Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"WAS IT really necessary to show your face to His Majesty's Paladin?"

"Of course," Nichole said as a response to Gin's question. "Lord Gavin Quinzel is our trump card. He hasn't regained his full strength yet. Thus, we have to keep his existence a secret."

Right now, she and Gin were having tea inside the huge Black Cube.

The Black Cube was actually her version of the Dome that she learned from Dominic Zavaroni when she was young. In short, the Black Cube was a formidable barrier that could only be broken from the inside.

To make up for that weakness, she combined her Black Cube with Gin's ability to create illusions based on the target's memories.

But since Gavin Quinzel created a Shadow Veil inside the Black Cube, she couldn't see Princess Neoma's memories that were being recreated by Gin's illusion. Even the cat himself had no idea because the former Commander was also blocking the cat's "eyes" with his shadow.

[It seems like Lord Quinzel is hiding something important from us.]

"That's what I don't understand, Nichole," Gin said. Ever since he reverted back to being a "young cat," he had begun talking to her comfortably. She didn't mind though. "Why couldn't we just reveal to His Majesty that Gavin Quinzel has returned?"

"Don't you really get it?" she asked in an impatient tone. "If my brother finds out that Lord Quinzel has come back to life, he'd kill him."

"Ah, right," Gin said while nodding his head. "When Gavin Quinzel died, the Shadow Beasts that he used to control went back to Slumber. If he doesn't have his Shadow Beasts, then he can't win against His Majesty."

"Lord Quinzel has to wake them up before his niece beats him to it."

"Hanna Quinzel?" the human cat asked in a mocking tone. "Does that child have the ability to even summon the Shadow Beasts?"

"Are you underestimating Hanna Quinzel because she's a girl?" she asked coldly. "If the problem regarding that child's heart gets fixed, I bet she could kill you multiple times until you have no spare life left, Gin."

"Aren't you being a little too serious?"

She just stared at the cat coldly.

He bowed to her in the end. "I apologize. I misspoke. I will never underestimate Hanna Quinzel or any other girls again."

She just smiled and nodded.

"Is Gavin Quinzel really going to take Princess Neoma away from the Royal Family?" Gin asked after a few moments. "It's our goal to raise the royal princess under our guidance. But I thought it was still early to do that. After all, we need Princess Neoma to steal as much Moonglow from His Majesty as possible first."

"That depends on Lord Quinzel," she said. "After all, the Devil told us to follow Lord Quinzel's lead. But…"

"But what?" Gin asked curiously. "Nichole, don't you trust Gavin Quinzel?"

"I just find it strange that the first person that he looked for was Princess Neoma," Nichole said, then she turned to the Shadow Veil in the middle of the "room." Princess Neoma and Gavin Quinzel were behind that veil. "But I wonder why Lord Quinzel has never mentioned Mona yet?"

***

NEOMA was 100% sure that the man in front of her was her appa/daddy.

That handsome face, that built, that aura.

[It's really my appa…]

But she knew that it was just an illusion. So even if she wanted to run towards her appa/daddy, she stopped herself and wiped the tears off of her face instead. With clenched fists, she raised her head and looked at her appa/daddy straight in the eye.

"Neoma," her appa said, calling her name in the same gentle and warm voice that she remembered. Then, he smiled sadly at her and opened his arms as if he was waiting for her to run to him. "Aren't you going to hug your appa?"

She smiled sadly and shook her head. "I know that this is just an illusion, appa. I can't let my guard down in the enemy's territory."

Now that she had calmed down, she remembered what kind of arms pulled her into the darkness earlier. Instead of human hair, those arms had black fur. When she tried to turn for a moment, she caught a glimpse of a cat head with green eyes.

In short, her kidnapper had a cat head and a human body.

[I'm sure that it was Gin! I thought Trevor already killed him. But then again, I've heard that cats have nine lives.]

She couldn't let her guard down now.

After all, she still remembered how Gin used the memories of her first life to torment her in the past. She wouldn't let the cat butler do that to her again.

