Limited Extra Time - Chapter 45

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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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It would be no exaggeration to call it an almost reflexive action.

The man standing before me was beautiful. So breathtakingly beautiful that the word itself seemed inadequate—a dazzling visage I had never witnessed before in my life.

Long silver hair that shimmered with each movement, eyes with pale irises.

Graceful eyes and porcelain-white skin—he was quite literally the sort of perfect man one might only encounter in the pages of a novel.

Confronted with such flawless beauty for the first time in my existence, I found myself unconsciously rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand.

As I stared blankly at him, Periel Kalos smiled with an expression of mild bewilderment.

“Is there perhaps something on my face, young lady?”

His voice carried a note of embarrassment as he tilted his head slightly, yet it was so honeyed and mellifluous that it seemed to embed itself directly into my ears.

I had never imagined that a person could captivate another with their voice alone, and yet here one stood.

Right before me.

“Oh, no! I’m terribly sorry. You’re simply so beautiful that I couldn’t help myself…”

My face flushed crimson as I hastily waved both hands in denial. The sudden heat rising in my cheeks sent me fanning myself frantically.

I had never considered myself particularly indifferent to others’ appearances, yet this man before me possessed a beauty so otherworldly that it transcended all conventional standards.

At my compliment, Periel Kalos smiled softly, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement.

“Ah! I thought perhaps something was indeed on my face. Thank you for the kind words.”

“Yes, yes… But, um…”

‘Who are you?’

Unable to voice the question aloud, I turned my flushed face urgently toward Millaiyen instead.

As I turned, my eyes met those of Millaiyen, whose expression appeared decidedly displeased.

Millaiyen closed his mouth firmly as he looked at me, then let out a small sigh.

“Ah, forgive my late introduction. I am Periel Kalos. Upon receiving my close friend’s summons after so long, I hurried here with all speed.”

“Ah….”

I opened my eyes wide, regarding Periel Kalos intently.

Judging by the way dirt of various kinds clung thickly to his inverted robe, it truly

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appeared as though he had passed through the supposedly closed Northern Checkpoint.

“I, I’m Carina Leopold.”

“Yes, I am aware.”

Periel Kalos smiled beautifully and extended his hand. It was unmistakably an invitation to shake hands.

The moment I hastily raised my hand, something suddenly jutted out from beside me and grasped Periel’s hand firmly instead.

“…I didn’t want to touch the hands of such a rough man.”

“I’m simply delighted by this reunion after so long.”

Strength surged into their clasped hands.

At Millaiyen’s provocation, Periel Kalos’s eyebrows shot upward. A faint crack sounded in the mask he’d been wearing so well.

Periel Kalos glanced at me, then drew his lips upward, crafting a natural arc of a smile.

“I never knew you’d be so happy to see me, friend.”

“My, it seems the two of you are quite close.”

I spoke, watching the two men who showed no sign of releasing their clasped hands even after five minutes had passed.

Periel Kalos regarded me quietly, then cast a sidelong glare at Millaiyen before releasing the tension in his hand.

“It is an honor to meet the Young Lady of the Leopold Family.”

Periel Kalos extended one arm in an exaggerated flourish before drawing it back down and bowing deeply.

At his theatrical greeting, Carina Leopold’s eyes widened before she burst into laughter.

“You certainly have a playful nature, Lord Kalos.”

“Ah, but I was quite sincere, I assure you.”

“Please, call me Carina. I would prefer not to be addressed by that surname.”

Her voice was calm and measured as she laughed, yet carried an unmistakable firmness and resolve.

Millaiyen’s eyes widened slightly as he observed how decisively she drew that boundary.

He had wondered if she might harbor lingering hesitation or be constrained by the eyes of those around her, unable to express her true discomfort—yet here she was, severing the matter with a single, clean stroke.

Periel Kalos, perceptive as ever, did not press further and nodded readily.

“Very well, Carina.”

“Thank you.”

“I myself am not fond of such formalities, so if you would be so kind, might you call me Periel?”

Periel Kalos tilted his head slightly to meet her gaze, his tone warm and amiable as he made the request.

That wink—an action that would have seemed dreadful coming from anyone else—left Carina Leopold momentarily lost in thought.

