Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"CONGRATULATIONS, sweetie."

Hanna smiled while looking at her father, who looked happier than she was.

Her father came to Saros Hotel early this morning. The two of them had breakfast with Neoma and Lewis on the top floor that her cousin fondly referred to as the 'penthouse.' After their breakfast, she left the hotel with her father.

When they arrived at the Moon Royal Academy, the result of the written exam was already posted on the bulletin board near the entrance. The applicants' names, exam permit numbers, and scores were posted.

"You got a higher score than your mother and I did when we took the entrance exam in the past," her father said joyfully. "I am so proud of you, Hanna– me and your mother, for sure."

To be honest, she was disappointed that she only scored 997/1000.

She got three wrong answers, and she could tell that the three wrong answers she got were from the tricky questions that she failed to overcome.

"You did well, Hanna."

Hanna smiled at her father. "Thank you, Father."

"I know that you're a little disappointed because you didn't get a perfect score," her father said gently. "But I want you to know that you already did well, sweetie. I'm sure your mother will say the same thing. Moreover, the entrance exam is just the beginning. You can always do better once school begins."

She was comforted by her father's warm words.

But to be honest, the fact that she didn't get a perfect score wasn't the only thing that made her sad that morning.

[Lady Vivienne Cornwell didn't pass the written exam.]

But the young lords that tried to pick a fight with her yesterday passed the exam, even though Lady Vivienne Cornwell did better than them. The discrepancy between male and female student applicants was disgusting.

"Father."

"Yes, sweetie?"

She discreetly surveyed the area to see if there were people nearby who might be listening to their conversation.

But luckily, there was none.

After all, her father was one of the most powerful dukes in the empire. Even among all the nobles in the academy at the moment, their family outranked most of them. Thus, the other nobles would find it difficult to approach them.

[The young lords yesterday were only able to pick a fight with me because I was alone. But even then, they stopped when I talked back to them. They knew that they were no match against House Quinzel.]

"About the school that you're secretly building... is it going to finish soon?" she asked her father.

A few years ago, her father told her about the school that he was building with His Majesty.

It was a secret that the investor was the emperor who put his investment under Neoma's name, of course.

Changing the unfair system that the Royal Moon Academy had been using for a long time now was already close to impossible. Thus, her father and His Majesty decided to build a school to challenge the system that the Ministry of Education refused to change.

Her father nodded. "If everything goes smoothly, then the school might be ready to open next school year."

She was relieved to hear that.

[Please hang in there for one year, Lady Cornwell. Royal Moon Academy may not be for you and the other ladies who failed because of the unfair system. But I promise that once our school opens, everything will change.]

"Are you thinking of the young ladies who failed the exam despite getting better scores than the low-ranking male applicants?"

As expected of her father, he knew what she was thinking.

"Yes, Father," she admitted. "I feel bad for the ladies who failed the exam today."

"I understand your sentiment, but please stop worrying for other people in the meantime, sweetie," her father said worriedly. "Hanna, do you know how worried I was when I heard that the person who threatened you is staying at our hotel?"

Her father was talking about Calyx Dalton, of course.

"Don't worry too much, Father," she assured him. "Lewis stayed on my floor and guard the area with the Black Hawk Knights the whole night."

It was Neoma's order.

[It's cute how Neoma can be a worrywart sometimes.]

"I doubled the number of knights guarding your floor in the hotel," her father said. "I wanted to spy on that kid, but…"

But Neoma told her father not to do that.

According to Neoma, the fact that Calyx Dalton wasn't hiding his identity meant he was ready to kill if he was cornered. Moreover, the "butler" guarding the young lord was also strong. The other guests in the hotel might be jeopardized if a fight broke out.

"It's alright, Father. I'm being careful," Hanna assured her father. "I should go, Father. The second test will begin in a few minutes."

Her father nodded, then he gave her a hug. It was unusual for noblemen to show affection to their children– especially in public. But her father had always been an affectionate person. And she would never stop being grateful that her father was kind.

"Good luck, Hanna," her father said gently. "Please don't get hurt."

***

THE METHOD used to measure a student applicant's Mana was quite simple.

And Hanna was ready.

There were twenty-three glass pillars in the academy's fancy courtyard. Each seven-foot glass pillar contained seven little "moons" inside, placed on top of each other. By "moon," she meant crystal balls that resembled the moon.

The student applicants would just need to place their hands on the glass pillar assigned to them. Then the student applicants would just need to fill as many little moons as they could with their Mana.

According to her research, the average number of moons that most student applicants could fill was two.

[Yes, it's that hard to even fill one little moon with Mana.]

Filling four little moons with Mana was already considered impressive. And those student applicants who could fill five to seven little moons were said to be already guaranteed a bright future in the academy.

[Father said Mother filled five little moons while he filled six little moons during their time. Should I aim to fill six little moons like Father?]

"Student Applicant Hanna Quinzel, please head to Glass Pillar Number 9."

It was announced by one of the female teachers.

