Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 126

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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 126
“So… you went to the mountain because you were thinking of Yun?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I won’t wander about carelessly from now on. I apologize.”
“No, no! I simply meant that our Crown Princess’s escort was far too small! I wasn’t telling you not to go out—I was saying you should request military officers from the Royal Guard and bring several of them with you whenever you go anywhere!”
“But… the Royal Guard exists for Your Majesty’s protection, doesn’t it? For me to make such a request…”
“What does it matter if I permit it? Those men are the finest among the Royal Guards, so take them with you wherever you go!”
The King waved his hand dismissively, his face beaming as he toyed with the inkstone. The Queen shook her head beside him.
And the Crown Prince…
“I also received a gift from the Crown Princess’s Palace. I was the first to receive one.”
He suddenly interjected with something completely unexpected.
The King, who had been wiping the inkstone with a handkerchief, let out a dry chuckle.
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if you didn’t receive one?”
“That’s true. I am the Crown Princess’s husband, after all.”
The Crown Prince smiled like a satisfied young fox. The King gazed at his happy son, then spoke bluntly.
“Don’t become too complacent just because you’ve had the wedding ceremony.”
“What do you mean by that, Father?”
The Crown Prince’s expression hardened instantly, his tone sharp. The King let out a hollow laugh.
“Look at those eyes, boy. Crown Prince—no, my son.”
“Yes, Father.”
“This is fatherly advice, not a king’s command, to one so young who has already wed. If you fail to cherish what is near you, you will come to regret it. And if you become too comfortable, you will lose it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The Crown Prince slowly closed and opened his eyes. The boy’s delicate, long lashes trembled.
“I will remember your words.”
“Do you truly understand? Even for my own son, I’m surprised you grasp such a lesson already.”
“An object that remains in the same place with the same appearance is eventually forgotten, is it not? Isn’t that what you mean—neither to be forgotten nor to forget?”
“Hmm.”
The King regarded the Crown Prince with an expression that was ambiguous—whether admiring or unsettled. The Crown Prince smiled faintly at his father.
‘What on earth was that about? I’m completely lost.’
From the context, it seems like advice to treat him well. Perhaps it means not to be too comfortable just because we’re close, but to maintain proper boundaries and courtesy.
‘Either way, it sounds like good advice…’
Not wanting to interrupt the father and son’s conversation, I simply tilted my head in confusion when the Queen sighed.
“I apologize, Crown Princess.”
“Your Majesty?”
“I don’t even know how such a cunning son came from my womb. Even if he’s a bit unsettling, he will treat you well, so please look upon him kindly.”
“Why would His Highness be unsettling?”
I found myself frowning without thinking. The King had said the same thing earlier—why were they calling their own son unsettling?
‘He’s already suffered so much being treated like a monster since becoming a Twilight Being.’
Worried that the Crown Prince might be hurt, I glanced sideways and was relieved to see he seemed unbothered. When our eyes met, the boy’s eyes curved into crescents as he smiled brightly.
‘How could they call someone so beautiful and gentle unsettling…’
I turned to face the King and Queen and spoke with conviction.
“Your Highness is not unsettling at all. How handsome he is!”
“Thank you for looking kindly upon me, Lady. Truly, you are all I need.”
The Crown Prince, interjecting from beside me, flushed shyly and added in a gentle voice.
“Please don’t take the Queen’s words too seriously. She merely teases us because she holds both me and the Lady dear.”
“Ah….”
Father used to tease me deliberately when he found me adorable too. When I was young, I’d stuffed my mouth full of plums that turned out to be unbearably sour, and my face had contorted so badly that Father laughed, saying our daughter had grown ugly—I’d wept buckets. He’d spent ages coaxing me before I finally stopped. Now I understood: the King and Queen calling the Crown Prince disgusting was the same sort of thing.
As I nodded in understanding, the King let out a small sigh.
“I, I….”
“Was Your Majesty the same way at that age?”
The Queen whispered softly. The King shook his head.
“I was innocent and pure at that age. Doesn’t this child resemble the former Queen? Just like her—with that innocent face, she’d wrap me around her finger….”
The Queen covered the King’s mouth with her hand and spoke with a forceful smile.
“I knew nothing at that age either. And I didn’t deliberately manipulate Your Majesty.”
The King, his mouth still covered, grinned widely and mumbled something unintelligible. I couldn’t understand a word, but the Queen, pressed close beside him, seemed to understand perfectly—her cheeks flushed and she shot him a sidelong glance.
“It seemed Your Majesty didn’t understand my heart… Oh, really, the children are watching! What are you saying!”
As the Queen bristled, the King gently pulled her into an embrace. Then he gestured to the Crown Prince with his chin.
“Crown Prince.”
“Yes, I shall take my leave now.”
I was accustomed to such situations thanks to my own parents, so I rose quickly from my seat.
‘Their affection for each other is truly beautiful.’
Had the Queen not been frail, the Crown Prince might have had many siblings.
* * *
The Queen’s pregnancy proceeded smoothly thereafter.
Several months flew by like arrows, and in the fifth month of the sixteenth year of Seogwang, the Crown Prince’s younger sibling was finally born. A late child with a thirteen-year age gap.
