Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

[THAT'S not Darkness.]

Aside from the shadows, Neoma noticed that the thing whirled around Regina Crowell's body wasn't Darkness. It felt more like Mana but, like, dead.

Huh?

Dead Mana?

Neoma's eyes opened wide. "Impure Mana…"

"I knew you'd recognize it right away, Princess Neoma," Regina Crowell said haughtily. "It's a present that we prepared for you."

The swirling Impure Mana– in liquid form– around Regina Crowell soon took the form of little blobs that looked like jellies.

[Tsk.]

Neoma could instantly tell what the wench was about to do. "If you drop those things, you're dead."

She could focus on Regina Crowell because her Papa Boss already took Callisto de Luca away from him.

Lewis and Vespera were still dealing with Calyx.

Nero was safe with Mama Boss, and so was Hanna with Dahlia and Duke Quinzel.

The others were also capable of protecting themselves.

[I'll deal with the Impure Mana then.]

"Come on, Princess Neoma. We all know these things are no match for you," Regina Crowell said sarcastically. "Since Your Royal Highness is too powerful, so I'm sure you'll be able to save everyone in time."

[This crazy wench..!]

Darkness was different from Impure Mana.

Since Darkness wasn't inherently evil, it would only become dangerous if the user had intention to hurt people with it.

Impure Mana, on the other hand, had no master.

[It will kill anyone or anything that it touches.]

Hence, Impure Mana was more dangerous than Darkness.

"Here you go, Princess Neoma," Regina Crowell said, moving her hands as if she was leading an orchestra. "Catch them if you can."

Neoma let out a ferocious growl before kicking her foot on the floor, her rose wings growing on her back quickly. In just the blink of an eye, she was already flying not towards Regina Crowell, but towards the blobs of Impure Mana.

Worse?

The blobs of Impure Mana didn't drop to the courtroom– those horrible things actually hit and created holes in the roof.

Clearly, the target was the innocent civilians.

"I'm cheering for you, Princess Neoma," Regina Crowell said, laughing, when Neoma flew above the wench. "Good luck– you need that!"

Neoma smirked, then she stopped flying and raised her leg before dropping a surprise axe kick on top of Regina's head.

The wench let out a painful groan while falling down quickly.

"Curse you, you blasted royal princess!"

Of course, she just ignored Regina Crowell's cursing.

"Grandpa Kingston, tear that wench apart," Neoma said while flying through one of the holes in the roof– the Spirit of the White Lion separating from her body. "But make sure not to let Regina Crowell touch you."

["As you command, Princess Neoma."]

Neoma was aware that she couldn't kill Regina Crowell yet, but to be honest, she was wondering whether it was the right thing to do or not.

[Is Regina Crowell the only key to extend my lifespan?]

Her thoughts were cut-off when she finally saw what was happening outside.

The blobs of Impure Mana had already descended.

But, fortunately, a semi-transparent parasol that was huge enough to cover the entire area around the courthouse protected everyone. Hence, the people below were still safe.

[This parasol…]

Neoma looked down and found Paige.

The Light Mage had her arms extended upwards. Clearly, it was Paige who cast the huge barrier to protect the civilians from the Impure Mana. Paige couldn't purify Impure Mana, so it was a good call on her part to protect the people by casting a shield.

It wasn't only the Light Mage who was working hard at the moment.

Juri was beside Paige, protecting the Light Mage from the Darkness creeping out of the courthouse.

She could also see Greko and Jeno guiding the people to safety.

Although she couldn't see Xion, she was pretty sure that he was somewhere hidden while protecting his "siblings" from afar.

[My "children" really work well together.]

SIZZLE.

Neoma's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sizzling sound all around her.

It was the sound of Paige's shield melting because of the Impure Mana.

Neoma immediately extended her hands in the direction of Paige's shield. Then she created several layers of stronger barriers to support the Light Mage.

That was the only thing she could do at the moment.

[Can I purify Impure Mana when I can't even touch it? The first time I saw Impure Mana, I thought it was delicious. But William warned me not to even think about it. Apparently, Impure Mana is poison to the de Moonasterios. It's our "kryptonite."]

