Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 46

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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 46
Seok-ran shifted uncomfortably, her body twisting with embarrassment.
Now that I thought about it, that fox’s fur did seem a bit more lustrous than before.
“Your fur’s gotten prettier?”
“Of course the Princess would notice! The heavenly peach worked wonders! My fur’s become silky smooth! And it’s not just the fur that improved—my scent got better too, and my human form became even more beautiful!”
“R-really? That’s wonderful then.”
If I hadn’t mentioned it, she would have been terribly disappointed. Her reaction was that intense.
“The heavenly peach is the best! Thanks to it, I finally succeeded in seducing that Royal Guard officer I could never get before! It was quite the passionate night.”
The white fox’s eyes curved into crescents as she laughed in that strange, cackling way. An-si made a face of utter disgust and quietly retreated from Seok-ran.
I rested my chin on my hand.
“So? If you’re in a passionate affair, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, we’re not seeing each other anymore.”
“Huh?”
“We broke up yesterday.”
…
“Don’t look at me like that. We agreed from the start it would be brief. If I stayed with one man for long, I couldn’t meet other men, you know? There are so many handsome men out there—I can’t waste such an opportunity!”
“That seems… rather harsh on the man.”
“We only agreed to spend passionate nights together from the beginning. You’re still young, so you wouldn’t understand, but adults do these things sometimes.”
…
“Don’t worry! If you’re suspicious, go find a Royal Guard officer named Kang Cheol-su. He’s so satisfied his face is gleaming!”
The fox protested as if she’d been wronged.
I didn’t quite understand it myself, but since the man involved was apparently satisfied, there wasn’t much I could say. I grabbed my temples and waved my hand dismissively.
“Fine, I’m not interested in your love life. Tell me why you’re really here.”
“I want more heavenly peaches!”
Seok-ran blurted it out as if she’d been waiting for this moment. I tilted my head.
“For free?”
“Of course not! I’m a fox with a conscience!”
The fox shook her head urgently, then added while wagging her luxuriant tail in a flattering manner.
“Is there anything you need me to do, Princess? I was useful before, wasn’t I? Give me work.”
Looking at her, something suddenly came to mind. Gathering intelligence about what happens within the Palace. I was too young and held the position of Crown Princess, making it difficult to know exactly what was happening in the court.
‘This time I can use the Three-Corpse Worms I planted in the Left Prime Minister, but going forward, I’ll need an information source to keep watch on these things.’
In that sense, Seok-ran was suitable talent. She knew my identity, so she couldn’t betray me carelessly, and she’d already proven herself capable once.
The timing was perfect—I was lucky.
I gazed quietly at Thousand-Year Fox, then raised my finger.
“One every fortnight. How’s that?”
…!
Seok-ran’s eyes widened as she spun her tail in circles, asking eagerly.
“Long-term employment? What do I need to do?”
“Intelligence gathering.”
I smiled softly and added my words.
“Keep me informed of the movements and atmosphere within the Palace. Beyond that, whenever I ask you to investigate something, bring me the information. I’ll pay you separately for any additional work.”
“The same as before? I can do that anytime! Heavenly Peaches! Kehehehe!”
The fox’s eyes gleamed with excitement as it laughed in that peculiar way again. So this was what laughter sounded like when it came from a fox’s mouth.
I reached into the Eight Pillar Order and produced a single Heavenly Peach, offering it to Seok-ran.
“Here, an advance payment.”
“Ching! Your Highness is the best! So generous! Truly a princess of the Heavenly Realm!”
Seok-ran accepted the Heavenly Peach and murmured with unbridled joy.
“Something this precious… even the Heavenly Officials only receive these when they’ve accomplished something extraordinary… slurp.”
“You understand this isn’t free, right?”
“Of course! Just tell me anything! I’ll devote myself entirely, kehehehe!”
An-si glared at the fox with displeasure, muttering under her breath.
“Devote herself entirely? She means break her bones and shatter her body… An-si knows this, but that foolish fox demon doesn’t…”
An-si was clearly displeased that I was assigning tasks to Thousand-Year Fox instead of relying on her as my official secretary. I decided to placate her later and turned to Seok-ran first.
“Then, tell me how things have been unfolding in the Palace since the East Palace arson incident.”
* * *
The white fox settled onto a cushion, clutching the Heavenly Peach, and began its account.
“These days, the Loyalist Faction and the Wan-eon Faction are locked in a life-or-death struggle at court.”
The Left Prime Minister had been identified as the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the Crown Princess and the East Palace arson. The evidence came from the Crown Prince’s eunuch’s confession and the interrogation results of the arsonists captured by An-si from Jamnyong Hall.
However, the Left Prime Minister denied any connection to either the eunuch or the arsonists. What the Wan-eon Faction claimed in his defense was…
“That the Crown Prince is the culprit.”
“…What?”
“The cursed Dark Prince, right? They’re claiming his mind finally broke or the curse intensified. They say he ordered the eunuch to assassinate the Crown Princess, set fire to his own palace—all of it was the Crown Prince’s doing.”
