Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 19
I let out a sigh and took out the Eight Beaded Bell. Using the third bead, I opened the treasure vault and had Anshi bring me a lacquered box.
“Where do you intend to use the Three-Corpse Bug, Your Highness?”
“To make that man someone who can’t lie.”
I plan to make him confess his own crime to the Crown Prince with his own mouth before taking him to the Office of Royal Investigations.
The Three-Corpse Bug is a parasitic insect that resides within a human’s body. It monitors the person’s thoughts and actions, and on each day of the lunar calendar, it returns to the heavens to report to the Jade Emperor.
The Three-Corpse Bugs are three parasites that reside within a human body. They monitor the person’s thoughts and actions, and on each Gyeongsin Day, they return to the heavens to report to the Great Jade Emperor. (t/n : Gyeongsin Day is the 57th day in the 60-year cycle of the Chinese calendar.)
My mother used to listen to the reports of the Three-Corpse Bugs and, based on the severity of a person’s deeds, would make judgments such as shortening their lifespan, adding karmic burdens after death, and so on.
However, humans tried all sorts of things, like guarding the sexagenary cycle to avoid the report of the Three-Corpse Bugs, and as a result, its effectiveness gradually declined. These days, it is hardly used in the Celestial Realm.
‘So, she gave me a few to play with.’
There are a few skills I learned while playing with the Three-Corpse Bugs.
When the box was opened, three translucent white butterflies could be seen munching on the nectar
These guys instinctively obey the Jade Emperor, so they also followed me well, since I’m of the Emperor’s bloodline.
“Tsk, tsk.”
As I clicked my tongue and made a sound, the Three-Corpse Bugs soared into the air, scattering light like fireflies.
I pointed at the eunuch, who was still not in his right mind and vomiting.
“Go inside that human and if that human tries to lie, bite them hard.”
The Three-Corpse Bugs flapped their butterfly wings in a complex pattern, flying around me.
“Are you asking if you can eat one piece of their intestines if they lie? Mhm, you can eat them.”
In the distant past, before my mother became the Jade Emperor, it is said that the Three-Corpse Bugs didn’t go to report to the Emperor, but instead ate the intestines of humans whenever they committed a crime.
That was eventually forbidden because it was too cruel to humans, but just because it was prohibited doesn’t mean the Three-Corpse Bugs’ nature completely disappeared.
“Hmm, just don’t eat enough to kill him. Stay there until I call you back.”
I sent the three Three-Corpse Bugs flying.
The translucent butterflies flew, scattering light as they burrowed into the eunuch’s body—one into his head, one into his chest, and one into his abdomen.
Since they were creatures that couldn’t be seen by the eyes of ordinary humans, the eunuch, who had not yet regained his senses, didn’t even notice what was entering his body.
After waiting for a moment, when the eunuch seemed to regain his senses, I opened my mouth.
“I heard from His Highness the Crown Prince that you plan to take me out of the palace.”
“Y, yes…?”
“Did you really intend to help me escape from the palace?”
“Of course… Kwaaakh!”
The eunuch, who had been answering, clutched his stomach and rolled around.
I sat on the floor and rested my chin on my hand.
“Well, it seems you still haven’t learned that lying will bring divine punishment, even at that age.”
“Ugh… Ughh… Y, yes?”
“You said you were going to help me escape from the palace, but you were planning to kill me, weren’t you? Trying to make it look like the Crown Prince’s doing?”
“No, how could you misunderstand that, aaack! Aaaah!”
The eunuch, who had been protesting in shock, grabbed his head and rolled around. I snorted.
“So you’re lacking in learning ability.”
“Keuuugh…How…?”
“It’s because you keep lying.”
“I, if I lie… will it hurt?”
“Yeah. If you keep doing that, it won’t just end with a little pain.”
“What on earth have you done to me? What, what have you done?”
“Well.”
I shrugged and added.
“I’ve just helped you reduce the punishment you’ll receive in hell a little.”
“Wh, why would I be punished in hell, aack!”
“It seems you know it yourself. Whether you’re the kind of person who will end up in hell to be punished or not.”
Still, it seems you know you’ve done something wrong.
I’ve heard that in the afterlife, there are plenty of humans who did bad things while believing they were doing the right thing.
“Ugh… huff, huff…”
“Now, can you be honest?”
I asked the eunuch, who was clutching at his chest, with a bright smile, and the eunuch looked up at me with eyes that seemed to be looking at a ghost, then lowered his head with a despairing expression.
“…Y, yes…”
After that, I asked a few more questions to see if the eunuch would tell the truth.
He was very obedient.
“Alright. Anshi, now go and bring the Crown Prince.”
“Yes, Your Highness Princess.”
Anshi ran inside the room and soon returned with the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince came out wearing gloves and a double-layered veil over his official hat, with so many layers that he could barely see in front of him.
‘That was also what the eunuch’s doing. He kept saying that because he’s cursed, the Crown Prince shouldn’t meet people with his bare face.’
The Eodukseoni of the day is relatively safe.
As long as there is no direct contact between bare skin, it neither summons darkness nor stimulates fear.
So that’s an excessive action.
What kind of child have they covered up, like a bundle of misfortune? He probably can’t even see what’s in front of him.
I approached with a bit of irritation and grabbed the Crown Prince’s veil.
“Wife?”
“You don’t have to wear this, Your Highness.”
“W, wait, Wife!”
I ignored the Crown Prince’s surprised calls and took off the veil.
The Crown Prince hurriedly covered his face with his gloved hand. I sighed and grabbed that hand.
“I told you it’s okay not to cover it.”
“But Eunuch Jang said it was dangerous…”
“That was all a lie.”
“Yes?”
