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Chapter 8
“Ah, Irenne! I’m so sorry. I was so happy to see you that I hurried over and accidentally bumped into you. Are you alright? Can you stand?”
Wilhelmina quickly reached out her hand, looking as though she felt truly guilty.
But she couldn’t completely hide what she was really feeling.
The sharp look in her eyes was still full of hostility.
Ignoring the hand offered to her, Irenne stood up on her own.
So… I’m seeing her again too.
The only difference from before was that she was no longer someone Irenne was happy to meet.
Irenne had known Wilhelmina for quite a long time.
She lived in the territory next to the Rodiam County.
We used to get along well when we were children.
Like Irenne, Wilhelmina had been adopted into a noble family after it was discovered that she possessed purification power.
The difference was…
Wilhelmina had always been satisfied with her life.
“If I’d stayed where I was, I’d have ended up a beggar. We’re lucky we were adopted by nobles. You should be grateful to Count Rodiam too.”
Wilhelmina often said those words to Irenne during the basic training sessions for young purifiers.
She was two years older than Irenne.
As soon as she became an adult, she went to the Temple to have her purification power officially evaluated.
She was ranked Rank 5.
Not particularly high.
Not particularly low.
An average rank that placed her in an awkward position.
Too valuable to throw away… but not valuable enough to keep forever.
If a purifier had a high rank, noble families never wanted to let them marry into another household.
After all, children born from purifiers had a high chance of inheriting purification power.
So they usually kept them as daughters and brought a husband into the family instead.
But Wilhelmina didn’t belong in either category.
Even her adoptive family didn’t know what to do with her.
Afraid that she might eventually be sold to some old man looking for a purifier…
Wilhelmina always dreamed of meeting an outstanding knight in the dungeons and eventually marrying him.
“I secretly tested my purification power with monster blood. They said I’m definitely at least Rank 3. If that’s true… even if I can’t marry into the royal family, I’ll still be able to enter a powerful noble house. My Pair will surely be someone important. Even after the dungeon expedition ends, we’ll stay together. Then I’ll finally become a proper noble lady.”
Wilhelmina had been full of confidence.
The higher a purifier’s rank…
The more likely they were to be paired with an influential knight.
And the more likely that Pair would continue even after the dungeon expedition ended.
Sometimes…
The Pair even became husband and wife.
But…
She had only been evaluated as Rank 5.
After the first expedition ended, her knight announced the end of their Pair.
The same thing happened the following year.
That’s why she became even more desperate this year.
Standing in front of Irenne, Wilhelmina had cried, wondering why none of her Partners ever stayed with her.
As she threw whatever objects she could grab…
Irenne had quietly realized why.
But she never said anything.
If she had honestly told Wilhelmina the reason…
The next thing thrown wouldn’t have been at a maid.
It would have been at her.
This year, more than anyone else…
Wilhelmina wanted to know what rank Irenne would receive.
The moment Irenne was declared Rank 10…
Wilhelmina had smiled with genuine relief.
That smile clearly said—
You must never become happier than me.
As Irenne remembered the Wilhelmina from her previous life…
Wilhelmina lowered her voice.
“Irenne… what happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard you’re Rank 9 now. And… how did you become Lord Mikhail’s Pair?”
Her questioning tone made Irenne let out a small laugh.
“You’re asking that before even greeting me? You really were curious.”
The reason Wilhelmina was suddenly pretending to be friendly was painfully obvious.
Meanwhile…
Wilhelmina stared at Irenne in confusion.
Did she eat something strange? What’s wrong with her?
She clearly remembered the last time she had seen Irenne.
When the priest declared her Rank 10, Irenne had looked as though her entire world had collapsed.
Wilhelmina had felt incredibly relieved.
What if she’d been ranked higher than me?
A purifier’s entire future depended on their rank.
For years…
Wilhelmina had treated Irenne almost like a servant under the excuse of “teaching” her.
If Irenne had suddenly become a higher-ranked purifier and started looking down on her…
Wilhelmina knew she would never have been able to accept it.
But after seeing that Rank 10 result…
She had believed their positions would never change.
Then why?!
As soon as the banquet began…
Wilhelmina quickly formed a contract with the knight she had already chosen and immediately left the hall.
He suited her conditions well.
And he didn’t seem to dislike her bold personality either.
They spent the night together right away.
But when she woke up the next morning…
The entire fortress was in chaos.
Her rank increased… that’s strange enough…
But someone like her became Sir Mikhail’s Pair?
That alone was unbelievable.
Then she learned that Irenne had been given the largest and most luxurious room, a room normally reserved only for Rank 1 purifiers.
She had almost exploded with anger.
Just as she was barely holding back her frustration…
One of the maids approached her.
“My mistress wishes to see you. Please come with me.”
The crest of the Visconti Royal Family shone brightly on the maid’s chest.
She was Princess Cecilia’s maid.
Without hesitation, Wilhelmina followed her while trying to calm her racing heart.
Could she be inviting me into her circle?
Purifiers naturally formed groups around the strongest among them.
Of course…
Not just anyone could join.
