Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"I APOLOGIZE, Lady Roseheart."

Mona frowned when Gavin Quinzel apologized to her even if he didn't have to. "Why are you apologizing, Gavin?"

"Lukas just overreacted, my lady," Gavin, who was standing on the other side of the transparent wall, said. He was pale and his posture was bad as if he was just forcing himself to stand. And yet, he was saying that the elf overreacted. "I am not that hurt."

She glared at the commander's torso.

He was wearing his suit without the undershirt. But his skin wasn't exposed because his torso was covered up with bandage– bloodstained bandage at that.

"It was Nikolai, wasn't it?" Mona asked, then she raised her head to meet Gavin's gaze. "Judging by the slash from your shoulder to your ribcage, it could only be him. That's his signature way of punishing people that annoyed him."

She knew that Nikolai wouldn't kill Gavin. But it hurt her to know that he was capable of hurting his cousin just because of her. He might have really lost his mind.

[His love for me is making him insane.]

"Lady Roseheart, don't worry too much about me," Gavin said to console her. "I'm fine. You know that my body is sturdy, isn't it? Moreover, it's not like His Majesty really intends to kill me. He was just in a bad mood."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am okay, Lady Roseheart," he assured her with a smile. "Lukas already treated my wound. It stings a bit but other than that, I'm completely fine. I'm sorry for making you worry, my lady."

She knew that Gavin was strong but she also knew how vicious Nikolai's sword was. The commander was probably acting like he was okay so she wouldn't blame herself. But she knew deep down in her heart that everything was her fault.

A lot of people were getting hurt just because she ran away from Nikolai.

[And I know he won't stop until I come back to him.]

"Gavin, tell Nikolai that I'll be returning to the palace in three days."

The commander instantly looked worried. "My lady…"

Mona smiled to assure him that she'd be fine. "Don't worry too much, Gavin. I have a plan." She hugged her stomach carefully. "I won't let Nikolai harm my babies."

Gavin looked at her for quite a long time before he nodded. "I understand, Lady Roseheart."

***

"HOW'S COMMANDER Quinzel?"

"He's fine, as expected of a strong person like him," Mona said, then she sat down on the chair that she left earlier when she had gone to meet Gavin Quinzel. Surprisingly, Tara was still having tea in the garden. But thank goodness that she hadn't left yet. A queen like her was always busy and this was one of the few days where Tara wasn't overwhelmed with work. "Tara, what will you ask in return if I asked you to teach me the technique to steal Nikolai's feelings?"

"We're friends, Mona," Tara complained lightly. "I've practically raised you. Do you think I'll ask you something in return just for a technique that I almost never use anyway?"

"Yes," she said bluntly. "I know we're friends, but you're the queen of the Spirit World. Moreover, you're also the Fairy Queen. As far as I know, fairies don't do free labor."

The queen smiled before she spoke. "Then, give me one of your twins."

"Are you picking a fight with me?"

Tara laughed softly. "Mona, you're the only human I know that won't hesitate to pick a fight with the queen of the Spirit World." She sipped her tea before she spoke again. "And it seems like you've forgotten that you're in my land, my dear friend."

She knew that she was being rude.

But Tara's words reminded her of the vision that the Nameless Royal Princess had shown her. What if the queen was really planning to sacrifice her child for the sake of the Spirit World?

"Mona, I know that you're planning to cross over to another world."

She flinched. "How did you know?"

"How could I not?" the queen asked gently. "The Spirit World is a different world from the human world. That makes me one of the Gatekeepers just like Novak– the Gatekeeper of the world called Earth."

Ah, she should have known.

"And I'm friends with Novak," the queen added. "He didn't tell me anything but the fact that he welcomed you to his territory could only mean that he taught you how to open the door to the world that he guards. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not wrong," she said. There was no use lying to Tara at this point. "I plan to escape to the other world. My initial plan was to bring Nikolai and our baby with me. But Nikolai has changed his mind. I don't think he'd want to go with us anymore."

She didn't tell Tara about the vision that the black tree had shown her though.

[I don't want to give her any ideas just in case she doesn't know yet that the gods are planning to make my daughter the next Aether. She may be the queen of the Spirit World. But she still doesn't have the access to the affairs of the god.]

As far as she knew, Tara didn't get along well with the gods since she wasn't technically from the living world.

"Mona, are you allowed to bring two children with you?"

The queen's question made her freeze.

Ah.

Her mind was a mess these days that she had forgotten about the preparations that she and Novak had to make for their escape. They chose people whose physical bodies were compatible with her family.

Her family.

It was only her, Nikolai, and their daughter.

She covered her hands with her mouth when she gasped. "We need to find another body for my second daughter."

"You only have one daughter, Mona."

"What are you talking about, Tara?" she asked, confused. "You know that the Rosehearts only give birth to females."

"Then, why do I see a midnight blue rose in your second child's heart?"

Once again, she gasped.

She and all the female Rosehearts before her had a coral pink in their hearts. A midnight blue rose could only mean one thing.

"A boy…" she said in disbelief. "I have a male Roseheart in my womb?"

She didn't bother to check the gender of her babies because she already assumed that both would be females.

"Why can't you believe it, Mona?" Tara asked while shaking her head. "Male Rosehearts were born in the past before your clan was cursed. I don't know how you did it, but the curse was now broken. You're the first Roseheart that will give birth to a male after a long, long time."

Her heart thumped against her chest hard.

A male Roseheart in her womb didn't only mean that she'd have a son. It only meant that Nikolai would have an heir to the throne. Now the emperor would have another reason to stay in this world.

[But how about my daughter? If we stay here, the gods will raise her as the next Aether.]

Then, how about her son?

