Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 25

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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 25
‘Is he trying to hit me?’
That bastard will receive divine punishment with absolute certainty today.
However, divine punishment doesn’t strike immediately—it takes longer depending on the target’s strength, resistance, and protective talismans—so it wasn’t helpful right now. Even if I took the hit, I had a protective talisman charm, so it didn’t matter much, but….
[Your Highness!]
[An-si, don’t kill him. If you kill him, it becomes a hassle! Just block it!]
I hurriedly sent a telepathic message because An-si looked ready to snap that bastard’s neck on the spot. But in the end, An-si did nothing.
“…!”
The Crown Prince rushed in front of me and took the blow instead.
“Your Highness!”
The sound of the slap was deafening. I gasped and grabbed the Crown Prince, looking up at him. That damned fool had hit so hard the child’s cheek turned crimson in an instant.
Why did you take that blow instead, Crown Prince! If I’d just left it alone, An-si would have snapped one of that bastard’s limbs—his leg, his arm, or his actual neck!
‘Since it looked like the Crown Prince was about to get hit, I told An-si to just let it be…!’
“Aaaah!”
In the midst of this, Wan-eon struck the blow himself, then shrieked in alarm and stumbled backward.
“Hieek, hieek….”
He trembled in fear, his eyes darting between the Crown Prince and his own hand, before finally calming down when nothing happened.
That bastard was wearing gloves. Did he put them on deliberately to meet the Crown Prince?
‘That eunuch must have reported the Crown Prince’s condition to the Left Prime Minister, so that fool knows about it too?’
Once Wan-eon confirmed the darkness hadn’t spread to him, he began sneering openly.
“My goodness, Your Highness, why did you interfere? The guilty party should have received the punishment. Otherwise, the Crown Princess’s manners will deteriorate.”
I wanted to shut that mouth of his, but the Crown Prince spoke faster.
“Brother, were you just trying to hit the Crown Princess?”
The Crown Prince’s eyes gleamed, and shadows rippled at his feet. A harbinger of encroaching darkness. His fury had reached his very core.
‘No, if he hurts someone with darkness now, his position will only get worse!’
I rushed forward and clung to the Crown Prince’s arm.
“You can’t!”
“…!”
“You must endure, Your Highness!”
At my desperate plea, the darkness spreading around the Crown Prince halted.
Wait? Did the Crown Prince just control the power of darkness?
‘The results of all that practice are already showing…!’
No, I’ll be proud of that later!
“Your Highness, just a moment!”
I pushed the Crown Prince behind me and stepped forward, immediately opening my Heavenly Eye toward Wan-eon.
“Lord Wan-eon.”
“Why is the little one opening her eyes like that… uh, u-uh.”
His babbling mouth fell silent, and only groans escaped him.
I smiled gently and continued.
“It seems Your Lordship’s health is quite poor. Seeing you speak nonsense, lose all sense of reason, and even swing your hands about—it’s quite concerning.”
“Hnngh… ugh, ugh….”
“Look—his legs are trembling, and he’s drenched in cold sweat.”
Wan-eon, pale as death and quivering like an aspen leaf, collapsed to the ground as my gaze continued to bore into him.
“Y-Your Excellency?”
The crowd around us gasped at Wan-eon’s sudden reaction. Ignoring them entirely, he began scuttling backward on his buttocks, desperately trying to distance himself from me. When my eyes refused to release him, he wailed like a child.
“Hnnngh, G-Grandfather…!”
He didn’t merely cry out—he soiled himself. The onlookers recoiled in horror.
“Good heavens….”
“Your Excellency! What is the matter!”
“Come to your senses!”
I closed my Heavenly Eye at that point and addressed Wan-eon’s entourage.
“What are you all doing standing there? The Excellency appears gravely ill—take him away at once.”
Several of them hurriedly hoisted Wan-eon to his feet and supported him. One of them suddenly pointed an accusatory finger at the Crown Prince behind me.
“That monster must have done something to the Excellency! Just like with the Black Sovereign…!”
“His Highness did nothing whatsoever.”
“The Left Prime Minister will not overlook this transgression!”
“Of course.”
I gave a perfunctory reply. For him to glare at me and gnash his teeth—he should be more concerned about the divine retribution awaiting him when he returns.
The babbling men departed with the wailing Wan-eon. I finally turned to face the Crown Prince behind me.
“Your Highness.”
“My Lady, what was that just now…?”
The Crown Prince spoke with wide, startled eyes. I noticed the overturned tray beneath him.
“…Let us have our meal first. An-si, go to Unyeon Hall and have them bring dinner to Jamnyong Hall instead. For two.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
* * *
After receiving dinner at Jamnyong Hall, I dismissed everyone, including An-si. Truthfully, I wished we could dine together at Unyeon Hall rather than in Jamnyong Hall’s current state, but it was too dangerous until the Crown Prince learned to control his twilight power freely.
‘I suppose I’ll be coming to Jamnyong Hall to eat for a while.’
Seeing the Crown Prince’s meal scattered outside the Main Gate, it seemed best that we share the dishes prepared by Unyeon Hall going forward.
‘I’ve heard that twilight beings can survive on starlight alone without eating….’
But surviving and thriving are different matters. No matter what, a growing body needs nourishment. He’s still young—he should eat well and grow strong. Besides, he shows no aversion to food.
“Your Highness, look this way.”
