Limited Extra Time - Chapter 162

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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 want to go home…”

Carina Leopold murmured with exhaustion, her voice swallowed by the throng of people filling the expansive Banquet Hall.

Millaiyen Pestellio shielded her with his broad frame, yet even his imposing presence could not deflect every gaze that sought her out.

The Duke of the Northern Territory, Millaiyen Pestellio—

The same held true for the child he treasured and the Duchess, whom the Capital’s nobility had never once laid eyes upon. They could not remain still.

Indeed, many continued to cast their attention toward her.

Some young men flushed upon seeing her, while young ladies blushed at the sight of Millaiyen.

The married nobility showed keen interest in the couple’s behavior and their child, and the attendant Maidservants could not keep their eyes

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still for even a moment.

The Pestellio Ducal House typically refrained from meddling in Imperial Palace affairs and rarely set foot within its walls.

Their communication had always been conducted through official couriers.

They seldom ventured from the Northern Territory and served as its stalwart gatekeepers.

Due to the firm policies of the Previous Duke of Pestellio, no one had voiced discontent with such conduct thus far.

“Tch, these fools lose all sense when they gather.”

Millaiyen Pestellio clicked his tongue and roughly swept his hand through his hair.

Even his irritated glare, sharp with killing intent, proved ineffective against such a massive crowd. If only he could draw his sword and overturn a table or two—that would swiftly bring them to heel.

“Carina, are you all right?”

“Yes. I’m fine, and fortunately, Seren appears to be managing well too.”

“That’s a relief.”

“It seems His Holiness did something for you earlier.”

The moment the Pope’s name was mentioned, Millaiyen’s face twisted sharply.

Yet he refrained from saying anything else. What could he do? It was undeniable that she had helped him.

“Duke Pestellio, Your Grace…?”

At the voice that reached him from beside, Millaiyen’s expression grew even more menacing.

He lightly licked his lips with his tongue and turned his body around, his crimson eyes gleaming.

“It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Joseph Negative, and I have been conducting trade in goods with the Northern Territory.”

“…Count Negative, then.”

Millaiyen’s expression softened slightly.

He exhaled a sigh and crossed his arms. This was the Count of the Capital with whom he had conducted all his transactions through correspondence alone.

He had never particularly wished to meet him in person…

‘He had quite a timid disposition.’

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Even in his letters, one could sense how much he watched the other’s mood.

Yet when it came to matters from which he could not retreat, he never yielded. Millaiyen held this quality in such high regard that he had maintained their trade for a considerable time.

“I wished to offer my greetings in person at least once.”

“I heard your daughter was ill. Is she well now?”

Negative’s already dark face grew even darker.

He looked as weary as his name suggested. Simply looking at him was enough to exhaust oneself.

Carina Leopold stroked the child’s back gently.

“Yes, fortunately we found good medicine, and the child is doing well now.”

“That’s fortunate. Did Periel Kalos help with that?”

“No, unfortunately he said it was beyond his abilities, so I sought help elsewhere.”

Millaiyen’s eyes narrowed. A disease that Periel Kalos couldn’t treat

had been resolved thanks to someone else?

He lowered his head as if pondering for a moment, but soon shrugged his shoulders in acceptance.

“Quite the skilled physician, it seems.”

“Yes, he possesses exceptional medical expertise. He’s attending this banquet as my companion.”

“Is that so?”

“He’s over there now. Shall I introduce you? If anyone around you is unwell, feel free to mention it to him. His consultation fees are considerably higher than ordinary physicians, but I can vouch for his skill.”

Millaiyen nodded.

A physician of such remarkable ability might know another way to save her.

Millaiyen exhaled a heavy breath, arms crossed.

The Count looked toward something, then rose onto his toes and gestured. Someone slipped naturally through the crowd

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and approached the Count.

Carina Leopold’s gaze shifted toward the approaching man.

Pale beige hair, deep pink eyes, and skin so pristine and translucent it seemed to shimmer in the light. Save for his eyes, his entire coloring was remarkably pale.

With beauty rivaling Periel Kalos himself, Carina Leopold blinked in surprise. He was a man with a remarkably gentle countenance.

While Periel Kalos certainly possessed a gentle demeanor, this man was distinctly different.

It felt as though his entire being had been crafted from sugar work—delicate, intricate, and impossibly refined.

His pink eyes, a color so rarely beautiful, gleamed like crystallized candy, sweet and luminous.

Carina Leopold found herself unable to tear her gaze away from him, captivated by that peculiar enchantment.