Would she really leave him behind? Even though her son would be the only heir of the empire, there would still be nobles who might go after the royal prince's life. How could a newborn baby protect himself?

She couldn't trust Nikolai to take care of their child after he tried to kill their poor babies.

[But I can't bring our son with us…]

"Mona, leave your son to me."

To say that she was shocked by the queen's statement would be an understatement.

"What did you say, Tara?" she asked, stupefied. "You want me to leave my son under your care?"

"I won't hurt him," Tara said seriously. "I will raise him well, Mona. And if your son wants to ascend the throne, I will even support him."

That sounded too good to be true.

"What's the catch, Tara?"

"I need someone who will help me revive the dying parts of the Spirit World," the queen said in a business-like tone. "The male Rosehearts have always been special, Mona. I believe that your son can be of help to me. So if you can't bring him to another world, then let me raise him."

Her heart hurt when she realized that she was actually considering Tara's offer. She couldn't help but smile at her own cruelty. "I'm thinking of abandoning my son to save my daughter," she said bitterly. "I don't deserve to be called a mother."

"Mona, you're the only human friend I have."

"I know that," she said, confused by what Tara was saying now. "The pranks you used to play on humans when you were young were awful. Thus, nobody wanted to be friends with you."

Tara smiled warmly. "You're the only oddball who stood by my side," she said gently, then she became serious. "Mona, I swear on my life and my title as both the queen of the Spirit World and the Fairy Clan to raise your son well," she said, then her smile grew wider. "And I didn't say that you can't see your son anymore once you crossed over to the other world."

Hearing that lifted the heaviness on her shoulders.

Before she knew it, she was already crying from relief.

"You should have said that from the beginning!" Mona complained lightly, then she covered her face with her hands and cried harder. "Thank you, Tara."

***

"YOUR MAJESTY, the commander has returned."

Nikolai groaned when he heard Glenn's report. But since Gavin's return was an important matter to him, he got up from bed and clutched his aching head. "Bring him here."

He was still in his sleeping clothes in the master's bedroom in Blanco Palace (because he destroyed his own palace a few days ago). But he didn't have time to fix himself nor the energy to move.

Moreover, it was just Gavin. Even if his cousin saw him in that state, he wouldn't judge him.

"I will call Commander Quinzel," Glenn said hesitantly. "But are you alright, Your Majesty? You look exhausted."

"I'm fine," he said. "I just had an argument with Yule in my dream."

"You fought… with the Moon God in your dream, Your Majesty?" Glenn asked in disbelief. "Your Majesty, not everyone is blessed to have the opportunity to talk to a god. And it's not just any god. It's Lord Yule– the Moon God and the protector of our continent! You must really learn how to control your temper–"

"Glenn, shut up," he snapped at his knight. Glenn, aside from Gavin and Kyle, was one of his people who could nag at him like this. But that didn't mean he should listen to him lecture him all day. "Just bring Gavin here."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Then, Glenn bowed to him before leaving his room quietly.

He, on the other hand, grabbed the glass bottle on the bedside table. Then, he poured himself some cold water. He drank it while remembering the argument that he had with Yule in his dream. But even though the two of them had a fight, his annoying ancestor shared a good news with him so he was in a good mood now.

[I guess gods can be pretty useful from time to time.]

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door.

"Your Majesty, it's me– Gavin."

"Come in."

The door opened and closed quietly, then Gavin entered the room with light steps.

Oh?

He actually managed to hear his footsteps this time? The commander had a ridiculous nickname among the Paladins. He was called the "ghost" because no one could detect his presence. Well, no one except him and Mona.

"Are you hurt?" he asked Gavin after the commander gave his greetings. "Your body seems heavy."

"It's just a light injury, Your Majesty," Gavin said with his usual smile on his face. "I had a spar with Lukas. I didn't know that he was a Swordsman so I let my guard down."

He remembered Mona telling him about the elf called Lukas.

"You let your guard down?" he asked Gavin, then he raised an eyebrow. "That's unusual."

"Well, he is the Messenger of the God of Eternal Darkness so I didn't want to hurt him…"

He let out a sigh while shaking his head. "You're too soft-hearted when you're not in the battlefield, Gavin."

The commander just smiled at him. "Your Majesty, you seem to be in a good mood."

"Yule showed up in my dream last night," he said casually. "We had a small fight."

As expected, Gavin looked as surprised as Glenn. Then, he sighed and shook his head, "Your Majesty, Lord Yule is the Moon God and the protector of our continent. You must treat him with respect–"

"Enough," he cut him off. "Glenn already scolded me."

As expected, the commander immediately shut his mouth.

"What did Mona say?" he asked softly. "Have you convinced her to return to the palace?"

Gavin had been gone for a few days. Even if he didn't return with Mona, he knew that he would at least bring him a piece of good news. The commander was that capable.

"Lady Roseheart asked me to inform Your Majesty that she'll return in three days."

He smiled out of relief. "As expected, you're really reliable, Gavin."

"You're praising me too much, Your Majesty," Gavin said, but he instantly turned serious. "But just because Lady Roseheart is returning doesn't mean that she has already forgiven you, Your Majesty. Trying to kill your children is an unspeakable act. Your Majesty should kneel and beg for Lady Roseheart's forgiveness."

"Yes, I will do that."

"Huh?"

He laughed at Gavin's stupefied expression. "Gavin, Yule is useful for once. He shared a piece of good news with me."

Gavin smiled as if he was happy for him. Then, he asked, "May I know what it is, Your Majesty?"

"Of course," Nikolai said in a slightly excited tone. "Yule told me that one of Mona's twins is a boy." His smile grew wider. "I have an heir now, Gavin."

***

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