Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

[AH, it finally calmed down.]

Ruto was relieved when Crimson, the God of Wrath, was knocked out after he absorbed Neoma's anger.

The angrier Neoma got, the stronger Crimsom became.

But the God of Wrath would only be a hindrance, so he had to knock it out. He was a little worried, though. After all, to absorb Neoma's anger without her noticing, he needed to hold her in his arms.

This actually reminded him of the past.

[But it was a bitter memory for me since Neoma chose to grab Crimson's hand back then instead of mine.]

And in the first timeline, the God of Wrath wasn't a Soul Beast.

"Ruto, do you know why the cinnamon roll type of heroes has become popular in the romance genre?"

Neoma's question snapped him out of his thoughts.

Ruto shook his head, trying to focus on their conversation again. "No, you tell me."

"It's because cinnamon rolls are known to be very interested in their love interest's well-being," Neoma said excitedly. "That makes you a cinnamon roll now, right?"

Seriously.

How could someone be so adorable?

[This is frustrating.]

Why didn't they regress when they were both adults? They met as adults in the first timeline, after all. But in this timeline, both of them were minors.

If he and Neoma were adults now, then he wouldn't have to hold back…

[Stop, Ruston Solfrid Stroganoff,] he scolded himself. [This isn't the time for that–]

His thoughts were distracted when, all of a sudden, he felt a crushing pressure weighing down on his shoulders.

[This bloodlust…]

"Ruston Stroganoff, how dare you hold my precious daughter in your arms?!"

As expected, it was Emperor Nikolai de Moonasterio.

[Needless to say, His Majesty is enraged.]

Even Neoma, who would usually talk back to her father without holding back, looked a little scared of the emperor now.

[I've been careless.]

He unwrapped his arms around Neoma, then he turned around and hid her behind him while Emperor Nikolai approached them with heavy strides.

"Ruston Stroganoff– you bastard," Emperor Nikolai said, then he grabbed him by the collar. "Touching the body of a royal family member is a grave crime that could get you beheaded– even if you came from a prestigious clan."

He would argue that Neoma wasn't recognized as a royal family member yet, but he didn't want to fuel the emperor's anger. After all, he wanted His Majesty's approval as much as Neoma wanted his mother's blessing.

"Papa Boss," Neoma, who stepped out of his shadow, faced her father bravely. "It's completely consensual."

[Oh, Neoma…]

Just as he expected, Neoma's words only infuriated the emperor even more.

"Neoma, I'm talking to Ruston Stroganoff," the emperor said sternly, then he let go of his collar while giving him a light push. "Let's talk later."

If Neoma wasn't standing behind him, he had a feeling that the emperor would push him with enough force to send him flying.

But since the royal princess was behind him, His Majesty let him go with a light tap.

"Papa Boss–"

"You're grounded indefinitely, Neoma de Moonasterio."

"But Papa Boss–"

"All your communication devices connected to Ruston Stroganoff would be confiscated as well."

Neoma gasped, but this time, she didn't talk back.

The royal princess probably realized that the more she talked back to the emperor, the heavier her punishment would be.

"Your Majesty, it's my fault," Ruto said calmly. "Please don't scold Neoma."

"It's 'Princess Neoma' to you, Ruston Stroganoff," the emperor snarled at him. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

He bowed his head. "I apologize, Your Majesty. But please don't scold Princess Neoma. Everything is my fault."

"Ruto…"

He turned to Neoma.

[Aww… she's worried.]

He smiled at Neoma to assure her that he was fine.

[It's not like His Majesty would kill me…]

Right?

"Neoma de Moonasterio, go back to your room," the emperor said sternly. "Geoffrey Kinsley, come out."

Geoffrey Kinsley, one of the Paladins, came out behind the emperor.

"Escort Neoma back to her room," His Majesty said to the Paladin. "And as the vice-commander of the White Lion Knights, I order you to punish Lewis Crevan for leaving the royal princess alone with a young man at this hour."