“That eunuch lied about Your Highness being dangerous when you meet someone with your bare face.”
“…Is that true? How did you know?”
“I found it suspicious, so I asked a few things, and in the end, he admitted it was a lie.”
I looked back at the trembling eunuch and asked.
“Isn’t that so?”
“Yes, yes! It was a lie! It was something I made up because I was afraid Your Highness might get close to others!”
The eunuch hurriedly blurted out the words. The area around the Crown Prince’s eyes twitched beneath the gloves.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“…I have been deceiving Your Highness all this time, pretending to care for you. I have committed an unforgivable sin…”
The Crown Prince slowly lowered his hand.
A pale, neat face of a young boy was revealed.
“You were deceiving me? Since when?”
“F, from the very first time I met Your Highness. I am sorry…”
“Since the beginning?”
His jet-black eyes, like a nighttime lake, shimmered with moisture as he blinked.
“Why on earth? For what?”
“I, I received money… from His Highness the Minister of the Left.”
“The Minister of the Left.”
The Crown Prince lowered his eyes after listening to the words slowly.
“I see. I understand.”
His face looked more hurt than surprised.
So he wasn’t completely unaware.
Even if there were some suspicious parts, he just…believed them.
To be exact, he wanted to believe it. Otherwise, there would be no one left around him.
The Crown Prince, who had been quietly looking down at the kneeling eunuch, softly asked.
“Then it must have been a lie that you said you would let my wife escape.”
“…Yes.”
“Then, rather…”
The Crown Prince clenched his teeth, then turned to me and lowered his head.
“I am sorry, Wife.”
“Mhm, no, yes?”
“I said I would save you… but I was foolish, and almost ended up hurting you instead.”
“It’s okay. Your Highness didn’t do it on purpose.”
I shook my head and added.
“I never had any intention of running away in the first place, Your Highness.”
“You said you were attacked today, didn’t you? Staying in the palace is dangerous.”
“We already caught the culprit of that attack.”
When I pointed to the trembling eunuch, the Crown Prince’s expression hardened.
“Are you saying that was also his doing?”
“Yes. It will become clearer once the Office of Royal Investigations looks into it, but…”
“…Haa.”
The Crown Prince let out a hollow laugh and lowered his head.
“Even though I knew I was being watched every move I made, and that if you, Wife, were still alive after the first night, your life would be in danger… I, I ended up trusting the one person I should have suspected the most.”
His young face was overflowing with negative emotions like self-loathing, betrayal, and self-reproach.
It would be strange if an eleven-year-old could consider and doubt all of those things.
Because of his intelligence, he couldn’t live without understanding the situation, and he had already tasted the bitterness of life, making it impossible to maintain the innocence of a child. His naturally kind and upright nature wouldn’t allow him to simply resent the world or others… In the end, that’s why he blames himself like this.
Why does the child look so pitiful the more I look at him like this?
“Your Highness.”
The moment I opened my mouth to comfort him, the boy lifted his head again.
His face had become calm, with the shadows already covering it.
“First, we need to send the culprit to the Office of Royal Investigations. Although the Minister of the Left won’t be shaken by just the eunuch’s testimony, the judge at the Office of Royal Investigations is a loyal man, so he won’t openly cover up this matter.”
…Why is this little kid acting so mature? It’s a situation where he could cry a little.
The Crown Prince continued speaking in his characteristically calm voice, instead of crying.
“Then someone is needed to take the culprit to the Office of Royal Investigations, but since there’s no one to assign the task to, I’ll have to do it myself…”
“No, we can just ask Anshi. Anshi.”
“Your Highness, no, Your Highness Crown Princess, I’ll stay by Your Highness’ side…”
Ansi tried to protest, as if she didn’t want to leave me behind. I subtly gestured to my waist and gave the order again.
“It’s fine, just go.”
“Ah! Yes, I will go quickly!”
Realizing that I still had the Cheoyong’s evil spirit norigae, Anshi pushed the eunuch out.
The Crown Prince looked at her worriedly and headed downstairs.
“Where are you going, Your Highness?”
“That maid is still just a girl, isn’t she? I’m worried she might get hurt if Eunuch Jang resists.”
“You don’t have to worry about Anshi. She’s…”
I can’t openly say she’s a phoenix.
After a brief pause, I remembered Court Lady Kim’s misunderstanding and quickly came up with a suitable excuse.
“She’s my shadow guard.”
“Is she a child who deals with monsters of great strength?”
“It’s similar.”
The Crown Prince, who was about to go down to the yard, stopped. I grabbed his sleeve.
“Let’s talk, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince followed willingly. After entering the room next to the main hall, we closed the door and sat facing each other.
“Do you have something urgent to say?”
The slightly moist, dark eyes stared at me from the other side.
He tried to maintain a calm expression, but he couldn’t completely hide the traces of pain, and his teary eyes trembled.
A child who had lost everyone he could trust and rely on.
My mouth didn’t open properly as I watched him.
‘I’m deceiving him too right now.’
Who am I, and what is my purpose here?
I even faked the wedding ceremony using a fake wedding dress.
I originally planned to just make a vague excuse and try to persuade him.
Just like I did with the king, I was planning to say that I would save the queen with Seol Deunghwa and the power of the Seol tribe.
Then, once the pressure was relieved, I was going to tell him not to run away and that we should survive together in this palace.
I don’t know what your darkness is, but let’s work together until you can control it on your own.
‘How is this any different from the eunuch I spoke to earlier?’
I told him that lying would bring divine punishment, yet here I am, about to lie.
Storyteller Rolipoly's Words
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Bip
Awww wait I rlly like thisss🥺 Thank you so much for picking this up!!! Looking forward to future updates ~~