Limited Extra Time - Chapter 150

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

—— Page 1 ——

This was proving to be remarkably troublesome.

No, to be honest, that wasn’t really the problem. Carina simply couldn’t move—her due date was far too close now.

“Carina can’t go anywhere right now. Her delivery is scheduled for next month.”

“The Dragon can use magic. Teleportation wouldn’t be an issue. Do you have a residence in the Capital?”

“…But?”

“Perfect timing, then. I’ve grown weary of inn life anyway. Herta seems to despise it as well. I’ll impose upon your hospitality.”

Ajidahaka’s shameless words made Millaiyen swallow a bitter laugh.

What in the world was this man saying? The veins in Millaiyen’s neck bulged prominently.

“…Do you have a death wish?”

“If you could kill me, I’d consider it the greatest honor.”

Ajidahaka clapped his hands with an expression of amazement.

—— Page 2 ——

He was clearly mocking him. After a long moment, he rubbed his face vigorously and turned his head sharply.

…The Capital.

“If you don’t wish to go, you needn’t. If the noise is the concern, we can simply find somewhere quieter.”

Millaiyen interjected quickly, cutting off Carina’s words.

Carina shook her head slowly. She was worried about potentially encountering Count Leopold and the others.

But thinking of the child, it seemed better to go.

“Then let me know once all the preparations are complete.”

Ajidahaka strode toward an empty room, speaking with such natural ease that I might have thought he was rummaging through his own home. Millaiyen, regarding him with displeasure, drew me into his embrace.

“It’s all right.”

“…Will there be no complications for the child?”

“There will be none for you either. I’ll see to it personally—I’ll seize that wretch by the collar if I must.”

At Millaiyen’s confident words, I let out a small laugh. Now as always, he was tenderness incarnate. I closed my eyes slowly, cradling my already swollen belly against his solid chest, which felt remarkably warm and comforting.

Less than a month had passed since Ajidahaka helped me reach the Capital when the day of delivery drew near. Childbirth was excruciating, yet simultaneously strange and miraculous. But if asked to do it again, I confess I had no confidence in myself at present.

—— Page 3 ——

The piercing cries—”Waaah! Waaah!”—filled the air as I breathed heavily, exhausted. When the Midwife placed the infant in my arms, the wailing ceased in an instant. As I examined the wrinkled newborn, my mouth fell open in silence. I could scarcely believe that this living being had been born from within me.

‘…I was carrying this child all along.’ This emotion transcended mere words like “overwhelming.” It defied both language and thought. The warm presence nestled in my arms proved the child’s existence.

I felt my vision blur. I forced my eyes open several times, but it was futile. My eyelids felt as though weighted with lead.

“Rest if you are weary, my lady. I shall care for the child.”

The Midwife carefully took the infant from my arms and wrapped it gently in soft white cloth. Watching the child recede from view, I blinked.

“Waaah!”

At the renewed cry, my fingers twitched, but that was the extent of what I could manage.

‘I should hold them a little longer…’ That was my last memory.

.

I opened my eyes again several days later. I retained fragmented memories of waking to eat and take medicine before sleeping again, but I had spent most of the time in slumber, accomplishing little else. When I finally regained full consciousness, my head throbbed from the prolonged

—— Page 4 ——

sleep, and my entire body felt heavy and damp. I had no desire to move even a single finger.

Yet it was the memory of the child’s sorrowful wailing at the end that forced my reluctant eyes open.

‘How does one love a child?’ I wondered.

It was not something I could grasp through mere intellect. The moment I beheld my child’s face,

I realized I could not escape from them. I understood that I could only love them.

“…Carina?”

“…I… lo… ….”

My voice emerged hoarse and strained, barely audible.

My lips moved soundlessly several times. Millaiyen nodded at the shape my mouth formed without uttering a word.

“Here, water. Can you sit up?”

Millaiyen cradled my back firmly with his arms and carefully helped me upright.

A dull ache throbbed between my waist and legs.

I took a few sips of water with soft groans of discomfort, then rested my forehead against his shoulder.

“Where is the child?”

“Behind you.”

“…Why are they here?”

“They cry if you’re not beside them. When I hold them, they’re calm for a moment, but the instant they sense separation, they cry again.”

Millaiyen shrugged as he spoke.

Yet his gaze upon the child was infinitely tender. He gazed at them for a long moment before turning his eyes to me.

“Their eyes resemble yours.”

