Ssssh.

Irene bit her lip at the sound of water trickling from the bathroom. Strewn across the basket outside the bathroom door were clothes soaked in blood. From the look of it, whoever was washing inside had stripped down pretty quickly.

‘That’s strange.’

This was just not like him.

Like everything in the world had a place, he never changed it, and if he saw a mess, he’d quietly clean it up himself. Even if it was a blood-soaked mess of clothes.

‘But why…’

It wasn’t just the clothes scattered around. Beside the basket was a sword engraved with the emblem of the Holy Knights lay on the floor.

That sword meant more to him than his own life. As a paladin, he always prioritized securing that sword before anything else. People often joked that the sword was his true body, given how much he cherished it, living up to his nickname, the “Sword of God.”

But now, the sword was rolling across the floor, in a worse state than his tattered clothes.

Hssh.

With a twist of the valve, the sound of water ceased. He had finished his shower.

Irene looked nervously toward the bathroom.

He had surely gone in, a mess from the demonic blood, so she had expected for him to take quite a while longer…

‘So soon?’

Any moment now, he would open the door and come out. Irene’s heart beat faster at the thought of him. After all, the man in the bathroom was her husband. He was her legitimate spouse, so it shouldn’t be any issue that they were spending the night together.

‘Even if it is only temporary.’

He and Irene had entered into a temporary conjugal relationship known as a “pair.” Pair — a term used to describe a knight who enters a dungeon and fights demons and a purifier who tends to the knight’s wounds and cleanses them.

It was not uncommon for knights to receive wounds, large and small, while battling demons in dungeons. Wounds themselves were troublesome, but a bigger issue lay in the magic emitted by the monsters.

Magic gradually gnawed at the human mind, causing torment, hallucinations, and delusions. Once the threshold was crossed, a person would go berserk. Those who went berserk turned into monsters themselves. Hence, purifiers devoted all their efforts to cleansing the magic within their pairs.

The problem lay in the method of purification. The method itself was quite simple. They needed maximum physical contact with their partner. Even a simple touch, holding hands, could heal minor wounds. However, for more severe wounds or to purify the miasma, a closer, intimate contact was required. Embracing each other, kissing, but above all, mixing their bodies was the surest and quickest method. In fact, the knights preferred the latter method.

After merging with a purifier, all wounds healed completely, any accumulated miasma vanished entirely, and temporarily, their physical abilities were enhanced. That’s why before entering dungeons, even without any injury or affliction, many opted to merge their bodies.

‘But… he loathed even the slightest touch.’

Irene recalled their first contact. Any other pair would have headed straight for the bedroom. However, he stubbornly refused Irene’s touch, insisting that a brief rest would suffice.

Witnessing this, other pairs muttered among themselves.

“With her purifying abilities being so poor, it’s unlikely that mere contact will heal his wounds. Even if they merge, can they be able to treat a single injury?”

“There’s no way he’d accept a purification from a woman like that, let alone another high-ranking purifier.”

Amidst the taunts she had heard so many times that she had grown accustomed to them, Irene took his hand as he drew in a ragged breath.

Holding hands was the most fundamental form of purification for a pair and was as natural as breathing.

However, the moment Irene grasped his hand, his body trembled slightly, then stiffened. He turned away entirely, not once meeting her gaze until she released his hand.

‘He wouldn’t be this horrified even if facing a monster.’

Irene swallowed her frustration and embarrassment, exerting her power to its limit for his purification. Feeble as it was, her effort did heal him if only slightly.

Upon feeling the relief, he abruptly rose and left without a word, departing like a fleeing shadow, devoid of his usual courtesy. Irene could only hang her head in response.

‘He must have truly detested it.’

She had only wished to offer some assistance, yet she ended up repulsing him instead of aiding. More than the mockery of others, Irene’s heart wrenched at the sight of his retreating figure.

Since then, Irene dared not approach him. It was clear that no matter what she did, it would only disgust and offend him.

‘It’s to be expected.’

He was a paladin of the temple, a divine blade honed through austere discipline and a chaste life, grounded in unwavering faith—a warrior near ascetic perfection. Hence, like any devout priest of the temple, he was averse to emotions, shunning them in his rigorous pursuit. To him, women were merely objects to be avoided and guarded against.

‘And yet I held his hand.’

As it was, being a weak purifier and offering no real assistance, the fact that he didn’t outright recoil from her prolonged touch was, in itself, something to be grateful for.

