Limited Extra Time - Chapter 38

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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 ——

When Carina Leopold lifted her head, her eyes met those of Aria standing before her. Aria’s eyes widened slightly.

“Ah….”

A soft gasp escaped Carina Leopold’s lips.

Aria quickly erased the expression from her face and guided her into the inner Dressing Room.

“Shall I bring you ice water?”

“…Just cold water, please.”

After seating Carina Leopold in a chair within the Dressing Room, Aria nodded and headed back out.

Carina Leopold turned her head and gazed quietly at the mirror inside the Dressing Room.

‘…What is this?’

Upon seeing her neck and face flushed a vivid crimson, Carina Leopold was taken aback.

She gently touched her face and neck with her hands. Yet even when she rubbed vigorously with force, the skin would only turn pale for the brief moment pressure was applied before returning to its angry red hue.

“Here you are.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Carina Leopold accepted the glass of water with both hands and gulped it down. As her insides cooled, she finally felt like she could breathe a little easier.

“Is that a Haron you’re wearing around your neck?”

“Ah… yeah.”

Carina Leopold touched the crude necklace she wore beneath her dress. Her lips curved into an involuntary smile.

She had deliberated for quite some time about whether to wear it, but ultimately decided to put it on at the last moment.

“The Lord certainly gave you an amusing gift.”

“A fun gift? I thought it was just something to wish for the recipient’s good health….”

Aria nodded at Carina Leopold’s words. She didn’t add anything further, but the smile playing at the corners of her lips carried a strangely meaningful weight.

I was about to ask something when she urged me to undress so she could take my measurements.

That day, Carina Leopold stepped into the hell where an expressionless demon dwelled.

….

“Then you can simply choose from among these, Carina Leopold.”

….

Carina Leopold blinked blankly.

—— Page 2 ——

I couldn’t even comprehend what she was saying right in front of me.

My body wasn’t particularly exhausted, yet I felt as though I’d run a marathon—heavy and drained.

Carina Leopold, are you alright?

Ah, yes. Yes….

The journey toward custom garments, beginning with taking measurements, proved remarkably lengthy.

Of course, I had been fitted by boutique designers before.

But until now, I had simply allowed designers visiting Leopold Manor to measure me and chosen one or two acceptable fabrics or designs from what they presented.

Today was entirely different.

Aria asked me meticulously about every design detail I desired.

What postures I frequently assumed while sitting, what tasks occupied most of my time, where I typically ventured when wearing such garments—the relentless barrage of questions made my head feel as though it might split open.

And that wasn’t all. Amid all this, I had to examine fabric designs as well. She asked what texture of cloth I preferred.

Moreover, the Northern Territory’s clothing had a distinctly different design from the Southern Territory’s, so I had to provide detailed opinions on various styles and types.

It felt as though someone had wrung out the very soul dwelling within me.

Carina Leopold sat upon the sofa, her eyes blinking vacantly.

Millaiyen Pestellio, observing her silence, placed his hand upon her forehead.

Though rough, his touch was tender—and blessedly cool.

…How refreshing.

My breath had grown hot from the fever burning within me, and I reflexively closed my eyes, unconsciously pressing my forehead against his hand.

Millaiyen, who had been about to check my temperature, froze at my movement.

Attempting to cool the heat radiating from my feverish body—

I suddenly realized whose hand it was and stiffened, hastily withdrawing backward.

Ah, I….

Since only my body had retreated, Millaiyen’s hand remained suspended in the air.

My lips trembling slightly, I gazed blankly at Millaiyen, who had tilted his head back.

If you’re unwell, you should return and rest.

No…! I’m fine, truly. I’m merely a bit fatigued.

Did anything catch your fancy?

Yes, they’re all pretty clothes, so…

I turned my head toward where Aria stood, offering a faint smile.

Millaiyen, observing my profile quietly, rose from his seat.

Millaiyen?

Then I’ll have them make all of it.

Understood.

Hm? What do you mean?

Carina Leopold, who hadn’t quite grasped the situation, turned his words over in her mind before her mouth fell open and she rose from her seat.

Mil…!

And is there a place nearby that sells paint supplies?

