Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

[A DREAM…?]

Dahlia was surprised to find herself in a dream. It wasn't her usual dreams where the Stars would talk to her and give her a task. This time, someone else "summoned" her.

The scenery was familiar, thankfully. Being in a familiar place calmed her down a little.

Right now, she was standing on the shore of the "beach house" where she lived. It was on an island in the middle of the 'Blood Sea.' But it wasn't named 'Blood Sea' just because the water was red.

Apparently, the red water surrounding the island where she lived was actually from the blood of an Ancient Spirit who was killed by a god in the past.

"It wasn't easy to meet you in your dream."

She held her breath when the person who entered her dream finally appeared in front of her.

White hair.

Ash-gray eyes.

Pale skin.

[Nero de Moonasterio…]

"We finally met," Nero de Moonasterio said coldly. "Dahlia, the Black Witch."

She let out a deep breath.

[Calm down. He's not the Nero de Moonasterio in your dreams. In this lifetime, he's just a child like you.]

"Greetings to the real Lesser Moon of the Great Moonasterion–"

"I don't need to receive your greetings," he cut her off rudely.

Okay, that almost made her cry.

The people who raised her were all gentle and kind. She wasn't used to being treated harshly, so she didn't know what to do. Honestly, she had just put on a tough façade in front of Emperor Nikolai before.

But after that meeting, she cried on her way home as a way to release all the tension that had built up in her chest.

And it was happening again.

[Why are all the de Moonasterios rude and scary?]

Even Princess Neoma was rude and had a foul mouth…

"Why aren't you saying anything?" the prince asked impatiently.

She immediately lowered her head and stared at the white sand. "W-What do Your Royal Highness want me to say after you c-cut me off earlier?" she asked nervously. Look at her hands tremble. "I thought I-I clearly told H-His Majesty that I didn't want to m-meet Your Royal Highness."

"I don't listen to my father," he said, as if he was proud of it.

[Being a disobedient son isn't something to be proud of, Prince Nero…]

"If you wanted me to do your bidding, you should have asked Neoma to deliver your message to me instead of the emperor."

[Being wrapped around your twin sister's finger isn't something to be proud of it either…]

She heard the prince let out a loud sigh, but she didn't raise her head.

If she could move her body the way she wanted to, she would have run away already. But she was stuck in that dream because the whole "territory" was controlled by Prince Nero.

[How can a child my age act so scary?]

"Dahlia, look at me when I'm talking to you."

"I d-don't want to," she said. She was scared, but that didn't stop her from being stubborn. "I don't l-like looking at a-angry people. And you're just s-scolding me anyway, so why do I need to look at you? Do you want to see me crying?"

"Are you crying?"

Oh.

There was a hint of worry in his voice.

She slowly raised her head to see if she heard it correctly or if it was just all in her head.

[Ah, his eyes are so pretty…]

Scratch that.

Everything about the prince was pretty.

Surprisingly, he didn't look as angry as she thought it was. He looked grumpy, though. But maybe frowning was his semi-permanent "default setting."

"You're really crying," Prince Nero said in disbelief. "I didn't do anything to you, though."

"You h-hurt my feelings," she complained while wiping the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She wasn't full-on crying yet, but she was already teary-eyed. "I'm not used to dealing with mean people like you. You're giving me trauma here, you know?"

He looked taken aback. "You're not stammering now. I guess you're the type to grow a backbone when upset."

"Do you not have a conscience, Prince Nero?" she complained. And yes, he was correct. She was the type to forget her fears when she was upset. "If you already know that I'm upset, then stop treating me like an object. I have feelings, too. Will it kill you to speak a little gently to me? I'm a sensitive person!"

This time, he literally took a step back while holding up his hands in surrender. "Calm down."

"Then p-please don't be too mean," she said in a tiny voice, then she lowered her gaze again. Now that she had already expressed her frustration, she was back to her usual timid self. "I have a w-weak heart."

He let out a sigh, then he combed his fingers through his hair. "Let's get this done and over with," he said in a calmer tone this time. "You have the memories of your first life, don't you?"

[Ah, I knew he came here to talk about that.]

"I don't remember everything, and the fragments of memory I received don't come in chronological order," she said in a soft voice.