Before picking up my utensils, I retrieved the salve. While the nains were setting out dinner, I had obtained it from the Treasure Vault through the Eight Pillar Order—an ointment made from the oil of a divine starfish. It would surely be far superior to anything from the Mortal Realm.
The Crown Prince looked flustered upon seeing the salve I produced and shook his head.
“I-I shall apply it myself.”
“It’s your face. It’s better if I do it.”
“But how can I impose such a task upon you, my Lady….”
“Because I am your Lady, I must do it. Who else would?”
I moved closer and rubbed the salve onto the Crown Prince’s cheeks. Only An-si and I can touch his bare skin without harm, and I don’t trust her with this.
‘It’s unreasonable to expect a phoenix to serve just anyone.’
A phoenix bows to no one without first acknowledging them. They rarely even defer to immortals—for a human to earn a phoenix’s recognition, they would need to be either a sage-king revered by all or a Daoist who has ascended to enlightenment.
‘Still, it was too much that you didn’t stop the Crown Prince from taking the blow meant for me.’
I’ll have to tell An-si about this later.
As I made this silent resolution, I noticed the Crown Prince’s face before me had turned just as red as his struck cheek.
“Your Highness, does it hurt here?”
“…No, it’s… it’s fine.”
Fine, he said, so I simply continued applying the salve to the Crown Prince’s cheek. He endured the treatment in silence, his face flushed crimson.
‘It’s already swelling.’
What a shame to mark such a beautiful face.
I closed the salve jar and let out a sigh.
“Why did you block it? I would have been fine.”
“Fine, you say! If someone as small and delicate as the Lady had taken such a blow, it would have been a disaster.”
“I have An-si as my guard—would I have simply taken the hit?”
“Whether the Lady has a guard or not is beside the point.”
“Beside the point?”
The Crown Prince, who had been stammering at my question, answered with his ears flushed red to the tips.
“As your husband, it is only natural—and my right—to protect the Lady. Whether there is a guard or not… I am the Lady’s husband, after all…”
His voice, so clear and melodious usually, had become a mumble, growing smaller with each word. I could barely hear the end of what he was saying.
The redness, and now this? Is he… embarrassed? Why?
“Your Highness, are you embarrassed right now?”
“I am not.”
“Then why is your face so flushed?”
“It’s from the blow I took.”
“But the places you weren’t hit are also red.”
“You must be seeing it wrong because of the light.”
“You’re not making eye contact with me.”
“…”
“If this isn’t embarrassment, something’s seriously wrong—should I call the physician?”
The Crown Prince’s blush now crept all the way to his neck as he glared at me.
“Lady, are you mocking me right now?”
“Well, I was genuinely curious at first, but seeing your reaction made me want to tease you.”
“That’s too much.”
The flushed boy heaved a long sigh and drooped his eyebrows.
Now he’s acting his age. I suppressed the laughter threatening to escape and asked again.
“But really, why are you embarrassed?”
“Because you’ll only mock me further, so I won’t tell you.”
“What? I won’t tease you!”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Earlier you said you were sorry for not trusting me?”
“Which is why I’m still sorry now.”
“Wow. That’s so petty.”
When I pouted, the Crown Prince smiled softly. His expression had grown peaceful, and the smile he drew was genuinely beautiful.
‘Now he’s not embarrassed again. What on earth is he?’
I gave up and set aside the ointment, then picked up my spoon.
“By the way, Your Highness, you asked me earlier what I did to Wan-eon.”
“Yes.”
“That is….”
I was about to explain it away using the Xue Tribe as my universal excuse, but I changed my mind.
“…it’s a secret!”
“Pardon?”
“Because I still can’t trust Your Highness yet.”
I spoke as though it were merely a continuation of our banter, but there was genuine truth to it. I couldn’t be honest because I couldn’t fully trust this person.
At my words, the Crown Prince gazed at me intently for a moment, then smiled gently.
“I understand.”
“That’s it? You’re not going to ask more?”
“I said I still can’t trust you either, so what right do I have to press you?”
The Crown Prince added, his eyes crinkling softly.
“Since we both said ‘still,’ perhaps one day we’ll be able to trust each other sincerely. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I felt oddly caught off guard. I turned my gaze away and replied with a slight pout.
“I suppose? That depends on what Your Highness does. I’ll prove myself soon enough.”
“Then I should make an effort as well.”
The Crown Prince laughed softly. The person who had seemed so shadowed, as though he’d given up on everything, was now smiling with a genuinely peaceful expression.
‘He looks much better this way.’
I glanced out the window. The sun had fully set, and only twilight seeped through the paper screens. Yet the candlelight between the Crown Prince and me had not gone out. The Crown Prince himself was unaware that he was no longer spreading darkness.
‘The darker it grows, the more fear expands.’
This principle applied not only to those touched by darkness but also to the Crown Prince himself, who spread it. Conversely, when I recalled the moments when the Crown Prince had calmed his darkness, there was a common thread.
‘When the Crown Prince smiled.’
Over these past few days of practicing together, I’d tried various things, but smiling proved most effective. Even now, as he smiled so peacefully, the darkness didn’t spread at all.
‘If fear makes it grow, then joy naturally makes it shrink.’
The possibility became apparent far faster than I’d anticipated. I smiled and opened my mouth.
“Your Highness, look outside the window.”
“…!”
“The sun has set. Yet the candlelight hasn’t gone out.”
The Crown Prince looked at the candle with a bewildered expression, then down at his own hands, then at his shadow, before turning to gaze at me once more.

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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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