she handed them to the just-arrived travelers with a small smile on her face.

"Enjoy," she stated. "I’m sure you’re not looking forward to eating stew all the time once more, but it’s what’s easiest for now."

"I don’t mind at all," Irene responded. "Thank you, miss."

Arthur thanked the maid as well, and he looked down at his daughter.

"I ought to catch up with the knights," he explained. "Go sit with the apprentices. I’m sure you’re eager to catch up with one another."

Irene’s eyes widened. She felt like she was about to be abandoned, even though she and her father would be in the same room.

However, going forward bravely was the least she could do in a moment like that. Even if it was nerve-wracking, it was a completely necessary step.

As she always would, she chose a spot by the recently repaired windows and was relieved to see the former squire, William, scooting over on the small bench to make room for her.

The biggest obstacle was sitting across from her, though, and she saw him sit up a bit straighter when she sat down. She hoped that it wasn’t because he was uncomfortable with her now.

"Iro," Felix greeted her calmly. "Good to see you in one piece. Shall I call you Irene now?"

Even though her eyes were on her bowl, they lifted at his last question. She immediately searched his face for a sign that he was giving her trouble, but she surprisingly found nothing of the sort.

Ever since the war began, he was far more serious, and she hoped that the conclusion of the war hadn’t caused that progress to reverse, especially at such a sensitive time like that.

Was she wearing her heart on her sleeve? She wasn’t entirely sure, but her face felt hot.

"If that is what you would like to call me," she responded. "I’m used to hearing Iro even if it isn’t my real name."

William broke the tension by deciding to speak.

"I didn’t believe the others when they said what was discovered that day," he admitted with a light shrug as he fiddled with the wooden spoon in his hands. "Now I believe them even if it’s going to be weird to get used to."

Such a simple statement brought Irene great relief. Rather than resisting her, he would get used to her, and she hoped that the others were going to hold similar sentiments.

"Forgive me for lying for such a long time," she responded as calmly as she could. "My parents thought it was the best way for me to stay safe while living amongst men. I hope everyone can understand that it wasn’t my first choice, but my compromise to be able to be an apprentice at all."

There were a few other newly appointed apprentices there, and they seemed eager for the conversation as they leaned closer to the bowl to get a bit of the gossip that had been plaguing the Chemoian knights.

Only a few in Hydrogia were familiar with the situation, such as the Commander and his new second in command, Sir Alix. Otherwise, Commander Lothian’s refusal to participate in gossip would stop that before it could spread through his own knighthood.

"I get it," one apprentice responded absentmindedly as he ate.

"It would be a bit weird for a girl here, wouldn’t it?" another said.

"Wait, haven’t I bathed in front of you before?" another realized in horror.

Even though Irene had begun eating by that point, she couldn’t help sinking into the table a bit more.

"Forgive me," Irene pleaded. "Making myself more comfortable has made all of you uncomfortable."

She kept her head down for the most part as she tried to finish her food while the others chirped at one another about all the things they did in front of Irene that probably grossed her out. She could only quietly interject.

It was early evening by the time Irene and her father had arrived, but there were still hours before the sun would finally drop over the horizon.

Since Felix could sense that the situation was a little bit overwhelming, he stood up with his bowl in his hands.

"Well, Irene, why don’t you join me for a ride?" he asked. "I believe we have a bit to catch up on ourselves."

As strange as it was to hear her true name come from him, she immediately agreed.

Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at (f)re𝒆we(b)novel.com Only