Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"NEOMA, are you a necromancer? You bring dead people back to life."

"I would laugh, but the situation is too extreme for me to enjoy this," Neoma responded to Hanna's "joke." "And what do you mean by I bring dead PEOPLE to life?"

Hanna, who was busy choosing what dress to lend her, stopped what she was doing to look her in the eye. "Princess Nichole, my uncle Gavin Quinzel, the fake Lady Sloane, the real Empress Juliet, and now your ancestor– Emperor Arche in Princess Aruna de Moonasterio's body. All of them are supposed to be dead already, but they came back to life as if to meet you."

Now that her cousin put it that way, she couldn't deny it.

[Anyway…]

Neoma was in Hanna's room at the moment.

Brigitte unnie and Uncle Glenn lent them the best guest room in the queen's palace.

Ruto was occupying the room next door, and he was currently talking to Emperor Arche de Moonasterio.

"Come to think of it, we can also add Lady Roseheart to the list," Hanna said, amused. "Lady Roseheart didn't die, but she was considered dead until you freed her from the ice." Her cousin looked at her teasingly. "We can't also forget Trevor whom you freed from the Devil's hand, and Lady Paige whom you rescued from the Hisa Tree."

She groaned as a complaint because she was starting to believe that she was some sort of 'necromancer.' "I don't want to think about it because I might attract it," she whined. "I'm already in demand as the future Aether. I can't imagine how the people after me would become greedier if I turned out to be a necromancer, too."

After all, the necromancers in this world were rare. Hence, they were deemed valuable. She didn't need to become more special than she already was.

"You're right. We can't have you attract more bad people," Hanna said, then she pointed at the two dresses that she lay on the bed– next to Neoma. "Which one would you like to wear, Neoma? The red dress or the purple one?"

"The purple one."

"Really?" Hanna asked, surprised. "I was so sure you'd choose red since it's your color."

"I'll look good in any and every color," Neoma said confidently. "But I'll choose purple this time because Ruto is here."

Her cousin smiled at her playfully. "Neoma, you're so smitten."

She pouted. "Ruto is more smitten."

Hanna just laughed, then she proceeded to choose matching accessories and shoes for the dress that Neoma chose.

They were choosing clothes because Arche de Moonasterio told her to do so.

<"Your dress won't accommodate your body once you return to normal.">

Hence, here they were now.

"Neoma, do you believe that Emperor Arche can return you to normal?" Hanna asked worriedly. "Do you trust him?"

"I don't have another choice but to trust him," Neoma said while looking at her tiny hands. "I want to return to normal as soon as possible."

***

"GRANDPA Arche, why do you have a blindfold on you?" Neoma asked curiously. "Is it a part of a ritual or something?"

Right now, Neoma and the former emperor were on the balcony of her bedroom.

To be precise, she was sitting on the chair while wrapped in a white blanket. She was naked underneath, after all. Hanna helped her undress, and it was also her cousin who brought her out onto the balcony.

Hanna also covered the entire balcony with her Shadow Veil in order to protect them from prying eyes.

"Ruston Stroganoff made me wear this blindfold," Arche, who was kneeling in front of her while holding her tiny hand, explained. "He said he'd kill me if I saw any part of your body once you returned to normal."

"Gosh, so overprotective."

It wasn't like she couldn't protect herself.

The clothes that she would wear once she returned to normal were neatly folded on the table next to her.

Moreover, once she returned to normal, her power would come back as well.

Hence, she could use her own barrier to cover herself. She could turn the transparent shield misty so that the people outside wouldn't see anything inside.

"I already told that boy that I wouldn't look at my own descendant that way, but he didn't listen," Arche complained, sighing. "If I didn't put this blindfold on, he wouldn't let me step out of the room."

Ah, so that was why the former emperor was late.

"Grandpa, please excuse Ruto's behavior," Neoma said. "He's not a bad kid. He just likes me a little too much."

"Neoma de Moonasterio, that boy is the divine son of Lord Levi."

"I'm aware, Grandpa."

"Then you should also be aware that strong individuals like you and that boy can't be together," the ancient monarch said. "The heavens wouldn't even let you produce a child to avoid creating a powerful bloodline like the de Moonasterios."

Aigoo, why did she have to hear such bullshit from the person who she wanted to get along with?

Her grandpa should be grateful that he could turn her back to normal.

Hence, she bit her lower lip to stop herself from being disrespectful.

"Grandpa, I know that Ruto and I are adults inside," Neoma said carefully. "But we're still both minors at the moment. We're not thinking about getting married and having children yet."

Wow.

[Did I really say 'yet?']

