Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 77
At his words, Irene looked at him in surprise.
“Why are you saying that?”
When Irene stared at him, Michael met her gaze as if nothing were wrong.
Cutting off someone’s hand to stop them from participating in an auction… It didn’t seem like something he, of all people, would say.
In both her previous life and the current one, Michael was a paladin respected by all. The respect people held for him wasn’t just because of his strength.
He was so righteous that he seemed almost like a living embodiment of the god’s teachings.
Of course, he never acted wrongly, and no matter how difficult or painful the situation, he never uttered a single harsh word.
The same was true whenever he interacted with others.
He had never spoken ill of or disliked anyone. Even when people openly slandered the temple or disrespected him, he never lost his composure or courtesy.
The only person he ever distanced himself from was Irene, his pair.
For someone like him to now openly express such intense hatred toward another person—this was the first time Irene had ever seen it.
“Well, it’s just that… you seem very angry…”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask why he was saying things so out of character.
After all, she hadn’t spent that much time with him in this life. She couldn’t act like she knew him well.
“Isn’t it only natural?”
He stood up from his seat.
Though they had entered the same booth, he had deliberately sat far apart from her.
Now, Michael placed his hand on the railing right next to where Irene was holding on, gazing down below.
His contemptuous gaze was fixed on the man being congratulated by others.
In a low voice, as if whispering, he spoke right next to her.
“Is it not only natural to feel disgusted when the man who dared to insult you takes the reward you earned?”
He continued in the same low tone.
“And seeing you speak as though you’re used to such insults… that upset me even more.”
At his words, Irene felt a lump rise in her throat.
In her past life, when countless slanders and insults were thrown at her, he had never said anything like this.
Her throat tightened painfully.
Long ago, Irene used to imagine what it would be like if Michael were kind to her, especially after watching other pairs who were affectionate with one another.
On those nights, she would return to her small, cramped quarters and fall asleep imagining it.
For that brief moment, she could forget reality and feel happy.
Though the self-loathing and bitterness would return once the daydream ended, at least for that short while, it brought her a smile during otherwise lonely and difficult days.
Her fantasies were nothing extravagant.
In her imagination, Michael would get angry at the people who threw filthy remarks at her.
Then he would ask if she was all right.
Even in her daydreams, Irene had never dared to hope for more than that.
“Don’t endure such insults any longer.”
And now, here in reality, Michael was saying the very words she had longed for.
For a moment, Irene questioned everything.
Was this a hallucination she was having as she lay dying? How else could things be going so well?
This couldn’t be real.
She no longer stayed in a cold, cramped room. Instead, she stayed in a spacious, sunlit chamber.
She no longer bought the cheapest, hardest bread and stretched it out over several days. Now, she enjoyed fresh, delicious meals.
She no longer spent entire days without uttering a single word. She now found herself constantly surrounded by friends and people who sought her out, leaving her days full.
And she no longer had to bow her head in front of Princess Cecilia. She could turn her back on her without any hesitation.
This was the kind of life Irene had once only imagined before falling asleep.
And more than anything…
“If you wish for retribution, just say the word. I’ll make sure those who insulted you will never wag their tongues so recklessly again.”
Michael, who now spoke as if he cared for her, suddenly frightened Irene.
Something felt off.
Was it really okay for everything to be going this well for her?
It was as if the entire world was moving for her benefit.
“So don’t endure things alone. I am your…”
Michael slowly leaned down, his face drawing closer to Irene’s as she gripped the railing.
His breath grazed the nape of her neck, brushing over the fine hairs that stood on end.
