Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"IF WE fought three years ago, you could have killed me," Paige said while stabbing the spike attached to the end of her white parasol in Lukas' chest– hitting his heart and his Mana Core. "But unfortunately for you, the past three years have been good to me."

Traveling the world had been beneficial to her when it came to learning magic.

Different continents, new learnings.

But of course, a person of the West Continent like her would always return to her hometown.

"I can tell that," Lukas, who was barely recognizable because of the Darkness that covered his entire body, said while smirking. But his smirk disappeared as soon as he coughed up a huge chunk of what seemed to be blood mixed with Darkness. "But I'm glad that to see you again, Paige Avery."

"I can't say the same for you," she said while shaking her head. "I almost didn't recognize you since you already threw away your physical body."

She suspected that Lukas sacrificed himself in order to corrupt the entire Light Temple.

Although the temple had been abandoned a long time ago, the Blessed Light that protected it all this time was still strong. But no thanks to Lukas and the Darkness that he swallowed the Light Temple with, the blessing had faded away.

[Is that their goal?]

"This is but a small sacrifice for my liege's sake," Lukas said, grinning. "If I can help my liege reach his goal by dying, then I'll gladly leave this world…"

"Don't be delusional," she said as she stabbed her parasol into his heart deeper. "You're not dying for the sake of your liege. You're dying by my hands because you tried to harm the people that my princess cherishes."

"Your princess, huh?" Lukas said, pain replacing the mirth in his eyes. "Paige Avery, my liege isn't Princess Neoma de Moonasterio's biggest enemy. We shouldn't be fighting."

"We won't be fighting if you're not messing with Princess Neoma and her people."

Lukas just laughed.

"Paige Avery, watch out!"

She was startled by West's warning.

Before she could comprehend what happened, she already found herself in the White Tiger's arms as he carried her princess-style. Then he jumped away from Lukas.

She soon realized why the Soul Beast did that.

[That's…]

A strange child appeared right in front of Lukas, exactly on the spot where she stood before West scooped her up.

[Red eyes…?]

A god?

The child with red eyes in front of her was dressed like a noble, but she could tell that he was a lot older than his physical appearance suggested. Moreover, the child couldn't be human.

[Only gods have red eyes.]

"Helstor?" Paige Avery wondered out loud. "The God of Eternal Darkness?"

The "child" smiled and bowed to her like the gentleman that he was trying to be.

"It's an honor to meet a Light Mage like you, Paige Avery," Helstor said cheerfully. "I…" His eyebrows knitted when he realized what she had just done while he was introducing himself. "You're already leaving?"

Yes, that was right.

As soon as she realized that the "child" was the God of Eternal Darkness, she immediately cast a teleportation spell over her and West. Now their bodies were turning translucent. It was already too late for Helstor to stop them, even if he wanted to.

"Why are you running away?" Helstor asked, laughing. "Are you just going to leave Lukas here after locking him up here for years?"

"He has already served his purpose," she said. "You can take him back, Lord Helstor. I'm not sure if he'll live long, though. After all, I already smashed his Core."

The god chuckled. "Aren't you going to fight me?"

"I'm afraid I'm not that great to challenge a god."

"You should give some of your humility to your arrogant princess, Paige Avery."

"Princess Neoma is already a lost cause, my lord."

"That, I agree," the god said, laughing again. "I still didn't expect you to run away as soon as you saw me. Don't you have questions for me? A mage like you is always curious about everything, after all."

"Of course, I am curious about a lot of things about you, Lord Helstor," she admitted. "However, Princess Neoma told me to value my life over my curiosity. She also told us to never fight battles that we cannot win unless we absolutely have to. That's why I chose to run away instead of confronting you."

"Your princess raised you well, Paige Avery."

"That, she did."

"Tell Neoma de Moonasterio that I will pay her a visit soon," Helstor said, then he smiled "innocently" as if he was a pure-hearted child. "Until then, I hope she suffers greatly for me to continue enjoying the delicious taste of her despair."

