Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

AN ABANDONED village.

The Saanya Desert was protected by a strong illusion magic that made it look like the desert was empty.

However, Alucard– the demon– managed to break the spell.

But what greeted them was an abandoned village.

"There's no sign of life in here," Nero said, frowning. "Keep your guards up, everyone."

He couldn't also detect the divine power that was supposed to have fallen on the desert. The entire place was so quiet that it was unnerving.

"It's a beautiful night to eliminate Princess Neoma from this world."

Nero looked up because the voice who dared to say those words came from above him.

He wouldn't say that he was surprised to see Calyx Dalton– suspended in the air, a pair of black crow wings keeping him afloat.

[Only that crazy bastard would say that about Neoma right in front of my face.]

Calyx Dalton appeared to be alone, but there was something strange about his aura.

"Crazy," Sanford whispered in disbelief while looking up at Calyx Dalton. "He's crazy handsome, Prince Nero! Damn. Are all de Moonasterios THAT good-looking? I want his face."

"Thank you for your interest, but I belong to Prince Nero," Calyx Dalton said, putting a hand over his chest. "But I appreciate your eye for beauty."

"Huh?" Sanford asked, turning to Nero. "Your Royal Highness, are all de Moonasterios arrogant?"

"Yes," Nero said without missing a heartbeat, then he turned his attention to Calyx. "You know why I'm here. Are you confident that you're going to face us alone?"

Only Nero and his knights were there.

He already asked the Fletcher Twins to return to the Royal Palace, since he had a feeling his father would need his Paladins more than he did.

"I'm not here to fight you, so why would I need other people with me?" Calyx asked, then he made a gesture with his hand. "Come up here, Prince Nero."

Much to Nero's annoyance, his body was pulled up by a strong, invisible force.

His knights tried to stop it from happening, but Calyx sent them flying with just a movement of his hand.

Even Raku, the strongest among his knights, was sent flying.

[Did Calyx get strong?]

Nero hated being controlled by other people who weren't Neoma. Hence, to stop himself from coming closer to Calyx, he summoned his Soul Beast. Zeru, the ice phoenix, appeared below him in order to catch her when he broke out of the crazy bastard's control.

So now, Nero was standing on Zeru while facing Calyx.

"Better," Calyx said, smiling creepily at him. "You're more handsome up close, Prince Nero."

"You're not wrong, but I don't want to hear that from you," Nero said indifferently. "If you have something to say, then say it now. I'll attack you in a minute."

Unlike Neoma who would attack first before listening to the enemy, Nero preferred talking first.

His twin sister would probably disagree with him, but that was how he fought.

[Sometimes listening to what the opponent has to say has its own merit, too.]

"Prince Nero, do you know why the de Moonasterios of the past hunted down the Black Witches?"

"Isn't it because the Black Witches have the ability to kill the de Moonasterios?"

"You're not wrong, but it's too vague," Calyx said, smiling. Then his gaze went past him. "The Black Witches can kill the de Moonasterios because they have the ability to "kill" the Moon– the source of strength for our bloodline."

Nero looked over his shoulder, and there he saw the bright full moon starting to turn dim because of the black cloud obstructing it. "Are you "killing" the Moon right now?" he asked Calyx when he turned to him again. "In order to weaken me?"

"If I "kill" the Moon, I'll also get weak because I, too, have the blood of a de Moonasterio running through my veins," the crazy bastard said. "Hence, I had to borrow the power of the other gods who want Princess Neoma gone."

Nero glared at the crow. "You crazy bastard–"

"The Black Moon will only affect Princess Neoma," Calyx said, cutting him off rudely. "And finally, I will "kill" your beloved twin sister using the ability I stole from Dahlia– the Black Witch."

***

"PRINCESS Neoma, this world will reject you soon."

Okay, shocking.

Neoma was confused, but also interested in what the former saint Dominic Zavaroni said. "Is that a prophecy, Mr. Zavaroni? Do you still receive prophecies from the Moon God even though you were already ex-communicated?"

"It wasn't me who received the warning, Princess Neoma," Dominic Zavaroni said while shaking his head. "It was Princess Aruna who did."

"And do you expect me to believe it easily?"

"Whether you believe it or not, we're still going to protect you," Aunt Nichole said. "Neoma, you can't fight the world once it rejects you."

