Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 8
“W, wife…!”
I heard the Crown Prince’s voice filled with astonishment. Along with that voice, the darkness surged in like a rising tide.
The wedding chamber’s candles were abruptly extinguished. Even the moonlight that had been gently streaming through the window was swallowed up.
Darkness filled the room completely, so thick that even one’s own hands were barely visible.
I couldn’t see anything either.
Anshi had the talent for seeing through darkness, but I didn’t.
But I wasn’t afraid of this darkness.
‘This is similar to the Three-World River.’
It was even darker now than in the pitch-black waters of that river, but this was preferable since it wasn’t cold or suffocating.
And yet, an unnatural fear crept up my spine.
‘So, it’s a power that evokes fear.’
For me, it’s just mildly unpleasant, but a human could easily suffocate from fear.
‘I’m fine.’
I took a step toward where the Crown Prince was standing, reaching out my hand.
I felt the touch of silk at my fingertips.
Before the startled Crown Prince could step back, I grabbed the hem of his garment.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“W, wife, you’re too close. It’s dangerous.”
“Your Highness, don’t be afraid.”
“…Yes?”
“You told me not to be afraid, but right now, Your Highness is the one who seems most afraid.”
I looked up at the Crown Prince as calmly as I could.
I can’t see it, but he must be able to see my face.
“I’m not afraid of Your Highness.”
I could feel the Crown Prince flinching through the fabric of the garment I held. I tightened my grip on the fabric and continued to speak.
“So please, don’t be afraid of yourself.”
“What… am I afraid of?”
“Your darkness.”
“…!”
“You said that the more you are afraid, the bigger the darkness becomes. So Your Highness, you shouldn’t be afraid of this darkness either.”
The Crown Prince didn’t say anything.
The darkness is so thick that I can’t see what kind of expression he’s making. It seems like the darkness will lessen once he calms down.
‘How can I calm him down?’
When I was scared, what did Mom and Dad do?
Mom taught me how to deal with scary things, and Dad…
‘He’s still a child, so let’s do as Dad did.’
I reached out and hugged the Crown Prince.
Since I’m short, I can’t hug as fully as Dad would. Instead, it ends up being more of an awkward, half-hanging embrace.
Anyway, I held him and patted his back like Dad used to.
“It’s not scary, it’s not scary. All the scary things, disappear, disappear.”
“….”
“Close your eyes tightly if you’re scared. If you close your eyes tightly and keep saying, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s not scary, it’s not scary,’ everything will go away.”
“….”
“Close your eyes tightly and keep saying, ‘Disappear, disappear,’ and then open your eyes. When you open them, what will you see? Is there still something scary?”
In the darkness, I felt a gaze. The Crown Prince was looking down at me.
I quickly covered my face with both hands and then uncovered it, forcing a wide, cheerful smile.
Just like Dad did for me.
“Peekaboo!”
“…Pft.”
A breathless laugh came out.
‘He laughed!’
At the same time as the sound of laughter, the darkness gradually began to fade.
As if light was seeping into the shadows.
The candles were lit again. The lanterns in the hallway were lit. Moonlight filtered through the window again.
The darkness gradually diminished until it stopped, shrinking to a size just large enough to fit the Crown Prince’s shadow.
‘That’s enough! It’s a relie…’
The Crown Prince’s face was finally visible in the dazzling light.
“Wow.”
I exclaimed in admiration as soon as I saw him.
Sharp eyebrows, striking features, and black hair and eyes contrasting with his pale face.
How could a child’s face, still with baby fat, be so neat and handsome?
‘It’s like a traditional ink wash painting.’
As I stared absentmindedly, the boy’s face, who was looking down at me, turned a bit red.
“Is…my face strange?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I stared too much.”
I awkwardly apologized and retreated back into the bridal chamber, away from the Crown Prince.
‘Anyway, Dad’s method worked. Thank you, Dad.’
If this hadn’t worked, I would have used Mom’s method, which was a bit rougher but more certain.
‘I’m glad it went well.’
A wave of exhaustion suddenly hit me, accompanied by a sense of relief.
‘This Phoenix robe… it’s all well and good, but it’s so heavy.’
Am I overdoing it just because my body feels light?
If it had been my original body, I would have collapsed a long time ago.
‘Have I relaxed too much? I’m getting sleepy…’
I’ve confirmed that the Crown Prince is not insane and calmed his darkness, so there’s nothing more to worry about tonight.
Then, can I go to sleep right away?
‘By the way, it seems like it’s about time for Anshi to return. I wonder why she hasn’t come back yet?’
Yawning, I looked up and saw the Crown Prince standing outside the door, staring at me intently.
“What are you doing there? Come in.”
I rubbed my eyes with one hand and gestured for the Crown Prince to come in. The boy’s face was blank as he hesitantly entered.
‘He still maintains a composed demeanor even when he’s spaced out.’
Every movement of his seems like a stroke of ink on a painting, which is fascinating.
