Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 45

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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 45
“You said my testimony alone isn’t enough to believe. Is there really evidence at the Joongga Trading Company?”
The Warrior had originally been ordered to keep his mouth shut if the mission failed—or his entire family would be destroyed and he’d be murdered in prison. But right now, the Crown Prince’s “darkness” terrified him more than death itself.
“On the surface, there will be no connection, but if you search the company’s secret ledgers, there’s evidence that the Left Prime Minister is behind it!”
“Where is this secret ledger?”
“It’s in the company owner’s safe….”
The Warrior, pouring out secrets in his terror, suddenly snapped back to awareness. Only a handful of people knew about the secret ledger’s existence. If he kept spilling like this, his entire family would truly be slaughtered by the Left Prime Minister.
‘I’m already a dead man anyway…!’
The Warrior immediately tried to bite his own tongue. But the Crown Prince was faster.
“Gack….”
“Who told you to die on your own?”
The boy sealed the Warrior’s mouth with a hand wrapped in swirling darkness.
“Ugh, kck!”
With roiling darkness filling his mouth, the Warrior thrashed in terror, even forgetting to bite his own tongue.
The Crown Prince held him down with crushing force and waited. Before long, the Warrior’s eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.
“…Phew.”
Cheon Gyeol-u finally exhaled in relief and rose to his feet. Then he stared down at his own hands.
Despite being bound in chains, he—an eleven-year-old boy with no martial training—had just pinned down a full-grown man, and one possessed by Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin at that, through sheer force alone.
‘…I evaded all the Royal Guards in the Central Palace Hall too.’
Having become a monster, his physical abilities had grown abnormally powerful. In the past, such a body would have felt repulsive and revolting, but now he felt only gratitude. This strength would help protect the Lady.
‘I need to learn swordplay properly too. If I can knock someone out cleanly, I won’t need to restrain them dangerously like just now.’
Even as his mind reasoned calmly, the boy’s hands trembled uncontrollably.
For the first time in his life, he had threatened a person. Tortured, subdued, and coerced them. Wielded a weapon forged from darkness—the very darkness he’d always feared.
He’d tried so hard not to harm anyone with that darkness. Now it felt as though he’d stepped off the righteous path he’d always known and waded into filth.
He was afraid. Had he made the wrong choice?
‘…No.’
The Crown Prince clenched his fists and steadied his trembling.
‘I must become stronger.’
He had no luxury of upholding virtue against those who sought to kill not just him but the Lady as well. If she hadn’t discovered the conspiracy beforehand and prepared, if he hadn’t extinguished the fire with darkness, they could have burned to death tonight.
‘If I hadn’t extracted this clue just now, the Left Prime Minister would have escaped again—just as he did after sending assassins after the Lady.’
He would live righteously. Bearing this darkness, he would be more vigilant than others, more careful, more diligent, and live by the law. But when it came to protecting the Lady, he would spare no means. That was a duty that superseded law itself.
‘Stop trembling. If you have time for that, think about how to use the clue you’ve just obtained.’
The boy pressed his lips together, steadied his breathing, and stepped out into the rain.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, the familiar ceiling came into view. My bedroom in Unyeon Hall.
I remember collapsing after performing the rain-summoning ritual and confirming the rain had begun.
When I turned my head to the side, I saw An-si’s face first, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Your Highness!”
“I’m…”
When I opened my mouth, my voice came out hoarse. My throat felt parched.
Noticing my condition, An-si hurried to bring a cup of water to my lips. After drinking a few sips, I felt somewhat better.
“How long was I asleep?”
“You slept for nearly a full day, my lady.”
An-si let out an exasperated sigh, her face pouting as if to prove a point.
“Didn’t I tell you that you seemed to be overexerting yourself?”
“I thought this body was healthy enough to handle it. I wasn’t even that tired, really.”
“No matter how healthy this body is, it’s still a child’s body! Do you know how frightened I was when you collapsed? Does my lady wish to see An-si die of shock? You must be careful, and careful again and again!”
“I understand, I understand. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
As I cut short An-si’s scolding and sat up, another figure came into view.
Seol Deung-hwa was sitting beside me. She spoke with a worried expression.
“You must take better care of your health.”
Hearing these words from the person who is this body’s true mother filled me with an overwhelming sense of guilt. I apologized immediately.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’ll take better care of myself from now on. I promise I won’t overexert myself.”
An-si’s eyes narrowed.
“You brush off An-si’s words carelessly, yet you listen so well to this person?”
“That’s… no, I’m sorry. I simply didn’t realize how much strain this body could endure, and I truly will be careful from now on. Please don’t worry so much.”