‘It seems those blessed with beauty can make anything appear graceful.’

She recalled passages from certain books describing angelic beauty as so radiant and luminous that mere sight dazzled the eye, transcending the capacity of mortal words to capture.

Periel Kalos was precisely that.

“I understand.”

“Thank you.”

When Periel Kalos flashed that innocent smile, Millaiyen’s expression hardened like stone.

Watching Carina Leopold with her cheeks faintly flushed and Periel Kalos carefully concealing his true nature while selecting only honeyed words was unbearable.

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It felt as though I were forcibly wedged into a place where I didn’t belong.

Like an ill-fitting piece forced into the wrong puzzle.

“Ah, and… there’s something I’d like to tell you. Would you spare me a moment of your time?”

Periel Kalos furrowed his brow as though troubled, then rolled his eyes back before carefully parting his lips.

“Time isn’t an issue, but… what is this about?”

“Though it may be presumptuous, I felt it necessary to learn more about Carina Leopold’s condition, so I took the liberty of visiting Leopold Manor.”

“….”

The moment the words “Leopold Manor” left his lips, Carina Leopold froze as though time itself had stopped.

Millaiyen glared at Periel Kalos, but he continued to regard Carina Leopold with that troubled expression.

“Have I broached an uncomfortable subject? I was compelled to speak of it because there is something I must convey to you.”

His voice remained as sweet as honey that could melt one’s ears, yet Carina Leopold could no longer truly feel its effect.

As her breathing threatened to quicken once more, she gripped the fabric of her dress near her heart.

“Carina Leopold, are you alright?”

“…Yes.”

Millaiyen placed his hand against her forehead and checked her breathing. Fortunately, it hadn’t become too erratic.

“Calm yourself. I stand behind you. If you wish, I’ll drive him out.”

“…Drive him out?”

“Why are you spouting such nonsense here, making a fuss about it?”

Periel Kalos shifted his gaze from Millaiyen Pestellio downward to Carina Leopold, who leaned against him nestled in his embrace.

“I was actually upset after visiting Count Leopold’s Residence.

But I think I was too hasty. I’m sorry, Carina.”

At Periel Kalos’s polite apology, Carina Leopold shook her head side to side.

This was something she needed to hear. Of that much, she was certain.

Completely cut off from information, I had no idea how the Leopold House actually operated.

So I had to listen.

Because of them, my life had been ruined. A ruined life would never return to what it was.

Only half a year remained now.

If I didn’t set things straight now, it would shackle me for the rest of my life.

For all their days, they would live believing themselves righteous, never understanding my heart.

Now I could say it with certainty. Living ordinarily among these kind people, I had finally come to understand.

I, Carina Leopold, had been treated unjustly.

I was someone who could say when I was in pain that I was in pain.

I was someone who could accept care from others when I was suffering.

I was someone who should be able to do whatever I wished whenever I desired.

I was someone who could love freely.

If I disliked something… I could say I disliked it… and that was still acceptable.

None of these things were sins. Being punished for a mistake was not inevitable.

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It was only natural that I worried about being cast out of the house for disobedience.

…If things became difficult, it was acceptable to cry. I had to be that kind of person. I had to be.

It didn’t take long to realize how unjust those things were. Barely three months had passed.

Once I escaped the suffocating Leopold Manor, where everything felt blocked off, and stepped into a new place, I came to understand it naturally.

Those three months had been essential to me,

and I had spent all that time drawing the landscapes visible through the small window onto paper.

“…May I ask what it is you wish to convey?”

“A letter.”

“A letter? From whom…?”

“The letter was entrusted to Count Leopold.”

I drew in a sharp breath.

After exhaling a long breath, I lifted my head. My eyes, now gleaming with an unusual brilliance,

nodded in acknowledgment.

“Herr, step outside for me.”

At my words, Periel Kalos turned his head, his eyes narrowing.

He gazed once more into my golden eyes. He had never heard mention of me having golden eyes….

“You’ve activated your ability, Carina Leopold.”

“Yes, I wanted to learn the weaknesses of a new magical beast.”

“You used it for Millaiyen Pestellio.”

Periel Kalos’s eyes narrowed with a subtle, calculating intensity.

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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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