Plus, Neoma remembered that she died in the first timeline while drowning in an ocean of Impure Mana– to be precise, Impure Mana from the gods and living creatures that she had killed back then.

[Oh, god. This is giving me PTSD.]

"What can I do to help, my Moon Princess?"

Neoma raised her head and was delighted to see Trevor floating in front of her. He looked bothered, though. Hence, she got worried. "Did something happen?"

Trevor let out a sigh. "I'm afraid you might have to get involved with Rubin Drayton, Princess Neoma. But let's talk about it later." He turned to the blobs of Impure Mana that Paige's shield was barely stopping those things from pouring into the citizens. "You can't purify Impure Mana, can you?"

"I haven't tried it yet, so I wouldn't know. Should I try purifying it?"

To be honest, she was curious about why Trevor suddenly mentioned Rubin Drayton. But she knew it wasn't the right moment to ask about it.

"Impure Mana is poison to the de Moonasterios, so let's not take the risk," Trevor said, lifting a finger. "I can't purify Impure Mana, too. But I can move it somewhere else. Should I send it to the bastards in the courtroom?"

"Store it," Neoma said. "I'll do an experiment on it later."

The demon boy looked curious, and it also looked like he was about to ask about her plan. But he was interrupted when they heard a loud explosion from the inside.

"That's my cue," Neoma said, turning to the courthouse. "I need to return now."

BLERGH.

Hmm?

She turned to Trevor and was surprised to see him covering his mouth with one hand, while the other hand was clutching his stomach tight. It was as if he wanted to throw up.

Worse, Trevor looked so pale.

[But he was fine a moment ago…]

"Trevor, are you okay?" Neoma asked worriedly. "What happened?"

"I'm fine, Princess Neoma," Trevor said, obviously struggling to speak. However, there was a glint of determination in his eyes that told her she had nothing to worry about. "Go. They need you there, my Moon Princess."

***

CALLISTO may have a physical body now that he could call his own.

However, his new vessel wasn't strong enough yet to withstand Nikolai de Moonasterio's continuous attacks.

The emperor was still the strongest man in the empire, after all.

Callisto went through hell just to get a body compatible with his soul, so it would be a shame if Nikolai de Moonasterio destroyed it.

Hence, he decided to give up this battle for now.

[Nikolai de Moonasterio hasn't summoned his Soul Beasts yet, but he's already pushing me back with just using Calypso.]

Callisto was successful in blocking Calypso's blade with the blade of his Moonblood.

An ancient dagger blocking a Holy Sword was commendable.

However, Nikolai de Moonasterio's movements were getting faster and more accurate. The emperor swung Calypso casually, but there were no unnecessary movements in each swing. In short, Nikolai de Moonasterio was swinging his sword with only one intention: to kill.

"I'm hurt, Nikolai de Moonasterio," Callisto said, trying to distract the emperor by talking as he continued to block Calypso's blade with the Moonblood. He was actually trying to stab Calypso's blade the way he stabbed Princess Neoma's Death Scythe earlier, but he couldn't do so because Nikolai de Moonasterio was too quick. "Are you seriously fighting me without using your Soul Beasts? Are you looking down on me?"

"Yes and yes," Nikolai de Moonasterio said bluntly. "I will get more satisfaction in stabbing a bastard like you to death than watching my Soul Beasts kill you."

"You still spout hurtful words like they're nothing– no wonder your children both have sharp tongues."

The emperor just smirked proudly.

"That wasn't a compliment, Your Majesty," he said sarcastically. "Why do you look so smug? I'm practically calling out your children for being rude little brats."

"Have you ever met a polite de Moonasterio in your long life?"

"It's not something you should be proud of."

"You only have your disgusting clan to blame," Nikolai de Moonasterio said coldly, his eyes turning glowing red. "When you put someone on the pedestal, you force them to look down on you. And that's what you and your cult did, Callisto de Luca. You put the de Moonasterios on the pedestal for centuries, so don't act surprised when we treat you with contempt."

Callisto didn't want to admit this, but Nikolai de Moonasterio's words hit him hard.