West scoffed. "What a sicko."

She had to agree with the White Tiger silently.

"I will relay your message to Princess Neoma, Lord Helstor," Paige said, then she bowed to him. A god was still a god, after all. When she raised her head, she looked at Helstor straight in the eye while smiling haughtily. "Until then, please stay healthy so that our beloved princess can beat you up to her heart's content later."

***

NO MATTER how Nikolai looked at it, he was certain that the 'Juliet Dalton' in front of him was Juliet Sloane– the supposedly dead empress.

[Her Mana, aura, and even the beauty mark below her left eye…]

His gut feeling also told him that it was the real Juliet Sloane.

But he couldn't simply declare it.

[I don't know where Juliet came from, so I should be careful. Even though I do not want to suspect her, this situation is bizarre. I can't fully trust a person connected to the crows– even if it was the former empress.]

"Your Majesty, may I follow my son?" Juliet asked hesitantly. "I'm worried about Calyx, so…"

"You and Calyx Dalton are coming back to me and my son to the Royal Palace," Nikolai said indifferently. "Geoffrey, escort the lady to the palace."

Geoffrey Kinsley, who was standing behind him, bowed. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

"Y-Your Majesty, why do we have to come with you to the palace?" Juliet asked, obviously scared. "Did we do something wrong?"

"Calyx Dalton has the traits of the de Moonasterios," he explained calmly. "We have to investigate whether he's a member of the Royal Family or not. Moreover, your identity is suspicious, so we have to investigate you, too."

"I-I'm suspicious? What does Your Majesty mean by that…?"

"Juliet Dalton, you look exactly like the late empress."

Juliet looked shocked.

[Why is she reacting that way? The Daltons live in the countryside, but it's still a part of the empire. They must know what the late empress looks like.]

His suspicions towards Juliet grew bigger, even though it pained him to suspect her.

Juliet looked hesitant. "Must we really go to the Royal Palace, Your Majesty? To be honest, this is the first time that I've seen my son in a long while, so I'd like to spend more time with him in private first."

"The issue regarding your identity and your son's background is more important than your little reunion," Nikolai said indifferently, then he turned his back on Juliet. "It will be for your own good if you cooperate with us, Juliet Dalton."

***

NEOMA wanted to push Calyx Dalton away from her, but she couldn't do it– not when many eyes were following her movements. Moreover, she and the crow psycho couldn't even move because students blocked the arena's exit.

A certain group of aggressive and very curious individuals "ambushed" them.

[Student Journalists, huh?]

The big press IDs hanging around the neck of each Student Journalist told her so.

Just like the journalists and reporters back in the modern world, the young press people in the empire were also annoying. They were blocking her way while throwing questions meant to rile her up.

"Prince Nero, do you admit that you've gone overboard earlier?"

"Does Your Royal Highness have anger management issues?"

"Let's address the elephant in the room– Prince Nero, did you try to kill Lord Calyx because he'll become a threat to you once he proves his legitimacy as a de Moonasterio?"

[I quit the entertainment industry early because of my hatred towards D*spatch and other similar news outlets, but now I have to deal with shitty reporters again. Gosh, this is the price I have to pay for being born a superstar.]

Thankfully, the Student Journalists were forced to give her and Calyx Dalton more room when Raven and Lewis finally reached them.

She instantly handed Calyx Dalton to his "butler."

[Good riddance.]

Lewis, on the other hand, stood in front of her protectively– effectively making the Student Journalists step away from her out of fear.

[I can't see Lewis's face at the moment, but he definitely looks murderous.]

Now it was time for her to do her job as the Crown Prince.

"Everyone, the Royal Family will have a press conference soon," Neoma said as calmly as she could. She wasn't smiling because she didn't want these little shitheads to think that she was taking the situation lightly. She chose to maintain a serene face– not too carefree, not too serious. "We will answer your questions by then. For now, please let us through. Lord Calyx needs immediate medical attention."

