The Paladin's Trembling Resolve
Michael's eyebrows, which had always remained perfectly composed even amid the most depraved acts, twisted in a way that sent a jolt through Irene's chest.
He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, his entire body trembling as he clutched the edge of the tub.
Watching him struggle like that made Irene's heart ache. It wasn't right for her to keep holding on...
But...
She couldn't tear her eyes away.
That twisted expression... It was the same one she'd seen too many times before.
When he pushed her deepest into him and took his time, burying himself inch by inch, the look on his face had always been like this.
The face of a man drowning in pleasure and pain at the same time.
She had only ever glimpsed it after hours of making love. Yet here he was, trembling just from her simple grip on him.
Irene refused to believe it. The mighty mountain of a man in her hand was shaking.
She moved her fingers slowly, almost against her will.
Even though she couldn't see the full size beneath the swirling water, she could feel its overwhelming girth.
And it was far thicker than her small hand could ever wrap around.
She had known he was big. But seeing it up close like this made her question if it could even fit inside her.
The skin was smooth yet firm, and as her hand moved, the veins stood out like a dangerous beast rising to the surface.
In her previous life, men who had tried to provoke her had revealed themselves in ways that left her disgusted. Their bodies had always been dark and ugly.
But Michael's was... holy. Pure white with a faint rosy tint.
The thought sent warmth flooding through her.
She squeezed him more firmly and stroked from base to tip with renewed boldness.
“Kk... uh...”
If he was in pain, he could pull away or slap her hand. But the knight stronger than anyone else simply groaned.
Irene's hand grew bolder still.
She used both hands to grip him tightly and moved faster.
The water churned violently. Michael's moans grew louder.
“Ugh... uh...”
The feel of her stroking him made his whole body shake.
It was a strange satisfaction she had never known before — that she, too, could control him with just a single motion.
She had always taken pleasure from him. Now she could give it back.
Irene lost herself in the sinful game.
Her palm wrapped around the tip and she gripped and released, repeating the motion again and again.
She even caressed the heavy sack that had once punished her so cruelly during sex.
The idea had never crossed her mind, yet once she decided, her hand danced with a far more wanton rhythm than she had ever imagined.
Finally, it came.
“Stop... stop... please...”
For the first time, Michael begged. But Irene had no intention of listening.
When she begged, he had never listened.
Now the situation had reversed, and she finally understood why he had always pushed her away.
Those red eyes, that sweet voice pleading for her to stop...
It was too obvious a lie.
So she tightened her grip and leaned close to his ear, breathing hotly against it.
“Michael.”
At that moment, his body shook harder than ever.
“Ire... ne...”
As she called her name, Irene felt a powerful surge of liquid erupt across her palm, gripping the blunt tip.
Michael's strong body trembled violently, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
His crimson eyes glistened with tears he couldn't hold back.
His gaze wandered unfocused, lips parted in ecstasy.
Looking at him like that, Irene thought how beautiful he looked right now.
More ruined than ever... yet more hers.
She slowly withdrew her hand.
The slickness on her palm mixed with the water and disappeared.
Only then did he seem to realize.
His face flushed red, as if on the verge of bursting, and he scrambled out of the tub in a rush.
Water sloshed wildly, splashing across his face.
“Why... why are you... why...?”
His voice stammered, nothing like his usual calm tone.
Irene couldn't help but smile.
She liked every single thing about him right now.
Sitting on the edge of the tub, she watched him rise and felt the heat building inside her.
Just like he had done to her, she wanted to push him over the edge again. Harder. Wilder.
And now she knew how.
Sitting there, she wrapped both hands around his waist and pulled him forward.
Then, without hesitation, she swallowed him to the root, right in front of her face.
“!”
Michael's eyes widened in pure shock.
Irene smiled even wider.
Tonight, she would give him every kind of pleasure he had ever given her.
***
The lust that had begun in the bathroom spilled over into the bed.
They had plenty of things to discuss, so she had forbidden the other servants from entering and locked the door tight.
She even closed every thick window shutter.
The room was now completely sealed from the outside world.
Unlike the usual frantic pace, tonight they moved slowly.
Countless kisses and lazy caresses continued until the middle of the night.
Both of them were sweating and breathing heavily.
They finally intertwined their fingers tightly and lay down together, bodies pressed close.
Neither spoke for a long time.
Then Michael broke the silence.
“What are you thinking?”
“Hmm... when the dungeon-clearing period ends, what do you think I should do?”
“Do you have something you want to do?”
“Something I want...”
No grand plans.
They had only survived day by day until now.
But even so, they had more freedom than in her previous life. Still, she had been focused on repaying her debt and the Fortress life.
She hadn't thought deeply about what life would be like after leaving here.
“I don't know. I've never thought that far, but... I just want to go somewhere far from any dungeons.”
“And then?”
“If I have money, I'd like to buy a house. Or even build one...”
At those words, Michael tightened his grip even more.
“Speaking of which, I set aside all the rewards from the dungeon the Kingdom Alliance requested for you. They add up to more than five hundred thousand gold.”
“Huh? Why?”
The sudden mention of such an enormous sum made Irene's eyes widen.
“I thought you might need the money to build a big house with a big bedroom.”
He answered naturally, as if it were obvious.
Five hundred thousand gold. That was far more than she needed to repay her debt.
She should refuse...
“But we have to build a house together, right? So it's only fair that I contribute a share as well.”
He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
That he would share her future.
Tears welled up in Irene's eyes.
She had never dared dream of having someone beside her. Not even in her previous life.
Yet now he was whispering that he would be there with her, in this life and the next.
Irene sniffled and deliberately teased him.
“A big bed for you would require more than that.”
Michael gave a light laugh.
“That's true. From tomorrow, I will hunt harder than ever. I'll give you the biggest bed in the world.”
Irene turned and pulled him into her arms.
Somehow, that ridiculous joke had become her favorite thing he had ever said.
***
At the same time, in the servant quarters.
The maid was tidying the corner of the Purifiers' dormitory when she noticed something moving at the end of the shadowy hallway.
“Who is there?”
Tonight's maid was alone on duty. If it was a Purifier...
Then she realized the back of the woman standing there looked familiar.
The missing woman...
The maid was about to call out in surprise when the woman turned around.
The scream that tore from her throat echoed through the dormitory.
“KYAAAAAHHHH!”