I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 82: Worry About Yourself

Chapter 82: Worry About Yourself

Fortunately for Irene, that was the last break they had before they went down another hill and found the Dethorn’s estate which overlooked the floodplains from up high on a cliff.

Despite how their house sat precariously overlooking the land below, they had quite a bit of space that boasted well-kept gardens and a sprawling property. Since Chemois was milder than the south in summer, flowers tended to bloom much later than spring and all through the summer.

The carriage went slow by that point as the coachman guided them down the stone-lined road and around a fountain that stood proudly in front of the home.

Baron Dethorn rushed out to greet his wife and they were caught in an embrace as if the others didn’t exist before he paid the knight and apprentices handsomely for their help. It was clear he cherished his wife and it made Irene feel even more uncomfortable considering the internal battle she was having with Rose and ways to avoid the girl.

Irene was only forced to help Rose out of the carriage one last time and the girl gave her a curtsy before giggling.

"Goodbye, Iro," Rose uttered quietly.

"Farewell, my Lady," Irene responded, forcing herself to be polite since it was just one last time.

However, as the girl ran back to the Baron to embrace him as well then tell him about the journey she went on with her aunt, Irene turned towards the apprentices and heaved a sigh as they gave her smirks of approval.

"You’ve really stolen her heart," Leif mentioned in disbelief.

"She’s taken with you even though you’re so small and young," Felix agreed.

"Why? Would you rather her take to you since you’re so much older?" Irene asked. "I don’t think Agnes would be too pleased that you’re trading her for a noble since that is... What did you call it? Finest pickings?"

Felix jumped forward and placed a firm hand over Irene’s mouth.

"Are you done?" he asked her through clenched teeth. "I said not to mention a word of her if Sir Gunnar is around."

Irene moved enough so that she could sink her teeth into Felix’s hand and he gasped as he took it back, shaking it out in annoyance.

"I don’t want to get married... ever," Irene reiterated from before. "Worry about yourselves rather than me."

"Fine," Felix muttered as he continued to shake off his hand.

Fortunately, Sir Gunnar summoned the oldest apprentice and he was forced to help them with a bit of unloading of the carriage. On the other hand, Irene went to handle Sorrel and Leif looked after Felix but ended up following Irene instead.

She brushed out Sorrel’s mane with her fingers and pulled him closer to a bit of water, noticing that he hadn’t drunk much before, but they would have to be off on the trail again that afternoon.

They had spent an entire summer getting better at escorting and scouting. It was nice to be away from the Duke’s Tower, but she was eager to get back as they settled down for autumn and eventually winter. Despite how she might be acting, Irene was so happy they would be back on the road where there were only knights, apprentices, and no fussy noble girls to deal with.

She hadn’t considered having to deal with noble girls since she was pretending to be a boy. Perhaps the attention was simply because of who her father was and nothing more. She still didn’t like being tied up with true nobles considering how it had ruined her in the future.

To her surprise, she heard Leif pull his horse close to the stream at the edge of the Dethorn’s property as well. He seemed less preoccupied with making sure the horse drank water than whatever she was doing.

"Sorry about that issue with Rose," Leif apologized quietly. "I didn’t think something like that would bother you so much."

Irene knew she had come off strangely. She was usually someone who could brush things off easily or return them, but the thought of ruining her life because she got close to nobles again terrified her. She often wondered if she would one day cross paths with the man she was supposed to marry.

"My father is a lord and so I have spent plenty of time around nobles to know that I do not want to have anything to do with them," she admitted softly. "My mother comes from a noble family as well. While knights can technically all become nobles through land ownership, I don’t think there’s a reason for me to ever go down that path or have to follow the rules that come along with it."

Leif paused for a long time, but her explanation was suitable enough.

"I understand, Iro," he responded finally. "Just know I wasn’t being serious about it."

"It’s alright," she responded quietly with a faint smile. "I just want you to know my reasoning."

There wasn’t much more to be said because Sir Gunnar rounded up his apprentices again and they were off to the next leg of their journey.

"We will be camping outside for a couple more days," the knight announced. "Although that shouldn’t be such an issue for you since you’ve had an entire summer to get used to sleeping under the stars."

They all had lost weight from eating small meals on the trail and not being in their usual schedules. They looked a bit rough around the edges but, in all of their opinions, they were much more unified as a force. The apprentices were better trained for escorting—which they would have to get used to considering what would happen in the winter. Sir Gunnar, on the other hand, was simply along for the ride at a certain point. All he needed to be there for was ensuring nothing went wrong. He knew that he could pass on knowledge whenever it was relevant. Hopefully, it would become the apprentice’s knowledge soon enough as well.

As they took harshly to the west and towards more open plains, they made it down the small mountain and hills that led to either the floodplains south or the central part of Chemois in the north. The group was surprised to see Blade dive down from the sky.

Since he would relentlessly poke whoever caught him, it was Sir Gunnar who raised his arm upward. He was wearing the most armor and wouldn’t get hurt if the bird chose him.

They halted as the knight took the scroll off of the hawk’s foot and his eyebrows lowered slightly.

"Due to his mother’s illness, Sir Arthur will only be able to tour the northern half of the duchy for the winterization this year," Sir Gunnar summarized, his eyes drifting to Irene who stared at the man with wide eyes.

Worry struck her in the worst of ways.

"It seems our plans for the next month have changed drastically," he admitted with a sigh.

The adaptability required to be a knight never ceased to amaze Irene. Even through her misery, she knew that much.