Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 5

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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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Episode 5
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Sinister rumors clung to the Crown Prince of the Un Kingdom—whispers that he was a cursed monster, that anyone who dared approach him would fall ill or perish. Whether the rumors held truth or served merely as a pretext for deeper political machinations, I couldn’t say for certain. But one thing was clear: the Un Kingdom desperately sought justification to replace their legitimate heir, preferably with grounds dramatic enough for a public execution.
The Pyeong Empire, meanwhile, had their own troublesome burden: the Eleventh Princess, tainted by Xue Tribe blood. She was too lowborn to treat as true royalty, yet too much a daughter of the throne to dispose of outright. And allowing her to mature freely risked her discovering her heritage and harboring resentment—a threat no one wished to invite.
Se-ru-hwa carried Xue Tribe blood. If she ever manifested their hereditary abilities, the complications would multiply tenfold.
The interests of kingdom and empire converged at a single point: marry the Crown Prince to the Princess, let him murder her, then execute him for the crime of killing an imperial daughter. The Un Kingdom would finally have their pretext to eliminate their troublesome heir, and the Pyeong Empire would be rid of their inconvenient princess through someone else’s hands.
This was the true reason why Se-ru-hwa, a mere nine-year-old princess of Pyeong, had been sent as the Crown Prince’s bride to the Un Kingdom.
‘What a ridiculous fate. Truly absurd.’
Young Ru-hwa didn’t understand all the details, but she had sensed on her wedding night that death awaited her.
‘The problem is, I died before the ceremony could even take place.’
This meant another force had orchestrated my death through different means. How many entities were targeting the life of an innocent nine-year-old child?
‘First, I need to survive the wedding ceremony. Then I’ll investigate who’s behind this.’
To properly resolve Se-ru-hwa’s tragic circumstances, I had considerable work ahead. I could abandon everything and flee into hiding, but that would be the coward’s way out.
I had the dignity of the Heavenly Princess to uphold.
‘I must settle accounts properly.’
I would take revenge on those who killed Ru-hwa, and I would bring happiness to her mother. Only then could Xiao-hua, bound by her attachment to me, truly release her lingering ties to the Living World, and only then could I enjoy my human life freely.
‘Surviving the wedding ceremony comes first.’
Marriage at merely nine years old—the very thought felt strange.
The groom, the Crown Prince, was young himself, and this wasn’t even a proper ceremony in the traditional sense. Yet something about it unsettled me.
If only it were merely unsettling. But there was a practical problem: once we shared the ceremonial wine at the wedding, a marital bond would be established regardless of circumstances.
‘That’s the law that Cheongsil-Hongsil has decreed.’
Cheongsil-Hongsil were twin deities who found soulmates and wove the threads of fate between them. They also presided over all marriages.
‘If a great deity like me becomes bound by their threads to that little Crown Prince, his entire destiny will become tangled.’
My plan had been to live as the Crown Prince’s bride for a time, cleanly resolve all the problems entangled in Se-ru-hwa’s life, and then abandon the position once my body matured, free to wander the world as I pleased.
But if I simply vanished after the ceremony, the Crown Prince left behind might spend his entire life in celibacy and solitude. He could never remarry, never even harbor affection for another without inviting divine punishment or accumulating terrible karmic debt.
Whether he wished it or not, whether we were truly husband and wife in substance or not, whether I granted him permission to remarry—none of it would matter. The bond would hold, anchored solely by the fact that he had shared the ceremonial wine with the Heavenly Princess.
The title of Heavenly Princess carried considerable weight.
‘That would be far too cruel. I should take precautions beforehand.’
While I contemplated these various matters, the attendants surrounding me pushed me into a bathing tub and began scrubbing me down.
“To think the noble Princess of Pyeong arrives without even a single lady-in-waiting, let alone a dowry….”
“We’ve heard rumors of her frugal nature, but to see it firsthand is remarkable.”
“How fortunate for the Un Kingdom that the Crown Prince’s bride is so modest. It bodes well for the realm.”
“The wedding preparations were kept equally simple to match the young lady’s character.”
The attendants smiled mockingly as they spoke, their hands rough and careless as they washed me. They clearly understood who Se-ru-hwa was and why this marriage was taking place.
Rather than compassion, they offered ridicule—a weak and foolish human impulse to distance oneself from misfortune by condemning it.
‘How refreshing.’
Both this display of human nature and their disrespect toward me.
I had always been surrounded by those who served me with utmost devotion. Most could barely meet my gaze, and if their fingertips so much as brushed against me, they would tremble and apologize profusely for their transgression. I had never experienced being handled so carelessly, like a mere object.
Had they been immortals, I would have punished them immediately.
If they had been immortals, I would have punished them immediately.
‘They’re just weak humans, after all. I can overlook this much. Besides, even if I don’t punish them….’
When I offered no response, the attendants grew bolder in their actions.
“Your Highness may be thin and small, lacking in appearance, but fear not. We shall do our utmost to adorn you beautifully.”
“Since there is no wedding dress befitting the Imperial Princess, we have brought the ceremonial robe that the Crown Prince’s sister wore when she was young.”
“It is somewhat worn and plain, but since Your Highness is a frugal person, it should be acceptable, yes?”
“Such gaudy ornaments do not suit your taste, do they? We shall remove them.”
The coronet and hanging ornaments all disappeared into the attendants’ sleeves, and I was left wearing only a musty-smelling crimson robe. As the ceremonial garment hung loose like a sack and slipped downward, one of the attendants suddenly cinched a cord tightly across my chest.
“…!”
It hurt!
I could overlook their chatter and disrespectful behavior, but I had no intention of enduring pain as well.
