Limited Extra Time - Chapter 18

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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 ——

Master, what do you mean by suddenly departing for the Northern Territory? Winter in the north is perilous.

If we leave hastily, it’s barely possible. You’ll be managing the Clinic for a while. I doubt I’ll return before spring at the earliest.

Nocton, who had just finished checking on Abelia Leopold’s condition as he did every day, tried to dissuade his master Winston, who was suddenly packing his belongings.

Winter will arrive during the journey.

His furrowed brow was filled with incomprehension and bewilderment.

If he departed for the Northern Territory now, there was a risk of being trapped between falling snow if fortune turned against him.

Wasn’t the Northern Territory a place where beasts swarmed during winter?

Moreover, according to rumors, during winter the Northern Territory sealed its checkpoints and scarcely allowed anyone to pass through—

—— Page 2 ——

or so the stories went.

“Why are you leaving so suddenly?”

“There’s a young lady afflicted with Art’s Syndrome with little time left to live. She departed for the Northern Territory, and I can’t help but worry. I feel compelled to go check on her. The Northern Territory likely has no physicians who truly understand Art’s Syndrome.”

Winston, having packed only the necessary herbs, medicines, and instruments into a rectangular leather bag, rose from his seat.

Faced with such an abrupt decision, Nocton stood

bewildered, unable to say anything for or against it.

“But still… it’s dangerous, Master. Isn’t that particular type of Art’s Syndrome the most severe form of the illness?”

“True enough. In all my years as a physician, it’s the first time I’ve encountered such a case.”

Nocton followed his master Winston, who had pulled a bowler hat low over his white coat.

“I’ve called for a carriage. It should arrive shortly.”

“I shall carry the luggage, Master.”

“Enough, enough. It’s not as though I lack hands.”

My stubborn mentor, having already made up his mind despite my protests, showed no inclination whatsoever to heed my objections.

A carriage appeared in the distance. Nocton exhaled a long, troubled sigh.

“Master, if you were to intervene, what are the chances of her survival?”

“It’s already far too late to do anything.

It’s unfortunate, but we must accept that she is nearly beyond saving. Even if, by some miracle, we could extend her time a little longer….”

Winston trailed off.

There was no point in voicing ill omens aloud. Nor was there merit in speaking uncertainties.

“Then why do you insist on departing?”

“That young lady appeared to come from a rather wealthy household, yet she’s fallen into such a state—it means her parents showed little concern for her.”

“They must have been heartless parents.”

—— Page 3 ——

“Tsk, tsk. Had they shown even a modicum of care, she would never have come to this.”

“Parents who abandon their children are common enough these days.”

As Nocton replied in a cold voice, the carriage that had been rushing toward us came to a halt before us.

Nocton placed the bag on the seat.

Grasping the door frame and stepping into the carriage, he turned back to face me.

“Do not grow complacent. Treat all patients with absolute impartiality. I am merely entrusting the Clinic to you temporarily—if I return to hear even a whisper of impropriety, there will be consequences.”

“Yes, Master. Rest assured. I shall keep your words close to heart.”

Winston cast a sidelong glance before climbing into the carriage.

Through the carriage window, Nocton’s eyes widened and his lips parted.

“By the way, who exactly is this patient?”

“What was it… something Rina, I think. The chart only has Rina or something written on it, so I can’t quite remember properly. Anyway, I’m counting on you.”

“…Yes, please take care on your way.”

Nocton bowed toward the departing carriage. As he straightened, his brow furrowed.

‘Rina…?’

A woman with chestnut-brown hair and an expressionless face—one who had vanished abruptly a month ago—flashed across his mind.

He’d heard that inquiries were being made about her whereabouts, but it seemed no proper news had surfaced yet.

‘The atmosphere felt off.’

Nocton’s brow tightened.

“Terminal illness? No, surely not.”

How common were names or nicknames like Rina, after all.

Soon, finding his own thoughts amusing, Nocton shook his head and stepped back into the shabby clinic.

It had been a month since Carina Leopold left the Count’s Territory.

—— Page 4 ——

* * *

A month had passed since Carina Leopold left home.

Even Abelia, who had said nothing at first, had begun to bring up Carina’s name, and Ferden too had occasionally mentioned wondering what his sister was doing.

The absence of the woman they had thought insignificant was gradually becoming visible to them.

Whenever they dined together, the maidservants would habitually set out Carina Leopold’s place settings, only to startle and hastily clear them away.

“Have there been any updates regarding Carina Leopold?”

“After reissuing the inquiry, she seems to have vanished into the crowds of the Capital. Beyond a single report stating that we are searching for her, we have received no further information.”

Cassis Leopold, the Count of Leopold House, replied with an impassive expression as he processed the mounting documents before him in response to Infrick’s question.

