The maids were eager to begin a journey where they were protected like princesses as they rode in a carriage and watched the knights do most of the work for them. Not only that, but they were going to one of the most exquisite and extravagant homes in all of Chemois.

Not to say that the Duke's Tower was lacking in any way, considering its beauty was of ancient times and well-maintained to this day, but the Duke of Chemois preferred practicality over appearance. He had brought many fine tapestries, rugs, and furs to the Duke's Tower after being appointed, but beyond that, he wasn't one to put forth effort in that aspect.

That was the lady of the house's job, after all.

This brought up a point of gossip and awe with the maids as well. Rumors that the Duke would look for a suitable partner during this banquet were circulating around the duchy. He couldn't get out of not attending the banquet this year while they were in times of peace.

It was practically promised that noble ladies across the duchy and even a bit further would attend wearing their finest and most alluring, in hopes that they would catch the eyes of Chemois' most eligible.

These rumors were not lost on a certain knight who had been assigned to guard the maids while they traveled. The women were having too much fun musing about possible future duchesses. Even the Princess was mentioned a few times. What was more, a few joked that they were also of humble upbringing and would be a match made in heaven for a man who started off as a peasant. He could raise their status as much as he raised his own.

Irene had to internally sigh at that. Anyone becoming the Duchess, except for the Princess, would have their status elevated. The Duchess's seat was the highest in the land outside of the Queen and the Princess. She hoped Henry chose wisely. The seat was tainted after the last Duchess, even though none of them knew the full extent of the Duchess's harm just yet.

As much as it stung, all Irene knew was that she was happy that she wasn't attending as a boy this time around. She wouldn't be forced to dance with any noble ladies, but she wasn't sure if she could get out of dancing altogether, knowing her mother. If she were lucky, her mother wouldn't already have her eye on a few young noblemen that she wanted her daughter to casually interact with.

At least Irene could outdrink most men. There would never be an opportunity in her life when they could get her drunk and vulnerable and take advantage of her.

Luckily, when the maids were closed in the warm carriage, she didn't have to hear the gossip any longer.

Despite most of her face being concealed with a scarf and then the lower plate on her helmet, Irene's bright green eyes could scan the northern mountains as they went on. They were quite beautiful that season. What were normally rocky and grey turned completely white. That day was particularly misty and relatively warm for winter, so she was looking out for dire wolves and an overconfident monster that thought the snow was melting for the season.

She recalled the time they guarded the Royal Family and had bandits on their tail. Fortunately, their cargo was much more inconspicuous, but it didn't take away all danger.

They still had about three hours to the next village, where they would stay, so the knights decided to stop on their path forward and give everyone a modest meal and allow the horses water. Unfortunately, it required them to build a small fire because streams were frozen solid that time of year.

The maids decided they would replenish the warm stones underneath the benches in the carriage so that they could travel the rest of the way in comfort.

Irene helped them get the stones out and carried them to the fire, where they set the stones as deeply as they could without interrupting the three pots that sat on top of the wood pile, full of snow and ice as they tried to thaw them out.

Around the fire, the four maids huddled together while the knights stood further out and away from them, attending to their own horses and adjusting their packs to ensure that the ride was comfortable for their loyal animals.

Knowing Sammy was alright and her packs were secure, Irene kept close to the maids, taking her job seriously and hoping they were more comfortable with her than the knights, considering she was at least a woman. She noticed at times they could get a bit stiff being doted on by knights.

"Do you require anything else?" she asked the ladies after she took off her helmet and pulled down the scarf over her mouth.

"Nothing, dame," Ingrid, the most confident and used to the knights after her long tenure at the Duke's Tower, spoke up first. "Thank you."

Irene offered a small smile and a nod.

"If there's anything, please let me know," she assured them. "I know that the trail is rough this time of year. Worry about yourselves rather than the knights who are used to being on the road."

They were still hesitant with her, but she wasn't entirely sure why. Considering she always had men to compare herself to, it was beyond her that they were intimidated.

Things were mostly quiet. Pots were switched for more water, and when the horses were satiated, the knights started filling up their waterskins.

Irene's eyes were on the northwestern stretch of the mountains, but the maids were eyeing the northern segment.

"Dame—!"

At the urgency in Eira's tone, Irene's gaze snapped to where the maid was looking, and she was shocked to see a small black bear barreling towards them from a forested area still dense due to the evergreen trees in that area.

"At this time of year?" she uttered in disbelief. "Shouldn't you be hibernating?"

Without a further thought, Irene unsheathed her sword and stalked forward. She considered that she would have to watch her head without her helmet.

She measured the situation as she went on. The bear was quite small, and the other knights were further away. This was something she could likely handle on her own.

Regardless, "Knights!" Irene called to alert them that there was a situation.

A chorus of metal rang out as the others got themselves ready, but they saw that she was handling the most serious threat and got closer to the maids to ensure there was no other threat.

Less than ten feet from the black bear, Irene realized the reason for its strange behavior despite the season, and she was shocked to see that a small rusty hatchet was sticking out of the animal's side. It seemed that something had awoken it from its deep winter slumber in the worst way possible. Even worse, Irene bet that a goblin was at fault, considering the state in which the hatchet was rusted.

There wasn't more time to think about it than that.

The bear was fast, and she had no choice but to stop and brace herself, throwing a forward thrust with her blade when it got close enough and sprang forward with its claws outstretched.

Considering it was already angry, it was behaving carelessly. An animal's fight or flight often made it irrational as it sought survival.

The animal's massive paw slapped at her armored side, not doing much more than that since its claws couldn't get a grip on smooth metal plates. It gave her time to stab through its underarm and meet soft flesh after getting through dense fur.

By that point, the animal was merely thrashing, and Irene finished the short battle rather quickly when the animal rose to its back feet and offered her an opportunity to get to its most sensitive stomach. It was a bit brutal, but it was her job to ensure the maids remained unscathed. They had assured them that they would at least be safe on this journey.

When the animal fell to the ground, she was quick to pierce its lungs and heart so it wouldn't have to suffer further. What a shame such a beautiful animal was awoken because of a goblin, which led to its death since it was behaving irrationally.

There was crunching of snow behind Irene, and she heard an expected voice at her side.

"Not a bad fur. I don't think you damaged its stomach. Might be good to skin once we reach the inn," Felix suggested.

"I'll tie it to the wagon and let it bleed out while we ride," Irene decided, agreeing with the second in command.

Taking his eyes from the bloody scene, Felix looked at Irene and couldn't keep in the laugh that escaped. "Might want to clean yourself off. You look like a crazed lunatic with blood splatter all over you like that. The maids are already so timid."

"No thanks to someone's crush," Irene retorted.

He lightly sighed and offered her a handkerchief. She brought it back to Sammy so she could dump a bit of water on it.

As Irene cleared off her face, she saw the redness of blood on her towel, and she turned to the maids who were eyeing her with disturbed expressions on their faces. While they were used to the roughness of knights, considering they were the ones they attended to all the time, seeing the gore of the trail was a bit much for them.

She shot them a guilty smile. Her desire to be understood by them, since they had womanhood in common, seemed to have failed. She was entirely unaccustomed to friendships with other women.