Limited Extra Time - Chapter 70

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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 ——

I couldn’t even understand what they were discussing.

Sales routes, landscape paintings being lovely, portraits being equally fine, the color palette this and that—their chatter buzzed around my ears like flies.

I’ll make sure you receive the highest possible price.

Thank you. I’m so fortunate to have Periel Kalos.

A flinch.

Millaiyen Pestellio’s fingertips came to an abrupt halt.

Periel Kalos glanced at Millaiyen Pestellio, whose gaze was fixed intently on Carina Leopold’s profile, then reached out his hand toward her.

Periel Kalos’s pale, slender hand brushed gently against Carina Leopold’s cheek.

He slowly gathered her hair and carefully tucked it behind her ear.

Millaiyen Pestellio abruptly rose from the sofa. The furniture shifted violently as he shoved it aside roughly.

Millaiyen Pestellio?

A crooked smile played at Periel Kalos’s lips.

What’s wrong? Is something the matter?

Ah.

Only then did Millaiyen Pestellio blink vacantly. He’d thought he was still seated, yet somehow he was already standing.

His mouth opened reflexively, but no words emerged.

Periel Kalos wanted to capture this moment of Millaiyen Pestellio in a recording crystal and treasure it.

A man who’d lived without caring for others’ gazes was now fumbling for excuses, unable to speak a single word.

I….

Him?

…There was a bug.

How pathetic the excuse I’d conjured sounded.

I bit the inside of my mouth hard, cursing my own stupidity.

Ha….

Her shoulders heaved noticeably.

She turned away, squeezed her eyes shut, and began trembling as laughter seized her.

No sound escaped her lips, yet it was unmistakably clear—she was laughing.

…What’s so funny?

Heh, no… *sniff*. I’m sorry… I’m terribly sorry.

—— Page 2 ——

Even as she apologized, her stifled giggles refused to cease. Finally, she burst into full laughter, covering her mouth as she drew a deep breath.

“So Millaiyen Pestellio is afraid of something too.”

“…I’m still human.”

“Ridiculous.”

At my absurd reply, Periel Kalos let out a soft scoff. Fortunately, Carina Leopold seemed not to have heard.

She smiled gently at me, her lips curving with amusement.

“Then there’s nothing for it. I’ll catch the bug for you.”

“…You?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t seem afraid of insects, do you?”

“Of course not. Insects aren’t frightening at all. I know something far more terrifying than that.”

Millaiyen Pestellio reached out and gently stroked Carina Leopold’s hair once. Watching her face light up with pleasure as she closed her eyes and let out a soft laugh, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as well.

Periel Kalos’s gaze fixed upon the two of them. His eyes, which had seemed to hold their breath and not even blink, grew heavy and distant. “You seem to have been in the Studio all morning. Have you eaten?”

“Mm…”

Carina Leopold answered without words, laughing instead. Understanding her response, Millaiyen Pestellio let out a long sigh.

“Do you realize it’s already noon?”

“Already?”

“Yes.”

Carina Leopold subtly avoided Millaiyen Pestellio’s narrowed gaze. Now that she thought about it, she was beginning to feel a bit hungry. Millaiyen Pestellio rose from his seat.

“Let’s go have a meal.”

“Oh, you haven’t eaten either?”

“I had breakfast. Just not lunch.”

“Ah…”

Seeing Carina Leopold smile sheepishly, Millaiyen Pestellio reached out absently. His large palm cupped her cheek. He brushed her cheek gently with his thumb.

“…Millaiyen?”

Carina Leopold called out to him in a flustered voice.

Only then did Millaiyen Pestellio startle and look up, hastily withdrawing his hand from her cheek as though he’d touched something hot.

“There was paint… on your cheek…”

“Ah…, was there…?”

With her face flushed crimson, Carina Leopold nodded. Millaiyen Pestellio covered his mouth as if to conceal the bewilderment written across his features.

Carina Leopold scratched at her cheek.

“Is there still paint on my face?”

“…No, there isn’t.”

Millaiyen Pestellio shook his head. In truth, there was no paint on her at all. It was merely the distinctive scent of oil paint that emanated from her like a personal fragrance.

