I Transmigrated into the Nameverse, and My Name Came with a Time Limit - Chapter 36

The two climbed into the carriage of the Tessen Grand Duchy. As the carriage began to rattle forward, Mina slumped weakly into her seat. She wanted to lie down immediately, but she bit her tongue and forced herself to endure it.

The relief of barely escaping the tiger’s den had barely passed when the symptoms from earlier suddenly exploded as if they had been waiting. Her entire body began trembling again, resembling flu symptoms that seemed to worsen with each passing day.

‘Her condition seems worse than before.’

Leonhardt frowned slightly. Even before getting into the carriage, her hurried steps had looked as though she might collapse at any moment, and her ragged breathing was clearly bad enough to notice even from a short distance.

“How are you feeling right now?”

Mina was leaning back against the seat as if she were about to lie down completely, groaning softly. Since she still hadn’t received any treatment and her condition was only getting worse, and now that the tension had finally faded, her state was easy to imagine.

Leonhardt abruptly stood up and moved to the seat beside Mina. Just looking at her trembling body and labored breathing was enough to understand the situation. He recalled what the young court physician had said.

“Acts that directly mix saliva, such as kissing, or pressing bodies together are the most effective. And when making contact, it is better to do so with as much skin to skin contact as possible without clothing.”

He had to make Mina completely dependent on him. Only then could he use her for his plan. Since the Name pair was still unknown, he had to draw Mina to his side as much as possible until that was determined.

“Mina? Mina! Can you hear me?”

Leonhardt pulled the limp Mina, whose eyes were closed, into his arms. Then, without hesitation, he kissed her. For now the best method was impossible, so he had no choice but to choose the second best.

He pushed past her slightly parted lips and captured the tongue that was releasing hot breath. Opening his eyes, he examined her briefly, but Mina still appeared barely conscious.

A faint moan escaped her lips, but since she wasn’t fully conscious, there was a high chance she had no idea what was happening to her. Betting on something with uncertain results wasn’t his style, but he had no choice. All he could do was hope the young physician’s words were correct.

At that moment a sweet scent slipped into Leonhardt’s nose. It was so sweet that it made the back of his molars itch and his brow crease. Suddenly he remembered the night a few days ago when he had confirmed Mina’s Name. Even then, he had been startled by the overwhelming sweetness. At first he had been confused about where the sweet scent was coming from, and only later had he realized it was coming from Mina.

But why had the scent changed?

Leonhardt tilted his head slightly as he sniffed. When they were children, Mina’s scent had been fresh like a meadow. It was like the lingering fragrance of plants, similar to the subtle floral scent that filled the Wittgen estate’s gardens and orangery.

Because he had always clearly recognized Mina’s scent, he had never once mistaken her for someone else. Of course, when they first met again he had mistaken her for another person precisely because the scent had changed. But now the scent coming from Mina was like pouring an entire jar of honey straight into one’s mouth.

Aside from Mina, none of the Wittgen family had a pleasant scent, so there was no chance he was mistaken. In fact, Duke Wittgen, Gisella, and even Rose all carried a terrible stench.

Just then the Mina in his arms let out a soft moan and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Mm…”

As something warm and soft stirred pleasantly inside her mouth, Mina unconsciously let out a small whimper. It rolled and sucked at her tongue freely as if it were a piece of candy. Even though she was being helplessly led around by it, it didn’t feel unpleasant. Instead it felt comfortable and good.

‘Is this a dream? It’s warm…’

Instinctively, Mina clung tightly to it. She didn’t know why, but it felt as if she absolutely had to. When it rubbed itself against her tongue, Mina did the same in return. If it seemed about to retreat, she chased after it.

Completely focused on the thing moving like a snake inside her mouth, Mina gradually realized that the pain was lessening over time. The trembling in her body subsided, and the heat began to fade as well. As her breathing slowly stabilized, Mina finally managed to lift her eyelids, which felt unbearably heavy.

‘L-Leonhardt?’

Red eyes were looking down at her from a distance so close their noses almost touched. Mina’s eyes widened as she stared, unable to understand the situation at all.