SLPWT 11

Chapter: 11

“It was during the Queen’s birthday banquet two years ago. The little Crown Prince went to the hill himself and made a bouquet because he wanted to give it to his mother. He was still human when he left, but when he came back… he’d turned into an Eodukseoni.”

“So you didn’t actually see the moment he transformed?”

“Nope, I didn’t. But anyway, the kid didn’t even realize he’d become an Eodukseoni. He walked toward the Queen to give her the flowers… and then every light in the banquet hall went out. After that… it was horrible.”

“……”

Everyone must have been terrified out of their minds. Quite a few had probably died as well.

Those with exceptional mental fortitude or those possessing supernatural powers might have barely endured it, ending up merely insane. But most ordinary people would never have survived it.

“Do you remember who died and who went insane?”

Maegu scratched her ear with a front paw before answering.

“Nope. Even I’m scared of Eodukseoni. The moment the lights went out, I ran for my life, so I didn’t really see what happened.”

“Hm.”

“But one thing’s for sure. The Queen lost her mind and collapsed that day. The King wasn’t right in the head afterward either.”

“…At least the two of them didn’t die.”

Well, that made sense. If the King and Queen were both still alive, then the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince.

“Anyway, that kid was originally considered a genius who’d become a great king. But after that day, everything changed. They even changed his princely title.”

“They changed his title?”

“He wasn’t originally the Black Day Grand Prince. His title used to be Grand Prince Hyoeon (曉彦大君). They said he’d become the king who would brighten the nation, but it all ended overnight. Kinda pitiful.”

Changing a royal title was an extremely rare occurrence.

The damage from that incident must have been enormous.

Maegu continued, explaining in greater detail.

The incident came to be known as the Black Day, or Heukju (黑晝), and speaking of it became taboo within the royal palace.

The Crown Prince’s title had been changed to Black Day Grand Prince after the name of the incident itself.

After the Black Day, the once-benevolent King transformed into a cold-blooded tyrant and came to hate the Crown Prince whom he had once loved dearly.

It was certain that the Crown Prince had been the cause of the Black Day, but no conclusion had ever been reached on whether he had intentionally caused it or whether it had been an accident brought about by the curse of an evil entity. Because of that uncertainty, he had not been executed.

At first, many had sympathized with the Crown Prince, but as time passed, increasingly sinister rumors about him spread throughout the kingdom.

The Queen remained in a coma even now, while the ministers were trying to depose the Crown Prince and install Prince Wan-eon as the new heir.

“Who is Prince Wan-eon? I thought the King didn’t have any other children.”

“Well… technically he’s the King’s nephew. The family background’s a bit complicated.”

After hearing even the story about Prince Wan-eon, I couldn’t help letting out a sigh.

The Crown Prince… his name was Cheon Gyeol-woo, wasn’t it? His situation is almost as complicated as Ruhwa’s.

Since I’d decided to live as the Crown Princess for the time being, I’d probably have to untangle the Crown Prince’s hopeless life as well if I wanted my own life to become easier.

I’ve got a lot to do.

The thought that I’d be busy somehow made me feel proud.

Back when I lived in Sangra Palace, there had been absolutely nothing for me to do.

With this useless body, all I could do was receive treatment and rest. Since I was too frail to even play properly, my favorite pastime had been reading books or watching my parents work.

But here… I can actually do something myself.

In Heaven, I’d always been the child who was taken care of.

Here, I was the most mature person around.

I’m 209 years old—and I’m a god! Little weak humans like the Crown Prince need me to take care of them.

I decided to step forward willingly.

“Maegu—no, wait. What’s your name?”

“Keh! The Princess of Heaven is asking even the name of an evil spirit. What an honor!”

“Forget the honor. What’s your name?”

“It’s Seok-ran. I don’t have a family name.”

“Good. Seok-ran, I need you to investigate a few things. You’re familiar with the royal palace, so you should be good at it, right?”

“Of course! What do you want to know?”

“First, find out exactly who was harmed during the Black Day two years ago and what happened to them. Also investigate whether there have been any more victims of the Eodukseoni since then.”

“Mmm… I’ll try.”

“And find out who still wants to keep the Crown Prince alive.”

“Keh? You want me to find out who’s on the Crown Prince’s side?”

“That’s right.”

The person who killed Ruhwa would be among them.

Those who wanted the Crown Prince executed had expected him to kill Ruhwa in the bridal chamber after the wedding. There was no reason for them to attack Ruhwa the night before the ceremony.

The Empire didn’t make sense either. They had already gone to the trouble of sending the princess all the way to the Kingdom of Un despite finding her inconvenient to keep around. Why would they bother killing her before the wedding?

If the Crown Prince killed Ruhwa, the culprit would be obvious and everything would end neatly.

But if she died from a curse, things only became more complicated.

Which means the people willing to force matters and kill Ruhwa before the wedding…

Those who wanted the wedding itself annulled.

Those who wanted to prevent the Crown Prince’s execution.

The most likely possibility is still someone trying to save the Crown Prince.

No matter how abandoned he was by his father because people called him a monster, there had to be at least some faction supporting him.

So the murderer is among the Crown Prince’s people…

Before meeting him, I’d intended to throw the culprit straight into the Eighth Hell.

But if that person had desperately tried to save the Crown Prince—if they genuinely cared about him…

That complicated things.

I also had to straighten out the Crown Prince’s life.

Even if they were Ruhwa’s murderer, they might also be the Crown Prince’s only remaining source of support.

…Fine. I’ll decide what to do with the culprit after I find them. I have the Eyes of Heavenly Judgment, after all.

Maybe they wouldn’t even turn out to belong to the Crown Prince’s faction.

All I needed was a list of suspects.