[I'm still traumatized by what Gin did to me before.]

Her father looked hurt by her statement. "Neoma, do you think I'm an enemy?" he asked in a pained voice while lowering his arms to his sides. "You know that I will never hurt you, my little princess."

"My real appa won't," she said. "But as I said, I know that you're nothing more than a mere illusion."

"What should I do to make you believe that I'm not an illusion then?"

"Get me out of here," she said firmly. "As long as we are in this unfamiliar place, I won't believe anything that you'll say, appa."

He fell silent for a while.

She, on the other hand, clenched her fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms. It took her all that she got to stop herself from coming closer to her appa. She almost gave in a while ago. Thankfully, she managed to get a hold of her emotions before it was too late.

"Neoma, can we at least talk?"

"I'd love to but I can't," she said while looking around her. She was actually searching for an exit while trying to summon Tteokbokki. But much to her frustration, her Soul Beast wasn't responding. "I'm afraid that I might get swayed if I stay here longer, appa."

"That would be nice."

"I'm sorry but I don't want to spend time with an illusion," she said, trying her best to avoid her appa's gaze. "Plus, Papa Boss will get worried."

[And he would probably punish all my guards for letting me get kidnapped.]

"May I know who this 'Papa Boss' is?"

She turned to the illusion of her appa. "The emperor, of course," she said. "My father."

Well, it wasn't like her enemies didn't know who her father was.

[Is this an act to confuse me?]

"You acknowledge His Majesty as your father?" her appa asked in a somewhat sad voice. "Neoma, is he good to you?"

"Not at all."

Her appa blinked several times, probably surprised by her response.

"My Papa Boss neglected me when I was born," she explained nonchalantly. Now that everything was in the past, it wasn't hard to talk about it anymore. "He even tried to sacrifice me at some point to extend my brother's life. What a scumbag."

As expected, her appa looked pissed after hearing everything that she just said.

[For an illusion, he looks genuinely concerned about me.]

"If he did all those things to you, then why do you still want to return to his side?" her appa asked. "Neoma, I'm here to take you away." He extended his hand to her. "Come here, my little princess. I will protect you from your horrible "Papa Boss.""

She smiled and shook her head. "My Papa Boss has changed. He's no longer a scumbag," she said cheerfully. "Most of all, my father loves me now."

Her appa looked shocked by what she said, his hand fell to his side unceremoniously. "His Majesty does…?"

She nodded eagerly. "Papa Boss is a tsundere though and he expresses his love for me awkwardly. But it's cute how he tries to get closer to me. Although his love could feel excessive sometimes, I still appreciate his efforts to become a decent father to me."

"Have you already forgiven him for all the hurtful things that he did to you in the past?"

"I'm getting there," she said with a smile. "I already received a sincere apology from Papa Boss. Of course, that's not enough. Papa Boss still owes me a consultation with a therapist after all the pain and anxiety that he has given me in the past. However, I can feel his sincerity to make it up to me. I am very close to fully forgiving my father. And most of all…" She paused because she suddenly felt shy. Still, in the end, she decided to say it. After all, she was talking to a mere illusion. "I love Papa Boss, too. I'm already at the point where I will cry if he dies. I am that scared to lose him now. Especially when we're just getting closer."

Wow.

She couldn't believe that she said all of that. But doing so made her chest feel light. She was glad that Papa Boss wasn't there. She'd die from embarrassment if her father heard her just now.

"Then, what about me?"

She felt her heart break when her appa asked her that with a devastated look on his face. "Appa…"

"Yes, I'm your appa," he said in a sad and somewhat bitter voice. "Have you forgotten about me now, Neoma?"

Ah, her chest suddenly tightened.

["Neoma!"]

She was startled when she heard her Papa Boss's voice in her head. ["Papa Boss?"]

["Are you alright?"]

["Yes, Papa Boss. But how come we can talk to each other like this?"]

