Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 141
It was the first time seeing Irene in nearly a week.
Ever since sheād stopped appearing at the dungeon entrance, heād been worried that she might be unwellā¦
āIrene?ā
He called her name again, this time without the usual polite title of āMissā he would attach, so caught off guard that he could barely compose himself.
āWhat happened?ā
Irene looked as if she had been severely ill for a week. Her complexion, already pale, now seemed to have lost all color.
But what truly unsettled Michael was the way she looked at him.
He was always keenly aware of even the faintest traces of othersā presence, especially Ireneās gaze, which constantly followed him.
Wherever he was, Ireneās gaze was always on him.
At first, he found it unfamiliar, and whenever their eyes met, he would purposely look away.
It left him feeling strange, though not in an unpleasant way.
āUnlike Princess Cecilia.ā
Among those who looked at him was, of course, Princess Cecilia.
He couldnāt ignore her gaze either. It always felt like a sticky film brushing against him the moment her eyes met his.
It left Michael confused. How could two people looking at him evoke such different feelings?
In any case, although Ireneās gaze sometimes felt a bit burdensome, it wasnāt unwelcome.
In fact, when he left the dungeon and didnāt feel her presence, he would feel a strange emptiness.
But nowā¦ Irene, who had always looked at him, had turned her head away.
Just then, Cecilia, who had been watching them, stood up with a bright smile.
āWell, Iāll be taking my leave.ā
Her gesture to step back so they could talk freely was welcome, yet it also unsettled Michael.
Cecilia usually didnāt yield her place so easily.
Before leaving the reception room, she looked briefly at Irene, who was standing at a distance, then exited.
All the while, Irene stood with her head lowered, as though she had done something wrong.
āIāll go prepare the tea.ā
With those words, the maid left, and silence filled the room where only the two of them remained.
In the past, Irene might have asked what had brought him here, but now she merely hesitated, saying nothing.
Noticing that she hadnāt even greeted him, Michael felt an inexplicable sense of unease and was the first to break the silence.
āHave you been unwell? If youād like, I can send for a priest to examineā¦ā
The thought that she might be ill caused a tone of urgency to slip into his voice.
āNo, itās nothing like that. Iāve already recovered.ā
She quickly shook her head, cutting him off before he could finish. It was as though the idea of sending a priest to her was utterly out of the question.
Still unable to meet Michaelās gaze directly, she nervously fidgeted with the hem of her clothes and, after a struggle, asked a question.
āButā¦ what brings you hereā¦?ā
Her hesitant demeanor, as if she were dealing with something uncomfortable, prompted Michael to give the reason he had thought of for his visit, justifying it to himself.
āItās about the distribution of dungeon rewards.ā
He could think of no other excuse for seeking Irene out.
Until now, he had taken this reason for granted.
But watching her now, visibly uneasy in his presence, an unbidden question surfaced in his mindāone he had never considered before.
He was her pair.
So why did he need a reason to meet her?
