Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 160
The princess often lavished precious gifts on those she wanted to keep close by her side.
âThen shouldnât I get at least one thing as well?â
After all, she was one of the few purifiers who remained loyally by the princessâs side now that nearly everyone else had abandoned her. Surely, this loyalty deserved some kind of reward.
Wilhelmina glanced around the princessâs quarters.
With the princess holed up in her room and ordering no one to enter, even the maids had left for the day.
Confirming that there were no approaching footsteps, Wilhelmina quietly made her way to the adjacent room, where the princessâs belongings were stored.
The most valuable items were kept in the princessâs room, but some suitable jewelry was kept here.
Wilhelmina quickly rummaged through the room.
âAs I thought!â
Just as she expected, there were still many items left.
Wilhelminaâs eyes gleamed as she looked at them all. While these accessories might not seem extravagant to the princess, to Wilhelmina, they were immensely valuable.
She held up a large pair of earrings to her ears, admiring herself. But there was more than just earringsâother jewelry, as well as beautiful clothes, hats, and shoes.
Everything suited her perfectly.
âI could just take a few of these with me, couldnât I?â
No one would notice anyway. The princess had so much that she likely wouldnât even realize something was missing.
After admiring herself in the mirror for a while, Wilhelmina set down the items she intended to take and cautiously moved deeper into the room.
âStill, Iâd rather take something more valuable than these.â
The princess had been locked in her room for days. With things so quiet, perhaps she was sleeping after taking medicine?
âIf thatâs the case, she wonât even notice if I go in further.â
She didnât plan to take a lot. Just one expensive item would be enough. Then, she could sell it in the black market of a nearby city and earn a good amount of money.
âThis is my rightful reward.â
In her mind, Wilhelmina had already convinced herself that her theft was justified.
Just as sheâd expected, there was no sign of the princess. It seemed she hadnât left her bedchamber at all.
With a bit more confidence in her steps, Wilhelmina moved toward the inner room.
âWhat should I take?â
She was deciding which of the valuable items sheâd seen to take as a reward when she opened the door and froze.
Inside was the room the princess used as her wardrobe.
But now, there were no clothes, not even a single shoe.
Instead, the space was filled with papers covered in strange, grotesque symbols.
Beside them lay dried herbs, giving off a strange, unpleasant smell, and dozens of lit candles.
âWhat⌠is thisâŚ?â
Wilhelmina murmured, too shocked to even think of staying quiet.
Then, something in the corner of the room moved.
âOhâŚâ
She couldnât believe her eyes. In the corner was a red mass, an unnatural shape that couldnât possibly belong in the world she stood in.
âA⌠monster?â
Impossible. Monsters existed only within dungeons.
Occasionally, they would spill into this world, wreaking havoc before being drawn back to their own.
But here, deep within the fortress, in Princess Ceciliaâs quarters?
If this was real, it meant someone here had deliberately summoned itâŚ
At that moment, Wilhelmina realized what she was looking at.
The strange items in this roomâthey were all part of an ancient, forbidden ritual to summon monsters.
And the person who had summoned it wasâŚ
âOf course, I knew youâd sneak in like a little rat.â
The princessâs voice came from behind her.
Before the shocked Wilhelmina could even turn around, Cecilia shoved her forward toward the red mass.
The last thing Wilhelmina saw was a world drenched entirely in red.
