Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 155

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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 155
“Wow, snacks! The Crown Prince is the best!”
Yi Yeon-ju leaped to her feet with excitement, her voice ringing out. As the gaze of every cadet studying on the first floor snapped toward us, her twin brother Yi Yeon-jo flushed crimson and yanked her back down into her seat.
“Sister, please be quiet. This is the Songrim Library.”
“Oh, sorry.”
The children’s eyes gleamed as they stared at the cloth bundle of snacks the Crown Prince had brought, though Yun Ra-sa alone looked unmoved.
I set aside my books and papers, then spoke up.
“We can’t eat inside the Songrim Library, so let’s go outside. I noticed a small pavilion beyond the side gate earlier—that would be perfect.”
The children eagerly gathered their things and headed out. Seven of us in total—including the Crown Prince—settled around a small pavilion surrounded by pine trees just beside the Songrim Library and unfurled the cloth bundle of snacks.
“Wow….”
“Oh wow….”
“This is incredible….”
The six-tiered lacquered box overflowed with delicacies prepared with such pride by the East Palace Kitchen that they gleamed with extravagance.
Round honey cakes, colorful five-colored cookies, layered brittle stacked high, yakgwa adorned with delicate patterns, meatballs dressed in egg coating, adorable bite-sized pajeon, candied fruits preserved in honey that sparkled like jewels, along with the Crown Prince’s beloved twisted pastries and my own favorite jade spring candy.
“…This seems like far more than a little, my lord.”
“Since it was meant to be brought to the Lady, the palace staff put considerable effort into it. Ah, there’s also something to drink.”
Even chilled sujeonggwa had been thoughtfully included. How considerate. Seeing the children’s amazement made me feel oddly proud.
“Thank you so much. We’ll enjoy it.”
As I picked up my chopsticks after offering my gratitude, the children bowed to the Crown Prince before beginning to eat. Having exerted their minds through studying, they were all famished, and for a while, only the sounds of eating and exclamations of delight filled the air.
The conversation that had been interrupted earlier resumed only after the box was roughly half empty.
“By the way, Crown Prince, is there really a sealed archive in the basement of the Songrim Library? What is that?”
Yi Yeon-ju was the first to speak, as expected. The Crown Prince answered smoothly while holding a cup of sujeonggwa.
“The Songrim Library is an extremely ancient palace hall. It appears to have originally been the headquarters of some mysterious martial sect, but when it was discovered, it had already been abandoned for a long time. Yet the incantations and sorcery placed upon it continued to be maintained, preventing it from falling into ruin.”
“So it wasn’t a heretical sect building after all. The people who lived there disappeared long ago, yet the structure remained perfectly intact—how fascinating!”
“The books stored inside were also in perfect condition. An enormous quantity of texts was preserved in the underground archive. The books whose identities could be determined were moved to the Palace, while those whose interpretations were incomplete or those bearing strange sorcery were left underground and additional seals were placed. That’s what the sealed archive is.”
“Ah, so that’s why grandfather said the basement of the Songrim Library is still under investigation….”
“W-wait, isn’t that dangerous? If something like that is in the basement and we use it as a library….”
Je-gal Pyo asked nervously. The Crown Prince smiled faintly.
“Since it’s a place children will frequent, surely the instructors verified it to that degree. They say all particularly dangerous items have already been removed, so it’s fine. Most of the books remaining down there are miscellaneous texts, and the archivists are still investigating and cataloging them for transfer. It should all be organized within a few years.”
“So what remains is still being classified—ancient texts that aren’t particularly dangerous!”
Yi Yeon-ju’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“Then we could go take a look, couldn’t we?”
“There probably isn’t much to see. I only heard it was an archive.”
“You said you ‘heard’—that means you’ve never actually seen it yourself! An archive so ancient, guarded by a mysterious martial sect, filled with their secret collection—aren’t you curious? Let’s at least go peek at what it looks like!”
“If it’s an archive left behind by a mysterious martial sect, there could be incredibly powerful martial arts manuals hidden in there, couldn’t there?”
Sa Young-jun interjected eagerly. Yi Yeon-jo watched cautiously but couldn’t hide his interest, while Je-gal Pyo murmured with eyes as bright as Yi Yeon-ju’s.
“An archive like that… might have rare demon beast books or texts on sorcery….”
Yun Ra-sa, showing no interest, continued to steadily pop honey cakes into her mouth with an expressionless face. The Crown Prince shook his head with a reluctant expression.
“Even if it’s not particularly dangerous, there must be a reason why cadets are forbidden from entering. There’s no need to do something like that―”
“I’m curious too, my lord.”
When I interjected, the Crown Prince startled and turned to look at me.
‘Truth be told, I’m not that curious, but this seems like the perfect opportunity.’
When we moved to the pavilion, I whispered instructions about the Eight Pillar Order to Gwang-chul, who was wrapped around my wrist, and sent him ahead to the underground archive.
