Chapter 279: Worry
It was a vital time for Irene to prove herself to the knighthood.
Even though mostly only apprentices remained in the Duke’s Tower, she felt she ought to present herself as someone who deserved to be in the position that she was in.
Despite that, she couldn’t entirely erase the thoughts of her grandmother even though her father insisted that she didn’t need to go home and that he would tell her if things took a turn.
However, it didn’t take away the fact that she felt awful at what the letter said. Her father was visiting her grandmother every single day, only to return to his wife and son before the sun set. He was dividing his time, working tirelessly to make sure both his mother and his wife were happy. What trouble it was to be married, she thought. But if her parents never married then she wouldn’t exist.
As Irene pored over a book, she realized she wasn’t focused at all as she snapped it closed and decided to put it back on the shelf.
Her green eyes traveled across a library she hardly recognized. Once comfortable couches had been thrown out because the goblins locked in the library had totally thrashed the place. Books on lower shelves had suffered or been damaged. Many shelves were overturned when they finally got back into the space.
It was somewhat a relief that things looked bare and unlike they were before. If it was too recognizable, she would probably notice all the people who were no longer there.
At least winter always tended to be lonely anyway. People moved slow and practices were still canceled at times. Unlike most of the other knights during winter, Irene still tried to get out and practice with the apprentices so her skills would never dull.
Felix would do the same when he could, but he was spending a lot of his time familiarizing himself with the Duke’s Tower and surrounding areas. Even though he had lived there practically his entire life, he was far less serious before. There were many things he used to not pay attention to.
This was their normal. At least winter normal.
Once things thawed out, Irene and Felix would both be tasked in figuring out how to organize a knighthood in the patrol of the valleys and duchy once the snow had melted and monster movement likely would rise again.