Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 17

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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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Episode 17
“Did your conversation with the Chief Court Lady go well?”
“Yes. From now on, I shall serve as the Crown Princess’s Palace’s official lady-in-waiting.”
It was remarkable that she already knew about the assassins, and this woman certainly worked efficiently and stayed well-informed.
“You’ve done well. I look forward to working with you.”
I nodded in satisfaction, and Kim Sang-gung asked carefully.
“However, Your Highness… it’s said that the assassins all died in a peculiar manner, as though they had fallen from great heights. Do you happen to know how that came to pass?”
“Ah.”
I paused briefly before deciding to be straightforward.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure. I was hiding inside the palanquin until things quieted down.”
“I see, understood.”
Kim Sang-gung didn’t press further and withdrew. A wise approach. For someone of imperial blood, it wasn’t particularly unusual to have shadow guards with extraordinary strength, so she likely assumed something along those lines.
Glancing at An-si standing quietly behind me, I noticed Kim Sang-gung’s eyes lingering on her unusual eye and hair color, clearly suspecting her to be a shadow guard secretly raised by the imperial family.
‘Her deduction is nearly perfect—except that imperial family isn’t the Pyeong Empire’s.’
This time, I posed a question.
“Has the assassins’ backer been identified?”
“The Uigeum Bureau is conducting a direct investigation at the scene, so it should be revealed soon.”
“The Uigeum Bureau…?”
As I trailed off, Kim Sang-gung immediately explained.
“It is an agency directly under His Majesty that investigates matters related to the royal family. It is similar to the Geumui Guard of the Empire.”
“I see. If you happen to hear anything, could you let me know as well?”
“Of course, Your Highness. I shall inform you immediately.”
I had asked somewhat doubtfully, thinking the King’s direct agency wouldn’t report to me, but Kim Sang-gung answered as though it were no trouble at all.
‘So she has informants even within the Uigeum Bureau?’
For someone chosen on impulse, she was quite capable. Why hadn’t she been promoted? I wanted to examine her with my Heavenly Eyes, but I refrained, fearing she might be startled into fainting.
“Your Highness, you must be hungry. Shall we return to the Crown Princess’s Palace now? Though it is somewhat early, I have prepared lunch.”
At Kim Sang-gung’s words, I revised my assessment of her.
‘I’ve been starving this whole time!’
Anticipating the hunger of my earlier self who had skipped breakfast and preparing an early meal—Kim Sook-hyang was not merely capable; she was exceptionally competent.
* * *
The Unryong Palace, the royal palace of the Yun Kingdom.
The eastern section of the Unryong Palace was the East Palace, the Crown Prince’s domain. According to Kim Sang-gung’s explanation, the East Palace was a miniature replica of the entire Unryong Palace, with the same structure as the royal palace save for smaller buildings.
At the center stood the Sowang Hall, the main hall of the East Palace, and behind it, the Jamnyong Hall, the Crown Prince’s sleeping quarters, and the Unyeon Hall, the Crown Princess’s sleeping quarters, faced each other in parallel. The two halls were connected by a long corridor, and between them lay a garden with a small pond.
Had it been well-maintained, the place would have been charming and splendid with autumn colors, but now it appeared desolate and shabby. The trees were withered, weeds choked the ground, and the pond water was so murky that one could scarcely see within.
‘A scene that reveals at a glance the Crown Prince’s current position.’
The Unyeon Hall, the Crown Princess’s Palace where I would now reside, also showed signs of poor maintenance. It was clean, apparently hastily tidied, but neglected nonetheless.
Still, the meal was absolutely delicious. Kim Sang-gung was truly capable and considerate.
I finished eating with satisfaction and, in a generous mood, asked Kim Sang-gung.
“Why is the garden in such a state?”
“It has fallen into disrepair due to insufficient staff, or so I am told.”
“A shortage of staff?”
“…I’ve heard that the Crown Prince dislikes having people around him, so he’s kept only the bare minimum and dismissed the rest.”
Kim Sang-gung answered hesitantly. She was clearly struggling to find a tactful way of saying that anyone stationed near the Crown Prince tends to go mad, making it impossible to maintain a proper workforce.
I rested my chin on my hand and gazed out the window before speaking.
“Still, that seems rather extreme.”
“There are newly assigned attendants for the Crown Princess’s Palace, so I’ll coordinate with the eunuchs from the East Palace to reorganize things.”
“Is the staff sufficient?”
“Not entirely, but we can manage.”
With staff already stretched thin, adding more work would only breed resentment—especially if it happens right after the new assignments.
After a moment’s consideration, I waved my hand.
“Don’t start right away. The Crown Princess’s Palace reorganization still has quite a ways to go, and work assignments haven’t been properly distributed yet. It would be too difficult to do this immediately.”
Kim Sang-gung stared at me with wide eyes before answering slowly.
“…That’s true, but there’s no need for you to concern yourself with the circumstances of your subordinates.”
“Why not? They’re my people. If I don’t look after them, who will?”
“….”
Kim Sang-gung seemed at a loss for words. She was looking at me as though I were something unfamiliar. Were the laws and customs of the Mortal Realm different from those of the Heavenly Realm? That shouldn’t be possible.
‘Could it be that humans break the rules more often than they follow them? Is that why they find it strange when someone actually follows them?’
Humans may be foolish and immature, but surely not to that extent? No, that can’t be right… There must still be more people who follow the rules than those who don’t.
I tilted my head and continued speaking.