She noticed that all eyes (except for the students taking the exam) were suddenly glued to her. Even the teachers supervising the exam were looking at her with expectant eyes.

[They're already looking at me as if I'm already the official Crown Princess.]

In other terms, everyone was already waiting for her to make a mistake.

Of course, she didn't let that get to her.

With her head held high, she walked towards the assigned glass pillar to her with confidence. Then, without so much ado, she placed her hands on the cold glass.

[Let's hold back a little.]

She needed to hold back to avoid putting too much strain on her heart.

But she found it hard to do so.

As soon as she gathered her Mana in her hands to let it flow to the glass pillar, she felt a powerful force sucking her Mana dry.

She groaned internally.

[It's sucking all my Mana…]

No wonder some of the student applicants taking the exam with her collapsed when they hadn't filled one little moon yet.

[Ah, I see.]

She finally understood why the average number of little moons getting filled with Mana was only two. The gauging device was set up to suck out the applicant's entire energy.

Two of the little moons inside her glass pillar glowed. The two orbs at the bottom of the pillar that were just filled with her Mana glowed beautifully, but the gauging device didn't show any sign of stopping. It continuously sucked out her Mana, not caring if her body could handle it.

But she could.

Although her knees buckled earlier from surprise, she immediately pulled herself together and stood firmly. She didn't let the glass pillar suck her Mana dry– it was of her own volition to let her Mana flow freely.

She didn't have the luxury to hold back, so she just went all out.

Four moons.

She now filled four little moons with her Mana, causing an uproar among the student applicants because she was the first person to achieve that yet.

But it was far from over.

When she filled the fifth little moon with her Mana, the teachers supervising the other glass pillars turned their attention to her.

[Just one more moon.]

She didn't want to admit this, but she was starting to get weak from filling the little moons with her Mana. Thus, she thought she would stop at filling six little moons. And so, she went all out at the last moment.

Much to her pleasant surprise, the last two little moons lit up with her Mana.

She slowly removed her hands from the glass pillar after she was done.

And so, she stood in front of the glass pillar while admiring the glowing seven little moons that were filled with her Mana.

Yes, she filled the seven little moons with her Mana without collapsing.

[Did I really succeed?]

Her disbelief was soon washed away when the crowd roared with loud claps and cheers from the people around her.

That was when Hanna finally smiled and patted her shoulder for a job well done.

***

[WOAH, IT'S pretty lit.]

Neoma knew the content of the exams, but she was still impressed when she saw the pretty glass pillars in the courtyard. The little moons inside the pillars that must be filled looked neat, too. She bet those orbs would look prettier once filled with Mana.

The glass pillars with crystal balls inside looked more beautiful with the sunset that served as their "backdrop." The "color palette" of the sunset that was reflected in the glass pillars and transparent orbs looked very aesthetically pleasing.

[I didn't care about the entrance exam during my first life since I didn't enroll here back then, but I'm pretty excited right now.]

"Your Royal Highness, Student Applicant Calyx Dalton."

She turned to Headmaster Salvatore who called their attention.

The principal was standing next to Glass Pillar #1– the glass pillar assigned to her.

On the other hand, Vice-principal Johanssen was standing next to Glass Pillar #3– the glass pillar assigned to Calyx Dalton.

Yes, only one glass pillar was between them.

And a lot of eyes were watching.

The teachers, student applicants with their guardians/attendants, and other academy staff waited for the others to finish the test just so they could watch the two students who aced the written exam get their Manas gauged.

Of course, Hanna was also there.

After all, as of now, Hanna Quinzel was the current top student applicant after getting a near-perfect score in the written exam, and the highest Mana level yet.

[Hanna successfully filled the little seven moons with her Mana.]

She was so, so proud of her cousin-slash-bestie.

The Headmaster's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Are you both ready to get your Mana gauged?"

"I'm ready, Headmaster."

Neoma and Calyx Dalton said the same thing at the same time, and they even both turned to each other simultaneously, too.

Argh.

[I hate to admit this, but it feels like I'm looking at myself with a filter that changes my hair and eye color when I'm looking at this crow psycho.]

"Your Royal Highness, shall we make a little bet?" Calyx Dalton asked in a playful voice. "If I get a higher Mana level than Your Royal Highness, then can Your Royal Highness make me his sworn brother?"

EXCUSE ME?

She was too stunned to speak.

"Student Applicant Calyx Dalton," Vice-principal Johanssen called out the young lord sternly. "You're being rude to His Royal Highness."

"And making bets is forbidden in the academy," Headmaster Salvatore added. "If you're aiming to be a student of the Royal Moon Academy, then you must act accordingly."

Calyx Dalton bowed his head. "I apologize for my rudeness, Your Royal Highness."

The psycho didn't look apologetic, though.

"It's alright, Lord Calyx," Neoma said with a benevolent smile. Then, she turned to the Headmaster. "Shall we begin?"

The Headmaster nodded politely. "Please place your hands on the glass pillars, Student Applicants."

