My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin
Chapter 21
The two of them were flustered by his appearance.
They hadn’t been sharing a particularly scandalous conversation, but they were still taken aback that someone had been listening to their private talk.
In such situations, it was common courtesy to make one’s presence known, even if just by making a sound.
Yet, despite knowing Michael couldn’t possibly be ignorant of such manners, the fact that he had remained silent left them unable to even complain.
After all, one did not question the etiquette of the most renowned Holy Knight.
Michael gazed at the two for a moment before offering a slight bow of his head.
Startled, Reina and Felix hurriedly bowed back in response.
Then, as if he had no further business with them, Michael turned and walked away.
For a split second, they considered calling out a greeting, but both immediately abandoned the thought.
It was because Michael’s expression as he turned away was incredibly rigid.
“…Do you think he was already here and just missed the chance to speak up?”
“Probably.”
Once Michael had distanced himself enough to be out of sight, the two shared an awkward laugh.
“Anyway, Felix. I understand how you feel, but I don’t want you getting hurt just to get something nice. So this time….”
Reina spoke, recalling the request Irene had left with them.
“Let’s apply for a different dungeon.”
Thud, thud.
Irene’s steps toward her quarters were heavy.
It was because of the stares that had been showered upon her on the way back.
‘I thought things might have changed, but….’
Once again, she felt gazes similar to those in her past life.
Eyes that looked at her as if she were a leech clinging to Michael. If there was a difference, it was that those stares were now laced with a jealousy that hadn’t been there before.
‘It must be because of the things that have changed.’
The quarters Irene was staying in now were the same size as the room used by Princess Cecilia.
Furthermore, for whatever reason—no matter what kind of help the Kingdom of Tyrrenia had received from Michael—they continued to send Irene all sorts of goods.
Thanks to that, unlike in her past life, Irene could wear warm, comfortable, and even beautiful clothes.
‘The best part, though, is the food.’
At every meal, the maids would wheel in several carts.
She told them she didn’t need so much food, but the maids always laid out a grand feast, saying they were merely following orders.
In the past, she would split a single loaf of hard bread—without so much as a pat of butter—between breakfast and lunch.
Now, when she spread plenty of butter and jam on freshly baked, soft bread, she often wondered if she was dreaming.
‘And I like that I’m not the only one with a full stomach.’
Since the maids wouldn’t listen when she said the portions were too much, there was only one way to ensure the food didn’t go to waste.
‘We have to eat it together.’
So Irene would set aside her own portion and ask the maids if they would mind eating the rest with her.
At first, they had refused adamantly, but after Irene promised several times not to tell anyone, the maids finally began to eat the food hurriedly in the room next to hers.
Perhaps because of that, the maids, who were already very polite, had become even more affectionate lately.
The changes were subtle.
There were more flowers in the vases, and her room, which was already clean, was now so spotless after cleaning that not a single speck of dust remained.
‘It’s a good thing.’
Since she was staying at the Fortress longer anyway, it didn’t hurt to be on good terms with those who looked after her comfort.
It was just as Irene turned a corner into the hallway.
“Irene! Where have you been?”
An unwelcome voice called out from in front of her door.
“Wilhelmina.”
Irene had to work hard to keep her expression from hardening.
Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered if she showed it, but there was no reason to invite unnecessary hostility. That would only make things more tiresome for her.
“Do you know how many hours I’ve been waiting here?”
“Waiting? For me?”
“Then who else would I be waiting for? More importantly, let’s go inside; I have something to tell you. Those maids kept blocking me, saying I couldn’t go in alone before you arrived.”
As she spoke, Wilhelmina glared at the maids standing nearby.
“Good thing you’re here. Take this chance to tell them off. That way, I can come in comfortably even when you’re not around.”
Wilhelmina made the demand boldly, as if it were only natural.
Irene swallowed a hollow laugh at her attitude, which suggested that what belonged to Irene belonged to her.
‘Should I just kick her out?’
She could guess why Wilhelmina was here. No doubt she had come to check on her under Princess Cecilia’s orders.
So, even if she sent her away now, there wouldn’t be much of a problem.
‘But… I might be able to use this.’
After a moment of thought, Irene spoke with the same awkward smile she used to give Wilhelmina in the past.
“I don’t think I can just tell them to let you in whenever you want.”
“What? Why?”
“Sir Michael comes here occasionally. Since he’s someone who goes to the dungeons often, he arrives in quite a sensitive state. And as you know, he’s a Holy Knight. He even finds me, his pair, uncomfortable… I don’t think he’d take it well if another purifier were here. It would be a sad thing if he ended up distancing himself from you even more.”
