Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

[THE CHILD'S play is over.]

Nikolai and Rufus stopped chatting when they felt and heard the things settle down over the alley where Nero and Hanna were "playing."

His son's violent aura disappeared, so he could tell the result of the "fight."

"Fifteen minutes," Nikolai said while looking at the pocket watch in his hand. "It only took Hanna fifteen minutes to knock Nero out. Impressive."

"Your Majesty is too kind," Rufus said, but he was smiling from ear to ear as if he was the one who received the praise. "Hanna has still a long way to go."

He smirked at his cousin's reaction.

[He's so proud of his daughter, and rightfully so.]

"The Shadow Manipulation Technique is one technique that has always fascinated me," he admitted to the duke. "Although my mother was a Quinzel, a de Moonasterio like me isn't capable of inheriting power that has Darkness attribute."

Thus, Nero and Neoma didn't inherit the Shadow Manipulation Technique, too.

The de Moonasterios weren't capable of wielding power that originated from the Darkness attribute. Well, that should have been the case.

But Neoma was the exception to the rule.

[I still don't understand how Neoma could use the Darkness attribute. It's supposed to be a poison to us since we have divine power. To begin with, we don't even know where the demonic powers that she possesses came from.]

"Your Majesty, the de Moonasterios don't need the Shadow Manipulation Technique," Rufus said, confused as to why he brought up his admiration for the Quinzels' family technique. "If the de Moonasterios were born with the ability to wield Darkness attribute on top of the divine power you received from Lord Yule and Lady Roxana, then the gods from the Upper World would have descended a long time ago to end your bloodline."

He laughed because it was true.

[The de Moonasterios are already regarded as 'gods among men.' If we were born with the ability to wield Darkness attribute, the gods wouldn't be pleased with our existence. After all, the gods get sensitive when it comes to Darkness.]

"Rufus."

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Darkness is emerging once again," he said solemnly. "I don't mean the Darkness attribute, since they never disappeared anyway. I'm talking about the same Darkness that drowned the world during the Ancient Period."

The duke's eyes went wide. "The Absolute Darkness?"

"Yes, the Absolute Darkness," he confirmed. "Once the Darkness laced with malice begins terrorizing the world again, Darkness attribute users like the Quinzels won't be safe. Humans born after the Ancient Period were instilled with fear of Darkness, and they wouldn't hesitate to get rid of the thing that scares them."

Rufus turned serious, then he nodded firmly. "I'll protect my family, Your Majesty."

The duke's simple promise weighed a lot.

[I don't need to worry about the Quinzels.]

"Your Majesty, Father, I apologize for interrupting your conversation."

It was Hanna.

And the young lady arrived while "carrying" Nero behind her. To be precise, a seven-foot formless shadow followed Hanna behind while cradling Nero in its "arms."

Impressive.

Hanna Quinzel was indeed deserving of the Crown Princess title.

"Your Majesty, I have subdued Prince Nero," Hanna said politely. "But I think His Royal Highness is in pain…"

"Nero is going through Lunacy, and he'll be in pain even in his sleep. Don't worry, it's a normal process that a de Moonasterio like him has to go through," Nikolai explained, then he approached Hanna and put a hand on her shoulder. "You did well, Hanna."

***

"MAMA BOSS, I'm really sorry for the mean things that I said to you earlier," Neoma said to her mother while the two of them were walking in the rose garden, holding hands. "I was being honest when I said I envy you, but I should have chosen my words carefully."

The room felt stuffy, so she and her mother decided to have a stroll in her palace's garden.

Lewis followed them behind quietly.

"Neoma, do you envy me because I grew up surrounded by people who love me?" her mother asked carefully. "I understand where you're coming from, but I want you to know that being loved isn't always a good thing."

"What do you mean by that, Mama Boss?"

"Most of the people around me gave me love excessively," her mother said. "Your father is a good example of that, remember? He tried to kill you and Nero because he was afraid to lose me."

Oh, that made sense.

"There were some nobles who tried to own me claiming that they loved me," her mother continued in a sad voice. "And while I'm grateful for the love I received from the Cosmic Tree, the one who became the mother figure in my life, I have to admit that her love for me comes with grand expectations that sometimes suffocate me. That's the same with the Spirit World."

"Do they expect great things from Mama Boss because you're a Roseheart?"

Her mother nodded. "That's how I learn that love can be harmful, too."

Well, Mama Boss had a point.

"I used to receive all the love they gave me with an open heart," Mama Boss said, this time, her voice was a little bitter. "But, then, they became demanding. They made me feel like I owe them for loving me. Most of them even tried to make me believe that only them were capable of loving "someone like me." In the end, the pain I received grew bigger than the love I received."

Now she felt more guilty for lashing out at her mother earlier.

She could feel the pain and bitterness in her Mama Boss's voice. It was obvious that the people who had loved her in the past had also betrayed her.

"Neoma, you may not want to hear this from me, but it's better to receive genuine love from a few people close to you than receive shallow love from people who expect something in return for loving you," her Mama Boss said gently. "You have nothing to be jealous of me. The way I see it, the people around you love you genuinely."

"That's true," she said softly. "I'm aware that I'm hard to love because of my arrogance. But there are people who actually love me for my personality. Unbelievable."

