Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 163

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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 163
Kim Cho-ryeong had once mentioned that the Hwarang maintained strict discipline, and watching Choi Hwang-hae made me understand exactly what she meant.
‘He’s so rigidly rule-bound that you’d question whether he’s even human.’
I’d never seen him sleep in or arrive late, let alone slack off during lessons. He followed every regulation of Seongsul Academy without exception, and if an instructor told him to walk three steps forward, he’d walk those three steps even if there was a pit at the third one and simply fall in.
Watching him made me finally understand why he’d mistaken me for a Demon Beast and attacked me during the March exam.
‘The instructors clear the test grounds beforehand, so the probability of Demon Beasts being there is low, and he’d know there’s a silver-haired cadet named me in his class… but Choi Hwang-hae simply attacked according to the principles he’d been taught unconditionally.’
He’d memorized like dogma that silver fur visible on mountains at night meant a long-tailed tiger, so he’d never even considered any other possibility.
‘But how did someone like that end up being punished just like us?’
I was incredibly curious about the reason. There were other students from different classes being punished too, but Choi Hwang-hae was the only one whose reason intrigued me.
“Everyone’s here. Today you’ll work in pairs of two, helping with various tasks for the Dano Festival all day long.”
“Ugh, all day long? But it’s the Dano Festival—can’t we play at all? Can’t we at least watch a little while taking turns working?”
Heo Gye-gyo cut off Yi Yeon-ju’s pitiful complaint sharply.
“Play? You’re being punished because you caused trouble. If you don’t do this properly today, you’ll fail entirely, so don’t get distracted and work hard.”
“Ugh…”
“After you’re done, we’ll also get evaluations from the officials you worked with. Come on, you troublemakers, let’s follow orders and do well this time, yeah?”
Heo Gye-gyo warned with a smile as he lifted a bundle of papers.
“Now, come forward as I call your names, receive your guide, and move to the places written here. Once you arrive, the officials there will tell you what to do.”
It’s punishment, but it feels like training too, seeing how they’re having the students help with tasks.
‘Making punishment part of training—the director really is serious about raising these Seongsul Academy students.’
The students took their papers in turn and departed with their assigned guides. Yi Yeon-ju and Yun Ra-sa were assigned to guard the stream where women gathered to wash their hair with sweet flag water, famous for the Dano Festival tradition. Sa Young-jun and Je-gal Pyo were assigned to the wrestling tournament grounds. The Crown Prince was assigned outer patrol with Yi Yeon-jo, and he’d be watching for Demon Beasts sneaking in under the chaos of Dano while following the Jagyogapsa around the outer walls.
‘I won’t see the Crown Prince at all during this Dano Festival…’
Last year we’d enjoyed the Mortal Realm’s Dano customs together and had fun. I felt a bit disappointed. I’d hoped to work near the Crown Prince, but I’d ended up assigned to inner city patrol with Choi Hwang-hae instead.
“Those assigned to inner city patrol, follow me.”
Heo Gye-gyo led us to the Patrol Office. There we divided the patrol areas by group, and the district Choi Hwang-hae and I were assigned was the South Market area south of the Wun River.
“Follow the designated route and keep circling. If you find something that needs urgent help, tear this armband—it doubles as a talisman. The patrol officers will always be stationed at the locations marked on this map, so if a fight breaks out or trouble occurs, come call us. Only tear the armband in emergencies. For lighter matters like lost children or missing items, you should handle them directly…”
The Po-do Official was explaining as he distributed the armbands and map to us, then he suddenly looked startled seeing me.
He recognized me.
‘This cursed silver hair.’
“Y-you can, can, can handle it yourselves, but, absolutely, absolutely do not overexert yourselves… No, well, since the patrol officers are stationed everywhere, please just call us…”
The Po-do Official, who’d been businesslike, suddenly became extremely polite and stammered respectfully while breaking into a cold sweat. Feeling like I was tormenting him, I quickly took the armband and map and left the Patrol Office.
“From now on, I’ll randomly patrol the areas you’re assigned to and check how well you’re doing. If I catch you slacking off, you’re in trouble, got it?”
Heo Gye-gyo said this with a bright smile, then left for the district assigned to another group. Choi Hwang-hae and I headed toward the South Market together.
As we moved, the sun rose and the sky gradually brightened. Suddenly, I noticed a massive rainbow stretching across the sky without any rain. Iridescent five-colored clouds swirled around the rainbow that draped over Wun City like a bridge of clouds.
‘Ah, Mother and Father.’
It seemed Mother and Father had created a rainbow for my birthday. I’d once said I felt happy seeing rainbows, and my parents had kept a rainbow over Sang Ra Palace for an entire year, so I’d told them to stop overworking the immortal who creates rainbows and to do this only on special occasions.
