How to Save a Time-Limited Heroine

Agnes’ dreams were always in pastel tones.

Even when the scenery was a garden of bright red roses and the sun beat down intensely, the dream still retained its soft hues.

This was because of the woman standing in the middle of the landscape, who possessed such delicate colors.

Agnes looked at the woman at the edge of her gaze.

The woman, who was tending the roses in the garden with gentle hands, was beautiful.

She had soft, curly blonde hair and pink eyes that resembled spring flowers.

Her expression was gentle, with drooping eyes and a faint smile floating above.

Her name was Leah Levadine.

She was the woman who once pouted her lips, complaining that her first and last names both started with .

“Agnes. What are you thinking about so deeply?”

If warmth had a voice, it would be the same temperature as hers.

The kind of warmth that made one want to bury themselves in and never leave. It was the warmth of longing that could kill.

With those thoughts, Agnes lowered her head.

Whenever she dreamed like this, her body in the dream was always that of an adult.

If she looked up again, Leah Levadine would already have transformed into a lady with delicate wrinkles on her face.

This was a scene that could never come true.

Agnes smiled softly.

“This dream again.”

“A dream? Oh, was it a nightmare today?”

Leah Levadine stopped tending to the roses and began walking towards Agnes.

Her arms spread slightly, as if to embrace a child waking from a nightmare.

“Don’t come any closer.”

Agnes said so.

Her smile was relaxed, and her tone was playful.

But her eyes were dark.

“Don’t come any closer. Liar.”

As soon as she spoke, the scenery blurred.

The pastel world and the woman in the middle of it began to lose their shape, like a watercolor painting soaked in water, and eventually everything turned pitch black.

Agnes curled up in the darkness.

Then, she quietly closed her eyes.

She wished for only one thing.

For the dream to end quickly.

*

Agnes woke up just as Deltain was halfway down the rocky mountain after completing his task.

Noticing her stir, Deltain spoke.

“You’re awake?”

Agnes’ cherry blossom-colored eyes rolled towards him in response to his brusque tone.

She blinked a few times before checking her body, which had returned to normal, and smiled.

“… you’ve taken care of it already.”

“It was nothing. The demon of retrograde’s combat prowess in its true form is pathetic.”

“Are you fishing for compliments?”

“Spare me.”

Agnes’ body was wrapped tightly in something like a blanket.

The clothes she had been wearing torn to shreds as her body returned to normal.

She looked like a child swaddled in a baby blanket.

Amused by the thought, Agnes asked playfully.

“Deltain, are you a pervert?”

“Don’t even think about accusing me of peeping on a sleeping woman’s naked body. That was all Kaltara.”

“Princess! You’ve put on a bit of weight, haven’t you?”

Kaltara exclaimed while playfully raising Deltain’s hand in a friendly manner.

Agnes, her expression blank for a moment, pouted her lips and said to Deltain.

“You showed someone else my naked body?”

“No matter what I do, you don’t like it. What do you want me to do?”

Deltain’s tone was irritable.

Even considering his naturally prickly personality, he seemed especially agitated.

It wasn’t for no reason.

It was because of the encounter with the demon of retrograde in the cave and the revelations that came from that demon.

They were weighing on his mind.

Agnes, however, was unaware of this.

Yet she was sharp enough to notice the change in Deltain’s mood.

She decided there was no need to provoke him further.

With that thought, she leaned her head against his chest.

Swinging her legs back and forth, she said.

“Still, thank you. You’re going through all this trouble because of me.”

“If you’re grateful, do well on the snow mountain. And sweet-talk the spirits properly.”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best to charm them.”

“For now, we’ll camp down there for the night. The plan’s gotten messed up, but if we don’t refuel here, we won’t get another chance after entering the capital.”

“Where are we, anyway?”

“A mountain near the northern border.”

From here, half a day’s drive would bring them to the border.

Beyond that was the northern snowfield, where there were no paved roads.

The speed of their vehicle would drop to less than half, and the dangers they faced would extend beyond demons to include wild beasts and other species.

Agnes’ eyes widened as she listened to Deltain’s explanation.

“There are other species up north?”

“The Snow Rabbit Tribe. They’re rabbit beast folk. It’s not well known because less than 1% of those who encounter them return alive. They’re aggressive and highly territorial, killing anything that comes near.”

“Will we be alright?”

“Yeah. No need to worry. If they get close, the hounds will take care of them.”

Deltain’s expression was calm and confident, as if this was all expected. The hounds showed no reaction, as if they agreed.

Agnes nodded in understanding.

“Hmm, so it’s real camping tonight.”

“You’re sleeping with me. I thought of leaving you with Kaltara, but your resistance to temptation is terrible. I’ll have to keep you by my side.”

“Is this a confession?”

“Don’t start. Just apologize for making me suffer.”

“Sorry.”

As Agnes giggled, Deltain sighed deeply.

“You really are a handful.”

“But you love me, don’t you?”

“No.”

“Did you know? People who act all stiff like you always end up head over heels in love later on.”

“That’s just a bunch of idiots who lack integrity.”

“We’ll see. I have a feeling you’ll be like that.”

“I’ll throw you out.”

Agnes clamped her mouth shut.

There was no further conversation.

That was because they had arrived back at the vehicle.

“Miss!”

Her maids approached, looking worried.

Their faces had grown gaunt with concern.

Agnes laughed and said.

“Sorry for making you worry.”

Her tone showed no real remorse.

*

The ensuing camping experience differed greatly from Agnes’ romantic expectations.

Of course, it did.

Deltain was a staunch advocate of convenience, even in the field of camping, where practicality came first.