No! I don’t need this at all!

Carina Leopold stepped in front of Millaiyen Pestellio and spoke. Millaiyen Pestellio reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her into his embrace.

—— Page 3 ——

against him.

“Mil…!”

“Shh. It’s alright.”

I’m not alright, what is this man even saying!

Just as she was about to struggle, he gently stroked her back as if soothing her.

Millaiyen Pestellio’s gaze turned toward Aria. Aria opened her mouth promptly, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“If you mean the Paint Shop, I believe there’s one at the end of an alley—turn right just before the last alley before the Market’s edge.”

“Understood.”

I understand.

“No, Millaiyen.”

Carina Leopold barely pulled away from Millaiyen Pestellio’s chest and lifted her head.

“Truly… that’s far too many. I’ve already seen over twenty different designs.”

“Wear them all in time.”

“But I’m not going to…”

I’ll never be able to wear them all anyway.

Carina Leopold had reflexively pouted as she spoke, but now she froze, her lips pressing shut.

In that moment, Millaiyen Pestellio, who had already paid Aria generously for the purchases, stood waiting by the entrance.

“Carina?”

“Yes?”

Carina Leopold, still turning over the words she’d nearly spoken, startled slightly and lifted her gaze.

She saw Millaiyen holding open the door with its brass handle, waiting for her with a puzzled expression, and she hurried to his side.

“Are you certain you’re alright?”

Millaiyen asked with concern as they stepped outside.

“Yes, it was simply rather warm inside… nothing more.”

“Was it?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s stop by the Paint Shop before returning to Leopold Manor.”

Millaiyen Pestellio and Carina Leopold walked slowly through the streets.

Unlike yesterday, when she hadn’t properly observed her surroundings, she could now take in the sights at a leisurely pace.

A market where excited people and fairly loud voices go back and forth here and there.

The streets bore no trace of flashiness or glitter—rather, they possessed a sturdy, rustic quality, as if hewn from stone. Yet despite this rugged character, the streets remained orderly and immaculate.

As we ventured beyond the surprisingly clean streets, the surroundings grew progressively quieter.

Carina Leopold’s eyes darted about restlessly. Millaiyen Pestellio, as always, matched his pace to hers and walked at her side.

Carina’s world had always carried a subtle undertone of grey.

No matter how brilliantly the sky shone, no matter how vividly she conjured that azure hue from her fingertips onto canvas, her world remained tinted with that faint, inescapable grey.

A world beautiful to behold, yet one that compelled her to wonder whether everyone within it truly knew happiness—or what lay beneath the surface.

But lately, that grey-tinged world had grown far too radiant, and the brilliance exhausted her.

The sky should never be so impossibly blue, yet it blazed with such intensity that it stung her eyes.

Even now, her fingers fidgeted restlessly, just as they had yesterday.

—— Page 4 ——

[Hold the hand of someone you love.]

The second item on her bucket list.

Nothing grandiose, nothing that required grandeur—when Millaiyen had asked her to write down whatever she simply wished to do, this was the first thing that came to mind after long deliberation.

I loved that large, cool hand that so often touched my forehead to check my temperature.

I wondered what it would feel like if that hand cooled the warmth of my own palm instead.

My hand flinched and trembled repeatedly.

A flinch.

The tips of my fingers barely grazed the back of Millaiyen’s hand before withdrawing.

As I stared at my fingertips, as though they had acted without my intention, my eyes rolled sideways to gauge his reaction.

Fortunately, he showed no particular response, as though he believed it had been an accident.

…When would another opportunity like this come again?

If not now, there might not be a next time.

That was the life I lived. One with a predetermined end.

I would wake from sleep in agony, and sometimes, when unbearable fever consumed my entire body, I would search desperately for anything cold to soothe it.

Waking in the night and pressing my body against the wall had become

a routine that stretched across countless days.

A life where closing my eyes meant I couldn’t know whether I’d open them again the next day.

What more could I possibly fear?

‘If I hate it, I’ll just stop.’

With that thought, a sliver of courage blossomed within me.

After taking a few deep breaths, I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them.

My trembling fingertips moved with newfound boldness toward Millaiyen’s 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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