Limited Extra Time - Chapter 6

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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 I returned to Leopold Manor, my younger brother Ferden was heading up to the second floor.

With shimmering golden hair and azure eyes, his face was so beautiful that if he simply grew his hair longer, it would be difficult to distinguish him from Abelia.

“Sister! Where have you been?”

“Ferden.”

The boy who had been climbing the stairs suddenly bounded down them.

“Wow, something smells delicious.”

With his keen sense of smell—sharp as a beast’s—Ferden approached with his nose twitching, quickly snatching what I held in my hands.

“Sister, isn’t that heavy? Let me carry it for you.”

“You only call me ‘sister’ at times like this. Go share it with Abelia. She asked me to bring some back when she returns.”

“Hooray! Thank you, Sister!”

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Ferden planted a quick kiss on my cheek and lips before snatching the paper bag from my hands and bounding up the stairs.

I stood silently, catching the lingering scent of skewers on my clothes, before slowly climbing to the second floor.

‘I should change my clothes.’

After moving about for so long, my energy had been considerably depleted.

I forced my heavy eyelids to stay open as I made my way to my room. Exhaustion had reached its peak.

The moment I reached my room, I locked the door and collapsed.

* * *

“…Carina!”

It’s so bright…. And so loud.

“Carina Leopold!”

The sound of my name, booming like thunder, jolted me awake from the depths of sleep, my eyes snapping open reflexively.

As I gathered my drowsy senses and lifted my head, a familiar silhouette came into view.

“…Father?”

Still half-asleep and bewildered, I straightened my body on the bed.

Looking out the window, it wasn’t yet morning.

‘Has the evening just passed?’

Gauging the time roughly from the window, I let out a quiet sigh and lifted my head.

“What brings you here?”

His expression was far too angry to suggest he’d merely come to invite me to dinner. An uneasy chill ran down my spine.

Behind my father, Count Leopold, I could see Ferden fidgeting nervously.

My lips pressed shut.

“Carina, did you buy street food for Abelia?”

“Yes, I had some business to attend to and went out,

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so I bought some on the way back.”

“Sigh…, Carina!”

Count Leopold raised his voice.

My body flinched reflexively. I forced strength into my trembling shoulders.

“Don’t you know Abelia’s health is fragile? You should have known better than to carelessly feed her whatever she wanted!”

“….”

Count Leopold spoke sternly, pressing his temples as if his head ached.

Carina’s expression hardened at his words.

After all this time, he finally visits my room only to say something so deeply disappointing.

I forced my throbbing head to work through the situation. It seemed something had gone wrong with Abelia.

I knew I should apologize first or ask if Abelia was alright, but my mind had gone cold.

‘…I only bought what she asked me to buy.’

“…What happened to Abelia?”

“The food must have disagreed with her—she vomited everything up and is now suffering from dehydration. How can you be so thoughtless as her older sister!”

His voice thundered through my head.

My exhausted body, my sleep-deprived mind, my drained strength—everything made my head spin. My stomach churned just as much as his words did.

“Your father is right. You’re an adult now—how can you be so careless?”

“But Lia was the one who….”

My stomach twisted at being blamed.

My head pounded from being forcibly awakened. I clutched my forehead and parted my lips to explain.

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“Don’t make excuses!”

Faced with the same situation as always, I gave up trying to explain. I fell silent.

“Father, Mother! Sister is just….”

“…So?”

I hardened my gaze and lifted my head, cutting off Ferden’s words.

I knew I had to endure. I knew that, as always, I should simply apologize and be done with it.

I knew Ferden was only concerned because Abelia was frequently ill. I knew there was no one else to blame but myself.

But why?

Why was there no one else to blame but myself?

“…What?”

At my retort, Count Leopold’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at me.

My mind knew it, understood it. I had sworn to myself dozens, hundreds of times to accept this.

‘But how much longer must I endure?’

Until my death a year from now? I questioned myself.

After I die, who will understand this heart of mine? No one ever will.

For my entire life, Carina Leopold would remain a foolishly kind, frustratingly dull, and immature person in everyone’s memory. The moment that thought crystallized, my chest burned hot and my mind turned ice-cold.

“What did you just say?”

“I asked what we should do about it.”

“How rude of you…!”

“I only bought skewers and juice from outside because Abelia asked me to.”

Karina spoke in a dry tone, her expression cold and devoid of any hint of a smile.

“And you should tell Abelia about that. You need to tell her not to eat foods like this since her health might not be good.”

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“How little attention do you pay to your sister that you wouldn’t even know something like that?”

“I thought it was fine because Abelia asked me to buy it for her.”

The more I spoke, the more wronged I felt. I didn’t receive regular reports about Abelia’s condition. How could I possibly know what she could or couldn’t eat?

When had the word “death” become such a source of courage?

I felt myself scoff inwardly as words I’d always kept bottled up came pouring out of my mouth.

Count Leopold’s face—along with Ferden’s and Countess Leopold’s, who had followed behind him—filled with astonishment.

What kind of person was Carina Leopold? A child who smiled kindly and considerately in any situation. When she made a mistake, she apologized sincerely and simply acknowledged her fault.

This was the first time anyone had seen her wear such a cold expression.

‘My head hurts.’

In truth, she was suffering too. Her head throbbed and her stomach churned. She wanted nothing more than to bury her face in the nearest basin.

“Carina, what on earth is this sudden change in your manner of speaking?”

Count Leopold spoke in an intentionally stern tone.

“A manner of speaking? I don’t believe there’s anything improper in my etiquette aside from expressing my opinion.”

“When you bring such food, you should have obtained permission from her physician first.”

What did he mean by “such food”? It was food everyone else was eating perfectly well, and I had even eaten some when the merchant offered it to me.

“I tasted it myself before buying it, so I thought it would be fine. I’ll be more careful next time, Father.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“…Very well, I understand. Please do be more careful.”

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Count Leopold questioned Carina’s actions, yet he nodded at her sincere response. As he turned to leave, having concluded his business, the Count paused mid-step and gazed at Carina intently. After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke.

“…Your sister has been frail since birth, you know. You understand that, don’t you, Carina?”

“Yes.”

“And you are healthy. So I hope you’ll understand.”

That wretched health of hers. Was she the only one born healthy? Infrick and Ferden were both perfectly healthy as well. Yet why did they always treat her robust constitution as though it were a sin, constantly demanding sacrifice from her alone?

Carina gripped the blanket so tightly her knuckles turned white, then let her head drop and released her grip.

“Yes, I understand.”

She trampled down the surging emotions with practiced ease, answering flatly while avoiding their gaze.

The Countess Leopold stepped forward to defend her husband.

“Your father was simply too excited when Lia collapsed.”

“Yes.”

“Being born healthy is such a blessing. Carina, surely your feelings aren’t hurt?”

A bitter laugh threatened to escape, so Carina pressed her lips firmly together. She had expected nothing, so how could her feelings be hurt? Her eyes met Ferden’s anxious gaze from behind, but she ignored it. Instead, as Count Leopold and the Countess turned to leave, Carina opened her mouth.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“What?”

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“I was wondering if that was all you had to say.”

“…What do you mean?”

A faint sneer tugged at Carina’s lips at Count Leopold’s bewildered question, then faded away.

“You knew where my room was, Mother and Father.”

“Of course I know.”

Count Leopold answered with a frown, as if questioning why she would ask such an obvious thing.

“I thought you had forgotten, since you haven’t visited even once in the past few years.”

At Carina’s words, Count Leopold’s face hardened into stone.

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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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