The infant received his princely title immediately upon birth: Prince Hyo-wan, with the name Cheon Dan-u. As I’d anticipated, it was a boy.
And as more time passed, in the third month of the sixteenth year of Seogwang.
After several postponements and a long preparation period, Seongsul Academy finally opened its doors officially.
Chapter 4
“Suuu…!”
Tiny fern-like baby hands flailed as they reached toward me, grasping at my skirt. Plump, pale cheeks puffed out as the infant shook his head.
“Suu, muaaa!”
“It seems the Crown Princess is being told not to leave.”
The Queen beside me interpreted the babbling. I abandoned my attempt to stand and sat back down.
“Does Prince Hyo-wan want the Crown Princess to stay longer?”
“Uaung.”
The infant, not yet a year old, responded as if understanding my words, then crawled clumsily up onto my lap.
“Auwah! Uaaa!”
Perched on my legs, the baby bounced his bottom excitedly and beamed with delight. His dark eyes, resembling the Crown Prince’s, sparkled as he gazed up at me.
“Suuu!”
It was far too early for him to speak clearly, yet every time he saw me, he called out “suu, suu”—which somehow felt like he was calling me “sister-in-law.” Had the Crown Prince’s constant repetition of “this is your sister-in-law” to the newborn actually taken effect?
I smiled back at Prince Hyo-wan.
“Yes, Prince Hyo-wan.”
“Kyaa!”
Prince Hyo-wan threw both arms up in jubilation and hurled himself straight into my embrace. I instinctively wrapped my arms around the child.
‘So warm and soft.’
Adorable. I already knew well how precious my little lord was, but truly, he was impossibly cute. Had the Crown Prince been like this when he was young?
The Queen spoke with a smile.
“I cannot fathom why Hyo-wan takes so well to the Crown Princess. Sometimes it seems he favors her even more than me.”
“That cannot be, Your Majesty. The Prince feels secure because you are present, which is why he seeks me out.”
Prince Hyo-wan nuzzled his soft cheek against mine, clinging contentedly. His peaceful expression showed he felt reassured in this moment.
‘Does he somehow remember what happened while he was in my womb?’
I had done nothing special since his birth, yet the child clung to me with unusual devotion. He had wept at the sight of the Crown Prince, yet from our first meeting, he had laughed and reached for me with such joy.
I could not bring myself to leave, remaining there until the babbling child fell asleep in my arms before carefully rising.
“I shall see you again this afternoon, Crown Princess.”
The Queen laid Prince Hyo-wan down and saw me off.
The Seongsul Academy entrance ceremony was this afternoon. The Crown Prince and I would finally be admitted to Seongsul Academy.
‘Now that I think of it, I recognized several names on the student roster.’
Following the subjugation of Suryuggyeon, the Jagyogapsa had distinguished themselves through numerous exploits over the past year, drawing many children eager to enter Seongsul Academy. However, accepting all applicants would make proper training impossible, so after lengthy discussions between the designated instructors, the Jagyogapsa, and the Court, the Academy’s enrollment policy was finally determined.
The first cohort of Seongsul Academy would consist of exactly one hundred students. Roughly half were selected through entrance examinations administered by the Jagyogapsa from gifted children who had gathered from across the realm, while the remainder were recommended by families and factions of the gifted already belonging to the Jagyogapsa.
‘And they divided those children into four classes of twenty-five each.’
Drawing from the Four Gentlemen of Chinese art, the classes were named Plum Blossom Class, Orchid Class, Chrysanthemum Class, and Bamboo Class.
Some had argued for division by specialty, but since real combat required cooperation among gifted individuals with different abilities, the classes were deliberately composed of diverse mixtures. Recommended and selected students, commoners and nobility—all were intentionally distributed evenly across the classes.
Though the entrance ceremony had not yet occurred, I had already received the class rosters through the Chief State Councillor.
‘Speaking of the Four Gentlemen, that reminds me of Seok-ran.’
More than a year had passed since Seok-ran departed for Pyeong to investigate Doo-eok-sini. Nothing catastrophic had occurred, but while she was there, she had gone to meet Seok-juk and Seol Deung-hwa, only to become embroiled in a grand adventure rescuing the surviving members of the Xue Tribe, which delayed her return. Since the delay was inevitable, she decided to observe the Imperial Palace atmosphere more thoroughly during her extended stay.
‘Still, judging from her recent letters, it seems she will return soon. She said she departed from Yun.’
Somehow I had grown fond of her. I longed to hold her soft fox tail and bury myself in her white fur to sleep.
‘I hope she returns safely and soon.’
With such thoughts, I moved toward my room in Unyeon Hall, when An-si, who had been following, suddenly stopped me.
“What is it? Is something in the room?”
“Well, there is… but you may enter, my lady. Hmph.”
An-si peered into the room with narrowed eyes, snorted, and released me.
The moment I opened the door in confusion, I was immediately buried in something white and impossibly fluffy that I had just been thinking of.
“Kyah!”
“My lady! I’m back! I missed you so much, meow!”

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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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