My Husband Is Definitely a Paladin — Chapter 16

S-SIR MICHAEL?!

S-SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING THERE...?

...HE JUST LEFT.

I WONDER HOW MUCH HE HEARD.

WELL... HE IS NOT SOMEONE WHO WOULD INTENTIONALLY EAVESDROP ON A CONVERSATION,

SO PERHAPS HE JUST MISSED THE CHANCE TO MAKE HIS PRESENCE KNOWN...

TRUE...

A-ANYWAY!

I UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FEEL, FELIX, BUT...

I DO NOT WANT YOU TO RISK GETTING BADLY HURT JUST TO OBTAIN A GOOD TOKEN.

SO LET US CHALLENGE DUNGEONS THAT SUIT US FIRST, AND TAKE THINGS STEP BY STEP.

ALL RIGHT?

...ALL RIGHT.

LET US DO THAT, REINA...

HANNA, COULD YOU PREPARE TWO CUPS OF TEA?

YES, LADY IRENNE.

THANK YOU.

IRENNE.

WHAT KIND OF MAID STOPS A GUEST FROM ENTERING AND MAKES HER WAIT STANDING FOR HOURS?

HOW ABOUT TRAINING THEM PROPERLY WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE?

THAT WAY, EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT HERE, I CAN COME IN COMFORTABLY.

AFTER DYING ONCE AND COMING BACK TO LIFE, THE ATTITUDE WILHELMINA SHOWS ME

IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CLEAR.

WILHELMINA.

IN YOUR EYES,

DO I STILL LOOK LIKE YOUR MAID?

WHAT?

...THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO ASK,

BUT SHE MUST HAVE COME AS PRINCESS CECILIA'S CLOSE AIDE TO OBSERVE MY MOVEMENTS.

I SHOULD NOT PROVOKE HER FOR NO REASON AND GIVE HER AN EXCUSE.

...THAT WILL NOT DO, WILHELMINA.

WHAT?

IT WILL NOT DO?

WHY NOT?

AS YOU KNOW, I AM A 9TH GRADE PURIFIER.

HOW COULD SOMEONE LIKE ME POSSIBLY STAY IN SUCH A FINE ROOM

FORTRESS- APPOINTED MAID, NINA MEYER.

FORTRESS- APPOINTED MAID, HANNA MEYER.

WITH DEDICATED MAIDS OF MY OWN?

THIS ROOM WAS PREPARED BY THE TIRENIA KINGDOM

SO SIR MICHAEL CAN REST COMFORTABLY.

EVEN WITHOUT THAT, UNLIKE ORDINARY KNIGHTS, HE RETURNS AFTER SUBJUGATING DUNGEONS

WITHOUT RECEIVING PROPER PURIFICATION AND IN A SENSITIVE STATE.

I DOUBT HE WOULD BE PLEASED TO FIND AN UNFAMILIAR PERSON INSIDE HIS ROOM.

IT WOULD BE SAD IF SIR MICHAEL

BECAME EVEN MORE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH YOU AFTER SUDDENLY RUNNING INTO YOU WITHOUT ANY NOTICE.

SHE SAYS HE IS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH ME. SO BACK THEN, HE REALLY..

...I CANNOT LEAVE AN EVEN WORSE IMPRESSION ON SIR MICHAEL.

TH-THEN I SUPPOSE IT CANNOT BE HELPED.

SIR MICHAEL'S REST IS IMPORTANT, AFTER ALL.

THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING, WILHELMINA.

BY THE WAY,

WHAT IS THIS "GOOD NEWS" YOU SAID YOU HAD TO TELL ME?

AHH, THAT?

WELL, YOU SEE...

PRINCESS CECILIA SAYS SHE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO NEXT WEEK'S GATHERING.

IS THAT NOT SUCH A JOYFUL AND HONORABLE THING?

JUST AS EXPECTED.

THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS MY PREVIOUS LIFE.

NOT LONG AFTER I BECAME SIR MICHAEL'S PARTNER IN MY PREVIOUS LIFE,

PRINCESS CECILIA INVITED ME TO HER GATHERING.

I WAS SO HAPPY AND GRATEFUL THAT I SCRAPED TOGETHER EVERY COIN I HAD AND DID NOT HAVE,

BOUGHT TEA LEAVES AS A GIFT, AND WENT, BUT...

AS SOON AS I ARRIVED AT THE GATHERING, I UNDERSTOOD.

