Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"NERO, are you trying to get Papa Boss killed?" Neoma, who was sitting on the bed while leaning against the headboard, confronted her twin brother. "And you didn't have to shock Mama Boss like that. We should have let Mama Boss rest first before we dropped the shocking news to her."

Their mother had to excuse herself to breathe some fresh air.

Mochi, who had been quiet all this time, appeared and followed their mother outside.

[I'm sure Mama Boss is digesting the things we just told her.]

It was too much, so her mother would probably get a "stomachache."

"Neoma, we don't have the luxury to spend our days idly," Nero, who was beside her in the same position as her, said. "Our mother has to know the thing about Calyx Dalton and the missing empress right away."

"Nero–"

"Neoma, you've suspected that Calyx Dalton might be the child of Father with the late empress," her brother said, cutting her off. "But why did you keep quiet all this time?"

"I didn't have the time to think about it, to be honest," she said. "After the entrance exam, I had to go and save Mama Boss from the ice under the Black Ocean."

And perhaps she didn't want to think about it.

[Although if Calyx Dalton turned out to be Papa Boss and the late empress's son, then Nero and I would get pushed further down the line of succession. After all, the crow psycho is older than us.]

The empire law says that the first son of the incumbent regent would be next in line.

But that wasn't the only problem.

[Let's not forget the fact that the late Empress Juliet was the woman chosen by the nobles to be the "Mother of the Empire." Most nobles in power hate my Mama Boss. Those people would definitely choose the son of the late empress over Nero as their Crown Prince.]

"Ah, yes," he said, then he gently patted her head. "You've worked hard, Neoma."

She was distracted from her thoughts because of Nero's compliment. "Thank you, dongsaeng-ah."

"What made you think that Calyx Dalton might be Father's son with the late empress?"

"In the world where I spent my second life, a woman may get pregnant even without sex."

Nero blushed at the mention of the word 'sex.'

[Dongsaeng, why are you blushing after you bluntly told our mother that our father might have gotten another woman pregnant, huh?]

"A woman just needs a sperm cell," she explained. "A sperm is a male reproductive cell."

"You mean the Seed?"

Her brain buffered for a moment before she remembered the sex education class that she had taken in this lifetime and the first one.

Right.

In this world, the sperm was called the 'Seed' while the egg cell was called the 'Bean.'

[Cringey, I know. But it is what it is.]

"Yes, the Seed," she said, using the terms of this world instead of the one she had gotten used to. "It's a process called Intrauterine Insemination or IUI. The sperm, aka the Seed, are placed directly into a woman's uterus. Thus, even without intercourse, pregnancy is still possible."

"Then Father's Seed might have been stolen without his knowledge?"

"That's possible," she said. "But we're not sure whose egg cells, aka Bean, were used to conceive a child using Father's sperm." She paused. "The crows might have stolen the late empress's body in order to steal her egg cells. I don't know how it works, though, if they have stolen the egg cells from a dead body."

But since magic existed in this world, it wasn't impossible.

There was a more plausible explanation, though.

"Then maybe the late empress was revived," Nero said, his ash-gray eyes glowing in the dark. "The Devil isn't the only Necromancer in this world. How else would the crows get revived again and again if they didn't have one?"

"Nero."

"Hmm?"

"Ruto says he'll bring Empress Juliet back, but he never said he'd bring back a corpse," she said. "Based on what he said, I'm hoping that Empress Juliet isn't with the crows."

"Well, I hope the former empress wouldn't turn out as an enemy," Nero said nonchalantly, then he smirked– the evil kind of smirk. "If our hunch is correct, then I'd hate to kill the precious son of Empress Juliet for the throne."

She didn't miss her baby brother's sarcasm.

[Nero is so gonna kill Calyx Dalton if that crow psycho turns out to be a de Moonasterio.]

Neoma could only sigh. She thought the inheritance problem was already solved when Nero agreed to give her the throne once she needed it. But the appearance of another potential successor was unexpected.

[The battle for the throne would be bloody.]

***

MONA let out a deep sigh after hearing Gale's full report.

Right now, she was sitting on the rooftop of the villa where her children were staying. Gale, her Wind Spirit in the form of a white bunny, was sitting on her lap.

Gale told her everything she needed to know while she was trapped in the ice. That included the hardships that her babies, especially Neoma, had gone through. Of course, it broke her heart that Nero was cursed and had to spend more than half of his life in a comatose state. But the things that her daughter had experienced was beyond belief.

Neoma had opened a Hellgate.

Neoma had become a tree.

And they had already prophesied Neoma to become the next Aether.

There were so many powerful and evil people after her poor daughter for selfish reasons.

The crows.

The Spirit World.

The gods.

"Princess Neoma made a contract with Lord Yule, so her goal is to become the first empress of the empire. And recently, Lord Yule tasked your daughter to find the next saint," Gale continued with her report. "The Moon God has been asking a lot from Princess Neoma without giving her adequate support. But I'm guessing that it's because Lord Yule's hands are tied. After all, he isn't the only major god in the Upper World."

