Limited Extra Time - Chapter 3

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

—— Page 1 ——

The Time of a Doomed Extra

A Full-Length Romance Fantasy Novel by Ja Eun-hyang

The Time of a Doomed Extra

Chapter 3

The following morning, Carina skipped family breakfast for the first time.

With only one year remaining before me, the first thing I wished to avoid crystallized in my mind.

I despised those uncomfortable morning meals—the ones where I inevitably regurgitated everything anyway.

‘And yet, no one comes to check on me.’

By noon, my door remained firmly shut, untouched by any visitor.

A peculiar loneliness settled over me. I hadn’t claimed to be ill—merely that my stomach felt unsettled and I preferred to skip meals today. Yet I hadn’t anticipated such profound silence.

All the things I had deliberately ignored until now came flooding back like an ebbing tide.

Having forgone breakfast, I sat at my desk with an apple the maid had brought me, clenched between my

—— Page 2 ——

teeth.

Once I resolved to leave, my plans fell into place with surprising ease.

Though I had never prepared for a journey before, I harbored the naive conviction that sufficient coin could carry me anywhere I wished to go.

The paramount concern was to prepare in secret and depart on my travels undetected.

I allotted myself one week for preparation—time enough to arrange carriage passage and gather the necessities for

my journey.

Karina gripped her pen and began writing on the paper.

‘I’ll exchange some of the gold coins for smaller denominations….’

A simple change of clothes, some dried meat, water, and….

“Ah! I mustn’t forget the annulment documents.”

If things went as I expected, that man would surely not refuse the annulment documents that had rolled into his possession.

[Annulment documents.]

I gazed down at the words plainly written on the paper.

A childhood betrothal or marriage was inevitable—such matters were decided by family and parents.

But now that I had come of age, I possessed the authority to make my own decisions regarding marriage and annulment.

[Medicine.]

I would need to visit the Physician again, I murmured softly to myself.

What I needed most urgently was medicine to sustain me through the long journey ahead.

I methodically wrote down everything necessary in my notebook. After listing ten items, nothing else came to mind.

I sat in silence for a while before finally setting down my pen.

—— Page 3 ——

I blew gently to dry the ink, tore the page from the notebook, and tucked it into my sleeve.

‘With only a week to prepare, I must gather the medicine in advance.’

Having decided where to go first, I rose from my seat.

I stuffed my allowance generously into an old bear-faced purse and changed into my outdoor attire.

I briefly considered calling for a maidservant but ultimately decided against it.

Perhaps because I had grown accustomed to handling so much on my own, I found the presence of a maid somewhat burdensome now.

I stood before the mirror for a moment, scrutinizing my reflection with deliberate care.

My pallid complexion appeared devoid of vitality, and my parched lips were drawn thin and colorless.

My hair, an unremarkable shade of brown, seemed perpetually disheveled no matter how meticulously I combed it, as though it reflected the dullness in my expression.

The only feature worthy of note was my deep blue eyes—a testament to my bloodline as a member of the Leopold Family.

I considered my eyes the most beautiful aspect of my otherwise unremarkable appearance.

However, it was only the one pretty thing about her body, and compared to the rest of her family, even that wasn’t a striking beauty.

My beautiful parents. My elder brother Infrick, who had received countless love letters from noble ladies since childhood.

My younger brother Ferden, whose vivacious nature drew countless friends. And Abelia, who despite her frail constitution, always commanded the center of society and drew people to her side.

They were always at the heart of everything. By contrast, I was unremarkable in appearance and sparse in speech.

Simply an ordinary noblewoman.

Had I been born into a different household, I might have lived a respectable life, cultivated friendships, and found happiness.

—— Page 4 ——

Perhaps.

But those surrounding me possessed far too radiant a presence.

With such luminous individuals encircling me, my own existence faded into obscurity.

I quietly slipped from the room. My chamber, situated in the inner recesses of the second floor, was a quiet place where servants seldom ventured.

The moment I reached the central staircase, I caught sight of someone ascending to the second floor.

