Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"MISS SHARON, I know that the baby girl is the lions' pride," Neoma said carefully. She didn't reveal the fact that the "baby girl" was the reincarnation of the late Empress Juliet because it was confidential. Moreover, it was also Her Majesty's wish to keep it a secret. "But I need to bring her to the empire. Of course, I already asked her opinion, and she'd like to go with me."

Right now, she was in Sharon's room while having a serious talk with her.

Paige made a high chair for Neoma using magic.

Although she could sit on her own now, the mage still stood behind her. And she wasn't alone. This time, Juri was guarding her with Paige.

[Anyway…]

Sharon looked confused by what she said. "Princess Neoma, you don't need my permission. The baby that came out from the egg might be the lions' pride. But Your Royal Highness was the one who saved her. Hence, if the baby wanted to go with you, then we will support her." She put a hand over her chest. "I'm certain that this is what Lord Kingston would want us to do."

"I'm glad to hear that. Thank you."

"We should be the ones thanking you, Princess Neoma. Now we can safely come out of the surface. Moreover, the crows are no longer here. We can finally take back the land that they stole from us."

"The crows may have been gone, but the island remains dangerous, Miss Sharon," she reminded the older woman gently. "Now that the Darkness that swallowed the Lawless Jungle, the criminals who want to be the king of the island will definitely fight for power."

The woman smiled, her eyes glowing beautifully. "The lions won't lose, Princess Neoma. Now that the Darkness and the crows that use dirty tricks are no longer here, we won't lose again," she said confidently. "We will regain our authority over the island. After all, Lord Kingston needs a proper home to return to."

Neoma's heart was put at ease after seeing the determination and confidence in Sharon's eyes. She could entrust the safety of Leoflor Island to the lions.

[I don't need to do anything more than I already have.]

But why did she feel like she needed to do more for the lions?

"Then I'll leave everything to you and the lions, Miss Sharon," Neoma said, smiling even though there was a slight protest in her chest. "I promise Lord Kingston will come home. And hopefully, the day I return here with my people, we would find a safe and thriving Leoflor Island."

It wouldn't be easy, though.

The criminals that lived on the island for a long time wouldn't be easy to drive away. Those bastards would do everything to claim authority over this land.

[I know that I should leave the matters of the island to the lions, but…]

The unsettling feeling in her chest bothered her.

Neoma was thinking of leaving one of her "children" here to help the lions rule Leoflor Island.

[But who should I send?]

"Thank you, Princess Neoma," Sharon said, smiling. "Your Royal Highness is truly the savior of the Lion Tribe."

"Instead of being labeled as the Lion Tribe's savior, I'd rather be your friend," Neoma said, smiling back at Sharon. "So, from now on, let's take care of each other."

***

AND THAT was how Neoma's conversation with Sharon, the "mother" of the lions, went.

So, now, she and her "children" were preparing to leave the lions' den.

Jasper oppa, Juri, Xion, Jeno, and Greko were standing in front of her while Paige was holding Neoma in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Jasper oppa and kids," Neoma said guiltily. "I can only take Greko and Her Majesty with me. You have to go back to the empire the normal way."

"Don't worry, Princess Neoma," Jasper oppa assured her. "I'll take care of my "nieces" and "nephews.""

Their "children" didn't protest, but they obviously looked displeased by what the young duke said.

[They didn't complain since I consider Jasper oppa as my older brother.]

"Thank you, oppa," Neoma said. "And I'm sorry. Nero sent you here to accompany Lewis, but you were hurt because of that."

"Please don't apologize. I did what I needed to do as your "oppa" and the duke of the empire," her oppa assured her. "Moreover, I should be the one who feels sorry. I failed to protect Lewis, and we also failed to deliver the vial of Moonglow that Prince Nero sent Your Royal Highness."

Lewis and Jasper oppa's mission was a total failure.

"I'm glad that you're safe, though," Neoma said. "Even though Lewis was kidnapped by Trevor, I know that he won't treat my "son" badly."

Jasper oppa smiled at her. "Thank you for your generosity, Princess Neoma."

As soon as she arrived at the empire, she would find a way to return to her original size.

[Then I have to rescue Lewis.]

"Jasper oppa, kids, safe travels to you," Neoma said sincerely. "And please make sure to bring the old man to the empire safely."

Jasper oppa, Paige, Juri, Jeno, Xion, and Jeno bowed to her. "As Your Royal Highness wishes."

***

"GRANDPA, you will travel with Jasper oppa and my "children,"" Neoma informed the old man who was having meat soup on the table in the room that Sharon provided for him. "Please don't think about escaping."

She went to check on the old man before she left.

Right now, Neoma was being carried by Greko. They were only waiting for William and Baby Empress Juliet.

