The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

Chapter 156

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 156

A chill crept into the secluded chamber. The damp air moved slowly as the first rays of dawn seeped through.

The corner of Naam Fortress where this chamber was located was shrouded in shadow all day, day and night.

Only at dawn, when the sun rose in the east, would a ray of sunlight pierce through.

The walls, hidden by furniture, were covered in black mold, a testament to the perpetual darkness.

But no one cared. No one ever came to this chamber.

The only sound that disturbed the quiet was the occasional muffled shout of soldiers patrolling the fortress.

Despite her status as the fortress lord's daughter, the room was incredibly bare.

A few pieces of old furniture, some cotton clothes, and a couple of silk robes for special occasions—that was the extent of her possessions.

On a small, simple desk, there was a burn mark. Late at night, she would need light to read, and the dim moonlight wasn't enough. So, she had to burn oil all night.

The burn mark was a testament to her solitary nights.

As the sunlight reached her bed, the chamber's occupant finally opened her eyes.

Gae Yeohwa slowly blinked, her dark eyes squinting against the light. A headache throbbed behind her temples. She placed her hand over her heart and felt it pounding rapidly.

As she swung her legs out of bed and her feet touched the cold floor, she muttered, "A dream."

It was more than just a dream. It was a revelation.

Gae Yeohwa had the ability to foresee the future, but only when she was asleep, disconnected from reality. It seemed as though the ability only worked when she was blind to the present.

However, it was something she took for granted.

After all, she had been born with this ability. Why should there be any deeper meaning to something she had always possessed?

"Ha," she chuckled bitterly. It had been far too long since she'd had a vision. Far too long.

"It's been half a year, and I haven't seen anything..." she murmured.

For a long time, she had been unable to use her ability. She had never actively sought to see the future, but the fact remained that she couldn't.

It was a strange and troubling situation. And it was a huge problem because her ability to foresee the future was her greatest asset.

Without her ability, she was just a young woman. Her status as the Naam Fortress Lord's adopted daughter could be revoked at any moment.

She had suffered greatly because of her lost ability. Memories of her struggles flooded her mind.

Every morning, the lord of Naam Fortress would visit her, expecting a report on her visions.

When she had nothing to report, she had lied. She had told him that she was tired or unwell. But her lies couldn't last forever.

When she finally stopped lying, the fortress lord was furious. He berated her for her uselessness.

After a few days of harsh scoldings, he stopped visiting her altogether.

People assumed that she had fallen out of favor with the fortress lord. Her status and influence had plummeted.

Gae Yeohwa, an outsider in the fortress , had always been disliked. As an adopted daughter, she was often treated with contempt, especially by the biological daughter of the lord.

When the lord stopped seeking her out for her prophecies, the other servants grew even bolder in their mistreatment. They would play petty tricks on her, like pouring mud into her laundry.

While these actions were annoying, they weren't what truly frightened her.

What truly scared her was that the fortress lord hadn't simply cast her out after she had become useless. Instead, he had kept her confined in a remote tower. She couldn't help but wonder if he had something more sinister in mind.

'Could he be planning to make me his concubine?'

Even though she was only an adopted daughter, they were essentially strangers. It wasn't an impossible scenario.

Desperate, she had tried to escape several times, but the servants always caught her. After her sixth failed attempt, the fortress lord summoned her.

"Duke Woo Joong has expressed interest in taking you in," he said, his tone indifferent. "So stop causing trouble.”

Gae Yeohwa was skeptical. Was she being sold off like a piece of property?

"Or perhaps," the fortress lord continued, his voice laced with bitterness, "I could send you to Prince Ikwon. After all, you're as useless as a barren field."

The Lord of Naam Fortress looked much more subdued than before. His aggressive demeanor had softened. It was clear that this was because of his lost ability to foresee the future.

Just as her ability to foresee the future was her value, the value that the Duke of Mungung saw in the fortress lord was also his ability to predict the future.

But that ability was not something he had acquired himself, but something he had gained by tormenting her.

She felt resentment. And her determination to leave Naam Fortress grew stronger. After all, she had made the Lord of Naam Fortress useful to Duke Woo Joong.

Perhaps she could approach the prince herself.

Of course, she didn't expect to be treated the same as the Lord of Naam Fortress, even if she showed the same ability. She wasn't that naive.

"And... I heard that Prince Ikwon is quite a warrior."

She decided to take a chance. It didn't seem like he would deceive her.

After making her decision, Gae Yeohwa quietly returned to her secluded room in Naam Fortress.

Almost half a year passed.

"Finally."

She sighed. A mix of relief, joy, and other emotions filled her voice.

It was a relief to be able to use her ability again. She had been waiting for this day for so long.

But...

The vision she had seen last night wasn't pleasant.

She had seen Prince Ikwon covered in blood.

He was walking slowly, looking tired, with tears streaming down his blood-stained face.

Behind him was a battlefield. As he looked around, he saw the bodies of the dead.

And behind that was a strange mountain. It was undoubtedly the demonic realm they had only heard about.

"Damn it..."

Dreams and premonitions were distinct. She hoped it was just a dream, but she knew it wasn't.

There was a clear difference between dreams and premonitions. As the subject of the premonition, she could tell the difference.

Was Prince Ikwon going to die on the battlefield? A bad feeling washed over her.

'I need to tell someone.'

If she knew the future, she could prevent it. That's what she had always done. But she had no one to tell.

There was General So,Prince Ikwon's relative, but he had gone to the northern region. There was no one else close to Prince Ikwon.

And even if she could leave Naam Fortress, she couldn't approach Prince Ikwon or General So, who had gone to the demonic realm.

So, even after regaining her ability, Gae Yeohwa was troubled for several days. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find a solution.

Then, she heard that someone from Duke Woo Joong's household would be visiting Naam Fortress soon. She was surprised to hear that the duke had taken an interest in her.

She tried to meet the Lord of Naam Fortress to confirm the truth, but he still refused to see her.

She didn't want to tell him about regaining her abilities.

As days passed filled with worries, an unexpected breakthrough appeared.

"The Fortress Lord wants to see you,” a familiar servant from the fortress lord's quarters came and said abruptly.

"Me?"

"Yes, a guest has come asking to see you, my lady."

A guest? A guest appearing at a time when she had nothing to do but worry.

Gae Yeohwa felt a flicker of hope, but then shook her head. She shouldn't get her hopes up. With that in mind, she changed into her best clothes and left her room.

"Nice to meet you."

Dressed in flamboyant clothing, with an ambiguous gender, and an unusual way of speaking, Gae Yeohwa couldn't even guess the identity of the person who wanted to see her.

Just as she was at a loss for words, the Lord of Naam Fortress, who was standing beside them, cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem!"

Startled, Gae Yeohwa bowed her head.

"I... I'm Gae Yeohwa."

She glanced up and spoke timidly.

"I apologize for the delay..."

The visitor smiled.

"It's alright. I should be the one apologizing."

Their gaze lingered on her.

Even though she had the ability to foresee the future, she had spent almost her entire life confined to a corner of Naam Fortress. Gae Yeohwa was intimidated from the very beginning.

"I'm a small merchant."

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]