Limited Extra Time - Chapter 9

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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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After Peng left and locked the door, Karina exhaled deeply and cast off her robe.

The robe she’d worn for two months was, frankly, nothing more than a dust-caked rag.

As she filled the bathtub with hot water, she retrieved a light sundress from her cold bag and tossed it onto the bed.

She discarded her only undergarment and counted the remaining money.

She hadn’t bothered collecting gold coins, so all that remained were a dozen or so silver coins and copper.

That.

17 Silver and 8 Pence. She had no sense of the clothing shop’s prices, so it was difficult to gauge.

‘Hmm, could I buy a couple of outfits with this?’

Since I wouldn’t be attending any banquets or tea gatherings here, there was no need to concern myself with others’ opinions.

In other words, I wouldn’t need expensive dresses.

I only needed a light sundress for outings, a new robe, and a few undergarments

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to suffice.

“Let me bathe first.”

Karina wrapped her soiled clothes in her robe, tossed them far away, and sank into the bathtub.

The warm water enveloped my entire body in drowsy comfort. How long had it been since a proper bath?

‘…Three pills remain.’

I dreaded what changes my body might undergo once the medicine ran out.

Karina had now memorized the formula by heart—

I recalled the Old Physician’s cautionary words.

[I’ve been generous with the medicine. If three pills remain, stop taking them. If you go without medicine for three days, you’ll suffer a severe fever. Like a poison held back by force finally bursting through, your condition will deteriorate noticeably.]

The handwriting, small and written with a brush pen, was remarkably tight. It was evident that he had spent considerable time deliberating,

cramming everything he wanted to say onto the page.

[If the fever rises severely, take one of the remaining three pills every other day. The fever should subside in roughly a week, and taking medicine every other day will ease your suffering somewhat.]

I followed his instructions and left three pills remaining.

All that remained was to wait.

Since I had deliberately taken the medicine at night, the time when its effects wore off would likely also be at night.

With no medicine to take starting tonight, it was reasonable to assume my condition would begin deteriorating from tonight onward.

[P.S. Don’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness! I’ve encountered foolish people who stubbornly refuse to sleep. Sleep is proof that your body is striving to restore itself to its original state.

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So the more you sleep, the better. Of course, if you exceed ten hours maximum, that becomes poison. In such cases, even if it’s difficult, move about moderately or get some fresh air.]

Whenever I felt a bit melancholy or lonely, wondering if this was what having a grandfather would have felt like, I would take it out and read it.

To such an extent that travelers had even asked if it was a love letter written by a sweetheart.

“Well, I’ve memorized it all by now.”

I smiled softly, my face relaxed.

I had finished a brief bath. The journey had been physically taxing, but immensely enjoyable.

While full coloring was beyond my reach, I had sketched several pieces on small notepads.

‘Do what I want to do.’

I smiled brightly as I dried myself with a towel.

They say I can live as I wish for merely one year, yet even so, it is a precious life.

After finishing changing her clothes alone, she stepped outside slowly. The moment she opened the door, Peng was waiting for her.

“Ah, please guide me to His Grace.”

She followed the butler’s guidance into Milaion’s Study.

The Study was saturated with the scent of paper and ink. Moreover, aside from the bare essentials of furniture, there were no decorative vases or ornaments

hanging anywhere.

In short, it was utterly barren.

The space was so desolate that even Karina, who had no interest in decoration, let out a sigh the moment she entered.

The entire Study was painted in a dreary gray, and the longer one worked here, the more one felt the illusion of descending into melancholy.

‘Perhaps it was no illusion at all….’

If his irritability truly stemmed from such oppressive gloom, then I

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could nod without the slightest doubt.

The moment Karina stepped into the Study, Milaion’s keen gaze lifted at once.

She had not noticed before, but now Karina could perceive his exhaustion. The bloodshot veins in his eyes made his irritability seem justified.

“Shall I prepare tea?”

“Yes.”

Milaion set down his pen and settled onto the sofa positioned in the center of the Study.

“Now tell me—what exactly did you come here for? Why did you leave home?”

“…Must I explain?”

Karina, gauging my mood, asked carefully.

“If you were planning to live off someone else’s hospitality, shouldn’t you have prepared to persuade them as well?”

“….”

When he put it that way, I had nothing to say.