Click.

The sound of the door opening snapped Irene out of her reverie. She looked up, and there he was, already out of the bathroom.

“…!”

The moment she laid eyes on him, Irene instinctively held her breath, unaware of her own reaction.

Brilliant blonde hair that looked like it was made from a mixture of sunshine and honey. Eyebrows as pronounced and meticulous as his disposition, sitting below the most pristine azure eyes, mirroring the clearest autumn sky. And his features—so flawlessly chiseled, almost questionable in their perfection. It was a face that she couldn’t help but admire.

But it wasn’t just his face that was perfect. Droplets of water that hadn’t been brushed out of his still-damp hair fell over his broad shoulders and trickled down the muscles of his well-defined chest. Following the lines of his taut body, the water droplets flowed freely until they met an obstacle, disappearing from sight.

Irene’s eyes followed the drops until she realized the nature of the obstruction, causing her to startle and panic.

“S–Sir Michael! Your clothes…!”

Michael was wearing nothing but a large towel draped roughly over his lower half.

Irene’s face instantly flushed red.

His physique was just as, if not more, exquisite than his face. If a deity of war manifested in this world, she might envision a body like his. Tight, well-defined, perfect muscles, never too much, never too little.

His flawlessly refined physique exuded a sense of beauty in itself. She wondered if he realized she was staring at him.

He opened his mouth.

“Irene.” He spoke her name in a low, husky voice that made her tremble just to hear it. “Didn’t we agree that you wouldn’t call me ‘Sir’ anymore?”

“Well, that’s true but…!”

Before Irene could finish, he took a step closer, now near the edge of the bed where she sat. And as the distance closed, the outline of his body, wrapped in a white towel, became more sharply defined.

‘Oh my god, heavens above.’

Irene desperately called out to god. There he was, the Sword of God.

Surely, he earned that nickname due to possessing strength unparalleled by anyone else. Although, she had her suspicions that maybe it might be for something else now that she was seeing his lower half.

Moving closer, Michael stood in front of Irene and pointed to the small cuts that dotted his body.

“These are the wounds I received in the dungeon today.”

Wounds? They were scratches, at best. To a knight, these were nothing.

“Also, I’ve been staying in the dungeon for long enough that I’ve accumulated a lot of magic, so…”

A body that still retained the heat of battle leaned closer to Irene. The next moment, her vision spun. When she came to her senses, Michael’s body was already on top of her.

“So, Irene. My pair. My wife.”

His knee dug into Irene’s long, slender legs and spread them apart.

The heat of battle remained intact on his body. It was too much for her, and she was unable to do anything but open her legs helplessly as he pressed himself against her.

His knee came up between her legs, rubbing her gently through the thin fabric. That alone made her flinch and she couldn’t help but let out an audible moan.

It was a place he visited several times. Just yesterday, he’d dug into her tight flesh and spread her open to his shape.

A dizzying smile appeared on his beautiful face. Slowly, he leaned down.

Tkk–

Irene felt the towel he was wearing fall on her body. And then his incredibly contoured body was pressed against her leg.

When she couldn’t breathe from his mass and size, Michael whispered in her ear, “Tonight, I want to be cleansed by you.”

His knee pressed hard against her intimate place. He whispered again with a low chuckle as Irene shuddered at the l*scivious action.

“Long and slow.”

Irene swallowed her breath at his l*stful words.

That’s strange. Something wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be…

‘You were definitely a paladin in a previous life who wouldn’t even lay a finger on me, right?’

It was definitely like that.

Irene reflected on her past life. It was, in a word, unhappy. As a child, her parents were killed in a dungeon. leaving her behind. Soon after, Irene was promptly sent to an orphanage.

A priest who had volunteered there noticed Irene’s potential for purification. With the rise of dungeons, purifiers were in high demand.

Irene, recognized for her purification abilities, was adopted as the daughter of Count Rhodiam, who generously supported the orphanage with substantial funds.

“Whatever happens, having a purifier by your side is always an advantage. Grow up quickly and make yourself useful.”

The Count’s eyes were filled with greed as looked at Irene.

Anyone entering the dungeon would need a purifier to heal their wounds and cleanse their magic. Only purifiers could treat the wounds inflicted by monsters and purify the magic they emitted. So the Count thought that if Irene could be paired with a knight as an adult, she would make a fortune.

