Chapter 315: Innocent Curiosity
People kept reading Irene’s thoughts that day. She didn’t like it.
"Is it that I’m dressed up, or you’re under-dressed, Sir Trenton?" the young Duke quipped back.
There it was, that effortless wit.
"We’re simply lucky that, despite him being your apprentice, he decided to take after my clothing choices," Sir Alix added his own comment. "I think he looks suitable for the occasion."
Irene had practically only just realized Sir Alix was there. It seemed she did tend to prefer the bulkier, wilder-looking types compared to the refined nature of someone so deeply rooted in nobility. She didn’t think anyone could eclipse Alix’s appearance until it happened that evening.
She did have to admit that Felix did look nice, though. The silk on his green tunic was of the highest quality. Things that didn’t have to matter to a knight seemed to be so effortless for him.
"I appreciate the compliment," the Commander responded. "Though I must admit it was chosen for me. I am as tasteless as I’ve always been."
Irene felt strange relief, and she laughed with the others who had taken kindly to their new Commander’s humor.
His comment alone was enough to set the tone for the night because, after he said it, everyone else seemed to speak with one another more easily. There was no pretense that, while Commander Henry took the knighthood seriously, he didn’t take himself too seriously.