Irene silently swore that the path ahead would go much more smoothly and she wouldn't do anything to scare the women… even more. Ever since the bear situation, they seemed even more hesitant towards her, the same way they were with the knights who were men.

She quietly promised to earn their trust because if there was someone who understood them while also protecting them, it was her.

It seemed that her goal would be achievable because the path ahead for a few more days was rather easy. The snow stayed solid, so they didn't have to deal with mud, and while it was still freezing cold, it wasn't as cold as it could be, and the air wasn't heavy with sparkling frost that made you feel the weather to your bones. Irene was grateful because the unaccustomed maids, while used to Chemois, weren't used to winters on the road since most people knew to shut themselves in far before it could reach that point.

However, there were outside factors that seemed intent on stirring the pot and making their travel more difficult.

When they arrived at an inn in the north central region, having two days before they would arrive at Auden Estate, the sun was setting and the temperature was frigid. They had to stop for longer than expected earlier in the day because a horse had misstepped and gotten its foot stuck in ice.

Irene took note that they were near her father's domain, but she knew that it would be best to wait until the banquet to see her family and not shirk on her duties. As she hopped off of her horse, her eyes scanned familiar sights, and a small smile pulled at her lips. Perhaps it would be nicer than expected to return home. It would give her a break from this silent tension she had with the Commander, unfairly putting a burden on him that he was unaware of.

Without a hitch, she went to the wagon and knocked on the door, letting the maids know all was well before she would help them get out of the wagon and into the inn.

The Commander went ahead of the knights to request rooms. Luckily, most people didn't travel during this time of year in the region, so they didn't have to worry that there would be no room for them. The only place they would likely have to worry was in the inns surrounding the Auden's lands because that's where most would stay if they weren't his personal guests, and the man had an expansive estate with plenty of guest rooms, so most were good to stay there.

"The Commander will have places for you to rest," Irene assured the ladies as they stepped out of their carriages, shivering at the first burst of cold winter wind as they stepped out of the insulated carriage.

Felix approached Irene, waiting for her, but ultimately felt bad if he just stood there and helped the maids get out of the carriage as well.

"How did you fare today?" he asked the maids as they waited for the rest to get out of the carriage.

Irene couldn't help noticing the maid assigned to him standing particularly close, and Irene couldn't help as her eyebrow inched upward and she shot the knight a teasing glance.

"Well enough," Eira responded. "A bit cold, but we weren't the ones on horseback."

Even though Felix was fully occupied, she still glanced at him a bit nervously.

Irene felt a bit bad for her and wondered if she ever looked like that. The thought made her sick that someone could be so unaware, and how obvious they were. Was she ever so transparent? Perhaps the Commander was well aware of her thoughts and simply chose to ignore them because it would be more peaceful that way for the knighthood.

Once the maids were out and the carriage was taken, Irene fell into silence as she contemplated what she had witnessed and the possibility that she ever behaved in such a way.

She brought Sammy to the stables where the apprentices were and ensured the horses were taken care of for the night with enough food and water that wasn't frozen. Fortunately, the stables in that region were well kept, so she knew there would be no issue at least until the morning.

"Goodnight, boy," she uttered to her horse.

However, over her shoulder, she heard someone else.

"Be good. Make good decisions," they said to their horse as well.

The last time she had caught someone else speaking to a horse the way she liked to was Leif, and it caused Irene to turn around quickly as she was taken aback for a few moments.

However, rather than her departed friend, she was met with the Commander smiling faintly at his horse as he ensured the animal was safe for the night as well. He scratched the large animal's nose and patted its cheek.

She quickly turned her head away, not wanting him to think she was there to bother him. After what she had witnessed between Eira and Felix, she was alarmed that that was a possibility she had never considered before.

"Ah, the apprentices could do that for you, Commander," she reminded him, a bit stiffly, admittedly.

The small, serene smile on his face didn't leave as he turned to the other knight.

"You should know me well enough by now to realize I don't mind small tasks like this," he reminded her.

His teasing caught her off guard.

"You're right," she relented quickly as she moved past the knight with her saddlebags over her shoulder and escaped to the inn.

Fortunately, it was as usual for the trip so far, where the knights had private rooms while the maids were able to stay together in a community room. She was able to grab any key from the desk and go to where her home would be for the night.

After making sure the small stove in her room was sustaining its fire and wouldn't burn out any time soon, she organized her things and decided to go to the dining hall, where she could hear knights going in the hallway. The stew had smelled good from the moment they arrived at the inn.

Evenings tended to be the best part of the trips because they were able to stay in the warmth and unpack what had happened that day. Since the trail had been easy for a couple of days, there wasn't much to discuss.

Everyone thought they would simply be unwinding until a large thud was heard outside. It was heavy enough that the entire inn seemed to shake.

The knights quickly readied their swords, and they stood up, waiting in alarm for direction from their commander.

However, to their surprise, all he did was cover his forehead and slump into the table.

"Shit…" he uttered under his breath.