However, after reaching adulthood, Irene’s purification grade, evaluated by the temple, was the lowest. The Count, who was looking forward to her earning money, was furious at the results of her evaluation. No knight was interested in pairing with the lowest-ranking purifier.

Instead, the Count felt compelled to pay someone to take the seemingly useless low-grade purifier off his hands.

“You worthless thing, thank goodness you have a half decent face! There’s someone willing to buy you because of it.”

Anticipating losses, the Count sought to send Irene to an elderly noble, notorious for having replaced six wives already. Though she wished to escape immediately, with the name “Rhodiam” attached, Irene was virtually the Count’s property.

“Give me just six months! I’ll find a knight to pair with for dungeon exploration and repay my value!”

“Who would pair up with someone of your bottom rank? Even if there were such a foolish knight, do you think they could earn back the money it took to bring you here? And besides, what about the cost of feeding and housing you during this time?”

“We won’t know until we try. Please, just give me this one chance!”

For the next six months, Irene had only one option: to find a knight to form a pair with on the Contract Night. After that, they would enter the dungeon together and share the rewards. Apart from this, there was no other way for her to earn the hefty sum of 100,000 gold in six months.

Irene immediately headed to the fortress where the Contract Night was held. The fortress was a massive citadel built by the Alliance of Kingdoms in the region where the dungeons appeared.

There, once a month, a night known as “Contract Night” took place, where adult purifiers sought knights to form pairs with and make a pair contract.

“Maybe I can somehow find a pair here somehow.”

Irene thought, clutching onto hope. Unfortunately, events unfolded as the Count had predicted.

“The lowest-ranking purifier… I’d rather go into the dungeon alone than have you help me and hand out rewards.”

No matter how much they needed a purifier, Irene’s power was so weak that the knights refused to pair with her.

The knights who considered forming a contract with her offered it as if bestowing a great favor.

“Well, if we stick to safer lower-level dungeons, and I take 99% of the share while you get 1%, then I might consider a contract. And…”

The knight trailed off, scanning Irene up and down, licking his lips.

“I’d want you to make love to me every day. That way, purification might work better. Oh, not just before entering the dungeon, but anytime I want.”

Faced with the knight’s demands, Irene bit her lip. It was a well-known fact that for more efficient purification of magic, intimate contact was more effective than mere physical touch in a pair.

So, when the knights returned from the dungeon, they would enter their lodgings with their purifiers and not come out until the magic was cleansed. This knight was asking for what was rightfully to be expected from her. But the glint in his eyes told her that what he was demanding was more for his pl**sure than anything else.

More importantly, he proposed dividing the dungeon rewards at a ratio of 1 to 99. Regardless of Irene’s weak abilities, that was nothing short of exploitation.

‘Besides… he might not even actively participate in dungeon expeditions after I sign the contract.’

The knight could just take his pl**sure and then leave. However, such hesitation was a luxury Irene couldn’t afford. If she rejected this contract, she would soon be sold off to the elderly noble.

As Irene struggled with her decision, a figure appeared in the room.

Michael, the renowned paladin admired by everyone on the continent, stood there. He was the continent’s sole righteous knight, entering dungeons not for personal desires but solely to save those tormented by monsters.

His participation in Contract Night was not by choice. He was brought in on purpose by the Alliance of Kingdoms to keep him in check as he rose to great honor and became a hero to the entire continent.

He, too, had to follow the continental laws set by the alliance to enter dungeons. The pretext was to find a purifier to entrust his body to during Contract Night, as per the laws. Michael planned to make a perfunctory appearance and then leave immediately. That is, if Irene hadn’t stopped him.

As soon as she saw him, she knew. She sensed that he was the only one who would offer her a fair contract. Approaching him, she pleaded.

“Please, enter a contract with me.”

Irene clung to him for dear life.

***

People watched the two with keen interest. Michael was a paladin affiliated with the temple. If he granted Irene’s request, he would break his priestly integrity and become a promiscuous, depraved man who mingled with the purifiers. If he rejected her, he would become a wicked man, forsaking someone pleading for survival for the sake of honor.

Either choice would lead to dishonor. Irene was aware of this fact, but she had no choice but to cling to him.

“Even if I form a ‘pair’ with you, I will not be receiving any of your help.”

In the end, he chose to save her.

“But to purify the dungeon’s magic…”

He immediately countered her in a cold voice.

“My divine power will somehow withstand the magic. So, you don’t need to worry about it.”

With that, he turned away as if Irene’s assistance was not needed at all. He never demanded purification from Irene afterward.

