Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

[DONE.]

Neoma didn't want to admit this, but she suddenly felt tired after relinquishing the temporary contracts that she had with her Papa Boss' Soul Beasts.

[Gosh, why is my stamina so shitty lately?]

She was upset because she felt pretty weak at the moment, but she focused on the good things because she didn't want to ruin her day.

North, East, West, South, and Center were now back in her father's arms.

[Heh. That sounds pretty dramatic.]

Anyway, right now, she was in a parlor room with her Mama Boss and Papa Boss.

Of course, they only used the parlor room on the first floor just like what the representatives of the Twelve Golden Families had done.

After all, the parlor rooms on the second floor were for the Royal Family.

[Right now, Nero and the fakes are considered the rightful Royal Family members. Using the rooms reserved for the Royal Family is not a battle worth fighting. We have to conserve our energy for the real fight that's about to begin.]

"Are you okay, baby?"

"I'm Neoma, I'm okay, Mama Boss," Neoma assured her mother. "Don't worry about me."

"I heard Nero threw you in the Dungeon," Papa Boss said, frowning. "That's the worst underground prison in the Royal Palace."

"Don't be upset, Papa Boss," Neoma said. "We have to be more loving and more patient with Nero. He's going through a lot."

Maybe she shouldn't have reminded her parents about that.

Mama Boss suddenly burst out crying, and Papa Boss consoled Mama Boss right away.

Neoma could only sigh.

She already told her parents about her big and ugly fight with Nero recently. It was about how her twin brother suffered because they abandoned him.

[Even though we have a reason, we can't deny the fact that we abandoned Nero.]

And even if Neroâ€" the normal one and not the amnesiac oneâ€" would understand their decision, it didn't mean he wouldn't get hurt.

[The current Nero's resentment right now might be coming from his subconscious.]

"Nero was right," Mama Boss said between sobs. "I don't have the right to call myself his mother after I abandoned him twice."

Aww.

She wanted to console her Mama Boss, but she didn't know what to say.

After all, it was true that her mother abandoned Nero twice.

[We have to acknowledge that we took Nero for granted because he would "understand."]

But it wasn't only her mother who did her twin brother wrong.

[I'm the one who hurt Nero the most.]

"Don't blame yourself, Mona," Papa Boss said while rubbing Mama Boss' back. "My horrible actions caused you to leave the first time."

Mama Boss could only sob harder.

"Be strong, Mama Boss," Neoma said, putting a gentle hand on her mother's shoulder. "We don't have the luxury to cry right now."

She didn't mean to sound harsh, so she was hoping her mother wasn't offended.

Thankfully, it wasn't the case.

Mama Boss looked like a bucket of cold water was poured over her. She suddenly stopped crying, then wiped the tears on her face with her hands. "You're right, Neoma. We don't have the luxury to cry," her mother said. "We will win the trial and win Nero over."

Papa Boss looked relieved now that Mama Boss finally stopped crying.

[Gosh, what a simp.]

"That's the spirit, Mama Boss."

Their family moment was interrupted when they heard a knock on the door.

"It's meâ€" Rufus."

Papa Boss carefully removed his hand from Mama Boss' shoulders. "Come in."

The door opened and Duke Rufus Quinzel entered the room, greeting them with a bright smile on his face.

"We will celebrate later," Duke Quinzel said. "For now, let's begin the trial. The courtroom has been fixed by the royal mages, and the high-ranking nobles have arrived. Moreover, Prince Nero and my daughter Hanna made sure that the commoners are safe and secured outside the courthouse."

She was surprised to hear that Nero was being considerate to the commoners.

[I mean, it's the bare minimum. But I'm happy that as the Crown Prince, he hadn't been corrupted by the crows yet.]

"Glennâ€" I mean King Glenn and his entire family have also arrived with Lord Manu," Duke Quinzel said, then he turned to Neoma. "The trial will begin in five minutes, but I believe there are people who haven't arrived yet. Even the Northern Lords aren't here."

The Northern Lords...

Dahlia...

Jasper oppa...

Trevor...

And, of course, Ruto...

"I'm not sure about the Northern Lords, but let's trust the others," Neoma said firmly. "They'll definitely arrive at the right time."

Duke Quinzel looked relieved by what she said. Then the duke turned to Mama Boss and Papa Boss. "Your Majesty, Lady Roseheart, I apologize but our side lost the argument that I had with the other representatives of the Twelve Golden Families. Only Count Dankworth and Marquis Gibson agreed with me when I said Your Majesty and Lady Roseheart must be seated on the second floor."

It was where the Royal Family should be seated in the courtroom.

[Well, to be precise, the balcony. But Papa Boss destroyed it. The royal mages don't have enough time to create another balcony, so they just fixed the walls and the floors.]

Hence, Nero and the fakes would be seated on the second-floor bleachers.

"It's alright," Papa Boss said and patted the duke's shoulder. "I know you did your best, Rufus."

Duke Quinzel still looked disappointed in himself. "Your Majesty and Lady Roseheart will be seated in the front row."