Neoma gasped aloud. "Papa Boss, I'll accept any punishment. But don't involve Lewis–"

The emperor looked at his daughter with cold eyes. "If you don't return to your room in this instant, I'll relieve Lewis Crevan of his position as your personal knight for half a year."

"I hate you, Papa Boss," Neoma said, frowning. Then she bolted out of the kitchen with heavy steps. "Mama Boss will hear of this."

Geoffrey Kinsley bowed to the emperor before he quickly yet silently followed Neoma.

Ruto, on the other hand, refrained from letting out a sigh when he saw Emperor Nikolai's face after Neoma mentioned Lady Mona Roseheart.

The emperor looked quite nervous.

[Is His Majesty afraid that Neoma will rat him out to Lady Roseheart?]

"Your Majesty, please don't punish Lewis Crevan," he said carefully. "In return, I'll take double of the punishment that you intend to give me. Princess Neoma will be mad at you for real if you touch Lewis Crevan. Both Your Majesty and I know that Her Royal Highness treasures the fox boy a lot."

The emperor just glared at him.

"Moreover, what will Your Majesty do if Princess Neoma came to Lady Roseheart crying?" he continued in a careful voice. "I'm certain that Lady Roseheart will take Princess Neoma's side. And Prince Nero might hate Your Majesty again if he finds out you made his twin sister upset."

"Don't you think you know too much about my family?" the emperor snarled at him. "You're acting like you want to be a part of…" His Majesty frowned. "No. Never. That won't happen."

"Your Majesty, this is all a misunderstanding," he said carefully. "Princess Neoma and I do not have that kind of relationship."

Not yet, at least.

"Then are you saying that you're just toying with my daughter's feelings?" the emperor asked, his eye glowing red menacingly. "How dare you hold my daughter in your arms with impure intentions? I don't care if you're the sole heir of the Solfrids. I can kill you, Ruston Stroganoff."

"Your Majesty, I held Princess Neoma in my arms because I was absorbing her negative feelings," he explained politely. "Princess Neoma was upset earlier, and it almost awakened the God of Wrath in her. Thus, in order to calm it down, I absorbed her anger. To simply say, I purified Princess Neoma's negative emotions with my body warmth."

He wasn't lying.

As a Solfrid, he had received the 'warmth' of the Sun Goddess.

His body warmth could literally purify Darkness. That was exactly why the people of the Sun Goddess couldn't be touched by impure things such as Darkness– since they could easily purify it.

But he didn't need to tell the emperor that although purifying Neoma's negative emotion was his initial purpose for hugging the princess, there was another reason why he held her in his arms longer than he intended to.

[I miss her– plain and simple.]

"Why does it seem like Neoma didn't know that you purified her negative emotions?" the emperor asked curiously.

Thankfully, His Majesty had already calmed down.

"Princess Neoma doesn't know," he confessed to the emperor. "She knew I was trying to calm her down, but she didn't know that I was purifying her negative emotions."

"Why didn't you let her know about that?"

"Because I don't want Princess Neoma to be too conscious of the God of Wrath, Your Majesty," he explained. "Princess Neoma must live without getting influenced by the God of Wrath. It's a good thing that Her Royal Highness favors her Soul Beast's other personality that she fondly calls 'Tteokbokki.' Thanks to that, the God of Wrath doesn't have power over the current Princess Neoma."

"The current Neoma? Then does it mean the Neoma of the first timeline…"

He waited to feel the crushing pressure he would feel every time he was about to say something from the past that he shouldn't.

But he didn't feel anything.

Perhaps he should thank the God of Eternal Darkness for it.

[Helstor has been actively spreading his Darkness to cover not only the eyes of the gods– but also their ears. Maybe I could use this opportunity to share some of the important things from the past without getting punished.]

Thus, he decided to test the waters first.

"Your Majesty, the past Princess Neoma set the world on fire because of the God of Wrath's influence," he said solemnly. "It was one of the reasons why the Princess Neoma of the first timeline met her demise early."

