Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

[MY DEAREST Hanna,

How are you? I hope you're doing well. I miss you soooo much.

I bet you've already heard the crazy things that happened, but I still want to share them with you.

First, Jasper Oppa has received an award for exposing Count Madgwick's Death Camp and slave-trading business. As you may already know, Count Madgwick and all his cohorts were sentenced to death. Ah, I heard that they were severely tortured first to make them confess to their crimes. Deserve.

Because of that, the nobles from the capital have decreased a lot. And so, my big brain came up with a brilliant solution. I told my Papa Boss: "Why not change the law and let outstanding individuals, regardless of their social status, be rewarded with a noble title?"

Can you guess how the old-fashioned nobles reacted?]

Hanna had to pause from reading Neoma's letter because she couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. "It must have been a fun sight."

"What must have been a fun sight, sweetie?"

She turned to her father, who had just arrived last night at their home at Gonora, and smiled at him. "I heard from Neoma that she proposed a new bill. Father, I hope you expressed your support to the new law that she wanted to establish."

Her father laughed, then he sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Of course I did, sweetie," he assured her. "In fact, much to everyone's surprise, the families that have stayed neutral all these years supported the Crown Prince's proposed bill."

She pondered for a moment before she spoke again. "I'm not surprised, Father."

"You're not surprised that the Neutral Faction has finally moved after being docile all this time?"

"Father, I believe that the families under the Neutral Faction remained passive not because they don't care about anything. It's actually quite the opposite– I think they care about the empire more than anyone else," she said seriously. "But let's be honest, Father. Before His Imperial Majesty Emperor Nikolai has ascended the throne, the previous emperors that ruled our land were all bad people– especially Emperor Nikolai's father."

"H-Hanna!" her father exclaimed, shocked. "Be careful. Those words could be considered treason."

"I know, Father. I only said it because it's you, and we're alone in my room anyway."

Her mother was in the kitchen while preparing a meal for them.

It was unheard of for the noble ladies of the Great Moonasterion Empire to cook for their families. But here at Gonora, the noble ladies were personally in charge of household chores. Moreover, after what happened to her, her mother had become more protective. She couldn't trust anyone to prepare her meal, and thus, the duchess learned how to cook for her.

Her father, who had always been a supportive husband, showed his support by learning how to wash the dishes.

"Hanna, the previous emperor was basically our family since he was the husband of my aunt…"

"That has nothing to do with the previous emperor being a terrible human being, Father," she said while smiling. "Should we pretend that the previous emperor was a decent person just because he was the husband of my grandaunt?"

Her father fell silent for a while, then he nodded. "You're correct, my lovely daughter," he agreed with her. "The previous emperor wasn't only a terrible human being– he was also a bad ruler. That's why His Majesty is amazing for saving the empire and turning it into a prosperous land in just a few years after he ascended the throne."

Even if her father didn't say it, she knew that it was the reason why House Quinzel had supported the then-Crown Prince Nikolai's rebellion.

"But even if His Majesty is a better ruler than his predecessors, I can't say that he's a better person than them."

Her father let out a fake cough. "H-Hanna, His Majesty is your uncle… and he saved your life. Please remember that."

She just laughed softly at her father's concern. "Father, I'm just saying that I understand why the families under the Neutral Faction have stayed quiet all this time," she said. "For them, the empire ruled by the emperor that they don't approve of is not worth their time." She let out a deep sigh while shaking her head. "It's petty though. Moreover, I find it unpleasant that the Neutral Faction is stepping up now as if they're saying that they're the ones who can turn the tide in the war among the nobles." She scoffed. "How arrogant."

"Hanna…" Her father called him, then he gulped. "I know that you're smart, but I didn't know that you're already this knowledgeable in politics."

"I have to be at least this prepared since I intend to be the Crown Princess, Father," she said while smiling. "I'm studying hard in order to support Nero in the future."

Her father covered his face with his hands. "I don't know how to react when my baby is already talking about marriage. Hanna, you're still too young."