SHE HAD ONLY CALLED ME TO SEE

WHAT KIND OF FACE THE WOMAN RUMORED TO HAVE SEDUCED SIR MICHAEL HAD.

AND I EVEN SAW THE PRINCESS'S MAID

THROW THE TEA LEAVES I BROUGHT AS A GIFT INTO THE FIREPLACE...

NO MATTER HOW DIFFERENT OUR STATUSES WERE, IT WAS TERRIBLY CRUEL.

IT IS NOT A GOOD MEMORY BUT...

WHEN I HAD JUST BEEN ANXIOUS OVER NEW VARIABLES,

SOMETHING I EXPECTED HAPPENED THE SAME WAY SO I FEEL RELIEVED TOO.

IRENNE?

WHY ARE YOU NOT ANSWERING?

ARE YOU TOO HAPPY TO SPEAK?

AH, YES.

WHY WOULD THE PRINCESS INVITE ME?

WHAT IS WITH THAT PLAIN REACTION...?

I ASKED THE PRINCESS AGAIN AND AGAIN TO INVITE YOU TO THE GATHERING!

DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW HOW MUCH I CARE ABOUT YOU?

AHH, RIGHT...

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

IF I WANT TO REDUCE POSSIBLE VARIABLES,

THEN, ATTENDING THE GATHERING LIKE IN MY PREVIOUS LIFE WOULD BE BEST.

YOU SAID THE GATHERING IS NEXT WEEK, RIGHT?

I WILL THINK ABOUT IT UNTIL THEN.

THINK ABOUT IT? WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU SAYING?

PRINCESS CECILIA'S GATHERING IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN ITSELF, AN OPPORTUNITY!!

WHO KNOWS?

THANKS TO THE PRINCESS'S ARRANGEMENT, YOU MIGHT FIND ANOTHER KNIGHT WILLING TO PAIR WITH YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR!

OH MY LOOK AT HER.

THE MOMENT I MENTION NEXT YEAR, SHE TURNS GLOOMY

I SUPPOSE SHE REALLY IS NOT CONFIDENT SHE CAN KEEP SIR MICHAEL TIED TO HER.

ANYWAY, I WILL SEND THE INVITATION THROUGH A MAID NEXT WEEK, SO YOU MUST COME!

PREPARE A PROPER GIFT TOO!

NEXT YEAR...

WILL THERE BE A NEXT YEAR FOR ME?

MOST OF WHAT I HAD PLANNED UNTIL NOW HAS GONE WRONG.

I DO NOT REGRET SAVING REINA, BUT...

STILL, SINCE SIR MICHAEL AGREED TO SHARE REWARDS WITH ME ONCE A WEEK,

PERHAPS I CAN REPAY THE 100,000 GOLD BY STEADILY GATHERING REWARDS OVER THE YEAR.

SINCE THEY ARE GIFTS I RECEIVED FROM SIR MICHAEL,

I REALLY DO NOT WANT TO SELL THEM UNLESS I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE, BUT...

IN AN EMERGENCY, I THINK THE DRESSES AND ACCESSORIES ALONE COULD MAKE UP 10,000 GOLD.

AND AFTER THAT,

THEN...

HOW DO I WANT TO LIVE?

IN MY PREVIOUS LIFE, I ONLY LIVED ACCORDING TO THE COUNT'S ORDERS,

AND AT THE FORTRESS, I WAS TOO BUSY SURVIVING.

I HAD NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT KIND OF LIFE I WANTED TO LIVE.

I ONLY VAGUELY THOUGHT THAT I WANTED TO HIDE AWAY QUIETLY.

I...

I WANT TO LIVE IN A SMALL CABIN, LIKE WHEN I WAS LITTLE.

LIKE BACK THEN, WHILE MOM BAKED FRAGRANT APPLE PIE,

AND DAD TOLD ME INTERESTING STORIES IN A GENTLE VOICE.

IRENNE,

IF YOU FOLLOW THE RAINBOW TO THE END OF THE CONTINENT,

THERE IS A PLACE CALLED THE SEA, LARGER THAN ALL THE RIVERS AND LAKES COMBINED.

IT IS SO VAST AND BLUE THAT IT OPENS UP YOUR HEART.

THE WAVES THAT RISE AND ROLL SHINE WHITE, JUST LIKE YOUR PRETTY HAIR.

LATER, LET US GO SEE THE SEA WITH YOUR MOTHER.

OKAY!

BUT IN THAT CABIN,

MOM AND DAD ARE NO LONGER THERE,

AND I WILL BE ALONE...

Irenne?