Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"TREVOR, do you know what will happen to Neoma de Moonasterio if either of the crows and the gods succeed in taking her away from the empire?"

Trevor scoffed at the Devil's ridiculous question. "I don't think about things that's impossible to happen."

He was lying, though.

Of course, he never wanted to lose Princess Neoma to the enemies.

But he would be foolish if he didn't entertain the thoughts of the worst-case scenario that may happen if they lost the upcoming war.

"If the crows get their hands on Neoma de Moonasterio, they will use her to breed with the rare monsters they own– just like what they did to Nichole," the Devil said. "And if the gods get their hands on your Moon Princess, they will turn her into the next Aether."

He already knew that, so he just kept his mouth shut.

"But even if the crows and the gods fail to get Neoma de Moonasterio, your little Moon Princess will still die early," the Devil said. "Even if she acts like a selfish brat most of the time, she still has the qualities of a hero. You know, those fools who die for the "greater good.""

He couldn't refute that.

[Because it's true. Princess Neoma always talks and acts like a brat, but she's considerate to other people. Very considerate, as a matter of fact.]

"We won't let Neoma de Moonasterio die like that," the Devil declared.

"But you won't let my Moon Princess live the life that she wants either," Trevor said seriously. "Your goal is to make her ascend the throne for your own goals."

"Our goal hasn't changed, but we've changed the method to do it."

"Changed the method?"

"We will hand the throne over to Neoma de Moonasterio once the war is over."

Now he was confused.

"You'll hand the throne over to my Moon Princess when the war is over?" he asked, eyebrows knitted. "You talk as if Princess Neoma won't be a part of it…" He trailed off when he realized the Devil looked serious. "Oh. You're not going to let her join the war?"

"Exactly," the Devil said. "There will be at least two sides that we'll clash with if we want to keep Neoma de Moonasterio safe. Moreover, there's also the possibility of your Moon Princess sacrificing herself to protect everyone. Thus, the best way to ensure her safety is to pull her out of the war before it even begins."

"Even if you succeed in making Princess Neoma sit out of the war, how do you plan to keep her hidden?" he asked, skeptical. "Forget about the crows or the gods. Emperor Nikolai and Prince Nero would chase you even to the depths of hell if you steal Princess Neoma from them."

"Aren't you wondering why Nichole and Dominic Zavaroni aren't around?"

"Oh," he said. "I am. Will you tell me where they are if I asked?"

"I won't tell you where exactly they are at the moment," the Devil said. "But I can tell you they're already preparing for Neoma de Moonasterio's future… home."

He smirked. "Home, you say. But it will be just confinement if you take her against her will, you know."

"I don't think she'll hate the place I prepared for her, though."

"What place are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you if you join us."

"Hah," he said while laughing sarcastically. "As if I'll let you tempt me–"

"You can have Neoma de Moonasterio all to yourself, Trevor."

Okay, that sounded tempting. But…

"I don't want my Moon Princess to hate me," he said firmly. "So, I won't do anything to betray her–"

"Do you know what Ruston Stroganoff sacrificed for Neoma de Moonasterio?"

Now he was pissed.

"Why would you bring up that damned chef?" he complained. "And why do you speak like you made a deal with him…" He trailed off again. "Oh. You made a deal with that brat?"

That chef was one step ahead of him again.

[Dammit.]

The Devil smiled his rare seductive smile. "Once you hear what Ruston Stroganoff sacrificed for Neoma de Moonasterio, you'll realize how pathetic you sounded."

Trevor should have known.

He should have known better than to listen to the Devil's enticing offer.

***

"WHAT MADE you betray me?"

It was the question Trevor couldn't answer truthfully.

After all, Princess Neoma wouldn't understand.

"Cat got your tongue?" Princess Neoma asked. "Why can't you give me an answer, Trevor?"

"Because you won't understand my reason even if I tell you," Trevor finally said, earning a cold glare from his Moon Princess. He smiled at her anyway. "Let's just say that it's my selfishness and greediness that pushed me to join hands with the Devil."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm the person you desire most in this world."

"You're not wrong, but did you really have to say it yourself, Princess Neoma?" he asked, laughing.

But his Moon Princess wasn't laughing.

"Since I'm the person you desire most in the world, the Devil probably offered you a deal related to me," she said, not batting an eye.

[Only my Moon Princess can say such cheesy words about herself without flinching.]

Princess Neoma's arrogance and vanity were really as limitless as the vast sky.