When the man turned his head, their eyes met. In that moment of connection,

he offered a gentle smile and approached the Count, bowing gracefully.

“Did you call for me, Count Leopold?”

His voice, emerging from that youthful face, was as honeyed and soft as his appearance suggested.

Like honey dripping slowly, each word and gesture flowed with such natural grace that one never questioned his authenticity—a person whose very presence felt effortless and inevitable.

“Ah yes, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

“Oh, to me, sir?”

The man responded with feigned surprise, his innocent tone perfectly measured.

Count Leopold smiled and nodded, then turned his attention to Millaiyen and spoke.

“This is Duke Pestellio.”

“Ah, it is an honor to meet you. I am Isth. Please forgive me for lacking a surname, as I am but a humble commoner.”

“It matters not.”

Millaiyen dismissed the concern with a casual wave of his hand,

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his gesture light and unbothered.

Millaiyen was not one to concern himself with titles or rank.

In the Northern Territory, where talent was the only currency that mattered, borrowing even a cat’s paw was hardly an uncommon occurrence.

“Is this child yours—both of yours?”

“Yes, his name is Serenus.”

“How absolutely lovely.”

The pink-eyed man’s gaze softened, his pupils curving gently beneath his lids.

Watching those eyes crescent with warmth, Carina Leopold thanked him and offered a light laugh.

Isth gathered his divine power discreetly before extending his hand with careful deliberation toward the child.

Seren, who had awakened moments before, blinked his wide, alert eyes and tilted his head forward, his blue and golden gaze gleaming.

The child’s attention fixed entirely upon the Pink-Eyed Man.

“May the blessings of the divine grace both of you.”

“Kyaaaa!”

Seren’s gaze lingered upon him for a long moment before he suddenly flailed his hands and burst into delighted laughter.

“Seren?”

“Maa!”

“My, what a charming little one.”

Isth, who had drawn near without warning, gently brushed his fingertip against the child’s cheek.

It happened too swiftly to prevent, too naturally to notice, and yet even as his hand touched the child, there was no displeasure—only an inexplicable ease.

Everything felt peculiar.

The man’s movements, his tone, the flutter of his eyes, even his appearance—all seemed so natural, so utterly inevitable.

He existed in that moment with such seamless inevitability.

“Do not approach my people carelessly.”

Millaiyen spoke while lightly moving the sword at his waist.

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Without drawing his blade from its sheath, Millaiyen positioned himself between Isth and Carina Leopold.

The sheath pressed against his chest, and he smiled graciously before taking a step back.

“My apologies… The child is simply too adorable. This is only the third time I’ve seen a child.”

“Of course.”

“I… beg your pardon?”

“Seren is naturally cute.”

At Millaiyen’s words, Carina Leopold’s face flushed red while Isth’s expression became peculiar.

He appeared momentarily flustered before smoothly playing along as if it were nothing.

“Baaang! Waaa!”

Seren eagerly moved his lips.

His hand reached toward Isth with an almost desperate urgency. Carina, startled, gently pulled the child closer and patted his back soothingly.

“…Do you perhaps possess divine power?”

“Ah! Yes, I once walked the path of a priest at an obscure temple in the provinces.”

“As I thought…”

A soft sigh escaped between her lips.

“And you used divine power when you touched Seren just now, didn’t you?”

At Carina Leopold’s narrowed gaze, Isth’s eyes widened slightly before he quickly concealed the reaction and lowered his head.

He nodded.

“I have a habit of blessing children when I see them. Since I’ve spent so much time in rural villages, it’s rare for me to see newborns. If I’ve overstepped, I sincerely apologize.”

Isth bowed deeply, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Carina Leopold studied the man intently, her eyes narrowing slightly.

His actions and tone were perfectly apologetic, yet the atmosphere surrounding him was subtly different.

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“It was presumptuous. And…”

Carina Leopold opened her mouth to tell him not to feign apologies when he felt none, but she exhaled instead, swallowing her words.

There was no need to cause a scene here in the Banquet Hall.

‘Besides, it will be Millaiyen who handles the aftermath, not me.’

She had no desire to involve herself in such matters.

“In any case, Seren is sensitive to divine power. He tends to be favorable toward those who possess it, so I must be cautious.”

“I apologize. It was meant as goodwill on my part—I never imagined you would perceive it that way.”

The corners of Isth’s eyes drooped slightly.

He apologized once more, his expression melancholic, his lips curving downward.

‘Is he being sincere…?’

After so long away from such gatherings, it felt as though everyone wore masks.

Carina Leopold glanced at him and nodded somewhat awkwardly.

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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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