Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 243
By the afternoon, the room where Irene and Michael were staying became even busier.
The owners of the boutiques in Brewa, where they had placed clothing orders, had arrived.
Originally, these were clothes that had been deemed too difficult to complete within the given timeframe, so they had promised to send them to the fortress instead.
And yet, here they were, carrying the very garments they had claimed would be delivered later.
As Irene watched them grumble lightly to Michael, their faces weary from exhaustion, she approached him and asked,
âWhat did you do?â
âWhat do you mean?â
âThose clothes. They said it would be difficult to finish them within a week, didnât they?â
At her question, Michael smiled brightly and answered,
âThey said it would be difficult, not impossible.â
âWell, thatâs true, butâŚâ
Michael gestured to the staff, signaling them to quickly begin dressing Irene in the garments they had brought.
âPlease step over here and stand for a moment.â
âMaâam, weâre doing the full makeup as well, yes?â
Aside from the boutique owners, nearly ten staff members approached Irene, practically hauling her into the room as if abducting her.
Because of that, she remained unaware that Michael had offered them several times their usual pay to expedite the completion of the clothes.
What followed was an even more exhausting ordeal than ordering the clothes in the first place.
The staff dressed Irene in the garments they had completed, quickly identifying and adjusting areas that needed alterations.
On, off, on again.
âJust how many outfits did he order?â
Watching an endless stream of clothes emerge from their trunks, Irene felt her head spin.
Meanwhile, the sun was beginning to set.
âSo for this evening, youâll be wearing this, correct? Weâll prepare your hair and makeup accordingly.â
With that, the staff began organizing the remaining clothes.
Only then was Irene finally able to catch her breath and glance around.
Among the mountain of stacked boxes, a neatly emptied salad plate caught her eye.
âLooks like it ate without getting caught.â
Michael had been by her side all morning, and afterward, there had been a steady stream of people coming and going.
Because of that, the tentacle that would normally be slithering around, chattering away, was nowhere to be seen.
Just in case, she had asked for a simple meal and included a salad, which she had then discreetly placed among the boxes.
She had kept an eye on the spot, and no one had approached it sinceâso judging by how the plate was completely empty, it must have managed to eat while staying hidden.
That was when Irene noticed something written in dressing on the bottom of the plate.
[No cucumbers, please.]
ââŚâŚ.â
What exactly was she supposed to do about a picky-eating tentacle?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Irene calmly placed the plate back on the tray.
âNope. I didnât see a thing.â
Just then, the staff returned carrying new bags.
âPlease sit down. We need to finish your hair and makeup.â
âAlrightâŚâ
Realizing another long process was about to begin, Irene let out a sigh as she sat in the chair.
At her reaction, the staff burst into laughter.
âWhy the sigh? Your husband is going through all this trouble just for you.â
At the word âhusbandâ resurfacing once again, Irene had to press her lips together to suppress a smile.
Since arriving in Brewa, they had been introducing themselves as a married couple.
And every time it was mentioned, she felt warmth welling up inside her chest.
It was merely speaking a little early of a future they would one day welcomeâyet for some reason, it made her so incredibly happy.
And it wasnât just Irene who felt this way.
âYour husband is quite the handsome one. You must be proud.â
While visiting a grocery store, an elderly woman had smiled warmly at the two of them and made the remark.
Normally, Irene would have blushed and simply given a polite response.
But that day, after spending the entire time walking hand in hand with Michael, she had been in an especially good mood.
So without even thinking, she had smiled and answered,
âMy husband is rather good-looking, isnât he?â
It was a lighthearted remark.
But the moment the words left her mouth, Michael suddenly gripped her hand tightly.
Curious as to why, she turned to look at himâ
Only to see that the usually composed, almost annoyingly nonchalant Michael was blushing red.
The store owner seemed to notice as well, chuckling in amusement as she added extra items to their purchase.
âYou two look so lovely together. Here, take a little more on the house. Live happily, alright?â
Even on the way back, Michael continued to hold her hand tightly.
âMichael, my hand hurts.â
âAh⌠My apologies. I didnât realizeâŚâ
Even as he said that, though he loosened his grip, he never actually let go.
His face was still visibly flushed.
Irene, puzzled, asked,
âWhy are you reacting like this? Itâs not like you havenât heard it before.â
âBut⌠it was the first time you called me your husband.â
His voice carried an emotion so deep that he couldnât even finish his sentence.
Had that been the case?
Thinking back, Michael had often called her wife.
And though others had asked if he was her husband before, she had never denied it.
But⌠it seemed she had never been the one to say it first.
HeathBar
So OG!Michael claimed he is resigned to being eventually replaced by New Perfect Michael created by the universe. Logically it would seen he has no reason NOT to tell Irene about it since she might decide that flawed OG!Michael is the one she wants anyway. At least, I’m assuming that’s how this will get resolved.
But that is one hell of an unintentional club to wield in future marital disputes. Accidentally wishing Michael was slightly different could literally obliterate him… That power imbalance is not cool, but I suppose from the story perspective it mirrors his unintentional power over her in the first life.