Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 114

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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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Chapter 114
The fleeing crowd and the resolute military officers came to an abrupt halt. Those who instinctively glanced backward beheld a sight that froze them in place—a suffocating darkness like storm clouds pressing down upon the luminescent Pyeong Guards, and standing tall within that darkness, a boy clad in a deep blue dragon robe.
The Crown Prince, who had captured everyone’s attention in an instant, spoke with measured calm.
“This darkness is summoned by me, and these individuals have not been transformed by the black plague. Look carefully.”
The boy then extended his hand toward me.
“Lady.”
I rose from my seat and approached the Crown Prince. Stepping past the subdued figures who gasped in restraint, I placed my feet within the inky darkness. With all eyes upon me, I crossed the shadows with composure and placed my hand in the Crown Prince’s outstretched palm.
It was an effective demonstration that the Crown Prince’s darkness differed fundamentally from the black plague that had once spread through the Unjeung Pavilion.
‘Is he still angry with me? Why did he glare at me earlier?’
I studied the Crown Prince’s expression from close proximity. Though he held my hand gently, he did not turn to look at me.
The boy surveyed the assembled crowd and made his declaration once more.
“Did you see clearly? This is not the black plague.”
Silence fell over the hall, and then the King stepped forward.
“Royal Guard! Bind those whom the Crown Prince has subdued and escort them at once to the Office of Interrogation! We must conduct a thorough investigation into why these individuals have gone mad!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The military officers, who had been frozen in shock, responded with resounding affirmation and moved reflexively. The first officer hesitated briefly at the prospect of touching the Crown Prince’s darkness, but upon catching sight of me standing calmly within it, he gathered his courage and extended his rope-bound hands. Witnessing the first officer successfully binding the criminal, the remaining officers dispersed in perfect coordination and began restraining the subdued Pyeong Guards.
The ministers, who had been standing uncertainly, quietly returned to their seats. The Ping Empire Envoys, having regained their senses, flushed crimson and cried out.
“Those are Pyeong Guards! Yun cannot simply bind and interrogate them—”
“These men attempted to attack our Crown Princess and the court’s ministers. Are you now shielding the criminals who threatened the royal house? Should I conclude that this represents Pyeong’s official position?”
The King’s voice cut through like ice. The envoys, who had been about to protest, fell silent. The King swept his gaze across them with evident exasperation and added.
“From this moment forward, I will not tolerate any baseless rumors concerning the Crown Prince. Furthermore, you shall pay the price for doubting Yun’s hidden dragon.”
“….”
“Return immediately to the Guest House and conduct yourselves with restraint. I shall summon you in due course. Guards, escort the envoys and lock the gates of the Guest House!”
At the King’s command, several of the Royal Guard approached the Ping Empire Envoys. At their silent urging, the envoys rose reluctantly from their seats. Thus, the bound Pyeong Guards were led to the Office of Interrogation, the envoys surrounded by military officers were taken to the Guest House, and only the people of Yun remained in the Unjeung Pavilion.
The Crown Prince gathered his darkness back into his shadow. The King approached with eyes full of pride and sympathy, and patted the Crown Prince’s shoulder.
“You have endured much, Crown Prince. Truly.”
Then he turned his concerned gaze toward me, standing beside the Crown Prince.
“Crown Princess, you must have been quite frightened. Are you well?”
“Yes, I am fine.”
As I nodded, the Crown Prince opened his mouth to address the King.
“Father.”
“Yes.”
“That I was able to suppress this crisis so readily today was not merely due to my training, but also because of the experience I gained fighting Geu-seun-dae, a demon.”
“…Crown Prince.”
“Father, I am a Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin. The Crown Princess is as well. And both of us are always at risk of being drawn into dangerous situations. Like today.”
“….”
A shadow fell across the King’s face. The Crown Prince continued speaking with composed deliberation.
“I do not blame you, Father. It is simply the nature of our position and circumstances. Therefore, we require training and experience to protect ourselves when such situations arise.”
“Crown Prince, what do you mean by—”
The Crown Prince bowed respectfully. I, who had been watching from a distance, instinctively followed suit and bowed as well.
“Your Majesty, please grant permission for the Crown Prince and myself to enroll in Seongsul Academy.”
“….”
The King fell silent. I bowed deeply, inwardly marveling at his response.
‘Wow, he’s using this situation as an opportunity to gain permission for Seongsul Academy enrollment?’
I had been worried sick about how to obtain permission, but with the Queen and the baby situation consuming his attention, I had shelved the matter entirely. Was the Crown Prince solving this for me so cleverly?
I waited with bated breath as the King, who had been hesitating, released a deep sigh.
“…The Crown Prince speaks truly. If I cannot protect you both perfectly, then I must help you learn to protect yourselves.”
Both the Crown Prince and I lifted our heads almost simultaneously.
The King smiled wryly and spoke.
“I grant permission for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to enroll in Seongsul Academy.”
“…!”
Perfect! My husband is the best!
I beamed up at the Crown Prince. When our eyes met, he flinched slightly, then smiled back at me before bowing once more to the King.
“Thank you, Father.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
* * *
After safely completing the audience and returning together to the East Palace, I ventured a subtle question to the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Earlier… were you perhaps upset with me?”
“….”
