I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 420: Good Night

Irene found herself in front of the slowly dying fireplace of a sitting room that was unoccupied. Although it wasn’t that surprising since most of the action still happening in the Auden’s estate was closer to the banquet hall, and likely because people were still enjoying drinks.

It was nice to find a place in the beautiful home that truly felt private because her Commander had some explaining to do after what had transpired just before.

Shortly after Sylaron landed in front of them, Henry was forced to tell the dragon he wasn’t afraid. Had she been watching? Why had she come to that conclusion? Questions had been rushing through Irene’s thoughts.

He said he would explain shortly before going inside, but they found themselves simply sharing a couch in front of a fire and staring into it as they got their thoughts together. She knew she had too much to drink to begin with, but swinging her sword wasn’t enough to burn off all the alcohol—that much was obvious as she got the courage to kiss her Commander’s cheek. Yet he was polite enough not to act put off by it.

Rather, he hugged her. And she continued to try not to read between the lines despite it feeling like the answer was in front of her. She didn’t want to get too hopeful.

If he wasn’t going to break the silence, she would.

"She thought you were scared?" Irene uttered, referring to the dragon.

He finally looked away from the fire and at her.

"There’s something only Commander Lothian knows," he confessed. "Can you keep a secret?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She nodded, feeling it was obvious, but still wanting to reassure him.

"The tests I had to pass to come to the north were surviving Polona and finding the metal my sword was forged of," he explained. "On this trip, I found Sylaron, but she was only an egg. A mage told me to throw her into lava, and that’s how I hatched her. Since the moment I found her egg, I’ve been able to hear her communicate with me if she allows it. Now that she’s older, it’s like she can hear my thoughts and feelings. I can never tell where she is, but she always knows where I am. Whenever something is happening to me, she seems to appear. Tonight, it seems she thought I was scared."

Irene listened intently all the while. She pulled his cape a bit more tightly over her shoulders and scooted forward on the couch, making herself level with where he was sitting. He had completely captivated her, but for a different reason than her usual fondness. The stories with Sylaron never ceased to amaze her.

But it didn’t explain everything.

"Why did she think you were scared?" Irene asked, genuinely concerned.

Surprisingly, he placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping her where she was. He seemed a bit scared of her getting even closer. His words only confirmed as much.

"You terrify me," the Commander admitted. "I’ve never met anyone like you."

It hit her like a slap. Perhaps her mother was right.

Irene’s gaze fell and returned to the dying fire. She was so sure that he might like her the way she liked him, but she had probably misread something. After all, she had no experience whatsoever in the realm of men and women together. She was quite immature when it came to that aspect of life.

More surprisingly, she felt a hand on her chin, and her green eyes were forced to return to Henry’s face. He gazed at her so affectionately, but perhaps she was misreading that too.

"I don’t mean that in a bad way, Irene," he explained, realizing she misunderstood. "Even without realizing it, you’re pulling me in, and I’m finding it harder to keep myself away. I find it terrifying because I never know what I’m going to do next. When I’m drinking, I have to learn to stay far from you."

Or perhaps she hadn’t misunderstood at all.

Her eyes widened faintly, and she knew there was no way her face wasn’t blushing.

Even more satisfying, the Commander was the one who broke his gaze and pulled his hand from her chin. He then brushed his fingers through his hair as if he were almost frustrated. It caused hair to fall into his eyes, and he returned to the more rugged appearance she was used to. With his hair brushed back, he was too regal for her.

She could only offer a small, shy smile. She didn’t have an intelligent response. He was practically confessing to her that he was fond of her despite his insistence not to actually say it.

How difficult it was going to be to simply return with her parents to their home as if nothing had happened. Would she really have to wait until spring?

However, she knew it was good to get to the bottom of her mother’s actions that evening. She wasn’t an excessive drinker normally. Nor was she someone who willingly spent time away from Irene’s father. Were they having marriage troubles? Perhaps something transpired that Irene couldn’t even fathom.

As much as she would rather run back to the Duke’s Tower with the very Duke himself, she needed to practice self-control.

Yet he reached over and found her calloused hand. Their fingers laced together, and Irene felt her heart pick up speed. Her self-control crashed and burned as she dared to silently ask for a little bit more.

She leaned into him until her cheek was against his well-defined shoulder. Her eyes went to his face as she questioned if this was too much.

So delicately, he brushed aside more of her red hair that was resting on her face.

It didn’t seem to be too much for him, but it was too much for her when his dark eyes dropped, and she knew he was staring at her lips. She didn’t want to present to him how clumsy she truly was.

"I ought to return to my quarters and sleep," she explained, clearly nervous.

"Are you going to give me back my cloak?" He smirked at her. "I want you to put it on me."

She didn’t like to take orders like that, especially when he was clearly teasing her. Still, she used the last of her remaining courage to remove it from her shoulders and step forward a couple of paces, which put her practically between his knees. It was the closeness required to clasp the golden chain that sat at the top of his chest.

As fast as she could, she fastened the chain and tried to escape, but the Commander caught her hand and, under his breath, whispered, "Not so fast."

He kissed her hand, but it lingered for a long time. She was the one who had to pull it away from him.

All she could do was picture what it was like to receive a proper kiss from this man so intent on telling her nothing with words but everything through action. It was too much for her to handle, but at least now she knew that she wasn’t entirely alone in all this confusion.

She was dying to ask for more explanation, but she knew that she would get in trouble eventually if she stayed out all night with the only man she had agreed to dance with.

"Tonight has been eye-opening for me," he admitted. "Goodnight, Irene."

Their evening was truly over, and she bitterly accepted it. Considering that, her goodnight was bold—at least for her.

"Goodnight, Henry," she responded quietly, relishing in their being on a first-name basis. He didn’t feel like her Commander or her Duke. He had transcended both of those things and buried himself in her heart.

She didn’t miss his smile that expressed his total satisfaction with her choice to finally use his name.

Irene walked the halls slowly, still unable to accept everything that had transpired.

Everything she had done with her Commander pointed to that he was fond of her in a way that transcended what was appropriate to their knight and commander relationship. Since it was he who had opened the door to it, all she could do was follow his lead.

She was petrified of him but also unbelievably excited for the winter to pass and return to the Duke’s Tower. Winter would likely pass even more slowly now that she had something to look forward to.

Before she could make it all the way to her room, she was shocked to see two people kissing around the corner from the guest rooms.

Perhaps she was feeling a bit jealous that there was part of her who inappropriately wished she were doing the same, because she had no qualms about approaching the two and tapping on one of their shoulders. Shaming them sounded a bit fun.

However, before she could reach the woman’s shoulder, she was struck when the two turned a little bit, and she was met with the sight of Felix in the most unlikely of situations.