“Mine?”

“Yes. I’ve never seen eyes of two different colors before… but they are entirely your shade.”

Millaiyen’s voice carried a hint of amusement as he gently pressed his lips against Carina’s parched mouth.

—— Page 5 ——

His lips brushed against hers like a feather before withdrawing.

Carina responded with a soft kiss to his cheek, her affection mirroring his tenderness.

“She has Millaiyen’s hair.”

“She does.”

Carina carefully extended her hand toward the sparse navy-colored strands, gently caressing the infant’s plump cheeks with a tender touch.

The child stirred with a soft whimper before suddenly opening her eyes wide.

Her golden left eye and sapphire right eye gleamed brilliantly as they caught the light.

The infant began flailing her small hands about, searching for something. Carina watched the tiny arms moving back and forth with quiet fascination.

“Hold her.”

“I’m afraid I might hurt her.”

“If that’s your concern, I was far worse. You should have seen how carefully I had to handle her—I was terrified she might break.”

At Millaiyen’s words, Carina laughed awkwardly.

She carefully extended both arms and cradled the infant. The child was far lighter than expected, causing Carina to glance down at her with mild surprise.

“By the way, she’s a girl.”

Carina nodded at Millaiyen’s words.

“And it seems she is indeed sensitive to sounds. She also can’t tolerate even slight odors.”

“Is that so?”

“She’s grown accustomed to our voices at least, so she doesn’t cry around us. That’s why I’ve restricted access to this room—only Peng is permitted to enter.”

Carina nodded.

They said that even the rustle of fabric sounded as loud as thunder to the infant. She couldn’t quite fathom such sensitivity.

‘I need to try to understand it.’

Indeed, whenever Carina or Millaiyen moved even slightly, the child’s ears perked up with acute awareness, and

—— Page 6 ——

the infant whimpered in distress.

No matter how carefully Millaiyen and Carina moved.

Carina gently covered the child’s ears with her palms while the infant lay upon the bed.

The child’s eyes seemed to widen slightly.

“Will this make it a bit quieter?”

The small child soon broke into a radiant smile.

At the infant’s bright, crystalline laughter, both Millaiyen and Carina’s eyes widened with astonishment.

“This is the first time I’ve seen him laugh. It seems he enjoyed you covering his ears.”

At Millaiyen’s voice, soft as a whisper near her ear, Carina nodded.

Ever since she’d realized those golden eyes were shackles, they’d never felt quite welcome—yet now they seemed impossibly beautiful.

Carina smiled as she gazed down at the color the child possessed.

“…It’s truly remarkable.”

“What is?”

“The child. Simply that… I still can’t believe I’ve become a mother.”

That this small life had been born from her own body—it felt unreal.

The promise I’d made to spend my entire life with Millaiyen felt like a dream, and the fact that I now held a child in my arms felt even more unreal.

“Have you decided on a name?”

“When Periel heard about the child, he came rushing over with a suggestion.”

“Periel did?”

“Yes. He proposed Serénus Pestellio. What do you think?”

As I tilted my head thoughtfully, Millaiyen settled beside me.

“He said he hopes the world our child inhabits will be filled not with noise, but with tranquility as calm as the Sea itself. He wishes for our child’s time to shine brightly—in every way.”

—— Page 7 ——

“Without pointless wars or conflicts, then?”

“Yes, he’s always been unreasonably idealistic like that.”

Yet the fact that he’d conveyed such sentiments suggested Millaiyen didn’t dislike them at all.

Serénus Pestellio.

The name carried a somewhat androgynous quality, but it was far from unpleasant.

“I like it. If Millaiyen approves, then so do I.”

“As long as it pleases you, that’s all that matters to me.”

Millaiyen pressed a kiss to the nape of my neck.

The child’s eyes sparkled with such vivid delight at the tender kiss that I gently pushed him away and cradled our little one instead.

“I’m counting on you, Serénus.”

I whispered the words to our child in the softest of voices.

Fortunately, the child didn’t frown but instead burst into delighted laughter.

As if I were asserting that I, too, found her agreeable.

“I’d prefer the nickname Séren.”

“That sounds lovely.”

She nodded in agreement.

As I cradled the child, she nestled deeper into my arms, her eyes drifting closed.

I gazed at the infant, who had begun to doze once more, and caught Millaiyen’s eye—we exchanged a silent smile as warm sunlight streamed down upon us, utterly delightful.

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