Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 77

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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 77
“That’s all ancient history, haha. There’s no need to worry now.”
Ki Ho-cheol laughed carelessly as he spoke, but knowing the deeper truths as I did, my mouth had gone completely dry.
“Then, until next time. I do hope the Crown Princess will reconsider her approach to breathing exercises.”
“Of course!”
Whether I could do more breathing exercises or not hardly mattered anymore. The moment the lesson ended, I bolted to my quarters in Unyeon Hall. After closing all the doors, I instructed An-si to erect a barrier to prevent sound from leaking out, then retrieved the Eight Pillar Order and touched the first bell—the one whose counterpart was kept in Jami Palace where Mother worked.
Soon, billowing smoke bloomed forth, illuminating the heart of Jami Palace, the room where Mother worked.
[Sang Ra-hee-yo? What’s the matter?]
Mother, who had been buried beneath mountains of scrolls, looked up in surprise. Geum-ryeong, Mother’s phoenix who had been grinding ink beside her, widened her eyes as well.
I spoke urgently.
“Doo-eok-sini has appeared in the Mortal Realm! Did you know about it?”
Mother blinked her jade-colored eyes, set down the brush she was holding, and let out a sigh.
[How did you come to know of this?]
“…So you did know.”
I answered with equal parts relief and frustration. I was glad she knew, but why hadn’t she told me about something so grave?
Without thinking, I pouted and asked.
“If you knew, why didn’t you tell me anything? This is a serious matter that could put Father and you in danger!”
[Hmm….]
Mother furrowed her brows in difficulty and let out a small groan before answering carefully.
[Precisely because it is so grave that I deliberately did not inform you.]
“What do you mean by that?”
[Sang Ra-hee-yo, you are still young. Even if you had grown safely, at two hundred and ten years old, you would barely be considered an adult—you are still very much a child. And since you slept for so long and did not develop properly, you are even younger still.]
“…That’s….”
As my spirits fell, Mother continued with a sorrowful expression.
[That does not mean you are lacking or insufficient. It simply means that you, being young, have the right to be protected from matters you cannot bear.]
“The right to be protected?”
[The privilege of a child—to focus only on learning about the world and growing on your own, without worrying about adult circumstances or responsibilities. It is not right for a parent to make a child share in concerns about things beyond their control.]
I understood the meaning vaguely. I had realized something when I decided to keep quiet about my true nature to the Crown Prince, wrestling with whether to tell him or not.
‘I finally understand a little why the adults would say they’d tell me when I was older. Just as they said, there are things I can only understand and accept once I’ve grown more.’
I thought I was all grown up, but in the eyes of true adults, I was still quite young. And truthfully, I still lacked much. I was still a child who needed to grow taller.
“…Even if I knew that Doo-eok-sini had appeared, I couldn’t help Father and you. You hid it so I wouldn’t worry needlessly, didn’t you?”
[I’m truly grateful you understand. I’m sorry for keeping it from you.]
Mother let out a relieved sigh and added.
[We are continuously watching Doo-eok-sini and are thoroughly prepared. Nothing for you to worry about will happen, so forget about it and live at ease.]
“Yes….”
[You know that this mother once defeated Doo-eok-sini and became the Supreme Deity, don’t you? Your father is the same.]
Mother smiled brightly.
[I am the Supreme Deity of the Heavenly Realm, the Lord of Heaven, the Master of Jami Palace, the First among all Gods, the Judge of Merit and Fault, the Arbiter of Principle, and the one seated upon the throne of heaven—the Jade Emperor, standing above all things.]
From Mother’s figure, wearing the crown of the Jade Emperor and bearing a dignified smile, I felt an overwhelming authority. A subtle radiance emanated from her entire being—the form of the “Jade Emperor” that she rarely showed me.
In that form, Mother spoke to me tenderly.
[Sang Ra-hee-yo, does your mother seem so weak to you that she’d struggle against something like Doo-eok-sini?]
The anxiety that had been growing in my heart began to dissipate. I shook my head vigorously.
“No. Mother is incredibly strong.”
[That’s right. So don’t worry and enjoy your human life freely. You have other concerns to focus on. That alone is burden enough, isn’t it? Do you understand?]
“Yes!”
At last, I felt reassured. As I answered with a bright smile, Mother looked at me with affection and pride.
[Good. Whenever you need something, reach out or pray. Your Father and I, of course, and all the other deities will always be delighted to hear your prayers.]
“Yes, I will. Thank you, Mother!”
With a lightened heart, I withdrew the Eight Pillar Order.
* * *
As the connection to Princess Cheonmyeong’s Eight Pillar Order severed, the Jade Emperor exhaled deeply.
“How did Sang Ra-hee-yo find out about Doo-eok-sini appearing?”
Geum-ryeong, standing beside her, answered in a measured tone.
“The Sun-Moon Deity has been boasting far and wide about receiving the princess’s tribute. It seems she learned of it through that connection and pieced things together somehow.”
“Ah… yes, that fox demon was being pursued by the horde of demons under Doo-eok-sini’s command, wasn’t it?”
The Jade Emperor rubbed her temples with a troubled expression, muttering to herself.
“That Doo-eok-sini should have been finished off back in Yun Kingdom. Instead, it conveniently consumed the accumulated karmic debt and survived.”
