How To Save A Time-limited Young Master - Chapter 4

“Heloise!”

Helosie was well aware about how much her father relied on the Duchy of Lionerik. This was because she had grown up listening to the legend of the Lionerik Duchy ever since she was young.

Things like the greatness of that family as a contributor to the country’s founding, the bravery and intelligence of the previous Duke, and the pitiful state of Zenon, who was supposed to succeed him but was pushed out by his evil uncle’s scheme. While she was listening to such words, there wasn’t a hint of Zenon’s unbearable personality.

It was quite dumbfounding. Judging from his words to keep this as a secret from her mother yesterday, it must have been something her father had acknowledged to be true to some extent. As per her expectations, when she mentioned her mother, Viscount Lorca’s face paled, as if it was bleached white.

“Dad has already told them that you’ll be going.”

“That’s Dad’s situation.”

“How could you do that? My days will be numbered if your mom finds out.”

“How could you send me into the devil’s den, Dad? That boy, he’s completely abnormal.”

“Who are you talking about? You’re not talking about the Young Master, are you?

“Of course it’s that guy.”

Viscount Lorca let go of the hand that was holding Heloise and let out a long sigh.

“His personality wasn’t like that from the beginning either.”

‘It seems like he knows that it’s odd.’

It seems like her father was also impatient. To the point where he would send his daughter to that ‘odd person’. No, judging from the number of children gathered in the rear garden, if all of those children were the children of the Lionerik Duchy’s vassals, Heloise could be considered someone sent quite late into the group.

He hesitated for a moment before revealing the young master’s dirty linen.

“Our Young Master is a little special, and unlike the previous Duke, who was magnanimous and gentle. His smiles don’t seem like smiles, and is very cold.”

“’Our’ Young Master? How about taking care of our Heloise first?”

“But I think that if it was Heloise, who’s thoughtful, you’d definitely be able to recognise it. He isn’t as happy as he seems, and was just living while being immersed in deep sadness.”

Heloise closed her mouth and stared at Viscount Lorca without looking away. Was the phrase, ‘children without grit’ not referring to children that ran away, but to people that couldn’t recognise the Young Lord of Lionerik’s twistedness?

When she was at the Langbert Mansion, in Heloise’s eyes, they were the same, be it the Young Lord or his playmates. Zenon, who toyed around with the children sent to befriend him, and the children that recognised that the Young Lord wasn’t in his right mind and played along in order to obtain the jewels.

“I thought that if it was you, you’d be able to persuade the Young Master. Doesn’t he actually want it too?”

“……”

What her father hoped for wasn’t a playmate that would be enticed by money and putting up with the Young Lord’s spoilt ways, but someone that would become a whip that would return him to his senses. It was a scheme that came to his mind after observing Heloise, who was relatively free from monetary matters and was more fiery than her peers.

However, Heloise couldn’t accept her father’s wishes. Firstly…

“What kind of situation is that? It might just be that he needs a new toy.”

Heloise Lorca knew that life was precious.

In the Langbert Mansion, when she saw Zenon’s eyes, it was the so-called insane eyes. How can she assist him when his eyes were practically soulless and unfocused, and he was laughing happily without feeling?

“No, my daughter. This time, he only wants you. He had clearly said to bring only the daughter of Lorca over today.”

Secondly…

“Aren’t you worried for me?”

Heloise Lorca didn’t like revolting against her superiors. This was because rather than stepping up and fighting head on, she preferred to let things progress nicely and gently.

Yesterday in the Langbert Mansion, she caused a conflict in front of the Young Lord as she was in a rush to call for a carriage, but she was frightened to death just thinking back about it. She can’t do that anymore.

Heloise had felt yesterday that it was a nail in her coffin just by being in proximity with the miserly Young Lord.

“What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you trying to put me into the mouth of the vicious and ill-tempered Young Lord, who has a high status?”

“I believe in you, my daughter. And you’re aware, right? The fact that the previous Duke had once saved your life when you were young…”

As Viscount Lorca started to mumble, Heloise covered her ears expressionlessly in front of him. Despite that, Viscount Lorca didn’t stop talking. She knew what his words were without listening.

The previous Duke Lionerik had once saved Heloise’s life, and deeply moved by his actions, her father started to offer his loyalty to Duke Lionerik, and he could only offer the remainder of his loyalty by serving his child, Zenon…As a member of the Lorca family, she would be unable to escape from this proud and honourable responsibility, and his speech would end with a list of Zenon’s outstanding points.