"Once the world rejects you, it will do everything in its power to eliminate you," Trevor explained. For once, the demon boy looked serious. "That's why you need to hide in the other world in the meantime."

"Go home with me, Neoma," her appa said. "Please."

Neoma knew in her heart that the Devil's side wasn't lying. Hence, she was pissed. "The nerve of this world to reject my precious existence," she snarled. "What's their problem this time?"

"This world is afraid that a Holy War among gods might start because of you," Aunt Nichole explained. "As you already know, there are gods who want to turn you into the new Aether. But of course, there are also gods who are on your side."

Neoma turned to Ruto. "Really? I thought all gods want me to become an air purifier."

"There are some gods on your side, and some on the neutral side," Ruto explained. "But the majority wants to turn you into an Aether. They even want to burn the old man because they can't wait to get their hands on you."

"Why, though?" Neoma asked, curious. "The Aether is still doing its job properly."

"Because you're special," Ruto said. "The current Aether only cleans the polluted air in the Upper World. But your breath can make them younger, just like what you did to the minor god that you killed before. The older gods who are dying of old age are the ones who sought you the most because of that."

Neoma could only let out a frustrated sigh. "How will this world reject my existence? Are they going to kill me or something?"

As if on cue, as soon as she asked that, the already dark night sky turned darker.

Then, the full moon went dull.

[Are those black clouds obstructing the moon– ah!]

Neoma clutched her chest tight when a sudden pang hit her straight in the heart.

"Neoma!" Ruto yelled worriedly. "What's happening– argh!"

Ruto tried to touch her, but a strange cylinder-shaped barrier prevented him from getting near her.

[What's that barrier?!]

Judging by the confused look on Aunt Nichole, Dominic Zavaroni, Trevor, and her appa, it didn't like the Devil's side plan.

[Then where did this barrier come from?!]

Ruto tried to break the barrier by firing his lightning arrows.

Hanna summoned Hebi, the seven-headed Shadow Serpent to attack the barrier.

Lewis, whose eyes turned glowing gold, kicked the barrier non-stop. Her son's fluffy tails also appeared, which meant he was using his maximum strength.

But none of the attacks worked.

"Thug princess, hang in there," Tteokbokki, still in his small dragon form, said weakly. He was trying to break the glass from the inside by using his Fire Breath. But the surface of the barrier wasn't even scratched. "I'll break this barrier soon…"

Neoma wanted to comfort her Soul Beast, but she was surprised when a strong force from above pulled her up all of a sudden.

Argh!

[What now?!]

***

"WHAT DO you mean you'd kill Neoma using Dahlia's ability?" Nero growled at Calyx. "Just what kind of ability is that?!"

"The ability to create a story that would change the reality of this world," Calyx said, his eyes turned glowing red. "Only Dahlia, the last Black Witch, has that ability."

He couldn't utter a word because he was confused.

"Haven't you wondered why the history of the Black Witches was erased neatly?" the crazy bastard asked. "And no matter how much you look for information regarding the Black Witches, you won't find anything useful. After all, they only released what the world wanted to know."

"Are you saying that the Black Witches manipulated history?" he asked in disbelief. "The only people who can rewrite history are the victors. But the Black Witches lost the war when they were hunted down by the de Moonasterios."

"I'll show you how they did it," the crow said, smirking while putting a hand over his chest. "I already possess the ability that we stole from the Black Witch anyway."

He wanted to have a retort, but when his eyes met Calyx's glowing red eyes, he was instantly frozen on the spot.

[What's happening to me…?]

He couldn't move a muscle, and he couldn't even command his soul to separate from his physical body.

Worse, it looked like even Zeru and his knights were frozen on the spot like him.

[No, it feels like the world suddenly stopped moving.]

"Nero de Moonasterio, from now on, the only beloved sibling that you will remember and love unconditionally is me," Calyx said in a deep voice that didn't sound like it belonged to him. "Starting this moment, you and everyone or any being who knows Neoma de Moonasterio will forget about her existence– completely."

Nero's eyes widened in shock. "You can't erase Neoma's existence in my memories!"

***

NOTE:  For those who have already forgotten, Dahlia used her ability to manipulate memories in Chapter 391: THE MOON, THE WITCH, AND THE CROW. :>

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