Those who initially mocked Michael started praising him again, while Irene faced scornful ridicule. A woman who sullied the paladin’s honor for her survival – that’s how they viewed her. Despite hearing such words, Irene could say nothing. It was all true.

Michael occasionally visited her, sharing the dungeon rewards without demanding purification. While he might not have known Irene’s exact ransom, the sum accumulated steadily, nearing 100,000 gold.

‘At this rate, I’ll soon be free of the Count.’

Once that happened, Irene was determined to do whatever it took to repay him.

Not long after making that commitment, a top-tier dungeon emerged in a dangerous area. Many knights and purifiers lost their lives to the onslaught of a colossal monster without having a chance to fight back. However, Michael alone survived, defeating the monster and obliterating the dungeon.

The problem was he was mortally wounded and so corrupted with demonic energy that it was impossible for him to recover on his own. That night, Irene merged bodies with him to save his life. Even though he was unconscious, his instinct to survive drove him to aggressively respond to her.

“Ah, ah, ah!”

Irene let out strained moans as his massive member relentlessly penetrated her.

“Please, please go slower… Ah!”

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, when they f*cked like animals, Irene found herself writhing in pleasure rather than agony.

Michael spent days and days, still not fully conscious, exploring Irene’s body.

When he finally came to his senses, she saw the look on his face.

“Why are you… Could it be that I…”

Realizing that he had broken a taboo, he dressed himself immediately to flee the scene. The place where the two had spent several days together was now marked with explicit traces of their promiscuity, with only Irene left behind.

After that, Michael never visited her again. Soon after, news arrived that he had been excommunicated from the temple.

‘I…completely ruined him.’

Irene was devastated. Even if she was just trying to save his life, it wouldn’t have mattered to him.

In the meantime, the dungeons entered a period of decay. It was time for purifiers and knights to sever their “pairs” and return to their respective hometowns.

In the fortress where everyone had made into their temporary homes, Irene searched for Michael, holding the money she had received from him. Now, he had to live as an ordinary knight outside the temple. Being a formidable knight, he wouldn’t have trouble surviving, but…

‘I want to make it up to him somehow.’

She wanted to return everything she had received from him. Even if going back meant the Count would immediately sell her, it no longer mattered. Michael had spent his entire life as a servant of God, and now, regardless of whether she was trying to save him, her actions had driven him from the place he had dedicated his life to.

How she could ever atone for what she had done, Irene had no idea.

She searched the rickety fortress for Michael, but he was nowhere to be seen.

During this time, Irene unexpectedly encountered Princess Cecilia, who had always ignored and scorned her. Though normally, she wouldn’t dare to speak to her, driven by the thought of apologizing to Michael, she asked if Cecilia knew where he was.

To her surprise, the princess chuckled and, after a brief pause, responded.

“Do you see that remaining dungeon over there? Sir Michael headed in to clean it up. If you want to apologize, now is your last chance. Hurry, he probably finished clearing out all the monsters.”

Irene heard this and entered the dungeon alone, hoping to find Michael and apologize to him.

But the dungeon turned out to still have monsters, and…

‘That’s where I died.’

That was certain. It had happened. But why…

Smack!

“Worthless thing! I’d be better off selling you to a merchant!”

With a searing pain in her cheek, Irene watched the Count rage in front of her.

Why on earth?

Why was the past replaying itself before her eyes?

Clop, clop.

From the comfort of her carriage, Irene gazed at the fortress of the Alliance of Kingdoms—the place where purifiers and knights gathered to make contracts, a place she thought she would never return to in her lifetime.

“And yet, here I am.”

Irene smiled bitterly.

“It’s not a return.”

This was undoubtedly her first visit in this lifetime. Unsure of what happened since she had opened her eyes again, Irene pleaded with the Count just like in the past.

For six months. Give me six months to form a pair and earn money.

As expected, the Count, just as she remembered, exploded in anger but reluctantly granted her what he considered her first and last chance.

Afterward, Irene locked herself in her room for a day, thinking.

They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die, but this wasn’t just a glimpse. All day long, she waited for this dream to end, for this illusion to break. Just like in the past, the maids brought her meals like they were throwing them in the garbage, and the butler laid a bag at her feet, instructing her to prepare to leave.

Watching their vivid mockery and disdain, Irene realized.

This wasn’t an illusion. Irene had truly returned to the past.

‘How?’

The reason was unclear, but she had her suspicions.

