Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 31

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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 31
The moment the Yama King laid eyes on the sleeping child, his fierce, sharp-featured face melted into tenderness.
“Oh, my precious princess.”
The change in the child’s body made no difference to the Yama King. It was abundantly clear that what dwelt within was his one and only treasured daughter.
“To think Sang Ra-hee-yo sleeps so peacefully! No blood, no fever, no groaning in pain! Seeing her rest so beautifully fills me with such joy. No matter what form she takes, our daughter remains the most beautiful in all the world!”
The Jade Emperor watched the Yama King dote over his sleeping daughter, then gestured to An-si.
“An-si, you should go rest now.”
“Sniff, sniff, yes, Your Majesty…”
An-si rose, wiping her nose with her sleeve. The Jade Emperor clicked her tongue.
“Stop crying and wash yourself. Change into fresh clothes. The princess must see you looking presentable when she wakes. If you appear like that, she’ll be troubled.”
“Oh! I don’t want that! I’ll wash up right away!”
The young phoenix had no wish to pain her mistress. As An-si scurried out in a flurry, the Jade Emperor spoke quietly to the Yama King.
“You’ve handled that Underworld Messenger appropriately?”
“Yes, I’ve left him boiling in the Boiling Hell. After a few centuries of boiling, he’ll come to understand what he did wrong.”
Unlike the Eight Great Hells that mortals entered, the Boiling Hell was reserved exclusively for immortals of the Heavenly and Underworld realms. As a place for immortals stronger than humans, the severity of punishment was correspondingly greater.
The Underworld Messenger who had seized Sang Ra-hee-yo by the collar had failed to recognize Princess Cheonmyeong not once, but twice. Even if he hadn’t known his target was the princess, he had still terrorized an innocent human child twice over. His lack of remorse made his crime all the more egregious. He was more than deserving of the Boiling Hell.
The Jade Emperor nodded.
“You did well.”
“To be honest, I wanted to execute him.”
“Still, we must follow the law.”
“…This law of yours is truly vexing, especially regarding Sang Ra-hee-yo’s situation.”
The Yama King pouted petulantly.
The moment he learned of Princess Cheonmyeong’s whereabouts in the Mortal Realm, the Yama King had tried to descend to her side immediately. It was the Jade Emperor who had stopped him, invoking the principles and laws of the Celestial Deities.
There was no telling what calamity might befall if the supreme deity of the Underworld descended to the Mortal Realm without proper ceremony or justification. The Mortal Realm where humans dwelt and the Celestial Realm where immortals resided were not divided for no reason.
“Even if it frustrates you now, ultimately adhering to the law proves more advantageous than breaking it—that is the very essence of law. There are countless possibilities within its bounds.”
“That may be true, but… I still find it sorrowful not to be at Sang Ra-hee-yo’s side.”
The Jade Emperor’s soothing words did nothing to ease the Yama King’s discontent. He ventured forth cautiously, gauging her reaction.
“What if I simply found a human body and descended to the Mortal Realm…”
“And what of the Underworld while you’re gone?”
“I could leave it to Ganglim… couldn’t I?”
“Don’t speak nonsense. Besides, it would interfere with Sang Ra-hee-yo.”
“Interfere? How could I possibly interfere with our daughter?”
“Sang Ra-hee-yo is delighted to live as a human, learning and doing things of her own accord. You’ve seen that yourself.”
“…”
“If we meddle carelessly, Sang Ra-hee-yo will be disappointed. Let us simply cheer from above. Help only when she asks for it.”
“But Suryo, didn’t you yourself say that if even a pebble dares appear in our Sang Ra-hee-yo’s path, we should uproot it?”
“If it’s a stone she might stumble over, then of course we must. But…”
The Jade Emperor narrowed her eyes as she continued.
“Haven’t you noticed anything watching Sang Ra-hee-yo all this time? Our princess has learned far more from us than we realized.”
The Yama King hesitated. He had always believed his only daughter to be infinitely gentle, docile, and fragile—surely she would struggle in a place as crude and harsh as the Mortal Realm. Raised as an exalted princess, cherished and revered, with a frail body that had never required her to do anything herself, he had deemed it impossible for her to actively overcome adversity. Yet, unexpectedly, Sang Ra-hee-yo was navigating human life with remarkable skill, showing little sign of hardship.
‘Yet he truly seemed to be enjoying himself….’
Still, the Yama King could not shake his worry. Even if he managed to get through this moment, there was no telling what would happen next. He could not bear to see Sang Ra-hee-yo suffer, even for a moment.
“…It does seem that Sang Ra-hee-yo is adapting remarkably well to life in the Mortal Realm, but given the circumstances she finds herself in, there are complex problems piling up. I wonder if that child can resolve them….”
“And if she cannot?”
The Jade Emperor smiled gently.
“If Sang Ra-hee-yo resolves things well and lives happily, we rejoice and celebrate. If she fails or struggles, then we step in as parents. That is all there is to it, is it not?”
“Ah.”
