Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"YOU'RE lucky I can't kill you yet," Neoma said. Unfortunately, unless the curse was completely broken, she had to keep Calyx Dalton alive. "But from this moment, I will make your life a living hell, you damned fake who doesn't have a personality other than being obsessed with MY twin brother."

Calyx's face hardened at her taunting. "Where's Nero?"

"Don't worry, I'll return Nero safe and sound," she said coldly. "I have no use for a brother who thinks of a bastard like you as family."

[I'm sorry, Nero.]

Her chest squeezed painfully while saying those hurtful things about her baby brother.

Of course, she didn't mean any of it.

[But I can't let Calyx get suspicious of Nero. We can't undo the curse on Nero yet, so I can't take him with me because it will only make things complicated. Moreover, he's still the Crown Prince. The crows will definitely seize the throne if Nero disappears.]

Her thoughts were interrupted when the crow bastard laughed.

"I was worried for nothing," Calyx said, looking at Neoma very disrespectfully. "Of course, just because you're here doesn't mean you can undo Nero's curse. It's possible to lift the curse on other people– but not on the person where the curse is planted."

Neoma grabbed the armrests of the throne with so much force that long cracks appeared all over it.

She already expected that Nero was the center of the curse.

But to have it confirmed by Calyx Dalton himself didn't make her any less angry.

[They really planted the curse in Nero!]

No wonder even the tandem of Ruto and Trevor couldn't cure her baby brother yet.

"What are you going to do now, Princess Neoma?" Calyx asked haughtily. "You can't kill me, and you can't take Nero with you either." He paused while looking at the pink flame swallowing the throne before he spoke again. "Even if you burn the throne to ashes, you can't steal it from Nero. Only a male de Moonasterio could become the emperor of the Great Moonasterion Empire." His arrogant gaze shifted back to Neoma. "The crows have chosen Nero to become this generation's emperor."

She let out a hollow laugh. "As if I give a fuck about the crows' "choice.""

"Are you being arrogant because of the prophecy that the former saint received about you being the first empress regnant?" Calyx asked, scoffing. "Dominic Zavaroni was already excommunicated. That means all the stupid prophecies he had seen don't have value in them anymore."

"Come to think of it, Uncle Dominic only said he only saw me sitting on the throne as the new empress," she wondered out loud. "It was only the people who heard about the prophecy who assumed that the throne I was taking was this throne." She emphasized "this throne" by patting the armrests that she only broke earlier. "Hence, we all assumed I was destined to become the first empress regnant of the Great Moonasterion Empire because I'm the empire's only and only royal princess."

"What are you–"

"Just shut up and listen when I'm talking," she growled at Calyx Dalton. "How dare you interrupt me when I'm busy connecting the dots?"

Calyx Dalton knitted his eyebrows while looking at her as if she was crazy.

[Well, I am. There's no sane de Moonasterio in history.]

"I can burn the Great Moonasterion Empire to ashes and build my own empire if I want to," Neoma said, smirking. "How does the 'Gorgeous Neoma Empire' sound?"

"Great," Trevor and Lewis said at the same time.

Neoma turned to her allies with a smile. "Right?"

Trevor smiled at her while nodding.

Lewis, on the other hand, just gave her a double thumbs up.

"For someone who was kicked out of this world five years ago, you speak so arrogantly, Princess Neoma."

She turned to Calyx Dalton calmly, unbothered by his taunting. "It's inevitable for the main character to lose a few times in order to have great character development. Plus, I needed a training arc. But you wouldn't understand because you're just a villain– and you will never be the main character."

"You're speaking bullshi–"

"Ah!" Neoma gasped, purposely talking over Calyx Dalton. "Now I remember why the crows are so fucking afraid of female de Moonasterios. There's a prophecy that says a woman would lead the empire to ruins."

She suddenly remembered what Yule said to her before…

["The prophecy was passed down to male heirs of the throne. Thus, every single Crown Prince in the history of the empire was raised to be wary of their female siblings. When a royal princess is born into the royal family, it has been a tradition to raise them separately from the royal prince to avoid the siblings from building a strong bond. Since the past royal princes were detached from their female siblings, they didn't care if the royal princesses were murdered."]

She still remembered how she responded to Yule that time, and she repeated the young Neoma's words back then.