She also knew that.

But she didn't like how Lord Yule passed his responsibilities to a child.

"It's a good thing that the Sun Goddess is still on our side," Gale continued. "And do you remember Ruston Stroganoff? The child who tamed Veton at such a tender age."

Mona smiled warmly when she remembered the young boy that Gale mentioned. "Of course, there's no way I'll forget such a special child. I also remember that I asked Ruto to look after Neoma."

Back then, she didn't know that she was carrying twins in her womb.

"That boy has been a great support to Princess Neoma," Gale said enthusiastically. "He's one of your potential future sons-in-law."

Her smile froze. "One of my future sons-in-law?"

The Wind Spirit stifled her laughter. "Dearest Mona, Princess Neoma has quite a few admirers. She has a harem, you know?"

She gasped softly. "A harem? As expected of my daughter– she's a heartbreaker in the making."

Gale laughed while nodding her cute bunny head. "That, she is."

She appreciated the fact that Gale brought up that topic in order to lighten her mood.

And it worked.

Now that she had calmed down, her head also cleared.

"I will announce to the world that I have returned," she declared, then she stood up. "I have to let them know that they can't easily touch my children from now on."

After saying that, she closed her eyes and gathered all her Mana and Roseheart Blood in her hand.

By that time, she felt the power of Nature mixing with her own power.

When she opened her eyes, she extended her hand as if she was reaching for the moon. A single-stemmed red rose materialized over her palm, then it slowly floated in the air. It went up higher and higher until the rose kissed the clouds.

And then it exploded like fireworks– lighting up the dark sky.

"I have returned," Mona said calmly. "The Roseheart Matriarch is back."

***

[IT'S SO beautiful.]

Neoma was looking at the phenomenon in the sky that was very similar to the Aurora Borealis. She had seen the Northern Lights several times because Finland was one of her eomma and appa's favorite vacation spots in her second life.

The only difference between the "Aurora Borealis" here and the one in Finland was the dominant color. After all, the Northern Lights were known for its green color.

On the other hand, the beautiful dancing waves of light in the sky at the moment were pink.

"It's Mother's power," Nero, who was standing beside her in front of the window while watching the dancing waves of light, said. "Is Mother announcing her return?"

"That seems to be the case, Nero," Neoma said, her eyes still glued to her mother's "Auroa Borealis." "Mama Boss is so amazing."

***

"IS THAT Lady Roseheart's power?"

Nikolai nodded at Kyle Sprouse's question.

Right now, the two of them were standing on his office balcony while watching the beautiful waves of pink light in the sky.

This wasn't the first time that Mona had done it.

"Yes, it is Mona's power," Nikolai said, clenching his hands tight. "She's not just announcing her return– she's letting the entire world know that she's enraged."

[And I'm probably the biggest cause of Mona's wrath.]

***

"LOOK at the sky, Trevor."

Trevor looked up at the sky because the Devil said so, then he smiled. "Oh, my future mother-in-law is back."

Only Lady Mona Roseheart could create such beautiful dancing waves of light in the sky.

"Yeah, your Moon Princess succeeded in saving the Roseheart Matriarch," the Devil, who was standing beside him, said. "Now that Mona is back, things are about to uglier."

After saying that, the roof of the mansion behind them blew up.

The Devil casually raised his hand and created a barrier to protect them from the falling debris.

"Nichole has lost it," the Devil said. "It's brave of Ruston Stroganoff to come here and ask Nichole about her "children," even though he knew Nichole would react this way."

Trevor scoffed.

He and the Devil were outside the mansion that they were currently occupying because of their unwanted guest.

"That damned chef is too meddlesome."

"He's just doing his job as the Sun's representative, Trevor," the Devil said. "Moreover, he's useful since he's also making our job easier." The Devil smirked as if taunting him. "No wonder Princess Neoma is fond of that young man."

"That's not true," Trevor said, which only made the Devil laugh. "But even if it is, it won't matter since he can't stop what's about to happen anyway."

"I can't deny that," the Devil said, then he looked up at the sky again. "Even I didn't predict the appearance of the so-called 'Masterpiece.'"

***

"PUT UP a stronger barrier!"

"Hurry! Don't let the children play in the sky!"

"Tell everyone to come inside!"

"Don't touch the pink lights!"

"The Roseheart Matriarch– that wench is back!"

Calyx, who was woken up by the noise outside, went to the balcony of his room while rubbing his eyes with his hands. "What's happening, Your Excellency?" he asked the crow sitting on the railing of the balcony. "Why is it noisy outside?"

<"Look at the sky, my dear.">

He did, and the beautiful dancing waves of pink light instantly made him smile. Now he was fully awake.

"It's beautiful!" he said while clapping his hands. "What is it?"

<"A strong purifying power,"> the crow with the metallic voice said. <"People with impure Darkness in them just like the crows would get purified under that beautiful light. Thus, we have to put up a stronger barrier in order to protect our family. It's not that strong since that beautiful light only serves as a warning for now, but it wouldn't hurt to be more careful.">

"I don't really understand, but it sounds dangerous."