Of course, in this life, perhaps because he desperately wanted purification, he didn’t seem to stay far away or find her uncomfortable.
‘Though he did try not to touch me when we were on the horse.’
So it wasn’t a complete lie. Not that it mattered much even if it were a total fabrication.
“…….”
At Irene’s words, Wilhelmina shut her mouth with a pouty face.
More than anything, the suggestion that she might upset Michael made her hesitate.
‘Since he formed a pair this year, there’s a high chance he’ll look for a pair again next year. If so….’
There was no need to leave a bad impression. No, beyond that, she had to act in a way that pleased him as much as possible so that he would definitely choose her instead of Irene next year.
“Mm-hmm, if Sir Michael finds it uncomfortable, I suppose it can’t be helped. Can I go in for now, though?”
“Of course.”
Irene smiled and guided her inside.
As soon as they entered the room, Wilhelmina’s jaw dropped.
“What’s wrong? Come, sit down.”
“R-right.”
At Irene’s invitation, she bit her lip and sat in a chair.
In her past life, Wilhelmina had visited her around this time as well.
Claiming that something truly wonderful had happened to her.
“The reason I came today is because something really good has happened to you.”
Just as expected.
“Something good? What is it?”
Irene asked back, her eyes widening as if she truly had no idea. However, she already knew what Wilhelmina’s next words would be.
‘She invited me to the Princess’s Faction.’
“Princess Cecilia wants to invite you to her gathering!”
The situation had changed, but the words coming out of Wilhelmina’s mouth were no different from her previous life.
“The Princess? Me?”
Irene feigned ignorance and replied exactly as she had before.
“Yes. Do you have any idea how prestigious the Princess’s gathering is? All three rank 1 purifiers in this Fortress are part of it.”
Wilhelmina began her explanation in a tone that suggested she was bestowing a grace upon the ignorant Irene.
“Don’t take it lightly just because it’s called a gathering. It’s not just a place to drink tea. The members of this group carry out raids together.”
Raids.
A term meaning a team formed by several people to subjugate a dungeon together.
Once a dungeon reached the high-tier level, it was nearly impossible for a knight to clear it alone.
Therefore, even within the Fortress, people negotiated the distribution of rewards and entered dungeons in teams.
Naturally, going on a raid with a strong pair was advantageous for clearing the dungeon.
Because of this, every purifier wanted to be invited to Princess Cecilia’s gathering. She only formed raids with people from her own group.
‘In my past life, I was so excited all day because I’d been invited.’
Back then, she hadn’t known what the gathering was really like; she was simply happy at the thought of socializing with others.
So Irene had scraped together the little money she had left to buy tea leaves.
It was the only gift Irene could afford among the things available at the Fortress.
「So you are Sir Michael’s pair. It is a pleasure to meet you.」
And on the day she attended the gathering, Irene knew as soon as she heard the Princess’s voice.
The fact was, the Princess wasn’t pleased to meet her at all.
After scanning Irene from head to toe, the Princess had ordered a maid to guide her to the furthest corner.
Even so, it hadn’t mattered. She thought it was only natural for a rank 10 purifier like herself to be in the corner.
But until the gathering ended, not a single person spoke to her.
Was that all? When she tried to leave after the gathering was over, a maid approached Irene as she stepped out of the room and said hesitantly:
「She said they don’t drink this kind of thing, so you should take it back….」
‘Looking back now, it was incredibly rude behavior.’
But at that time, she couldn’t think clearly.
She felt she had done something shameful by failing to prepare a proper gift, so she had fled the scene.
But now she knew.
Princess Cecilia had intentionally invited a low-ranking purifier to humiliate her, aiming to instill a sense of pride and superiority in the members of her group.
“Do you have any idea how much I begged her to invite you?”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“What’s with that reaction?”
According to her expectations, Irene should have been overjoyed.
When Irene remained calm, contrary to her thoughts, Wilhelmina frowned.
“Not only purifiers but also many knights frequently attend the Princess’s gatherings. Who knows? If you’re lucky, you might even be able to find a pair for next year.”
At that moment, Irene spoke without realizing it.
“That won’t happen….”
Knock, knock.
She was about to reply that it would absolutely never happen.
The sound of a knock cut her off.
“Who is it?”
Thinking it was surely a maid looking for her, she spoke toward the door.
“It is Michael, your pair. I request to see you urgently.”
Michael’s voice, sounding somewhat hurried, reached her ears.
