Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"RUFUS felt like he woke from a long bad dream.

He couldn't believe that he forgot about Princess Neoma for five years.

Worse, he accepted Regina Crowellâ€" the wench who tried to kill his precious daughterâ€" in his house as his niece.

[I must have lost my mind...]

"Honey..."

Rufus turned to Amber, who looked as miserable as him, and gathered his wife in his arms. "I understand what you're feeling right now, honey," he said while rubbing her back. "It's frustrating that we let Hanna fight alone all these years. But we'll make it up to our daughter."

Amber nodded and hugged him back...

... until his wife began coughing up blood.

"Amber!"

"Duke Quinzel, if it's alright with you and Her Grace, may I take a look on Duchess Amber's condition?"

It was Dahlia, the Black Witch.

"Sir Lewis Crevan informed us of both Your Graces' poor condition when he infiltrated your estate last time, Your Grace."

Ah, that must be when Lewis informed Rufus about this meeting.

"Greko and I prepared some medicines and antidotes that will help you improve your conditions," Dahlia continued with her explanation. "We regret to inform you, but we suspect that Regina Crowell poisoned Duchess Amber."

Amber gasped in disbelief.

Rufus, on the other hand, clenched his jaw tight. "That little wench..."

He couldn't forgive himself for treating Regina Crowell for the past five years while the little wench was killing his precious family!

"My wife..." Rufus said in a broken voice. "Please help my wife."

Dahlia nodded politely, but she looked concerned. "Your Grace, you're also in a poor condition."

Greko, Princess Neoma's Healer, nodded in agreement. "Duke Quinzel, I made a potion for you. It will help you recover quickly from the fatigue that you accumulated recently."

Oh. That was true.

Now that he was assured his daughter was safe, he could feel the fatigue catching up to him.

"I understand," Rufus said, nodding. "But please take care of my wife first."

***

"RUTO HYUNG, please drink this."

Hmm?

Ruto was surprised when Greko, the half fairy-half human Healer, handed him a capsule. "Is that a medicine?"

Greko nodded shyly. "It's a type of medicine that I made myself, hyung. It will help you recover your Mana quickly. I know that you don't need help in that aspect, but..."

"I'll take it," he said, then he put the capsule in his mouth.

The child then handed him a vial of water.

Ruto also accepted the water and drank it. "Thank you."

To be honest, he wasn't the type of person who would easily accept any kind of food and drink from someone else.

He was that careful.

Even so, he couldn't reject Greko's goodwill.

[This child is one of the purest children I've met in my life.]

"You're welcome, hyung," Greko said, his face beaming. "Hyung, do you need to sleep? I'm sure you're tired from undoing the curse for two people. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know."

He couldn't help but smile at how well the child was treating him. "Did Neoma tell you to take care of me?"

"Our family isn't shameless, hyung," the young Healer said proudly. "Princess Neoma, my eomma, is aware that you're doing us a huge favor. Hence, she asked me to take care of you in her place."

"This isn't a favorâ€" I'm not doing this for free," he corrected the child. "In exchange for my service, Neoma now owes me a huge favor. I won't hesitate to call for her help if I find myself in a life-and-death situation."

It was expected, but Ruto still felt awful about himself when Greko suddenly looked disappointed.

"It's alright, hyung."

"Huh?"

Greko patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Eomma is working hard, so I'm sure you'll fall in love with her all over again soon."

Ruto knitted his eyebrows. "Your "eomma" is the one who's in a desperate situation here, so why are you looking at ME with pity?"

"Because I can't imagine hyung falling in love with someone else after falling for my eomma," the child said, tilting his head innocently. "I mean, my eomma is the best. If you fall for another girl, then wouldn't she just become a second best her entire life? Hyung, no lady deserves to be her partner's second best only, so spare them the misery."

Huh?

Ruto was in disbelief as Greko hit three critical points while looking innocent.

First, Greko just declared that his "eomma" was the best woman in the world.

[I can understand why Greko would think Neoma is the best, since she raised him.]

Second, Greko implied that the other girls were inferior to Neoma.

[That was a bit mean, but I can tell Greko didn't say that to insult other girls. He just genuinely believes that no one comes close to his "eomma." It's like he's looking through his mother figure through rose-colored glasses.]

And third, Greko managed to gaslight Rutoâ€" the child was already making him feel bad for making a non-existent girl his "second best."

[It feels like he's cursing me with that innocent look on his face...]

Ruto sighed while shaking his head. "Greko, you're really Neoma's "son.""

Greko smiled, his face beaming even more. "Thank you for saying that, hyung."

[Neoma, you set the bar too high for your children's standards...]

***

HANNA was shocked when she coughed up a huge chunk of blood.

[My body...]

