Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

[ARE THEY trying to destroy MY hotel?]

Hanna got a bit upset when she felt Neoma and Lord Ruto's aggressive Mana clashing against each other.

[I thought Neoma is making a deal with Lord Ruto?]

"The Elemental Guardians," Dahlia whispered to herself. "They summoned their Elemental Guardians."

Hanna put the shot glass on the table. "You can't leave this room, ma'am and sir."

She was talking to Esther (the Snakewoman) and Faust (the half elf-half fairy) who both stood up when Neoma and Lord Ruto's Mana clashed.

Aspen, the alcoholic demigod who looked like he didn't care, was busy mixing soju and beer like how Neoma taught them earlier. It was called 'soju bomb.' Fortunately, thanks to that, it was clear that Aspen had no intention to meddle since he was already very drunk.

"Shadows..." Faust whispered to himself when he noticed that the door, the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor were already covered in Hanna's shadows. Hence, the entire room suddenly turned dim. "Did you just lock us up, Lady Hanna?"

Hanna smiled and nodded. "That's correct, Sir Faust."

Faust looked like he was going to yell again.

But Esther stepped forward and talked to Hanna in place of the hotheaded half elf-half fairy. "Lady Hanna, are you not worried about Princess Neoma?"

Pfft.

[Am I worried about Neoma in this situation?]

"Miss Esther, you should be more worried about Lord Ruto," Hanna said, confident that Neoma wouldn't lose the fight. "Our Princess Neoma can be a bit violent when she's upset."

Esther looked surprised by Hanna's claim. "Lady Hanna, Lord Ruto is stronger than Princess Neoma."

"That was true five years ago," Hanna said, her smile still perfect and confident. "Perhaps this fight will settle who's stronger between Neoma and Lord Ruto now?"

It was true that Lord Ruto had been doing amazing things for the past years.

[But isn't it only because he remembers everything? If Neoma remembers everything in the first timeline, I'm sure she could also do the things that Lord Ruto is capable of.]

In short, Lord Ruto's only advantage against Neoma was his complete memory.

Hanna based her theory on the things that Neoma shared with her in the past regarding the royal princess' first life.

[If the gods and the remaining life forms in the world didn't help Lord Ruto kill the villainous Princess Neoma of the first timeline, I don't think he could have killed Neoma on his own.]

It was literally Neoma against Lord Ruto and the gods, and yet Neoma still managed to set the world on fire.

[I'd bet my entire fortune on Neoma being stronger than Lord Ruto.]

Hanna's thoughts were interrupted when Dahlia suddenly raised her hand.

The next thing she knew, Faust was already tied in a rope made of what seemed like water. But upon a closer look, the 'water' was actually Mana.

Dahlia turned to Hanna shyly. "Sir Faust tried to escape."

Hanna turned to Dahlia, then she noticed the small Blue Whale floating beside the Black Witch. "Oh," she said, smiling. "Your Elemental Guardian is cute, Miss Dahlia."

Dahlia's face suddenly turned red. "T-Thank you, Lady Hanna."

[Why is she stuttering?]

Hanna wondered if Dahlia was scared of her because she said she didn't want them to be friends.

[Did I act like a villainess back then?]

***

"GRANDPA Kingston, please calm down," Neoma said while leisurely combing her fingers through the White Lion's mane. "Hanna will be upset if we accidentally destroyed her hotel." She turned to Ruto and smiled 'sweetly' at him. "Plus, I don't think the divine son of Lord Levi would allow innocent people to get hurt just because he's being difficult."

Ruto scoffed at her remark. "If I'm being difficult, then you're being entitled. Do I have to put my life at risk just because you said so? This is probably why my divine father doesn't want us to end up together."

She couldn't get angry because she knew Ruto was right.

[I'm being entitled by expecting him to do my bidding.]

She was hurt.

But, to be honest, a part of her was happy that Ruto was no longer a simp for her.

[I mean, he made my life easier before. But I don't want Ruto, or anyone for that matter, to risk their lives for me.]

