Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 33

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 33
And before I knew it, Father’s voice drifted down from the River of Three Paths.
“Sang Ra-hee-yo, and do enjoy the privileges of being human as well.”
“Privileges?”
“The ability to pray to the Celestial Deities.”
Father added with a gentle smile.
“Humans say that sincerity moves heaven, don’t they? Your mother and I are prepared to be moved by whatever you do, so pray whenever you need to.”
“Isn’t that rather dangerous? For you and Mother to meddle carelessly in the affairs of the Mortal Realm…”
“If you pray as a human and we answer, that’s not meddling—there’s justification for it.”
“It works out that easily…?”
“Of course it does. When something seems like a big matter, set up an altar and pray—that’s all. Humans receive blessings that way all the time. You’ll simply become a human who receives answers rather well.”
“Rather…?”
“Yes, just ‘rather’ abundantly. That way, it won’t violate the heavenly laws either.”
Father flashed a cunning smile.
…Now that I think about it, his logic isn’t entirely wrong, but I’m still uncertain. When Father says “rather abundantly,” he certainly means it.
As I hesitated, Mother went even further.
“If you need anything beyond us, pray to gods or immortals alike. Who would dare ignore your prayers?”
Suddenly, all the outrageous exploits my parents have committed flash through my mind like a lantern show. The time Father said he wanted to visit the Underworld where he works and ended up building a palace called Sang Ra Palace in the Underworld itself. The time Mother said she wanted to meet other divine beasts besides the Vermillion Bird who brought the Vermillion Bird Robe as a gift, and a celestial gathering of divine beasts was convened. The time she saw a young white tiger and called it cute, and all the young divine beasts in the neighborhood came to stay in the Sang Ra Palace gardens. The time she asked why typhoons blow in the Mortal Realm but not in the Heavenly Realm, and the Wind Earl, Rain Master, and Cloud Messenger collapsed from overwork.
‘I remember being amazed that typhoons now blow in the Heavenly Realm too, only to later realize those three had overworked themselves creating them…’
Beyond that, there was the time she said she enjoyed reading and a library of 888 buildings was constructed for my exclusive use, the time she found it fascinating how oysters make pearls and Father stacked mountains of every type of pearl oyster to the height of Taebaek Mountain, the time she said rainbows made her happy and Father kept a rainbow floating above Sang Ra Palace for an entire year, the time she asked who the strongest warrior in the heavens was and a martial arts tournament was held, and so on.
My parents’ only flaw, despite being otherwise perfect, is that they love me just a touch too excessively, which is why such incidents are far too numerous to count.
‘…I should reserve prayers to my parents as an absolute last resort.’
I nodded inwardly, cold sweat beading on my forehead.
“Yes, I’ll definitely pray if I need to.”
“Well then.”
Father scooped me up again and dove into the River of Three Paths. Mother followed behind.
Since I had sent back the Queen’s spirit, the lifeline that guided the way was no longer visible. Yet Father found the Underworld gate I had left open in the pitch-black water without hesitation and set me down.
Standing before the gate, I turned to look at my parents. Father, with the same black hair as mine, thick brows, and eyes black as the River of Three Paths itself—fierce as a wild beast to others, yet infinitely tender to me. Mother, with her jade-colored hair cascading down, eyes shaped exactly like mine, the same jade irises—stern and cold in appearance, yet loving me deeply. My beloved parents.
I smiled brightly and bid them farewell.
“I’ll be back soon!”
When the end comes, I’ll surely return to my parents’ side—this is no lie.
* * *
Crossing back through the Underworld gate, I saw Seol Deung-hwa with her ashen complexion.
She’s grown haggard overnight. Was she that anxious?
“You’ve returned!”
“Sorry, did it take too long?”
I removed the Vermillion Bird Robe and glanced around the chamber. Despite the layered screens, sunlight filtered softly through the gaps.
“Nothing happened while I was gone?”
“…The King came looking for you in the middle of the night.”
“The King? What happened?”
At my startled question, Seol Deung-hwa answered with a slight tremor in her voice.
“Just as the Crown Prince’s consort instructed… I warned him that if he interfered now, the Queen would never awaken, and he withdrew.”
“Well done. You’ve worked hard.”
The King’s fury must have been formidable, yet Seol Deung-hwa seemed to have handled it with remarkable composure.
As I began tidying away the traces of opening the Underworld Gate, she assisted from beside me and asked carefully.
“Did you succeed, Your Highness? The Queen is still asleep, though…”
“Yes, I succeeded. She’ll awaken soon.”
Given how long she’d been in that comatose state, immediate awakening would be difficult. Her spirit had wandered far and grown weary.
I packed items into the Eight Pillar Order while glancing at the Queen’s condition.
