I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 150

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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I sat down in front of the mirror.
Yuri, standing behind me, tilted her head.
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“You don’t have wings.”
Midwife Luluka, who had been tidying the bed beside me, paused and approached.
“Right? Yuri, you check every day, don’t you?”
“Yes. Every single day.”
I didn’t understand what they were talking about, but the two of them were perfectly in sync.
“We should always do a cross-check. Morning and evening.”
“Sounds good.”
I asked, somewhat bewildered.
“Why are you checking that? A cross-check? Isn’t that a bit much?”
As if they had made a promise, the two spoke in perfect unison at the exact same moment.
“What if she escapes into the sky?”
“She can’t escape into the sky.”
….
I was at a loss for words.
There seemed to be a glimmer of madness in their eyes.
I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard anything.
I had the distinct feeling that if I tried to learn more, I would get seriously hurt.
“Your Highness, let me work on your hair. You need to stay still.”
Yuri began touching my hair in various ways.
She was applying something, spraying something, and constantly doing something, but honestly, I had no idea what she was doing.
“Your Highness really does suit this voluminous hair. Oh! Of course, the short cut was also beautifully angelic, but still.”
“You just like touching long hair more, don’t you?”
“Well, that’s true too. The more good things, the better.”
“But today you’re putting in unusually more force, aren’t you?”
I was slightly, very slightly, frightened.
“Today you absolutely must be the main character. Oh! Of course, you’re always the main character, but you need to be even more of the main character than usual.”
“Why?”
“Because Reina is coming.”
“Who’s Reina?”
“It’s what we call Reina. Narmore came up with it.”
Then she hummed, “Reina~ Reina~ pathetic Reina~” which wasn’t much, but it made me laugh.
I burst out laughing.
The fun ended right there.
About 1 hour and 50 minutes had passed.
“Your hair still isn’t done.”
“It’s been 2 hours already?”
“Two hours? It’s been one hour and fifty minutes, or rather fifty-one minutes. Nine minutes is a 540-second difference—that margin of error seems far too large.”
“….”
“Am I wrong?”
Her point was entirely valid, and I found myself deflating.
I had to acknowledge what deserved acknowledgment.
“You’re right about that.”
“How do you define one second, Your Highness?”
“The unit of time corresponding to approximately nine billion Hz of the hyperfine transition frequency of the cesium-133 atom?”
“You can define it that way too! That’s quite a novel approach!”
“Yeah, but I’m sorry—I don’t remember the exact number.”
It was 919-something, but I couldn’t quite recall the specifics.
I suppose I’d studied rather carelessly.
Still, engaging in such an interesting conversation made me feel invigorated.
“Oh right, the prerequisite for defining it is an unperturbed ground state.”
“Would it be fair to roughly understand it as absolute zero?”
“Yes!”
I felt a brief spark of energy, but it quickly faded again.
This dressing-up game is no fun!
I’m not doing it anymore!
If this sturdy Villorian body of mine is exhausted, there’s nothing more to say.
Watching Yuri show no signs of fatigue made me suspect she might actually have better stamina than me.
And then Midwife Luluka joined in, dressing me in this outfit and that outfit repeatedly.
“Well….”
Of course, I did enjoy trying on clothes and found pleasure in dressing up beautifully, but this was excessive.
“No, we’re not done yet.”
“Yes, I understand.”
What is this, I’m getting a little scared.
After considerable time had passed, my savior was Servant Deilsa.
“That will suffice.”
“Pardon?”
“You are already beautiful enough.”
I turned my head to look at Servant Deilsa.
Servant Deilsa gazed at me with a gentle smile.
I raised my right hand and greeted the Steward with a broad smile.
The Steward placed his right hand over his chest and bowed gracefully.
It was just an ordinary greeting, yet I found it remarkable how much grace he could convey.
By the way, Servant Deilsa and I had grown quite close over the past year.
Servant Deilsa had lost his most beloved partner, and I had lost my dearest friend.
It was truly strange at the time.
Without offering any particular consolation, we became each other’s most steadfast comfort.
‘I used to find him a bit intimidating.’
Now he was an incredibly reassuring ally.
But beyond my relationship with Servant Deilsa growing much closer, Yuri had experienced the same transformation.
“That won’t do.”
“….”
Yuri had become the most successful maid in imperial history, and had actually grown wealthy enough that she didn’t need to work as a maid anymore.
The fact that she served as my maid now was purely because she was my friend.