That was why she had conflicted feelings for Trevor and his sacrifices.

And that bothered her quite a bit.

[Why am I thinking of Trevor when Ruto is right in front of me?]

"Princess Neoma, you know we can't fight here."

"And that's why I'm making a deal with you," she said as calmly as she could. "Undo the ducal couple's curse and I'll bring the Fourth Elemental Guardian to you."

"Are you confident that you can hide the Fourth Elemental Guardian from me?"

It was her turn to scoff. "You didn't find him for years even though you and your people are all amazing individuals."

"It's a different story now that I know what the Fourth Elemental Guardian is."

"Are you confident that you can steal the Fourth Elemental Guardian from me?" she said. And when Ruto didn't respond right away, she smirked haughtily. "Lord Ruto, I know that I'm asking for too much from you. That's why I'm going to add more conditions."

"What is it?"

Neoma smiled and put a hand over her chest. "I'll give you one 'Neoma Coupon.' You can use that coupon when you need my help in a dangerous situation. I'll risk my life to help youâ€" whenever, wherever."

"You're the precious one and only royal princess of the Great Moonasterion Empire," Ruto reminded her, frowning. "You shouldn't be saying that you'd risk your life for other people."

"But you're not just a random person to me."

He let out a frustrated sigh. "How rude must I act towards you until you give up on me?"

Oho?

She was wondering why Ruto suddenly became rude to her.

[So, he's acting like that on purpose to make me hate him.]

"Babe, it's time for you to give up on trying to make me hate you," Neoma said, her voice sweet and gentle again. "You saved the world from me in the first timeline, and you saved me from this world in the current timeline. Even if I want to, I don't think I'd be capable of hating the person who has been my anchor all this time."

[Don't tease me for getting sentimental, okay?]

"Ah, there's one thing I won't forgive, though," she said immediately. "Cheating."

"Would it be cheating when we're not officially together?"

"Oh, dear," she said while shaking her head. "The moment you called me 'babe,' you're already committed to me. I didn't force you to call me 'babe.' It was just a suggestion, and you were the one who chose to accept it."

He looked at her in disbelief.

She laughed softly at his reaction. "You can always break up with me, though."

"Huh?"

"If you fall in love with another person, then just break up with me," Neoma said in a serious tone. "Do that instead of cheating of me."

"Will you let me go if I break up with you?"

"Of course," she said. "The only reason I'm holding onto you right now is because I know you're finding it hard to resist me and my charm."

He let out a chuckle as if he was in disbelief. "Alright, I get it. I'll just act normally around you instead of acting rudely to push you away. It's true that I can't resist you, but it's only because I'm curious as to why I was obsessed with you in the past."

Oho?

It was a little sad to hear Ruto use past tense when describing his feelings for her, but she endured.

[It's alright, self. Ruto still loves you. He just doesn't remember it.]

"I'll do it."

"Huh?"

"I'll undo the curse of Duke and Duchess Quinzel," Ruto said, then he stood up and extended his hand to her. "But, in return, I'll accept the 'Neoma Coupon' that you offered earlier, babe."

"Sure, it's a deal," Neoma said, standing up and grabbing Ruto's hand for a firm shake. "You made the right decision, babe."

***

"EOMMA, what does 'babe' mean?"

Neoma smiled awkwardly at Greko's question, but she still answered her youngest with the truth. "Ah, it's an endearment short for 'baby.'"

Greko looked confused, but he still nodded and accepted it without saying anything.

But the other child in the room voiced out his concern.

"But noona, you and Ruto hyung are not babies," Skylus said, tilting his head innocently. "Why do you call each other 'baby?'"

Okay, she was usually brazen and thick-skinned.

But Skylus' innocent question hit her hard, making her feel ashamed of herself and the endearment that she chose for her and Ruto.

[Should I change it?]

"Pfft."

Neoma glared at Ruto who was obviously stifling his laughter. "You think it's funny?"

Ruto just shrugged.

