Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"WE'RE HERE, Prince Nero."

Nero just put his teacup down on the saucer, then he stood up to greet his guests.

Despite his personal (and negative) feelings for Calyx Dalton and Lady Juliet Sloane, his manners didn't allow him to be rude. Not in front of the servants, at least. After all, he was still raised and groomed as a proper royal prince.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation, Lord Calyx, Lady Sloane," Nero said. He looked indifferent, but he talked politely. Then he pointed at the table with both of his hands as a sign of respect. "Please join me for breakfast."

Yes, he invited Calyx Dalton and Lady Juliet Sloane for breakfast.

Right now, they were in the main dining hall of the Blanco Palace– his official residence. A sumptuous feast was spread on the table. In fact, even by the royal standards, the amount of food on the table was still too much for three people.

However, as the current acting emperor, he had to show off.

"Thank you for inviting us, Your Royal Highness," Lady Juliet Sloane said, bowing her head towards him. "It's an honor to have breakfast with you."

[Yes, you should be honored.]

However, he just kept it in his thoughts.

Then he gestured for his esteemed guests to take a seat.

He was seated at the center of the table, of course. After all, he had the highest rank among them.

Calyx Dalton, that thick-skinned bastard, sat on the chair on his right side.

On the other hand, Lady Juliet Sloane sat on his left side.

When the three of them started eating, Nero asked the servants to leave. Except for Lewis, of course. The fox boy remained standing near the entrance.

"Father and Mother are scheduled to arrive in the afternoon," Nero announced while spreading butter on his toast. Unlike Neoma, he didn't like having a hearty breakfast. Bread was enough to make him full in the morning. "After that, we'll talk about having Lord Calyx added to the Royal Household."

Lady Juliet Sloane looked relieved. "Thank you for acknowledging my son as a de Moonasterio, Prince Nero. I thought Emperor Nikolai wouldn't accept Calyx as his son."

"We acknowledge that Lord Calyx is a de Moonasterio," Nero said. "But I didn't say he'd be accepted as Father's son."

The former empress looked confused by what he said.

"Then how would be I added to the Royal Household if I wasn't acknowledged as Emperor Nikolai's son?" Calyx asked, confused. "I should be added as Emperor Nikolai's son."

"Does it matter?" Nero asked casually. "It doesn't change the fact that you'd be a royal prince, anyway. And being a royal prince means you get the right to steal the throne from me."

To be honest, he and his father were planning to add Calyx as the emperor's nephew. But they were still debating about it since Princess Nichole de Moonasterio, his father's twin sister, was still alive.

[But, of course, the general public doesn't know that the Princess Royal isn't dead yet.]

"And anyway, you only need to be recognized as a royal prince," Nero said, turning to Calyx. Then he smiled "sweetly" at him. "Now the crows get the lovely opportunity to kill me and make you the emperor, Lord Calyx."

Calyx frowned at his remark. "Prince Nero, why do you always say that I'll kill you when I don't intend to do that?"

He just let out a sarcastic laugh, then he took a bite of his toast.

"Prince Nero, why do you speak like that towards my son? I don't know what crows are. But if those things are harmful to the royal family, then I can confidently say that Calyx isn't related to them," Lady Sloane, who stopped eating her salad, asked. Judging by the frown on her face, the former empress looked obviously upset. "My son and I already told Your Royal Highness that we're not interested in the throne, so we will not fight for it. Calyx only wants to be with his family."

"Lady Sloane," Nero said, "smiling." "You've played dumb for fifteen years already, and I'd like it if you continue doing so. Please, just eat your salad quietly and pretend that you hear nothing."

The former empress's face turned red from embarrassment.

Calyx, on the other hand, looked like he didn't care that Nero just humiliated his mother.

[For someone who claims that they love each other dearly, Lady Sloane and Calyx don't look close at all. If someone humiliated Neoma in front of me, I would kill that person on the spot. I won't just sit there like what Calyx is doing.]

"Prince Nero, are you still suspicious of me?" Lady Sloane asked, hurt. "If that's the case, then why did you agree to acknowledge Calyx as a member of the Royal Family?"

"Because watching a circus show in the first row is more fun," Nero said, smirking. "I'm the Crown Prince, so I'm entitled to get the best seat to watch the play that you obviously orchestrated for the Royal Family, anyway."