This had gone far enough.
I seized the attendant’s hand as she moved to tie the knot.
“What are you doing, Your Highness?”
“Release it and step back.”
“Pardon?”
“I said step back.”
I pushed her hand away as I spoke.
“All of you, leave. I shall prepare for the wedding myself.”
At my words, the attendant’s expression twisted in bewilderment.
“There is little time until the ceremony. We must prepare hastily.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“It is impossible for Your Highness to prepare alone. We must…”
When I fixed her with a steady gaze, the attendant swallowed her words and began backing away hesitantly. Another attendant beside her asked in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, I….”
‘The Gaze of Celestial Fate.’
A power unique to me alone, unprecedented in its nature, named after my title. Even immortals fear this gaze—a mere human could hardly withstand it.
‘Even in a human body, my eyes remain unchanged.’
As expected, the attendant’s complexion began draining to a deathly white.
“Ah, ah.”
The pallid attendant staggered and collapsed, tears streaming down her face.
I withdrew the Gaze of Celestial Fate at that point. If I continued, the woman might lose control of her body entirely.
“Go.”
At my gesture of dismissal, the collapsed attendant sobbed frantically, her head bobbing in acknowledgment.
“Yes, yes…! I am sorry! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Why are you like that?”
“Ja-myeong?”
The other attendants tried to grab her in alarm, but the one called Ja-myeong fled as if escaping.
“What, what is this?”
“Why suddenly…?”
A subtle dread settled among the attendants who had witnessed the bizarre occurrence. I turned back to them with a smile, feigning confusion.
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
“….”
“Go. Now.”
I pointed toward the door, and the attendants began shuffling backward one by one before scurrying out in a rush.
“What was that just now? What happened?”
“Even if she’s a worthless wretch, she’s still royalty, I suppose? There was something oddly oppressive about her….”
“What oppression from a scrawny child? You’re just imagining things.”
“Still, she can’t dress herself in that ceremonial robe alone. Is it really alright to just leave her like this?”
“Who knows? We were told to leave.”
“Why bother tending to a princess who’ll be dead by tomorrow?”
“Let’s just look forward to seeing her pathetic state at the wedding ceremony.”
Their mockery reached my ears—deliberately spoken loud enough for me to hear.
‘Humans truly do weave their own misfortune.’
I wasn’t petty enough to rage over every careless word these immature mortals uttered. But that didn’t mean they would escape unscathed simply because I chose to overlook them.
I had inherited the Jade Emperor’s power to distinguish merit from fault and dispense reward and punishment accordingly. Moreover, I had inherited far too much of it—so much that I couldn’t control it myself.
So when someone commits wrongdoing before me or harbors malice toward me—
“Ahhh!”
“Hey, why did you suddenly trip on flat ground?”
“Oh no, her tooth fell out… ugh.”
“Why are you like that too? Does your stomach hurt?”
Without me lifting a finger, they automatically receive heavenly punishment.
“She’s foaming at the mouth! Pick her up quickly!”
“Call the imperial physicians! Take her to the imperial physicians!”
Chaos erupted.
‘Perhaps because they’re fragile humans with no power at all? They receive heavenly punishment immediately. It takes much longer for immortals and demons.’
It’s their own doing—what can I do? It’s not a capital crime, so they won’t die.
I ignored the commotion outside and tried to loosen the cord that bound my chest uncomfortably. I gave up almost immediately.
I’d never dressed myself in my entire existence—how was I supposed to untie such knots?
I fumbled and pulled at it carelessly until it hung loose, then grasped the slipping fabric and dragged it along as I approached the window.
‘An-si should be coming down soon… huh?’
My gait felt so light that I impulsively bounced up and down on the spot.
‘I’m not even dizzy?’
In the Heavenly Realm, even after taking painkillers, the slightest vigorous movement would make me lightheaded. In my original body, bouncing like this would make me vomit!
‘This body feels completely fine.’
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. Unable to contain myself, I bounced a few more times, then gathered my skirts and ran.
‘Wow.’
My chest didn’t hurt when I ran!
“Woohoo!”
I couldn’t suppress my laughter. It felt like I could even fly at this rate.
I paced around the room several times. Compared to my chamber in Sang Ra Palace, it was considerably cramped, but my small frame made it manageable enough to dart about.
‘My body feels so light! It doesn’t hurt at all!’
If running around in this room was this exhilarating, what would it feel like to dash about outside, embraced by cool wind?
‘I’ve never properly run before in my entire life!’
Caught up in excitement, I carelessly kicked my feet, only to trip over the hem of my slipping dress and tumble forward.
“Oof!”
Despite the rather loud tumble, my voluminous skirt cushioned the fall so well that it barely hurt.
‘Did my nose bleed?’
I quickly touched my nose. It was fine. My original body would have bled from the nose or ears with far less impact than this.
‘No blood!’
I rolled across the floor, wrapping the hem of my skirt around myself.
‘No bleeding! I’m not hurt! I’m really sturdy!’
I rolled forward, then sideways, caught my dress on my feet and flailed about before collapsing, then tumbled again.
‘I’m not even nauseous! I’m incredibly healthy!’
With my original body, rolling around like this would have left me retching and exhausted. My ears would have been ringing.
But in this body, nothing bothers me. Absolutely nothing.
‘What do I do, this is amazing!’
Delighted laughter bubbled up unbidden. Still lying on my stomach, I kicked my feet gleefully beneath the folds of my skirt when a bewildered voice came from the window.
“Y-Your Highness…?”
It was An-si’s voice. I quickly scrambled to my feet, composed my expression, and turned toward the window.

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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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