["When you put someone on the pedestal, you force them to look down on you."]

The emperor was right.

Callisto and the crows had treated the de Moonasterion emperors as their gods– gods that they could control like puppets. That was the reason why he became a kingmaker that put only the most qualified male de Moonasterios on the throne.

But Nikolai and Nero de Moonasterio never acted the way the cult wanted them to.

That was when the realization hit him.

[Ah, they know.]

Callisto realized that both Nikolai and Nero de Moonasterio had known long ago that they were gods among men, hence they had no need for a kingmaker.

He shuddered at the thought.

"Who allowed you to get distracted while fighting ME?"

Callisto paid a heavy price for getting distracted while fighting THE emperor.

Tsk!

His hand was almost cut-off by Nikolai de Moonasterio. If he didn't move his hand in time, Calypso's sharp blade would have sliced his wrist clean. But as a result, his grip around the Moonblood's handle loosened up– causing him to drop the ancient dagger.

Nikolai de Moonasterio was quick enough to grab the Moonblood right under his nose.

Then the emperor mercilessly stabbed Callisto in the chest– the Moonblood's blade hitting him straight in the heart.

Nikolai de Moonasterio didn't hit his heart when Calypso pierced through his chest earlier because Callisto put a shield around all his vital organs. However, the Moonblood was an extremely vicious weapon.

Hence, the Moonblood pierced through the shield that Callisto put around his heart.

If he was an ordinary person, he would have died already.

But since Callisto was still a half-god, he managed to fix his own heart. Slower than usual, though. After all, the Moonblood was poison to him since he also carried the blood of the Moon God.

[Nikolai de Moonasterio!]

"This is what I'm talking about when I said I enjoy stabbing bastards like you to death," Nikolai said, pulling out the Moonblood to make Callisto suffer more. Then the emperor stabbed Callisto in the heart again, in the same spot. But, this time, the Moonblood's blade didn't plunge into his heart deeper than the emperor would like to. The emperor didn't look discouraged, though. "Let's see how many stabs I could make before the shield around your heart breaks."

And then the emperor began stabbing Callisto in the heart in a very quick manner that his eyes barely followed His Majesty's movements.

Not only that– Nikolai de Moonasterio's Mana was also preventing Callisto from moving.

The emperor's bloodlust was too thick and too heavy that the pressure oozing out from His Majesty was enough to crush Callisto.

As expected, his new body was still no match for the strongest man in the empire.

[This sadistic bastard…!]

But, to be honest, Callisto couldn't hate Nikolai de Moonasterio.

[He's still the perfect emperor for us. If only…]

"We should have just made a potion that would make you and Juliet Sloane crazy for each other. If the two of you had conceived a child together, then the de Moonasterio that could surpass you would have been born," Callisto said, making Nikolai de Moonasterio stop from moving. "But don't worry. We're still fond of Nero de Moonasterio even if his mother is Mona Roseheart. We'll make him the best emperor in history."

"The de Moonasterio who could surpass was already born a long time ago."

"I told you to stop being so proud of your children."

"Of course, both Nero and Neoma are amazing," Nikolai de Moonasterio said. "But the de Moonasterio I'm talking about is Nichole. My twin sister has always been better than I am."

Callisto thought Nikolai de Moonasterio had gone crazy. "You're the emperor, Nikolai de Moonasterio. Have some pride and stop praising a female de Moonasterio."

Nikolai de Moonasterio scoffed. "That's rich coming from an old bastard who's been obsessing over Aruna de Moonasterio for centuries."

That made Callisto snap. "Enough."

As expected, the emperor was sharp.

Nikolai de Moonasterio dropped the Moonblood and immediately jumped away from him.

If the emperor didn't drop the weapon, the Impure Mana that bled out of the blade would have poisoned him already.

"I had fun, Nikolai de Moonasterio," Callisto said, picking up the Moonblood. And yes, the Impure Mana dripping from the blade and trickling down his hand didn't harm him in any way. That was the advantage of his new body. "I'll come back for Nero de Moonasterio and Hanna Quinzel later."

Nikolai de Moonasterio just scoffed at him. "As if I'd let you take the children away."

***

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