After that, I’d personally examine them with my divine eyes.

No one can hide anything from the Eyes of Heavenly Judgment.

My mother’s eyes, inherited from the Jade Emperor who judged rewards and punishments by distinguishing virtue from sin, could see through every deed a person had committed in life.

My father’s eyes, inherited from King Yama, ruler of karma and death, could perceive the karmic burden carried by every soul.

Having inherited both of their powers, my own eyes could see both a person’s life and the karma that awaited them after death.

If I focused on someone, I could see not only their lifespan but also every merit they had accumulated, every sin they had committed, and even the karma that would affect their next life.

People said that being looked at by my eyes felt like standing before final judgment.

That was why the maid who had looked into my eyes while preparing the wedding had burst into tears.

She had said it felt as though she had been stripped naked from head to toe and was waiting for a verdict.

Once I identify the culprit, I’ll examine them with the Eyes of Heavenly Judgment and then decide what to do.

After explaining my plan, I assigned the investigation to Seok-ran.

“Keh-heh, understood. I’ll investigate everything.”

“How long will it take?”

“Give me two months.”

“Too long. Finish within a week.”

“Keh?! That’s impossible! Even if I’m a thousand-year-old fox, how am I supposed to find all that by myself in just one week?”

“If you can’t do it alone, find trustworthy companions. But if word about me leaks out carelessly, I’ll exorcise you on the spot.”

Ansi, who had been quietly standing beside me, raised a fist.

“If such a thing happens, this humble Ansi shall personally beat that fox to death.”

“Kyeng…”

Sweat forming on her brow, Seok-ran rolled her eyes before suddenly raising a paw.

“I’ll make my younger sibling help! My sibling knows how to keep secrets!”

“Oh? Then one week should be enough.”

“Keh, even then one week’s impossible! Give me a month!”

“Ten days.”

“…Seriously impossible. Even if I don’t sleep, it’ll still take three weeks.”

“You were planning to rest while standing at the crossroads between life and death? In a situation like this, you can still sleep?”

“Kyaa! If I work without sleeping, I’ll really die! Please have mercy! Two weeks! Just give me two weeks!”

“Fine. Two weeks. I’m already being generous.”

“…Thank you… sniff…”

“Then get started immediately. We don’t have time.”

Sniffling, Seok-ran left.

“That baby princess… doesn’t feel like a baby at all… She’s scary…”

Hearing that reaction, I secretly smiled in relief.

I was just copying how Mom worked… but it seems pretty effective. She even said I don’t seem like a child!

Whenever a minister proposed a deadline, Mother always told me to demand an utterly unreasonable one in return.

That way, she said, instead of getting a comfortable estimate, you’d discover the deadline that was actually achievable.

She always smiled gently as she explained that ministers had to be pushed to their limits so the people could live comfortably.

Whenever Mother smiled like that, none of the ministers dared object. I wonder if I looked the same to that fox.

I fought hard to keep the corners of my mouth from rising.

Adults weren’t supposed to get carried away over little things like this.

Anyway, all I have to do now is wait on that front. Next…

The fact that I had survived would become a major headache for those who had intended to eliminate both the Crown Prince and me together.

But neither side can make an obvious move.

No matter what schemes lay behind it, this marriage was officially an ordinary royal wedding.

The Crown Prince and I were only eleven and nine years old.

They’ll probably wait until they find another excuse. They might resort to tricks behind the scenes, but assassination attempts aren’t much of a problem for me.

Before that happened, I needed to secure both the Crown Prince’s position and my own.

I’m called the Crown Princess, but in reality I’m not being treated like one at all.

The authority of the Crown Princess depended heavily on the Crown Prince’s standing.

And the quickest way to restore his position was…

They said the Queen fell into a coma because of the Crown Prince, didn’t they?

A coma meant that her soul was wandering the River of Three Crossings.

Returning from there wasn’t easy.

Coincidentally, it was something I had done countless times.

Good. I’ll save the Crown Prince’s mother first.

And while I was at it, I’d save Ruhwa’s mother too.

By the time I’d finished making my plans, morning had fully arrived.

The Crown Prince was still asleep in the bridal chamber.

He must’ve been exhausted. That’s only natural.

An eleven-year-old child had just stood on the line between life and death.

After leaving him to sleep peacefully, I washed and changed clothes with Ansi’s help.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the door.

Without any warning, the main door flew open.

Palace servants carrying straw mats filed inside, followed by maids holding buckets of water and cleaning rags.

Well, would you look at that.

Just look at those aprons.

They were dressed exactly like people coming to clean up a corpse.

The moment they saw me standing on the wooden floor, they reacted as though they had seen a ghost.

“Good heavens!”

“Oh my!”

Most of them collapsed in terror.

Only one maid showed obvious relief.

Looking closely, I recognized her face.

It’s her from yesterday.

The maid who had burst into tears and run away after looking into my Eyes of Heavenly Judgment.

Wasn’t her name Jami?

Keeping my eyes on her, I spoke.

“You came to help prepare for the morning greetings, didn’t you?”

The morning after a wedding, it was customary for the newlyweds to pay their respects to their parents.

If this had been a normal wedding, that was exactly why they would have come.

Pointing out that this marriage was one giant conspiracy wouldn’t benefit me at all.

It’s much better to emphasize that this is a perfectly legitimate royal marriage.

If people started treating me as anything less than the proper Crown Princess, I’d only lose out.

No one answered my question.

The terrified servants simply stared at me.

So I asked again.

“Didn’t you all come to help me prepare for my morning greetings?”

After all, they couldn’t very well say, “Actually… we came to clean up your corpse. Why are you still alive?”

I’d already handed them the perfect excuse on a silver platter.

Surely they weren’t too dense to take it, were they? Humans.