A peculiar heaviness settled in the pit of my stomach.

“S-so, sh-shall we go get something to eat?”

Her voice, pitched high with nervousness,

—— Page 3 ——

wavered slightly at the end.

Watching her cover her mouth in embarrassment while gauging my reaction, my lips curved upward of their own accord.

‘Why is she so adorable?’

She sounded like a chick chirping.

I typically found whining sounds unbearable, yet her voice didn’t grate on me in the slightest.

‘Rather…’

My gaze descended slowly from her eyes.

It lingered on her crimson lips, which trembled ever so slightly. A curious desire stirred within me.

What would those lips taste like? Why did the scent of oil paint—something I ordinarily found repulsive—smell so intoxicatingly sweet from her?

I wanted to taste that softness.

‘…I’ve lost my mind.’

Millaiyen lifted his hand to his forehead, pressing against it.

He was losing his mind. What was he even thinking, behaving this way toward a sick person?

Besides, she and he were merely cohabiting temporarily for the purpose of annulment.

‘It’s over….’

She had said she would leave without hesitation.

When the promised time came, she would depart—she had asked me to wait just a few more months, and with those words, she had handed me the annulment documents with a bright smile.

Thinking about it now made me uncomfortable.

When I received those documents, I had thought I was casting off a heavy burden, but now

I felt reluctant.

‘Why did she hand over the annulment documents with such a bright expression in the first place?’

It was as though she had been waiting for this moment. The thought left me feeling unsettled.

Millaiyen turned his gaze toward her. In that instant, their eyes met. Carina Leopold startled visibly and quickly averted her gaze to the side.

‘…Had she been watching me all along?’

Millaiyen’s eyes widened. Now that he thought about it, she was always watching him.

Whenever he turned to look, their eyes seemed to meet.

Millaiyen’s mouth fell open.

“Friends, when are we going to get something to eat? I’m growing weary of waiting.”

Periel Kalos, who had been waiting for quite some time, finally could bear the situation no longer and spoke up.

Only then did Carina Leopold let out a soft exclamation.

“You’re right. Where should we have our meal?”

“The Dining Hall… Actually, it’s been a while since we’ve gone out. There are quite a few excellent restaurants in the Territory.”

“Really?”

At Millaiyen Pestellio’s impulsive suggestion, Periel Kalos’s mouth fell open in surprise, and Carina Leopold’s eyes widened.

Hearing the excitement in her voice, Millaiyen Pestellio nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Yes, but you must dress warmly and promise not to stray from my side.”

“I promise!”

“Then prepare yourself and come downstairs.”

“Prepare?”

At Carina Leopold’s questioning tone, Millaiyen Pestellio laughed.

She seemed unaware of her current appearance.

“You can’t go out wearing work clothes covered in paint, after all.”

“Oh…”

Carina Leopold’s face flushed a deep crimson.

—— Page 4 ——

That.

She took a step backward.

Millaiyen Pestellio suppressed his laughter and continued.

“I’ll wait for you, so go and get ready.”

“Yes!”

Carina Leopold answered hurriedly, then quickly turned and left the Reception Room.

Watching her, Millaiyen Pestellio let out a low chuckle he’d been holding back, his shoulders trembling with barely contained amusement.

Her appearance was endearing—like a chick performing a joyful little dance before scurrying away in panic.

The image of a flustered chick spinning in circles on its stubby legs made him laugh outright.

“Have you lost your mind?”

At the voice of the unwelcome intruder shattering his reverie, Millaiyen Pestellio’s smile vanished instantly.

Periel Kalos swallowed a hollow laugh as he watched the sudden transformation—all emotion stripped away, leaving only a cold, impassive expression.

Swallowed a sigh.

“What are you talking about?”

“Your face! Your expression!”

“What about my face?”

Periel Kalos studied Millaiyen Pestellio carefully as he replied with apparent obliviousness.

And then he understood. It wasn’t an act of feigned ignorance—Millaiyen Pestellio genuinely had no idea what his own expression had been.

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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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