[It's crazy how I like that about her.]

"Did the Devil say he'll give me to you if you follow his orders?"

It was scary how close to the truth his Moon Princess was.

Of course, she didn't miss his reaction.

"Ah, the Devil did," she said, not hiding her disappointment. "Trevor, are you sure you won't regret your decision?"

"I won't," he said confidently. "Because I know my choice will save you in the end."

"So, you betrayed me in order to "save" me in whatever doom you think is coming my way?"

"I like that you know how I think, Princess Neoma."

"Sure, but did I ask you to save me?"

He laughed softly at how his Princess Neoma didn't sugarcoat her words. "I wouldn't wait for you to ask me to save you because it may already be late when you do that, Princess Neoma. After all, you're the type who will only ask for help when you're already on the brink of death."

His Moon Princess didn't refute that.

"Trevor, you sound like you know what exactly is going to happen to me soon," the ever-sharp Princess Neoma commented. "Did the Devil see the future? Did he tell you my life is going to be in danger?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Am I going to die?"

He just smiled as a response. "Before I temporarily disappear from your life, let me tell you about the Four Pillars," he said, changing the topic. "You asked me about them before, Princess Neoma."

"I did," she said calmly, letting him change the subject. "I'm listening."

"Lord Yule calls them 'Four Pillars of the Moon,' but the first generation of Pillars that served Princess Aruna in the past called themselves 'Four Pillars of the Sky,'" he said. "But you already know that, don't you?"

She nodded. "Queen Lisica told me about in the past, since her master apparently served Princess Aruna back then."

"Very well," he said. "The Fangs refer to the descendant of the Silver Fox Clan while the Shadow refers to the descendant of the Shadow. That means this generation's Fangs is Lewis Crevan, while this generation's Shadow is Hanna Quinzel."

"I figured that much," his Moon Princess said. "I can't figure the Heart and the Contractor, though."

"I don't know about the Heart, but I am the Contractor."

"Did the Devil say so?"

"No," he said while shaking his head. "But when the Bookworm and I looked for the identity of the Contractor, we found out that they were related to the Demon Clan. Plus, they were also a Child of Magic."

"Child of Magic?"

"That term usually applies to sorcerers, mages, and anyone who can use magic like the fairy clan," he explained. "Moreover, the Devil said he let the two of us meet for a reason."

"Well, it doesn't matter whether you're this generation's Contractor or not," she said coldly. "After all, you already betrayed me."

"I did it in the name of love, Princess Neoma."

"You're just romanticizing your betrayal," she said, not masking her disappointment as usual.

He just laughed it off. "I'm just thankful you haven't killed me yet."

"You betrayed me because you think it's the only way to save me," she said bluntly. "For that, I won't kill you right now. But the next time we meet and you do something that I will absolutely hate, I will forget that you're my first friend in this world." She stretched her arm and wrap her fingers around his neck lightly. "This will be my first and last warning to you, Trevor."

He knew it wasn't the right time for inappropriate thoughts, but his mind went to the gutter while savoring the feeling of Princess Neoma's hand around his neck.

[At this rate, I might get a choking kink…]

"Leave," Princess Neoma said, then she stood up and walked away from her. "This is me being merciful to you for the last time, Trevor."

His Moon Princess didn't even look back at him.

It hurt, but he had already prepared himself for the consequences of his betrayal. He was just glad that Princess Neoma didn't hate him.

[Not yet at least.]

"I can't promise I won't do something that you'll hate in the future, Princess Neoma," Trevor whispered to himself while looking at Princess Neoma's back. "After all, it's the Contractor's job to make deals with different individuals who could keep you safe."

***

"DON'T even think about following Trevor," Neoma warned the invisible Spirits around her. "Let him leave in peace."

She couldn't see the Spirits, but she could feel their hostility directed at the place where she left Trevor. Obviously, these damned Spirits who didn't have a concept of privacy eavesdropped on her conversation with the demon boy.

<"The demon has betrayed Your Royal Highness,">

It was the combined voices of one of the Spirits.

<"We must take care of him once and for all before he becomes a bigger problem in the future.">

"'Take care of him,' how?" she said coldly, her hands starting to literally get cold because she was summoning Delwyn. "I thought I already warned you not to lay a hand on Trevor?"

<"But Your Royal Highness–">

"Trevor is still one of my people," Neoma said, her eyes glowing red. "If you attack him, I will consider it as an attack on myself as well."

***

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