Neoma and Calyx Dalton placed their hands on their respective glass pillars.

"Now, fill as many little moons as you could with Mana," the principal instructed them.

She gathered her Mana in her hands carefully.

Carefully because she was trying to hold back.

She was just about to let her Mana flow to the glass pillar and the little moons when she felt an enormous amount of Mana coming from Calyx Dalton.

And it was followed by a collective gasp from the crowd.

[No freaking way.]

The little moons inside Calyx Dalton's glass pillar lit up one by one– the orbs were getting filled by his Mana at lightning speed!

And he made it look so easy.

In just the blink of an eye, Calyx Dalton just didn't fill the seven little moons with his Mana– the orbs that couldn't contain his abundant Mana were broken into tiny pieces.

It was a beautiful sight that shocked the crowd.

"Oops," Calyx Dalton said as he pulled his hands away from the glass pillar, then he let out a sigh of relief. "I almost broke the glass pillar, too. Thank goodness the glass pillar is sturdy enough to contain the minor explosions inside."

"Lord Calyx, are you done?" she asked bluntly.

The crow psycho turned to her with an "innocent" look on his face. "Hmm?"

"Are you done showing off?" she asked while smiling. "Because it's my turn to show off now, so watch me closely."

Calyx Dalton chuckled, then he opened his eyes wide. "I'm watching, Your Royal Highness."

"Very well," she said, then she focused on the glass pillar in front of her.

But instead of gathering her Mana in her hands, she let her Mana flow out of her entire body this time.

As a result, her oozing Mana took the form of several elongated "tree branches" that wrapped themselves around the remaining glass pillars. And as she filled the little moons in Glass Pillar #1 with her Mana, the other little moons in the surrounding glass pillars were also filled at the same time.

After a few moments, all the little moons were filled with her Mana…

… but the orbs weren't strong enough to contain her Mana so they all ended up breaking.

<anno data-annotation-id="aada039c-6b80-5330-8a38-49c7ba75a737">And not only did she break the little moons. The glass pillars that contained them also broke into tiny pieces at the same time.</anno>

To prevent other people from getting hurt by the sharp and broken glass pieces, she turned the "tree branches" made from her Mana into Domes to contain the explosion of the glass pillars. Thus, no one was hurt by her showing off.

"I'm sorry for breaking the glass pillars," Neoma said to the shocked Headmaster. "I'll pay for the glass pillars I broke with my personal funds."

<anno data-annotation-id="5df5647e-d024-92e1-6251-9b27ae48156e">[Welp, it's time to use the wealth I accumulated from working for Papa Boss before.]</anno>

***

<A few hours before the show-off between Neoma and Calyx Dalton…>

NIKOLAI just finished talking to Rufus Quinzel using the pocket watch that served as a communication device when he felt the sudden shift in the air.

He was currently alone in his office because he sent Geoffrey Kinsley on an errand.

Well, saying that he was alone may not really be correct since South, who was hugging the red egg in his arms, suddenly appeared on his right side. West, the White Tiger, appeared on his left side.

"Show yourself," Nikolai said in a commanding voice. "<anno data-annotation-id="499c3475-a536-aade-37b8-31a203452137">Kyle</anno> will nag me if my office gets destroyed again."

He was being lenient because he didn't feel hostility from his unseen "guest."

Moreover, he was in a good mood because he heard from Rufus Quinzel that Hanna, his future daughter-in-law, passed the second test with flying colors.

Hanna Quinzel filled all the seven little moons with her Mana successfully.

[That child already surpassed her father's entrance exam record.]

<anno data-annotation-id="b5b4be11-599f-76f9-76f3-27ac101ec841">"Your Majesty, we must stop the confrontation between Neoma and the Masterpiece."</anno>

A face that he was both glad and annoyed to see appeared in front of him.

Nikolai understood the gravity of the young man's words, but he was still bothered by something that might be trivial to others. It was important to him, though. <anno data-annotation-id="b76aa509-c338-6bdc-6f60-450a31045d51">"How dare you address my daughter so intimately right in front of my face, you punk?"</anno>

***

Hi. You may now send GIFTs to our Neoma. Thank you~

***

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<annotations style="display: none;"><ol class="tinymce-annotation-container"><li data-annotation-id="499c3475-a536-aade-37b8-31a203452137">Does anyone miss Kyle? Haha it's been a while since he appeared in the story. I hope you haven't forgotten him yet~</li><li data-annotation-id="5df5647e-d024-92e1-6251-9b27ae48156e">Remember the time Papa Boss used to pay Neoma with gold coins to do his biddings? Haha~</li><li data-annotation-id="aada039c-6b80-5330-8a38-49c7ba75a737">WHY ARE YOU SO EXTRA NEOMA</li><li data-annotation-id="b5b4be11-599f-76f9-76f3-27ac101ec841">Guess who? LOL</li><li data-annotation-id="b76aa509-c338-6bdc-6f60-450a31045d51">That's not the point, Papa Boss. But you do you *thumbs up*</li></ol></annotations>",