Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 70

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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 70
* * *
The Crown Princess suddenly collapsed and would not wake.
Unryong Palace fell into chaos. The King and Queen rushed over at once, every physician in the Royal Medical Bureau took her pulse, monks from Hoguk Temple including Princess Onseol and officials from the Star Mansion Bureau examined her, then departed. Given that assassination attempts had occurred before, the Office of Interrogation became busy investigating whether remnants of the Wan-eon Faction were responsible, while the Ministry of Rites, which handled diplomacy, anxiously monitored Pyeong’s atmosphere to determine if this was a scheme by the Empire.
Sa Young-jun wept, blaming himself for his careless words that caused the Crown Princess to collapse. Ki Ho-cheol, worried that she might have sustained internal injuries during the ordeal, examined her using his martial power.
And they found nothing.
The Crown Princess had not ingested poison, had not been struck by a blade, had not contracted divine illness, had not sustained internal injuries, had not been wounded anywhere. She had clearly coughed blood and collapsed, yet her body showed no abnormalities. And still she would not wake.
The mortals, ignorant of Heavenly Realm affairs, could not fathom the reason.
The Crown Princess lay in an unresponsive sleep, barely clinging to life. Her body’s dropping temperature grew cold as a corpse, constantly prompting people to verify she had not died.
Physicians took turns using their medical arts to sustain the Crown Princess’s body. A grim joke circulated that they were already recycling the techniques that had maintained the Queen’s health during her comatose state.
Unyeon Hall sank into a dreary atmosphere as if returning to the dark days of old. The Crown Prince, Cheon Gyeol-u, barricaded himself at the Crown Princess’s side, refusing all food and drink.
A body that had no need to eat or drink anyway. He remained locked in his room, touching nothing to his lips. To the concerned people around him, he made excuses that he had eaten what others brought him.
Today marked the tenth day.
The boy sat with a hollow expression, gazing down at the girl lying on the golden bed. She looked peaceful, as if merely sleeping.
He touched his fingertip to hers. Startled by how cold it was—like a corpse—he could not bear the fear and placed his finger beneath her nose to confirm her breathing. A breath so thin it was like a thread.
He felt a small measure of relief, then gazed again at the girl’s pale white face.
“…Surely this is sufficient as a test, is it not?”
Cheon Gyeol-u protested quietly to Se-ru-hwa, whose eyes remained closed.
“My promise never to disappoint you, to always be at your side when you suffer—am I not keeping these promises well?”
The boy reached out with trembling hands and gently shook her shoulders.
“You told me not to leave while you slept, but to wake you. So why won’t you wake?”
Se-ru-hwa’s eyelids did not flutter. Cheon Gyeol-u withdrew his hands from her shoulders and roughly rubbed his own face.
“…This time I have not taken a single step away. I have remained constantly at your side. Are you still displeased with me? Is that why you won’t wake?”
The boy clenched his teeth, his face buried in his hands.
When living in paradise, he did not know it was paradise; only after being suddenly cast into hell did he realize what came before had been paradise. His jealousy over Sa Young-jun receiving a single smile from Se-ru-hwa now felt like a distant memory from ages past.
The darkness beneath his feet kept stirring. The darkness he thought he had perfectly controlled threatened to consume his fear and rampage like a beast once more.
‘The presence of my Lady… was this significant?’
As the old saying goes, one does not know the place one occupied until one leaves it. Then what of the empty space left by someone whose arrival had been so overwhelming?
The Crown Prince buried his face in both hands and murmured in a voice choked with tears.
“Yeonhwa Buddha, Jade Emperor, Yama King. Whoever you are, please. I beg you, return my Crown Princess’s Palace to me. I will offer anything….”
“Your Highness.”
The girl’s voice, thick with sleep, suddenly called to him. The Crown Prince doubted whether he was hearing things and lowered his hands to look toward the golden bed.
Se-ru-hwa, her eyes open, spoke with a weak smile.
“You shouldn’t make prayers like blank contracts. It’s dangerous.”
“…My Lady?”
“Yes, it’s me. Did I sleep for a long time?”
Cheon Gyeol-u collapsed onto the golden bed and wept.
* * *
The moment I returned to my body, my first thought was, ‘How wonderfully light and refreshing!’
The moment Se-ru-hwa’s consciousness returned to her body, her first thought was, “It feels so light and refreshing!”
‘Yes, this is what health feels like.’
After opening my eyes with such joy and relief, my second thought was:
‘Why does the Crown Prince look so haggard?’
was.
In just ten days, the boy’s face had grown gaunt. No, even if he’d been starving in the dark, it shouldn’t have deteriorated to this extent. What on earth had he done to reduce such a handsome face to this state?
‘Though he’s still handsome, even like this.’
Concerned, I asked the Crown Prince, whose eyes were glistening with tears.
“What have you been doing to let your face become so worn?”
“Has my face become worn?”
The Crown Prince laughed through his tears and replied.
“I must manage it more carefully. It’s a face you favor, after all.”
“W-when did I ever say I liked your face?”
