The Unexpected Guests
The two felt a jolt of surprise at his appearance.
They hadn’t exchanged any particularly awkward words, yet they still hadn’t expected someone to be listening in on their conversation.
Under normal circumstances, one should announce one’s presence even if it meant making a little noise just to let people know they were there.
But since it was the renowned Holy Knight Michael who had been silent the entire time, neither could bring themselves to criticize him.
How could one possibly lecture a legendary Holy Knight on etiquette?
Michael glanced briefly at the pair before lowering his head slightly.
In turn, Reina and Felix couldn’t help but lower their own heads.
Then Michael turned his body as if he had no further business with them and walked away toward some unknown place.
For a moment, Irene had wanted to call out for him to at least say goodbye, but she quickly changed her mind.
After all, the expression on Michael’s face as he turned away was utterly stern.
“……You arrived first but missed the chance to announce your presence.”
“Exactly.”
Once Michael had completely disappeared from view, the two exchanged awkward smiles.
“Anyway, Felix, I know how you feel, but I don’t want you to get hurt just to gain something good. So for now, let’s……”
Reina recalled the warning Irene had left them with and spoke up.
“Let’s head to another dungeon instead.”
* * *
Tap, tap, tap.
Irene’s footsteps were heavy as she walked back to the lodging.
It was because of the stares that had been aimed at her the entire way there.
‘She looked different at first.’
Again, the gazes from others reminded her of her previous life.
As if she had become some kind of parasite attached to Michael.
The only difference was that these gazes now carried a hint of envy she had never felt before.
‘It’s probably because of the changes.’
The lodging she was staying in at the fortress was the exact size of the room used by Princess Cecilia.
Furthermore, the Kingdom of Tirenia had been sending Irene all kinds of gifts, no matter what Michael had actually done for them.
Thanks to this, unlike in her previous life, Irene could now wear warm, comfortable, and even beautiful clothes.
‘The best part of all, though, was the meals.’
Every time she ate, the maids would drag along several hand carts of food.
She had told them she didn’t need that much, but they insisted they were only following orders and always prepared lavish spreads anyway.
In the past she could barely afford butter, let alone soft bread, and had to split hard bread between breakfast and lunch.
Now she spread plenty of butter and jam over freshly baked soft bread and wondered if she was dreaming.
‘And it’s not just me who’s getting full.’
Even though they had plenty of food, the maids who refused to refuse any part of it left nothing behind.
The only way for that to happen was for Irene to eat with them.
‘That means I have to share what I eat.’
So Irene scooped out portions of whatever she was eating and offered the rest to the maids, saying if they were okay with it, they could join her.
At first they had flatly refused, but when Irene promised over and over that she wouldn’t tell anyone, they finally began eating in her room with hurried, embarrassed expressions.
For some reason, the maids who had always been extremely polite had lately become far more familiar.
The changes were small, but noticeable.
More flowers stood in the vase, or the room that had always been spotless was now so clean you could see a single speck of dust.
‘It’s all for the better.’
Either way, she would be staying in the fortress longer, and getting along with the people who looked out for her was no bad thing at all.
That was when Irene had turned the corner in the corridor.
“Irene! Where have you been?”
A voice that sounded anything but friendly greeted her from in front of the door.
“Wilhelmina.”
Irene forced herself to keep a neutral expression.
Honestly, she could have shown irritation, but there was no point in giving the other woman any reason to feel bad.
It would only make her more troublesome later.
“How many hours do you think I’ve been waiting here?”
“Waiting for who? Me?”
“Then who? Besides, I couldn’t even come in before you arrived because the maids were blocking me so much.”
As she spoke, Wilhelmina shot the maids standing beside her a glare.
“Good thing you’re here. This time, you should say a few words. That way, I can come in freely even when you’re not around.”
She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The way Wilhelmina acted as if the lodging would soon belong to her made Irene swallow a smile.
‘Should I just throw her out?’
Irene could guess why Wilhelmina had come: she had surely been sent by Princess Cecilia to scout her out.
So even if she kicked her out now, there would be no real problem.
‘But…… I could use this.’
After a moment’s thought, Irene opened her mouth with an awkward smile she had once used when facing Wilhelmina in the past.
“I suppose you can’t just come in whenever you want.”
“What? Why?”
