My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin
Chapter 7
It couldn't be.
As soon as Irene opened her eyes, she was more surprised by the luxury of the room than by the people gathered around her.
In her past life, she had only seen a room this spacious and grand when she was summoned to Princess Cecilia's chambers.
Naturally, she had assumed this was a temporary room and that she would have to move soon, but this was her room?
“That can't be right. I was just re-evaluated as a 9th-rank. I should be moved to a smaller room, not somewhere like this….”
“No. This is your room, Irene.”
Irene could say nothing to Michael's reply.
Seeing him speak with such certainty, it truly seemed to be her room.
‘But how?’
The only times a low-ranking purifier received a nice room were when their knight possessed immense power, or if they spent a vast amount of money.
‘Michael may be the Commander of the Holy Knights, but that recognition only carries weight within the Temple's domain.’
In this fortress, which was under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom Alliance, he was treated as an outsider. Therefore, it was certain he hadn't obtained it through power.
That meant a large sum of money was spent….
‘That's nonsense.’
In her past life, Michael was a man who never spent a single penny for his own self-interest.
Even for his meals, he only ate the basic rations provided by the fortress; he never hired a private chef or indulged in rich foods like others did.
If he was like that with food, everything else went without saying.
‘Besides, there's no way Michael would even have that much money.’
Like other knights, Michael used to put dungeon rewards up for sale at the Alliance's Auction House. The difference was that he sent the entirety of those proceeds straight to the Temple.
She tilted her head, unable to solve the mystery of how this had happened, when Michael spoke.
“To explain, this place was provided by the Kingdom of Tyrenia. Before I came to this fortress, I eliminated an unstable dungeon that had appeared in their kingdom. At the time, I refused their offer to show their gratitude, but….”
He continued his explanation.
“When you collapsed, the Tyrenian ambassador told me they had already paid in advance and asked that you please use this place. It was difficult to refuse any further, and more than anything, I brought you here for your safety and rest.”
“Ah…. I see.”
As expected, he hadn't obtained it himself.
He must have felt burdened by repeatedly refusing the Kingdom of Tyrenia's goodwill, and since he had to use a luxurious room anyway, he had given it to her.
Then, it suddenly occurred to her that he had called her by name.
“But how did you know my name…?”
She certainly didn't remember introducing herself at the banquet.
To Irene's question, he answered without a moment's hesitation.
“I apologize for taking the liberty of calling you by name without a proper introduction. I learned it from overhearing the priests and the Alliance people passing through here.”
“Oh, it's not a discourtesy at all. Not in the least. I'm the one who should apologize for not introducing myself properly. I am Irene Rodiam.”
Irene straightened her posture and gave a slight bow.
At that, Michael also stood straight, placed one hand over his chest, and greeted her in the manner of a knight.
“I am Michael.”
It was a very short introduction.
Thanks to that, an awkward silence flowed through the room once more.
Eventually, Irene was the one to speak first.
“Um, about being a pair at the banquet yesterday….”
As if he had been waiting for this, he apologized again.
“Please forgive my rudeness yesterday. I did not realize that performing a purification in front of others meant an immediate confirmation of a pair.”
Then, Michael raised his head and looked directly at Irene as he asked.
“Did you perhaps already have plans to form a pair with another knight?”
She did. If Michael hadn't appeared then, she would have ended up paired with that low-quality knight.
Irene, briefly thinking of the man whose name she didn't even know, shook her head.
“No. I didn't have anyone specific in mind.”
“……That is a relief.”
Michael muttered in a voice thick with-relief.
Then he added.
“It would have been quite troublesome if you were already paired with another knight.”
In that moment, Irene felt an inexplicable chill and rubbed her arms as goosebumps broke out.
He was only stating the obvious, so why was she reacting like this?
Irene bit her lip.
No matter how much she had settled her feelings, her past memories remained, so facing Michael like this made her heart waver.
‘Get a grip. He's someone I'll never have to see again after just a few days.’
The heart that had respected and loved him, and the nights they had spent together, were all in the past now.
In fact, in this life, those things hadn't even happened. So she had to bury everything in her heart alone and strive for a different outcome.
Irene decided she should first finish what she couldn't conclude properly at the banquet.
“Sir Michael, you might think me rude, but I'd like to speak about the distribution of dungeon rewards.”
It couldn't be helped if he saw her as a purifier blinded by money.
In reality, money was her most urgent problem.
“You might find such worldly matters unpleasant, but purifiers and knights usually coordinate their opinions on this before forming a pair.”
“It is fine. Please speak freely.”
Had someone explained it to him?
Fortunately, Michael's face showed no sign of discomfort.
“I know that you donate all dungeon rewards to the Temple.”
Irene quickly spat out the words she had prepared in her mind.
“As the Commander of the Holy Knights, it is only natural, and I respect your actions. However, as a secular being, I require money to live. So….”
Irene spoke cautiously, watching his reaction.
“Could you take all the rewards, but allow me to keep the rewards from specific dungeons that I designate occasionally?”
“That is….”
“I won't ask often. Even once a month is fine. Other than that, you may do as you wish with everything else.”
At Irene's proposal, he thought for a moment before nodding his head.
“Very well. If that satisfies you, then we shall do so.”
At Michael's answer, Irene clenched her fists tight.
‘I did it.’
Irene cheered inwardly at his easy acceptance of the proposal.
Though things had happened differently from the past, the result was exactly what she wanted.
‘Michael is the same.’
He stood a few steps away from her, just like before.
As if he shouldn't come any closer.
In the past, seeing him keep such a distance had made her feel hurt.
It felt as though he had only paired with her out of necessity and didn't even want to be near her.
But perhaps because she had drawn the line first and settled her heart in this life, his behavior of keeping his distance actually put her mind at ease.
‘In just a few days….’
She would be able to get her hands on the Ring of Invisibility from the first dungeon she designated.
Then, she would immediately send it to the official Auction House to sell it and leave this place.
“Then, Sir Michael.”
Irene lifted her skirt slightly and gave a polite bow.
“I look forward to working with you until the day our pairing ends.”
* * *
The next day, Irene breathed a sigh of relief inwardly as she received information on new dungeons reported by the scouts.
‘As I thought, it’s the same.’
She had secretly worried about what she would do if dungeons different from what she remembered appeared. If that happened, her memories of the past would become entirely useless.
Fortunately, the thing she feared most had not happened.
As Irene was feeling relieved by the fact that nothing had changed—
Thud!
Suddenly, someone from behind collided roughly with Irene's body.
Startled and staggering, Irene quickly braced herself against the nearby wall.
‘What was that?’
The moment she turned around in surprise—
“Sigh….”
A deep sigh escaped her lips involuntarily.
“Wilhelmina.”
Irene muttered the name of the woman glaring at her.
There were some things that weren't good to have stay the same.