I was secretly admiring him when he closed the door to the room and slumped down in a corner.
“Why are you sitting in the corner?”
“…I’m worried that wife might be afraid of me.”
“I’m not scared at all, so come here, no, please come.”
Come to think of it, I’ve been speaking casually without realizing it. Why hasn’t the Crown Prince pointed this out?
I cleared my throat and pointed to the crown on my head.
“Your Highness, please come over and take this down.”
Since Anshi had braided and decorated my hair so skillfully, I couldn’t even think of undoing it by myself.
The Crown Prince, startled by my words, started talking nonsense.
“I, I can’t… It’s improper for men and women to be so close together…!”
“I can’t undo this by myself. And we’re married now.”
“….”
“Please, Your Highness, could you help me out a little, yes?”
“I, I understand.”
The Crown Prince got up with a tense expression and approached me.
I quickly turned around and gave him my hair. I need to undo this quickly so I can sleep.
The Crown Prince opened his mouth while clumsily undoing the hair with his clumsy hands.
“Did you… already know about my darkness, wife?”
“No, I just found out after seeing it now.”
“Then how is it that you weren’t frightened even in the darkness? Could it be… do you know what this darkness is?”
I was honestly confused.
Doesn’t he know exactly what he is?
‘No, that’s not right. I wasn’t certain right away either.’
It was such an unprecedented case that I could only be sure after experiencing it myself.
‘It’s understandable that humans wouldn’t know.’
The Crown Prince was an ‘Eodukseoni’ (a being born of darkness).
The first in history, a human Eodukseoni.
Eodukseoni is neither a monster nor a ghost.
Eodukseoni is not a creature that eats and reproduces like a yokai, nor is it a ghost harboring resentment or lingering emotions.
An eodukseoni is said to be the darkness that swells between the stars in the night sky and spills over onto the earth.
They all have different appearances.
If darkness falls on a tree, it becomes the tree’s eodukseoni; if it falls on a rabbit, it becomes the rabbit’s eodukseoni; and if it falls on a whale in the sea, it becomes the whale’s eodukseoni.
Although their appearances may differ, they all share common traits, which is why they are all referred to as eodukseoni.
The main characteristics of eodukseoni are four.
First, it extinguishes nearby light.
Second, it spreads darkness that instills fear in the surroundings.
Third, it grows larger and stronger by feeding on the fear of those who are afraid of it.
Fourth, all these characteristics become distinct after sunset, and during the day, they appear no different from ordinary creatures.
All four characteristics matched exactly with those of the Crown Prince.
‘My mother said that although eodukseoni are usually docile, they are much scarier than most monsters.’
It is said that eodukseoni don’t attack or consume other creatures, nor do they require food.
Just by being under the night sky, it recovers its stamina and can survive on that alone.
However, even if the eodukseoni remains still, those who come into contact with its darkness are overwhelmed by fear, often leading them to madness or death.
‘That’s why it’s dangerous.’
Even Celestial Beings have been known to faint or go mad when confronted by an eodukseoni.
Even immortals find large eodukseoni dangerous, and only a deity can remain unaffected by the terror of such a creature.
‘If even small creatures like rabbits or sparrows become dangerous as eodukseoni, then a human eodukseoni…’
I originally heard that beings with strong souls like humans don’t become eodukseoni, so I don’t know how the Crown Prince ended up as eodukseoni.
As far as I know, there has never been a case of human eodukseoni.
‘Being unprecedented…means that unexpected problems are likely to arise and solving them would be difficult.’
Like me.
‘…Is it okay for me to tell you this?’
I don’t know how much humans know about the eodukseoni. If suspicion arises, I might not have much to say.
‘It could be a breach of heavenly secrets if I’m not careful.’
I hesitated for a moment and decided to make an excuse.
“I don’t know what your darkness is either.”
“How can you not be afraid if you don’t know?”
“I stopped being afraid because I saw that Your Highness was worried that you might hurt me.”
“…Because I was worried about my wife?”
“Yes. Your Highness said you don’t want to hurt me, and you also told me that the darkness grows when you’re scared.”
“….”
“I’m not scared, so I thought it would be fine as long as Your Highness doesn’t fear your own darkness.”
“That, that thing…”
The Crown Prince swallowed his words as if trying to force them down, then continued speaking with difficulty.
“Just because of that, you trusted me when you first saw me today…and had the courage to do so?”
“No, I just wasn’t scared.”
“You are truly a brave woman, wife. You are younger than me.”
The Crown Prince’s eyelashes flutter as he looks down at me.
It seems like he might be misunderstanding something.
‘I didn’t find strength because I trusted you; I wasn’t affected from the beginning because I’m the Heavenly Princess.’
Even though I know your true identity, I am pretending not to know!
My conscience prickles as I see the child’s expression of emotion.
‘How can I handle this? I really need you to do something…’
After fidgeting for a while, something suddenly occurred to me and I opened my mouth.
“I’ll help you!”
“Yes? What is it?”
Storyteller Rolipoly's Words
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