She just patted her father's back gently, then she changed the topic before her soft-hearted father cried. "I'm worried about Neoma's influence as the proxy Crown Prince, Father."

Her father turned to her. "Why are you worried about that, sweetie? Her Royal Highness is doing a good job as the Crown Prince."

"That's exactly why I'm worried, Father," she said worriedly. "Neoma's hard work will all go to Nero someday. What will happen to her once Nero returns? This empire treats the princesses as mere decorations." She clenched her hands tight. "If only I have the power to support her once her identity gets revealed…"

Unfortunately, she was also born a girl.

She couldn't even inherit her father's title.

"Hanna, His Majesty and I have a plan to pass a law that would allow women to inherit their father's title," her father said in a serious voice. "It's a part of our preparation to help Princess Neoma ascend the throne in the future if she wants to."

"How do you and His Majesty plan to convince the nobles to approve that law, Father?"

"By building an academy for commoners– especially commoners with outstanding talents," her father said. "It's an academy that will be built under your name and Princess Neoma's."

Hanna, who was shocked at first, smiled. "Father, that's a brilliant idea," she said, pleased. "May I give some suggestions?"

***

"PRESS CONFERENCE?"

"Yes, Papa Boss," Neoma said while lazing around her father's office. Right now, she was on the sofa while lying on her side and eating a cookie. It tasted good, but not as good as the snacks that Ruto would prepare for her in the past. "Since I'm now officially doing stuff as the Crown Prince, I intend to report my activities to the citizens."

Her Papa Boss, who was sitting behind his table, put his documents down to give her a strange look. "Why does the Crown Prince need to report to the mass about his activities?"

"They're my boss, Papa Boss," she said. "Plus, I feel like I should campaign myself to get their support. The nobles are still opposing our proposed bill, aren't they?"

"It's understandable since most of the nobles came from old families," her father explained. "As you already know, nobles are very prideful. Even the families that support the Royal Family hate the idea of rewarding commoners and peasants with a noble title no matter how talented they are."

"Uh-huh. They really be gatekeeping the noble titles, huh?" she said while shaking her head. "And that's exactly the reason the nobles are gaining more power than the Royal Family. Am I right, Papa Boss?"

Her father raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm surprised that you care about that."

"Of course, Papa Boss," she admitted. "We can't let the greedy nobles gobble us up. I'm not really attached to the Royal Family since I believe that monarchy is a scam. But I realized that even if the monarchy crumbles at this moment, then the greedy nobles would just replace us. It's not like those gluttons are any better than the Royal Family. And so, I want to get rid of them first."

"Tell me if you need my help."

"Okay, Papa Boss."

It was refreshing to have this kind of talk with her father.

After their heart-to-heart conversation, the two of them decided to not talk about her appa unless her appa showed up again. When that happens, the three of them would sit down and have a calm conversation.

For now, she and her Papa Boss would focus on the matters of the empire first and–

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness!"

The door to her father's office burst open, then Geoffrey Kinsley entered the room, followed by Lewis.

She immediately got up when she noticed that Lewis was frowning.

[My son looks pissed.]

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, we just received a letter from Belle's House," Geoffrey Kinsley reported in an urgent voice. Belle's House was the academy for the aspiring court ladies. It was also the place where they sent Regina Crowell and the other young ladies from prominent families to a while ago. "Apparently, Regina Crowell is dead."

Neoma's eyes widened in shock. "What kind of bullshit is that bitch up to this time?"

Her words were vicious because in her heart, she didn't believe that Regina Crowell was already dead.

[She can't die that easily– she has to suffer by my hands first!]

***

"HOW DID this happen?" Nichole said worriedly while looking at the enormous block of ice. "How did Gavin Quinzel end up here?"

She got worried when Gavin Quinzel didn't return and so she traced him using the residue of his Mana.

To say that she was shocked to find a ship inside an enormous block of ice would be an understatement. With the help of Dominic Zavaroni, they cut the block of ice (and a portion of the ship in the process) and only take the part where Gavin Quinzel was. Thankfully, the commander was standing on the deck when he and the ship were frozen.

