Limited Extra Time - Chapter 73

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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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Carina Leopold’s body stiffened at Millaiyen’s unexpected words. She tried to brush past it with a forced, casual laugh, but the smile wouldn’t come easily. Her heartbeat quickened. Anticipation and exhilaration and a hint of longing coexisted with a vast, consuming dread. Her gaze fixed on Millaiyen. He too was watching her quietly. Their eyes met in the empty space between them, tangled and neither willing to look away first.

“…”

He seemed to be waiting for her to ask what he meant. Carina Leopold clasped her hands before her and drew the corners of her mouth upward as naturally as she could. She tried to smile without trembling.

“You’re just like me.”

“Like you?”

“I also have moments when I wish to feel warmth.”

Millaiyen’s expression grew strange at her words. It was an oddly misaligned response. Carina Leopold had already shifted her gaze elsewhere, as though drawing a line to signal she wished no further conversation.

“In any case, don’t use that ability unless absolutely necessary.”

“I’m trying.”

Carina Leopold answered.

Truly, she was doing her utmost. How agonizing it was to set down the brush when completion loomed so near, refusing to finish.

“Carina Leopold.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve recently come to regret something.”

“Regret…?”

Carina Leopold’s eyes widened as she echoed his words. He nodded in response. She turned her head back toward Millaiyen, then hesitated.

‘…How long have you been watching me?’

The moment she turned her gaze, their eyes met. Now that she thought about it, his posture hadn’t shifted once during their entire conversation. So he had been watching her all along? The realization sent heat flooding into her face. “When I first met you….”

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He blinked. His heavy eyelids, weighed down by frustration, slowly lifted again, revealing his eyes. The crimson irises hidden beneath trembled faintly. “I never properly spoke to you.”

His exasperated voice lodged itself in my ears. It wasn’t quite deep regret or self-reproach, but his tone carried a thick undercurrent of longing. “If I had truly known you back then, would this situation be less dire?” “….”

I remember the first time I met Millaiyen Pestellio. That memory remained vivid—perhaps the very day I first held him in my heart. Whenever hardship came, I often recalled his words. Whether I stood alone, pretending to be strong, or feigned indifference, I found myself thinking of what he had said. Somewhere along the way, his words became my greatest support. Whatever I did, whatever I thought, they seemed to absolve me of guilt. The reason I could come this far was surely because I unconsciously thought of him. “Even if we had known each other back then, it would have been unavoidable.” Of course, my breathing might have been easier than it is now.

Had he become someone I could exchange letters with even once a month, I would wear a brighter face now. But even then, nothing would have truly changed. Apart from that one month when his letters arrived, the rest of my time would have been no different from before. My support would have merely shifted from the Millaiyen Pestellio in my memories to the one who contacted me monthly. Of course, if he had extracted me to the Northern Territory, that would be another matter entirely. ‘…He would never have abandoned the painting.’ But perhaps I wouldn’t have ended up like this. …I would never have done something so foolish. “This is unavoidable. I could never have let go of the painting.” “Still, I would have listened to your words more carefully.” “Millaiyen Pestellio, you are kind. But… this is entirely my fault. Or rather, my family’s.”

I shook my head. Millaiyen Pestellio had no need for such an expression. He had no reason to think such thoughts. He was my one and only lifeline. “So Millaiyen Pestellio has no reason to feel guilty.” I wished he would never learn of my clumsy feelings. Once revealed, this awkward emotion would surely create enormous ripples. It would cling to Millaiyen Pestellio’s legs, moving shamefully. “I’m happy even now.” Had I met him a few years earlier, things might have been different, but that past is already gone. Once a moment passes, it cannot be reclaimed. No matter how hard one tries to turn back time, one is never given the chance to make that same choice again. So I no longer wished for much. Simply being

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at his side was enough. Building the memories we never could was all I desired.

You truly desire nothing at all.

With nothing to your name, you ask for nothing. Whether arriving here with only a shabby cloth bag, going to buy painting supplies, or having clothes tailored—you desire nothing.

If Millaiyen Pestellio knew how much I truly covet, he would be astonished.

Would he?

Truly. He might even grow angry at me from sheer shock.

To remain at Millaiyen Pestellio’s side, knowing I would die—that was my greatest desire.

The first desire in my life that suppressed reason.

The first desire that made me think of myself before others.

I have no reason to grow angry with you.

…You just did moments ago.

Who is this person who saw a butterfly soar high into the sky and arrived here from the first floor in less than three minutes?

That was a slight exception. How is the pain recently?

Well… it’s manageable.

Your “I’m fine” lacks all credibility.

Millaiyen cut through her words with decisive finality.

How many times have you experienced pain over the past week?

Mm…

At Millaiyen’s question, Carina Leopold let out a low hum and swiftly averted her gaze—though it was futile, for she remained nestled in the palm of his hand, her eyes inevitably drawn back to him with his every step.

This is such a violation of my privacy.

Discussing your illness with a Physician is hardly a privacy violation.

You’re not a Physician, though.

I’m your guardian.

I’m an adult—I don’t need a guardian.

Watching Carina Leopold refuse to yield so easily, Millaiyen’s eyes narrowed further.

There was undoubtedly a reason behind her stubborn resistance.

When Carina Leopold had something to hide, she became more resolute and far more talkative.

Millaiyen had learned this truth during their time together.

Carina.

Yes?

If you don’t speak truthfully, the outing you were planning for today is cancelled.

A flinch. Her ears perked up.

Carina Leopold’s body tensed momentarily, then her ears twitched upright as she shifted again.

Her pupils trembled faintly as she turned her gaze away. Millaiyen, arms crossed, regarded her in patient silence.

…An outing?

There’s a Lake not far from here, and I was planning to go there.

A Lake….

As it happened, what I had just painted was also a Lake.

It was a place Carina Leopold had never visited.

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So I had searched through various books to find reference materials.

The painting I had created today was that Lake with countless butterflies scattered throughout it….

…Is it a real Lake?

“Are there fake Lakes?”

Carina Leopold’s lips pressed firmly shut.

Her eyes darted back and forth, rolling in every direction.

Since arriving in the Northern Territory, I hadn’t been to many places. At most, I had only visited the Market or the Castle Wall

itself.

“…I want to go. I really want to go.”

Carina Leopold answered with eyes brimming with desire, swallowing hard.

Watching her pupils gleam with vitality, Millaiyen Pestellio smiled crookedly.

He bent his waist and brought his face close to Carina Leopold’s nose. At his sudden movement, Carina Leopold held her breath.

Carina Leopold held her breath at his charming behavior.

Millaiyen’s lips passed through a distance where the tips of their noses seemed about to touch.

It brushed past her ear.

“If you answer me properly.”

Millaiyen’s whisper against her ear sent Carina Leopold’s face flushing crimson.

His voice, deliberately low and intimate, sent a shiver down her spine. She startled, her eyes wide, and clutched at her own ear.

“W-what… what are you…”

Millaiyen’s expression darkened with disappointment as Carina Leopold stepped back.

He’d only meant it as a playful tease, buoyed by anticipation, but her face had turned a brilliant shade of red.

“….”

Watching Carina Leopold’s reaction, Millaiyen’s own ears began to burn.

He covered his mouth and averted his gaze awkwardly. His lips moved soundlessly beneath his hand as he struggled, finally managing to force out his voice after several failed attempts.

“…Sorry.”

Her reaction had been far too much.

Heat rose unbidden in Millaiyen, and he scrubbed at his face with his calloused, weathered hands.

His entire body felt as though it were itching.

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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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