Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 36

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

Episode 36
The fear that only grew larger when I tried to suppress it alone dissipates and blurs away with just a few words exchanged with the Lady.
‘I only wished we could have shared something delicious together.’
The image of the young girl who had grasped the peach so firmly and sought me out at the library suddenly comes to mind.
That was Se-ru-hwa’s true heart. So why had I taken things so seriously just now, and why had I been so afraid?
When he smiled, Se-ru-hwa suddenly spoke with a serious expression.
“And Your Highness, being able to survive without eating and being able to grow well without eating are two different matters, aren’t they?”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that…?”
“You need to eat to grow taller. If you skip meals, you might end up being overtaken by me. I’m going to eat well and grow by leaps and bounds!”
Se-ru-hwa puffed out her chest proudly.
Cheon Gyeol-u was startled by a possibility he had never considered. More precisely, he simply hadn’t had time to imagine the future, but still. What if, ten years from now, the Lady had grown tall and become an adult, while he remained a small child who hadn’t grown at all?
‘That won’t do!’
Absolutely not. The boy wanted to become a tall and strong adult capable of fitting his Lady snugly in his arms.
Cheon Gyeol-u replied with a serious expression.
“No, I will be taller than you, Lady.”
“How can you guarantee that? I might grow taller and carry the Crown Prince around like a sack.”
“I will eat more than I do now and learn martial arts. Then I will lift you and carry you around effortlessly.”
“Hmm, shall we make a wager? Whose height will be greater when we come of age?”
Se-ru-hwa spoke with a playful laugh, as if she didn’t believe him.
The boy resolved that he would grow so tall he would carry the Lady around dangling, her feet never touching the ground.
“Let us make a wager. What shall we stake?”
“The winner gets one wish granted by the loser.”
“Agreed. Though I must say, this wager seems far too favorable to me. You will surely regret it.”
“You won’t know until you try, will you? Since Your Highness will come of age first, the winner will be decided on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony. Just you wait and see.”
Se-ru-hwa was brimming with confidence, as if she had something to believe in. Cheon Gyeol-u looked at the Lady, who was a head shorter than him, in disbelief, then found himself laughing without realizing it.
‘How adorable.’
It’s hard to believe I was ever frightened. It seems that whenever I’m with the Lady, I always feel this way. My heart races, yet I feel at peace.
Se-ru-hwa pulled him along.
“Now let’s go meet the others. I’ll introduce you to the Unyeon Hall staff first!”
Cheon Gyeol-u followed her as if enchanted.
The Unyeon Hall, which had been as desolate as Jamnyong Hall, had somehow transformed into a place brimming with warmth and life. Everywhere one looked was clean, and it was evident that great care had been taken in maintaining it. Moreover, just as Se-ru-hwa had mentioned she had been explaining things to them, the Unyeondang Staff were not frightened or fleeing from the Crown Prince, though they were certainly awkward around him.
‘It’s not just the explanation… it’s because the Lady is by my side.’
Se-ru-hwa’s manner of grasping the Crown Prince’s hand without hesitation and linking her arm through his eased the wariness of those around them.
“If Mano says it’s fine, then it must be fine.”
Everyone they encountered spoke in this manner. In just over a month, Se-ru-hwa seemed to have already earned the trust and affection of the Unyeondang Staff. How she had managed it became clear simply by walking through the Unyeon Hall with her for a short while.
“Jeong, you worked late yesterday—take the day off early today.”
“Your hand was injured, wasn’t it? I’ve left some salve with Kim Sang-gung—go get it and use it.”
“How’s Park Sang-gung’s back doing? Have you been taking the medicinal tonic? If you take it consistently, it will improve.”
“Ah, Song, go to Kim Sang-gung and receive your bonus. What? If you’ve done good work, you naturally deserve a reward.”
“Choi, how is your younger sibling? Much better now?”
Every time I encountered the attendants and court ladies, I remembered each one individually and looked after them—a habit so ingrained it seemed as natural as breathing.
The Crown Prince asked in surprise.
“Do you truly remember everyone who works in Unyeon Hall?”
“They’re under my care. How could I call them my people if I couldn’t even remember them?”
At her matter-of-fact reply, the Crown Prince found himself reflecting inwardly.
‘Have I ever observed my subordinates with such meticulous care?’
If he had made the effort she did, wouldn’t more people have remained in Jamnyong Hall even after the dark incident? Over these past two years, instead of cowering in fear and darkness, if he had watched Manager Jang so carefully, couldn’t he have reformed him into a truly loyal servant? Or at the very least, wouldn’t he have been able to detect his betrayal beforehand?