‘Could it be because of this?’

Irene took out a seemingly broken piece of metal from her pocket that looked liked it had been split in half. It was undoubtedly an item she obtained in the ‘Reward Room’ in that dungeon before her death. It was the same place she fled to in desperation after she was grievously wounded by a demon.

The ‘Reward Room’ was at the very end of the dungeon, where the demons could never enter. In that place, there were chests of unknown origin filled with not just gold and treasures but also the occasional otherworldly artifact.

Before her death, Irene had opened the rotting wooden chest beside her. It was the type of chest that would clearly contain the lowest-grade rewards of useless trinkets, strange feathers, or odd-looking stones.

So when this peculiar, half-broken metal fragment appeared, Irene accepted it with resignation.

‘I died clutching this.’

And yet, back in the past, her hand still held it.

After staring at the fragment, Irene placed it back into her pocket. Then she turned her attention to the piece of paper in her lap.

She had written down all the information from the past that she remembered on that sheet of paper. From the moment Irene realized she had truly returned to the past, she obsessively documented everything she could recall from memory—how many dungeons had emerged in the danger zone in the past, which dungeon had the best rewards, where they were located, and what power it held…

‘I couldn’t help but remember.’

Always alone, Irene grew tired of simply sitting in her room, so she read through the archives, starting from information on the most recently created dungeons to records of dungeons from the past.

While the dungeons themselves were interesting, Irene was more interested in the things that came out of them. A necklace that prevented any harm from demons when worn. A gemstone that glowed when left standing still. A statue that remained unscathed even in the midst of flames. These items endowed with mysterious abilities were known as artifacts, and they were the most valuable rewards one could find in a dungeon.

For instance, the necklace worn by the King of Heron Kingdom possessed the power to delay the wearer’s aging. Thanks to it, the 80-year-old king still appeared to be in his early thirties.

In any case, such potentially life-changing artifacts would undoubtedly sell for exorbitant prices.

‘Something so remarkable would occasionally show up in lower-level dungeons and turn everything upside down.’

People would lament, claiming that if they had known it was there, they would have done anything to get their hands on it.

And now, Irene knew which dungeons yield what. And it wasn’t just the rewards she remembered. She vividly recalled which dungeons had what kind of spirits, their strengths and weaknesses, and even which attributes they possessed.

‘So if everything still unfolds according to my memory…’

Even if she entered an unfavorable contract, she could still yield favorable results for herself.

The 100,000 gold she had to repay to the Count seemed like nothing now to Irene. She recalled the Count slapping her cheek. Back then, he seemed so massive and intimidating, but this time it was different. Even as he shouted for her to repay the value of her body, there was no fear in her eyes, only disdain.

It wasn’t just the Count. The maids and the butler who used to mock and scorn her at the Count’s estate seemed pitiful this time around, not frightening at all.

‘Everything seems so laughable after dying once.’

At that moment, the coachman shouted, interrupting her thoughts.

“Hey! We’re almost at the fort! Get ready to get off!”

In the past, even this shout would startle her, making her cower. But not anymore.

Irene calmly placed the paper into the bag she brought from the Count’s estate and placed it on the adjacent seat. After tidying up her luggage, Irene lifted her head.

‘It was a life that failed once before.’

And then, a miracle happened, granting her a chance to start anew.

‘So, I can’t go back to living like the fool I was.’

After observing for a week, she discovered certain facts. The significant events she remembered from her past were happening the same way. But there were changes too. For instance, when she demanded proper food from the chef who used to give her stale bread in her past life, he hesitated but eventually served well-cooked soup and soft bread.

In her previous life, she received nothing more than rags for clothes, but this time, using the contract as an excuse, she managed to get proper clothes.

It was entirely possible for her choices to bring about different outcomes.

‘So then…’

She thought to herself as she watched the fortress grow closer and closer.

The first mistake she needed to rectify in this life. That would be…

‘I will not pair with Michael.’

***

Irene still vividly remembered the way he looked at her. The shock, confusion, and even shame that spread across his face when he realized they had slept together.

It seemed like a natural reaction. Despite his blatant contempt, Irene didn’t harbor any resentment towards him. Even if it was done to save his life, his beliefs were completely shattered.

‘If I were a stronger purifier, he wouldn’t have ended up like that.’

Had Princess Cecilia, said to be the strongest of this century’s purifiers, been Michael’s pair, she might have been able to save him by simply holding his hand. If that were the case, he might not have been excommunicated from the temple.

