How To Save A Time-limited Young Master - Chapter 9

He stared into the fountain that didn’t spew water, as if there was something within.

 

When Heloise was about to call him ‘Young Lord’.

 

Zenon raised his lowered head quickly.

 

Clear, blue-gray eyes. His sharp and raw gaze bore into Heloise.

 

Surprised that Heloise had suddenly entered his territory, Zenon looked at her with embarrassment and opened his mouth.

 

“…How did that guy get here?”

 

“That guy? Who are you talking about?

 

Heloise clearly knew, but pretended that she didn’t know.

 

It was the first time that this young master showed an embarrassed side.

 

Hiding her internal thought that it’s funny, Heloise’s seemingly innocent question was spoken in a detestable tone.

 

Avoiding her gaze, Zenon spoke irritably while blood oozed from the aggressive chewing of his lips.

 

“You know who.”

 

“Isaac has left.”

 

At that, Zenon burst into a short laugh.

 

That reaction was the most pleasant he has had today.

 

A slight sneer accompanied it.

 

“Oh, while it wasn’t fun to play with, but it’s great that he runs away so quickly.”

 

“He didn’t run away, but returned after receiving treatment for his injury.”

 

Heloise’s defence caused the corners of Zenon’s lips to twist upwards.

 

It was clearly a sneer.

 

She didn’t know where a young kid would learn to laugh like that.

 

Heloise was convinced that Wednesday would have been very exhausting if she hadn’t seen Zenon today.

 

“What’s the Young Lord doing here?”

 

“As you can see, I’m playing by myself.”

 

Before she knew it, Zenon’s embarrassment was suppressed, and he slowly raised his hand as he spoke.

 

Then, the blue fish that guided Heloise to this spot entangled itself in Zenon’s hand and rubbed its body gently against his fingers charmingly.

 

Unlike how it passed through Heloise’s hand futilely, it naturally touched Zenon’s hand as if it was idling in its home.

 

“With the fish made of magic?”

 

“Fish? Does it look like a fish?”

 

With a snort, Zenon grabbed the fish.

 

At the same time, the shape of the fish scattered.

 

And then, dozens, no, hundreds of small droplets appeared in their surroundings and gushed out.

 

“This isn’t much. It’s just lumps of mana.”

 

The water droplets began to curl into bubbles and soon started to rise upwards like firecrackers of water with the air as support,

 

The changes and movements were so fast that her eyes were busily chasing them.

 

When Heloise turned her head distractedly, following along the trail of blue mana, Zenon smiled and folded his long fingers into a clenched fist.

 

At that moment, bluish energy filled the fountain that was empty, and something beautiful that wasn’t light gushed out.

 

Heloise was rendered speechless for a moment as she gazed at the trajectory drawn by the mysterious yet beautiful thing.

 

As dusk fell, the blue mana contrasted with the sunset that dyed the sky red, and with one of Zenon’s meaningful gaze, started a fluttering dance.

 

The rising mana moved vividly as if it was about to sprinkle upon Heloise, causing her lips to rise into a faint smile.

 

“You can do something like this?”

 

“Why? Is it amazing that a weak Young Lord with a corrupt personality  knows how to do this?”

 

“Me? No way. I realised the Young Lord’s amazing magical skills from the first time I met you.”

 

Heloise, who disliked conflict, immediately placated Zenon’s provocation and gave a faint smile.

 

What’s this, if he had the power to make such a beautiful scenery, shouldn’t he have shown this scene to those playmates that came previously and played with them?

 

If that was the case, everyone would admire and like Zenon.

 

“Why did you have to use such a wonderful power to scare people?”

 

“Scare? I was just playing around. It’s nothing much now.”

 

“If you look at such beautiful things together, wouldn’t you become closer?”

 

Happy to look at this beautiful scenery, Heloise had a huge smile and spoke with a light heart. Looking at her face silently, Zenon asked quietly.

 

“What about you?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Do you think you can get close to me? Aren’t we looking at this view together?”

 

Heloise only roughly listened to his words while frantically observing the mana lumps.

 

Whatever it was that he had said, she just replied roughly with a nod of her head.

 

“Of course, of course. I wish that we’d done this sooner.”

 

“……”

 

Preoccupied with looking at the fountain for a long time, Heloise wasn’t aware that her face was being worn out by the gaze of a certain someone, and only came to her senses after Zenon calmed the mana down.

 

“It’s so pretty!”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yeah. Time seems to have flown by.”

 

At that, Zenon, whose expression was slowly disappearing, suddenly gave a faint smile and replied.

 

“Me too.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“My time seems to have flown by quickly as well.”

 

“Somehow, we agree with each other.”

 

Her smiling face looked bright.

 

Heloise thought that the day ended on a light note, and it was one of the few good days ever since she met Zenon.

