I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 457: Relief of His Return

As the Commander took up his rightful place at the center with Felix and Irene on either side of him, warmth spread in Irene’s chest and she couldn’t help the small smile that was evident on her face. It seemed that all her worrying the day before over his health had been for naught.

His coloring looked vastly different than when she had first arrived and witnessed his ashen skin compared to its usual bronze. She could only picture getting darker from that season forward as the summer rolled in. It would cause him to look even more enticing than he did now.

Irene quickly pushed aside those thoughts, knowing that they would get her nowhere productive. He had lit an unfamiliar fire within her. The thoughts she kept having shocked even her.

Felix was the first to verbally respond to Henry as he said, "Of course, Commander. You have every right."

As the feeling of relief spread through all attending practice that morning, Irene knew for certain he had finally been accepted by the northern knights. Seeing him bedridden and unwell seemed to have open their eyes to a reality without him. They could no longer live without him the way Irene felt at times.

At her own shocking thoughts, getting carried away yet again, she gently cleared her throat behind her gloved hand. What was wrong with her that day?

Could it have been the light clothing he wore to communicate that he wanted to move? His cream colored tunic that dipped down in a V at his chest, offering a pleasing view to all who bothered? But she knew that she was the only one who noticed.

Get a grip, she urged herself.

"Though before we can begin practicing, there’s just one more thing I ought to announce," Henry explained, his voice capturing everyone’s attention. With all eyes on him, he reached out a gloved hand towards Bren and the apprentice stepped forward. "Bren is who I have chosen as my apprentice. I look forward to introducing you to the world as a knight one day, but stay with me just a little bit longer."

When Bren was close enough, their hands embraced each other’s forearms as they showed trust as knights did. It was also a silent promise that Henry himself believed in his abilities so far to make him a knight when he proved himself worthy.

To Irene’s happiness, Henry lifted his free hand and placed it on the apprentice’s shoulder.

"You did nothing wrong, Bren," the Commander assured him. "When I asked for your support, I’m not asking you to lay your life down for me. There isn’t a knight who wants to see their apprentice get injured on their behalf. I know what I can handle."

Irene’s knee-jerk reaction was to vehemently disagree with Henry’s words, but of course she wouldn’t say it out loud. He was saying those words with the express purpose of comforting Bren even if they were a lie. Everyone who had talked to her about Henry expressed how they truly thought he was on death’s door.

But that was just the sort of man he was. He went out of his way to ensure others didn’t feel bad. He knew when guilt was necessary and productive to learn, but he also knew when a young person was burdened in ways that would only hinder their abilities and scare them.

It was clear to anyone who had experienced Bren in recent days that he held guilt so heavily that it made him practically sick. He wasn’t nice to be around as he silently punished himself. Who was once only dutiful became absolutely miserable.

Only when his Commander and now the knight he would serve directly under assured him that none of this was his fault did his expression finally lighten up. The weight he had been carrying was shared with another.

"I won’t let you down, Commander," Bren managed to say despite the instability in his voice.

"I know you won’t," Henry responded confidently.

He then let go of the teenager’s arm and Bren joined the other apprentices in line, feeling much lighter than before.

"Shall we get started then?" Henry asked and he glanced left and right to his second and third in command.

"Yes, sir," Irene responded.

"You two lead as you’ve always done," he insisted. "I will be joining in the back to try and get my feet back under me."

With that, he walked around the group and did just as he said the moment he pulled out his sword.

"We’re warming up first!" Felix announced. "We will get your arms and back burning."

Similar to one another in this way, Irene and the Commander both took it as a challenge as they held out their practice swords and began to follow the moves Felix called out. They were there to prove themselves with sharp movements and no unnecessary energy expenditure.

By the time the apprentices had found their rhythm and no longer needed anyone to call them, Irene and Felix were able to walk around the group, their keen eyes searching for unnecessary movements or anyone falling out of rhythm.

They always treated the apprentices as their highest priority because a knighthood was only as good as their weakest person. On the battlefield, the knights needed to be able to trust and rely on these teenagers. They were the ones who would have their back in a pinch.

Despite keeping a careful eye on the apprentices, Irene did notice that the Commander’s movements were coming undone much faster than they normally did. He was certainly out of practice, but she wasn’t going to call out the obvious and it didn’t seem Felix would either.

That morning, the apprentices were all showing their best to their Commander because there were minimal corrections. Even when Henry stepped to the side because he was fully winded, he observed their sparring matches and was impressed with some of the wins he witnessed.

It felt like the true first day of spring because with the Commander there, everyone had come alive. Once the rains passed, the valley would come alive as well.

This feeling took them all the way to breakfast where he finally occupied the head of the table—something he hadn’t done in weeks.

Irene sat at Henry’s left and Felix sat at his right.

As breakfast finally wound down and everyone was getting ready to attend to their usual duties the rest of the day, Irene froze when she felt someone’s foot nudge against the side of her boot and the spoon in her grasp slipped out of her fingers.

She knew her face was hot but all she could do was lower her head and lift up her spoon as if it had only been a mistake.

"Lady Irene, would you mind joining me in my study after you finish eating?" Henry asked. "I need to speak with you about something."

Was it already time? She knew that she had been dying for more from him ever since she had arrived, but now that she was faced with it, she was unbelievably nervous. But this was just another of the promises they had made with each other. It was time to face the truth.

"Of course, Commander," Irene responded as lightly as she could despite no longer being able to swallow anymore food as anxiety welled up within her.

"Then I will be in my study," the Commander said as he pushed away from the table. "There is much to catch up on," he said this part louder and to the others in the dining hall who acknowledged him with nods and utterings of "yes, sir." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Henry left his bowl with a maid who had already been fussing over him from the moment he entered the dining hall before he exited the hall completely and the heavy wooden door thudded quietly shut behind him.

Irene’s gaze was at her bowl once again, but despite the spoon full of porridge, she found it impossible to eat anything else.

"Something to do with your promise?" Felix asked with raised eyebrows.

For some reason, his snarky tone caused Irene to kick him squarely in the shin. He hardly felt it due to the sturdiness of his boots, but it was the thought that counted more than anything.

"Shut up, Felix," she uttered so others wouldn’t hear her disrespect.

Instead of arguing further, Irene stood up and put away her bowl as well.

However, instead of going directly to the Commander’s study, she quickly went to her barrack. Suddenly, she was nervous about her appearance which was something she seldom experienced before she crossed paths with someone who confused her in every conceivable way.