I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 162: Harmless

Chapter 162: Harmless

Irene’s face was red the moment she went out with the Princess and realized there was no avoiding being the center of attention any longer. It wasn’t merely the glare she received from the Crown Prince or the amusement from the Earl and Countess that tipped Irene off to all of the attention.

People had quite literally stopped dancing to witness the spectacle. They stopped with their partners and gave way to the two children.

Irene kept her eyes downcast and followed the Princess wherever she wanted to go, which happened to be the center of the floor.

While Irene had danced in such a way in the life she had seen, she had never been the one in the male position. Despite that, she knew what she was supposed to do and would likely surprise the few in the room who knew her secret well.

However, she felt lucky that the friends most likely to tease her, as well as Sir Gunnar, were someplace outside, doing the duties she wished she were a part of at that moment.

The apprentice bowed to the Princess and offered her hand politely. The Princess, who thought nothing of the gesture, considering it was customary in that sort of setting, offered her ringed hand and stepped closer to Irene.

"Your face is red. Are you nervous?" the Princess asked as the slow music introduced a new tune as the musicians in the corner took note of the important girl leading the latest dance on the floor.

"I’ve never danced like this before," Irene admitted, being surprisingly earnest. "Forgive me if I step on your feet."

The Princess giggled. "That’s alright. I won’t tell my brother."

Irene’s smile was a bit shy, but underneath, she was quite miserable at the thought of the Crown Prince turning his anger towards her. She was certain she was already on some sort of list in the teenager’s mind.

With Irene’s hand on the Princess’s waist, which was accentuated higher than it naturally sat due to the stylish dark red dress she wore, their other hands joined, and they began the slow dance. Irene managed not to step on the Princess’s shoes, and for that she was quite proud of herself. At least the Princess’s gown went all the way to the floor, so hardly anyone could pay attention to the footwork or lack thereof as the layers of material surrounded both of their feet.

However, being once well trained for nobility, Irene knew that she needed to keep her head lifted and her expression neutral if not slightly happy, or it could be seen as a slight towards the Princess, whom she very much didn’t want to get on her bad side.

As time went on, Irene found herself relaxing more easily and getting the hang of being in a position she was so unfamiliar with.

"Why did you request me, Your Highness?" Irene asked quietly, though loud enough to be heard over the music.

The Princess hadn’t been long without a grin, and it only widened.

"You’re the only one who didn’t seem too afraid to dance with me," she admitted. "Everyone acts as if I’m made of glass, and I’m a bit tired of it."

Irene’s heart went out to the other girl.

"I understand," she admitted softly.

"How could you?" Princess Marie’s smile faltered. "Look what you’re allowed to do compared to what I’m allowed to do. My brother won’t even let me play in the snow."

She pouted for a moment, but as they turned, Princess Marie’s face was angled to the front where her brother sat with the Earl. She made sure to plaster the grin on once more, as if she hadn’t just confessed something so unbelievably depressing to Irene.

"Ah, you’re right," Irene admitted. "Forgive me."

It wasn’t as if she could confess that there was a time when she did somewhat understand where the girl was coming from. Instead, she opted to keep her mouth shut until she was allowed to be done with the dance.

Fortunately for her, the music began to change, and she had an excuse to get out of there.

"Thank you for the dance, Your Highness," Irene said as she pulled away. "Now I must get back to my duties or the knight in charge of me will be upset that I have shirked my responsibilities."

Even though there was a knight out there covering for her, she was more comfortable being out there and decided it was her only valid excuse.

Princess Marie seemed displeased at this even as Irene led her back to her table, but she didn’t say anything to stop the apprentice from truly leaving.

"Thank you, Iro."

Irene bowed one last time before she excused herself.

However, as she turned away from the table to escape the situation entirely, she paused mid-step when she saw that the knights and apprentices she wanted to avoid had already entered the room. It seemed that it was their turn to watch the ballroom. As always, the universe had its own timing, and Irene couldn’t do anything about it.

Sir Gunnar had a smirk on his face, and his eyebrows were raised as if to say he knew what she had been up to. He probably found it funny that she had been forced to dance with another girl.

The most surprising reaction to her though, was Leif, who stood there with a look of horror on his face.

Irene could only assume that he was jealous that she got to dance with the Princess yet again.

Here we go again... the girl groaned internally.

She began to wonder if all teenage boys were jealous idiots or if she had simply gotten lucky to surround herself with two of them. While Felix seemed to have calmed down and things were getting far less uncomfortable, it seemed it was going to start with Leif.

Irene couldn’t help being disappointed that it turned out Leif was just like anyone else. How could he not be? The Princess was the epitome of what people found beautiful and desirable in the kingdom.