“Didn’t you find my face pleasing? You told me to make good use of this handsome face and live well.”
“That is… well, that’s true, but…”
As I stammered in embarrassment, the Crown Prince broke into another bright smile. Tears rolled down his cheeks like pearls as he laughed, and while the sight was beautiful, I grew deeply concerned about his actual condition.
‘He must have worried terribly while I was unconscious.’
Indeed, after coughing blood and collapsing into a ten-day coma, his worry was understandable. Feeling guilty, I let my brows droop apologetically.
“Did you worry very much?”
“…Yes.”
That single “yes” seemed to contain an enormous weight of unspoken words. I exhaled deeply.
“I’m sorry. I should have explained beforehand.”
“Pardon?”
“This is, well, something like a growth phase for the Xue Tribe.”
It was an excuse I’d prepared in advance. I was overusing the Xue Tribe as a catch-all explanation, but what else could I do? I couldn’t very well tell him that I’m Princess Cheonmyeong with a limited lifespan and nearly died trying to cure myself.
‘And… I don’t want to spend this time here living as a terminal patient.’
I hoped that until this time ended, no one would know. That no one would suffer the heartache my parents did.
So I fabricated the lie smoothly.
“Have you heard that some members of the Xue Tribe are born with special abilities?”
“Yes, I have heard of such things.”
“Members of the Xue Tribe sometimes fall into a deep sleep during childhood and experience a long dream. If they navigate that dream well and awaken, their ability manifests. If they fail in the dream, the ability doesn’t develop.”
“An ability, you say…?”
“The ability to distinguish auspicious from inauspicious events in advance.”
The Crown Prince blinked blankly.
“That is… a form of prophecy, is it not? That’s quite a remarkable ability.”
“Cases as strong as prophecy are rare, I’m told. Most of the time it amounts to little more than having good intuition.”
“Did you… succeed in that dream?”
“Since this is my first time, I’m not entirely sure. I don’t even remember the details… but even if I did succeed, it doesn’t seem to have been a great success. Nothing particularly seems to have changed about me. Hmm, I feel much the same as before.”
I laughed awkwardly, and the Crown Prince, who had been staring at me blankly, smiled back.
“Then there’s nothing wrong with you, and no problems have arisen?”
“No, I’m sorry for the worry. I didn’t expect to fall asleep so suddenly either.”
“It’s quite all right. It’s nothing serious, and I’m simply grateful that you’re not in pain.”
The Crown Prince’s expression brightened at last, relief washing over his features.
Thank goodness. I couldn’t bear to see that child look sorrowful whenever he gazed upon me. I hoped he would remain ignorant of everything until I vanished. It might pain him somewhat, but he could then brush it aside and move forward, telling himself that there was nothing to be done about the dead.
‘Whether I choose to be sealed or simply continue living, I will depart from the Mortal Realm either way.’
If sealed, I would naturally leave. But even if I chose to continue living, I would have to sleep in the Heavenly Realm for my recovery. The aftermath of my divine power being sealed was severe—normally I should still be sleeping now—but thanks to the medicine made from Father and Mother’s lifespan, I managed to remain awake and endure.
‘In another ten years, I’ll be able to complete the coming-of-age ceremony at eighteen with plenty of time to spare.’
I could keep my promise to Ki Ho-cheol and depart without breaking it. How fortunate.
* * *
After paying my respects to the King and Queen, and sharing an emotional reunion with the tearful residents of Unyeon Hall, it had become the dead of night.
The Xue Tribe excuse worked remarkably well this time, and everyone passed over the matter without excessive worry. It likely helped that I appeared perfectly lucid for someone who had been ill for ten days.
And now I found myself face to face with the very being who had kept my body in such perfect condition, and for whom the Xue Tribe excuse held absolutely no sway.
“An-si. Your eyes are….”
“They’re swollen, Your Highness. Swollen from weeping over you, so much so that they won’t open. An-si’s tears must have formed an entire lake.”
“…I’m sorry….”
“But that’s not something the Princess should apologize for, meow. Kehehehe.”
Beside the sniffling An-si, a white fox clutching the peach it had received today chattered away with perfect nonchalance.
“The phoenix cried all day long even though the Princess’s life has been hanging by a thread before, squeak!”
“Watch your tongue, Thousand-Year Fox.”
The fox that had been struck by An-si’s fist—or was it her palm?—at lightning speed went flying into the corner and wailed pitifully. If one didn’t know it was a thousand-year-old demon, it would look like animal abuse.
“An-si, why are you hitting the creature?”
“Because it’s being disrespectful about Your Highness the Princess, my lady.”
“Squeak, but the Princess will be saved by the Yama King anyway, so why all the fuss, meow….”
Ah, Seok-ran didn’t know the details of my situation. Well, that was only natural.
“That ignorant demon!”
I pulled An-si back down as she tried to leap up in anger.
“That’s something she doesn’t need to know, and shouldn’t know. Calm yourself, An-si.”
“But…!”
“Keng?”
The fox demon, which had been rubbing its eyes with its front paws as if in sorrow, suddenly perked up its ears.
“What is it?”

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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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