"My daughter set the world on fire?" the emperor asked in disbelief. "I'm not underestimating Neoma. But the scale of an accomplishment as grand as that is hard to imagine."

He could understand the emperor's disbelief.

Setting the world on fire was something only bonafide gods could do. In fact, it was on the level that only the major gods could accomplish something like that.

But he didn't lie when he said the Neoma of the first timeline was weak.

After all, she set the world on fire just because of the God of Wrath's influence. A strong person wouldn't be influenced by someone or something else easily. Having said that, he still understood why Neoma did what she had to do back then.

"Ruston Stroganoff, how did the God of Wrath become Neoma's Soul Beast?" the emperor asked. "Even Manu doesn't know how it happened since he was asleep when Neoma and Nero were born."

"I'm afraid the Soul Beasts are out of my jurisdiction, Your Majesty," he said while shaking his head. "Even I was surprised when I realized that Princess Neoma's Soul Beast turned out to be the God of Wrath of the past. I'm thinking Lord Yule might be involved, but knowing the Moon God's current situation, I don't think he could speak about it openly."

The emperor let out a frustrated sigh. "I guess it doesn't matter how the God of Wrath ended up as my daughter's Soul Beast. What matters most is to prevent him from awakening and influencing Neoma's emotions. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said while nodding politely. "So if we can, let's not make Princess Neoma mad. We don't want to awaken the God of Wrath now."

The emperor looked at him with cold eyes. "Are you telling me what to do now?"

"How could I do that to Your Majesty?" he asked in a polite yet somehow indifferent voice. "I'm only giving a humble suggestion with Princess Neoma's best interest in mind."

"Ruston Stroganoff, I won't deny that you have my trust. I also know that you're strong, capable, and reliable," the emperor said, then he crossed his arms over his chest. "I will accept you as the commander of the White Lion Knights– but never as my son-in-law."

"Your Majesty, only Princess Neoma has the right to choose her future spouse," he said politely. "And it's also alright if she chooses a life of single-blessedness. We do not have the right to decide for Her Royal Highness, Your Majesty."

His Majesty raised an eyebrow at him. "You sound like it has nothing to do with you."

"Princess Neoma has no obligation to reciprocate my feelings for her. And even if she ends up choosing another man or a life of single-blessedness, my feelings won't waver," he said sincerely. "I just want her to be safe and happy this time."

"Did you just confess your feelings for my daughter straight to my face, you punk?"

"Your Majesty, there are things a man can't hide, and one of those is the fact that he's in love," he said bluntly. "I'll only make a fool of myself in front of Your Majesty if I deny it. However…"

The emperor knitted his eyebrows. "'However?'"

He bowed his head to the emperor. And this time, he meant it. He was truly remorseful.

"In this timeline, Princess Neoma is a minor. She hasn't even come of age yet, and even so, I held her in my arms," he said, ashamed of himself. "I've been careless. Although both Princess Neoma and I are adults inside, it doesn't change the fact that in this timeline, we're still minors. Moreover, I'm older than her– then and now– so I should have been more careful. I promise this won't happen again."

"Ruston Stroganoff, I never heard you talk this much before."

"I just don't want Your Majesty to misunderstand my current relationship with Princess Neoma," he explained politely. "So please don't punish Her Royal Highness too much."

The emperor let out a sigh. "Raise your head."

He did as he was told.

Fortunately, the emperor didn't look angry anymore.

"I vaguely remember that you promised me that you wouldn't meet my daughter behind my back, you punk."

Ah, right.

He also barely remembered that promise.

"Since you broke that promise, and I caught you hugging my daughter, I will give you a punishment," the emperor said sternly. "In return, I will not discipline Lewis Crevan. And I'll also shorten Neoma's punishment."

He politely nodded. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty."

"Don't thank me, since you'll shoulder their punishment."

"I'm used to doing something similar to that, Your Majesty."