‘From now on, I’ll try to do the same—like she does.’
After circling Unyeon Hall, they sat face to face with Kim Sook-hyang, the Inner Chamber Court Lady.
“Are you asking me to touch the Crown Prince’s hand?”
A faint trace of fear flickered across Kim Sook-hyang’s expression as she repeated the request.
Cheon Gyeol-u had expected her to refuse. As an older court lady, she would certainly have been in the Palace during the dark incident. She must have heard all the rumors about the Crown Prince ever since.
“I understand.”
Yet Kim Sang-gung answered readily and immediately covered the boy’s hand gently with her own.
The Crown Prince went rigid. Reflexively, several incidents that had occurred shortly after the dark incident—when palace staff still worked in Jamnyong Hall—flooded back to him. Along with them came Manager Jang’s words.
“Your Highness must never touch another person again. Do not even let your faces meet. Unless you intend to become a murderer.”
Fear surged alongside the memory.
In that moment, Cheon Gyeol-u thought of Se-ru-hwa. Just moments ago, her words whispered against his forehead.
“Your Highness already knows the way. You’ve been practicing diligently every single day.”
Yes, they had practiced together every day. He had kept trying. How had he done it again?
Instead of dwelling on his fearful past, the Crown Prince recalled the hours spent practicing hand-in-hand with Se-ru-hwa. And nothing happened. His darkness remained docile in the shadows, like a tamed beast.
The boy gazed down at his own hand, warmed by another person’s touch.
Even if Se-ru-hwa was extraordinarily special and that explained it, this woman was someone he’d met for the first time today. A stranger could touch him and remain unharmed.
‘Is this real? Not a dream?’
The dreamlike things Se-ru-hwa had spoken of were truly becoming reality.
As the Crown Prince stood lost in wonder, Kim Sang-gung withdrew her hand and smiled brightly.
“Just as the Crown Princess said, Your Highness has now learned to control the curse.”
“He’s doing better, but he seemed to lack confidence in himself, so I asked Kim Sang-gung to help.”
Se-ru-hwa shrugged and smiled at Kim Sang-gung.
“Thank you, Kim Sang-gung.”
“It was nothing.”
The middle-aged woman bowed to her mistress, then turned to the Crown Prince with a respectful nod.
“I am honored to serve you, Your Highness of the East Palace.”
“…Thank you.”
After Kim Sang-gung withdrew, Se-ru-hwa turned to Cheon Gyeol-u with sparkling eyes.
“You succeeded, Your Highness!”
“Am I truly better now?”
“Of course you are! I always believed you could do it. Though I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly.”
Se-ru-hwa beamed, her joy seemingly greater than his own.
“Congratulations!”
Cheon Gyeol-u stared blankly at the young Lady before him. Watching the girl’s smile, his earlobes and cheeks tingled pleasantly. His heart stumbled again—but this time, not from fear. The darkness beneath his feet lay quieter than it ever had.
* * *
That evening, after dining together, Se-ru-hwa departed for the Central Palace Hall.
“I promise I’ll wake the Queen myself, so please don’t worry and just wait.”
She left with an expression utterly devoid of tension, yet Cheon Gyeol-u could not sleep a wink. Since there were no eunuchs in Jamnyong Hall, he had arranged for the Unyeondang staff to relay any news.
He spent the entire night awake, waiting for word. The longest night of the boy’s brief life passed, and dawn broke.
‘Still no news… Has something gone wrong?’
Could Father King have punished the Lady for failing to wake the Queen?
Dreadful imaginings bloomed unchecked. As the darkness threatened to grow alongside them, the Crown Prince gritted his teeth.
‘No, I must think positively, positively…’
Of course, it didn’t work.
The boy gazed helplessly at the darkness creeping from his own shadow, when suddenly he recalled something the Lady had said during their practice.
‘Even if you don’t feel like smiling, sometimes your mood improves if you force yourself to smile anyway.’
Cheon Gyeol-u sprang to his feet and stood before the mirror. He forcibly lifted the corners of his trembling mouth. In the glass, his own awkward smile reflected back at him.
‘How ghastly.’
The Crown Prince rendered this judgment upon himself—one Se-ru-hwa would have found absurd—and recalled the Lady’s smile.
‘The Lady smiled so beautifully.’
The moment he conjured the girl’s laughter, his own smile became natural. In the mirror, the Crown Prince beheld his own face, soft and serene in its smile. Without even looking down, he felt the creeping darkness shrink back into itself.
‘Ah.’
The boy laughed, tracing the contours of his smiling lips.
‘Now I truly understand the trick.’
He had grasped the method to smile even when his heart wasn’t in it. It felt like shedding a layer of himself.
Immediately after, urgent footsteps and a hurried voice came from beyond the door.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince! The Queen has awakened!”

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