["I'm using my Soul Beasts connection to your Soul Beast. Ah, this is the reason why you can't talk to your Soul Beast right. Would you be okay without him?"]

["Yes, Papa Boss. I'm currently using my Coat as protection. But so far, I haven't been attacked yet.]

["What kind of enemy is there?"]

["I am trapped in an illusion, Papa Boss. I'm trying to figure out how to get out of here. I feel like I won't be able to separate reality from the illusion if I stay here longer."]

After all, she could feel her heart wavering for her appa.

["The fact that you're aware that you're trapped inside an illusion is already a good thing. I guess your stubbornness and strong-mindedness came in handy today, huh?"]

["Tsk."]

["Stop clicking your tongue and listen to me, little rogue. Right now, you're trapped inside a black cube similar to the Dome. So far, we're unsuccessful in trying to break the cube."]

["Wait, what? Papa Boss, don't tell me you went out of the palace to personally rescue me?"]

["Is it that strange?"]

Okay, she wouldn't lie.

Knowing that her Papa Boss, the same person that tried to kill her when she was just a (cute and innocent) baby, had gone that far to save now her melted her heart.

["You're being reckless, Papa Boss. You should have just sent Lewis and Sir Glenn. You know that an emperor and his successor can't leave the Royal Palace at the same time. You're aware that you're breaking the protocol, right?"]

["Even if I break the protocol, do you think I care about the criticisms that I will receive?"]

She couldn't help but grin at her father's words. ["You've become a softy, Papa Boss."]

["Shut up."]

And yet, her Papa Boss was still a tsundere.

She didn't hear what her father said when all of a sudden, several black whips attacked her as if those things wanted to wrap themselves around her waist. Thankfully, she covered herself with the Coat earlier. Before the whips could touch her, they were already cut into half by her shield.

Since the barrier was made of her Mana, she could manipulate it and use it as a weapon.

["Neoma, what's happening?"]

She looked at her appa that had now a grim look on his face. ["I'm being attacked by the illusion, Papa Boss."]

["Neoma, listen carefully. The cube that you're in looks like it could only be broken from the inside. Do your best to break it from within. Even just a little hole would do. I will take care of the rest."]

["`Got it, Papa Boss."]

"I didn't attack to hurt you so please don't look at me like I'm your enemy, Neoma," her appa pleaded in a desperate voice. "I was just trying to get you to come closer to me."

"My real appa wouldn't have forced me to do something that I don't want to do," she said sternly. "Didn't I already say that I don't feel comfortable to come close to you?"

In fairness, the illusion looked guilty that she felt bad for snapping at him.

[No, that's not my real appa.]

Her heart was wavering so she knew she needed to get out of there now, fast.

She grabbed the Mini Skewer, now a pendant of her choker, then threw it at the wall as if she was throwing a baseball. And damn, she could become a pitcher in her next life. The blade of Mini Skewer hit the wall nicely, creating several cracks that spread fast.

Eventually, the wall began to collapse.

[I often forget that I have S*perman-like strength.]

"Are you going to leave?" her appa asked in a devastated voice. "I won't let–"

"I love my appa," she said softly. "That stands true even now."

"Then come with me," her appa said. "I will prove to you that I'm real–"

"I also love my Papa Boss," she said, refusing to listen to the illusion because she didn't want to lower her guard. "Even if my real appa shows up now, it doesn't mean that I will throw away my Papa Boss. Both my appa and Papa Boss are real people that love me. How can I abandon one for the other? I know that it's not easy to keep them both in my current life if ever my real appa somehow shows up now. But my stance won't change."

This time, there was a resigned look on her appa's face. It broke her heart when he smiled sadly at her. But she reminded herself that she shouldn't lower her guard.

"I understand," her appa said. "Forgive me for trying to force you to come with me, Neoma."

After saying that, a dark shadow literally covered her appa's face.

Then, his head turned into the head of a white cat while his human body didn't change. Ah, it seemed like her "appa" was just like Gin– the sly black humanoid cat.