"Gosh, you're being annoying," she complained. "It's your fault why Greko and Skylus woke up, so you better help me put them to sleep again. They're babies, so they need to get enough sleep to grow healthier."

Skylus smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes, I'm a baby. Am I also noona's 'babe?'"

Neoma opened her mouth to speak, but someone else beat it to it.

"No," Ruto said lightly. "I am your noona's one and only babe."

Skylus sulked, of course.

Neoma nudged Ruto while glaring at him.

"But you are your noona's precious baby saint," Ruto said right away. "That's a title that belongs solely to you, Prince Skylus."

Fortunately, Skylus' face beamed right away. "I like it, Ruto hyung!"

Neoma smiled, then she turned to Greko who was just watching them quietly. Okay, that made her nervous. "Why are you looking at me like that, Greko?"

"Eomma, I'm just wondering," Greko said, his youngest smiling at her even though the look in his eyes was a bit vicious. "I was wondering how to tell my noonas and hyungs that we already have a "father.""

[Uh-oh.]

***

"THANK YOU for not damaging my hotel and the guests, Neoma."

Neoma smiled nervously at Hanna's lowkey sarcasm. "I'm sorry," she explained sheepishly. "I lost it for a moment."

But she was careful, of course.

[I covered both rooms with my Dome so the other guests in the hotel wouldn't notice our Mana.]

Anyway, right now, Neoma and Hanna were on the empty rooftop of Saros Hotel.

They were waiting for Lewis and Paige to arrive.

"But I won the "fight,"" Neoma said cheerfully. "So please don't be upset anymore."

Only then did Hanna's face beam. "I'm glad to hear that you won the "fight." Is Lord Ruto going to undo the curse of my parents?"

She gave her cousin a thumbs up. "Yep."

Hanna let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Neoma."

"It's nothing," she said, smiling. "By the way, I noticed you used your shadow earlier. Even Dahlia summoned her Elemental Guardian. Did something serious happen?"

When she returned to the room where Hanna and the rest were, everything was over.

"Sir Faust and Miss Esther tried to hurry to Lord Ruto's side earlier," Hanna explained. "Dahlia and I stopped them."

"I see," she said, nodding. "What did Aspen do?"

"He just continued drinking until he passed out."

Neoma smirked after hearing that. "What a shrewd bastard."

Hanna looked confused by her statement. "What do you mean by that?"

She was about to answer her cousin's question when a portal suddenly opened behind Hanna.

Both of them got distracted when Lewis and Paige stepped out of the portal.

The two each had a big and full sack in their hand.

[Oh, they finished the second task I gave them.]

Paige smiled at Neoma and Hanna. "We're back, Princess Neoma, Lady Hanna."

Lewis just bowed toward them politely.

"Welcome back," Neoma greeted Lewis and Paige. "How did it go?"

"Good."

Neoma ignored Lewis' very short "report" and turned to Paige.

"We delivered the message to Duke Quinzel well, and we left the Teleportation Tickets for him and Duchess Amber. Thanks to Lady Hanna's shadow, the duke cooperated with us," Paige explained clearly. "But, to be safe, I put a protective spell on the Teleportation Tickets that I gave to Duke Quinzel. If someone else other than His Grace and Duchess Amber touched the tickets, the tickets would get burned to ashes."

Neoma smiled proudly at Paige. "Very well." She turned between Lewis and Paige back and forth. "The two of you did a good job."

Paige and Lewis bowed towards her in response.

"How's my Father?" Hanna asked worriedly. "Does he look well?"

"No," Lewis said bluntly. "Duke Quinzel has dark bags under his eyes, and he also looked like he lost weight."

Neoma and Hanna frowned at the same time.

[Does Lewis have to be that honest?]

But aside from that, Neoma also noticed something.

[Lewis can suddenly talk a lot?]

"We also heard the servants talking when we infiltrated the Quinzel Mansion," Lewis continued with his report. "Apparently, Duchess Amber is sick and she hasn't gotten up from bed for the past few days."