“Se-ru-hwa had quite a few enemies in her life, and it would be better if they were dealt with by Sang Ra-hee-yo’s hand. If you or I intervene, things will not end easily.”
The Jade Emperor murmured with a serene expression, then added in a chilling voice.
“That gloomy child is no exception either. Should he ever cause Sang Ra-hee-yo hardship….”
“Exactly! I cannot stand how he keeps calling her ‘Lady’ this and ‘Lady’ that! A marriage ceremony! How dare he presume to marry our Princess!”
“It was certainly startling. Still, Sang Ra-hee-yo handled it well and avoided being bound by the crimson thread of fate, did she not?”
“That is precisely why I am restraining myself. Had an actual marital bond been formed, I could not have held back. Our Princess is still a child! If that creature dares to covet our baby, Soo-ryeo, no matter how much you try to stop me, I will descend to the Mortal Realm at once! Laws and propriety be damned, I will simply——!”
The Yama King’s face flushed red and purple as his voice rose. The Jade Emperor laughed and spoke.
“In any case, for now let us trust Sang Ra-hee-yo and watch over her. Our daughter will do well.”
“…Is Sang Ra-hee-yo truly happy living in that body?”
“You know it as well as I do.”
The Jade Emperor smiled bitterly and continued.
“Sang Ra-hee-yo is now experiencing a healthy life for the first time. Did we not both see how happy her face was? It is a happiness we could never give her, no matter what we tried.”
“….”
“Even if we cannot be by her side… seeing Sang Ra-hee-yo so happy like that, we must be content with that.”
“…But Soo-ryeo, if that is the case, then this is the end.”
“The end of what?”
“We will never see Sang Ra-hee-yo again….”
The Yama King clenched his teeth quietly, then continued weakly.
“That mortal body will not endure until the human lifespan is exhausted. When the original body dies, Sang Ra-hee-yo will….”
“Yes, the burden from Sang Ra-hee-yo’s divine power, instead of falling on the original body, will pour entirely onto that human form.”
“When that happens, that body—not even a celestial vessel—will not last a moment before it crumbles. It will truly be the end.”
When Sang Ra-hee-yo’s original body dies, her mortal life ends as well. The illness that the original body has been bearing will transfer to the human form, and that fragile human body could never withstand such tremendous divine power.
In the end, Sang Ra-hee-yo, who lived in their embrace, will never return. Sang Ra-hee-yo’s lifespan will end before her departure does. The Jade Emperor, the Yama King, and Princess Cheonmyeong herself all knew this truth well.
The Jade Emperor gently brushed back the hair of her sleeping daughter. Then she spoke with quiet composure.
“We must work to ensure that does not happen.”
“We have been working toward that all this time. And yet… it has only grown worse.”
The Yama King spoke with difficulty, then squeezed his eyes shut. The Jade Emperor rose from her daughter’s side and approached her husband.
“Hunwon, there is an advantage to this situation.”
“An advantage?”
“When the moment truly comes that we can endure no longer.”
The Jade Emperor, standing beside the Yama King, rested her forehead against his chest. Her jade-colored hair cascaded down his broad chest. The Jade Emperor whispered softly.
“When that time comes, we will sever Sang Ra-hee-yo’s thread of life… so that the divine power does not transfer.”
“How can you say such a thing! Then Sang Ra-hee-yo would become a spirit of the dead at once! To deliberately sever the thread of life we have barely managed to keep intact? Then no matter how much I try, I could never reattach it!”
“No, Hwon. Sang Ra-hee-yo won’t become a departed soul immediately. Think about what state she’s in right now.”
“What does her state matter! If the thread between body and soul is severed, a soul without a vessel naturally goes to the Afterlife—ah.”
The Yama King’s objection died as his gaze fell upon Sang Ra-hee-yo lying on the bed. My daughter’s soul, dwelling in a human body. Right now, Princess Cheonmyeong has one additional body she can use, even if she loses her original flesh.
The Jade Emperor, noting the Yama King’s gaze, nodded expressionlessly.
“Precisely. Sang Ra-hee-yo currently possesses another body.”
“…But that body should have died long ago. It’s being sustained only because the living spirit Sang Ra-hee-yo inhabits it. If her soul becomes a departed spirit, it won’t last much longer.”
“True enough. As long as Sang Ra-hee-yo’s soul within remains alive, that body lives as well. But when she… dies, a dead body housing a dead soul will decay and crumble rapidly. Still.”
The Jade Emperor drew a deep breath and continued quietly.
“A dead body takes at least several months to decompose—perhaps a year or two if fortune favors us. With our efforts, we might preserve it even longer, wouldn’t we?”
“….”
“It’s only a measure of last resort. If the final moment truly arrives, it would be merely to buy ourselves a little more time….”
“Would time gained that way hold any meaning? Could we possibly find a way to resurrect Sang Ra-hee-yo within that span?”
The Jade Emperor answered with a hollow laugh instead. Seeing the moisture glistening in those jade-colored eyes, the Yama King understood the answer she had not spoken. It was a truth too sorrowful to voice aloud.

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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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