<"Well, it's the symbol of Mona Roseheart's wrath.">

"Mona Roseheart?" he asked, then he tilted his head to one side. "Oh. The wench that seduced His Majesty?"

It was what his uncles and aunts had taught him in the past.

<"That's right– she's the source of the impure blood running through the royal twin's veins.">

"Is she going to be my mother once the empire acknowledged me as a royal prince?"

His Excellency scoffed. <"You only have one mother– and she's the only woman who deserves to be the empress– then and now.">

Calyx yawned and stretched his arms. "But where is my mother?"

***

RUTO came out of the Devil's mansion alive.

He was bleeding from head to toe, but at least he was still in one piece.

Now he realized how stupid it was to just stand there and accept all of Princess Nichole's physical attack. But in his defense, he knew he deserved to be beaten to a pulp after he triggered the Princess Royal's trauma.

"You reminded my future aunt-in-law of her trauma just to satisfy your curiosity," Trevor, who was leaning against the gate with his arms crossed over his chest, said tauntingly while looking at him with disgust. "Are you happy now?"

"No, I feel miserable," Ruto said bluntly. "I didn't mean to bring back Princess Nichole's trauma, but I had to ask."

The demon laughed sarcastically. "That was still a dick move, Ruston Stroganoff."

He couldn't deny that, so he just kept his mouth shut.

"What an insensitive jerk," Trevor said. Ah, the demon wasn't done taunting him. "But good job. If Princess Neoma finds out what you just did, I bet she'd be really disappointed in you."

He felt a pang in his chest.

All his life, he did things out of his will in order to protect Neoma. But this time, he had hurt one of the family members that she treasured a lot.

Trevor was right– Neoma would surely be disappointed in him.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Trevor asked, irritated. "Am I talking to a wall?"

"I just don't feel the need to respond to your taunting," he said. "I'm fully aware of the mistake I made tonight, and I'm determined to make it up to Princess Nichole soon. But I don't owe you an explanation or an apology, Trevor."

Veins popped up in the demon's face and neck. "Fine. But you definitely own Princess Neoma a long explanation. After all, I heard from the Devil that you're looking for the late empress."

"That's none of your busine–"

"Do you realize what will happen once you bring the empress back?" Trevor hissed at him, then he pointed to the pink light in the sky. "Are you seriously bringing the empress back just when Lady Mona Roseheart has returned? Is that your idea of "love" for Princess Neoma?"

He clenched his hands tight, even though his heart was wavering at the moment. "It's my job to bring the empress back."

The demon smirked. "For what? The so-called greater good that righteous people like you are obsessed with?"

"Trevor, if things get uglier than it already is, Neoma would only suffer more," he said. "I have to lessen her burden–"

"By taking away her happiness?" Trevor asked coldly. "I would sacrifice the world for Princess Neoma. I don't care about anyone or anything else as long as she's happy."

"Neoma won't be happy once the world crumbles, Trevor," he reminded the demon. "Because this world is the home of the people she loves."

"You're just saying that because you don't have the courage to give up on everything for Princess Neoma's sake."

"I don't want to hear that from the person who betrayed Neoma in the name of "protecting" her," he said, cutting the demon off rudely. "If you're done with your insults, I'm leaving."

Trevor glared at him. "Don't ever come back, Ruston Stroganoff."

"I'll return to apologize again to Princess Nichole later," he said, then he turned his back on the demon who cursed at him.

He didn't want to hear Trevor's profanities, so he used his teleportation technique to disappear.

Then, in just a poof, he found himself back in the room of the inn that he was currently renting. It was the inn near the mountain that the crows were using as a hide-out. He had been staying there for a few days now in order to observe the enemies.

[Right, I still have to get rid of the Masterpiece.]

Suddenly feeling beyond exhausted, he plopped down on the bed lifelessly. He didn't feel like treating his injuries as a punishment to himself.

Both his heart and body were heavy.

He was in a rush to figure out the Masterpiece's real identity that he failed to consider Princess Nichole's feelings. And now, he had hurt her.

[I'm really sorry, Princess Nichole…]

He couldn't help but question himself if he was really doing the right thing.

He turned to the window and saw the beautiful dancing waves of pink light in the sky.

[Lady Roseheart is back.]

He felt a pang in his chest again.

"Neoma, I'm glad that you're finally reunited with your mother," Ruto whispered to himself, then he covered his tired eyes with his arm. Seeing the pink light that symbolized Lady Mona Roseheart hurt him to the core. And yes, it also pricked his conscience. "Will you hate me if I bring back Empress Juliet?"

Bringing back the empress would be for the "greater good," but it would definitely hurt Neoma and Lady Roseheart.

But if he didn't do that, chaos would arise.

Now he was torn between Neoma and the "greater good," as Trevor put it.

["I would sacrifice the world for Princess Neoma. I don't care about anyone or anything else as long as she's happy."]

Trevor's sharp words echoed in Ruto's mind.

"I envy you, Trevor," Ruto said to himself. "I would also do that if I could."

***

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