novelraw Chapter 484: Family
Chapter 484: Family
When Henry’s eyes lifted, and he could gaze at Irene after making his proposal, he saw that they were watering even more than when she was at her father’s side. Her free hand had gone to her mouth as she tried to hold in all the things threatening to spill forth.
He was patient and understanding. That day had been an unbelievable whiplash of worrying for her father and Arthur, then confirming he felt he didn’t have much time left. The old knight then asked to see Irene wed before his death. There was no right way to respond to so many life-altering events all at once.
The Commander remained kneeling, and he kissed the hand he still held. He was certain she wouldn’t say no to him, but the pause was stirring up his heart as she composed herself.
Irene fell forward and into Henry. Her arms went around his neck, and she trusted that he would hold her weight—which he did, easily.
"Of course I’ll marry you," she responded, "but I can’t help feeling awful that your hand is being forced and we’re being rushed more quickly than expected. I never wanted it to be under these circumstances."
With his arms around her waist, he assured her, "Life is never exactly how it’s supposed to be. All that matters is how we handle the blows dealt. Having your father’s blessing has put us far ahead." And then more breathlessly, he admitted, "I can’t wait to love you for the entire world to see, Irene. You’ll be a wonderful duchess."
"I’ll never grow tired of what you make me feel," she admitted. "Let us face this together as we’ve done things in the past."
They hugged for a few moments more before Henry loosened his grip and Irene let go. It allowed them both to stand up and right themselves.
"Shall we tell the others then?" he asked.
"We should," Irene agreed. "A bit of happy news amidst this sadness."
Henry offered his hand, and Irene gently grasped it. Despite the redness around her eyes, she tried to offer him a smile. The older knight couldn’t resist reaching forward and gently brushing his thumb across her cheek.
They eventually made it down the hallway and to the large staircase that went down into the heart of the home towards the front hall.
Rochelle and Arne were in one of the sitting rooms. A maid was fussing over the lady of the house, who seemed inconsolable as she gripped a handkerchief and sat there dazed with eyes constantly wet. Arne stood over her, his expression forlorn as he occasionally held his mother’s hand or patted her shoulder.
However, seeing Irene and Henry walk into the room with their hands joined, Rochelle seemed to come back to reality, and she stood up. Arne’s gaze went to them as well.
"What did he say?" she wondered.
The pair looked at one another and nodded.
"Father... wants to see us wed before he passes on," Irene explained, her voice wavering.
Rochelle rushed forward and embraced the two. At that moment, she cared less about decorum in front of the Duke, which was a surprise compared to how she normally conducted herself in Henry’s presence.
"I can’t imagine the pressure," Rochelle uttered miserably. "But I have faith in your love."
Irene held her mother with her right hand, and Henry held her with his left. They stood there quietly for a few moments before Rochelle pulled away to wipe a fresh round of tears from her eyes.
"You need to go to your grandmother’s house and retrieve a few of her books regarding Sunstoian marriage," she explained. "She was the last source of this information."
"I will," Irene agreed. "I wanted to tell you first."
"In a time like this, family is all that matters," Rochelle offered as she surprisingly reached up to squeeze the Duke’s shoulder. "Will it be possible to summon your family, Your Grace?"
Henry’s smile was tight-lipped as he nodded. He wouldn’t correct her that he didn’t have much family.
"They will do anything to be here," he assured her. "And I will do anything to make it possible for them to be here."
"A good man," Rochelle uttered. "Please, take care of my daughter."
"You don’t have to worry," Henry assured her.
"We should go to my grandmother’s for now," Irene decided. "It’s better not to put this off. I don’t know how much time..."
She trailed off, and all three Litharions seemed to bow their heads in unison. They didn’t want to fully face the reason for all of this rush.
The red-haired knight felt her betrothed gently grasp her hand, and he squeezed it, offering his silent support while her family navigated these delicate moments. She felt closer to him than ever before. He didn’t rush her, nor did he voice his expectations. His ability to be fully grounded in the moment was comforting for her.
Irene then gently pulled him, and both of them left the estate, retrieving their horses from where they had left them, not even bothering to tie them to the post as they arrived with such haste.
But before they could mount their loyal steeds, Irene hesitated to let go of Henry’s hand so that she could pull her gloves on.
"Thank you," she stated quietly. "I don’t know how I would be handling this without you by my side."
"It’s the least I can do when the prize is you," Henry assured her.
"Said as if I’m not the one winning here," she responded. "Most would beg to be a duchess, while I’ve fallen into it if it’s the only way I can stay at your side."
However, Henry stopped her from turning away.
"Realistically, who better than you for the Duchess of Tenetium?" he asked, using the name he knew the Chemoians didn’t prefer, but was the title nonetheless. "You have fought nearly your entire life and almost sacrificed yourself to preserve this duchy. Most other women can’t say the same thing. You love this place and have been educated in its history better than even I have. If anyone deserves it, it’s you. With or without me at its head, you deserve to lead this place."
A faint smile pulled at her lips as she looked up at the man she adored so unashamedly.
"But I can’t wait to do it by your side," she responded. "I’ll do anything I can to be good for this."
"I believe it," Henry responded.
They left their conversation with a light hug, knowing that the sitting room where her family was was just beyond the windows that were above them.
As soon as they got onto their horses, they took off at an easy pace as they left the Litharion’s private lands and crossed the bridge that took them into the village.
It was strange not being there with the other knights, but Henry recalled all the places they passed from the last time they toured through this area. He heard people sing Arthur’s praises. How this entire village and the region surrounding it were only safe because of their lord.
They knew the value of knights in this area. It warmed Henry’s heart as he thought of the reason his beautiful future bride had no choice but to fall into a knighthood.
However, they took to a path that went perpendicular to the main stretch of the village and, to Henry, they were on new territory.
As they went north for a while and passed a crop of trees, Irene started to slow her horse as she explained, "This is where my grandmother used to live and where my father was raised after leaving the Sunstoian region."