Dressed in new clothes, Agnes marveled at the small cabin that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, its outer walls inscribed with mysterious symbols.

“Is this camping?”

“If you’re sleeping outside, it counts as camping.”

“No romance at all.”

“Listen carefully. Do you know what kind of people die the quickest in this world? Those fools who recklessly chase after romance. There’s a better, more rational way, so why take the difficult path?”

Deltain said this as he opened the door to the cabin.

“Come in. We need to sleep quickly and leave early in the morning.”

“What about food?”

“Sandwiches.”

“Again?”

“If you don’t like it, ask your maid to make something for you.”

“It’s not that bad.”

Agnes entered the cabin.

The interior was simple, with just a large bed, a small tea table, and a small wardrobe.

Deltain sat at the tea table, picking up a sandwich as he spoke.

“Eat.”

Agnes followed his command.

As usual, her sandwich had too many pickles, while Deltain’s had none.

Agnes thought about it for a moment before speaking.

“You know…”

“What.”

“You don’t hate pickles as much as you claim. Do you?”

Stop.

Deltain froze.

His expression went blank, then his face gradually turned red as he looked at Agnes with trembling eyes.

He realized what she was implying.

The last time he ate pickles was this morning, when her mind had reverted to that of a five-year-old.

Agnes smiled playfully.

“You’re really weak when it comes to kids, huh?”

Deltain’s lips moved.

But no words came out.

The events of the day flashed through his mind like a panorama, paralyzing him.

Agnes couldn’t hold back her laughter at his flustered face.

“Picky eater Deltain!”

“Shut up.”

“Tone-deaf Deltain!”

“I said shut up.”

Deltain’s body trembled with frustration.

His face was now so flushed that it was almost indistinguishable from the color of his hair.

“… if you spread this around, I’ll kill you.”

“Who would I tell?”

“You might. That damn seventh princess, perhaps. You might even tell her about how you reverted to your childhood self, just to share some amusing story.”

Agnes froze for a moment.

‘Me?’

To Elina?

Agnes shook her head.

Never, never would that happen.

She could share her experience of regressing to a childlike state with anyone—anyone but her.

Because she didn’t have the courage to face the look Elina would give her in that moment.

“… don’t worry. I’ll never tell her, even if I die.”

Agnes smiled gently, but Deltain looked at her suspiciously.

He said nothing more.

“… fine. Just go to sleep.”

With that, he laid down on the bed.

“Going to bed right after eating is bad for digestion.”

“It works for me.”

Agnes wanted to talk more, but he was firm.

She pondered for a moment before coming up with an idea and sidling up next to him on the bed.

“Hey.”

“What.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“So, what.”

“It’s your fault. You let me nap as much as I wanted during the day, and now I’m wide awake.”

Deltain glanced at her with a deeply furrowed brow.

Agnes teased him playfully.

“Sing me a lullaby.”

“… get lost.”

“If you sing me a lullaby, I’ll stop talking.”

Agnes wrapped her arms around Deltain’s waist, draping her legs over his thigh, snuggling close.

“I’ll forgive you even if it’s bad. Please?”

Deltain felt a sharp tension in his neck.

‘Damn it.’

She had him in her grip.

How much more teasing would he endure from this?

This wicked woman knew exactly what to do.

She always managed to scratch at his nerves in a way that wasn’t quite worth getting angry over, yet still drove him crazy.

Deltain glared at her with a menacing look, but it only made Agnes more excited.

Feeling frustrated, Deltain finally spoke.

“Get a grip. You’re twenty, not a five-year-old who needs her mother.”

An outburst said in a fit of anger.

It didn’t take long for Deltain to realize that he’d misspoken.

If nothing else, the momentary tremor in her expression burned itself into his mind.

‘Oh, shit.’

He had made a mistake.

As he struggled to find something to say to fix it, Agnes spoke first.

“You thought that was a mistake, didn’t you?”

She had already composed herself and smiled.

“I’ll let it go if you sing me a lullaby.”

Her attitude made it clear she intended to use his slip-up as leverage.

But her energy wasn’t quite the same as before.

There was a hint of sadness beneath her smile.

Deltain felt uncomfortable.

Why had her mother come to mind at that moment?

… no, he already knew the reason.

She was someone who never, not even by accident, mentioned her mother. So, when he wanted to provoke her, that was the first thing that came to mind.

There was no excuse.

It had been a mistake.

Even for Deltain, touching someone’s deepest wound was never a pleasant thing to do.

“… sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just sing me a lullaby.”

“You’re so damn persistent.”

Deltain’s brow crumpled.

Agnes pressed her index finger into his frown as she replied.

“If you don’t sing it, I’ll start calling you a liar instead of Deltain.”

“Why a liar all of a sudden?”

“You lied.”

Agnes giggled.

“You said Mom would come at night.”

Deltain flinched.

He looked at Agnes.

“Mom never came.”

There was no trace of her real emotions behind her smile. He couldn’t figure out why she was bringing this up, or what her intentions were.

Agnes was the best at maintaining a poker face, more than anyone he knew.

There was only one thing Deltain could do.

With a feeling of humiliation, he shuddered and muttered a warning.

“… I’ll only do it once.”

“Okay, sing .”

“That stupid song again…!”

Deltain stared up at the ceiling.

For no reason, his eyes were watering as he frowned.

His face was flushed as red as a tomato.

Finally, his trembling lips parted.

A stiff voice burst out, kicking the pitch.

“Twinkle, twinkle…”

His singing was terrible.

Deltain Hebron was hopelessly tone-deaf.

Agnes burst into laughter.