Before she knew it, her body already fell to the floor.

[I can't move...]

Even so, that didn't mean she was completely defenseless.

Her shadow emerged from the floor and kicked Regina Crowell away from her.

The wench blocked Hanna's shadow's attack, but was soon forced to step away from Hanna when Lady Paige moved closer.

But instead of attacking, Lady Paige only created a shield to protect Hanna.

The shield scope was pretty wide because it also protected all the items in the treasury room.

"You're defending instead of attacking?" Regina Crowell taunted Lady Paige with a sneer. "Did Neoma de Moonasterio raise you a coward?"

"Princess Neoma raised me as a person who chooses her battle well," Lady Paige answered calmly. "And you're not worth fighting, Regina Crowell. We're only here to check on your new ability anyway." The mage smiled when the crow lost her arrogant smile. "Thank you for showing us your new ability, by the way. I'll analyze it well, then help Princess Neoma and Lady Hanna find a way to beat the hell out of you next time."

If Hanna's insides didn't feel like they were being burned, then she would have laughed.

[Neoma, your "children" learned from you well.]

Regina Crowell looked like she was about to attack and break the shield.

But the door to the treasury room suddenly burst open.

Jaxson Emmett, the vice-captain of the Black Hawk Knights, entered the treasury room while the elite troop under his command followed behind. "Miss Regina Crowell, you're under arrest for attempting to steal from House Quinzel. Moreover..." The vice-captain turned to Hanna with a clenched jaw before glaring at Regina Crowell. "You'll pay for laying a hand on our princess!"

Hanna, despite her current condition, chuckled.

Regina Crowell turned to Hanna as if she had gone crazy.

"This camera," Hanna said while patting the brooch on the ribbon attached to her dress. "Caught everything and the images are sent to Sir Emmett."

Lady Paige scoffed at Regina Crowell. "Did you think I just stood there and watch while you were fighting Lady Hanna?"

As a mage, it was easy for Lady Paige to send a communication device to where Jaxson Emmett and his troop were.

Of course, the video they sent the knights didn't have an audio recording.

[After all, we still need to protect our secret.]

Fortunately, Jaxson Emmett still understood what was happening and hurried back to the mansion with the elite troop.

"This isn't the end, Hanna Quinzel."

After dropping her threat, Regina Crowell pulled out a scroll and ripped it.

In just the blink of an eye, the wench disappeared.

"The back gate," Lady Paige said while looking at Jaxson Emmett. "Sir, I can feel a distorted energy from that area. A scroll is only used for short-distance teleportation, so Regina Crowell hasn't gotten away yet."

"Go," Hanna added because she could see that the vice-captain didn't want to leave her after seeing her poor condition. "I'll be fine since Lady Paige is here. Please catch Regina Crowell, Sir Emmett."

Jaxson Emmett nodded his head politely. "I understand, Lady Hanna," he said, then he turned to Lady Paige. "Please take care of our princess, ma'am."

Lady Paige nodded. "I will, sir."

Only then did Jaxson Emmett leave with his troop to look for Regina Crowell.

As soon as the doors to the treasury room closed, Lady Paige immediately kneeled beside Hanna to check on her condition.

The mage put a hand on Hanna's stomach.

Lady Paige's warm hand was obviously healing Hanna's internal injuries.

"I think Regina Crowell really has the ability to turn back one's time," Hanna reported right away. She didn't want to faint without giving a report first, so she was in a hurry. "This was like how my body reacted the first time I drank the poison that Regina Crowell served me."

Lady Paige's face turned grim. "That wench must have turned your body back to the time when you haven't built immunity to poison yet, Lady Hanna."

She could only nod weakly in agreement.

It was a scary ability.

Regina Crowell possessed a frightening ability because they knew she would use it to harm Neoma and their people.

[We taunt Regina Crowell to provoke her, but we take her seriously.]

Hanna's thoughts were interrupted when she coughed up blood again.

"Let's go back to the hotel first, Lady Hanna," Lady Paige said in a hurry, then she carried Hanna in her armsâ€" princess-styleâ€" without difficulties. "Miss Dahlia is better than me when it comes to poisons and antidotes."

Hanna didn't really want to rely on Dahlia, but she guessed it was inevitable. "But please contact my friend Sandie as well if I faint later, Lady Paige."

***

JASPER was disgusted and furious.

If it wasn't for Duckie, he would have already blown up the entire place. He couldn't believe that such a place existed.

It was as bad as the Death Camp.

[If not, worse.]

"We must report this to Princess Neoma," Xion, who was standing behind him, whispered. "She has to know."

Jasper nodded in agreement. "Lord Ruto and Miss Dahlia need to know, too."

It was a matter that the Elemental Guardian owners should personally deal with, after all.

***

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