I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 475: Justified in Her Worry

Henry could sense Irene’s anxiety the closer they got to her family’s region in Chemois. She seemed quieter than usual, even to the apprentices there who still occasionally sought her help more than they did to any other knights—their relationship with her having been established in more depth than with some of the other knights.

Having been so close to her for the past months, he couldn’t help wondering if there was something more to it. He thought he had made himself a worthy confidant, but they were still figuring one another out.

Yet worry persisted. However, he had to decide not to bother her too much with the worry that she would further pull away from him.

It had been a month since they left the Duke’s Tower and went on a summer tour around the duchy. This checkpoint was the second to last. They would be back to their usual home in less than a week. By the looks of it, everyone in the travel party was thoroughly worn down and ready for a slower season before monster culling began—at least if Sylaron, who hadn’t appeared before them in a while, hadn’t done it all herself.

Irene was starting to see the outskirts of lands she knew like the back of her hand, having thoroughly explored them as a child.

There was one last bend that would take them northwest, and from this point, she would be able to see her family’s home in the distance.

As they finally made it around a hill, the knight lifted her visor and her eyes rose, taking in the expected view, but feeling sad that it didn’t work to ease her worries. She wouldn’t stop until she saw her father happy and healthy like the last time she was there.

They would tell her if it was otherwise, certainly.

Their path took them slightly downhill before they moved past the first of a few houses on the easternmost edge. It wasn’t until they were in a more central part of the village that Henry slowed to a stop.

"Since the reeve is your father, what do you suggest we do next?" Henry wondered, turning to the third in command.

Since her visor was already lifted and Henry had taken off his helmet altogether, Irene’s eyes scanned Henry’s face for the correct answer. Was there further meaning?

"You ought to eat a meal with my parents," Irene suggested. "Considering my father’s position as one of your advisors, that would be the best option, don’t you think?"

Henry’s eyes widened very subtly, but Irene caught it enough that she resisted smirking. Yes, she was going to see how he fared in front of her parents, but this wasn’t entirely a surprise to him. She had warned him before that they wouldn’t accept not hosting him while he was there, at least for a few meals and to discuss a few issues regarding the duchy.

However, their relationship was what Henry was worried about. He wanted to be someone her family approved of, but he had his fair share of prejudices against him by everyone across the entire kingdom. Even though he was a Duke now, that didn’t erase his peasant past. Nor did it erase the fact that if he were allowed to marry their daughter, the possible children they could have would look like peasants did.

"Would you like to warn them in advance?" Henry asked. "I will go to an inn with the others in the meantime." Before anyone could feel there was special attention being paid to Irene, Henry turned towards the others. "You have the rest of the day off. Enjoy yourself with ale and support local shops."

"My cousins own a pub in the village," she explained. "They will welcome knights with open arms."

"No need to say anymore than that," Felix joked. "Onward then."

The inn was the first place they passed by before Irene went off on her own. As she left, she gave a single nod to Henry, but her expression seemed to contain hesitation. He wished that he knew exactly what she was thinking.

As much as Irene wanted to go see her family, she was filled with anxiety at the thought of her father getting worse. She had been holding all of it in since the moment she left their house early in the spring.

The feeling only got heavier as she approached and saw no movement outside the house.

"It doesn’t mean anything," she uttered as she dismounted her horse.

With no need to knock and knowing it would be unlocked during this season, Irene helped herself to walk through the front door.

She was met with no one, not even a maid. It seemed rather empty, and her heart began to race as her anxiety felt validated.

Luckily, there was an armor stand near the front, so she was able to get undressed rather quickly. The apprentices would be disappointed in how messy she stacked her things, but she didn’t care as she rushed into the house to get to the bottom of the silence and figure out if it was her imagination that made the place seem so deathly quiet.

Her boots echoed against the floor as she rushed through the lower level of the home. No one on the first floor.

Her pace then picked up as she went up the stairs until she was in a full-on run as panic set in. It felt like a ghost town there. As calm and lifeless as her grandmother’s house after she had passed on.

The last place to look upstairs was her parents’ room, and she soon burst through the door, only to find the unexpected view of her mother crouched on the floor while her father lay in bed. There were tears on her mother’s face. She could only imagine what for.

Immediately, Irene’s eyes became misty as she insisted, "You were supposed to tell me if he got worse. You promised."

She rushed forward to crouch next to her mother. She then grabbed her father’s hand.

"Y-you said you would tell me," she persisted.