Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 246
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Count Rhodiam sat tapping his fingers against the table repeatedly.
A customer seated nearby shot him a disgusted glare, but he was far too preoccupied to care about anyone else.
Damn it. Just because she managed to pair with a good knight, sheâs acting so arrogant now?
He thought back to Irene before she left for the fortress.
She had been a girl who, after receiving a tenth-grade evaluation, could hardly lift her head, as if she had committed some grave sin.
Sending her to the fortress would have been a wasteâthere was no chance of her finding a knight. That was why he had been looking for a way to sell her off quickly.
She had barely even breathed properly, yet one day, she suddenly looked him straight in the eye and spoke in a calm voice.
She asked for one chance to go to the fortress. She claimed she could pay back her body price if he allowed her to go.
To be honest, he could have just ignored her and sold her to a merchant as planned.
That was his original intention.
The merchant who frequented his estate had always licked his lips and swallowed his saliva whenever he laid eyes on Irene.
The man was old enough to have several grandchildren, yet whenever he saw Irene passing by, he shamelessly groped his swollen g***n.
So Count Rhodiam had named a priceâslightly higher than what he had paid for her.
Heâs so desperate, surely heâd be willing to pay anything, he had thought.
The merchant had agreed immediately.
With that, all that remained was for him to hand over the money and take Irene awayâ
âIâd like to pay in installments. As you know, itâs not easy to secure that much cash right away⌠But I promise to come on the agreed date. I donât plan to hold a formal ceremony, so if you could just lend me a quiet room, Iâd appreciate it.â
After hearing that Irene had been labeled a mere tenth-grade, making her unsuitable for the fortress, the merchantâs attitude shifted.
He now wanted to pay in installments.
On top of that, he had the audacity to ask for a room in the Countâs estate, as if it were some seedy inn, so he could defile her.
Enraged by the insult, Count Rhodiam had decided to grant Ireneâs request instead.
After all, she was bound to return soon enough.
By pretending to send her off, he assumed the merchant would panic and return with the full payment, desperate not to lose her.
But things had not gone as he planned.
Irene had found a pair at the fortress.
And not just any knightâshe had been chosen by Michael, the renowned holy knight.
From that moment on, nothing went according to the Countâs expectations.
When his attendants reported that Irene had changedâthat she no longer acted obedientlyâhe had sensed that something was wrong.
So he had rushed to the fortress, determined to meet her.
âI am Irene Rhodiamâs father!â
Because he had given her the name âRhodiamâ, he had thought that alone would make her his possession.
But the fortress was not his county, where he could act as he pleased.
The people there were even capable of ignoring royalty if necessaryâthere was no way they would be intimidated by a mere count from a minor kingdom.
When he tried to force his way inside, he was met with fortress guards and staff wielding artifacts meant to repel intruders.
He had no choice but to lower his voice.
Even after that, he submitted multiple requests for visitationâevery single one was denied.
Frustration ate away at him.
âIf I had known this would happen, I should have married her off to someone nearby before she left.â
He had heard that after obtaining a powerful artifact, Ireneâs purification abilities had steadily increased.
Though purification power was believed to be fixed from birth, perhaps Ireneâs abilities could grow even further.
It felt as if he had let a precious gemstone slip from his grasp.
Resentment and regret roiled inside him.
âI should have had that wench for myself, at least onceâŚâ
Even when she had been left neglected in the estate, her beauty had been extraordinary.
He should have enjoyed her while he had the chance.
Or, at the very least, he could have made her bear his child.
If she had given birth to his offspring, they would have been his in every way.
As Count Rhodiam indulged in such vile thoughtsâ
âItâs been a while, Count Rhodiam.â
ââŚâŚ!â
A cold voice rang out before him, snapping him from his thoughts.
Startled, he lifted his head.
Standing before him, looking down at him, was Irene.
âYouâŚ!â
The resentment that had built up from all the humiliation he had suffered at the fortress surged to the surface.
His hand shot out as if to seize her by the throat.
In the past, the mere act of raising his hand would have been enough to make Irene flinch, drop to the ground, and beg for his mercy.
That image was still fresh in his mindâ
But nowâ
âCount Rhodiam.â
Irene did not retreat.
She simply stared at him with an icy gaze.
âHave you not heard about the artifacts in my possession?â
ââŚâŚ.â
Rather than being intimidated, Irene let out a soft laugh, as if she found his threat utterly ridiculous.
And it was Count Rhodiam who flinched instead.
He had already witnessed the power of such artifacts in the fortressâand at the auction house as well.
Even the smallest of them contained abilities far beyond ordinary means.
And now, Irene not only possessed such artifacts herself but also led a group of individuals who wielded them.
It wouldnât be surprising if she had one capable of obliterating someone like him in an instant.
On top of thatâ
Michael must be nearby, too.
Thanks to the people he had planted within the fortress, he had learned that Irene and Sir Michael had left together for a week-long trip.
So he secretly followed them as they departed the fortress.
He knew he couldnât overpower Sir Michael with force.
His plan had been to wait for an opportunityâperhaps when Michael had stepped awayâto kidnap Irene, or at the very least, extort money from them through threats.
Then, as the two of them ventured onto a mountain path, they passed through a winding roadâ
And suddenlyâ
âWhatâŚ? Where did they go?â
Both of them had vanished without a trace.
