Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 43
Translated by Elphie
“Come in!”
Irene was startled, rising from her seat at the unexpected sound of his voice. Wilhelmina, too, did the same.
The door swung open, and in walked Michael as composed as ever, entered. His short-trimmed golden hair was neatly coiffed and unruffled. Beneath that was a calm face that bordered on expressionless. There wasn’t a single wrinkle in his impeccable attire that couldn’t conceal his well-built physique.
There was no sign of the man who had come to this room last night, secretly seeking purification.
Noticing the paladin’s clean-cut appearance, Irene tensed and lowered her head.
“Why are you…”
She began to ask but quickly realized how foolish it sounded and hastily closed her mouth.
They were, after all, in a place that was provided for the purposes of purification. It was Michael who owned this room in the first place, and weren’t the two of them a pair? A person didn’t need an excuse to be with their pair.
Irene glanced at Wilhelmina. It seemed she hadn’t realized that she appeared awkward, possibly due to being captivated by Michael.
Irene composed herself and smiled at him.
“Sir Michael, you’ve come again.”
Deliberately putting emphasis on the word ‘again,’ she glanced at Wilhelmina once more. She was certain Wilhelmina heard her properly as Irene saw her biting down on her lip. She hadn’t been able to hide her envy since Michael entered the room.
‘And now that we appear friendly, it’s going to be even worse.’
That was Irene’s intention. She hoped Wilhemina would report this back to Princess Cecilia.
She had been ignored and ridiculed openly even when she kept a low profile. If Irene yielded to them, it would most likely all be the same.
‘If that’s the case, why should I hide and bend over backwards just to not upset her?’
From the moment Michael and Irene formed a pair, it was clear that the princess disliked her. There was no need to consider the feelings of someone who would hate her regardless.
Then, with a wry smile, Michael replied to Irene’s question.
“Yes, I’ve come again.”
He emphasized the word ‘again’ as well, like he had caught Irene’s meaning.
Then he looked at Wilhelmina.
“Now, if you will excuse us, I have something important to discuss with my pair.”
His tone was polite, but the content was closer to a request to leave immediately rather than seeking her understanding.
But in the face of his gentle demeanor and subtle smile, Wilhelmina didn’t think much of it and simply nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh, yes, of course!”
Wilhelmina replied haltingly and hurried out of the room. Still, remembering the Princess’s orders, she turned to Irene to give a last-second reminder.
“I’ll have the maids send you the invitation! Don’t forget to come!”
But as soon as she met Michael’s cold gaze, she quickly closed the door behind her.
“I apologize for interrupting your conversation. I see that you were invited to something.”
It wasn’t much of a conversation.
That’s what Irene thought, but she didn’t want to make it obvious that she didn’t particularly like Wilhelmina or the Princess.
Irene merely nodded in response.
“But what brings you here, Sir Michael?”
“I have a favor to ask of my pair.”
Despite the calm tone, Irene blushed at his words. It reminded her of the night she’d purified him.
To anyone who saw them then, she must have looked unbearably lustful and struggling to contain her desire. She had awoken in a daze afterwards, unable to think straight.
And to bring it up in broad daylight like this…
Caught off guard by the embarrassment, Irene unconsciously took a step back.
‘Did Michael not notice?’
She hadn’t had the chance to speak to him in the past, so she hadn’t asked him how he felt during the purification process.
‘I suppose he feels differently than I do.’
Even if they did share the same experience.
If he felt the same way, a paladin like him wouldn’t come here in broad daylight making such a request. Then, she suddenly realized that there were still maids roaming the corridors. If she attempted to purify him now and couldn’t hold back her moans like last time…
Her face grew even redder the more she followed that line of thought.
More importantly…
‘Even if I claim that I was out of it, Michael must have seen everything!’
For a moment, she couldn’t even bear to lift up her head because of the overwhelming embarrassment she felt.
“Oh, um, well. Purification, if that’s what you meant…” Irene stammered, trying to find the right words.
“The purification was fine. Thanks to you, I can barely feel the magic now.”
Irene breathed a sigh of relief at Michael’s answer.
‘Does he feel any different too?’
He did look quite different from how appeared back then when he seemed slightly disheveled and searching for something.
‘I wonder if magic affects memories.’
If that’s the case, he might not remember her embarrassing behavior properly either.
“Then, for what reason…”
If it’s not purification, could there be another reason for him to visit her? No matter how much she thought about it, she really couldn’t find another one.
“I’d appreciate it if you could accompany me to the dungeons.”
“…!”
Irene’s eyes widened at Michael’s words.