Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 156
Up until this point, everyone considered it unavoidable.
“Are you insane? Whose pair are you trying to steal?”
A loud voice echoed from the princess’s quarters. It was Riosa’s voice—one of the remaining First-grade purifiers, aside from the princess. Fortunately, she and her pair had managed to escape the dungeon safely this time.
As Riosa looked over the survivors, she thought to herself,
‘Does this mean we’ll be the strongest pair in the fortress this year?’
The princess’s knight, who had followed her blindly and devotedly, was dead.
‘The princess has gotten too accustomed to that knight for her purification. Even if she finds a new knight, no matter how powerful, it will take time for them to adjust to each other.’
Moreover, both Michael and Irene Rhodiam, whose knightly skills were exceptional despite Irene’s weak purification abilities, were dead as well.
‘That means I’ll be able to lead all the worthwhile dungeons left this year, right?’
Just as Riosa was feeling pleased with herself, a purifier she was friendly with came to her.
“Riosa, um… I’ve been debating whether or not to tell you this…”
“What’s going on? Is there a problem?”
“Well…”
The person, looking genuinely troubled, hesitated several times before finally speaking.
“I saw your knight and Princess Cecilia coming out of a secluded room together. And it wasn’t just once.”
“What?”
At those words, Riosa’s mind went blank for a moment. Then her eyes narrowed sharply.
“Cecilia, that crazy b***h!”
Before going to the princess’s quarters, she sought out her knight. She immediately tore his clothes off to check for any signs of intimacy left on his body.
“N-No, the princess just… asked for comfort…”
Smack!
Riosa slapped him across the face and then headed straight for the princess’s quarters.
When she arrived, she grabbed the princess by her hair and shook her.
“With things as they are, do you still think people will worship you? Acting like royalty, yet stealing others’ pairs?”
Stealing someone else’s pair was one of the most despised actions within the fortress.
In that regard, the pair bond was similar to a marital relationship.
Regardless of what happened after the contract expired, during the period of the pairship, both parties were expected to remain faithful to each other.
News of Princess Cecilia’s attempt to take someone else’s knight as her pair after the death of her own quickly spread.
After that, not a single purifier attended the princess’s gathering, which had been revived after a long absence.
Princess Cecilia bit her lip as she looked at the empty hall.
In the past, no matter what she did, everyone would be intimidated and bow to her, but now, they all glared at her openly.
Moreover, the Alliance of Kingdoms seemed to see this as an opportunity to curb the princess’s influence. They invoked fortress regulations to demand that she conduct herself with restraint, stating that her actions had caused great unease among other pairs.
With all these events piling up, the princess’s faction was effectively and completely dismantled.
* * *
“And that’s how the largest group was erased. Those who were affiliated with it became hesitant, keeping an eye on each other and barely moving. Meanwhile…”
Cynthia glanced at the room filled with bouquets.
All of them had been sent by pairs from Irene’s group to celebrate her return.
“Our group ended up being the only one that functioned properly. Regardless of the fortress’s situation, the dungeons needed to be cleared, so we took on all the nearby dungeons in place of the princess’s circle.”
Not only did it bring in money, but everyone gained experience, and their bonds with each other strengthened.
They’d even kept Irene’s name as the head of the group, believing firmly that she and Michael would return one day.
Sniffling again, Cynthia embraced Irene’s neck.
“Really… I’m so happy you came back.”
Beside her, Reyna, also teary-eyed, ran over and hugged Irene as well.
Amid the warmth of her friends’ embrace and the room full of flowers, Irene couldn’t help but tear up herself.
There were so many people who had waited for her and worried about her.
For the first time, Irene felt she wanted to stay at the fortress until the end of this term for the people who had waited for her.