You needed at least one of these:
- A high purification rank.
- Noble birth.
- A powerful knight as your Pair.
Without at least one of those…
You couldn’t join a famous group.
For the past two years…
Wilhelmina hadn’t even been allowed near Princess Cecilia’s gathering.
But this year…
The princess had personally invited her.
If everything goes well…
Princess Cecilia’s gathering was every purifier’s dream.
Purifiers who became close there often challenged dungeons together with each other’s Partners.
And if someone wasn’t satisfied with their current Pair…
The princess could introduce them to a new knight the following year.
Naturally…
The knights introduced by the princess all came from powerful families.
They were skilled.
Well-mannered.
The gathering exceeded even Wilhelmina’s expectations.
Nearly everyone there was at least Rank 3.
Every one of them had an outstanding knight as their Pair.
Even the room itself was far more luxurious than anything normally found inside the fortress.
At the center of it all…
Princess Cecilia greeted Wilhelmina with a smile.
She was wearing an Artifact obtained during the previous dungeon expedition.
The only problem was…
Princess Cecilia hadn’t invited Wilhelmina to let her join the group.
Although she spoke indirectly…
She wanted only one thing.
She told me to find out everything about Irenne and Sir Mikhail.
Why had a man who had never wanted a Pair…
Who had never even accepted purification from anyone…
Suddenly decided he needed one?
And why…
Had he chosen Irenne?
Wilhelmina wasn’t stupid.
She understood exactly why Princess Cecilia wanted this information.
Once someone forms a Pair…
They’re much more likely to look for another Pair next year.
Princess Cecilia is aiming for that chance.
Next year…
She wanted Mikhail as her own Pair.
So she wanted to know what kind of purifier he chose.
Wilhelmina herself wanted to know the answer.
If he accepted a Rank 9 purifier…
Doesn’t that mean someone like me, a Rank 5 purifier, also has a chance?
Filled with hope…
She came looking for Irenne.
That fool will tell me everything if I just ask.
The Irenne she knew would have been overjoyed to meet a familiar face in a place where she knew almost no one.
She would have happily told her everything.
But instead…
Irenne was acting coldly.
While Wilhelmina stood there in confusion…
Irenne quietly sighed.
Someone obviously sent her to ask these questions.
Most likely…
Princess Cecilia.
Wilhelmina was always desperate to join the princess’s group.
Thinking back on those memories…
Irenne bit her lip.
After learning Irenne’s rank in her previous life…
Wilhelmina hadn’t even wanted to speak to her anymore.
She said it would be embarrassing if others found out she was friends with such a low-ranking purifier.
It was exactly the same in this life.
At yesterday’s banquet…
Wilhelmina hadn’t even looked at her before hurrying away.
And now she was pretending to be friendly.
Should I just ignore her?
We’ll never see each other again after a few days anyway.
After thinking for a moment…
Irenne finally answered.
“I don’t know why my rank became Rank 9. The priests think maybe my first evaluation was wrong.”
“And as for why Lord Mikhail asked me to become his Pair…”
“…Why?”
“I don’t know that either.”
“What?”
“I mean exactly what I said. I honestly don’t know why he chose me.”
She wasn’t lying.
Mikhail had said that she was simply the closest purifier when he urgently needed help.
But thinking back…
Although he was badly injured…
He hadn’t been so close to death that he couldn’t have reached someone else.
Irenne had even casually asked him later if there had been another reason for choosing her.
But he answered exactly the same way every time.
Like a parrot.
“Because you were the closest.”
Irenne quietly watched Wilhelmina’s expression.
Wilhelmina had probably expected her to reveal everything.
After all…
In the past, Irenne had considered her one of her very few friends.
Whenever Wilhelmina asked something…
Irenne always answered honestly.
That wasn’t all.
She even pushed me to approach Mikhail for her.
Wilhelmina had always been interested in Mikhail.
Whenever there was a chance to meet him…
She would carefully dress herself up and make sure she stood nearby.
She had even said,
“Honestly, wouldn’t I have been a much better Pair for him than you?”
She often clicked her tongue after saying things like that.
Yet…
She never dared say such things in front of Princess Cecilia.
Remembering how desperately Wilhelmina had chased after Mikhail…
Irenne couldn’t help finding her pitiful.
Without thinking, she sighed and said,
“If you’re that curious… why don’t you just ask Sir Mikhail yourself?”
Wilhelmina was even more shocked by Irenne’s cold response.
But only for a moment.
Unable to stand Irenne’s calm confidence, she gritted her teeth.
“…Maybe Sir Mikhail only became your Pair because he pitied your situation. He’s always kind to people who are suffering. I just came to make sure you weren’t misunderstanding his kindness as something special.”
Just then…
A maid from the fortress entered the hallway and bowed to Irenne.
“Lady Purifier Irenne, could you please come and confirm the items that have been delivered to you?”
“Items… for me?”
A short while later…
Irenne returned to her room, with Wilhelmina stubbornly following behind her.
The moment she stepped inside…
She couldn’t close her mouth.
“What… is all of this?”
