Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

NEOMA gently tapped Lewis's shoulder. When he turned to her, she gestured him to move. "Don't worry, son," she assured him. "I got this."

Lewis looked at her hard for a few seconds. Then, he nodded and bowed to her before he silently stepped aside to make way for her. As usual, he didn't talk much. She knew for a fact that Lewis hated calling her "Prince Nero" so he'd rather keep his mouth shut when they were in the presence of people who didn't know her secret.

My son is weird that way.

Anyway…

"Why did you call your knight "son?"" Rubin asked with furrowed brows. "You're so weird, Your Royal Highness."

Gosh, look at how casual the way this brat talked to her.

To be honest, she didn't mind if people CLOSE to her talk casually to her– like Lewis for example. But it looked like she was bound to hate everything about Rubin. She didn't mind being petty for Sc*mbag #2.

"Rubin, are you the type of person who believes that the world revolve around Moonasterion Empire?" she asked him with a raised brow. She had a foul mouth, a nasty temper, and a violent streak. But there were times that she had to hold back. Sc*mbag or not, Rubin was still an esteemed guest and House Drayton remained a powerful family. She had to protect Nero's image from his future allies. "If that's the case, then I pity you."

The young lord looked offended by her words. "Excuse me?"

"Why do we have to put gender on different parts of the dance?" she said, then she crossed her arms over her chest. Since she couldn't beat the sh*t out of Rubin, she decided to just use her sharp tongue against him. And her big brain, of course. "Is there a law that says a boy can't dance the female part in a dance?"

"But it's weird," the young lord insisted.

"It's only weird for close-minded folks like you," she snapped at him. "You're rich so why don't you travel outside the empire and learn other cultures? Maybe if you do, you won't find malice in things that aren't usually done by our people."

He bit his lower lip, frustration visible on his face.

Ah, the fight is already finished.

Now she remembered that Rubin Drayton, even in her first life, wasn't the brightest candle in the box.

But I let him make a fool of me back then so I can't say I'm better than him.

"To put your mind at ease, I'm only practicing Hanna's part in the dance that we will perform during my banquet," she lied. She didn't want to risk Rubin spreading false rumors about Nero's sexual orientation. She had to protect her twin brother's position as the crown prince. "So in case she forgot the steps, I can guide her properly. Have I cleared your impure thoughts, Rubin Drayton?"

Rubin's face turned red from embarrassment. "I apologize for my rudeness, Your Royal Highness," he said, then he bowed to her. "This won't happen again."

Her brows furrowed in confusion.

It seemed like Rubin's sudden change of "mood" wasn't normal. He was so hostile at her a while ago. But right now, he returned to his usual timid self.

Was he only brave earlier because he thought he got something to use against her?

I should be more careful around Sc*mbag #2.

"I'll go ahead and have a rest since I have a long day tomorrow," Neoma said stiffly. "Good night, Rubin."

Rubin hanged his head lower. "Have a good night, Your Royal Highness."

***

"HOW WAS Neoma's Mana training under your supervision, Madam Hammock?" Nikolai asked the Healing Sage. "I'll be the one in-charge of her personal training starting today so I want to know what areas she needs to improve."

And that was the reason why he summoned Madam Hammock in his office that early in the morning. Since they were going to talk about Neoma, only Glenn (who stood on his right side) and Kyle (on his left) were allowed inside his office now.

He only sent Neoma as the Healing Sage's disciple before as an excuse why the "royal prince" wouldn't enter the knighthood yet. It wasn't really a big issue because everyone in the empire knew that the de Moonasterios had enormous Mana. And most of the children of the royal family were genius Mana users.

"There are no areas that Her Royal Highness has to improve, Your Majesty," Madam Hammock said politely. "Princess Neoma is a brilliant Mana user."

He raised a brow at that. "She is? But I never saw Neoma train properly. She doesn't even summon her Soul Beast as often as I'd like her to."

The Healing Sage remained silent, hesitation etched on her face.

She's hiding something.

"Spill it out," he threatened the old woman. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to, Madam Hammock?"

Madam Hammock bowed and apologized to him before she spoke. "Her Royal Highness works very hard every single day, Your Majesty," she said in a proud voice as if Neoma was her own. "The royal princess is often arrogant but after watching her closely for the past three years, I realized that the tough attitude she shows is nothing but a façade."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Are you talking about the Neoma that I know?"