 

⋄────∘°❃°∘────⋄

 

Wednesday.

 

Monday passed by tiringly and Tuesday passed by peacefully.

 

And Wednesday. The day to visit Zenon came again.

 

Upon hearing that Zenon had smiled multiple times on Monday, her father and mother seemed quite happy.

 

Her mother even said that the sick Zenon acted indomitable in the stories Heloise shared, and hearing about it made her sad for the doleful ‘Zenon Lionerik’.

 

“Heloise, are you going to the young master again today?”

 

Her mother clearly knew about it but pretended not to, and asked Heloise.

 

Heloise thought about it for a moment before nodding obediently.

 

It’s because the previous meeting on Monday wasn’t that bad.

 

Although Isaac was injured and didn’t reconcile with Zenon definitively, she liked looking at the mana he showed her, and the atmosphere was friendly until they parted ways.

 

If Zenon could behave as well as he did while they were at the maze on Monday, she wouldn’t be opposed to spending more time with Zenon in the future.

 

“What about Isaac? Didn’t you go with him previously?”

 

When her mother, who didn’t know the exact details of what happened that day, asked her that, Heloise answered with a slight shrug.

 

“That kid got injured on Monday. He’s probably resting.”

 

“Oh dear. Isaac said that he couldn’t make it?”

 

“That’s not true, but I’m just not going to ask. I don’t want to burden a sick kid.”

 

“Yes, well done. Anyways, I’m glad that you’re getting along with the Young Master.”

 

Heloise couldn’t tell her joyous mother that they weren’t that close yet, so she just smiled awkwardly.

 

“In that case, have fun today as well. Feel free to talk to your mom if you’re having a hard time.”

 

“Yes. I will, Mom.”

 

As Heloise twirled the hair that her nanny had twisted into beautiful waves, eventually gave up on correcting her and waved lightly before separating from her mother.

 

When the time came, she boarded the carriage and the coachman directed it towards the Langbert Mansion skillfully, without asking for her destination.

 

When the front gate of the mansion came into sight, she recalled the glowing fountain she saw in the rose maze and smiled again.

 

Just as Heloise’s carriage was about to pass through the main gate.

 

“Who are you?”

 

The gatekeeper guarding the mansion asked the coachman.

 

It was a question asked for formalities.

 

“It’s the Young Lady of the Lorca Viscounty.”

 

“Please wait a moment.”

 

Heloise looked out of the window with a bored look while the gatekeeper contacted the mansion’s management with a magic tool.

 

Even if he was ousted as the successor, this kind of security was fundamental as long as he was a lineage of Lionerik.

 

As this was a frequent occurrence, she waited for a moment.

 

Suddenly, the coachman that got off the driver’s seat knocked on the door of the carriage.

 

Heloise lowered the window and was greeted with the coachman’s stiff face.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“My lady, I’m afraid that we have to turn around.”

 

“What do you mean? I’m supposed to see the Young Lord.”

 

“Ah…”

 

The coachman seemed to be embarrassed, as he avoided her gaze while choosing his words and delivered them as quickly as he could.

 

“The Langbert Mansion refused the visit.”

 

“What?”

 

Surprised, Heloise stuck her head out of the window and looked at the gatekeeper.

 

The gatekeeper, who was now familiar with the situation after encountering it several times, was also avoiding Heloise’s gaze with a blinking eye as much as possible, as if the situation was embarrassing.

 

“Is there a mistake? Tell the Young Lord. I’ve come here today as the Young Lord’s playmate.”

 

“That’s… That’s Young Master Lionerik’s order.”

 

“…What?”

 

The coachman, who had delivered the message, paled.

 

The gatekeeper seemed to be communicating with the mansion’s management as he touched the magic tool and murmured more words, but in the end, there wasn’t any message to enter.

 

“Asking me to return?”

 

“……”

 

While the coachman was ashamed and at a loss of what to do, Heloise laughed dryly in bewilderment.

 

“Hah! You asked whether we had gotten closer last time, but you’re playing a prank now!”

 

Nothing changed even if she muttered in anger to herself.

 

Since the huge Langbert Mansion had been instructed to not accept Heloise, it was impossible for her to break through blindly with a carriage.

 

Heloise bit hard on her lip, before opening her mouth

 

“Fine, turn the carriage around and return.”

 

“Yes, understood.”

 

Perhaps the coachman was afraid that he would be implicated in the sparks she was emitting, so he returned to the driver’s seat quickly and turned the carriage around.

 

When the carriage was a distance away from the main gate of the Langbert Mansion and was travelling through walls that had exactly the same pattern on them, Heloise opened her mouth again expressionlessly.

 

“Wait a minute.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Stop here, please. I need to get off for a moment.”

⋄────∘°❃°∘────⋄