“How is that even plausible?”
“They worked pretty hard at fabricating evidence. They tied together how the eunuch had been close to the Crown Prince for two years and how the fire happened in the East Palace.”
“This is infuriating. Do people actually believe this?”
“The Crown Prince’s reputation wasn’t great to begin with. Everyone knew the King wasn’t in his right mind until recently, even if they kept quiet about it.”
There were even whispers at court that “His Majesty seems still confused and unable to make sound judgments.”
‘In other words, how can you trust the words of a mad king? It’s openly mocking the King, asking if he’s in his right mind.’
The King’s authority had plummeted completely. Since the King had genuinely been mad for the past two years, this was a difficult problem to resolve. As a result, the Loyalist Faction, which had primarily consisted of reformist forces attacking the Left Prime Minister, had to shift to a defensive position to protect the King’s authority. Rather than pursuing the Left Prime Minister, they found themselves frantically defending the King and Crown Prince.
Thus, the court’s focal point shifted from “Is the Left Prime Minister the mastermind behind the Crown Princess assassination and East Palace arson?” to “Are the King and Crown Prince mentally sound?”
‘They commit outright assassination attempts and arson, yet they manage to shift the narrative like this. And the Centrist Faction just gets swept along without taking a stance.’
This is why reputation and authority matter so much.
As I pressed my forehead and sighed, Seok-ran’s ears perked up and it continued.
“Just when it looked like the Loyalist Faction was completely losing ground, the situation changed again yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
“That young Crown Prince brought direct evidence. Some secret ledger from a merchant guild, and kehehehe, it turned out to be the decisive proof of the connection between the Left Prime Minister and the arsonists!”
“What? The Crown Prince brought it himself? He didn’t send someone to investigate?”
“Kang kang, that’s right! Who would the Crown Prince have to order around? Who does he have as allies? He definitely brought it himself!”
Seok-ran explained what happened in the Audience Hall, having heard it from a Royal Guard officer it knew. Yesterday morning, when rain poured down and darkness fell like night, while the Wan-eon Faction was spouting—dressed up in superficial courtesy—that the mad King should be confined to the Central Palace Hall, and that the Crown Prince, equally mad like the King, had set fire to his own palace and should be deposed…
Yesterday morning when rain poured down and it was dark as night. While the Wan-eon Faction was roughly spouting out words—packaged in a veneer of respect—saying the mad King should be locked away in the Central Palace Hall again, and the Crown Prince, equally mad like the King, set fire to his own palace, so let’s depose him as Crown Prince now—
The grand doors of the Audience Hall burst open. A drenched boy stood there, his shoulders heaving, covered in dirt, dust, and blood seeping from countless small wounds. A Soldier guarding the Audience Hall moved to stop him in confusion, but the boy dropped to his knees before the King right there and extended a wrapped bundle he’d been clutching.
“Father, I have brought evidence of this incident.”
His voice and bearing were remarkably clear and composed—nothing like the rumors of a cursed child driven to madness. Even in such a wretched state, he carried the dignity befitting a Crown Prince of the realm.
Seok-ran, who had been standing beside the King at that moment—or rather, the Royal Guard officer who was her former lover—received the bundle directly from the Crown Prince, verified its contents, and then delivered it to the King.
The secret ledger inside contained evidence so undeniable that the Left Prime Minister could not refute it. The moment those records were made public, the balance of power in the court shifted once again.
I stood there, utterly flabbergasted, my mouth hanging open.
‘Wait, an eleven-year-old child obtained such crucial evidence alone? How on earth?’
What dangerous business had this brat been conducting while I was recuperating? No wonder he’d been nowhere to be found!
“Ahem, thanks to that ledger, the Loyalist Faction launched a fierce assault on the Left Prime Minister yesterday, I hear. The Wan-eon Faction still insists the ledger is fake and continues to claim the Crown Prince is the culprit.”
“They held their ground even after the secret ledger was exposed?”
“Indeed, yes. It seems the King and Crown Prince’s position is simply too weak….”
So the fundamental problem is a lack of trust in the King.
This wasn’t something that could be swept under the rug, and with rumors already spreading, public sentiment toward the royal family has soured. That’s why the Left Prime Minister can maintain his stance despite the clear evidence being exposed.
‘In truth, it’s almost a miracle that the Loyalist Faction still exists after the King spent two years as a madman.’
This is becoming quite troublesome.
I rested my chin on my hand and let out a heavy sigh before asking Seok-ran.
“What of the Centrist Faction ministers? Particularly the Chief State Councillor.”
“The Chief State Councillor? He suggested they verify the ledger’s authenticity first and mediated the dispute among the ministers. Both the King and the Left Prime Minister accepted, so yesterday’s meeting ended that way, I’m told.”
Verification. I doubt the Wan-eon Faction would allow that ledger to be properly examined.
‘I’ll need to use the Three Loyalists I planted with the Left Prime Minister.’

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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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