Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 84
‘Does this mean I might get dragged to the temple?’
Irene stood up and approached the drawer.
From the deepest part of the bottom drawer, hidden beneath other items, she retrieved something wrapped in cloth.
It was the black piece of metal she had been holding onto as she was dying, the item that had come back with her when she returned in time.
“Nothing’s changed.”
She had wondered if the metal might have rusted or changed color over time, but there were no visible alterations.
Even the engravings on the surface remained intact.
For a moment, Irene was overwhelmed by an impulse.
What if she showed this to Michael and told him the truth—that she had died once and traveled back in time? What would he say?
Since returning to the past, most things had gone well for her.
But with every success came an inexplicable sense of fear that followed her, like a shadow.
Would everything continue to go well?
What if everything fell apart again, just like before?
Would the people who had come close to her turn their backs once more?
If the memories she relied on turned out to be false, could her current relationships survive?
If everything returned to the way it was…
“……”
Irene stared at the metal for a while before wrapping it back up and placing it in the drawer.
Then she twisted the ring on her finger.
Normally, it refused to come off, as if asserting its connection to her, but occasionally, it would slip off easily.
Perhaps it was tired from exerting its power earlier in the day because this time, it slid off without resistance.
Irene went to her bed and pulled the blanket over her body. Then, she moved to the corner of the room and sat with her back against the wall.
Just like long ago, when she would spend entire days alone without speaking a word.
* * *
Creak.
“…Mmh.”
The sound of the door opening stirred Irene awake.
When she had fallen asleep, the sunset had just begun to cast its light, but now the room was steeped in darkness.
‘How long was I asleep?’
Her body ached all over from sleeping curled up in the same position.
Yet she felt no urge to get up.
Irene blinked quietly in the darkness, unsure of what time or place she was in.
Was she back in her past life, huddled alone in a small room?
Or was she still in this life, where she met many people and could sleep comfortably in a spacious room?
As she struggled to gather her thoughts, a large figure moved in the darkness.
“……!”
Startled by the unwelcome intruder, Irene opened her mouth to scream—
“Irene.”
The figure called her name. The voice was familiar, which only made her more tense.
It was Michael’s voice.
He had always asked for permission before entering.
If she didn’t respond, he would assume she was asleep and leave. Yet now, despite not granting permission, he had come in.
Thud.
He collapsed to the floor in front of Irene, who had instinctively backed away.
With only the faint light from outside filtering in through the window, she couldn’t see him clearly.
But even in the dark, his eyes were unmistakable.
Those deep blue eyes that had been so close to hers at the auction, now mixed with a frightening red hue.
The moment she recognized that red glow, Irene froze.
It was a familiar red—one seen in those poisoned by miasma.
At first, it was easy to mistake it for mere bloodshot eyes from excitement, but as the poisoning worsened, the entire eye turned red.
Thankfully, this characteristic was visible enough that purifiers could gauge their pair’s condition and attempt purification.
Irene had learned to judge how severe the poisoning was from observing those affected at a distance.
But now, Michael…
“Mi…chael…?”
Her voice trembled miserably as she spoke his name.
In response, his eyes shifted completely into a solid red.
The transformation made Irene want to scream.
In her past life, she had seen people fully consumed by miasma, no longer human.
Just before they turned into monsters, their eyes would turn completely red.
And now, Michael’s glowing red eyes before her looked just like theirs.
