Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

[NERO is so light.]

Nikolai couldn't believe that his thirteen-year-old son only weighed this much.

He wanted Nero to gain weight as soon as possible, but it was something that they shouldn't rush. Like what William said earlier, it should be done naturally.

[I'll put Morton Stroganoff in charge of Nero's meals from now on.]

Morton Stroganoff was his Executive Chef, so he could trust him.

"You should stay here in my room in the meantime, Nero," Nikolai said after he put Nero to bed. "I'll leave South by your side since he's in charge of the dragon egg, anyway."

Speaking of the dragon egg, Neoma, William, and South went to the room next door.

William would probably teach Neoma how to help the dragon egg hatch.

"I don't mind," Nero said, his face and voice void of emotions. "But I don't think the palace is the right place for me to stay at while recovering, Father."

He sat down on the chair beside the bed. "What do you mean by that? The palace is the safest place for you."

"It's safe if I don't leave your room, Father," his son said. "But I need physical therapy, just like what William said. Moreover, I want to train with my Soul Beast now that I'm back in my physical body."

Ah, that made sense.

There were far too many eyes in the Royal Palace.

"Would you like to stay with the Quinzels again?" he asked his son. "Not at their estate in the Royal Capital, but at their dukedom."

"I don't think the Quinzel's dukedom is a safe place either," Nero said while shaking his head weakly. "Everyone knows Hanna is my unofficial fiancée, so there might be a lot of eyes monitoring the Quinzels too."

"Do you have a place in mind?"

"Yes, Father," his son said. "I'd like to spend my recovering time in Hazelden Kingdom."

"Why Hazelden?" he asked curiously.

"The weather in Hazelden fits my attribute the best," Nero explained. "When I was in the Spirit World, the queen created a training area for me and Sev where snowstorms were unending. I want to train in a similar environment, so I thought Hazelden would be perfect."

Hazelden Kingdom was now ruled by Queen Brigitte and Glenn, the King Consort.

Since Glenn was there, he could trust him to take care of Nero. But he was still anxious to be separated from his son again just when he returned home.

"Are you sure you want to recover in Hazelden?" he asked his son. "Neither Neoma nor I could accompany you there."

His son scoffed. "I'm not a child– I don't need a guardian."

"You're a child," he insisted. "And you're my youngest child, at that."

Nero glared at him. "Thank you for reminding me that you were the one who told Neoma the truth about our birth order, Father."

He smirked at his son's sarcasm. "It wasn't like you could hide it forever. And the situation called for it. Neoma had to know the truth."

His son just let out a sigh.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I'll ask the chef to prepare something light for you."

"I'm still full from consuming Neoma's Moonglow and Roseheart Blood," Nero said while shaking his head to let him know he wasn't hungry yet. "Father, I heard from Neoma earlier that Hanna will be coming home today."

"I heard from Rufus that Hanna Quinzel has already arrived at the capital," he said. "Would you like to meet the Quinzel Princess?"

"Yes, Father," his son said. "Before I leave for Hazelden, I'd like to confirm if Hanna still wishes to be engaged to me."

"There are other candidates to become the future Crown Princess," he reminded his son. "Are you sure Hanna Quinzel is the one you want to marry in the future? There's no need for you to rush your engagement, Nero."

"Hanna Quinzel is the best among the other candidates," his son said. "She fits the picture of a perfect noblewoman, she came from one of the most prestigious families on the entire continent, and she inherited the Shadow Manipulation Technique. In short, Hanna has it all– beauty, grace, intellect, prestige, and power."

He couldn't deny that.

Hanna Quinzel was indeed the perfect choice to become the future Crown Princess.

[Just like how Juliet was perfect for me in the past…]

But even though he ended up marrying Juliet and making her the empress, he didn't treat her as a wife because his heart belonged to someone else. Fortunately, Juliet didn't love him romantically, and the late empress even helped him meet Mona during their marriage.

Nero's situation reminded him of what he went through when he was the Crown Prince.

