Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 30

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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 30
‘He knows Se-ru-hwa, so he won’t fall for the shaman act. Then what excuse should I make…?’
My mind raced frantically, but the Underworld Messenger suddenly hurled his bottle away and lurched to his feet.
“I don’t know what you were doing to enter the Afterlife with a living body, but you’ve really done it now. Damn it, it’s all because of you!”
His face flushed crimson with the combination of drunkenness and rage. The Messenger suddenly seized my collar and lifted me off the ground.
“Gack!”
My feet dangled uselessly. As my neck was choked by the fabric, my vision began to whiten. I reflexively grabbed at his hand to pry it away, but with this child’s body, it was futile.
‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe!’
If this were a direct attack or curse, Cheoyong’s protective charm would shield me, but this wasn’t an attack infused with killing intent—it was just raw violence—so the charm didn’t respond.
The cursed Messenger continued shaking me while spewing words.
“How was I supposed to know! I’m new and have so much to memorize, so I might forget the princess’s face! Where did this princess even come from, defending such a worthless human brat!”
“Ugh, huh…huh…”
“My seniors berate me, my peers curse me, my juniors ignore me! Damn it, I’m completely ruined! Me, with such a promising future! All because of one insignificant human!”
I couldn’t breathe, my entire body shook violently, and I was helpless. Tears streamed down my face unbidden.
“If you’d just obediently left when I told you to go back, none of this would have happened! Huh? It’s all your fault!”
My body continued to shake. My vision truly whitened.
‘An-si…!’
Please come quickly—if this continues, Se-ru-hwa’s body will die, not from being discovered, but from suffocation!
Just as I thought my breath would truly leave me, suddenly air returned.
“Gack! Cough, cough, cough.”
“Good heavens, Sang Ra-hee-yo! My goodness…!”
Soft arms wrapped around me as a voice spoke urgently. Then came a loud crash and the sound of something shattering, followed by a scream like a pig being slaughtered.
“Aaahhhhh!”
“What kind of wretched creature are you—is it you again?”
“Hm, please leave some for my turn.”
Just now…those voices sounded like Mother and Father. Everything’s spinning…!
I lost consciousness.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.
‘Black canopy with…flame patterns…?’
This is my Inner Chamber in Sang Ra Palace. So I’m in my palace in the Afterlife…my palace?
“…!”
I jolted upright in shock.
“Waahhh! Your Highness!”
Beside me sat An-si, her face streaked with tears and snot. The moment our eyes met, she grabbed me and wept.
“Your Highness, are you all right? Oh no, this An-si, oh dear, I’m so slow-witted that I couldn’t properly protect Your Highness, oh my! I deserve to die! Please, let me die!”
“Wait, wait, don’t cry! Why am I here?”
“You’ve awakened.”
A warm, gentle voice came from the other side. That’s…Mother’s voice.
With an urge to flee, I turned my head and saw Mother in comfortable robes, seated in a chair. When our eyes met, she calmly opened her mouth.
“Sang Ra-hee-yo, do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”
‘I’m caught.’
No matter how perfectly I’ve disguised myself in this human form, Mother would never fail to recognize me the way An-si did at a glance. Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
My body remains in the Heavenly Realm, so why was I discovered? Had Mother already known everything and been watching over me from the heavens all along? Since when? Both Mother and Father are such immensely powerful deities that if they descended carelessly to the Mortal Realm or exerted influence, it could cause problems… Was she waiting for me to come to the Afterlife of my own volition?
What do I do? Is this the end of my escape? No, I can’t let that happen—what about the Crown Prince? I promised the Queen that I’d definitely wake her, so she shouldn’t worry. We were supposed to practice controlling darkness together tomorrow and go archery practice too. I said we’d go on courtesy visits together from now on. And what about Seol Deung-hwa waiting for me in the Central Palace Hall?
Anxiety seized me as I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth.
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
“…”
“But I won’t return to Sang Ra Palace. I can’t return.”
“…Sang Ra-hee-yo.”
“I made a promise to a human. I absolutely must return to the Mortal Realm. You taught me that if you’re born a deity, you must never break a promise.”
“Sang Ra-hee-yo.”
“I know you’re always concerned about my health. I understand that staying in Sang Ra Palace is best for my body. But…”
“Enough.”
Mother drew near and embraced me.
“My beloved princess. Open your eyes for me?”
I slowly opened the eyes I’d been keeping tightly shut. Mother was smiling right before me.
“Sang Ra-hee-yo, I didn’t come here to take you away.”
“What?”
“Why did you assume I would oppose you?”
“That’s because…”
“You wrote such a fine letter.”
“…You’ve already read it?”
The letter wasn’t supposed to be delivered yet. I never expected Hyang-dan to disobey my orders so immediately.
“Yes, I read it. Don’t blame the Chief Celestial Maiden. The situation was beyond her control, and her decision was ultimately the right one.”