“It seems… every time the princess is revived, additional karma accumulates. After all, its very origin was born from the princess….”
“Doo-eok-sini’s birth wasn’t caused by the princess. It was Hwon and I who revived that child despite accepting the karmic consequences.”
The Jade Emperor cut off Geum-ryeong’s words and washed her face with her hands.
“It’s all our karma. So Sang Ra-hee-yo must never know, and it must never affect that child.”
“…But that Doo-eok-sini already knows of the princess’s existence well. The moment the princess, who was meant to be stillborn, gained life, it too gained life through that karmic connection.”
“….”
“It’s still too weak to breach the Heavenly Realm and couldn’t target the princess, but if by any chance it discovers that the princess has descended to the mortal world….”
“Of course, we must absolutely ensure such a thing never happens.”
The Jade Emperor clenched her teeth firmly as she spoke.
Geum-ryeong watched her master with sympathy. Geum-ryeong also cherished and loved the Jade Emperor’s only daughter, Princess Cheonmyeong, with all her heart. She would have gladly given her own life for her.
However, born as a phoenix who served only one master, her master Tae-sang-su-ryeo was more precious to her than Sang Ra-hee-yo. Thus, she was not entirely pleased that the Jade Emperor was bearing excessive karma for the princess’s sake.
‘The Jade Emperor will likely intervene no matter what karma she must bear if Doo-eok-sini tries to touch the princess. She might even descend to the mortal realm to stop it.’
Geum-ryeong, who had become female in form following her master, recalled Hong-ye, who had become male in form following his own master. The Yama King, Hong-ye’s master, would likely feel the same as the Jade Emperor.
‘To prevent such a catastrophe, I must protect the princess thoroughly from Doo-eok-sini. I should… gather the entire family and discuss this.’
Between Geum-ryeong and Hong-ye, there were eight children.
A phoenix reproduced only once in its lifetime, after which it lost reproductive function and lived solely as its master’s divine beast. Thus, they were divided into male and female only during the breeding period, and before and after, they were consistently called phoenix without regard to gender.
Geum-ryeong had laid eight eggs during that one opportunity, and seven of them, excluding An-si, hatched around the same time, became independent, and now lived in different places. Only An-si had remained as an egg for several hundred years without hatching, nearly rotting away.
‘That child awakened because of the princess and is the only one to receive a name from her, and she’s still quite young, so I should exclude her from this discussion.’
I should consult with the other children, along with my mate, to devise ways to check Doo-eok-sini. As divine beasts who could freely traverse the Three Realms, together they could find a way to restrain Doo-eok-sini while minimizing karmic consequences.
‘Before the Jade Emperor bears excessive karma… somehow.’
Geum-ryeong steeled her resolve.
Chapter 3
Having set aside worries about the startling Doo-eok-sini problem, Seol Deung-hwa and Seok-juk safely escaped the Pyeong Imperial Palace and began their journey to rescue the Xue Tribe.
‘The Pyeong Empire seemed intent on continuing to assassinate Se-ru-hwa, but with the Emperor dead and everything in chaos, things have quieted down for now.’
The Chief State Councillor remained silent as well, though he continued to monitor through the Three-Time Messengers. The court situation had stabilized, and the Crown Prince was now receiving proper treatment befitting his station.
‘It seems my fate’s ironing out went more smoothly than expected. But why… do those dangerous omens still loom over Se-ru-hwa’s future?’
On the surface, everything appeared to be going extremely well. Would something else erupt in the future, like the plague incident with two years remaining?
‘Well, I shouldn’t worry too much about it. As long as I remain vigilant and don’t let my guard down, it should be fine.’
Just as I was preparing for the pilgrimage trip scheduled for May, the guest I’d been waiting for arrived.
“Unyeon Flower Shrine. It is an honor to meet you, Crown Princess.”
The man with a pleasant smile wore the typical robes of a Shaman. A new Scholar brought into Jaebang through Princess Onseol’s introduction.
“I am Jo Man-hee, a Master Shaman. Princess Onseol mentioned that you were seeking a Shaman to teach theory to the Crown Princess, and I volunteered myself. In truth, everyone else hesitated—teaching half-baked shamanism to a half-blood who hasn’t even received divine possession. But I, a Grand Master Shaman with the title of Mansin, have volunteered out of loyalty to you, Crown Princess.”
This was the lesson I’d been eagerly awaiting, yet something felt off from the very beginning.
‘What is this man?’
I managed my instinctive frown and directed my gaze past the Shaman Jo Man-hee. Behind him knelt a girl with a shadowed, pallid face.
‘Is she his biological daughter or his disciple? His Shaman robes are pristine, but why is she wearing such tattered clothes? And her complexion looks terrible…’
Jo Man-hee, noticing where my gaze fell, spoke with a slightly displeased expression.
“Ah, that child is my spirit-daughter. Not my biological daughter, you understand. She’s quite lacking in many ways, but what can be done? Fate brought us together, and I performed her possession ritual. Even if she offends your eyes, please overlook her as you would a servant.”
I suddenly wanted to seek out Princess Onseol and demand answers. Did the Princess really select a trustworthy person? Was there some corruption involved in the middle of 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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