Limited Extra Time - Chapter 124

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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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—— Page 1 ——

Winston exhaled a short sigh.

“You saw my medical chart, didn’t you? So tell me—did you properly inform the Leopold House about it? Or did you hold your tongue because you were worried the youngest lady, who adores her so much, would be shocked?”

“….”

Nocton’s silence sounded more like a confession than any denial could have. Winston’s brow furrowed with disappointment.

“Your selfishness drove her to death, Nocton. You turned a blind eye to something you could have prevented, all for your own petty desires.”

It pained Winston to speak such words.

Fifteen years. I had raised this boy like a son for all those years. And now he had driven someone to their death… What was I to do?

Nocton possessed a fierce will to survive, along with obsession and tenacity. I had believed that if channeled properly, these qualities would make him an excellent physician.

—— Page 2 ——

But coming here, I realized my hope had been misplaced.

Winston now understood how wrong he had been.

“Nocton, you are no longer my apprentice.”

“Master!”

Nocton cried out with a gasp, his mouth opening wide.

“I waited for a long time. Nearly fifteen years, I waited. And yet… you never changed, and now you’ve brought me this disappointment.”

“Master, I was wrong.”

Nocton desperately grasped Winston’s hand with both of his own. Watching his trembling fingers, Winston clenched his other hand tightly. He deliberately hardened his expression and lifted his gaze.

“No—you have no right to be a physician. One person becomes two, you see. A physician must remain impartial at all times and in all circumstances. I’ve explained this until my voice was hoarse.”

“I apologize, Master. I was truly wrong. I swear it will never happen again.”

Nocton spoke with urgent eyes. At his rapidly tumbling words, Winston’s pupils trembled.

“I simply… I could not help her even as she suffered, and I watched my younger sister die before my eyes. No matter what I do, I cannot forget her.”

“…”

“Please, grant me just one more chance.”

“I waited for you for a very long time and gave you countless opportunities. I too have grown old, and my strength has waned.”

Winston drew the line. Nocton’s face drained of all color. He clung to Winston with an expression as though he might weep at any moment.

Winston inhaled deeply, as if carving away at his own flesh.

“Surrender your physician’s credentials and nameplate.”

“Master!”

“The Physician Nocton no longer exists. That you are my son will not change.”

—— Page 3 ——

But you cannot remain forever in your parent’s embrace.

At Winston’s words, Nocton’s face darkened. Watching his expression contort like a child on the verge of tears, Winston turned his head away.

He could not bear to face that countenance any longer.

“My selfishness and narrow thinking have confined you to far too small a world. It has obscured your vision. It has prevented you from growing.”

Winston slowly withdrew his hand from Nocton’s cheek as he spoke.

Nocton hastily grasped at Winston’s sleeve, unwilling to lose the fading warmth.

“Nocton, the world is vast. Go out and see it for yourself.”

“Master, please…”

The firmly closed door swung open with a bang.

Winston and Nocton, who had been conversing nearby, naturally turned their heads toward the commotion. Periel Kalos, who had stepped outside,

looked toward Winston.

“What has happened?”

“Carina Leopold has had a seizure. The medicine is in the Basement. Fetch the medical bag from her Room.”

“Understood.”

Winston moved at once.

Nocton ran after Winston, hearing the anguished moans seeping from within.

The voice tinged with weeping was one he had never heard before—a sound he had always associated with Carina Leopold, whom he thought of as a barren desert.

I thought the dry desert was mine, Cari.

***

Millaiyen Pestellio returned to his Room, suppressing his irritation with effort.

Carina Leopold had awakened at some point and sat rigidly on the Bed, her head tilted back. Millaiyen Pestellio’s eyes widened considerably.

“You’re awake early. How do you feel?”

—— Page 4 ——

“I’m fine.”

“Truly?”

“Yes, it aches a little when I breathe, but it’s not the crushing pain from before.”

Carina Leopold explained her condition in detail to the skeptical Millaiyen Pestellio. Only then, seeming reassured, did Millaiyen Pestellio’s lips press firmly shut.

As Carina Leopold withdrew her hand, Millaiyen Pestellio reflexively lowered himself and settled onto the Bed beside her.

Her extended hand arranged his disheveled hair with care.

“Did you come here angry?”

“…Is that not allowed?”

“No, it’s just that you have an incredibly angry expression on your face.”

She gently massaged the furrow between Millaiyen’s brows as she spoke. As the deep crease smoothed out, his expression seemed to soften instantly. Carina let out a soft laugh.

“What’s so amusing?”

“Actually, I’m a bit frustrated.”

“Frustrated?”

“Yes, I didn’t want to show weakness to that person. I even took medicine on purpose, but it didn’t help.”

She nestled into Millaiyen’s embrace with a melancholic air. He naturally drew her close, cradling her against him.

