Limited Extra Time - Chapter 26

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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 ——

She finished her preparations with the help of the Maidservants and made her way to the entrance.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

Millaiyen Pestellio, who had been waiting below, asked as Carina Leopold descended the stairs.

He wore nothing but a simple tunic—unremarkable, neither shabby nor ostentatious—and dark trousers of the most common variety, an ensemble so light it seemed it might be swept away by the wind.

A stranger might have mistaken him for a mercenary rather than a Duke.

“Are you certain? Don’t push yourself, but you must tell me if anything feels amiss.”

“Yes.”

Carina Leopold answered with a smile.

Indeed, my body, which had deteriorated during the long journey, had gradually recovered after several days of proper rest.

While my physical stamina felt somewhat diminished compared to before, everything else was in the best condition I had experienced in quite some time.

—— Page 2 ——

My overall condition was the finest it had been in months.

“We’ll take a carriage to the nearby area and then proceed on foot. Will that suit you?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

Millaiyen Pestellio naturally offered her his escort.

Though I had never been escorted by anyone outside my family, Millaiyen Pestellio’s courtesy was as meticulous and impeccable as that of Infrick, the devoted knight.

There was no place.

It was somewhat unexpected.

“Unexpected, is it?”

Millaiyen asked as he helped Carina Leopold into the carriage and followed her inside.

“Pardon?”

“You have the expression of someone watching a rabbit sprint away suddenly sprout wings and take flight.”

Carina Leopold blinked several times at his jest-laden words before, after a brief moment of thought, nodding honestly.

Min nodded honestly in the end.

Millaiyen released a deflated laugh as if he’d anticipated her response, then spoke again.

“Father taught me directly that no matter where one goes, one must never embarrass one’s partner in this regard.”

“The previous Duke taught you?”

“Yes. He was lenient about other matters—I could indulge myself however I wished as long as I fulfilled my duties—but he was strict about the etiquette of nobility, the methods of escorting, and dining manners.”

“I abandoned them, but I strictly taught them the etiquette of nobility, how to escort properly, and table manners.”

Carina Leopold imagined Millaiyen grumbling while diligently grasping fork and knife.

This passionate man, who appeared so full of mischief, must have completed his duties responsibly even while voicing complaints.

Carina Leopold giggled softly, covering her mouth.

In the somehow hushed atmosphere,

—— Page 3 ——

she lifted her head and realized Millaiyen was gazing at her intently.

Carina Leopold quickly cleared her throat and turned away.

“Much better.”

“Pardon?”

“From the moment we first met, you always wore such a gloomy expression. I much prefer you like this.”

At Millaiyen’s words, Carina Leopold’s neck flushed a deep crimson.

She hastily turned her face toward the window. Why did her throat feel so warm over such a trivial remark?

Carina fumbled about searching for a water pitcher that didn’t exist, then soon lowered her head deeply.

“And you? Did the Countess Leopold teach you etiquette? Your movements are flawless.”

Millaiyen spoke as he recalled her unwavering, composed bearing.

Every movement of her fingers, each habit of grasping utensils or holding a cup—it was the very essence of a noblewoman.

Her gait was impeccable, and her posture when standing remained perfectly upright without the slightest sway.

“I learned from a teacher.”

“A teacher?”

“Yes, in my case, I was taught by the Countess Leopold…”

Her lips, which had been moving, suddenly fell silent.

Carina Leopold’s eyebrows trembled faintly as they lowered slowly. Millaiyen watched her quietly, waiting in silence.

“My younger sister was taught by Mother, and my older brother and younger brother learned from Father.”

“Then why did they assign you a teacher?”

“My older brother was the heir, so it was natural for him. And when I was learning, my younger siblings were still too young.”

Carina Leopold drew in a breath as if recalling those days.

—— Page 4 ——

He took a deep breath.

Yet what came to mind was only myself, desperately striving.

“I think I wanted to be praised….”

Her eyes grew distant as she murmured.

“My younger sibling was terribly ill back then. I suppose I had no time to concern myself with anything else.”

