Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

AFTER NEOMA declared that she wasn't someone who enjoyed sacrificing herself for other people, Greko and Trevor just looked at her with pity in their eyes.

[Why are they looking at me like that…?]

She got distracted when she felt faint divine energy in the air.

Hence, she immediately focused on Juri and Paige on the frontline.

Juri, as expected of the Tank that she was, plowed through the enemies by hitting them with her sledgehammer…

… while laughing like a lunatic.

[Ahem.]

Paige, on the other hand, had turned her white parasol into a rapier sword. The mage sliced her enemies in an elegant manner as if she was dancing ballet instead of going on a killing spree.

[These crows are weak.]

By "crows," she meant the assassins that were obviously sent by the Crowells. At first, the enemies came at them in their bird form. Then they turned into their human form in order to attack her.

But, obviously, Juri and Paige wouldn't let the assassins near her.

Aside from that, she already protected her children with a Coat– the type of barrier that covered a person's entire body. At first, she could only use a Coat on herself. But since she was a genius, it didn't take her long to learn how to extend her barrier to the people she wanted to protect. And since she had overflowing Mana, she could cover all her children with Coats easily.

Hence, Juri, Paige, and Jeno could focus more on attacking instead of defending against the crows.

[Yep, I'm sure that we're fighting against crows.]

After all, she could feel the disgusting Darkness from them– the Darkness that was unique to the Crowells.

[They're not the source of the faint divine energy I feel in the air.]

And the divine energy still lingered even after her children had gotten rid of all the crows that appeared earlier.

[Someone else is coming.]

"Juri, Paige, Jeno!" Neoma yelled, calling her children's attention. "Behind me– now!"

She didn't have to say it twice.

Her children all hid behind her as soon as she said the word.

After that, she stood up and created a Dome strong enough to stand an attack created by divine energy.

In just the blink of an eye, the Dome was hit by several collisions between them.

"Ah, they came out," Trevor said, amused. "The lions."

The demon boy was correct.

Three big lions collided with the Dome that she created. However, after that, the lions didn't make any movement at all. The beasts just kept on growling low while circling them.

[But they're not hostile.]

"Trevor."

"Yes, my Moon Princess?"

"Are they the lions that abducted Xion and Gin?"

"I'm not sure if they're exactly the same lions, but those three are definitely Beastmen so they probably came from the same Lion Tribe."

'Beastmen.'

As its name suggested, Beastmen were the type of people who could shapeshift according to their tribe or class.

[This is my first name meeting Beastmen.]

Apparently, the Lion Tribe abducted her son.

[But they don't feel dangerous.]

And she trusted her gut feeling.

"I'm going to remove the Dome," Neoma announced while clenching her hand tight. "Be on your guard, but do not attack the lions."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness," her children said at the same time.

As soon as she unclenched her hand, the Dome vanished.

Despite the barrier collapsing, the lions didn't attack them.

[As expected, they're not here to fight.]

But she didn't know why the lions collided with her Dome earlier.

[Well, let's just ask them.]

"Hello, kids," Neoma greeted the three lions circling them cheerfully. "Don't be alarmed. I know that my beauty is out of this world, but I'm just an ordinary lady–"

The lions growled at her at the same time she heard a strange sound in her head.

[Oh?]

However, Trevor and her children were startled, so they suddenly raised their weapons against the lions who growled again.

"Don't attack the kids," Neoma said sternly. "They're not growling because they're angry– they're laughing."

Everyone looked at her strangely.

"Princess Neoma, could it be that you can hear their thoughts?" Paige asked curiously. "Beastmen in their beast form is said to be similar to Spirits. And since Princess Neoma is a Roseheart, perhaps…?"

"That's right," Neoma confirmed while nodding. "I can hear the kids talking."

The lions sounded young in her head, so she called them 'kids.'

<"She's pretty, strong, and arrogant!">

<"Then she must be the person we're looking for!">

<"Yes– she's definitely Xion's mother!">

Neoma giggled while listening to the kids' conversation. "They called me Xion's "mother.""

Her children's face beamed right away.

"That means Xion hyung is with them," Greko said happily. "Is that right, eomma?"

She smiled and nodded. "You're right, maknae-ah."

"Xion would rather kill himself than speak Princess Neoma's name to the enemies," Juri said, smiling. "If Xion mentioned Princess Neoma to the lions, then it can only mean that we can trust them."

Jeno nodded in agreement. "And now we've also confirmed that he's still alive."

