Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 159

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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 159
[Eeeek!]
I felt Gwang-chul trembling violently around my wrist, terror coursing through him. An-si’s body quivered as well, though hers seemed born of anger rather than fear.
I laughed awkwardly and asked, “You heard about it? From whom?”
“At the border, while waiting for Heuk-yeon’s turn to come, he asked if I knew what had happened to your master during your absence.”
“So Heuk-yeon told you….”
“I heard everything. The Princess’s protective charm shattered, and she was injured further. The moment I learned this news, I wished I could simply die!”
“It wasn’t a serious injury, and I received treatment immediately, so I’m fine.”
“How can you say you’re fine when the Princess’s body was harmed! Do you have any idea how frightened I was? Why does this always happen whenever I step away? If something truly befalls the Princess because of my absence, I will throw myself to my death!”
Tears welled up in An-si’s eyes as she spoke. I quickly tried to soothe my Phoenix Guard.
“It was simply bad luck. It wasn’t your fault, and in the end, nothing serious came of it….”
“No. No matter how I think about it, this is An-si’s mistake for leaving. From now on, no matter what task you give me, I will stay glued to the Princess’s side and never leave. Please know this! Even if you command me, I will not go far! Even if my neck breaks, it will break near the Princess!”
An-si declared this solemnly, her tear-filled eyes glaring at my wrist.
“That Imugi boasted so confidently that I couldn’t trust the Dragon King’s son and should only trust him, so I believed him and went about…!”
An-si ground her teeth and extended both hands toward me, palms up.
“Princess, please give me that Gwang-chul.”
[P-p-please save me, Princess! If you hand me over, I’m dead!]
Gwang-chul clung desperately to my wrist, trembling. I scratched my cheek.
[Gwang-chul, surely An-si won’t actually kill you? You’ll just get beaten and that’s it.]
[No, this time I really will die! Don’t you see her eyes have gone wild?]
[Hmm… To be honest, you were clumsy yesterday and that’s why things got dangerous… It seems like you need training even if it means getting scolded by An-si.]
[No, I do intend to train, but she’s looking at me with eyes that just want to kill me right now! P-p-please, didn’t I do well yesterday? Please save me!]
Hmm, if Gwang-chul hadn’t done well creating the treasure map yesterday, I would have handed him over to An-si without hesitation….
‘Instead of rewarding him with alcohol, I’ll just cover for him once.’
If I left it to Gwang-chul, he’d probably just choose getting beaten and drinking alcohol anyway, but well, it’s my decision how to reward him. It’s better not to give alcohol to a drunkard.
[I’m only covering for you this once because you did well with the work in the Underground Library.]
[Yes, yes! I’ll do well from now on! You’re the best, Princess! Loyalty! Loyalty!]
I exhaled softly and opened my mouth.
“An-si, let’s spare Gwang-chul this time. He’s earned merit since then.”
“Pardon? Merit from that Gwang-chul? Are you certain it’s merit and not demerit?”
“Yes, I’ll explain the details later. So don’t harm the child over this….”
As I spoke, I swiftly removed the unsuspecting Gwang-chul from my wrist.
[W-w-what, Princess?]
“Instead, I need you to train him. Gwang-chul is strong, but he’s clumsy in many ways.”
[Princess! Princess! You said you’d save me!]
[What? I did save you. You won’t be punished for this incident. Do you think An-si would disobey my command? And didn’t you say you were willing to train?]
[B-but… but training under the Blood Phoenix….]
Without letting Gwang-chul finish, I placed a dragon no larger than my finger into An-si’s palm. An-si blinked.
“Do not punish him… but train him, is that what you’re saying, Princess?”
“You’re saying not to punish them… but to train them instead, sir?”
“Yes. Since he’s never properly done escort work before, his technique seems rough. Gwang-chul mentioned he wants training anyway, so why don’t you, as an experienced escort, work with him directly until you’re satisfied? That way, An-si, you’ll feel more at ease too, won’t you?”
“Ah, until An-si is satisfied, you say? Understood, Your Highness.”
The golden-haired girl smiled brightly, yet something sinister emanated from her. Before I could help it, worry spilled from my lips.
“An-si, you can’t kill him. Understood?”
“It’s only training—why would anyone die? Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’ll keep his neck perfectly attached!”
“…And don’t pull out his horns either.”
“Pardon? An-si is the Phoenix Guard of a dignified Princess. Why would I pull out a perfectly good dragon’s horns? Scales perhaps, but… in any case, if he listens well and trains diligently, such things won’t happen!”
“Right, okay… Gwang-chul, you heard her? Listen to An-si and train hard.”
[Your Highness….]
The tiny black dragon trembled pitifully in An-si’s palm, gazing up at me with sorrowful eyes.
I deliberately looked away from that gaze. I’ve done my best here, Gwang-chul.
“By the way, An-si, where’s Heuk-yeon? Didn’t she come with you?”
“Yes, she came with me. When I told her the Princess was calling, my brother followed willingly.”
“Good work. But then, where is Heuk-yeon now?”
“She didn’t want to enter a place with so many humans, so she’s hiding in the Garden. If the Princess commands it, I shall fetch her at once.”