Because if it was her, she wouldn't love someone as arrogant as her.

[Heh.]

Her mother smiled warmly at her. "Isn't it lovely that there are people who accept us for who we are?"

That, she could agree with.

She smiled and nodded at Mama Boss. "I'm sorry for being small-minded, Mama Boss."

"Not at all, baby," her mother said sweetly, then she squeezed her hand gently. "Your feelings are valid. And like I said earlier, I understand where you're coming from. You were born with a power that the gods desire, while your existence is something that the crows despise. But ultimately, both sides would benefit if you die."

She made a face at the reminder. [Greed is seriously the root of all evil.]

"But there are a lot of people who want you alive, Neoma," her Mama Boss said. "Even if everyone else turns their back on you, I won't. I'm sure Nikolai and Nero wouldn't leave you, too."

Aww.

She was genuinely touched.

[That's the kind of love I crave.]

It was foolish of her to feel envious of her mother.

The love of the Cosmic Tree? The Spirit World? The Spirits like William and Delwyn?

She didn't need any of that.

[As long as my family and my friends love me, what else should I need?]

"Thank you, Mama Boss," she said sincerely. "Thank you for reminding me what matters most."

Her mother smiled warmly at her. "Do you feel better now?"

"I'll feel much better if I receive a hug from my mother."

Mama Boss laughed, then she gently pulled her for a warm and tight hug. "I love you, Neoma."

Oh, she didn't expect that.

She suddenly felt shy.

Although she had successfully raised Papa Boss to be a decent human being, her father was still far from being an affectionate father. Thus, her mother being expressive of her feelings shocked her a little.

[A tsundere father and a cinnamon roll mother… it's a match made in heaven!]

"Me, too, Mama Boss," Neoma said, still too shy to say 'I love you, too' directly to her mother. [Someday…]

***

"NEOMA, I don't think it's safe for you to meet Nero yet."

"Why, Papa Boss?" Neoma asked worriedly. "Is there a reason why I won't be safe if I meet Nero now?"

Papa Boss and Hanna just came back home.

To be safe from strange rumors going around, Hanna returned to the Luna Palace.

She didn't get to see Nero because her twin brother was immediately confined in her father's bedroom. Mama Boss went inside to check on Nero, but her father stopped her when she was about to follow her mother.

"Nero is not himself," her Papa Boss explained. "He talks like he's the Nero in the first timelines."

She was shocked to hear that.

But it was plausible.

Nero told her before that his memories of his first life came to him via dreams. Perhaps his memories flooded his mind because of Lunacy?

"Papa Boss, this is my chance to find out what happened to me after I died," she said firmly. "Maybe the Nero of the first timeline could give me a clue."

She knew that she promised Ruto she'd be patient.

But she couldn't waste this opportunity to get a clue about what happened to her in the first timeline.

[I'm sorry, Ruto.]

"Neoma, you said that you and Nero didn't get along well in the first timeline," her father said worriedly. "Will you be fine?"

"Yes, Papa Boss," Neoma said firmly. "I'll be fine."

***

"WHY do you look younger than I remember?"

Neoma froze when her eyes met Nero's glowing red eyes.

[Ah, he looks intimidating.]

Nero was just sitting on the bed while leaning against the headboard. It didn't look like he would attack her, but he still looked scary. Moreover, his violent aura filled the entire room.

[Did I look this scary when I was going through my Lunacy?]

"I'm not the only one who "looks" young," Neoma said carefully, then she slowly approached the bed. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?"

Nero just frowned, then he clutched his head. "My head is splitting."

"That's normal," she said, then she sat on the chair beside the bed.

Nero looked calm.

But she still covered her entire body with Coat– just in case he suddenly attacked her.

"Where is the Shadow Queen?" Nero asked her, then he looked her straight in the eye. His orbs were still glowing red, but he looked sane at the moment. Key word: "looked." "I can't believe I lost to Hanna."

Oh?

"Do you remember Hanna now?" she asked, quite confused. "You call her by her name."

[Are the memories of his first and second life clashing against each other?]

"She introduced herself as Hanna earlier, that was how I knew her name," Nero said in a grumpy voice. "Tonight was the first time I met the Shadow Queen. In the flesh, at least."

She tilted her head to one side. "You don't remember Hanna… but you know that she's…"

Wait.

When did Hanna's nickname become the Shadow Queen?

In this timeline, not many people knew that Hanna Quinzel had mastered the Shadow Manipulation Technique already.

But Nero was talking about the 'Shadow Queen' as if…

"I'm not sure if that girl is really a Quinzel," Nero said while observing her face. "But there are rumors spreading across the entire continent about a female pirate who has mastered the Shadow Manipulation Technique– and she's dubbed as the 'Shadow Queen.' Apparently, the female pirate is a beauty with black hair and green eyes– just like the child I met earlier."

She gasped.

A beautiful pirate with black hair and green eyes?

And good enough in using the Shadow Manipulation Technique to be called the 'Shadow Queen?'

Her heart thumped hard and fast against her chest.

"That could only be Hanna," Neoma whispered to herself, then she covered her mouth with her hands when she gasped. "She didn't die in the first timeline?"

[And Hanna became a pirate?!]

***

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