Chapter 309: Cautious Optimism
"Would you like me to be honest or would you like me to be objective?" Irene immediately asked the knight who spoke up.
However, her eyes went to the rest of the room, where other knights looked on expectantly. It was clear they were waiting for an answer to something they were afraid to ask themselves.
She nodded, accepting that their barely patient silence was her cue to go forward.
"Both..." she realized. "Then you require both." She let out a sigh. "I am terrified of being handed a Duke who does not know the ins and outs of the north," she admitted, her voice remaining strong. "But is that not our job to teach him the ropes so that our outcome is a positive one? Knowing he has been a hero to us once is enough for me to cast aside my own prejudices. He cannot bring us worse fortune than what we have now."
The old knight shifted in his seat and spoke up once more with a toss of his hand towards the girl.
"You are young and still have a silver lining, it seems," he objected. "My entire life, the Kings have neglected the north. Their choice in sending a lowborn just proves that the sentiment hasn’t changed."
Knights spoke up, offering words of mixed feelings amongst themselves and not directed to Irene. The apprentices were too afraid to pick a strong side, knowing that the future Commander was going to preside over them, and they remained silent even if their ears were open and their own opinions were starting to form.
However, there was a voice that carried above all of them—the only one that was allowed to because of her position.
"Quiet down," Irene ordered in an authoritative voice that boomed through the room.