‘Hmm… recovery might take several days. Her physical state has changed noticeably, so the difference will be apparent, but can that King wait patiently for those days?’
As I pondered this, I spotted the container of Honsal Flower tea that Mother had prepared for me.
‘Ah, that should work.’
After removing even the boundary rope I’d cast, I asked Seol Deung-hwa.
“Do you know how to brew tea?”
“Tea? I’m not skilled at it, but if it’s a basic method…”
“Could you brew this?”
When I showed her the tea container, Seol Deung-hwa’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Is this… tea leaves? They’re carved into flower petal shapes and gilded like jewels… I’ve never seen tea leaves like this before.”
The flower teas made in the Western Paradise Flower Field were all like this, so it was only natural that humans found them unfamiliar.
“It’s tea from the heavens. I’ll brew it myself, so just tell them it’s a traditional Xue Tribe tea.”
“Pardon?”
“The Xue Tribe are divine-blooded, so calling it a traditional tea that the gods drink isn’t really a lie, is it?”
“Well, I suppose…”
Seol Deung-hwa looked troubled, but I wasn’t particularly worried—she’d handle it well when the moment came. From what I’d seen in Se-ru-hwa’s karma and from observing her since then, Seol Deung-hwa possessed inner strength beneath an unassuming exterior.
‘She has no power except the ability to discern lies, and her body is fragile, yet she attempted escape with Se-ru-hwa several times during the journey to Yun Kingdom alone.’
I gathered the tea container and spoke to Seol Deung-hwa.
“Go ask them to bring the tea implements.”
* * *
The implements were prepared immediately. And as a bonus, the King, the Royal Physician, the Inner Chamber Court Lady, and several eunuchs including Sang-seon all filed in. With the folding screens removed entirely, the Inner Chamber was quite spacious, and there was ample room for them all.
The King stared at the Queen with bloodshot eyes and growled like a beast.
“So it was all bluster after all—claiming you could awaken the Queen!”
“It is not bluster. Please wait.”
Seol Deung-hwa trembled but responded immediately. Truly, she was a person with an iron core.
“I waited until the new moon, then waited another night, and now you ask me to wait more? For what?”
“As the final procedure, the Crown Prince’s consort will personally brew a medicinal tea passed down through our tribe.”
“Medicinal tea?”
The King furrowed his brow and looked at me. The Royal Physician beside the King asked with apparent confusion.
“If it’s a tribal tea, why is the young Crown Prince’s consort brewing it rather than the Xue Lady-in-waiting?”
“Only those born with the talent to handle that particular tea can do so within our tribe. I lack the talent and never learned it, but I know the method and have taught the Crown Prince’s consort, who possesses the gift.”
“Then no one else can brew it?”
“Yes, if anyone else used the same tea leaves and the same tools, it would become mere tasteless water without any efficacy.”
While Seol Deung-hwa smoothly spun her tale, I busied myself brewing the tea. Ordinary tea involved steeping leaves in a teapot before pouring into cups, but Western Paradise Flower Field tea worked differently.
‘Ah, the medicinal ingredients need to be steeped normally.’
The tea was blended for therapeutic purposes, and alongside the petals came a tiny pouch containing medicinal herbs. After placing the pouch directly into the teapot and waiting a moment, I began gently scraping away the gold leaf-like coating from the crystal-like petals and placing them into an empty cup.
‘Though truthfully, this isn’t gold leaf but more like a shell.’
The King’s face contorted the moment he witnessed this.
“You said tea, but what is that? Are you scraping rust off a jewel? Sang-seon! Stop that immediately——!”
Before the King could finish his command, Seol Deung-hwa hastily interjected.
“It’s not a jewel—it’s a petal!”
“A petal? How does that look like a petal to you?”
“That peculiar quality is precisely the secret technique of the Xue Tribe, and it will soon become tea! Please show mercy and observe for just a moment longer.”
She trembled yet refused to yield, speaking with such eloquence.
I left the King in Seol Deung-hwa’s capable hands and worked my fingers diligently.
‘I’ve watched the celestial maidens do this countless times, but this is my first attempt.’
The celestial maidens removed the shells effortlessly, but as a novice, I struggled. After laboring through and finally peeling them all away, I placed the jewel-like core—the shell-stripped petals—into another empty cup beside me.
As the petals clinked against the porcelain, I felt the weight of everyone’s stares questioning what absurdity was unfolding. Ignoring them, I carefully lifted the teapot and poured just a tiny amount of the medicinal-steeped water over the petal cores.
‘Just a drop or two… oh no!’
The teapot proved heavier than expected, and the water streamed out. I quickly withdrew it, but too late. The petals, struck by the scalding water, dissolved into liquid and instantly filled the cup to overflowing.
“…!”
“What is that…?”
“That wasn’t nearly enough water to overflow like that?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————