I didn’t have time to create ‘Ki-yeon’ immediately, but I thought I could fabricate ‘clues leading to treasure’ well enough.
‘Since it’s the library, slipping in a treasure map would be perfect. If I let them discover it themselves, they’ll naturally find their way to the Ki-yeon location, right?’
By encoding the map so it wouldn’t be easily deciphered, I could buy myself time to prepare the actual location.
‘It doesn’t even need to be a real cipher. For now, it just needs to look plausible enough to capture their interest.’
Once I’d prepared the location and the trial, I could claim I’d deciphered the map, or say that meeting certain conditions revealed the true map, and swap it out for the genuine one.
‘I did tell Gwang-chul he could use anything from the Sang-ra Palace Treasure Vault with the Eight Pillar Order and to create and hide a treasure map while they ate snacks, but will he manage it in time? With the quick thinking he showed during the Yongryong Ceremony, it should be possible.’
Well, if preparations aren’t ready this time, I can aim for another opportunity—success would be wonderful, but if not, so be it.
“An ancient secret archive, how intriguing! I think it would be fine if we just took a quick look around… and the librarian has stepped away anyway!”
At my suggestion, the Crown Prince quickly changed his reluctant attitude.
“If you’re curious, we should go. As long as we look carefully and leave, it should be fine.”
“Yes, and it sounds fun—exploring a secret archive! I’ve actually wanted to do something like this for a while.”
I spoke with playful laughter, and a smile bloomed across the Crown Prince’s lips.
“I see. This would be our first adventure together.”
“Wait, it’s not just the two of you going, righ—mmph!”
Yi Yeon-ju swiftly covered Sa Young-jun’s mouth and giggled.
“So it’s decided? Let’s plan this out right now!”
* * *
The Crown Prince told the Palace Guard officers that since he’d brought plenty of snacks to handle dinner, he’d study a bit longer before leaving—buying us time.
Je-gal Pyo, who passed through the Songrim Library daily, knew the location of the underground staircase key. He’d seen the librarian take it out.
Yun Ra-sa managed to unlock the door and slip into the librarian’s room to retrieve the key. She’d tried to back out, claiming disinterest, but when I asked her to help because we were ‘friends,’ she grumbled but cooperated obediently.
Yi Yeon-ju handled the handful of students remaining in the Songrim Library during dinner time. She cleared them out by saying the librarian wasn’t here today, so they were closing the library early.
“Alright, let’s open it!”
With only us remaining in the Songrim Library, Yi Yeon-ju stepped forward with an excited face, key in hand.
The stairs to the underground were right beside the librarian’s room in a corner of the first floor. When I lifted the wooden floor door, moss-covered stone steps were revealed. The moment Yi Yeon-ju inserted the key into the lock of the iron door blocking the middle of the stairs, Gwang-chul’s telepathic message came through perfectly.
[Princess, preparations are complete! It’s hastily made so it’s a bit rough, but…]
[Good, well done. There’s nothing dangerous inside, right?]
[Yes, I checked everything! It’s just an old archive with a few access-blocking spells. Only scraps of paper inside. I stake my name on it as Sa-hae Gang-chul—I absolutely haven’t missed anything this time!]
…Why do I feel more uneasy when he makes such bold claims?
While I exchanged telepathic messages with Gwang-chul, Yi Yeon-ju tried to pull the iron door but failed because it was too heavy, so Sa Young-jun stepped in and opened it.
“Wow, it’s really dark… I-I can’t see anything at all.”
Je-gal Pyo, peering inside, pulled out a talisman. The end of the talisman burned like a torch, dimly revealing the stairs descending below.
“Um… S-should I go first?”
“Move aside.”
When Sa Young-jun asked, sounding somewhat frightened, Yun Ra-sa stepped forward without hesitation. Yi Yeon-jo immediately grabbed her shoulder and pulled out a clay figurine the size of a palm.
“Just in case, let’s send the figurine first. Squad leader, give that talisman to it.”
“O-okay!”
The crudely made clay figure grasped the glowing talisman in its fingerless hands and hopped down the stairs. The figurine quickly reached the bottom and waved the talisman like a flag at the end of the stairs. Beyond the flickering light, a stone door plastered with talismans came faintly into view.
Yun Ra-sa let out a scoffing laugh.
“There’s nothing special about the stairs.”
“It’s dark, so everyone watch your footing. Especially you, sister—don’t fool around and take a tumble.”
“I’m nimble thanks to our Nabi, thank you very much. You should be careful instead, clumsy little brother.”
As we descended the stairs in turn, Gwang-chul quietly slipped back and wrapped around my wrist.
[I’ve temporarily suppressed the original barrier spells that were here. Once we enter the Archive, my enchantment will activate immediately.]
[Enchantment? What kind of enchantment?]
[Well, I didn’t have time to create anything grand, but it should be quite impressive nonetheless. The Princess will see it firsthand!]

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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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