“Beyond her control…?”
“Our princess is truly clever, but sometimes you have remarkably careless blind spots.”
Mother smiled wryly before asking.
“You used a great deal of power in the Mortal Realm, didn’t you?”
“I can’t use my divine power freely anyway.”
“Heavenly Punishment you can’t control on your own, I’ll grant that, but Heavenly Mandate—that’s different.”
“Ah.”
I did use it quite a lot. In the Heavenly Realm, I barely used it once in a blue moon.
Mother’s expression grew stern.
“You couldn’t possibly not have known that burden would return to your original body.”
“…Yes, I knew when I used it. I thought it would be fine since I’d recover while sleeping…”
Mother exhaled a deep sigh, then sat on the bed and lifted me onto her lap.
“It was not fine.”
“What? Really?”
“Do you know how much blood you coughed up? How anxious we’ve all been, terrified you might die again?”
The aftereffects were that severe? I didn’t think I’d used that much power, so why?
Oh, wait.
‘Now that I think about it, in the Heavenly Realm, using power brought immediate backlash and pain, so I was always careful.’
Since this body doesn’t hurt even when I exert myself, I must have pushed too hard without realizing it. And partly because I thought this body was dying anyway, I didn’t think too deeply about it.
If I was coughing up blood in my sleep, my parents must have been shocked. I never intended to worry them like this.
I let my eyebrows droop.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it would be that bad.”
“Yes, with that body, you wouldn’t have felt the effects properly.”
Mother peered intently at my face, examining me carefully from my forehead to my chin.
“An-si told me—with that body, you really don’t feel any pain at all?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded vigorously and, feeling slightly excited, explained how this body had been treating me.
“I don’t get out of breath, and my head doesn’t ache! I haven’t had a nosebleed even once until now. I can run now. I can even jump in place.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, my body feels so light! And with this body, food tastes different too. Everything tastes so much better. Oh, and I started learning archery not long ago.”
Before I knew it, I’d been going on at length about the advantages of this body.
I felt a pang of regret. After all, I have my true body that Mother gave birth to, and here I was boasting to her about how wonderful this ordinary human form is, compared to my divine body.
Feeling terribly sorry toward Mother, I fidgeted with my fingers and made excuses.
“B-but of course my original body is much better. The human body is actually quite inconvenient.”
“Sang Ra-hee-yo.”
Mother called my name with an expression I couldn’t tell was smiling or crying, then gently stroked my hair back.
“It’s all right.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry for?”
“Just… everything.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry. Why would you…”
Mother swallowed the rest of her words, then gently kissed my forehead. Then she met my eyes again. Her jade-colored eyes, identical to mine, glistened with moisture.
“Sang Ra-hee-yo, this mother of yours. No, your mother.”
…
“Of course I would wish for you to live a long, long life. If possible, to stay by my side for a very, very long time.”
Mother pressed her lips together, then took a breath and placed her lips against my forehead again. In that position, she whispered.
“But even if that’s not possible… more than that.”
Mother’s lips tickled my forehead. Warm breath touched my skin, and her voice, trembling with emotion, fell softly against my ear.
“What matters most is that you live happily.”
In that moment, I understood. Mother had already seen through everything. That I sensed my ending. That I had steeled myself to prepare for parting.
I had hoped she wouldn’t know that I knew… that I had given up on recovery. But my shallow pretenses were of little use against Mother.
“…Mother.”
I had no idea what to say. I couldn’t even look at her properly.
With my eyes cast down, Mother stroked my hair once more.
“I’m truly grateful that you seem to be enjoying life in that body.”
“….”
“You don’t need to come back. In fact, don’t come back. Do everything you wish to do, and simply live happily.”
“….”
“Mother will be cheering for you, all right?”
For some reason, tears welled up. Afraid that if I opened my mouth I would burst into sobs, I pressed my lips firmly together and nodded quietly.
* * *
Whether from exhaustion or relief, Sang Ra-hee-yo soon fell back asleep. The Jade Emperor remained at the sleeping child’s side for a long while. Though the outward appearance was that of an unfamiliar human child, to the Jade Emperor, who could perceive true essence, she was still her precious only daughter.
The phoenix, who had only just stopped crying, refused to leave the bedside and clung close. The Jade Emperor had originally intended to reprimand An-si for failing to protect Sang Ra-hee-yo. But seeing the young phoenix’s face, her eyes swollen red as she gazed at her master, the impulse to punish melted away.
‘The child was not negligent in her duties either… she protected Sang Ra-hee-yo well even in the Mortal Realm.’
Just as the Jade Emperor was about to tell An-si to rest, the Yama King burst into the chamber.
“Our Sang Ra-hee-yo! How is Sang Ra-hee-yo?”
“Lower your voice, Hwan. The child is sleeping.”
“Ah. My apologies.”
The Yama King replied in a deliberately hushed tone and hurried toward the bed.

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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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