Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

NEOMA was forced to step back while covering her ears with her hands.

Astrid (who was using Phoebe Willows' body) was screaming in a high-pitched voice. Of course, it wasn't an ordinary shriek. The Goddess of Beauty was actually using soundwave that was pushing her back.

Of course, she didn't stay still.

She used her Dome to protect herself from the attack.

Oh?

She was impressed when the Goddess of Beauty managed to crack her Dome. It had been a while since she met a worthy opponent, so she got excited.

[Heh.]

Neoma removed her hands covering her ears, then she took a deep breath. As in a very, very, very deep breath.

[I have a good lung capacity, you know?]

After a few moments of holding her breath, she finally released it in an epic way– she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Her own Dome broke from the airwave that she released– hitting Phoebe Willows after the barrier was smashed.

She saw the child create a barrier in a hurry, but it was no use.

The shield that Phoebe Willows used collapsed in an instant, causing the poor child to be pushed back when she was already leaning against the wall.

As a result, the wall behind Phoebe Willows also collapsed, creating and huge hole on it– eventually causing her to get sent flying into the room behind her. It was the bathroom that Neoma used a while ago. The next thing she knew, Phoebe Willows was already drowning in the tub full of water.

It seemed like the child lost consciousness because she didn't get up even though the water in the tub wasn't that deep.

[Oops.]

Neoma raised her hand, creating a "finger gun" in an attempt to copy a certain "ghost fighter" from a certain anime. "Soju," she said, summoning her Water Spirit. "Pull her up."

<"As you command, Princess Neoma.">

The water in the tub changed its shape as it rose, carrying the unconscious Phoebe Willows. Eventually, the water took the form of a huge hand grabbing the kid by the waist.

That was when Neoma noticed that Phoebe Willows' ears were bleeding.

[Oh.]

It wasn't the extent of the damage she caused.

In fact, she belatedly realized that the walls and the floors had long cracks all over. The windows and everything fragile in the hallway– like the vases and statues that served as decorations– were broken into tiny pieces. It was a miracle that the roof didn't collapse on them.

[Wow… I forgot I'm OP.]

Neoma curled her finger, gesturing Soju– who was controlling the water grabbing Phoebe Willows– to move closer.

"You insufferable brat."

When Phoebe Willows raised her head, she glared at Neoma with glowing red eyes.

[Ah, the Goddess of Beauty is still here.]

"Don't get ahead of yourself and think you're someone special just because you beat me today," Astrid, in Phoebe Willows' body, warned her. "It just happens that this child is a weak vessel. If we were to fight face-to-face, you wouldn't even last a minute in my presence."

"I don't "think" I'm special– I am," Neoma said, then she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you picking a fight with me?"

"Because you challenged my authority as the Goddess of Beauty by having people call you the 'Visual Goddess!'"

Ah, so the rumor about the 'Visual Goddess' already spread to the point that it reached the ears of the Goddess of Beauty.

It was funny that Astrid got mad just because of it.

"Cry about it, then," Neoma said casually. "You crossed me first."

The Goddess of Beauty, who was wearing Phoebe Willows' face, looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You touched my man," Neoma said, her eyes turned glowing red. "And you declared war on me by spreading rumors that you're going to marry him."

Astrid looked shocked at first, then she burst out laughing like the madwoman that she was. "You talk big. But in the end, you're nothing but a hypocrite. You talk about morals all the time, but you don't practice what you preach. Just like me, you're trying to claim Ruto for yourself!"

"You're in his DMs, I'm in his heart and Love Contract– we are not the same."

The Goddess of Beauty looked confused.

[Oops, I talked in 'meme' language again.]

"I'm saying we're not the same," Neoma explained casually. "You're forcing yourself on Ruto WITHOUT his permission, I'm keeping him all to myself WITH his permission. I even have a Love Contract to prove it."

"You–"

"Yes, me. Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio and Ruston 'Ruto' Solfrid Stroganoff belong to each other BY CHOICE– end of discussion," Neoma said, opening her hand. "Lady Astrid, I'm sorry but I have to banish you now. Possessing Phoebe Willows is detrimental to her life because her weak body isn't compatible to host a powerful goddess like you."

What materialized above Neoma's palm was a silver pair of scissors.

Yes, it was the scissors that Yule gifted her to her many years ago. The proper title of the divine item was too cheesy for her to say, so she would just refer to it as what it was– scissors.