Hanna closed her eyes with her hands clasped together above her chest as if she was praying. "Mother... Father..."

"But their misery will finally end tomorrow night," Lewis said, his face unchanged even though Hanna was already crying silently because of his blunt report. "Lady Hanna, I will bring you back safely to your parents."

Oho?

Hanna finally opened her eyes, then she looked at Lewis with gratefulness. "Thank you, Lewis."

Lewis smiled faintly, but his smile was gone as soon as it appeared.

Even so, there was one person there who caught Lewis' smile.

It was Neoma, of course.

Heh.

[Hanna and Lewis really get along well.]

***

NEOMA smirked while watching Lewis and Paige empty the bags that they brought with them.

The items were now neatly piled in a mountain.

Coins, flags, statues, paintings, etc.

There were different items in there, but they all had something in common: Calyx Dalton's face and name.

[Yep, these are the merchandise sold to commemorate Calyx's birthday.]

"Pfft."

It was Hanna who stifled her laughter.

"Neoma, this is so petty of you," Hanna said, smiling. "But I love it."

Neoma smirked in response. "Heh."

"We bought all the merchandise that we're allowed to buy," Paige explained with a smile on her face. "And we stole all the others that the merchants refused to sell us in bulk."

She almost choked after hearing what Paige said.

[I gave them money, though?]

Lewis seemed to have read Neoma's mind because he explained right away. "We left a huge amount of gold and left it in the store after we looted them, Princess Neoma."

It didn't make it better, but okay.

[Gosh, my children commit petty crimes as if it's nothing...]

Oh, well.

"Tteokbokki, come out," Neoma said, then she pointed at the pile of TRASH in front of her. "Come out and burn all this stupid merchandise."

***

REGINA smiled after seeing Duke Quinzel in front of Duchess Amber's room. "Uncle, you're here."

The duke had been busy these days while looking for Hanna.

Hence, it was Regina who had been taking care of the sick duchess.

"Regina," Duke Quinzel greeted her in a tired voice while looking at the tray in her hands. "Are those medicines for Amber?"

"Yes, Uncle," Regina said, then she smiled sadly at the duke. "It's time for Aunt Amber to drink her medicines."

The duke smiled, then he gently snatched the tray from her hands. "Let me do it."

"Huh?"

"It's been a while since my wife and I had shared a room," Duke Quinzel said as if he was shy. "Regina, thank you for taking care of Amber all this time. But let me do it from now on."

"I see," she said. It would be weird if she insisted to take the medicine to the duchess, so just smiled and nodded. Then she asked the duke. "Uncle, how's the search team doing? Have they found a clue as to where Lady Hanna might have been taken to?"

The duke smiled sadly while shaking his head. "Unfortunately, we don't have a clue yet."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Uncle."

"It's alright. I have faith that we'll find Hanna soon," the duke assured her. "I want to quickly find my daughter, but I can't neglect my wife while doing so."

"Of course, Uncle."

Duke Quinzel smiled at her. "Thank you for understanding, Regina."

After saying that, the duke excused himself and entered the duchess' bedroom.

She only realized that she was left alone when the door closed in her face.

"It's weird," Regina mumbled to herself with knitted eyebrows. "That damned duke is acting weird."

***

Hi! I launched a dream project recently, and that dream is to write a story with a male protagonist.

I posted a new story titled 'FISHING FOR DISASTERS,' and the first three chapters are up. You can search it by typing the title on the app or website if it doesn't appear on my account yet.

Here's the summary:

[FISHING FOR DISASTERS]

<You better catch all the Disasters if you want to know the ending of One P*ece!>

That's the reward for saving this world from Sea Monsters and Dungeons that would emerge soon?!

Then Zirkus, who died while stalking a famous Kpop idol and got transmigrated as a minor villain in a dungeon-themed novel, would do his best to catch all the Disasters-in-the-making!

All for the sake of saving the world, of course.

Ahem.

It's time for a nerd to become a hero!

***

Please ADD my story to your LIBRARY to be notified when an update is posted. Thank you! :>