Unbelievable Luxuries
It couldn’t be real.
Irene Rodiam’s eyes fluttered open, and the first thing that struck her wasn’t the crowd of people gathered around her bed, but the sheer opulence of the chamber itself.
In her previous life, she had only ever glimpsed rooms this vast and dazzling when summoned to Princess Cecilia’s quarters.
This place was far grander than anything she had ever known.
Of course she had expected the room to be temporary—assigned at best for the Night of the Contract—and that she would be moved to a more modest one once her duties ended.
Yet here she was, in her own room?
“That’s impossible. I only received my new ranking as 9th rank moments ago. So this cannot be my room; I must be moved to a smaller one.
“No. This is your room, Irene.”
Michael’s calm, unwavering reply left her speechless.
The certainty in his tone was so absolute that she had no choice but to believe him.
“But… how?”
A purifier of the lowest rank, like herself, only ever received such lavish quarters when the knight was exceptionally powerful or had spent an enormous sum of money.
“Michael is the captain of the Temple Knights, but that authority is recognized only within the Temple itself.”
In the Fortress, which fell under the Kingdom Alliance’s jurisdiction, he was treated as an outsider. He could not have earned this through official power.
Then the only remaining possibility was that he had paid a fortune out of pocket…
“That’s absurd.”
The Michael who had never spent a single coin on his own desires, who ate only the basic provisions supplied by the Fortress and never hired a personal chef or indulged in rich foods, could not possibly have arranged this.
Even the food was out of the question.
“There’s no way he could possess that kind of wealth.”
Michael had always handed over dungeon rewards to the Alliance’s auction house like the other knights. The only difference was that he sent every coin straight to the Temple.
Irene tilted her head in confusion, struggling to make sense of the mystery, when Michael finally spoke again.
“Allow me to explain. This chamber was provided by the Kingdom of Tirenia. Before I arrived at the Fortress, I eliminated the unstable dungeon that had appeared in that kingdom.”
“When I refused their gratitude, they insisted I accept the room. It would have been impossible to refuse further, and above all, I brought you here for your safety and rest.”
“Ah… I see.”
As she had suspected, he had not personally arranged the room.
Refusing repeated acts of goodwill or using such lavish accommodations would have been burdensome, so they had offered the space instead.
Then a new thought struck her.
“Yet how did you know my name…?”
She had no recollection of being introduced at the banquet.
“I apologize for calling your name without proper introduction. I learned of it from the temple priests and Alliance personnel who pass through this place.”
“You needn’t apologize. It’s quite all right. My name is Irene Rodiam.”
She straightened her posture and gave a slight bow.
Michael responded in kind, rising to his feet and placing one hand over his heart in the traditional knightly salute.
“I am Michael.”
The introduction was brief.
Awkward silence filled the room once more.
Finally, Irene broke it.
“The pair from last night’s banquet… was it…”
As if waiting for her words, he offered his apology at once.
“I beg your forgiveness for yesterday’s impropriety. I did not realize that a simple purification in front of others would bind us as a pair.”
He lifted his gaze and looked her directly in the eyes.
“Were you perhaps planning to pair with another knight?”
She had been. If Michael had not appeared, she would have remained paired with the low-ranked knight whose name she barely remembered.
Thinking of him for a moment, she shook her head.
“No. There was no one I was scheduled to pair with.”
“…That is fortunate.”
He murmured the words with visible relief.
“Had you been paired with another knight, it would have caused me considerable trouble.”
At those words, an inexplicable chill ran down Irene’s spine. She rubbed her suddenly goosebumped arms.
He had simply spoken the obvious, yet why did it feel so… heavy?
She bit her lower lip.
Even after all her attempts to distance herself, the memories of the past still lingered. Facing Michael now stirred her emotions in an unfamiliar way.
‘I must stay calm. In a few days, he will be nothing more than a stranger I will never see again.’
The admiration and affection she had once felt for him, the nights they had shared… all of it belonged to the past.
This life was different; none of those events had occurred.
She would bury everything deep in her heart and focus on changing the future.
First, she would properly conclude the business left unfinished at the banquet.
“Lord Michael, I know this may seem unseemly to you, but I would like to speak about the distribution of dungeon rewards.”
She had no choice; money was the most urgent issue for her.
“While it may seem petty to you, knights and purifiers usually discuss such matters before forming a pair.”
“Please, speak freely.”
Had someone explained the custom to him?
Fortunately, no embarrassment showed on his face.
“I know that you donate every single reward from the dungeon entirely to the Temple.”
Irene spoke the thought she had kept hidden.
“As captain of the Temple Knights, that is only natural, and I truly admire your dedication. However, as a worldly person, I require money for my daily life. So…”
She watched his expression carefully and continued with caution.
“Please allow me to keep the rewards from the dungeons I specify. I will not ask for many. Once a month is sufficient. The rest can be yours, as you wish.”
He considered her proposal for a moment, then nodded.
“Very well. If it pleases you, I will arrange it so.”
Relief flooded through Irene. She clenched her fists beneath the sheets.
‘I succeeded.’
The way he had accepted her suggestion without hesitation brought an inner smile of triumph.
Although things were different from the past, the result she had desired had come to pass.
‘Michael remains exactly as he was.’
He stood several steps away from her, just as before.
As if he could not approach.
In the past, she had felt hurt by this distant stance.
She had no choice but to accept the pair contract, but it had clearly signaled that he did not want to get close.
This time, however, she had drawn the line first.
That distance now brought her a sense of relief.
‘Just a few more days…’
She would obtain the transparent ring from the first dungeon she specified, sell it immediately at the official auction house, and depart this place forever.
“Then, Lord Michael.”
She lifted the edge of her skirt and gave a polite bow.
“I ask for your continued favor until the pair contract ends.”
* * *
The next morning, Irene received reports from the scout units about a new dungeon.
She let out a sigh of relief in her heart.
‘It’s exactly as I remembered.’
She had worried that a changed dungeon might appear, rendering all her past memories useless.
Fortunately, the worst she had feared never came to pass.
Just as she began to relax, feeling the world was the same as before.
Thud!
Suddenly, someone crashed into her from behind, roughly.
Irene stumbled and caught herself against the nearby wall.
‘What…?’
She turned in shock.
“Haa…”
A deep sigh escaped her.
“Wilhelmina.”
She muttered the name of the woman glaring at her.
Fortunately, the presence of others prevented anything worse from happening.