Irene thought of all the bad choices she had made in the past that had hurt everyone.

‘I can’t repeat the same mistakes.’

So, in this life, she will find a different pair, not him.

She had to.

In the danger zone where the dungeons appeared, the fortress that stood before them was a fortress in name, but in reality, it was indistinguishable from a huge city.

‘It’s no wonder considering the money they make from dungeons.’

Each kingdom was obsessed with acquiring the gold and treasures in the reward rooms at the end of every dungeon. So they provided every comfort and luxury possible to the knights and purifiers who brave them.

‘Not that it matters for a bottom-tier purifier like me.’

Irene stood in a corner, observing the purifiers and knights already exchanging greetings and searching for pairs. A pair consisted of a purifier and a knight who had agreed to a contract. Once paired, a purifier exclusively treated that knight. Similarly, the knight only received healing from the purifier with whom they formed a pair.

For some reason, the efficiency of healing increased significantly when dealing only with the contracted pair. Of course, even if that were the case, it wouldn’t look good to see unmarried people sleeping together all the time. Therefore, the Alliance of Kingdoms labeled such relationships as ‘pairs’ and recognized them as temporary marriages.

It was a way to save face, even if it was just a meaningless change of terms.

Unlike in her past life, Irene calmly surveyed the glamorous space, then shifted her gaze to the knights.

‘It feels strange to see those who died once again.’

She smiled wryly. Wasn’t she someone who had already died once herself?

Irene touched the piece of metal in her pocket. Perhaps in this life, she should find out what it was.

Then a knight caught Irene’s eye. He was laughing and chatting without a care with his fellow knights.

‘Despite his carefree appearance, he was quite skilled.’

Moreover, he was a knight who didn’t enter challenging dungeons, given his extreme concern for his own body. So he was someone who survived until the end.

He had approached Irene several times in the past.

“To be honest, I’m kind of regretting it. If you’re anything like me, we could have given up dungeon exploration for about a year and just enjoyed ourselves.”

He wished she hadn’t been Michael’s pair, so he could have paired her with him.

‘Someone who would accept even the lowest purifier due to his open-minded nature. Someone with a decent level of skill.’

That was what she was looking for in a pair now. And the man in front of her met those criteria.

‘Honestly… as long as it’s not Michael.’

Irene approached the knight. In response, he ran his eyes up and down her body, licking his lips.

Rather than feeling offended, Irene felt relieved.

She would rather be with a man who had clear desires. That way, she could calculate what they would give and take from each other, devoid of any emotions.

“Will you make a contract with me?”

“You’re.. obviously a lower-ranked purifier, as far as I can tell.”

“Yes. That’s why I’m willing to compromise on many conditions for the contract. You can take all the rewards from the dungeon. Just give me one reward from a lower-level dungeon once a month.”

At those words, the knight’s eyes gleamed.

Irene’s proposal was truly radical. Normally, purifiers demanded a fifty-fifty split in contracts.

The knights didn’t like those terms, but they had no choice. Without a purifier, they wouldn’t even qualify to enter the dungeons, and if they offended the purifier, they might not be healed properly.

Yet here she was, presenting conditions that seemed too good to be true.

‘Besides, lower-level dungeons are easy to conquer, and even if the rewards are trash.’

No matter how you looked at it, the conditions were favorable for him.

“Really? Is that enough for you?”

“Yes. In return, the dungeons for my rewards will be of my choosing. There are no other conditions.”

“Hmm.”

The knight looked at Irene and quickly calculated in his head. Though she had been in the corner, she had already caught his eye. Tall stature, slender body, curves in all the right places, and a serene and neat face that kindled his desire. If she weren’t ranked so low, she would have been quite popular among the knights.

“Alright.” The knight extended his hand to Irene. “Then I would like to spend the night with you, now and for the future.”

Irene swallowed a small sigh at the look of desire in his eyes.

Suddenly, she remembered her past—and Michael who had asked for nothing from her. A past that was more miserable because of it.

‘It’s better this way.’

If both parties were clear about what they desired and what they offered, at least she wouldn’t be tormented by guilt for ruining someone.

As Irene was about to take the knight’s hand.

Bang!

With a loud noise, the door to the banquet hall was forcefully thrown open.

A man entered the hall, drenched in fresh blood.

Irene’s eyes widened in astonishment.

The gruesome figure entering the hall was… Michael.