She who had once insisted everything was fine now spoke with honesty. One could never truly understand how monumental such progress was without experiencing it firsthand.

Millaiyen stroked her back with satisfaction. His irritation vanished in an instant, washed away completely.

“There were things left unsaid, but truthfully, I have little more to say. I’ve said all that needed saying. I was merely concerned about speaking carelessly to Millaiyen later.”

“Don’t worry—there’s nothing you need to help with.”

—— Page 5 ——

“Yes, that’s enough then.”

I had decided to let go, and let go I would.

I no longer desired a family. I no longer needed one. I already had somewhere to lean on, somewhere to rely upon, and someone with whom to share my worries.

There was no need for me to look back.

“Did you send them away?”

“No, it seemed we hadn’t finished our conversation, so I gave them the Annex Building for now. Should I send them away?”

At his tone suggesting he would immediately rise and cast her out, Carina suppressed a smile and shook her head.

There was no need for that. At the sound of her voice brushing against his ear, Millaiyen Pestellio pressed his lips to the nape of her neck.

“I see. May I go now?”

“Your body hasn’t even recovered yet, and you want to—”

“I want to resolve this quickly. I need time with Millaiyen Pestellio, not with those people.”

I had already made up my mind completely. I had told him before his face that I would cease being his daughter. So there was only one thing left for me to settle.

Don’t think of Carina as a child of the Leopold Family. I wasn’t able to convey that message.

“Wait. I’ll have them brought here.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Millaiyen Pestellio’s eyes slowly grew calm.

He pressed his lips lightly to Carina Leopold’s lips, then rang the bell cord. A maidservant entered as if she had been listening for the sound.

“You called for me?”

“Go to Peng and tell him to bring the one in the Annex Building… no, bring Count Leopold and his party.”

Millaiyen Pestellio quickly corrected himself, watching Carina Leopold’s reaction.

Carina Leopold fortunately seemed to pay it no mind. She leaned her body against the headboard of the bed with a look of growing exhaustion.

—— Page 6 ——

It was something to look forward to.

Millaiyen Pestellio gazed quietly at her profile. Her pallid complexion and colorless lips clearly revealed her exhaustion.

Millaiyen Pestellio pressed his throbbing heart firmly with his palm.

‘Once I deal with those creatures, I’ll head straight to the Forbidden Forest.’

I had to capture Herta, the leader. No matter what it took, I had to keep her alive.

If I couldn’t obtain Haron through capturing her, there would be no opportunity left. Not even a chance for a miracle.

“Carina Leopold.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to live right now?”

His voice trembled as he whispered anxiously near her ear. Carina Leopold’s eyes widened before she smiled softly.

“Yes, with Millaiyen Pestellio, for as long as possible.”

“That’s enough then.”

That’s enough, Carina Leopold.

At his small voice, barely held together, Carina Leopold smiled.

Soon, a knock sounded. Millaiyen Pestellio exhaled a sigh.

“Come in.”

“Pardon the intrusion.”

At the familiar voice, Carina Leopold slowly lifted her head.

It was quite an unusual sight—her nestled in Millaiyen Pestellio’s embrace—but he showed no intention of releasing her. He had even settled her comfortably on his lap.

“I called you because it seemed we didn’t finish our conversation earlier.”

“No, it’s fine. How is your body?”

“Thanks to the medicine, I’ve recovered well. I believe you’ve heard the situation.”

Carina Leopold met Count Leopold’s gaze before turning her head away slightly.

She caught sight of Infrick in the back, but she had no desire to face him. She didn’t want to waste any more of her time on them.

—— Page 7 ——

“Please declare Carina Leopold deceased from the Leopold Family records. And please stop calling me Carina Leopold.”

“…Carina, don’t say such things. I fear I have been far too indifferent to you.”

His voice had grown soft and subdued, and Carina’s expression hardened instantly. She turned her gaze back toward Count Leopold, away from where it had drifted.

“This was my first time as well, so I made many mistakes. I thought I was doing well enough. But it seems I was only thinking of my own circumstances.”

“….”

“You must have suffered greatly. Forgive me.”

“….”

Guilt was written across Count Leopold’s contorted features. The expression on Carina’s face darkened as she witnessed it.

She gazed at Count Leopold with a somber expression.

“If only you had…”

“Carina?”

“I would have been happier if you had told me a bit sooner. It’s been so many years… If only you had told me sooner…”

Then there would have been no reason to come this far or meet Mila Yeon, but I still would have been happy.

She slowly lowered her head. But by now, she had already heard the warm words.

I’ve come to know kindness and gentleness. Even if I were to hear such words now, I wouldn’t know how to reciprocate.

“Just as it was your first time being a father, it was my first time too.”

Carina Leopold’s face contorted as if she were about to cry.

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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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