Of course, the annoying pests didn't listen to her.

They still asked her the same things again and again.

This time, the Student Journalists were more curious about Calyx Dalton's real identity than her questionable behavior during the match earlier.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think this is the right time for us to answer your questions," Calyx Dalton said, acting as if he was embarrassed by the attention. "I'm worried about Prince Nero. He also needs medical attention."

She smiled when Calyx Dalton turned to her with a "worried" look on his face.

[Someone took acting lessons, too, huh?]

Despite her and Calyx Dalton's act, the Student Journalists didn't listen to them. The little shitheads still tried to approach them.

This time, both Raven and Lewis stepped up.

"You're all putting Prince Nero and Young Master Calyx in danger by blocking them from getting medical attention," Raven said sternly. "If something were to go wrong, would you take responsibility?" The old crow smiled at the students. "You haven't forgotten that His Majesty is here, have you?"

Raven's threat worked.

The Student Journalists– who obviously got scared when the emperor was mentioned– finally made way for them. They were still throwing bomb questions at them, though. But it was easy to ignore them now that she and Calyx Dalton could walk properly.

"Will Your Royal Highness receive medical attention here?" one of the male Student Journalists asked.

Neoma smiled at the student before she answered calmly. For some reason, she didn't like the vibes from the dude who asked that weird question. "My personal doctor is here, so I'll receive treatment from him."

She knew that Greko was already here, since Aurora– the maknae's Spirit Guardian – already reached out to her earlier. Jeno Dankworth was here, too.

The suspicious male Student Journalist smirked. "Is there a particular reason why Your Royal Highness can't receive treatment from the academy's doctor?"

Ohh.

[This dude is aiming at something.]

"Yes, there's a reason for that and it's called 'royal protocol,'" Lewis, who rarely talked to other people, said– shocking Neoma and the students. Most of the female students blushed, so they must have been shocked not because Lewis spoke but because his voice was hot. "We're not allowed to touch and see the sacred body of the Royal Family members, especially the ones in line for the throne. Only the people with authorization from His Majesty could do that."

The sly Student Journalist frowned. "But the Crown Prince is hurt–"

"Prince Nero's condition isn't life-threatening, so His Royal Highness doesn't need to receive immediate medical attention from the academy's doctor," Lewis said sternly, cutting off the weird dude. "Thank you for your concern, though."

She had to bite her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling, but her chest swelled up with pride.

[I'm so proud of you, Lewis.]

She thought the issue was over, but the sly dude wasn't done yet.

"I believe I have a reason to be suspicious," the sly Student Journalist insisted. "There's a rumor that says Your Royal Highness has a twin sister."

[I know– we're the ones who spread that rumor.]

She smiled apologetically. "As I said earlier, the Royal Family will schedule a press conference to answer your questions, so for now–"

"There's also a rumor that says Your Royal Highness is not the real Crown Prince."

Okay, she was shocked this time.

But thankfully, she was an expert in controlling her emotions.

[That rumor didn't come from our side. Moreover, if such a rumor is spreading in the empire, it would have reached us by now.]

"What does he mean by that?"

"The Crown Prince isn't the real Crow Prince?"

"That's ridiculous."

"Who is that guy again?"

"Isn't he the kid who got kicked out of the Journalism Club because he spread a fake news about Lady Lara?"

"But it wasn't totally "fake," it was just exaggerated."

[Tsk.]

Now people were talking.

"I'm telling the truth!" the sly Student Journalist (that was apparently kicked out already) insisted. "I heard that the Prince Nero in front of us right now is actually the hidden royal princess because the real Prince Nero is sick!"

She was shocked even more now.

[That's too detailed to be a mere rumor.]

She immediately turned to Calyx Dalton and Raven. Other people may have not noticed, but those two crow bastards were smiling. Her blood boiled instantly.

