Limited Extra Time - Chapter 24

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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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The Lifespan of a Doomed Extra

A long-form romantic fantasy novel by Ja Eun-hyang

The Lifespan of a Doomed Extra

Chapter 24

Nocton swiftly erased the bewilderment that had flickered across his face with a smile, then opened his mouth again with practiced nonchalance.

“Miss Abelia expressed concern, and I found myself troubled as well, so I ventured to ask. If my words were presumptuous, I offer my apologies.”

“No, that wasn’t it at all. When someone who was visible suddenly vanishes, concern is natural. As for Carina Leopold, we have no information yet—only that she has disappeared from the Capital.”

“…I see.”

Nocton fell silent.

Winston had transferred his duties to Nocton and handed over the patient records he had been maintaining.

There were continuous visitors, and those who required regular examinations or treatment.

And there was no falsehood in those records. So if the Carina Leopold in the records was the same Carina Leopold he knew, then she had contracted the Artistic Plague.

And of all things, it was the kind that consumed

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one’s very life. No news about it could be welcome.

“If you happen to hear anything at all, please contact me.”

“…Understood.”

Nocton bowed. He could not determine whether he should share this information or keep it hidden.

If Abelia learned of this, her improved health could deteriorate far more severely.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Yes. If anything happens to Abelia, inform me at once.”

“Understood.”

He turned to go. Nocton, grasping the door handle, hesitated for a moment.

Just as Cassis Leopold opened his mouth upon noticing Nocton’s lingering presence, the latter pivoted his body at an angle.

“Have you made any inquiries toward the Northern Territory, by any chance?”

“No, I haven’t gone that far. I didn’t think she could have reached the Northern Territory when she left with barely two coins in hand.”

Cassis Leopold exhaled a weary sigh as he answered.

Of course, his thoughts had changed now. Though he couldn’t predict how swiftly word would travel, he intended to send inquiries to the Northern Territory as well.

It was better to act now than to delay further.

“I see. I do hope favorable news arrives.”

“Indeed. Once word comes, I’ll inform you. Now that your business is concluded, you should return as well.”

“Yes.”

Nocton bowed once more before withdrawing from the Study.

He rubbed his jaw with a darkened expression. It wouldn’t do to trouble the household with uncertain news.

‘Since my mentor departed, she will surely return with answers come spring.’

The fact that Carina Leopold had left without informing anyone made it abundantly clear there were compelling reasons for her departure.

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Nocton knew her composed and quiet nature well. She was not one to act without deliberation.

Yet he harbored an undeniable desire not to speak of it—a fear that Abelia might suffer shock and collapse from the revelation.

“Nocton?”

“Ah, Infrick.”

“Are you on your way back after visiting Father?”

“Yes, I was just about to head inside.”

Nocton answered with measured composure.

“Very well. Go in carefully.”

“Thank you.”

Infrick nodded silently and offered a brief greeting.

Nocton bowed respectfully to Infrick before departing Leopold Manor without delay. As Infrick watched him disappear, he exhaled softly and entered Cassis’s study.

“Father.”

“Infrick? What brings you here at this hour?”

“Is that so?”

“My work finished early, so I returned. I’ve also asked my colleagues who are being dispatched to gather information about Carina Leopold.”

Cassis nodded, forcing his expression to remain composed.

The fact that he was still asking meant there was no good news. His chest tightened with frustration from every angle.

Cassis tossed an antacid into his mouth and washed it down with water.

“Infrick, why do you think Carina Leopold left home in the first place? Do you have any suspicions?”

“Do you think I left the house? Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”

Cassis spoke with evident frustration.

“Nothing concrete comes to mind, but I did notice Carina Leopold occasionally seemed displeased when I paid attention to Abelia and Ferden.”

“…That’s unavoidable, isn’t it? It’s only natural to worry about a sick child. But surely you didn’t leave for something so childish. There must have been another reason.”

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Cassis Leopold let out a scoff as if the very notion were absurd, appearing not to truly listen to what Infrick was saying.

“She speaks so little that we may not have been aware of her grievances.”

“Exactly! If she had complaints, she should have said something. What in the world is….”

My voice rose as emotion surged within me.

“What kind of behavior is this? If she were safe, she could have at least written a letter.

What is the meaning of this? There’s no greater filial impiety than this.”

At Cassis Leopold’s words, Infrick smiled bitterly.

Their father was neither forthright nor graceful. Infrick understood that well.

Yet he could not fault him for it, because Infrick himself had been raised with affection through those clumsy hands.