[But unlike Juliet who only saw me as a friend, Hanna is different.]

"Nero, Hanna Quinzel has feelings for you."

"I know, Father."

"Do you have feelings for her?"

"Does it matter?" Nero asked, then he turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Father, didn't you marry the late Empress Juliet even though you didn't love her?"

[This little punk… is really my son.]

He couldn't complain about Nero's attitude because his temper was worse than his son's when he was a teen.

"I entered a loveless marriage with Juliet to gain power because back then, my father was too ambitious to let me inherit the throne," he explained calmly. "But the situation is different now. You don't have to fight me or Neoma for the throne. The Royal Family's power over the nobles is stable. You don't need to enter a political marriage, Nero."

Perhaps he had gone too soft.

To be fair, Nero wasn't wrong to choose Hanna Quinzel as his partner. Even though their power was currently stable, who knows what could happen in the future? It wouldn't hurt to have ties with the Quinzels through a political marriage.

But he remembered what Neoma said about Nero's past life.

[Nero loved the Black Witch.]

"I want you to marry the person that you love, Nero."

"Father, I already did that in my first life– and it didn't end well," his son said bluntly. "I don't remember my first life the way Neoma did, but I could tell from the fragments I saw that my marriage back then was a failure."

"But it could be different this time."

"Right now, I don't want to love anyone more than I love Neoma," Nero said firmly. "I can't let my emotions sway me, Father. Neoma is far too soft-hearted. She curses a lot and acts like a spoiled brat most of the time, but at the end of the day, she's still too forgiving." He put a hand over his chest. "I have to be strong-hearted to lead Neoma on the right path."

Once again, he couldn't refute his son's words.

"Don't worry about me, Father," his son said, consoling him. "I won't die if I don't marry the person I love– not that I have someone like that in my life at the moment."

[Ah, I get it now.]

Nero was already avoiding the Black Witch before he developed feelings for her.

He let out a deep sigh. "Nero, don't hurt Hanna Quinzel," he said to his son gently. "I married Juliet out of duty, but Juliet didn't love me romantically, so we were able to remain good friends. Hanna Quinzel is different, though."

"I intend to treat Hanna Quinzel well, and I'll be faithful to her," Nero said. "Moreover, we have plenty of time to get to know each other now that I'm back. Learning to love her won't be impossible."

But he could tell that Nero had no intention of falling for anyone deeply.

His son had the eyes of a ruler who wouldn't let his emotions become his weakness.

It was sad to see his child have that kind of mindset at such a tender age. But he also knew that it was only natural for a de Moonasterio to lead this kind of lifestyle. Thus, he knew he couldn't interfere with his son's life further.

"Nero, I understand your choices," he said, then he put a hand on his son's head. "But you're not alone. I'm here– and I'm still the most powerful man in the empire. You can use me as a weapon, so I hope you rely on me more."

Nero smiled slyly at him. "Don't worry, Father," he said playfully. "I intend to fully take advantage of my emperor father."

Nikolai laughed softly because he knew Nero wasn't kidding. "Children these days are indeed scary."

***

"OUCH!" NEOMA complained when she got burned after touching the big dragon egg engulfed in flame. "Why did I get burned?"

South, the flaming Vermillion Bird in his human form, was sitting on the bed while hugging the dragon egg– and he seemed fine! "That's strange," the Soul Beast said. "Your Royal Highness has a fire attribute, so you shouldn't get burned from touching the dragon egg."

She nodded in agreement. "I know, right? Tteokbokki's flame never hurt me in the past."

"It only means your Soul Beast is rejecting you," William, who was standing next to her with his arms crossed over his chest, said bluntly. "It seems like your Soul Beast is looking down on you, Neoma de Moonasterio. He probably thinks he's too powerful now to follow your orders."

Hah?!

She was offended.

Neoma smiled sweetly while cracking her knuckles. "I guess it's time to put Tteokbokki back in his place, huh?"

***

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