Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"CHILDREN, are you all okay?" Neoma asked her "children" as soon as her feet landed on the ground. And gosh, she felt like a hero in a romance fantasy novel since she landed with the unconscious Trevor in her arms. "Is anyone hurt?"

Thankfully, the children and the lions were still in the part of the forest where she left them earlier.

[And they look okay.]

It seemed like the children and the lions had huddled together when the celestial rocks turned into magma after she melted them by using Tteokbokki's fire.

[Good job, my babies.]

Anyway, instead of answering her right away, her "children" all glared at the unconscious Trevor in her arms as if the demon boy had committed a grave sin.

[Gosh, my babies are so protective of me.]

Hence, when Jeno approached her, she didn't argue and just handed Trevor to his son.

Then Jeno draped the unconscious demon boy over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

[Trevor, the children don't respect you, I'm afraid…]

"We're all fine, Princess Neoma. We should be the one asking you if you're alright," Paige said worriedly. "The celestial rocks that the crow summoned were one of the greatest spells a sorcerer could summon. I can't believe that you managed to melt them just like that…"

"Oh?" Neoma asked, shrugging. "Is that supposed to be hard?"

"Your Royal Highness is very impressive, as expected," Paige said, nodding. Then her eyes darted to Trevor who was hanging over Jeno's shoulder. "But Trevor's ability as a sorcerer is also impressive. To make the magma disappear like that…"

"He fainted, though."

"It's already impressive that he only fainted, Princess Neoma. If it was some other sorcerer, then they would have died or combusted," Paige said, obviously in awe of the demon boy. "I doubt it if the crow sorcerer could achieve the same feat. Making the celestial rocks disappear is a bigger achievement than summoning them."

It was cute to see Paige fangirling over Trevor's magical abilities as a sorcerer.

[Well, if I remember it correctly, mages like Paige study the magic spells or devices that sorcerers like Trevor invent.]

"Paige, it's fine if you praise the demon boy when he's unconscious," Juri said, putting a hand on her hip. "But don't do it when he's awake, okay? Let's thank him later, but let's not stroke his ego. That insolent boy is applying to be our "father," after all."

Jeno nodded in agreement. "He might think that we already approve of him if we praise him too much."

"Oh," Paige said, gasping and covering her mouth with her hands. "I almost forgot that."

"But I think it's okay. Trevor hyung isn't much of a threat," Greko said seriously. "The person that we should keep an eye on the most is Ruto hyung. You see, out of all eomma's suitors, Ruto hyung is the most dangerous because he cooks well– and eomma will choose a delicious meal over an eye-candy any time."

Neoma almost laughed when Paige, Juri, and Jeno nodded seriously at Greko's remark.

[Greko… might be my most overprotective and obsessive child.]

Thankfully, she was distracted when the three lions approached her.

Like what the lions did earlier, they talked in her mind again.

<"Princess Neoma, you're amazing!">

<"Xion wasn't lying when he bragged about Your Royal Highness!">

<"And you're so pretty when fighting!">

Neoma smirked, happy to be complimented for her strength and beauty. "Kids, can you take us to where Xion is?"

And the response of the lions came in unison.

<"Of course, Princess Neoma!">

"Thank you," Neoma said, then she snapped her fingers. "But first…"

Tteokbokki, still in his human form, appeared in front of her. "What now, thug princess?"

"Tsk," Neoma complained when she had to look up while talking to Tteokbokki because he towered over her. "Why are you taller than me?"

Tteokbokki looked smug when he shrugged. "I don't know, but I enjoy the view," he said, laughing. "The top of your head looks pretty from here, thug princess."

SNAP.

Her children, who obviously noticed that her patience just snapped, slowly backed away from her.

Greko even silently guided the lions away from her.

[Good job, kids.]

Only the arrogant Tteokbokki remained clueless.

"Should I break your kneecaps?" Neoma asked, smirking as her eyes turned glowing red. "Or should I turn you into a baby dragon again?"

She didn't know if the latter was possible, but she knew she could do anything that she put her mind into.

[I'm Neoma, after all.]

It looked like the red dragon finally realized she was pissed because the arrogant look on his face disappeared.

"I'll kneel," Tteokbokki said, then he got down on one knee while looking up at her. "Happy now?"

"Very much so," Neoma said, smiling. Her eyes returned to their original color. But she remained serious. "Tteokbokki, I need you to go to Nero and report to him personally."

"No can do," Tteokbokki said firmly. "I can't leave you alone. You already lost your Moonglow. What will you do without your Soul Beast?"