“I will be watching from now on. If you try to overexert yourself again, this An-si will roll on the ground and cry like a phoenix until I stop you, my princess!”
“No, please don’t do that. I absolutely won’t overexert myself!”
After barely soothing the sulking phoenix, I turned my attention back to Seol Deung-hwa.
“Did you come to visit because I was ill?”
“Yes.”
“The Imperial Envoys didn’t object?”
“They said that if the Yun royal family learned that they wouldn’t even allow a daughter’s sick visit for fear of escape, it would bring shame to the nation. So they backed down.”
“Well done. If someone who has become the royal family’s benefactor takes a firm stance, they won’t be able to oppress you arbitrarily in the future. By the way, have you spoken with the King?”
“With His Majesty…”
Seol Deung-hwa, who had begun to speak, suddenly closed her mouth again and her expression became resolute.
“First, let’s have you eat, and then rest a bit more.”
“But you said I slept for nearly a full day? That should be enough rest.”
“You weren’t resting—you were suffering the entire time. You need more rest.”
I was utterly sick of lying in bed recuperating. Truly.
I was about to tell them to stop, but when I saw the worry etched so deeply on both An-si’s and Seol Deung-hwa’s faces, I hesitated.
‘Ah.’
It struck me. Not wanting to see those worried expressions on the faces of people around me was one of the reasons I wanted to become healthy in the first place, yet what good was a healthy body if this was the result?
I gathered my resolve and smiled brightly.
“Alright then, let me eat first. I’m starving!”
* * *
After eating and diligently consuming the medicinal broth that Kim Sang-gung brought, I felt a slight melancholy. It was also somewhat humbling.
‘Did I get too excited about having a healthy body?’
Over the past month, my body had filled out nicely from eating well—it had been gaunt before. It seemed much sturdier now. But being a child’s body, no matter how healthy, it apparently lacked the stamina of an adult.
‘I really need to be careful from now on. I should do more exercise too.’
I should try something other than archery. What kind of exercise would build up my stamina?
In the end, that day I consumed medicinal broth followed by dessert and took another nap. Wake, eat, take medicine, sleep again. After repeating the recuperation routine I’d done endlessly in the Heavenly Realm for two more days, my body felt considerably lighter.
‘Still, rest works wonders on this body. I truly do have a robust constitution.’
Throughout this time, An-si remained constantly at my side, Seol Deung-hwa appeared occasionally, but the Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen.
I casually asked An-si about it.
“Where is the Crown Prince?”
“I’m not entirely certain, Your Highness. Apparently he’s been so busy he hasn’t stayed at Jamnyong Hall.”
“What? He’s been going out and wandering around?”
“Ever since Your Highness helped him control the darkness, he’s been gallivanting about fighting with glee. Such ingratitude! From now on, don’t bother looking after such an ungrateful wretch!”
Though I wasn’t nearly as upset as An-si’s indignation suggested, I’ll admit I felt a touch disappointed.
‘…He must be busy spending time with his parents after such a long reunion.’
The Crown Prince is still just a child, after all. I’m an adult, moreover a great deity. It’s not a fatal illness—merely a bit of body ache—so if I sulked about him not visiting, I’d be neither adult nor deity.
‘Right, I’m not disappointed. Barely disappointed at all. I’m a great deity, after all!’
So I tried to brush it aside maturely, pretending to be only the tiniest bit disappointed.
Two days later—four days after the fire, on the fourth day—what I learned about the Crown Prince’s situation was entirely different from my assumptions.
* * *
The night I received a diagnosis from the physician that my body ache had completely healed, I finally heard in vivid and meticulous detail how the Palace had been operating all this time.
From whom? Certainly not An-si, who was terrible at such things. Not Seol Deung-hwa, who knew little of Yun Kingdom affairs. Not even Kim Sang-gung, who couldn’t speak freely of the royal family’s matters. Rather, from a fox demon who was well-informed about Palace happenings yet had no qualms gossiping about anything.
Seok-ran slipped through the window just as I was about to retire for the night.
“What safety do you think you have, sneaking in here uninvited?”
An-si immediately grabbed the white fox by the scruff and shook her. Despite being a thousand-year-old Thousand-Year Fox, Seok-ran hung limp and docile, swaying as she watched my expression.
“Meow, I came because I have something to tell Your Highness.”
“An-si, let her go.”
“If she had something to say, she should use the door. Such a rude fox indeed.”
An-si tossed the fox away with displeasure. Rather than tumbling, the fox demon executed a perfect aerial flip and landed gracefully on the ground.
“Using the door would draw attention, you know. I had my reasons for coming through the window.”
“What did you want to tell me?”
“Well, it’s like this….”

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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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