“Michael-nim sometimes comes here. Since he goes into the dungeons so often, he’s quite sensitive right now. And, as you know, he’s a Holy Knight, right? Even my pair is uncomfortable around other purifiers…… I don’t think he’d be happy about that. Then it would be a sad thing if you made him stay away.”
Of course, in this life he hadn’t seemed distant or uncomfortable because he craved purification.
‘Still, when he was riding, he always tried not to touch me.’
So it wasn’t a complete lie.
Even if it was entirely false, it wouldn’t matter much.
“……”
Wilhelmina’s face tightened at Irene’s words.
The thought of upsetting Michael’s mood made her hesitate more than anything else.
‘He’s pairing with you this year. He’ll probably look for a pair again next year. So……’
There was no need to leave a bad impression.
No, more than that, she had to make him like her so much that next year he would definitely choose her over Irene.
“Hmm, if Michael-nim is uncomfortable, then there’s nothing we can do. Shall I come in for now?”
“Of course.”
Irene smiled and led her inside.
The moment she stepped in, Wilhelmina couldn’t stop herself from staring.
“Why? Sit down already.”
“Y-yes.”
Sitting in the chair and biting her lip, Wilhelmina obeyed Irene’s suggestion.
Even back in her previous life, Wilhelmina had come to see her around this time.
‘Something really good happened to you, didn’t it?’
“I came to see you today because something really good happened to you.”
As expected.
“A good thing? What is it?”
Irene asked with wide eyes as if she truly didn’t know.
But she already knew what Wilhelmina was about to say.
‘She was invited to Princess Cecilia’s gathering.’
“Princess Cecilia wants to invite you to a gathering!”
Even though the situation had changed, Wilhelmina’s words were exactly the same as in her previous life.
“Princess Cecilia? Me?”
Irene answered exactly as she had in the past, pretending not to understand.
“Yes. Do you know how wonderful Princess Cecilia’s gathering is? It’s a meeting attended by all three 1st-rank purifiers staying in this fortress.”
Wilhelmina began her explanation in the tone of someone bestowing a favor on someone who knew nothing.
“It’s not a casual gathering. We don’t just drink tea. Everyone in the gathering goes on raids together.”
Raid.
That meant forming a party and clearing dungeons together.
When it came to high-grade dungeons, even ordinary knights couldn’t take them on alone.
That was why inside the fortress they negotiated treasure distribution and formed teams to enter dungeons.
Of course, pairing with a strong partner made raiding far more advantageous.
That was why Princess Cecilia’s gathering was so coveted by all the purifiers.
She only led raids with the people in her own gathering.
‘Back then I was so excited the whole day because I had been invited. I didn’t even know what the gathering was like, I just thought I’d get to talk to someone else.’
So Irene had scraped together every last coin she had left to buy tea leaves.
It was the only gift she could afford among the ones available at the fortress.
“You’re Michael’s pair, aren’t you? Nice to meet you.”
And on the day of the gathering, the moment Irene heard Princess Cecilia’s voice, she understood everything.
She wasn’t welcoming her at all.
The princess scanned Irene up and down once before ordering a maid to seat her in the corner seat.
But that was fine.
As a 10th-rank purifier, sitting in the corner was exactly what she deserved.
Yet no one spoke to her until the gathering ended.
And after the gathering, when Irene tried to leave, a maid came running and said hesitantly,
“You shouldn’t drink this, so please take it back……”
‘Thinking about it now, it was truly rude.’
But back then she hadn’t been able to think clearly.
She had left the gathering feeling embarrassed about not having prepared a proper gift.
But now she knew.
Princess Cecilia had deliberately invited lower-rank purifiers to humiliate them and plant pride and superiority in those who were already part of her gathering.
“Do you even know how much I begged the princess to invite you?”
“Hmm, I see.”
“What? What kind of reaction is that?”
By all rights she should have been overjoyed.
But Irene’s calm demeanor made Wilhelmina frown.
“Princess Cecilia’s gatherings are attended by purifiers and knights alike. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to pair up again next year.”
At that moment, Irene found herself speaking before she could stop.
“That’s……”
She had been about to say it was impossible.
But the knock at the door cut her off.
“Is something the matter?”
Thinking the maid had come to look for her, Irene answered toward the door.
“Your pair, Michael, urgently requests to see you.”
A frantic voice, though she couldn’t tell whose, came through the door.