"Then do you remember being my lover in that timeline?"

[I remember being your wife back then.]

But she was too shy to say that, so she just nodded weakly.

"I came here to tell you it won't happen in this lifetime," Prince Nero declared bluntly. "I will marry Hanna Quinzel once we became adults."

She let out a relieved sigh.

[I thought he was going to ask me to marry him again in this lifetime. I'm glad I'm wrong.]

"Congratulations in advance, Prince Nero," she said sincerely. "I truly wish you and Lady Hanna Quinzel a blissful marriage from the bottom of my heart."

She wasn't being sarcastic.

In the memories that she retrieved, the "Princess Dahlia" that she saw was always sad and crying because she wasn't used to living as a monarch. She wasn't even a noble in the first life. That kind of life didn't suit her.

[But Lady Hanna Quinzel is a noble. I heard she's the best candidate to become Prince Nero's future Crown Princess. Unlike me, she's probably prepared to live the life of a monarch.]

Her thoughts were loud because Prince Nero fell silent.

Huh?

[Did he already leave…?]

She raised her head, then she was greeted by a pair of curious eyes.

Prince Nero was quietly looking at her. His gaze was full of curiosity, and his face softened up a little.

[How can someone look so pretty…]

Maybe her guardians were right.

[Handsome boys are evil, indeed.]

"You're weird," Prince Nero said in an amused voice. "Don't cry because I don't mean it in a bad way."

Huh?

She didn't know how to react now that Prince Nero wasn't being mean to her. In fact, she suddenly felt at ease with him, even though he was just scolding her a moment ago.

[What's wrong with me?]

"I've already said what I wanted to say, so I'm leaving," Prince Nero said, his body now translucent. "See you after three years, Dahlia."

And just like that, the Crown Prince was gone.

Her knees buckled now that the source of her anxiety disappeared. She plopped on the sand while clutching her chest tight. Her heart was beating fast and hard against her chest.

It was because of fear, right?

"That was so scary," she whispered to herself. "The de Moonasterios are very, very scary people."

[They're pretty, though.]

Especially Prince Nero.

"Am I crazy?" she condemned herself, then she covered her face with her hands. "Prince Nero is pretty, yes. But I shouldn't let my guard down just because of that."

The Dahlia that she saw in her past memories was miserable because of Prince Nero.

[I won't end up like that,] Dahlia promised herself. [I must not be swayed by Prince Nero in this lifetime.]

***

"GOOD MORNING, Prince Nero."

[Argh.]

Nero frowned when Tara, the Queen of Spirit World, greeted him as soon as he opened his eyes. He got up from lying down on the sofa, then he stood up and slightly bowed to the queen as a greeting. "Welcome back, Your Majesty."

Right now, the two of them were in the room he was using in the queen's palace.

His physical body was on the bed, while he (in his Spirit form) "slept" on the sofa earlier when he reached out to Dahlia through her dream.

"I've only been away for a few days, but it seems like you already gained another ability even without guidance," Tara said, then she sat down on the accent chair and motioned him to do the same. "Prince Nero, it isn't an easy feat to enter a Black Witch's dream."

Ah, of course, the queen knew what he was up to.

One of the reasons why he wasn't comfortable in the palace was the fact that there were several eyes on him. The frustrating part was he couldn't see the beings monitoring his move. He had no choice but to endure it until he fully recovered, though.

"It wasn't that hard, though," he said, then he sat on the sofa.

"How were you able to do that, Prince Nero?" the queen asked curiously. "The Black Witch lives in a secluded island protected by several High Spirits. It would be hard even for me to enter the Black Witch's dream."

"I just did it," he said casually. "Whenever I want to see someone in my dream, I just focus on creating a link in their mind. It's something that comes naturally to me."

Anyway…

[When Her Majesty said the island is protected by High Spirits, did she mean the marine life I saw before I got to meet Dahlia?]

He was greeted by a beluga whale when he was trying to reach out to Dahlia. Then that whale guided him to the shore. He knew it wasn't an ordinary whale. But he also didn't expect it to be a High Spirit.

"It seems like Spirits are naturally drawn to you, Prince Nero," the queen said in a satisfied voice. "You're really Mona's son."

[The queen is too fascinated with my abilities, I should probably tone it down.]