After that, my parents began hanging a rainbow over Sang Ra Palace on my birthday each year, and in the Heavenly Realm, a rainbow became something like the symbol of my birthday. When a rainbow appeared without rain, people would say, “Ah, it must be the Princess’s birthday. Dano has come again.” The celestial maidens gossiped about it.
‘Last year they only draped it slightly over Unyeon Hall, but this year it’s quite grand. Is it because I’m outside the Palace?’
As I looked up happily, the five-colored clouds above the rainbow began moving slowly, forming the shape of characters.
Happy birthday to our Sang Ra-hee-yo…?
‘No, what if the humans notice!’
This is definitely Father’s doing. Why didn’t Mother stop him?
Startled, I glanced around, only to find Choi Hwang-hae gazing up at the sky right beside me.
‘Oh no!’
I reflexively reached up to cover my eyes, but the boy murmured casually.
“Fortunately, the weather is lovely. Not a cloud in sight—it doesn’t look like rain will come.”
“…What?”
Not a cloud in sight?
Bewildered, I looked at the sky again. The rainbow still shimmered beautifully, and the clouds had multiplied into the shape of a gift box.
“…You really don’t see anything in the sky?”
“Hmm? Do you see something?”
Choi Hwang-hae asked, seeming puzzled. I quickly shook my head.
“No, I think I mistook a bird for something else.”
“I see.”
Mother and Father must have cast a spell to make it visible only to me. Yes, no matter how reckless they are, they wouldn’t cause a scene that mortals could witness.
Relieved, I watched the sky. A phoenix-shaped cloud carried a gift-box-shaped cloud above the rainbow and dropped it onto a cloud that resembled Unyeon Hall.
‘They must have left a gift for An-si at Unyeon Hall.’
I smiled and nodded toward the sky, and the rainbow sparkled brilliantly before slowly fading away.
‘In the Heavenly Realm, we don’t usually celebrate birthdays every year, but my parents really are exceptional.’
A sigh escaped me, yet my lips curved upward of their own accord.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Oh? I was just remembering how delicious breakfast was this morning.”
“….”
Choi Hwang-hae looked down at me with a skeptical gaze.
But now that I think about it, he really is handsome. At fourteen, he’s already like this—I wonder what he’ll look like when he’s grown. There were rumors that appearance was a criterion for Hwarang selection, and looking at Choi Hwang-hae, those rumors seem true.
‘Still, my Crown Prince is far more handsome.’
The thought of the Crown Prince smiling with those gentle eyes lifted my spirits. As I walked lightly, I suddenly asked.
“By the way, Choi Hwang-hae, what did you do to receive punishment?”
“…I had Park Dong-dong admitted to Jesaengwon.”
“W-what? Jesaengwon? Admitted? Park Dong-dong? When?”
From the beginning to the end of his brief answer, nothing made sense. As I poured out my questions in shock, Choi Hwang-hae furrowed his brow and replied.
“Two days ago. It was my fault, so the Director decided to punish me that day.”
Since Seongsul Academy was closed for the Dano Festival, I had no idea Park Dong-dong was admitted, even though we’re in the same class.
‘If it were just an accidental injury, the Director probably wouldn’t have given him punishment.’
What on earth did the two of them do for Park Dong-dong to be hospitalized and Choi Hwang-hae to be punished?
“…Don’t tell me you hit him?”
“I didn’t hit him, but the result is hardly different from having done so.”
“What exactly happened between you two…?”
I asked cautiously, and Choi Hwang-hae unexpectedly opened up.
“Do you know that Park Dong-dong and I share the same room in the dormitory?”
“Huh? Really? I didn’t know.”
Seongsul Academy has a dormitory for students from distant places. I’d heard that Je-gal Pyo lived in the dormitory and shared a two-person room, but I had no idea that Park Dong-dong and Choi Hwang-hae were roommates.
I shook my head, thinking I’d simply never had the chance to discuss it with either of them.
At my gesture, Choi Hwang-hae let out a sigh.
“Since we share the same room, we naturally came to know each other’s circumstances. But it’s a personal matter, so it’s difficult to explain in detail. To put it simply, Park Dong-dong lied to me.”
“What kind of lie?”
“He said he was fine when he wasn’t. I believed him and kept repeating the same actions, and in the end, Park Dong-dong was seriously injured.”
Choi Hwang-hae ran a rough hand through his hair and muttered as if bewildered.
“My fault is clear, so I have no intention of denying it. But I still don’t understand why Park Dong-dong would tell such a lie in the first place.”
“He lied and said he was fine when he wasn’t?”
For some reason, my feelings grew complicated.
“…Wasn’t it because he didn’t want to worry you?”
“Worry? Is there anything more worrisome than getting hurt because of me and ending up hospitalized?”
Choi Hwang-hae replied with a hint of frustration. I hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“From his perspective―”
“Wait.”
Suddenly, Choi Hwang-hae raised his hand to stop me. He lowered his voice to a whisper.
“There’s something ahead.”

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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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