Yuri no longer worried about the Steward’s mood and spoke her mind freely.
What was amusing was that the Steward seemed to quite enjoy this version of Yuri.
“You must be the most beautiful person in the world today.”
“Aren’t you already the most beautiful?”
Yuri’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Did the Steward just say something like that?”
“I acknowledge facts.”
When they spoke so earnestly in front of the person in question, I wasn’t sure what expression I should be wearing.
Of course, I wasn’t displeased, but it was a bit embarrassing.
‘But….’
The Steward had tried to stop them at first.
He definitely had.
‘So why is he standing there watching so intently?’
Rather than stopping the delirious Yuri and the Midwife, he was gazing over here with anticipatory eyes.
It seemed his initial objection was just an excuse to position himself like that.
Servant Deilsa didn’t directly enjoy playing with dolls himself, but he seemed to enjoy watching it.
I felt slightly betrayed.
Realizing I probably had to give up, I squeezed my eyes shut.
* * *
Isabel walked arm-in-arm with Yuri.
They encountered Armitel along the way.
“Major! Or rather, you’re not a Major anymore. Vice Chief Advisor!”
Armitel was carrying a thick stack of documents under his arm.
His face was much paler than before, and his dark circles were quite pronounced.
There was no vitality in his expression, but when he encountered Isabel, some energy returned to him.
“You truly are beautiful. It’s astounding how much you grow each time I see you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“But I’m only ten years old.”
“However, you possess the body of a Villorian.”
Since Kim Beolggwol left Isabel, she had grown rapidly.
Isabel’s actual age was ten, but she appeared to be around sixteen on the surface.
While it varied by nation, some countries considered sixteen to be adulthood, so Armitel’s reaction was entirely reasonable.
“You’re dazzlingly beautiful. I thought my younger brother was the most beautiful person in the world.”
“No, that’s not true. Ria is prettier than me.”
Isabel genuinely believed this.
It wasn’t that it mattered who among friends was prettier, but the thought was that Aselia was the protagonist of “When the Villainess with a Time Limit Dies,” and a supporting character couldn’t possibly be more beautiful than the protagonist.
“Then I should be going now.”
“You look very busy. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“…Yes, I’m fine.”
“How can you say you’re fine when your face looks anything but?”
“….”
The truth was, she wasn’t fine at all.
She was exceptionally diligent and capable, and that very quality had become her poison.
Biatone was always amazed watching Armitel.
‘Oh? She can do that?’
‘Oh? That’s possible?’
‘Oh? She did it again? How impressive.’
The more capable Armitel proved herself to be, the more tasks were heaped upon her.
It wasn’t that finishing work quickly meant leaving early—it was an irrational ant trap where she had to take on even more work.
The luxurious and peaceful civil service life Biatone had first described simply didn’t exist in this world.
Armitel stepped closer to Isabel.
“Your Highness, would you grant me one permission?”
“What is it? Of course.”
“Someday I would like to assas… no.”
Isabel doubted her own ears.
She could have sworn she just heard the word assassination.
“Would it be acceptable to engage in very deep exchanges and foster camaraderie?”
There was only one person who could be her superior.
Since she was the Vice Chief Advisor, Chief Advisor Biatone was her superior.
“Deep exchanges and fostering camaraderie are good things, aren’t they? I naturally welcome it.”
“Yes, thank you. It will be quite profound.”
Isabel doubted her ears once more.
She could have sworn she heard the sound of teeth grinding or cracking.
‘…That couldn’t be, right?’
* * *
I made my way toward the conference hall where the royal meeting was being held.
The dress was so voluminous and heavy that it kept getting in my way.
I encountered several people as I walked down the corridor.
They all stopped when they saw me and praised my beauty.
It was embarrassing, but I felt good nonetheless.
Actually, this level of reaction was acceptable.
Rumor had it that some soldiers were spreading something called an “Isabel Hymn,” but as long as I didn’t hear that, it should be fine.
‘Now that I think about it, I wonder how Captain Lucain is doing.’
I hadn’t seen him once since we parted ways at the Zirdel Base Camp, and I found myself suddenly curious about how he was faring.
Yuri spoke.
“Oh, look over there.”
In the distance ahead, Knights clad in gleaming silver armor were approaching in two columns, their steps perfectly synchronized.
“All units, attention.”
I had no idea.
That those imposing Knights belonged to the Black Whale order.
And that among that procession, there was a New Squire.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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