CHAPTER 281: BONDING

Admittedly, it was a bit stiff when Irene had to see her mom once again before she went to sleep. The accusation she had been thrown the last time they were in one another’s presence was fresh in Irene’s mind.

At least Felix’s reassurances that he would defend her honor if she did the same for him were also at the forefront of everything. Even if her mom chose to believe whatever she wanted, at least she and Felix knew the truth.

However, it also made her wonder if every man she got close to from that point forward would result in an alarm in her mother’s head going off. It was impossible to keep her distance from men in her order. A knighthood’s entire purpose was to get familiar with one another so that they would be more in sync on the battlefield and able to back another person up.

With a sigh, she accepted the things she couldn’t control. What was more important to her was checking on her grandmother when she was finally awake the following day.

After a quick meal since everyone else in her family had already eaten, Irene went to bed in a room that had been warmed for her. It caused her to wonder if her arrival was anticipated or if someone had gone quickly when she was eating.

Either way, she smiled faintly. As much as she would rather be with the knights, being home wasn’t so bad.

Irene woke up early enough the following day to join her brother and father in the practice yard.

As she peered out of the door and saw steam leave her lips, she was blinded by the sun for a few moments. It was sunnier than it was the day before, but certainly colder.

She shut the door and found a shovel since the others were cleaning up fresh snow. Considering it didn’t snow the night before, she couldn’t help teasing them.

"Are you clearing this on my behalf?" she wondered. "Have the two of you not been practicing very often?"

Her father and brother turned to her, somewhat shocked, but they were met with a teasing smile from the girl as she began helping move the snow.

She couldn’t blame them if they were tired out from taking care of her grandmother. The fact that they would go out of their way to clear the practice yard for her was a good thing.

When things were clear and all that was left was a layer of snow and dirt mixed, she was finally able to unsheathe her sword and warm up. She was pleased when her father and brother joined her. Even more pleased when she witnessed her father tighten his metal hand and grasp a lighter sword than what he would normally have used.

Whatever it took to get him wielding a blade, she thought. At least he was still willing to pick up a sword at all.

Their warm-up with metal swords led them to retrieve practice swords to spar with each other.

Since her brother was nearly her height, she sized him up, hoping that he was still slower than her. With his size, he was likely getting extremely strong as well.

Irene offered a show of good sportsmanship by tapping the tip of his sword. She was relieved to see he would at least give her that much because, when he really did decide to begin, he lurched forward and took the offensive immediately.

The girl relied on dodging. Her speed was going to have to carry her for the time being.

However, when he, again, attacked her, he underestimated his strike and swung too far. It gave her a quick opportunity to slap her practice sword against the back of his neck, which caused him to yelp.

After that, he played a bit dirty as he merely let her down with his weight and tackled her to the ground.

Since she had no choice but to let herself be taken to the ground, she angled her sword enough that at least she could pretend to stab him in the heart when she was down.

There was crunching of snow as Arthur approached his children he had been observing.

"I’m not quite sure who won here," he admitted. "But I would like to spar with my daughter. It has been quite a while, after all."

Irene pushed Arne off of her, and he grumbled an insult but still stood up.

"I’m hungry," Arne muttered, dismissing himself from practice. He tossed his practice sword into the shed before turning to go inside.

"Put the sword away correctly, Arne," Arthur scolded. "Otherwise, you won’t be able to use them."

The teenager sighed and shut the door loudly when he was finally able to get back inside.

"Thirteen hit him hard," Irene realized as she faced her father.

Arthur nodded, accompanied by a light chuckle.

"I was just like that," he confessed. "It was like my body grew faster than my mind did. I was awkward and emotional until my mind and body synced up with one another."

"Was I ever awkward?" Irene asked.

"Someone so cute pretending to be a boy was a bit awkward," Arthur admitted, which caused Irene to sigh. "But no, you were never awkward. You have always been as sharp as a sword and in sync with yourself. Girls are smarter than boys, which is why we’re normally the protectors. However, you are both the brains and the strength. No man will ever be good enough for you."

Irene smirked at that and raised her practice sword.

"I know as much, which is why I refuse to marry," she boasted. "Let’s spar, dad."

Arthur raised his practice sword as well, and they offered one another a show of good sportsmanship.

If Arthur was using his left hand, Irene knew she would stand more of a chance, but since her father used his right hand, she had to be cautious and thoughtful as they fought.

That time, she decided to attack first as she rushed forward and went under his arm to stab him in the lower part of his stomach. However, he brought his arm down and swiped her blade away with his own.

She put distance between them, knowing remaining in striking distance wasn’t wise if she wanted to even have a fighting chance against her father.

They parried a couple of times as she sought an opening. Unfortunately, he kept his left arm bent and covering any weak points, such as the side or armpit. She knew she was going to have to get closer to attack, so she feinted once but quickly changed the direction of her sword to an upwards strike.

It was a happy moment when her father had to awkwardly brace from below. Since his hand didn’t move easily, he was forced into strange angles at times. Regardless, he still blocked her with ease.

She tried to put space between them once again, but she fell backwards when her quick steps ran into something firm.

Only when she was on her backside did she realize her father had purposefully tripped her.

From her back, she tried to block his striking, but he had the upper hand certainly and would have slit her throat if it was a real sword and she was a real opponent.

Arthur put the sword underneath his armpit and offered his daughter his left hand.

"If you won the first, at least I won the second," he observed.

She rolled her eyes but accepted her father’s help.

When the practice yard was cleaned up and they were able to come inside for a meal before they would go see her grandmother, there was already porridge boiling for them in the corner, and her mother was nowhere to be found.

As they ate their food, Irene was surprised to hear the front door of the estate open. Soon her mother did present herself to the others.

"I believe your mother will wake soon, Arthur," Rochelle explained to her husband as she walked forward and placed a hand on his firm shoulder. "The three of you ought to hurry."

"You were at grandmother’s?" Irene wondered.

"Yes," she responded. "Your father was occupied with sword practice and didn’t want her to wake up to nobody there, but she has only just started to stir."

With no other choice, the three got into warm layers and found their horses waiting for them with saddles and coats that Rochelle must have requested be prepared by the stablehand.

It was only a thirty-minute journey if their horses galloped the entire time.

Sure enough, when the three arrived, Kara was only just stirring, but her eyes were shut despite her occasionally coughing.

When she finally opened her eyes, she turned to Irene first.

"You had a dream that changed everything, didn’t you, my dear?" she muttered weakly.

For the first time in what she deemed her second lifetime, Irene felt unbelievably seen. Her heartbeat quickened and she stared at her grandmother with wide, green eyes.