Astrid, who recognized the divine item in her hand, looked shocked. "How did you get your hands on that precious divine item?"

"This was a gift from my grandpa– Lord Yule," Neoma said, then she stomped her feet on the ground lightly. "Mochi."

<"As you command, Princess Neoma.">

Flight magic in the form of fine golden dust was poured on Neoma until she was floating in the air. She didn't have to use her rose wings for this, so she just asked her Wind Spirit to lift her until she was on the same eye level as Phoebe Willows.

"What do you think you're doing, you arrogant princess?" the Goddess of Beauty, who couldn't get out of Soju's grasp because Phoebe Willows' body was too weak now, snarled at her. "It was Phoebe Willows who offered to become my host! Are you not going to respect her wishes?!"

"Does Phoebe Willows know that the more she allowed you to use her body, the quicker she would age?"

The Goddess of Beauty looked shocked. "How did you know that?"

"I also have the eyes of a god, Lady Astrid," Neoma said, her eyes still glowing red. "I can see you're absorbing Lady Phoebe's YOUTH. Is that how you maintain your beauty and youthful appearance? By stealing young people's vitality?"

Astrid hissed, but she couldn't deny Neoma's accusation.

[My expectations were low, but what the fuck?]

"I knew it," Neoma said, disappointed but not surprised. "Get the fuck out of here and leave the poor girl alone, Lady Astrid."

The Goddess of Beauty screamed in pain when Neoma stabbed her hand in Astrid's 'Fragment.'

[A 'Fragment' is a piece of someone's soul.]

Yes, she only targeted Astrid's soul so Phoebe Willows' physical body wasn't harmed.

It was easy for Neoma to touch someone else's Fragment or soul because she was a Roseheart. She could turn any part of her body into her Spirit form at will.

[Now I know why people feared the union of a Roseheart and a de Moonasterio in the past.]

Anyway, Astrid's Fragment was pretty– it took the form of a pretty white ribbon. It was tied to Phoebe Willows' soul. Hence, the Goddess of Beauty could take over the poor child's mind and physical body whenever she wanted.

As much as Neoma wanted to respect Phoebe Willows' wish, she couldn't let her die.

[Preston, Lady Phoebe's baby brother, would get heartbroken if she died.]

Moreover, she could imagine that Phoebe Willows wouldn't want to age faster and die of old age when she was only in her twenties.

[I'm sure Lady Astrid didn't tell Lady Phoebe the consequences of being her host.]

Neoma's thoughts were interrupted when Phoebe Willows let out a cry when she cut Astrid's Fragment using the scissors– a divine item that could sever relationships in this way. "I'm sorry, Lady Phoebe."

After cutting Astrid's Fragment, the scissors in her hand vanished since they had already served their purpose.

Neoma suddenly coughed up blood, causing her to stagger while she was suspended in the air. All of a sudden, she lost control of her powers.

But she didn't have time to worry about herself because when she lost control of her own power, Soju's control over the water also disappeared– causing Phoebe Willows to fall. She wanted to save the child, but Mochi's control over the wind responsible for Neoma's flight magic also vanished.

Fortunately, Ruto came and caught Phoebe Willows before the child hit the floor.

Unfortunately, Neoma couldn't summon Tteokbokki or her rose wings.

Heck, she couldn't even move a muscle as if she was paralyzed.

[Well, I'm a de Moonasterio so I have brute physical strength. Falling from this height won't kill me… right?]

Whatever.

[It is what it is.]

Neoma braced herself for the fall, thinking that a broken bone or two wouldn't hurt that much. After all, the fact that Ruto caught Phoebe Willows instead of her was already the most painful thing that could happen to her at the moment.

Luckily, she got a little heartbreak but not a broken bone since she didn't hit the floor.

It was thanks to Trevor catching her in time.

"Whew," Neoma said, relieved. "Thanks, chingu."

She noticed that the demon boy was frozen in shock while looking at her with wide, glowing eyes.

[Hmm?]

"Trevor?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Dude, are you okay?"

"What the hell, Princess Neoma?" Trevor said in disbelief while looking at her straight in the eye. "Five years…?"

Neoma felt a shiver down her spine when she understood what Trevor meant by that.

[How did Trevor find out about my remaining life span?!]

***

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