There wasn’t anything noteworthy other than ‘trusting my daughter’ in his words.

“Heloise, you know, you’re a child blessed by God. So, I believe that you will get along well without being overwhelmed by the spirit of the Young Master.”

“What do you mean blessed by God…I was just something abandoned in front of the monastery that you picked up.”

“Hey, you shouldn’t say things like that. No matter what anyone says, you are the only successor of the Lorca family, and will lead our family in the future.”

Heloise shook her head.

Where there was neither a tyrant nor a villainess in sight, Heloise Lorca possessed an orphan that fitted the role of an extra in a Ropan. Just because her cradle was abandoned at St. Thalia monastery, which is a historical site that was protected from ancient times, she’s adopted by a rich family like the Viscount Lorcas, but this wasn’t something that could be mentioned as God’s blessing.

At her father’s desperate gaze, Heloise closed her eyes gloomily and held her face in her palm. Although she knew that the Lorcas were obligated to serve the young master of the family, she knew very well that he wouldn’t change just because of her.

“In any case, it’s none of my business.”

Heloise responded coldly to Viscount Lorca’s persuasion.

Viscount Lorca pouted with a disappointed expression. It was a cute act that wouldn’t work on the mother-daughter pair that were colder than Arctic glaciers.

As such, Viscount Lorca brought out his finishing move.

“Actually, Heloise, the Young Master doesn’t have much time left.”

“What do you mean, time?”

“It hasn’t been formalised yet, but the young master might die in as early as three years.”

“He’s going to die? Him?”

When Viscount Lorca said those words he was so heartbroken that he didn’t blame Heloise for her informal tone.

“To be more accurate, it would be difficult for him to reach adulthood. The doctor’s recommendation to prepare a good place for him to recuperate appeared.”

‘What do you mean it would be difficult for him to reach adulthood’

Those words were tantamount to giving him a time-limited sentence.

Heloise recalled the Zenon Lionerik that she saw yesterday. She can’t believe the boy that was laughing while sitting cross-legged in light clothes was going to die soon. She was a little confused.

“That’s why I’m grasping at straws, Heloise. The young master is suffering the consequences of not taking better care of himself.”

Heloise remembered what happened in the Langbert mansion’s rear garden.

Black mana lumps were bouncing around like rubber balls towards boys and girls, and making them float in the air. It was all done by the one known as a genius mage, Zenon Lionerik.

Was her father getting more anxious because the one he wasn’t getting enough rest, instead playing around with the other children, even though he was judged to be time-limited?

“Can’t you help me just this time? For this father of yours?”

Heloise’s eyelashes lowered, which were very close in colour with her father’s golden brown hair, before turning around with a deep sigh.

The loser of this fight was already decided.

⋄────∘°❃°∘────⋄

With unwillingness written all over her face, Heloise stood in front of Langbert Mansion’s master suite. In other words, she was standing in front of Zenon Lionerik’s room.

The only thing she could say when she was with her father yesterday was, “The embroidery class is scheduled for tomorrow, so I’ll go three times a week only,  as promised.”

Despite his arrogance, the young master willingly accepted her wishes. Thanks to that, Heloise didn’t have to suffer from a night’s worth of her father’s nagging.

“But, it doesn’t mean that I’m thankful.”

Heloise grabbed the twin braids that the nanny did beautifully for today’s class, and bit her lips hard.

Since she was heading to the duke’s residence, she had to care for her appearance no matter what, so it seems like the nanny was very pleased. She had decorated Heloise especially colourfully today.

When Viscount Lorca was sending his daughter off, he laughed and said that his daughter was very cute, but Heloise wasn’t the slightest bit pleased. She felt like a jester on her way to get the king to laugh.

‘I should enter that room soon…’

It was then. A breath that was like a sigh brushed past the back of Heloise’s neck, which was exposed due to her twin braids. She didn’t know when it happened, but black strands of hair brushed against her shoulders, and there was also a heavy feeling.

“Hello.”

When Heloise’s brown eyes widened like a bull’s out of surprise, Zenon Lionerik leaned on her shoulder with a languid smile, seeming to find this situation amusing.

“We meet again.”

“H–here. Why are you here?”

The question asking why the person that was inside the room had come out was delivered twistedly. Perhaps because Heloise seemed quite amusing, Zenon, who was observing her with a smile, soon removed his head from Heloise’s shoulder.

“I was worried that you’ll just leave like this, so I came out to have a look.”

“What do you mean, leave.”

“You were standing there because you didn’t want to come in now.”

“……”

Heloise couldn’t defend herself.