[It's them– they spread that "rumor" to the students here!]

"Student, will you take responsibility?" Lewis asked in a calm yet cold voice. "We will hold you responsible for ruining the reputation of the Crown Prince."

She liked how Lewis sounded confident and intimidating, but…

[Fuck, that sly dude will definitely ask me to prove that I'm the real Crown Prince.]

"Please stop this," Calyx Dalton said in a "concerned" voice. "How do you want His Royal Highness to prove that he's the real Crown Prince anyway?"

Fuck this crow psycho for adding fuel to the fire.

[They're so adamant about fucking me up today, huh?]

"My source gave me a tip," the sly ex-Student Journalist said. "He said that the choker around Prince Nero's neck is a device used to change his voice." The sly dude had the nerve to look her in the eye. "Prince Nero, please remove your choker. If your voice doesn't change, then I'll pay for my mistake with my life."

For the first time, Neoma felt sick to the stomach.

[I don't know how to get out of this…]

The students around them were now whispering loudly, and some were even egging on her to remove her choker.

"It's just a simple process…"

"Why is His Royal Highness hesitating?"

"Removing a choker won't harm him unless he doesn't want to because he's hiding something."

"Perhaps it's true that where there's smoke, there's fire."

Neoma saw the Lewis was about to snap, so she was about to speak up when all of a sudden, she coughed up another chunk of blood while falling to the ground.

[Wait, why do I feel dizzy?]

***

[AH, IT'S game over.]

Calyx stopped himself from grinning when the royal princess, Neoma de Moonasterio, coughed up blood and fainted to the ground.

It was probably just an act to avoid the accusation thrown at her.

But even if she had avoided it today, the students and the rest of the population would definitely become suspicious of her now.

<"Calyx,"> Uncle Raven said, speaking in his mind. <"Act like you're worried about the royal princess.">

"Everyone, please give room for the Crown Prince," Calyx said, "concerned." He was supposed to squat down and carry the royal princess in his arms, but Lewis Crevan, who was already kneeling beside her, glared at him. He just shrugged. [Whatever, we already won anyway.]

"Lewis, I'm fine."

Ohh.

He raised an eyebrow when the royal princess woke up, then she got up on her own…

… while removing the choker on her neck.

He turned to his Uncle Raven and, just like him, his uncle looked surprised.

"What's the big deal with this choker?" the royal princess asked when she stood up, then she threw the choker on the ground while wiping the blood off her mouth with her hand. "Are you happy now?"

Calyx's eyes went wide. [Her voice didn't change!]

"Or do you want me to strip in front of you?" the royal princess asked, then she smirked and removed her jacket.

"Your Royal Highness," Lewis said in a panic. "Please stop."

"No, I don't want my new schoolmates to think that I'm hiding something," the royal princess said, then she removed her vest and necktie. After that, she unbuttoned her shirt. "If you want to see my body that much, then just say so."

The students around them fell silent.

Now, the royal princess's chest and stomach were exposed…

… and they looked like they belonged to the body of a young boy.

Calyx, on the other hand, froze when the realization hit him.

[This is the real Prince Nero!]

But how?

***

[IT MUST be recent.]

Mona suspected that it hadn't been too long since Kyle Sprouse had betrayed Nikolai.

She also believed that the count's betrayal had something to do with Juliet's sudden return. But after she imprisoned Kyle Sprouse in one of the guest rooms in the palace (that she locked with her power), the count refused to open his mouth.

[I can't force a confession out of him since I don't have the authority to do so. Kyle is still a noble, an influential one at that, so I can't be careless.]

Thus, for now, she returned to Nero's room to check on her son.

[I should inform Nero about Juliet's return, too.]

"Nero…" Mona trailed off when she realized that Nero and William weren't in the room. Of course, she panicked right away. "Nero, where are you…?"

***

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