Lady Sloane's face turned red even more. "You're being rude, Prince Nero."

"I am, and I'm doing you a favor, Lady Sloane," Nero said indifferently. "My twin sister is the epitome of 'rude.' If you can't handle my insolence, then pray to your gods that you don't cross paths with Neoma. You won't last a minute with her if you're that sensitive."

But, of course, his precious twin sister was only rude to people rude to her.

[Neoma's behavior depends on how you treat her, after all.]

"Stop talking about Princess Neoma," Calyx Dalton complained. "You're making my stomach upset, Prince Nero."

[Do I look like I care?]

"If I already made the two of you upset, then my duty for today is done," Nero said, wiping his mouth off using the table napkin. Then he stood up and lightly bowed his head, smirking. "Enjoy your meal, Lord Calyx, Lady Sloane."

***

NEOMA was still as sleepy as hell.

But she was a working girl, so she had no choice but to suck it up.

She woke up at the crack of dawn, took a bath for hours with the help of Juri and Paige, and got ready. The only saving grace of working this time was she was free to wear pretty dresses now– just like what she wore for today.

But since she was keeping a low profile, she chose a simple maroon dress that went well with her black ankle boots.

And her hair?

"Short hair looks good on you, too, Princess Neoma," Paige said after putting the wig on her. "I guess you'll still be pretty even if you get bald."

Juri nodded in agreement. "Princess Neoma's face is small."

"I know, right?" Neoma agreed, then she covered her mouth when she yawned. "Mama Boss and Papa Boss's genes are the best– I'm their best masterpiece."

Nero, too, since they had the same face.

"Do you have to make a wig, though?" Juri asked Paige. "Don't you just use a potion before to make Princess Neoma's longer? I'm sure you can make a potion that makes hair short, too."

"Princess Neoma intends to keep her hair long this time," Paige explained. "Using too much potion might damage her hair. We have to keep Her Royal Highness's hair luscious."

"Ah, I see," Juri said, nodding. Then she turned to Neoma. "Princess Neoma, I'm sure you'll give Ruston Stroganoff a heart attack."

"That's the plan," Neoma said, smiling. "Ruto actually invited me for breakfast."

***

NEOMA got the reaction she wanted from Ruto as soon as she entered the dining hall in the Cyran Temple.

Ruto looked shocked while looking at her short hair.

The wig that Paige made for her was actually shorter than she expected. It didn't even reach her shoulders. But it framed her small face, so she knew she still looked good.

"You… cut your hair."

"Thanks for noticing," Neoma said, then she sat on the chair that Ruto pulled for her. "But why do you look shocked? Does it not suit me?"

"It's not like that," Ruto said, then he got down on one knee while looking up at her with a worried look on his face. "But the ladies in the West Continent cut their hair short when they get their heart broken. Did I break your heart?"

"What made you think that you can break my heart?" she asked, playing snobbish. "What if there's another boy who can break my heart?"

"There's no one like that in your life except me."

That caught her off guard.

Of course, Ruto wasn't wrong. But she didn't want to admit that easily.

"There's Rubin Drayton, you know?"

"I'm not worried about that," Ruto said bluntly. "Aren't you on your way to kill him anyway?"

Again, Ruto wasn't wrong.

"Gosh, don't make my heart flutter until you retrieved your memories," she scolded him. "You have to make it up to me once you remember everything. I know that it's my fault that you lost your memories. But I still miss the Ruto who spoils me."

"How do you want me to spoil you?"

[Gosh, I just told him not to make my heart flutter.]

"Are you sure about that, Mr. Ruston Stroganoff?" she asked. "I'm high-maintenance, you know? Plus, I'm materialistic and I enjoy luxury."

He tilted his head to one side as if he was confused. "I'm rich, though?"

"I know," she said. "But I'm sought-after. In a bad way. I have a lot of enemies."

"It's alright, I'm strong."

She smirked. "Fine, you passed. I'm giving you the right to spoil me."

"Thank you," he said, then he turned serious. "Neoma."

She had to stop herself from smiling goofily when Ruto called her by her name again, finally dropping the 'Princess' at the start. "Yeah?"

"I decided to have my burn mark removed," Ruto said solemnly. "But I need to physically ascend to the Upper World in order to meet Lord Levi, so I don't know how long I'm going to be gone."

Neoma was surprised. "You can ascend to the Upper World?"

***

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