"I'll be fine, and my children are with me," she said. She didn't have any intention to back down. "You have to go to Nero directly using the dimension that only the Soul Beasts like you could use." She put her hand in the pocket of her skirt, then she pulled out a recording device that looked like a marble. "Give this to Nero. It contains the conversation that Trevor and I had with Dilan Crowell earlier."

Yep, she recorded their long and meaningful conversation earlier.

If there was one thing that she had learned from her modern life, it was to always keep a "receipt." She didn't have a phone in this world. But recording devices existed here. They were expensive and rare, but it was no problem for a royal like her.

[Too bad I didn't use a video recording device.]

She thought Dilan Crowell would notice, hence she settled for an audio-recording device instead.

"Why don't you just call Prince Nero and explain everything to him?" Tteokbokki asked, confused. "Do I really have to go there?"

"Tteokbokki, I wouldn't have asked you to go to Nero directly if I could just communicate with him," she said seriously. "I'm about to faint, and I don't know how long I'm going to stay passed out. Hence, I need you to deliver my message to Nero as soon as possible. Just come back when you're done."

"Wait!" Tteokbokki, who looked confused and scared, said. "You're going to faint?!"

"Yeah. My sheer arrogance is the only reason why I'm still standing," she said. "I used Skewer and my Roseheart Blood without holding back. Usually, my Moonglow and my divine power work together to supplement me with extra stamina. But I don't have them right now. This body is still the body of a thirteen-year-old child, so I need to rest."

After explaining, she turned to her "children" who looked obviously worried about her.

Ah, she felt guilty.

She was the person who shouldn't faint at times like this, but she forgot to hold back since Dilan Crowell wasn't a small-fry.

[I'll reflect on my recklessness.]

"Paige, I leave everything to you," Neoma said seriously. "Jeno, use your Mist to cover our movements from this moment onwards."

And, just like that, Neoma fainted.

***

"HOW CAN they do something like that?"

Nero looked at Hanna who appeared to be disgusted after hearing the audio recording that he received from Neoma's Soul Beast.

He was with his fiancé while having tea with her when Tteokbokki appeared.

Thankfully, the two of them decided to have tea inside his palace instead of in the garden. He didn't want the spies in the royal palace to see his twin sister's Soul Beast.

"Now that I delivered it directly to you, I'm leaving," Tteokbokki, in his human form, said in a hurry. "Ah, the thug princess didn't leave a particular message because she said you're smart enough to figure out why she sent you that recording."

"Is Neoma alright?" Nero asked. "Why did she have to send you here when she could have sent a message?"

"The thug princess fainted."

He let out a sigh. "Did she overdo it?"

"We melted celestial rocks and turned them into magma."

Ah, Neoma definitely overdid it.

Hanna, on the other hand, gasped softly. "I didn't know celestial rocks can be melted…"

Tteokbokki shrugged. "What the thug princess wants, the thug princess gets."

Nero and Hanna both agreed with that remark silently.

"You may leave now," Nero said to the Soul Beast. "Tell Neoma to take better care of herself."

Tteokbokki just nodded, then he disappeared in a burst of red flame.

"Nero, we should inform His Majesty about this," Hanna said when there were only the two of them left in the tearoom. "The crows' cruel experiment involves creating children from the Seeds and Beads of outstanding individuals in the world. I have a feeling that the Seeds and Beads that they used were stolen or taken forcibly."

That was what he was thinking as well.

But something else bothered him.

"We've already confirmed the existence of a boy created from the Seed of a Kesser," he said carefully. "And the crow also hinted that a child with Roseheart Blood exists, too." He turned to his fiancée because he knew that Hanna was quick to catch on. "The Kesser and the Roseheart. Do you know what they have in common, Hanna?"

"They were both a part of the founding members of the empire that fell from grace," his fiancée said. "Moreover, two of the original Four Pillars were a Kesser and a Roseheart…"

Nero nodded firmly. "My mother once had a vision that Neoma would gain four guardians, and we believe Mother was talking about the Four Pillars: the Heart, the Fangs, the Contractor, and the Shadow. It seems like the crows are copying their existence." He paused for a moment before he continued. "But three out of the families that produced the Four Pillars already disappeared– except for one."

"The Quinzels. Our family is the only family from the Four Pillars who remained standing," Hanna said nervously. "Nero, are you saying that the crows also created a child with our family's blood?"

***

BLOODY HELL.

Regina thought she was going to die when a large amount of hot magma suddenly poured like rain.

Aside from herself, she also had to protect Rubin who was still unconscious.

Thankfully, her ability was useful this time.

Shadows.

Regina smiled while looking up at the Shadow that protected her and Rubin from getting burned by the magma. "At times like this, having the Quinzel Blood is useful."

***

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