"The "Neoma" that you know is only the "Neoma" that Her Royal Highness wants to show you, Your Majesty," Madam Hammock continued. She sounded like she was offended for the royal princess, and thus the defensive tone he heard in the madam's voice. "When no one is looking, Princess Neoma is taking her training seriously. She also listens very well to my advice, and she goes beyond my expectations." The Healing Sage raised her head to look at him straight in the eye. "I can vouch for the royal princess, Your Majesty," she said firmly. "Her Royal Highness isn't only a genius and creative Mana-user– she's also an excellent swordsman."

"Interesting," Nikolai said in a cold voice. "I want to see the Neoma that you're talking about, Madam Hammock."

***

"SKEWER, come to Mama," Neoma said and when she opened her right hand, the pink and black scythe manifested. She grabbed it instantly and used it to slice the 'Shadow Ghost' that tried to attack her. She perfectly sliced it into two. "One down, two to go."

The Shadow Ghosts that she were using right now where a gift from her mentor, Madam Hammock.

Since she didn't want to "fight" with Lewis or the other knights in the Royal Palace, her mentor created some "enemies" that she could "play with." Although the Shadow Ghosts weren't as strong as she was, they were fast and that was exactly why she enjoyed playing with them.

And her playground was the huge courtyard behind Blanco Palace. It was supposed to be renovated into a rose garden. But she had already too many gardens in her residence.

So instead, she asked her people to create a man-made forest in the courtyard. Fighting in a landscape that didn't favor her was a good way to improve her agility and creativity when it came to fighting.

Her thoughts were cut-off when she felt the two Shadow Ghosts approaching her fast.

"Tteokbokki," she shouted, then she smirked. "It's your time to shine!"

Tteokbokki "came out" of her soul in the form of a huge, bright red flame that engulfed her little body.

Of course, she wasn't burned but her skin turned red, and so was the strand of her hair. And when Tteokbokki's flame died out, the redness of her skin turned into hard, red scales of her dragon. Yeah, that was a reminder that her Soul Beast was an awesome red dragon and not a unicorn or a one-horned donkey.

What a pity.

Her thoughts were cut-off when the Shadow Ghosts finally appeared.

She waved Skewer and that movement created a strong wave that cut the first Shadow Ghost into a slant. The other Shadow Ghost disappeared from her sight and when it reappeared, it managed to stab a sharp hand on her stomach.

But of course, that hand didn't pierce her body that was currently as hard as steel.

"Sorry, homie," she said with a smile as she slowly but carefully cut the last Shadow Beast into half. "Tteokbokki's scales are god-tier."

And just like that, the Shadow Ghosts disappeared in a black smoke.

Argh, I'm hungry.

She was distracted from hunger when she heard a clap from above her. When she looked up, she saw Lewis sitting on a tree's branch while clapping.

"Hey," she greeted him brightly. "Did you see the new technique that I came up with, Lewis?" she asked, then she raised her arm to show him. "I turned Tteokbokki's flame as a barrier and "borrowed" his scales to be my armor."

Lewis nodded, his eyes glowing with pride. "I admire you, Princess Neoma."

"You should," Neoma said with a soft laugh. "I'm your mother, after all."

***

NIKOLAI saw everything from the rooftop of Neoma's palace.

From there, they had a clear view of the courtyard that she turned into a man-made forest.

He wasn't the only one who witnessed the royal princess's unexpected brilliance. Glenn was standing on his right side, while Kyle was on his left. The two also looked as surprised as he was. After all, both Glenn and Kyle had sharp senses like him.

Thus, they were able to watch Neoma's training session clearly.

"Princess Neoma is amazing," Glenn said cheerfully. "As expected of your child, Your Majesty."

"I admit that Princess Neoma is commendable for using the Death's Scythe and her Soul Beast in such a strange and creative way," Kyle said with a scowl. "But the royal princess can't be stronger and more brilliant than the real crown prince."

"Nero is still asleep so we can't just conclude that Neoma has already surpassed him," Nikolai said, then he turned his back on Neoma and her training ground to return to his palace. "For now, let's just observe if the royal princess is going to be a threat to the crown prince's position or not," he said. "And once Nero is awake, we can just get rid of Neoma anyway."

***

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