On days when Infrick had no duties,

he would assist him in managing the affairs of Leopold House.

Infrick too was waiting for news.

“Perhaps it would be best to dispatch soldiers after all.”

“If she has already crossed beyond the Capital, dispatching private soldiers is impossible. If we make a move and the Imperial Palace misunderstands our intentions, it will be troublesome.”

Even so, Count Cassis Leopold set down his documents and pressed his brow repeatedly.

This morning too, when he asked if there was any news, the Head Butler had shaken his head with a grim expression.

“I cannot fathom who she takes after to be so stubbornly willful.”

Cassis clicked his tongue as though reproaching Carina Leopold, yet his stern countenance refused to soften.

Whether the faint shadows beneath his eyes had formed from sleepless nights or from his inability to rest while processing the accumulated documents remained uncertain.

—— Page 5 ——

“Still, I am concerned. I pray nothing has befallen her.”

Cassis slowly swept his gaze across his study desk.

A family portrait and individual portraits of Infrick, Abelia, and Ferden were housed in small frames.

“…Was there never a portrait of Carina Leopold to begin with?”

As though only now realizing this, Cassis rummaged through the framed portraits and furrowed his brow.

Cassis rose abruptly from his seat, his gaze lingering on the portrait.

“Infrick.”

“Yes, Father.”

“I’m going to step outside for some air. Continue with your work.”

“Understood. Have a pleasant outing.”

Infrick offered a gentle smile and bowed his head respectfully.

Cassis nodded in acknowledgment before leaving the suffocating study.

After exhaling a short sigh, he paused at the threshold, then slowly turned toward the second floor.

“You remembered where my room is, Mother and Father.”

“Of course I would remember.”

“I thought you had forgotten, since you haven’t visited in years.”

Recalling their last meaningful conversation, Cassis’s footsteps carried him slowly toward the end of the second-floor corridor.

Abelia’s room had been placed nearest the stairs since she was ill and the Physician needed immediate access. Infrick’s was second, as he commuted daily. Ferden’s was third, being the youngest. Naturally, Carina Leopold’s room had become the farthest from the stairs, at the very end of the hallway.

Naturally, Carina Leopold’s room ended up being the one at the far end of the hallway, farthest from the stairs.

“Father, I like that room too. This one is too far from the stairs.”

—— Page 6 ——

“I’m scared.”

A young Carina’s voice mixed with whimpers flashed through Cassis’s mind.

What did I say back then?

She scolded me harshly, telling me not to act spoiled now that I was older.

She finally burst into tears,

but Carina Leopold thought it was time her younger sister learned to compromise.

“It is rather far, I must admit.”

Especially deeper within the residence, lanterns grew sparse, casting the corridor into shadow. At her young age, it was natural to feel afraid.

I had rarely visited this place properly.

I usually frequented Abelia’s chambers, and occasionally visited Infrick’s room to summon him.

I had often ventured to Ferden’s room as well, though not with great regularity.

But never Carina Leopold’s. I could scarcely remember when I had last set foot in that chamber.

Cassis Leopold’s gaze grew heavy and distant.

Standing before Carina Leopold’s door, Cassis Leopold slowly extended his hand and turned the handle.

The meticulously arranged room still held the faint fragrance of flowers, even after a month had passed.

Stepping into Carina Leopold’s chamber, Cassis Leopold slowly surveyed his surroundings. As he closed the door behind him, being at the corridor’s end, the silence deepened.

It was even more silent.

Cassis Leopold moved slowly toward Carina Leopold’s desk.

The desk, bearing the marks of daily use, appeared rather cramped for a fully grown adult to work at.

“If you require anything, you need only ask.”

Cassis Leopold clicked his tongue in displeasure, running his finger across the faded surface of the desk.

For Carina Leopold, it was simply a desk she had grown accustomed to and fond of using, but to Cassis Leopold’s eyes, it appeared

—— Page 7 ——

wholly unsatisfactory.

Worn pencils and new ones stood upright in the pencil holder, alongside several well-dried brushes.

When I opened the long drawer at the center of the desk, several sheets of used paper emerged.

They were unfinished sketches—landscapes rendered in pencil strokes, their lines drawn with care but left without color.

“…This is.”

Cassis Leopold drew in a sharp breath.

What had been sketched within was the family—

seated upon the hillside visible from the window of Carina Leopold’s room, including Cassis Leopold himself.

It appeared to depict a moment from roughly two springs past, when early spring had arrived and Abelia’s condition had improved enough for a brief outing to take the air.

“….”

In that instant of beholding the unfinished drawing, I was seized by a peculiar melancholy.

A chill brushed across my spine, and I reflexively turned to survey my surroundings, yet nothing existed

there.

‘…Was Carina Leopold not present at that time?’

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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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