Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 206
“If you had something this good, you should’ve shared it earlier!”
At Reyna’s words, Riosa scoffed, letting out a sharp laugh, as if to say she found her behavior ridiculous.
“Why would I?”
“Ugh, seriously. Sometimes you’re so annoying, Riosa.”
At that, Riosa crossed her arms and smirked.
“If you call me Lady Riosa, I’ll give you some.”
She thought Reyna would hesitate a little.
“Yes, Lady Riosa.”
But Reyna quickly answered, as if her pride didn’t matter when it came to getting something good.
Riosa, looking slightly exasperated, handed her another cup of the drink.
Reyna immediately took it and dashed into the hallway, making Felix, who was standing there, drink it all.
The other purifiers watching laughed, saying it was such a good time to be alive.
As they shared light snacks and exchanged stories about dungeons, the darkness deepened further.
“It’s getting late. Let’s all head back now.”
Irene glanced out the window.
Through the darkness, a faint crescent moon was visible. Tonight was particularly dim.
“Are you really going to be okay?”
Cynthia asked, unable to hide her worried expression.
“I’m more confident than usual.”
Irene replied with a firm voice.
‘The monster will definitely show up again tonight.’
The dim moonlight, along with the traces the monster had left so far, confirmed it was drawing closer to her.
It was a slow-moving monster. If it appeared nearby, it would immediately emit a sound to paralyze her before approaching.
Irene opened her hand. In her palm, she held a small pebble and the Stone of Silence.
Fortunately, these two artifacts worked in similar ways.
She just needed to hold them and will them to activate.
“Now, hurry back. If too many people are still around, it won’t appear. Let’s catch it quickly so we can all sleep peacefully.”
Hearing her words, the purifiers, though still concerned, turned and left.
As Irene had said, the sooner this was over, the better.
They had spent far too much time living in fear. Everything needed to return to normal as soon as possible.
***
Irene leaned back on the sofa, watching the knights patrolling in the distance.
Of course, the closest one to her was Michael.
Although he was keeping a distance to avoid alarming the monster, Michael could easily close the gap in seconds if needed.
As she looked at him, Michael seemed to sense her gaze and turned his head to meet her eyes.
Feeling as if she’d been caught staring, Irene quickly turned her head away.
But just before she did, she saw it—a bright, radiant smile on his face when their eyes met.
Irene covered her flushed cheeks with both hands.
‘Really…’
Her heart raced uncontrollably every time she looked at Michael.
She had liked him in her past life, too, but she had never been this transparent with her feelings.
Looking back, what she had felt then seemed more like admiration rooted in love.
But now…
Irene could still feel the faint traces of ecstasy lingering on her body.
She knew it, too.
Purification power was a matter for later.
She just wanted to feel him. Michael was no different.
Recalling the time they had spent clinging to each other without a single gap, Irene’s lips curled into a bitter smile.
‘Why is it so different now?’
The sweetness and warmth that had enveloped her made her think of her past life, which she had momentarily forgotten.
What had that life been? What was this one?
Her current happiness made the painful and difficult past seem like a distant dream.
‘Now that I think about it, that fragment.’
Irene remembered the metal fragment she had placed in her wardrobe.
She had completely forgotten about it amid the chaos of handing it over for analysis.
Perhaps she had wanted to forget her past life, which surfaced whenever she saw it.
‘After I deal with this monster, I should go and have it appraised.’
Thanks to Michael’s help, the debt she owed to the Count was no longer a concern.
In her past life, she had feared the Count’s servants showing up, but this time, the fortress had banned all visitors, so she hadn’t had to meet them directly.
‘Then, with the money left over…’
As she pondered what to do with the extra funds—
Screeech.
The corner of the banquet hall where Irene was began to distort.
The moment she saw it—
“……!”
Irene desperately swallowed the scream that threatened to escape her lips.
