Unaware of what unfolded, Irene realized the winter didn’t feel quite as cold as the one previously despite how serious her duties had beco.
Felix began speaking to her a little more, although still not as much as he used to, and it seed that she was more respected by people overall since Sir Gunnar announced that she was his apprentice.
Outdoor duties took them all the way to days before the Royal Family was supposed to arrive. It certainly distracted her from the stress of having to escort such important people.
Irene noticed throughout the entire tower that changes were being made to accommodate the high profile guests. Not only were things cleaned and dusted to the best of the maid’s abilities, but so of the tapestries that lined the walls had been replaced with ones far brighter and boasting the colors that honored the Royal Family. Rather than the reds of the Arlin’s family crest, purples and golds took their place. The chandeliers throughout the Duke’s Tower had also been cleaned so that the bronze tal looked as if it was entirely replaced.
Irene and Leif walked through the hallway before entering the dining hall for breakfast. Their heads swiveled as they took in all the new details.
"Makes us seem like chopped liver in comparison to the Royals," Leif realized as he reached for the large wooden door’s handle. "They don’t care about the cobwebs in the highest corners of the ceiling all that much."
"It isn’t as if this place is ever ssy," Irene insisted. "It’s rely just a little better now. Have you ever t one of the Royals?"
"Never," Leif admitted. "The most important person I’ve t is Earl Auden who was on his way back from Hydrogia. I thought that’s as close as I would co to the King, but now we’re eting the Princess and Crown Prince."
"I’ve never t anyone like that," Irene responded in awe.
"Your father has t His Majesty," Leif reminded her in disbelief. "He was knighted personally by him even though the dubbing of knighthood is done by anyone in the Royal Family. It seed that His Majesty thought he was such a promising knight that he took it into his own hands."
Irene noticed that he was gushing about her father and she had to raise her eyebrows at that.
Since it seed like she was on the verge of teasing him, Leif quickly continued into the dining hall and left Irene to shut the door.
When the girl was finally sitting across from him and they both had their breakfasts secured, silence ensued as they satiated their appetites. The two of them both hoped that their constant hunger, especially after morning practice, ant that they were going through growth spurts. While Leif was already taller than Irene, he wanted to catch up to Felix who was nearly eighteen and looking like a man.
Irene, on the other hand, knew she only had a few years to finish growing and she still had a few inches to go. If she rembered correctly, her growing stopped when she was about fifteen so she had two years to get to full height.
Stressful, she thought as she finished her food and was tempted to ask for more even though her stomach was certainly full with the dense al.
She had to remind herself they would get a midday al which was normally the largest.
Before she could stand up, Sir Gunnar walked into the dining hall and she thought he may retrieve her but he stopped at the doors and began speaking to all who could hear.
"Apprentices," he announced. "The Crown Prince and Princess will be arriving this evening along with a few of the Royal Knights. Your duties today are to get yourselves together. Make sure that the places you’ve been working this week are absolutely spotless. In their honor, there will be a feast then we are to leave for the Auden’s territory tomorrow. You will present yourselves as well-trained individuals and show what the knighthood is capable of. Keep in mind that the Duke’s ability to support you is because of His Majesty’s support and interest in knighthoods throughout the kingdom."
"Yes, sir!" The apprentices’ voices rang out throughout the dining hall.
Sir Gunnar smirked at this. They weren’t always in unison but it seed like they would try to present themselves with their best foot forward considering the impending company.
Considering Irene and Leif were both in outdoor duties, it ant that the next few hours would be dedicated to cleaning up the stables. Luckily they had been doing much of that through the week already so it was easy enough.
As the apprentices finished up and started to leave the dining hall, Sir Gunnar stopped them.
"You two will need to go to the eting room," he explained. "Felix will be there montarily."
The apprentices exchanged glances but they shrugged.
"Yes, sir," Irene responded. "We will go right away."
"Yes, sir," Leif agreed.
At this, they scrambled to leave the dining hall first and Sir Gunnar sighed.
His expectations couldn’t be too high because, at the end of the day, they were still kids. However, that was the reason for eting with them in a formal setting so that they could discuss the plans for the next couple of weeks and going forward.
Since Irene made it to the narrow stairs first, she ran all the way to the second floor as quickly as she possibly could. However, at the last second, Leif caught up to her when they were no longer at the stairs and he placed his hand on the eting room’s door before Irene could.
"Using your height advantage against !" she insisted.
Leif gave a sheepish grin and shrugged.
"You’re the only one shorter than I am," he admitted. "Who else will I use it against?"
"Stick out your arm," Irene demanded.
Leif looked confused but he still raised his arm.
Even though she was a few inches shorter, she stuck out her arm as well and stood next to him.
"Dammit! Your reach got much further than mine. It wasn’t like that when I was first an apprentice."
However, Sir Gunnar was already headed down the hallway at that point and he raised an eyebrow at the girl.
"I thought your father said you needed a few more years before you could curse like that."
"Sorry, sir," Irene bowed her head.
"Get into the eting room," Gunnar urged.
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