My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin
Chapter 44
Not monster blood? Then whose blood was it?
Irene’s eyes widened in shock at his answer.
‘Could it be… human?’
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Irene instinctively began fumbling over his stomach and chest. She was worried that Michael might have been severely injured.
His thin, blood-soaked clothes clung to his body, revealing his silhouette even more clearly.
She frantically felt everywhere, but there were no tears in Michael’s clothes, and naturally, she felt no wounds.
If that was the case, then…
‘It’s someone else’s blood.’
Even if it belonged to another person, it was still horrifying, but Irene let out a sigh of relief knowing that he was safe.
At that, his eyes narrowed as he watched her. He looked as if her reaction was unexpected.
Unaware of the change in him, Irene hurriedly asked.
“Then whooo…”
Only then did she realize her mouth was still covered by his large hand.
“Ah.”
He let out a short sound, as if he too had just realized he was blocking her mouth.
If he knew, it was only right that he should withdraw his hand immediately. For someone like him, who always maintained a distance, that would have been the natural step.
However, even though Michael realized his hand was practically covering Irene’s face, he did not pull it away.
‘Why?’
As Irene looked at him in confusion, he finally loosened the hand covering her mouth. But he had only released the pressure; his hand still remained draped over her face.
While Irene stayed still, unable to understand why he was doing this, he moved his hand.
Folding his fingers, he wiped away the sweat trickling down her forehead.
She thought his touch would end there.
But after wiping the sweat and tidying her hair, his hand slowly moved down.
His fingers slowly caressed her straight eyebrows. The moment they touched her eyelashes, Irene couldn’t help but close her eyes against the ticklish sensation.
She hoped it would make her feel less embarrassed, but as if mocking her thoughts, his touch grazing the fine hairs on her face felt even more vivid.
Passing her eyes, his fingers playfully tapped the tip of her nose before moving further down.
The tip of his thick thumb softly rubbed and pressed against Irene’s lips.
“……!”
Now, even Irene could not feign ignorance.
This action carried a clear intention.
That was why it was all the more confusing. If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t be this surprised. But the person before her was Michael.
The man who had sat at a distance from her just this afternoon. The holy knight who was polite but never crossed the line.
For such a man to be touching her face with such obvious intent to toy with her.
‘Am I dreaming?’
No matter how much she thought about it, there was no other answer.
At that moment, his fingers, which had been lingering hesitantly on her lips, applied pressure.
He only pushed slightly, but Irene’s mouth fell open helplessly. As her white, even teeth and moist, red tongue were revealed behind her parted lips, the faint smile that had lingered on his face vanished.
Losing his composure, he stared at Irene for a long moment before slowly sliding his thumb into her mouth as if he had made a decision.
It was only a single finger that entered, but Irene found herself gagging instinctively.
“Ha, ngh……”
Even though he was the one who had forced his way in, Irene had to open her mouth wider, worried she might accidentally bite him.
“Is it difficult?”
At his nonchalant question, Irene answered with a cautious nod.
She couldn’t understand why he was forcing her to hold his finger so deep in her mouth.
“It’s troubling if you find even this difficult.”
He shook his head, clicking his tongue as if truly regretful.
Exactly what was so troubling?
Without understanding his words, Irene only hoped he would withdraw his finger soon.
Fortunately, Michael did not push further and slowly pulled his finger out. Perhaps because it had been rummaging through her mouth, his finger glistened under the moonlight streaming through the window once it was free.
Still unable to grasp what was happening, Irene stared blankly at his finger until Michael put the finger he had just withdrawn into his own mouth.
“W-What are you doing!”
Stunned by the sight, Irene bolted upright. But the hand firmly gripping her waist still wouldn’t let her go.
Because of that, Irene had to watch him right before her eyes even as she struggled.
He licked his finger slowly, like a gourmet savoring the world’s greatest delicacy.
All the while, his gaze remained fixed solely on Irene.
The act of licking a finger wasn’t inherently significant. Wouldn’t anyone have reason to suck on a finger at least once in their life?
Isn’t it common to lick off a stray drop of food?
She tried to think of it that way, but…
Irene stared at Michael, entranced as he moved his tongue as if to show her.
“Why on earth……”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask why he was licking the finger that had been in her mouth, so she trailed off.
But her question was apparently conveyed well enough, as Michael replied with a thin smile.
“It is for purification.”
At the word purification, Irene felt as if she had been doused with cold water.
The basis of purification was maximum skin contact between the pair, but to purify deep corruption more quickly, the other person’s bodily fluids were more effective.
That was why pairs not only kissed but naturally engaged in deep contact after returning from missions.
Despite her experiences in her past life, Irene had vowed that such a thing would never happen this time, so the thought that his actions were part of purification hadn’t even crossed her mind.
“I… see. If you’re feeling a bit better now, could you please let go……”
Her body was still trapped in Michael’s embrace.
She felt she needed to get away from him, even just a little, to handle the situation.
‘Michael must have regained some of his senses by now.’
Once he came to his senses, he would surely be embarrassed by his actions.
So she felt she should put some distance between them to spare him the awkwardness.
Just as Irene grabbed his hand to force it away, he spoke.
“Not yet.”
“Pardon?”
“The purification is not over yet.”
At those words, Irene quickly raised her head to look into his eyes.
Since they had been in constant contact and even after what he had just done, she thought his mind would have returned to some extent.
But his eyes, which she met again, were still the same deep red as before.
Irene couldn’t understand it at all. Purification was definitely ongoing. Even at this moment, the tingling sensation continued through her body.
Yet Michael hadn’t changed in the slightest from the beginning.
Then what more did she have to do to purify him?
Before she could even think of the next step, Michael tightened his grip on her waist.
As a result, Irene was pulled even deeper into his arms.
Holding her fast, he spoke.
“You said you would grant me one request if I asked.”
That was true. On the day she had asked him to join the dungeon raid for the gathering, he had said he would do so if she would grant him a request in return.
“I am asking you now. Please……”
His grip tightened further, bringing their chests together.
Irene could feel his racing heartbeat directly against her body.
He whispered close to her ear.
“May I crave you a little more?”