"I guess they were right to believe the prophecy," Neoma said, lazily yet elegantly standing up from the burning throne to look down ON Calyx Dalton. It was fun to see the crow bastard look up at her. "Because the moment I was born, that prophecy has already been fulfilled."

Calyx Dalton's eyes opened wide as if he just got chills all over his body.

Trevor and Lewis, on the other hand, clapped enthusiastically.

Nero's "children" all had an unreadable expressions on their faces.

"You're really an arrogant princess," Calyx said while shaking his head as if he had already given up trying to reason with her. "To say that you'd ruin the empire that your ancestors built with their blood, sweat, and tears…"

"Gosh, monarchy ain't shit. Why would I get attached to the empire that sacrificed its royal princesses for many generations?" Neoma scoffed while clicking her tongue. "Moreover, I love the people here– not the empire itself. I'll give a new home to my people. They deserve a home that wasn't built from blood and sins."

"You only say blasphemous things whenever we talk, Princess Neoma."

"The truth isn't blasphemy– you just feel offended because I'm right."

Calyx Dalton just frowned in response.

Neoma snapped her fingers. "Tteokbokki, come out."

A flicker of red light appeared beside her, and then Tteokbokki– in his human form– emerged from it. Her Soul Beast was holding the unconscious Nero in his arms.

"Put him on the throne, Tteokbokki."

"Aye, aye, thug princess."

As Tteokbokki walked towards the burning throne, Calyx Dalton yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Are you trying to burn Nero just because he doesn't remember you?!"

Neoma just rolled her eyes.

When Tteokbokki put Nero on the throne, the pink flame disappeared and was replaced by a thin layer of ice.

Just right after that, the throne room's ceiling collapsed.

Kingston fell down from the roof while biting Zeru on the neck. Then the White Lion threw the relatively smaller-than-usual ice phoenix until it landed on Nero's feet.

[Grandpa Kingston won.]

Ah, so the Elemental Guardians were really a match for the Soul Beasts?

[Well, it doesn't really matter.]

"Let's go home," Neoma said to Tteokbokki, Lewis, and Trevor. "The fun is over."

"Are you leaving already?"

Of course, it was the fake First Star who asked.

"Don't worry, Calyx. I'll personally greet you at your birthday party."

Calyx raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not invited to my birthday banquet, Princess Neoma."

"You're the guest in the Royal Palace and not me– and you should be thankful I'm not kicking you out at your own birthday banquet," Neoma said, laughing as her body turned translucent. It was the work of Trevor's teleportation spell. "Calyx Dalton, let's settle who's the real First Star during the banquet."

***

"LADY HANNA, please drink this potion I made."

Hanna, who was leaning against the headboard, received the glass that Dahlia handed to her. The liquid inside was green, and it looked… unappetizing.

[It reminds me of the potions that Sandie would brew every now and then.]

"Uhm, it looks gross and it may taste a little bitter, but it's good for your body," Dahlia, who was sitting on the chair next to the bed, explained as if she was in a panic. "It will clean all the toxins in your body, and if you continue drinking it, it will help you build up immunity to poisons."

"I see," she said, nodding. "Thank you, Miss Dahlia."

After saying that, Hanna drank the entire potion in one big gulp.

Argh.

It tasted awful– more awful than the potions Sandie would often feed her to fight the poison that Regina Crowell fed her.

"Here, Lady Hanna."

She was surprised, but her hand automatically reached for the candy that Dahlia handed to her.

[Am I… a kid?]

Even so, Hanna quietly took the candy and put it in her mouth.

Hanna was relieved when the sweetness of the candy lessened the bitterness in her mouth. "It tastes refreshing. Thank you, Miss Dahlia."

"You're welcome, Lady Hanna," Dahlia said, then she awkwardly gave Hanna a report. "Duke and Duchess Quinzel are currently sleeping in the other room. Greko fed His Grace a capsule that will help him replenish his Mana, and I fed Her Grace the same potion I fed you, Lady Hanna. Both of them are safe and recovering now. Greko is monitoring their condition."

"Thank you for taking care of my parents," Hanna said in a serious tone. "I mean it, Miss Dahlia."

"It's nothing, Lady Dahlia. I just wanted to help."