I racked my brain desperately, trying to pry open Karina’s tightly sealed lips,

but no rebuttal came to mind against his words that struck so precisely at the heart of the matter.

“Did you quarrel with your family?”

“It’s similar, but different.”

“Then?”

“….”

“I understand that your resolve is firm—you’ve traveled two months just to reach the Duchy. Was it truly such a terrible conflict?”

In Milaion’s mind, the hypothesis that she had fled after a quarrel seemed to unfold

as established fact.

Yet his words were both right and wrong.

I simply needed a quiet place to prepare for the end, and distance from my family.

To be entirely honest, there was also a petty desire—that when I eventually died, they would regret their actions.

That was why I remained stubbornly silent.

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‘…How childish.’

Childish and petty. If I regarded my own emotions objectively, that was the only answer I could give.

But what did it matter if I was childish? What did it matter if I was crude? That was who Karina truly was.

I decided to be a little more honest with my own feelings.

“Everyone needs time to clear their head, don’t they?”

“The timing is terrible. Winter is when my territory is busiest. I don’t have time to spare for the young lady.”

“That’s perfect.”

My eyes lit up at hearing the answer I’d been hoping for, completely unexpected.

Milaion, who had his arms crossed, stifled a hollow laugh. What was this petite woman muttering about?

He felt a dull throb of pain and habitually pressed his temples with his thumb, rubbing them firmly.

“What?”

“I mean, if you’re not using the Separate Residence, would you consider giving it to me? I received the room next to yours, and I thought it would be awkward if we kept running into each other.”

“The Separate Residence? That place hasn’t been used for a while, so it needs preparation.”

Milaion seemed to think my suggestion wasn’t a bad proposal, answering more readily than before.

“When you say it needs preparation… is there dust accumulated?”

“No, that much is being maintained. But I’d need to assign servants to it, bring in necessary furnishings, and since it’s an old place, there are likely many missing fixtures. It would require significant refurbishment.”

At Milaion’s words, I paused briefly to consider.

I didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention in the first place.

Besides, it was obvious I’d be bedridden for a week, and I didn’t want to be treated like a troublesome burden.

“That’s perfect. I’ll only be here about half a year anyway, so there’s no need to decorate it.

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All I need is a fire and warm water. A maid is fine too. I’ve always been good at managing things on my own anyway.”

Karina spoke in a slightly excited voice, thinking she could get what she wanted.

She found Millaion’s undisguised annoyed gaze rather tolerable.

“That’s the most ambitious I’ve seen you look.”

“To receive such praise from Your Excellency, who called me a squid with crude language at our first meeting—

how surprising.”

“…You still remember that?”

How petty.

That emotion was plainly evident in Millaion’s gaze.

Karina blinked.

What kind of man was so prickly? She understood it was because he was exhausted, but her own mood twisted slightly as well.

“Your choice of words was so refined that it

became lodged in my mind.”

Karina answered with the brightest smile she could muster.

Millaion fell silent.

He found himself wondering if the woman chattering before him was truly the woman he knew. Her demeanor seemed somehow different.

‘Back then, she seemed to possess no will whatsoever.’

The way she wore a hollow smile and spoke only prescribed words had been quite grating.

I was.

Of course, that didn’t mean he found her current self appealing.

Still, he thought it was better than before.

Millaion nodded, her arms crossed.

“If you’re comfortable with it, then do so. You can use it immediately—just let Peng know. You’re welcome to go whenever you wish.”

“Thank you.”

“And don’t even think about leaving the Duchy without permission. The

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Duchy is under my protection, so you’ll always be safe.”

Yes.

She exhaled a long breath and leaned back against the sofa. Seeing her tension finally ease, Millaion brought the lukewarm tea to her lips.

What possessed her to come to the Duchy at this time of year? Utterly foolish.

Once the conversation ended, sharp criticism began. Her face twisted slightly.

Why is winter such a significant problem?

…Surely you’re not going to claim ignorance?

Millaion’s contemptuous gaze fell upon Karina.

It was a look that seemed to blame her for sheer stupidity. That raw, unfiltered gaze left her momentarily stunned.

Surely a Duke overseeing vast territories couldn’t afford to be so careless with his emotions?

Of course, she’d heard that the Northern Territory had a weaker status system than other regions.

I’ve heard the class system is weak, but…

Karina’s mood had soured slightly.

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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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