The Crown Prince fell silent for a moment before answering quietly.
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I was angry with you.”
“Why? Did I do something wrong?”
“You did. Why didn’t you evade?”
“What?”
“When the Pyeong Demon Guards attacked, why did you stand there without dodging?”
“Oh… surely that’s not why you’re upset? Because I didn’t dodge and just stood there?”
As I questioned him, the Crown Prince regarded me with an expressionless face and replied.
“Yes, that is precisely why I am angry with you.”
“But… we agreed that you would subdue the Pyeong Guard if they acted up. You would suppress them quickly, so I simply waited….”
“What if I had been delayed or made a mistake?”
“You weren’t delayed and you didn’t make a mistake. I trusted that you wouldn’t.”
“…Please do not trust so blindly. You could have been seriously injured.”
“No, I wouldn’t have been. You would have protected me.”
The Crown Prince suddenly stopped walking and buried his face in his hands. I called out to him in bewilderment.
“Your Highness?”
“….”
“Why are you doing that?”
As I tilted my head and looked up at him, the Crown Prince lowered the hand covering his face slightly. His exposed eyelids trembled delicately. A soft boyish voice seeped through his fingers.
“…Still, next time… please don’t do that. You must avoid it first.”
“Yes, I will. I’m sorry if I startled you.”
“…No.”
The Crown Prince continued walking with his hand covering his mouth. Following beside him and looking up, I noticed his face seemed a bit flushed, and he appeared to be smiling.
‘He seems to be in a strangely good mood.’
I wasn’t sure why, but it seemed his anger had dissipated, so that was good enough. I should suggest going out to have fun.
“Your Highness, I’m planning to go see my master’s street performance soon. I’ll go in disguise, traveling incognito.”
“Traveling incognito? That’s dangerous, my lady!”
“Would you like to come with me?”
“…What?”
“Go outside the palace incognito with Your Highness… watch the street performance, see the festival there, see the sights beyond the palace… that’s what I want to do.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes widened. I added as if making an excuse.
“It won’t be dangerous, since I’ll bring An-si as an escort… we won’t go far, and we’ll keep our identities hidden….”
“I’ll go.”
“But if you’re still worried, yes?”
“Let’s go together. Then it should be fine.”
The Crown Prince smiled brightly and gently grasped my hand.
“I will protect you, my lady.”
Ah. Though it’s nothing new, this boy really… smiles beautifully.
The fading sunset gathered faintly in the boy’s dimples. His cheeks and eyelashes, bathed in reddish-gold light, shimmered softly. Within his gracefully curved eyes, his dark pupils rippled like the surface of a well touched by sunlight.
Our clasped hands grew warm. For some reason, I couldn’t meet the Crown Prince’s gaze directly, and simply nodded.
* * *
The Ping Empire Envoys were confined to the Guest House before being driven away. The captured Pyeong Guards were deemed mentally sound and imprisoned. They decided to hold them as prisoners until Pyeong sent ransom or other compensation.
‘In truth, if we’re being strict about what they did, we should implicate the envoy as the mastermind and punish severely… but there’s such a thing as international relations.’
Instead, it seemed they decided to send a formal letter of protest to Pyeong. The Right Prime Minister—no, now Chief State Councillor Yi Do-hyung—was delighted, saying that if they used the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin prisoners as well, they could extract quite substantial diplomatic compensation.
I handed a letter to the departing Ping Empire Envoys. It was a letter, written with appropriate courtesy, saying that I was now a person of Yun Kingdom and had no intention of ever returning to the Imperial Palace, and that if they really wanted to see me, the Emperor himself should come.
‘There’s no way the Emperor of the Empire could visit another country, so it means we’ll never meet again.’
The portrait I was supposed to give was omitted due to lack of time as the envoy delegation left hastily.
And I decided to secretly send Seok-ran along with the envoy delegation.
‘I need to find out whether Doo-eok-sini was really the Crown Prince of Pyeong, and whether he’s now become the Emperor… I have to know.’
If Doo-eok-sini really has become the Emperor of Pyeong, I’m curious what his true intentions are in playing the role of a human emperor.
‘Seok-ran is perfect for this kind of work. Gwang-chul is unreliable because he might cause trouble, and An-si is hopeless with such delicate matters.’
But since even a thousand-year-old Thousand-Year Fox would be in danger against Doo-eok-sini, I decided to lend her the Goblin’s Hat. The Goblin’s Hat is something that can fool even most divine eyes, so it should work against Doo-eok-sini.
“Still, be careful. Doo-eok-sini is a truly dangerous one. You know Seok-juk almost died, right?”
“Don’t worry, Lady! I’ll be careful and investigate, then come back! Keheng, I have to earn the value of the heavenly peaches I’ve eaten!”
“You don’t need to repay the peaches, so if things go wrong, just put on the hat and run unconditionally.”
“Got it, Kaeng! While I’m at it, I’ll also sample the handsome men of Pyeong! Kehinghing, fresh foreign handsome men… slurrrp….”
“Play moderately, without danger.”
“Don’t you worry now! Why would I fret over the young princess’s thousand-year celebration!”
After sending off Seok-ran, who seemed positively thrilled about the whole affair, some time passed.
At last, the day of Baek Tam-sol’s coming-of-age ceremony arrived.

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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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