Translator: Nox

My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin

Chapter 9

Piled high in the room were dozens of outfits, accessories, and every other necessity for daily life.

The problem was that every single item was so dazzlingly luxurious that they could only be described as extravagances.

“Here is the inventory list. Please sign here to confirm receipt.”

The maid bowed politely and handed over a sheet of paper detailing the items.

Her mouth hanging open, Irene scanned the list from the top.

The further down her eyes traveled, the more her face paled with shock.

She could overlook the clothes made of ornate, soft fabrics for now. But halfway down, the items grew increasingly opulent, finally ending with scented oils for a peaceful night’s rest.

‘Wait, wasn’t this something only 1st-rank purifiers used?’

It wasn’t just any scented oil.

Made from herbs found deep within Dungeons, these oils were highly prized because placing them by one’s bedside during sleep allowed purification power to recover rapidly.

Naturally, the price was whatever the seller demanded, and because they were so rare, even top-tier purifiers only used them on very special occasions.

Why on earth was such a thing in this room right now?

The lavish goods were one thing, but other aspects were equally bewildering—from the table laden with food to the maids wearing her room number pinned to their chests.

‘How did this happen?’

Nothing was given for free inside this Fortress.

Even if the Kingdom Alliance managed the place, the basic provisions were the absolute bare minimum.

If one desired better goods or service, the Alliance managing the site naturally demanded payment.

Of course, this wasn’t much of an issue for princesses or daughters of noble families.

Their royal houses or families provided unstinting support, if only for the sake of their own pride, so they always commanded large rooms and many maids.

Even the pairs of powerful knights, though they might start out a bit meagerly, would gradually upgrade their accommodations using the rewards earned from clearing Dungeons.

‘That’s why it was always so hard in the past….’

Even when she was assigned the smallest room, the cleaning and laundry were always piled high.

Since she had no money to spare for a maid while trying to save every penny, Irene had to do everything herself.

Other purifiers who started out doing their own chores like Irene would, upon receiving their share of rewards, immediately use that money to hire a maid, change rooms, and eat better food.

But Irene had been forced to stay in that same cramped corner room she was first given.

She had to save money to pay back her debt.

‘So I never even dreamed of having nice things….’

These weren’t just “nice things”; they were luxury goods.

They were high-end items of such quality that her jaw dropped, making her realize such things even existed in the world.

The problem was, she had never asked for any of this.

Irene steadied her voice as best she could and spoke to the maid.

“Um, I think there’s been a mistake.”

“A mistake? Whatever do you mean?”

“I never requested any of this. I haven’t touched a single thing, so I’d like you to take it all back.”

“That is quite impossible. Payment has already been completed in full.”

The maid’s answer only left Irene more puzzled.

“Pardon? Who exactly paid for all of this?”

“If you look at the bottom of the list….”

At the maid’s prompt, she hurriedly checked the bottom of the long inventory.

There, Michael’s name was clearly written.

Standing beside her and seeing the name at the same time, Wilhelmina’s face twisted into a look of utter devastation.

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“Sigh….”

After finally sending away Wilhelmina—who had been pestering her to explain why Michael had sent those things—by claiming she was exhausted, Irene let out a long sigh.

Looking around the room again, the sight of the piled-up finery that refused to disappear made her head spin.

Searching for a place to sit, she spotted a small stool intended for a maid in the corner and sat there. She didn’t dare sit in the ornate chairs.

‘What is going on now?’

As the maid said, all these items were indeed paid for.

‘The money-hungry Alliance wouldn’t have handed them over otherwise.’

It was a fact she knew well even without the maid’s explanation.

‘I went through so much trouble just to get one thick blanket before.’

She had assumed winter blankets were part of the basic provisions, but those, too, had to be purchased.

Usually, she could have bought one with her savings, but the Count had been pressuring her to repay her debt, and she had just sent every cent she had. Irene had been penniless.

She tried to endure it at first, but since the Fortress was located in the northeast of the continent, the bitter winds arrived long before winter truly set in.

To make matters worse, Michael had been away from the Fortress for a while due to a summons from the Temple.

In the end, Irene had no choice but to spend her days shivering until Michael returned to enter a Dungeon again.

So, as soon as Michael returned, she had begged to follow him into the Dungeon. It was better to follow him than to stay alone in that freezing room.

And when he opened the chest containing the prize in the Room of Reward at the end of the Dungeon, Irene had reached out reflexively.

“What are you doing?”

By the time she snapped back to her senses at his chilly voice, Irene’s hand was already clutching a small gemstone from the chest.

In principle, all Dungeon rewards were supposed to be verified, collected, and then sent to auction.

Furthermore, Michael had cleared that particular Dungeon entirely on his own without a shred of purification help from Irene.

Yet she had snatched the largest reward as if stealing it; how absurd he must have found her.

“I—I’m sorry….”

Even as she said it, Irene couldn’t let go of the gem. Michael had watched her in silence.

Overwhelmed by embarrassment, guilt, and sorrow, Irene hadn’t been able to lift her head.

After a long silence, he spoke.

“Take it.”

While she felt grateful for his consideration, tears welled up in her eyes.

She could guess exactly how he was looking at her.

‘He must think I’m a woman obsessed with money despite having no talent.’

Thinking of his gaze—the way he must be looking down on her—Irene couldn’t lift her head until they left the Dungeon.

As expected, Michael left immediately after exiting the Dungeon, as if he had no desire to speak further.

Thanks to the money she received after registering that reward for auction, she was able to get a winter blanket. However, Irene kept thinking of Michael’s cold gaze and ended up sleeping in the corner with all her clothes on, leaving the blanket untouched on the bed.

“…….”

Lost in her memories, she let out a bitter smile.

“At least I’m glad I won’t have to be here until winter.”

She didn’t want to go through that again. It was sad for her, and it only caused trouble for Michael.

Irene stared blankly at the pile of goods.

Michael was the type of person who donated all his earnings to the Temple. There was no way he would spend money on things like this.

‘There must be some mistake.’

If so, he would surely ask for them back later, so she decided not to touch them.

Then, her eyes drifted to a plate on the table. It was piled high with fruit.

In her past life, she had never once eaten fruit inside this Fortress. She had only caught glimpses of it when summoned by Princess Cecilia.

Every time she saw fruit that looked so fresh and sweet, she couldn’t take her eyes off it, even while thinking herself pathetic.

Gulp.

Her mouth watered involuntarily at the sight of the fresh fruit, still glistening with moisture as if just picked.

She hadn’t eaten properly since waking up yesterday.

Her exhausted body finally began to feel the pangs of hunger, and her stomach growled loudly.

She had thought it was a large fruit plate at first glance, but seeing it up close, it was filled even with fruits that were impossible to find in this season.

Irene had always been particularly fond of fruit. Because of that, her mouth watered so much it made her jaw ache, and she was filled with the urge to eat, but she didn’t lay a finger on them.

She still couldn’t quite wrap her head around this changed situation.

She couldn’t believe that all this luxury and comfort had been given to her.

So, Irene just stared blankly at the fruit in front of her as if it belonged to someone else.

How long had she been like that?

“Why are you just staring at it?”

At the sudden sound of Michael’s voice from beside her, Irene froze in place, unable even to let out a scream.