“No, if she’s in the Garden, I’ll go see her myself.”
As I stood, An-si rose as well. I waved my hand.
“It’s fine, you wait here with Gwang-chul.”
“But….”
“I’m not going far, I’m not seeing anyone unfamiliar, and I’ll only be in the Garden with Heuk-yeon.”
“…Then I shall remain nearby.”
Leaving behind the sight of An-si glaring at Gwang-chul in her palm with a terrifying gaze before clenching her fist, I stepped out into the Garden between Jamnyong Hall and Unyeon Hall.
Spring was approaching May. The Garden overflowed with scattered spring blossoms and flower buds ready to bloom. The chaotic state from my first visit had long since vanished without a trace, and with each passing year it grew more abundant, cultivated so that different flowers bloomed with each season—now I walked as though between bouquets.
‘The Chamnyong Hall Backyard Garden is also full of azaleas these days. The red plum blossoms are beginning to fade, but….’
Still, only the Crown Prince and I frequented that place, and we continued measuring our heights against the wall beside the red plum tree.
‘The Crown Prince’s height… he’s growing so remarkably fast. I thought he might not grow at all since he’s such an unprecedented human Darkness Being, but….’
It was fortunate that he was growing well, but the wager between the Crown Prince and me had become somewhat uncertain. Still, humans say females mature first, so it’s too early to declare a winner yet!
‘Come to think of it, the Crown Prince now handles darkness skillfully, yet sometimes he still asks me to help him practice.’
The darkness grows alongside the Crown Prince’s height. It seems to grow stronger with each passing day, which apparently makes him anxious at times. He says it’s enough if I hold his hand or keep talking beside him, so helping with his practice isn’t difficult, but… it does seem to be happening more frequently.
‘Has the darkness grown so much? It’s been three years since I arrived, so it’s already been five years since he became a Darkness Being….’
Darkness Beings don’t live long even if left alone, as they self-destruct. The longest-lived Darkness Being lasted seven years, I believe.
I once heard that a seven-year-old Darkness Being caused even the Celestial Realm’s immortals to faint wherever it touched, prompting the gods themselves to intervene and eliminate it, so seven years must indeed be the record for the longest-lived Darkness Being.
‘The Crown Prince is an exceptional case and seems completely stable, so I wasn’t worried about self-destruction… but could it be?’
Suddenly, I recalled how the Crown Prince had seemed strange when the assassins attacked. That darkness spreading like a spider’s web, like an abyss.
‘That darkness was different from usual. It felt like the entrance to the Abyss.’
It felt similar to where Heuk-yeon lives. And since I was now heading to meet Heuk-yeon….
‘I should ask about this while I’m at it.’
“What occupies your thoughts so deeply?”
“Yelp!”
A voice suddenly came from above my head, startling me into an involuntary cry. As I stumbled backward, a large hand caught me firmly and lifted me effortlessly into the air.
As my perspective suddenly shifted higher, I found myself face-to-face with eyes as dark as pitch. A beautiful face devoid of expression. A deep scar slashing diagonally across the right eye. Long black hair tumbled carelessly, and a tall man draped in a black robe like the Underworld Messengers stood before me.
“…It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this, Heuk-yeon.”
Heuk-yeon lifted me to his eye level and examined me from every angle before setting me back down and responding.
“You’ve grown considerably, Princess.”
“Ah, you saw me in this form before, didn’t you? When you rescued me from Geu-seun-dae.”
“Yes, human children do grow remarkably fast.”
Heuk-yeon spoke matter-of-factly, crossing his arms and gazing down at me with cool eyes.
“I have no desire for lengthy conversation with you, Princess. Please ask your questions directly.”
If An-si had witnessed this, she would have thrown a fit, insisting her brother was being disrespectful to the Princess. That was precisely why I’d separated from An-si to meet Heuk-yeon alone.
“Well, I have quite a few things to ask….”
I rose and walked to the nearby wisteria with its violet-blue blossoms cascading overhead, settling beneath it.
“Come, let’s sit and talk.”
Even when I gestured for him to join me, Heuk-yeon remained standing motionless.
“I’m fine as I am. Please ask your questions.”
He clearly didn’t want to be near me. Then again, Heuk-yeon had always been that way.
So different from An-si’s other siblings—those who gazed at me as if I were impossibly adorable, or whose tongues tied whenever they saw me, or who bickered as if they’d die for each other. Heuk-yeon’s demeanor was starkly distinct.
‘I was frightened at first. I thought he hated me.’
When I’d gone to see the Abyss before, after he’d brutally slaughtered a Demon Beast that lunged at me, I watched him turn pale as he checked on my safety. That’s when I realized Heuk-yeon didn’t truly despise me.
‘No, Heuk-yeon does hate me. Because I’m weak, because he doesn’t know when I’ll die….’
Heuk-yeon deliberately kept his distance from me, struggling to maintain that dislike. Once I understood that, I stopped trying to grow closer to him. It felt cruel to burden him that way.
So this time, instead of forcing him to sit, I broached the subject as he preferred.
“Is the Phoenix Guard taking turns guarding the Yun Kingdom border because of me? To stop Doo-eok-sini from causing trouble?”

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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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