Maybe she was getting ahead of herself.

[Neoma de Moonasterio, you should be embarrassed!]

"That's a relief to hear then," Arche said, nodding. "You have plenty of time to reconsider your relationship. And plenty of chances to break up, too."

Neoma didn't want to curse her ancestor, so she just glared at the former emperor since he couldn't see her anyway. "Grandpa, let's just begin, please," she begged the ancient monarch. "I have a disease that will kill me if I don't curse in more than an hour."

"What an eloquent way to say you couldn't wait to curse me after I return you back to normal."

She just coughed to cover up her embarrassment.

[Ah, so Grandpa knows that the only reason I was holding back was because I was afraid he wouldn't help me if I curse at him.]

"Close your eyes, Neoma de Moonasterio," Arche told her sternly. "Imagine a huge and bright full moon in your mind."

Oh, nice.

Neoma was good at visualization, so she knew she already got it in the bag.

She closed her eyes and imagined a huge and bright full moon just like what her ancestor told her to imagine.

However, the image didn't appear in her mind how she wanted it to.

After all, the full moon that she visualized was wrapped around with a thick chain that was oozing with black energy.

"Is it Darkness?" Neoma wondered out loud. "Grandpa, I can see the full moon in my head clearly. But the full moon is chained. Moreover, the chains were covered with what looks like Darkness."

"Those chains are the reason why your body shrunk," Arche explained to her. "Whoever cast that spell on you put their chains on your vessel to limit your ability. But the spell is weak as if the one who cast the spell is new at their job."

"Ah, it seemed like Regina Crowell didn't know what she was doing back then," she said. "That's why I'm kind of aware that the spell is weak."

"You're lucky since you can break the chains with your own hands."

"Do I just have to break the chains?"

"Yes, but it's not easy–"

CLACK.

The former emperor stopped talking when a loud snap cracked the silence of the night.

When Neoma opened her eyes, she saw the broken chains in her hands. "I'm done," she informed the ancient monarch. "I just imagined breaking the chains with my bare hands, and this is what happened, Grandpa."

Arche removed the blindfold, then his eyes widened a bit when he saw the chains in her hands. "To be able to remove the chains physically…" He looked at her with approval in his eyes. "You're more of a genius than I am, Neoma de Moonasterio."

Huh?

Arche de Moonasterio was a "genius?"

[But isn't Emperor Arche known as the "most incompetent emperor" in history?]

***

"RUTO, I'm already done changing my clothes so you can come in now," Neoma said cheerfully. "Hurry and marvel at my beauty again."

She had so many questions about Arche de Moonasterio and his supposed genius.

However, she had her priorities straight.

[And my priority this time is to show Ruto that I've returned back to normal.]

She was excited to see Ruto's reaction because she dolled up for him tonight.

However, her smile slowly disappeared as soon as he came out on the balcony.

It was followed by the goosebumps that she felt all over her body.

[This creepy sensation…]

Neoma looked at Ruto in disbelief when he stood up in front of her.

To be precise, she was looking at his SHADOW that was walking behind him like it had a life of its own. However, that shouldn't be possible.

[Even the Quinzels can't make their shadows like that…]

And the shadows' appearance wasn't the only thing that bothered him.

"Ruto, what's that thing behind you?" Neoma asked while watching the "shadow" eat the excess divine power oozing out of Ruto's body. "Why are you feeding that thing with your power?"

Moreover...

"Why are you looking at me like that, Ruto?" Neoma asked nervously. "Like you're trying to remember my face even though you're looking at me?"

"I'm sorry, Neoma," Ruto said softly. "I can't remember what you look like. And no matter how much I look at you, all I see is a blank face."

[I knew it.]

Ruto had been acting strange all this time.

He had face blindness, but she was one of the exceptions since she was strong enough for him to see her face.

[And he said he can't "remember" my face anymore.]

It wasn't normal.

Just like that thing.

"Neoma!"

Ruto was too late, though.

Neoma breezed past Ruto to grab the "shadow" by its neck. "What did you do to Ruto?"

<"It's the price he has to pay for turning back time, so don't blame me,"> the "shadow" said. <"Seriously, Neoma de Moonasterio. You still have a nasty temper.">

"Why are you talking as if you know me?"

<"Because I do.">

She turned to Ruto. "Who is that?"

Ruto let out a sigh. "It's the Ancient Devil, Neoma," he said. "The one who helped me turn back time."

[He made a deal with the Ancient Devil?]

"Are you crazy?!" Neoma asked, then she grabbed Ruto by the collar. "What did you offer the Ancient Devil in return, Ruston Solfrid Stroganoff?!"

***

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