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much praise I received from my teacher, I had never once been praised by the people I truly desired recognition from.

There was no enemy.

I had endeavored to apply everything I learned during meals, and I had strived to conduct myself as I was taught, yet I could never catch anyone’s eye.

“They never showed a hint of surprise. I thought I had made tremendous progress.”

Her half-closed eyes were hazy.

Millaiyen listened to her story in complete silence.

Could a person’s smile appear so sorrowful and joyless?

Millaiyen had witnessed countless smiles throughout his life, but never one quite so melancholic as this.

‘They say one should not hastily judge another’s wounds, but….’

Her pain was especially like that. It was a kind of suffering he could never fully comprehend. So he chose his words carefully.

Sometimes any word or comfort could become a wound instead. There were times when simply listening in silence offered the greatest solace.

There were many instances where what one took for granted was utterly incomprehensible to another.

One cannot understand what one has never experienced.

To insist such understanding was right was merely another form of violence.

Millaiyen bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from speaking carelessly.

“When I was young, I despised my younger sibling terribly

—— Page 5 ——

My younger sister despised my leaving, and naturally, my parents wished to indulge her wishes.

Whenever Abelia heard that I was going somewhere, she would wear a displeased expression, throw tantrums begging me not to go, or often feign illness.

Naturally, my family always took Abelia’s side.

As a result, I reached this age without managing to cultivate a single meaningful friendship.

“That’s why I couldn’t make friends, and I often had to decline invitations to social gatherings and tea parties.”

Listening to her recite these words with such composure, Millaiyen swallowed a sigh that threatened to burst forth.

“Everyone told me that my sister was suffering, so I had to understand. I desperately tried to comprehend it.”

“…”

“Perhaps it’s selfish, but I simply couldn’t understand why I had to accept her suffering when my sister was the one in pain.”

Even now, I couldn’t truly make sense of it.

Should my sister’s illness have been the reason to steal my time and relationships?

Was I meant to sacrifice every moment I could have spent making friends and cultivating hobbies for her sake?

That was precisely what I cast aside first when I left home.

I no longer wished to understand Abelia by continuing to abandon myself.

The carriage lurched to a halt with a dull thud. At the same moment, my words ceased as well.

After waiting a moment longer, Millaiyen quietly opened the carriage door and stepped out first.

Once his feet touched the ground, he naturally extended his hand toward me.

We had already arrived at our destination.

“Carina Leopold.”

—— Page 6 ——

What?

The world is vast. The Count’s Territory in the Southern Territory isn’t everything. If you’d had someone to open your heart to, you would have been happier.

…

Carina Leopold remained outside the carriage, tilting her head back to gaze at Millaiyen.

He always spoke the words she longed to hear, as though he could read her very soul.

The solid warmth emanating from their clasped hands lent certainty to his words.

I kept the sapling that needed repotting confined to that small pot, stunting its growth. I stole the opportunity for one who should have taken root deeply and flourished on their own.

Carina listened to Millaiyen’s words in a daze, then lifted the corners of her lips into a smile.

Each word he spoke seeped into her heart. She wanted to memorize every single one.

His words had always given her strength.

When you finally can bear it no longer and break free from that pot, it won’t be your fault.

Carina’s eyes widened as she heard the words she’d dreamed of hearing.

She slowly closed her mouth. After a moment of silence, Carina burst into soft, delighted laughter.

Why are you laughing?

I just imagined a tree with legs.

The thought of a little sapling that had been firmly rooted in its pot suddenly popping out and striding away on two legs made the laughter spill forth unbidden.

…

…

So this is what happens when I try to set the mood—laughter erupts at the end of my words.

Millaiyen felt an inexplicable heat rising within him, and he turned his head away, his reddened ears warming beneath his fingertips as he touched the nape of his neck.

Carina Leopold lowered her head slightly, a hint of embarrassment crossing her features.

—— Page 7 ——

With a soft whisper of gratitude, she walked toward the Capital of the Northern Territory, her cheeks flushed, her strides purposeful and swift.

All the while, she pressed her trembling heart down with the palm of her hand.

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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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