"Then we can see Neoma clearly," Mama Boss said encouragingly. "Thank you for working hard for us, Rufus."

Duke Quinzel finally smiled, but it quickly faded when he turned to Lewis who was standing quietly behind Neoma. "Lewis, I'm sorry but you can't stand behind Princess Neoma anymore. We're doing this the proper way now since many eyes would be watching."

Neoma turned to Lewis who looked really disappointed. "I'll be fine, Lewis," she assured him, patting him very lightly on the shoulder. "Sit with Mama Boss and Papa Boss, and watch me reclaim my rightful place as the true First Star of the Great Moonasterion Empire."

***

[NOW this is what you call a proper trial.]

Neoma subtly looked around the courtroom while two royal guards guided her to the platform where the accused must stand.

The bleachers were now full of nobles, and she was relieved to see familiar faces.

Skylus, Monik, and Claude smiled and waved at her when she walked past them. She exchanged polite and subtle nods with Uncle Glenn and Aunt Brigitte.

Her "children" (except for Lewis) weren't there, as well as her other allies.

But she wasn't worried because she knew they'd arrive in time.

[They must.]

Anyway, eight of the representatives of the Twelve Golden Families were sitting on the panel reserved for the judges.

Of course, only Duke Rufus Quinzel, Count Sean Dankworth, and Marquis Lawford Gibson greeted her politely.

Marquis Vincent Lennox and the Noble Faction just looked at her coldly.

[So petty.]

"I, Rufus Quinzel, will be officiating the trial for Princess Neoma de Moonasterio's case," Duke Quinzel said, standing. "Princess Neoma, who claims to be Prince Nero's twin sister, will first prove that she's indeed related to the Crown Prince before anything else."

"I hate to interrupt you, Duke Quinzel, but you seem to have skipped a very important process."

Of course, it was Calyx.

The crow bastard while climbing down the stairs while holding a pair of gold bangles with encryption all over it.

Neoma knitted her eyebrows.

Her eyesight was sharp, and she could read Ancient Language. Hence, she already knew what the golden bangles were for.

[Those are the handcuffs to seal a de Moonasterio's power...]

"Since this is a proper trial, we must follow the right procedures, no?" Calyx said, smiling while approaching Duke Quinzel. "Princess Neoma, whether she's a legitimate de Moonasterio or not, must still be physically restrained like a normal sinner who stands before the sacred court."

Neoma didn't mind, since Calyx had a point.

However...

[I have a bad feeling about this.]

"There's a few of them, but there were still some de Moonasterios in the past who were summoned to the court," Calyx continued while shaking the golden bangles in his hands. "And these shackles are specifically made for the de Moonasterios."

"Those items are legitimate," Nero, who was standing on the second floor next to Hanna, said in a loud and clear voice. "I was the one who approved for those shackles to appear before the court. After all, this is the first time in a long while that a de Moonasterio has been put on a trial. We should do it properly, no?"

Then Nero turned to Neoma with a mocking look on his face.

Neoma only smiled kindly to Nero, then she made another heart with her hands again.

[You're being insufferable, but I still love you, Nero.]

Of course, Nero just gave her the same disgusted look that he had given her before.

[Tsk.]

Duke Quinzel looked like he was struggling to make a decision as he looked back and forth between Neoma and the golden bangles in Calyx's hands.

[Aww... he really doesn't want me to put those shackles on.]

However, many eyes were watching them.

"I'll put them on," Neoma declared calmly. "I'm standing in front of the court as an accused, so I must follow the proper protocol."

"As expected of a proud de Moonasterio," Calyx said sarcastically, then he walked towards her. "Let me do the honor of putting these lovely bangles on you, Princess Neoma."

She took all that she got to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"I'm so glad these shackles weren't stored in the Royal Treasury," Calyx whispered after standing so close to her. "You would have stolen them if they were."

Neoma smiled "kindly" because smirking would have made her look like a devil. "So, these are cursed items. After all, I only stole items with ominous energy attached to them."

"Even if you know, what can you do?" Calyx said, chuckling while shaking his head as he put a bangle on each of her wrists. "You can't get away from here, Princess Neoma."

She was about to say something sarcastic, but the bangles suddenly tightened around her wristsâ€" painfully.

And then it happened.

Neoma dropped to the floor, shutting her eyes tight and biting her lower lip so hard she tasted blood in her mouth just to stop herself from screaming. She knew there were people screaming and shouting her name, but she wasn't in the right mind to recognize the voices around her.

It hurt.

Everything hurt that she didn't even know where the pain was coming from.

It was as if something strong was tearing her soul away from her body.

No, it was forcefully separating Tteokbokki from her soul.

["Thug princess, it hurts! Are you okay? I'm not..."]

Neoma's heart was squeezed painfully by an invisible hand.

More than the physical pain that she was going through, it hurt her more to hear Tteokbokki crying in her head.

[I should have just started a rebellion instead of a trial...]

***

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