“In any case, don’t undertake anything major right now. Start with work assignments, and once that’s done, prepare a roster of all personnel in the Crown Princess’s Palace and bring it to me. Oh, and the East Palace’s as well.”
“Y-yes, understood.”
“And the Inner Palace Administration—it’s called that in the Yun Kingdom too, right? Do you have any records documenting the Inner Palace Administration’s regulations and ceremonies?”
“…The Inner Palace Administration’s regulations are recorded in the Yun Kingdom’s legal codes under the Royal Household section, and the royal ceremonies are compiled in a book called the Uigwe.”
Fortunately, it’s not so different from the Heavenly Realm.
I’d learned quite a bit by watching my mother and father work and observing over their shoulders. One of those lessons: to govern anything, you must first examine the existing records. You need to understand the current state of affairs and how things have been managed up until now in order to decide how to proceed. Even if your goal is to overturn the existing system, you can’t properly change what you don’t understand.
‘Mother always said it: ignorance isn’t a sin, but acting in ignorance is.’
She insisted that I thoroughly understand the circumstances before making any decision or taking action. Especially for important matters, and particularly when holding a position of authority, one must be even more cautious because the consequences are far-reaching.
So if I was to properly fulfill my role as Crown Princess, I needed to first examine this kingdom’s records.
“Then bring me all of it.”
“Surely you don’t intend to read it yourself?”
“Of course I do. What else would books be for? Or is it that I don’t have the authority to see them?”
“N-no, that’s not it. It’s just that the content would be tedious and difficult for you to read….”
“That’s for me to see and judge. Just bring them.”
“…Yes, Crown Princess.”
Kim Sang-gung stared at me with a dazed expression, then bowed and withdrew.
‘Why is she so surprised? Ah, is it because I don’t seem like a child?’
A peculiar sense of satisfaction washed over me. In the Heavenly Realm, no matter what I did, I was always treated like a baby.
‘I hope I continue to appear grown-up from now on.’
I barely suppressed the corners of my mouth from rising and stood from my seat. I planned to take a walk and feed Xiao-hua while getting a closer look at the East Palace’s condition.
An-si, who had been dozing in the corner, quickly scrambled to follow me.
“Just sleep. I only need to look ahead for now.”
“I’m not drowsy, Your Highness!”
“You’re not drowsy? You stayed up all night catching Thousand-Year Fox.”
“That hardly counts as exhaustion! An-si is perfectly fine!”
She wouldn’t budge an inch once she dug in her heels like that. I gave up and headed to the garden, with An-si trailing behind me.
‘Overprotective.’
A sigh escaped me, but I didn’t push her away. It would be harder on her if I did.
Once outside, the garden was far worse than it looked from the window. The flowers were all dead, and everything thriving was nothing but weeds.
‘It seems the Crown Prince has left this place abandoned ever since he became the Shadowed One.’
I crossed the garden toward Jamnyong Hall. The pavilion itself looked decent enough, but every window was sealed shut, and the lack of maintenance made it oppressively gloomy.
I frowned up at the eaves thick with cobwebs.
‘This isn’t even a ruin.’
Looking around, I spotted an old, worn broom leaning against the corner of the wall. As I reached for it, An-si startled.
“Your Highness, what are you trying to do?”
“Clear away some cobwebs.”
“Why would you do such a thing yourself? Please, let this An-si do it! A gust of wind and it’ll be gone in no time!”
“I know, but I want to try it myself.”
“That won’t do! You’ll collapse!”
An-si cried out in alarm.
Though it wasn’t entirely overprotection—my previous self had once tried to pick persimmons directly from a tree, raising my head and swinging a long pole, only to collapse from dizziness and lose consciousness.
I suffered for four days straight after that. Truly a remarkable constitution I had.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“This is different from the persimmon tree incident. This body is healthy now. That’s why I want to try.”
“….”
An-si closed her mouth. I shrugged and lifted the broom high. The reach fell short, so I bounced on the spot. The bristles barely grazed the drooping cobwebs.
“Ah!”
I let out a disappointed exclamation, but I was laughing. Why was this so delightful? Being able to jump felt wonderful, and having no dizziness was even better.
‘I want to move my body more.’
Anything involving movement seemed like it would be fun. Should I learn something new?
An-si, who had been fidgeting as she watched me, quietly asked.
“Might I be of assistance?”
“No, I’ll do it myself.”
“Then do it yourself. I’ll just give you a shoulder ride.”
I had no reason to refuse that. I nodded, and An-si lifted me effortlessly onto her shoulders. The raised broom swept the cobwebs away cleanly.
“Wow!”
“Did you succeed?”
“Yes! Look!”
The ornate eaves paintings, previously buried under cobwebs, began to reveal their brilliant colors. Surprisingly satisfying.
“Let’s do that side too!”
I gestured with unbridled excitement, and An-si moved with a cheerful laugh. As Princess Cheonmyeong, I should maintain dignity, but… dignity be damned when something is this much fun.
“Are you feeling well, Your Highness?”
“I’m fine! Perfectly fine!”
My arms and neck ached somewhat, but the dizziness had completely vanished. As the painted ceiling beams came into sharper focus, my spirits soared higher.
‘Just that corner left, but I can’t quite reach it.’
I swung the broom wildly. In the process, my weakening grip slipped, and the handle shot from my hands.
“Oh.”
The broom traced an arc through the air and punctured straight through the paper window. Something clattered inside, and the window suddenly flew open.
It was the Crown Prince.
“….”
“….”
The composed young man stared at me with a vacant expression.
…I think my face is turning bright red right now.

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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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