Then, they brought the block of ice inside a cave that they found in the shore.

"This ice is made from the Ice Spirit's Mana," Dominic Zavaroni, who was touching the surface of the block of ice with his bare hands, said. "But as far as I know, Lady Roseheart's Spirit Guardians went into hiding when their master passed away."

"Then, the Ice Spirit must have found a new master," she said, then she clicked her tongue. "Can we melt this ice, Dominic?"

He was about to say something when suddenly–

<"Don't.">

She gasped when she heard a strange yet playful voice of a woman echoing in the cave.

But even though the voice sounded light-hearted, the pressure that she felt coming from it was enough to bring her to her knees. Then, she realized that her body was currently trembling from fear.

[What the…]

It wasn't only her who was affected by the voice.

Dominic Zavaroni was also kneeling to the ground, and he looked worse than she did. His hands covered his ears, and he had his eyes shut tight. Like her, the former saint was also shaking in fear.

This was the first time that she saw him acting like this.

"Dominic," she said worriedly. Then, despite the pressure weighing her down, she moved to hug him tight. "It's alright, Dominic. I'm here. I'll protect you."

"No, don't do anything," Dominic said, then he wrapped his shaking arms around her waist and buried his face against her neck. She felt his hot breath against her skin as if he was trying to breathe hard. "It's the voice of a goddess– a powerful goddess. She warned us not to touch the ice or else she'll bring calamity to this continent."

She gulped when she heard that.

[It's a Major God. Only a Major God could bring calamity to the world.]

Wait, Dominic said 'goddess.'

To be honest, most gods were androgynous and they didn't mind being called 'god.' Only one Major God was particular about being called 'goddess.'

Nichole gasped when she thought she figured out the goddess's identity.

[Is it the Sun Goddess?]

***

"MY DARLING, let's sleep together."

Ruto wanted to ignore the young girl that came into his bedchamber brazenly. But he couldn't do that after seeing the blood on her white robe. It was obvious that she didn't change her clothes before meeting him to prick his conscience. "You've overdone it."

It wasn't like he had the right to say that.

He had overworked himself, too.

Fighting Gavin Quinzel while using the Ice Spirit that he had captured put a strain on his body. He wanted to quickly grow up so that his Core would expand as well. Unfortunately, turning back time also meant regressing to his childhood.

"I had to pay the price for directly getting involved in human affairs," the young girl said, then she sat beside him. "Giving a warning to the former saint wasn't an easy feat. You should praise me, darling."

"Good job."

She pouted, clearly not satisfied with his praise. "Is this how you treat the Sun Priestess?"

He was about to remind her that having a deal didn't mean they had to act friendly with each other when suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

[Ah, I've reached my limit.]

"You should sleep and regain your strength, Yoan. The temple of the Sun Priestess will keep you safe," the Sun Priestess, who was insistent on calling him by his previous name, said firmly. Then she gently poked a finger in his forehead and smiled brightly at him. "I will also send letters to your precious princess while I'm at it."

He knew she'd say that.

To be honest, he didn't want to enter a deep slumber because he was afraid that the Sun Priestess would play a prank on Neoma once he fell asleep. Unfortunately, he couldn't help it this time since he really pushed himself to the limit.

"No, don't mess with Neoma," Ruto said while fighting the drowsiness that he suddenly felt. But in the end, he still slowly succumbed to darkness. Thankfully, he still had the strength to utter one final warning. "If you mess with my Neoma, I'll destroy the Upper World again…"

***

IMPORTANT NOTE: Hi! I'm sorry about this but if you can help, I set up a tier in my P/atreon page for side stories featuring Neoma's Harem for emergency funds. It's $1 for this month, and hopefully, only this month. I'm sorry, and it's totally okay if you can't. ^_^

You can check my page here: [https://www.patreon.com/solacola] or type sola_cola on the search bar.

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