"…"

Hanna was at a loss for words because she didn't know how to react. She thought her resolve to detach herself from Dahlia was firm. But her feelings were already wavering.

[I know in my heart that Miss Dahlia didn't do anything wrong…]

Hanna didn't want to admit this, but her pride as a noblewoman was preventing her from opening up to Dahlia.

[Between Neoma and I, people will probably think Neoma is the prideful one. After all, Neoma is arrogant and narcissistic. But people who knew the real Neoma would agree that the royal princess is actually unassuming. She treats everyone equally, and she doesn't look down on someone only based on their status.]

But Hanna wasn't as self-effacing as Neoma.

[I know I'm above other people because I was born a noble– and I was raised that way. After all, the only people above the Quinzels are the de Moonasterios.]

Hanna couldn't easily bow her head to other people the way Neoma could.

[Neoma was born in a world ruled by a class system as well, but she unlearned everything she was taught as a noblewoman when she lived as Kim Neoma. Unfortunately, I didn't get that chance.]

Even though Hanna wanted to unlearn the toxic things she learned as a noblewoman and become more like Neoma, she found it hard to do so.

That was why her pride was hurt when Nero's attention was caught by a commoner.

"I was raised as someone with the highest rank among the noble ladies," Hanna said carefully. "The only lady who has a higher position than me is Neoma."

Well, technically, the Empress Dowager as well.

[But the current Empress Juliet is a fake, so I don't consider her as someone above me.]

"Unfortunately, Neoma isn't officially recognized as a royal princess. Hence, right now, I'm the noble lady with the highest position in the high society," Hanna continued. "I'm the perfect person to become the Crown Princess. I have the best education, the best background, and the best etiquette." She finally gathered the courage to turn to Dahlia. "My entire existence as a noble lady is rejecting you, Miss Dahlia. My pride can't accept the fact that my rival is a commoner. Hence, even though it's not your fault, I resented you for gaining Nero's affection."

Dahlia lowered her head as if she was embarrassed.

"It's unbecoming of a noble lady like, isn't it?"

"…"

"So, Miss Dahlia, please help me."

Dahlia looked surprised when she raised her head. "Huh?"

"Help me get my feet back on the ground," Hanna said, smiling apologetically at Dahlia. "Please teach me that people are not defined by their social status. Teach me that I'm not better than you just because I'm a noble."

"Lady Hanna…"

"I'm sorry for looking down on you, Miss Dahlia."

And Hanna bowed her head towards Dahlia properly.

Dahlia gasped out loud. "Lady Hanna…"

[I should have done this from the start.]

Hanna raised her head and faced Dahlia. "Will you give me a chance to become your friend, Miss Dahlia?"

"You didn't have to ask, Lady Hanna," Dahlia said emotionally. "I'd love to be your friend!"

***

[SHOULD I break the door?]

Of course, Neoma shouldn't do that since that would be a crime.

Hence, she could only stand in front of the hotel room where Ruto was currently resting.

She heard from Greko that her man booked a room for himself because he wanted to rest after taking the medicine that made him drowsy. Hence, as soon as she returned to the hotel, she asked to be left alone because she wanted to check on her man.

But now she realized that she shouldn't disturb Ruto when he needed to rest.

[Yep, I should come back later.]

Neoma was about to leave when the door suddenly burst open.

"Why aren't you coming in?"

Huh?

Neoma didn't understand a word that Ruto said, and she couldn't respond as she found her throat suddenly dry.

[This sinful man…!]

Ruto was shirtless, clad only in low-slung unbuttoned trousers that barely clung to his hips– exposing that sexy pelvis of his.

[My man obviously just took a shower.]

Neoma tried not to look at everything from the neck down, but it was hard because the little beads of water glistening over the parts of his lean and well-toned torso were seducing her.

[You can't jump him, you can't jump him, you can't jump him,] she said to herself like a mantra while summoning the self-control that she suddenly couldn't find in her. [You're an intellectual woman, Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio. Only a beast would attack a defenseless person.]

But… Ruto's abs… were glorious…

"Do you like what you see, Neoma?"

"Yes," Neoma said, then she raised her head to meet Ruto's teasing gaze. She knew that she was as red as a tomato, so she acted haughty by putting on a poker face. "I mean, nice abs, dude."

Ruto chuckled while shaking his head. "Sure."

***

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