CHAPTER 392: FREE FOR THE WINTER

The snow kept falling, and Henry was given a moment of pause each morning at how different Chemois was from Hydrogia in the winter. Only when the snow finally stopped falling did he decide to summon his knights.

After his conversation with Felix and Irene, there was a lot to consider.

When he was a Knight of Hydrogia, everyone was close to their families. While Commander Lothian’s fief was small, most of the knights could simply take a twenty-minute ride into Central Hydrogia and see all of their families—or at least, in his case, a thirty-minute ride to the peasant village where his family resided.

Just another difference from Chemois, where the Knights of Hydrogia’s families could be as much as two or three days of travel away. Even Irene’s family, who were in the center of the duchy, took an entire day to travel to.

As the Commander went down to his study, the thought of Irene struck him, and despite his summoning of all the knights to the dining hall, he wondered if she would be going back to her family for the winter as well. He felt a strange sense of loss.

Perhaps he had been too eager to talk to her again after spending an entire day and night with her on the mountain. He hadn’t been able to see her for long since they returned. He was partially at fault, considering he was the one who spent much of his time in his study and away from the knights while he tried to figure out how to manage an entire duchy while also keeping the other nobles updated on the ins and outs of things.

The Commander dropped a couple of letters onto his desk before he redirected and went to the dining hall. He could already hear the knights talking with one another even before he made it through the door—the coldness over Chemois required that they keep the doors shut so the rooms would stay warm.

There was a pause in activity as the Commander came through the doors and shut them behind himself. His eyes lifted to the knights who patiently waited for his announcement. A few began to stand up, but he gestured for them to stay seated.

He wasn’t fussy enough of a noble to require people to stand simply because he walked into a room. It was entirely unnecessary to test people in such a way.

Irene sat beside Felix at their usual table towards the center of the dining hall, and she nudged him when the Commander entered the room. They had been given ale upon entering, and Felix was ever eager to drink a bit.

The red-haired knight wanted to tell him that it was because he had caught the attention of one of the maids, but she lost the opportunity as the Commander walked in.

"Is this everyone?" the Commander asked the room.

There were a few affirmative nods or responses uttered throughout the space, and Henry nodded as well.

"Now that the snow has settled and it’s safer to travel, it is time for the knights to return to their homes if they so desire," he announced. "Unpaired apprentices and squires will stay here, and if any of the knights would like to stay as well, supplies are abundant, so please don’t worry yourselves. I have noticed that activity outside of morning practices has ceased in the meantime. Please put your focus on your home villages and townships. That is all I wanted to say. You can return to your duties. Leave as early as you see fit, just let us know if you are leaving so that we aren’t missing any knights unknowingly."

There was a murmur in response at first, but soon the knights were giving jovial responses. They openly expressed their relief as they went off in all directions.

They were dutiful to the Commander and willing to stay for the winter if he required. After all, it was reasonable to think that things would change between the former duke and the present.

Since they didn’t have to. They were all elated.

All Irene could do was smile faintly at those around her, cheering about finally being able to return to their families. She couldn’t help being a bit jealous, particularly of those who were returning to their wives. She wondered if she ever settled down with someone, what it would be like to leave the knighthood and see them during the winter. It sounded so unbelievably cosy.

However, what man would like a woman who wasn’t at home most of the time? She needed to be realistic.

"Must be nice to have someplace to go," Felix admitted with a sigh. "I’ll be here forever. Have to make sure Agnes’s grave marker hasn’t been destroyed in the heavy snow."

"Do you mind if I go with you?" Irene asked. "My family is in the south and doesn’t plan on returning until late in the winter when the Winter Solstice banquet at Earl Auden’s home begins."

"Sure, but it’s too bad there isn’t a princess there for you to dance with," Felix joked, quickly changing the subject.

At that, Irene elbowed him, and he nearly tipped over his mug, but he managed to catch himself.

"I hope I never have to see her again," she admitted. "Not that she would remember me..."

"The only one in the knighthood with red hair..." Felix reminded her. "You act as if there’s anyone else. And you didn’t look that different when you were pretending to be a boy."

Irene could only huff at him.

"Well, duties are off. Would you like to spar? My ankle is stiff since I haven’t been working it, and I wanted to go to my barrack to get something for Agnes."

Felix felt a bit childish at the prospect of fewer responsibilities in the winter. It was a similar feeling to when he was an apprentice.

He glanced around the room. Knight school would only begin once the other knights were out of the Duke’s Tower and spread through the duchy. The apprentices all had prior duties to attend to, so they didn’t need any management.

He turned back towards his friend.

"I’ll try to go easy on you, but I can’t promise anything," he admitted.

"Don’t go easy," Irene insisted. "I’m ready to go and refuse to get stagnant even when there’s snow on the ground."

The two rushed out of the dining hall and then out the back entrance of the tower. They were suddenly energetic and riled up.

Irene entirely missed the Commander’s gaze on her, silently wishing he were part of their group and allowed to have a bit of fun this season as well. Unfortunately, he still had duties to attend to. Perhaps things would settle once he got a better hang of what kind of duke he was going to be.