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Chapter 7
There was no way that could be true.
The moment Irenne had woken up, she had been more surprised by the luxury of the room than by all the people gathered around her.
It was a spacious and elegant room that she had only ever seen when she had been invited to Princess Cecilia’s room in her previous life.
So she had naturally assumed it was only a temporary room and that she would soon be moved somewhere else.
But this was… her room?
“That can’t be right. I was just tested again, and I’m only Rank 9. I should be moved to a much smaller room…”
“No. This is your room, Irenne.”
Mikhail’s firm reply left Irenne speechless.
He sounded so certain that it really seemed to be true.
But how?
Normally, the only time a low-ranking purifier received such a luxurious room was if their knight had enormous influence…
Or had spent a huge amount of money.
Mikhail may be the Commander of the Holy Knights… but that’s only within the Temple.
Inside this fortress, which belonged to the Allied Kingdoms, he was treated as an outsider.
So he couldn’t have obtained this room through authority.
That meant someone had paid for it.
That’s impossible.
In her previous life, Mikhail had never spent even a single coin on himself.
He only ate the standard meals provided by the fortress.
Unlike the other knights, he never hired private chefs or ordered expensive food.
If he didn’t spend money on food…
There was no way he would spend it on luxury.
Besides, Mikhail shouldn’t even have that much money.
Like the other knights, he always sold the rewards he obtained from dungeons through the Allied Kingdoms’ official auction house.
The only difference was that he immediately donated every coin he earned to the Temple.
As Irenne tilted her head, still unable to understand…
Mikhail began explaining.
“To explain… this room was provided by the Kingdom of Tyrenia. Before coming to this fortress, I destroyed an unstable dungeon that had appeared within their kingdom. At that time, I declined their offer of gratitude…”
He continued,
“When you collapsed, Tyrenia’s ambassador told me they had already paid for this room and asked that we please use it. Refusing again would have been difficult, and above all, I wanted you to rest somewhere safe.”
“Ah… I see.”
As expected…
Mikhail himself hadn’t arranged for this room.
The Kingdom of Tyrenia had probably insisted after he refused their kindness so many times.
Then something suddenly came to mind.
“But… how did you know my name?”
She was certain she had never introduced herself at the banquet.
Without the slightest hesitation, he answered,
“I apologize for calling you by your name before properly introducing myself. I heard the priests and the Allied Kingdoms’ officials mentioning it.”
“Oh, that’s not rude at all. If anything, I’m the one who should apologize for not introducing myself properly.”
She straightened her posture and bowed her head slightly.
“My name is Irenne Rodiam.”
Mikhail also stood straight.
He placed one hand over his chest and greeted her in the manner of a knight.
“I’m Mikhail.”
It was an extremely brief introduction.
Silence filled the room once again.
In the end, Irenne spoke first.
“Um… about what happened at the banquet yesterday… about becoming Partners…”
As if he had been waiting for the chance, Mikhail immediately apologized.
“Please forgive my rudeness yesterday. I didn’t know that purifying someone in front of others meant officially confirming a Pair.”
Then he raised his head and looked directly into her eyes.
“Were you planning to become another knight’s Pair?”
She had been.
If Mikhail hadn’t appeared…
She would have become the Pair of that greedy knight.
Thinking briefly about the man whose name she didn’t even know, Irenne shook her head.
“No. I didn’t have anyone specific planned.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Mikhail quietly murmured, sounding genuinely relieved.
Then he added,
“If you had already become another knight’s Pair… it would have caused me a great deal of trouble.”
For some reason…
A chill ran down Irenne’s spine.
She rubbed her arms as goosebumps spread across them.
Why am I reacting like this?
He was only stating the obvious.
Irenne bit her lip.
Even though she had organized her thoughts, the memories of her previous life still remained.
Facing Mikhail like this made her heart restless.
Get a hold of yourself.
In just a few days, he’ll become someone you’ll never see again.
The admiration she once felt.
The love she once carried.
The nights they had spent together.
All of those belonged to the past.
In this life…
They hadn’t even happened.
She had to bury those feelings deep inside her heart and create a different future.
First…
She decided to finish what had been left unresolved at the banquet.
“Sir Mikhail… You may think this is rude, but I’d like to discuss how we’ll divide the dungeon rewards.”
If he thought she was a purifier obsessed with money…
So be it.
Money really was her biggest problem.
“I know this is a worldly matter that may make you uncomfortable. But before becoming Partners, purifiers and knights usually discuss these things.”
“That’s perfectly fine. Please speak freely.”
Perhaps someone had already explained it to him.
Thankfully, Mikhail didn’t seem bothered at all.
“I know you donate all of your dungeon rewards to the Temple.”
Irenne quickly continued with the words she had prepared.
“You are the Commander of the Holy Knights, so I understand why you do it, and I truly respect your decision. However… I am an ordinary person. I need money to live.”
Carefully watching his expression, she continued,
“I’d like all dungeon rewards to belong to you… except for the rewards from the occasional dungeon that I personally choose. May I receive only those?”
“That…”
“I won’t ask often. Even once a month is enough. Other than that, everything can be handled exactly as you wish.”
Mikhail thought quietly for a moment.
Then he nodded.
“Very well. If that arrangement satisfies you, then we’ll do that.”
Irenne secretly clenched her fist.
I did it.
She cheered inwardly as he accepted her proposal so easily.
Many things had changed from her previous life.
But in the end…
Things had turned out exactly as she wanted.
Mikhail is still the same.
Just like before, he stood several steps away from her.
As if he believed he shouldn’t get any closer.
In her previous life…
That distance had always made her sad.
She had thought it meant he only accepted her because he had no choice and didn’t even want to be near her.
But now…
Because she had already drawn the line herself and settled her feelings…
His distance actually made her feel relieved.
In just a few more days…
She would obtain the Ring of Invisibility from the first dungeon she selected.
She would immediately sell it through the official auction house.
Then she would leave this place forever.
“Then, Sir Mikhail.”
Irenne lightly lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed politely.
“I look forward to working with you until the day our Pair comes to an end.”
The Next Day
The following day, Irenne accepted the reports from the scouts about the newly discovered dungeons and quietly sighed in relief.
Just as I remembered.
She had secretly worried that different dungeons might appear this time.
If that happened…
Everything she remembered from her previous life would become useless.
Fortunately…
Her greatest fear hadn’t come true.
As Irenne relaxed after confirming that nothing had changed—
Thud!
Someone suddenly slammed into her from behind.
Startled, she stumbled forward and quickly caught herself against the nearby wall.
What was that?
She turned around in surprise.
“…Ha…”
A deep sigh escaped her lips without her realizing it.
“Wilhelmina.”
Irenne quietly spoke the name of the woman glaring at her.
Some things…
Being exactly the same…
Were not a good thing.