A man with verdant hair, dressed in an immaculate white coat—

it was Nocton.

I waited at the top of the stairs without descending, and he seemed to sense my gaze, lifting his head.

“Miss Karina.”

“Yes. It’s been a while, Nocton. What brings you here?”

“Ah, it’s not about Lia—”

He caught himself, glancing at me before smoothing his lips. When I offered no reaction, Nocton quickly opened his mouth again.

“It’s the day of Miss Abelia’s health examination.”

His eyes curved gently, almost sorrowful.

He was a man of good character and refined speech—kind, with the gift of returning affection with affection.

I felt my spine stiffen and forced myself to nod.

“Go ahead then.”

I had no desire to exchange many words with him.

didn’t want to.

Ironically, he was the person she had harbored in her heart during that brief, sweet dream of Karina’s.

Knowing that his gaze was always directed only at Abelia, she trampled down the feelings she had kept closed like a bud.

I heard he had a younger sister who died young when he was a child.

It seemed his younger sister and Abelia had quite a few similarities, as he was very favorable toward Abelia.

—— Page 5 ——

After her brief thought, Karina brushed past him and tried to head down the stairs.

“You don’t look well. Are you okay?”

Karina nodded, meeting his narrow deep green eyes.

When did I even start caring about this?

“I just haven’t been sleeping well.”

“You could have a checkup together with Miss Abelia if you’d like.”

“It’s fine.”

Since Carina was Abelia’s older sister, Nocton often showed her a certain measured kindness, but that was all it ever was.

A shallow courtesy that ended after one suggestion and one refusal.

“You’re going out, I see.”

“I have something to attend to for a moment.”

“Noct… Oh! Sister!”

A young girl with an innocent face peeked out from somewhere, her timing unknown, and quickly rushed over to embrace Carina.

Dangling precariously at the end of the staircase, Carina hastily grabbed the railing while Nocton quickly caught her by the waist.

Carina’s eyes widened at the feel of Nocton’s arms around her waist. As she looked at him with a flustered expression, Nocton swiftly withdrew his hands.

“It’s dangerous to hang like that.”

“Sorry, Nocton. I was just so happy to see Sister.”

Abelia nodded with a playful laugh at Nocton’s concerned voice.

“Sister, why didn’t you come this morning?”

Abelia asked with a bright laugh, tilting her head toward Carina.

Carina looked down at Abelia, who had clung to her and buried her face in her neck, forcing a smile onto her hardening expression.

And as always, she gently stroked Abelia’s back.

Abelia was certainly lovable.

—— Page 6 ——

Yet absurdly, in that same moment, I despised her.

And what I hated most, what infuriated me most, was myself—for harboring such thoughts.

“Sister, where are you going?”

“Oh, just somewhere I need to visit. By the way, Abelia, be careful on the stairs.”

“Hehe, I was counting on you to hold my hand.”

Abelia, who had grown so much and now smiled so affectionately, had once deliberately hidden her own mistakes to avoid punishment—leaving me to bear the blame and suffer the consequences.

Of course, it was always I who ended up shouldering her faults and paying the price.

Sometimes, remembering those days, I had to smooth my hardening expression again and again, composing myself.

“…Don’t rely on it.”

I muttered in a low voice.

“Pardon?”

At her question, my body flinched involuntarily.

As I hurriedly lifted my head, I saw Abelia still smiling with that angelic face, as if she hadn’t quite heard me, and behind her, Nocton wearing a peculiar expression.

“Never mind. I heard Nocton the Physician came for your health examination. You should go get checked. That way you’ll recover quickly.”

“But Nocton is such a nag. And I’m feeling much better now! So I’d rather go out and play with you, Sister.”

Abelia’s blonde hair shimmered at my fingertips as she pouted.

Those beautifully waved locks and that endearing personality—neither were mine to inherit.

“You can’t. It would be a waste of Nocton’s time.”

“But pleeeease….”

You can live.

I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat.

—— Page 7 ——

Karina turned her head.

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