"Don't get used to it, punk," the emperor said. "From now on, you cannot meet with Neoma alone– especially at night. And if you need to contact her, you have to go through me first. Unless it's a life-and-death situation, you must absolutely refrain from directly contacting Neoma. Do you understand?"

He tilted his head to one side. "Is that… my punishment, Your Majesty? That is?"

"You're not satisfied with that? Do you want me to revoke your dual citizenship and exile you to the East Continent as a punishment?"

He shook his head. "No, not at all, Your Majesty."

"Are you back here for good?"

Again, he shook his head. "Princess Neoma wanted me to go home and rest."

"And will you listen to my daughter?"

"I will go home, but not now," he said. "I don't like going against Princess Neoma's wishes, but I still have something else to do here."

"And what would it be?"

"Your Majesty, my people have found traces of Empress Juliet."

The emperor looked shocked at first, then his face hardened. "Ruston Stroganoff, how old are you again?"

"Seventeen, Your Majesty."

"Sixteen-year-old young adults are legally allowed to drink light beer in the empire. You're not allowed to have hard liquor until you're eighteen, though."

He tilted his head to one side, confused. "Yes…?"

"Let's have a drink," Emperor Nikolai said, then he turned his back on him as if commanding him to follow him. "And then we'll talk about the empress."

Ruto nodded even though the emperor couldn't see him. "Yes, Your Majesty."

***

"YOUR PEOPLE have been monitoring the place where you found Juliet's traces?" Nikolai asked while Ruston Stroganoff poured beer into his glass. He wasn't keen on drinking beer because he enjoyed hard liquor more, but he had to be careful because he was with a minor. "Where is it?"

Right now, it was safe for them to talk about Juliet because he brought Ruston Stroganoff into his study.

It was just as safe as his bedroom.

"That's the thing, Your Majesty," Ruston Stroganoff said while pouring beer into his own glass. "The location is hard to find because it changes frequently. That's exactly why Your Majesty's Paladins have failed to locate Empress Juliet all this time."

He sipped his tea before he asked. "Then what kind of people are working for you if they were able to locate Juliet when my Paladins couldn't?"

"Demigods."

He almost dropped his glass when he heard the young man's casual answer. "Demigods? You mean… those who are part-human and part-divine offspring of a god and a human?"

"They vary, Your Majesty," the young man explained. "Some of them have partial or lesser divine status, some of them are minor deities, and there are also humans raised by a god. All of them are considered demigods, though."

He sipped his beer again.

Of course, he knew demigods existed.

After all, the de Moonasterios were descendants of Yule, the Moon God.

But he also knew that the demigods weren't the type of beings to get involved with human fights. There were rules among celestial beings, after all.

The fact that those types of beings follow Ruston Stroganoff was beyond impressive.

[I will never give up on making this punk the next commander of the White Lion Knights.]

"Your Majesty, there's something else that I also want to talk about."

"What is it?"

"I've heard of the rumors about the Crown Prince's hidden twin sister."

"We're the ones who spread the rumor," he said proudly. "It's a part of the preparation we're working on in order to introduce Neoma as the empire's one and only royal princess."

"But a royal princess is still powerless in the empire, even though Your Majesty is fond of Her Royal Highness."

"You punk–"

"Your Majesty, it's going to be chaotic once Empress Juliet returns. There's also the issue about Calyx Dalton being a de Moonasterio," the young man said. "Even if you introduce Princess Neoma to the empire, it won't have an impact. Princess Neoma will still be set aside if the crows use Calyx Dalton to challenge Prince Nero's right to the throne. After all, the empire only allows male heirs to become the heir apparent."

"Get to the point, Ruston Stroganoff," Nikolai said sternly. "What are you trying to say?"

"I will get the entire East Continent involved with the successors of the West Continent's Moonasterion Empire's upcoming fight for the throne," Ruston Stroganoff said seriously. "The Solfrid Clan, along with the other members of the Golden Families of the East Continent, will support Princess Neoma de Moonasterio instead of Prince Nero de Moonasterio."

***

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