Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 176
Butā¦ he didnāt.
Watching the act of purification, where oneās touch was required, Michael seemed relieved he wasnāt involved in such deeds and hurried past without a second glance.
A man unaffected by her power or status.
That was when Ceciliaās obsessive fixation on Michael began.
Whenever a purifier lingered near him, she orchestrated accidents to remove them.
The method was simple.
During dungeon expeditions, she would deliberately send the purifier and their pair into the most dangerous areas, ensuring they received no help.
The monsters would take care of the purifier for her.
It was an easy, clean method.
Her hands remained unstained, and arriving just in time to save the survivorās life earned her praise from others.
This continued for some time.
Soon, there were no foolish purifiers hanging around Michaelānot because of Ceciliaās interference, but because Michael himself had firmly cut them all off.
āThis is enough.ā
She might not have him, but no one else did either. That was satisfying enough.
But one day, Irene appeared.
And everything fell apart.
* * *
Cecilia whispered to the monster in Wilhelminaās form.
āNow, do your job again today.ā
The creature moved grotesquely, then disappeared.
Satisfied, Cecilia smiled as she left the room where the monster had been.
She glanced at the small plaque hanging on the doorāa secret artifact belonging to her kingdom.
It was an artifact acquired through the black market long ago, designed to hide her from the monstersā sight and to shield this location from detection by tools like The Eye of Exploration.
With no maids allowed to enter, there was no risk of the room being discovered.
āI needed a human to use as bait, and Wilhelmina walked right in.ā
She had considered using a maid, but the foolish woman had come in on her own, stealing trinkets, making it effortless to acquire her prey.
The unexpected part was that the monster had begun taking on Wilhelminaās form after consuming her.
But with the only witness deadā¦
āIāll kill that wench, Irene Rhodiam.ā
Nothing else mattered to Cecilia anymore.
āEverything thatās happened to me is because of that woman.ā
Grinding her teeth, Cecilia thought back to her sudden fall from grace.
Her mind no longer functioned rationally.
She believed that all of her misfortunes stemmed from not being paired with Michael and that Irene had stolen her rightful place.
As if to affirm this belief, Irene was steadily taking the glory Cecilia once enjoyed.
āThen she must die.ā
Perhaps because the monster had consumed Wilhelmina, it seemed to obey Ceciliaās commands and even appeared delighted when ordered to kill Irene.
Cecilia returned to her room, opened the window, and stared outside.
She anticipated hearing Ireneās screams echo through the fortress soon.
* * *
Irene was returning to her room, her arms full of books.
Once she started thinking about the future, she found it difficult to stop.
Where would she live? What would she do? What kind of house would she have? What would she furnish it with?
āIāll need a big sofa in the living room. Lots of large plants too. If I can afford it, Iād love a house with a view of the ocean or a riverā¦ā
As her thoughts wandered, she began picturing someone else in her imagined home.
āMichael.ā
Smiling, she thought of him, and soon, another figure appeared in her mindāa small child standing beside Michael.
At that moment, Ireneās hand instinctively touched her stomach.
Lately, during their moments together, Michael seemed to linger on her abdomen, as if hoping for something to be there.
āBut thatās impossible.ā
The medicine she had taken upon arriving at the fortress would remain effective for a year.
No matter how often they became one, there was no chance of her conceiving.
āDoes Michael not know that?ā
Should she tell him? But just because he touched her stomach didnāt necessarily mean he was thinking about children.
And he was still a paladin. Wouldnāt mentioning it make him uncomfortable?
Lost in these thoughts, Irene turned a cornerā
And froze.
At the end of the hallway, someone was lying on the floor. From their clothing, it was clear they were a maid. The problem wasā¦
āā¦Wilhelmina?ā
Beside the fallen maid stood a woman with her back turned.
That back unmistakably belonged to Wilhelmina.