"Don't worry, I won't escape," the old man assured her. "After all, I need to have a long conversation with you."

"Grandpa, please speak politely," Greko said gently. "Grandpa is talking to Her Royal Highness after all."

Their maknae would address Neoma formally in front of people they weren't close with.

Anyway, despite Greko's light warning, the old man just scoffed.

"I will talk to the royal princess politely when she finally learns how to use her power as a de Moonasterio properly," the old man said, then he looked at Neoma with dead eyes. "You're wasting your potential, child. Your former master didn't teach you anything right, did he?"

A sage?

A future master?

A prophet?

Those were the things that entered Neoma's mind when she thought about what the old man's identity could be.

"Master William helped me get stronger, though?"

"As a Roseheart, yes," the old man said. "But being a de Moonasterio doesn't only mean using your brute strength or your Soul Beast in a fight."

Now she was curious about what else she needed to learn as a de Moonasterio.

"Then I'll be looking forward to our future lessons, Grandpa," she said, smiling. "Grandpa is acting like a tsundere, but you actually want to teach me, right?"

The old man scoffed. "And you'll trust an old man like me to teach you?"

"I trust my gut feeling, Grandpa," Neoma said, now smirking. "If I can't adopt Grandpa as my "son," then I'll adopt Grandpa as my potential new master."

[And I'll figure out your real identity while I'm at it, Grandpa.]

***

"TRAITOR," Neoma, who was still in Greko's arms, said as soon as William entered the room where they agreed to meet after the Grand Spirit finished his teleportation spell. "How can you do this to me, Master?"

William entered the room with Baby Empress Juliet IN HIS ARMS.

The Grand Spirit was carrying the baby empress carefully when he just used a floating magic leaf to "carry" Neoma earlier!

[Anyway…]

Only Neoma, Greko, William, and Baby Empress Juliet were in the room. No one else was allowed to step into the room since the magic circle that the Grand Spirit made to perform a long-distance teleportation spell was there.

Hence, she already said her goodbyes to Jasper oppa, Sharon and the lions, and her "children" earlier.

"This is discrimination!" she continued with her complaints. "Blatant favoritism!"

"Shut up," William snarled at her. "Do you want me to treat Empress Juliet harshly?"

She bit her lower lip. "Good job, Master."

The Grand Spirit just rolled his eyes at her.

"William, you're being rude to the one and only royal princess of the Great Moonasterion Empire," Baby Empress Juliet scolded the Grand Spirit. "Don't be like that."

Oh?

The Grand Spirit didn't complain.

William just bowed his head to Baby Empress Juliet.

[Would you look at that?]

"Eomma, are you okay?" Greko asked worriedly when Neoma began thumping her chest with her tiny fist. "Are you having chest pains?"

"No, I'm fine," Neoma said, then she glared at William. "I'm just a little frustrated."

***

NEOMA was reminded that William's teleportation spell was the worst that she had experienced so far.

Since the distance between the East Continent and the West Continent was vast, they took longer than expected inside the teleportation "room." It was the "room" that functioned like an elevator. The "room" climbed up for a long time.

Hence, when they finally got out of the "elevator," she felt like throwing up.

But she held it in when she saw Nero, Mama Boss, and Papa Boss looking at her with a shocked look on their faces.

[Oh, right. My appearance has changed.]

"Nero, Mama Boss, Papa Boss, it's me," Neoma said cheerfully while pointing at her chubby cheeks. "I'm babie again."

Papa Boss pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ah, this is bad."

Huh?

Why was it bad?

[I mean, I know that the fact I turned into a baby is bad. But what's with Papa Boss' reaction?]

"You're right, Father," Nero said, then he covered his mouth with his hand when he cursed. Yep, she was pretty sure that Nero cursed under his breath before he spoke again. "We shouldn't let outsiders see how cute Neoma is in her baby form."

Papa Boss nodded firmly in agreement with her twin brother's crazy remark.

[???]

Nero and Papa Boss were acting weird.

[Not that it's new.]

Hence, Neoma turned to the only normal person in the room– her Mama Boss. But as soon as she met her mother's misty, light blue eyes, she suddenly felt emotional.

[Mama Boss, why are you crying?]

"I missed your childhood, so I never expected that I'd get to see what you looked like as a baby in person," Mama Boss said between sobs. Then she cupped Neoma's chubby face in her trembling hands. Her mother tried to smile, but big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "Neoma, my baby…"

Neoma suddenly cried like the baby that she wasn't.

For the first time, she was grateful for Regina Crowell's trick, because it allowed her Mama Boss to see her as a baby.

[Mama Boss, please feel free to admire my cute form.]

***

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