[I knew it– this is Gin's handiwork! Tsk. That douchebag might still be alive.]

She was relieved that she guarded her heart well from the illusion.

"Neoma!"

She was surprised when the whole room suddenly collapsed. But the weird shadow-like "roof" above her protected her from the debris. Although she didn't really need to be protected because she had her Coat all over her body.

Her thoughts were cut off when she finally saw her Papa Boss running towards him.

Never in her wildest dreams did she ever dream of this moment. But still, she was happy to be rescued by her Papa Boss.

"Neoma," her Papa Boss said softly, then he got down on one knee and hugged her. "Are you alright?"

Neoma smiled and wrapped her arms around her Papa Boss's neck. "Papa Boss, my love for you is a solid 8 now."

***

GAVIN Quinzel's heart broke while he watched Neoma hug His Majesty after his daughter refused to even get close to him.

He clenched his hands tight, repressing the envy that he was feeling at the moment.

It was painful to see his daughter in the arms of her real father in this lifetime, but what could he do? In this world, His Majesty was Neoma's father.

How could he compete with His Majesty?

But still, despite the pain in his heart, he was still happy to know that his little princess was finally loved in this world.

[Maybe this isn't the time yet to bring back Neoma with me.]

He also knew that he couldn't physically fight the emperor in his current state.

Thus, as soon as he felt His Majesty's presence inside the Black Cube, he used the 'Glamour' (aka Transformation Spell) that Gin, the humanoid black cat, lent him a while ago. After all, Princess Nichole insisted that it wasn't the right time yet to reveal his identity.

To be honest, at first, he didn't have any plans to use the Glamour or hide his identity like what the Princess Royal wanted him to do. But after he failed to convince Neoma that he was real, he changed his mind.

Moreover, now that His Majesty was here, he had to abandon his plan for now.

[I will come back for you later, Neoma.]

"Who are you?"

His thoughts were cut off when His Majesty, now standing in front of him while carrying Neoma in his arms, confronted him while glaring at him coldly.

Thanks to Princess Nichole's Black Cube, the emperor didn't recognize his Mana.

"I'm your nightmare, Your Majesty," Gavin said with a bitter smile on his face, his voice sounded different after his head turned into a cat's. "I'm here to take everything away from you."

***

[EXTRA SCENE 1]

Glenn, seated on the grass under the shade of a huge tree, had a big smile on his face while reading the letter that Princess Bridgette sent him:

["My dearest Sir Glenn, our adorable little 'Miss Ramsay' told me that today is "father's day." Apparently, it is a day celebrated year after year for all the good dads out there.

Sir Glenn, I can't wait for the day that I could greet you a 'Happy Father's Day' as well.

So please move a little faster so we can make our own cute little babies soon.

Love,

Bridgette, the Future Mother of Your Future Children."]

Glenn, his face now completely red, hugged the letter close to his chest. "Princess Bridgette, you never fail to give me a heart attack."

***

[EXTRA SCENE 2]

NIKOLAI smirked when he didn't see a ribbon attached to Glenn's chest when his personal knight entered his office. "Neoma didn't give you a ribbon?"

Glenn looked confused by his question. Then, the knight noticed the ribbon on his face. When he raised his head to meet his gaze, he smiled. "Your Majesty, did Princess Neoma make that ribbon for you?"

He smirked haughtily. "Apparently, today is "father's day" according to the fairy tale book that she once read. Since I'm Neoma's only father, I guess I'm the only one who received this ribbon from her. Unlike the chocolates that Neoma would often give away every February 14th, isn't this ribbon more special?"

"Uhm..."

"What?"

"Actually..." Glenn said hesitantly while scratching his cheek. "Your Majesty, I just saw Princess Neoma giving the same ribbon to Duke Rufus Quinzel."

Nikolai slammed his hands on the table hard. "Why is Neoma giving the same ribbon to Rufus?!"

***

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***

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