"Yes," Neoma agreed, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'll ask the kids to take us to Xion."

"My Moon Princess," Trevor said while smiling brightly at her. "Can you also ask the kids if Gin is alright–"

Neoma pushed Trevor with her left hand as soon as she noticed the sudden shift in the air.

Then she raised her right hand and created a plate-like barrier to block the dagger aimed at where the demon boy was standing a moment ago.

However, much to her shock, her barrier BROKE and the dagger changed its trajection.

"Princess Neoma!"

She understood why Trevor and her children cried out her name.

After all, the dagger pierced through her hand. Not only did she bled, but her hand also turned black slowly as if it was rotting. Ah, she was poisoned by Darkness.

And it hurt like hell.

"Fucking shit," Neoma said coldly, her eyes glowing red by now. "Someone wants to have a private tour in my Hellgate tonight, huh?"

***

NERO dropped the teacup when his right hand suddenly turned numb.

And it hurt like crazy.

[Neoma…?]

"Nero!" her mother, whom he was having tea with, immediately stood up and squatted down in front of him. With just one snap of his mother's fingers, the broken pieces of the teacup floated and turned into ashes. "Did you get burned?"

He shook his head and was about to tell his mother that the tea wasn't burning hot, but he was interrupted when the door to the tearoom burst open.

"What happened?" his father asked as soon as he saw the residue of the ashes in the air. "Are you both alright?"

"I'm fine, but Nero's tea spilled on his legs…"

"I'm alright, Mother," he assured her. "I'm not burned. But…" He looked at his hand that was placed on the table idly. "I can't move my right hand, and it hurts so much that I feel like passing out."

He wasn't being sarcastic.

Although he said that with a blank look on his face, it really hurt. However, he tried his best to remain calm and analyze the strange sensation in his hand.

"Mother, Father, I believe it's poison–"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because as soon as the word 'poison' came out of his mouth, his parents' bloodlust leaked out and it made him shiver.

[My parents can be a little scary, huh?]

His mother stood up and opened her hand, a light pink energy ball materializing above her plan. "I'll take the poison out of Nero's body."

His father nodded in agreement. "I'll personally arrest everyone in the kitchen first."

"Mother, Father, please calm down and let me finish first," Nero said, proceeding to explain right away before his parents got the chance to overreact again. "I'm not saying that I was the one who got poisoned."

It only took a second for his parents to get what he was saying.

His mother covered her mouth when she gasped. "Then, Neoma…"

"Neoma's presence disappeared the moment she entered Leoflor Island since it's a place that can't be reached by gods' blessings," his father said worriedly. "The fact that you felt the same pain that your twin sister is probably going through only means that…"

"It must have hurt a lot for the pain to reach me even though Neoma is supposed to be temporarily erased from this world," Nero said in a very cold voice, then he stood up with his entire right hand limping from numbness. "Please excuse me for a moment, Father, Mother."

[I have a crazy bastard to torture first.]

***

THERE.

Neoma didn't waste time.

As soon as she felt the assailant move to change locations after throwing the poisonous dagger, she summoned her wings and shot up to the sky.

If she had her Moonglow, her wings would have turned purple.

However, since she could only use her Roseheart Blood at the moment, her wings remained red since they were made of red roses.

"Don't follow me!" Neoma yelled because she felt the presence of the crows again. This time, the group that arrived was stronger than the small fries that her children took care of earlier. "Protect Greko and the lions!"

Her children seemed to have obeyed her orders.

Unfortunately, there was one who didn't fall under that category.

However, she didn't have the time to argue since she almost caught up with the assailant who must be using flight magic to fly like S*perman. It was a black-haired man dressed in all black. And judging by his body build, it seemed like he was older than her.

[I got you now, bastard!]

Neoma grabbed the collar of the assailant.

However, it disappeared as soon as she touched it.

[Wow, what a slippery bastard.]

She didn't have the time to curse the assailant more, though.

After all, she was forced to stop flying further when the assailant suddenly appeared in front of her. She couldn't really see his face, though. After all, the young man wore a turtleneck shirt that covered half of his face.

However, the young man's ears were pretty eye-catching.

[This is the first time I've seen someone with as many piercings as Trevor does.]

"As expected of the royal princess," the assailant said while pulling down the mask that covered half of his face. "I'm sorry, but I'm not here to play with you."

Wow.

That handsome face…

That vast magic power…

Those earrings and piercings…

"Dude," Neoma said, a little shocked while staring at the young man. "You're like the poor man's version of Trevor."

***

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