But he didn't know how to hold back since he had always been excellent at whatever he did.

"I still have a lot to learn, even if I am Mona Roseheart's son," he said, since he remembered he needed to learn the ropes in controlling the Spirit World in order to give it to Neoma someday. "That's why I need your guidance, Your Majesty."

"Then let's continue with your training," Queen Tara said, then she headed to the door with very light steps that her feet barely touched the floor. "Follow me, Prince Nero."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, then he stood up and followed the queen.

["Congratulations in advance, Prince Nero. I truly wish you and Lady Hanna Quinzel a blissful marriage from the bottom of my heart."]

He stopped in his tracks when he heard Dahlia's voice in his head.

For some reason, it pissed him off when she congratulated him in advance for his future wedding with Hanna Quinzel. He didn't know why he felt disappointed with the Black Witch's reaction. Was it because he felt like the memories of them together in his first life were just a lie?

[Don't be a hypocrite,] he condemned himself. [Hanna Quinzel is the right woman for me if I want to have the power that will help Neoma ascend the throne safely.]

Marriage was just another business contract for someone like him anyway.

When he was just about to be at ease after reminding himself of his goal, Dahlia's crying face entered his mind.

The Black Witch's crying face bothered him.

After all, the adult Dahlia in the hazy memories of his first life was always, always crying because of him.

[Stop crying. I won't marry you this time,] Nero said to the crying image of Dahlia– both in her current and adult form– in his mind, then he shut his eyes tight. [I will even build a wall between us, so please don't cry because of me.]

***

"HANNA, you're having a nosebleed."

Oh?

Hanna's hand automatically moved to touch between her nose and upper lip. Her nose was indeed bleeding. "I'm glad mother isn't here."

Right now, she was at the entrance of Forgotten Graveyard with her master.

It was already nighttime, but the whole place was still bright because of the floating fire stones around. They needed those lights in order to create shadows.

"We should take a break," Uncle Garret said as he handed her a handkerchief and a vial of an energy potion. "Your mother will kill me if she finds out we were training until your nose bled."

She smiled and accepted the things her great uncle handed her.

Then she drank the energy potion. When her nose stopped bleeding, she gently pressed the handkerchief against her nose to wipe the blood off.

"I'm fine, Uncle Garret," she assured her great uncle. "Let's continue."

Uncle Garret's face became worried.

She couldn't help but remember her father in her great uncle.

[Father would look exactly like Uncle Garret in twenty years or so.]

"Why are you rushing, Hanna?"

"We've been training for a few months now, but I haven't gained the right to enter the Forbidden Graveyard yet," she said in a frustrated voice. "I quickly want to get stronger, Uncle Garret."

"You told me you have three years."

"But I don't see any progress…"

"Hanna, let's slow down," her great uncle said firmly. "Why are you acting desperate? I thought you were doing this in order to literally strengthen your heart? But with the way you're behaving, I feel like there's another reason for your desperation."

She clenched her hands tight.

To be honest, she was acting this way because of the letter she received from Lewis the other day. The two of them kept in touch because she asked the fox boy to update her about anything related to Nero.

She also begged Lewis to keep it a secret from Neoma.

[I don't want Neoma to know that I asked Lewis to monitor Nero for me. But if Neoma finds out about my secret alliance with Lewis, then I'll take responsibility.]

"Hanna?"

"Uncle, I want to be as powerful as a Black Witch."

Her great uncle looked shocked by what she said.

She, on the other hand, was already spacing out.

['Dahlia.']

According to Lewis, a Black Witch named 'Dahlia' appeared and claimed that she was summoned by Nero to the empire. Lewis also said that Neoma and the Black Witch seemed to know each other already.

[If that's the case, then it means Neoma knows the Black Witch from her first life.]

Nero knew the Black Witch, but Neoma didn't mention anything about Dahlia to her before.

The question was why.

She was a coward, though. Her heart refused to accept what her mind had come up with as a response to her 'why.'

"Hanna, have you met a Black Witch?"

"Not yet, Uncle. But…"

Uncle Garret's eyes burrowed. "But what?"

"I have a feeling I will meet one soon," Hanna said firmly. "And I don't want to feel inferior once I do."

***

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