Infrick was the heir.

Abelia was born with a fragile constitution.

Ferden was mischievous and often came home injured.

Unlike the other children who gave him reasons to care for them, Carina Leopold was quiet and undemanding—perhaps he had simply lacked sufficient reason to pay her attention.

He retained a faint memory of seeing Carina Leopold wearing a lonely expression even when they were together.

When she was young, Carina Leopold had delighted in having her head patted, and would smile quite brightly whenever he gave her candy.

But at some point, her laughter faded, a forced smile took its place on her face, she rarely left her room, and she stopped attending family gatherings.

Infrick had been quite busy himself, and uncertain how to approach her with that expression on her face, so he gradually kept his distance.

By the time I came to my senses, the distance between myself and Carina Leopold had grown so vast that even outstretched hands could not bridge it.

Now, looking back with some regret,

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I wish I had made the effort to greet her, speak with her, and visit her room, no matter how inconvenient it might have been.

Had I done so, perhaps she would not have left without saying even a single word to me.

But it was already too late to change anything now.

“When Carina Leopold returns, I believe it would be better to have a conversation with her first rather than scold her, Father.”

“…First, the child needs to come back, doesn’t she?”

Cassis Leopold spoke as though exhausted. Hearing the weariness in his voice, Infrick fell silent.

“I don’t understand where things went wrong. I thought I raised her without lacking anything—a home, possessions, meals…”

Cassis Leopold believed he had done his best.

At least, that was how he saw it.

Though he may have done somewhat less compared to Infrick and his two other children, he had made an effort to ensure she wanted for nothing.

“What of Mother?”

“…She hasn’t been sleeping properly these past few days, and it seems she’s come down with an illness.”

Cassis Leopold pressed his forehead wearily.

“Nocton prepared medicine for both Dalia and Abelia before he left, so don’t worry too much.”

Concerned about Dalia, Cassis Leopold rose from his seat.

Caring for his ailing wife seemed far more worthwhile

than holding documents he couldn’t grasp.

“Since I’m worried about your mother as well, I should take my leave now.”

“Yes, please don’t overexert yourself. Go on inside and rest.”

“Very well. You should go rest too.”

“I’ll just show my face to Mother and then retire for the evening.”

Cassis Leopold nodded at Infrick’s words.

Infrick followed silently behind Cassis Leopold. As he pondered thoughtfully, Infrick

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suddenly recalled the times when Carina Leopold had fallen ill.

“Now that I think of it, whenever Carina Leopold was unwell, she would always look startled when I visited her.”

“When Carina Leopold was unwell?”

Cassis Leopold’s brow furrowed. This was something he had never heard before.

“She was ill? There were times like that?”

“Yes, not as often as Abelia, but fairly regularly…”

At Cassis Leopold’s question, Infrick replied with a look of surprise.

Since Carina Leopold was typically tended to by Dalia rather than Cassis Leopold, information about her illnesses often failed to reach him.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Cassis Leopold proceeded silently toward the bedchamber he shared with his wife.

Even as Infrick greeted Dalia upon entering and turned to leave, Cassis Leopold said nothing.

Recently, Carina Leopold had acquired a new hobby.

It was watching Millaiyen Pestellio through the window as he trained at dawn each morning.

Millaiyen rose before dawn to practice his morning exercises. His swordplay was graceful and sharp, each stroke cleaving through the air with a weighty sound.

Watching him became her dawn ritual—sketching the landscape visible through the window as he trained.

Observing him kindled a motivation she’d never possessed before. So much so that she now woke at dawn, something she’d never done previously.

The problem was that even with early mornings, she remained perpetually sleep-deprived.

By the time his exercises concluded, she would collapse back into bed to reclaim the lost hours of rest.

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Carina Leopold rose from her seat shortly before noon. During the day, she had been composing a list of things she wished to do before death.

It had been three days since she’d held the pen, yet when she attempted to write what she truly desired, her hand froze and refused to cooperate.

‘Only one line after three days.’

Carina Leopold gazed at the notebook with a grave expression.

The very first entry on her list of things to do before death was a single line:

to go on a picnic with someone.

“Should I ask what there is to see in the Northern Territory?”

“What’s there to see in the Northern Territory besides monsters?”

“Eek!”

At the voice from behind, Carina Leopold jolted upright.

She turned belatedly to confirm Millaiyen’s presence, her breath catching.

“Quite the reaction—as if you’d seen a monster.”

Millaiyen stood leaning against the doorframe with an expression of displeasure, his arms crossed as he regarded her.

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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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