Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

848 SEPARATIONS, REUNION

HANNA flinched when Lewis fell to the ground again.

The Imperial Princess was in the middle of beating Lewis to a pulp (it was a sparring and not "child" abuse) when it happened.

Well, it was really hard to call it a 'sparring.'

After all, the older Neoma was just standing there with her arms crossed over her chest while controlling two little energy balls that looked like little moons. Those little "moons" were the ones beating up Lewis.

The little "moons" were moving so quick that not even the fox could defend properly even though all his NINE tails were out.

As as result, Lewis could only growl while getting beaten up.

[I can't blame Lewis, though. After all, even I can't follow the little moons' movements.]

And it wasn't only her.

Queen Lisica and Rustin, the old Silver Foxes that Lewis was training with earlier, couldn't even raise their heads to watch the sparring properly.

Hmm?

"What's wrong, Your Majesty, Lord Rustin?" Hanna asked worriedly. "Why do you look stiff? You're acting strange."

"You're the one who's acting strange, Quinzel," Queen Lisica said, her eyes glued to the ground. "How can you stay calm in the presence of a god? A powerful god, at that. She's so different from the young princess I know. It feels like we don't even have the right to glance in her direction."

Really?

She could tell the older Neoma was intimidating, but not to the point that she couldn't look at her in the eye.

"It's probably because Princess Neoma the God favors you, Quinzel," Lord Rustin added. The huge and intimidating male old fox was reduced to a timid man in front of Neoma. "But she's hostile to everyone and anyone else. That's exactly the reason why the demons that were here earlier have run away."

"Her presence is really suffocating," Queen Lisica complained in a low yet frustrated voice. "I feel like I'd disappear into nothingness even with just an eye contact."

Ah, Hanna didn't know that.

[I guess Neoma is protecting me and Lewis from her dangerous aura.]

Hanna turned to the older Neoma, and then she was shocked when she saw her turning semi-transparent. "N-Neoma! What's happening to you?!"

Not only did Neoma begin to turn transparent– but the Imperial Princess also shrunk!

[Now she's just a little taller than the current Neoma.]

"My time is up," Neoma answered casually. "It's a shame I can't teach all the things I wanted you to learn, but I guess this works, too." She opened her arms. "Hanna Quinzel, Lewis Crevan, come here and give me a hug."

Hanna's body moved on her own and hugged Neoma.

Even Lewis, who wasn't comfortable with physical contact, hugged the Imperial Princess shyly.

"Hanna Quinzel, remember that the shadows you control and the Darkness that Helstor creates have the same properties," Neoma said calmly, her eyes closed. "There's a reason why the Quinzels used to worship Helstor. If you dig deep into the history of your family's former religion, you might find something you can use to create the real Black Hole."

"I understand, Princess Neoma," Hanna said, addressing Neoma as a princess this time because she thought it was appropriate to do so. "I will surpass the Pirate Princess."

"Yes, I believe you can do that," Neoma said, then the Imperial Princess patted Lewis' back. "Boy, you've lived a thousand years as a fox. You wouldn't have survived that long until you became a human if you were weak. To unlock your full potential as the last Silver Fox alive, all you have to do is to go back to your roots."

"I'm afraid to do that, Princess Neoma," Lewis said in a defeated voice. "What if I completely lose myself and forget that I'm a human and not a beast?"

"You just have to have faith in yourself and in the people around you, Lewis Crevan," Neoma said. "You're no longer alone in this world."

Lewis looked touched by what the older Neoma said.

Hanna then gently rubbed Lewis' back. And when he turned to her, she gave him a warm smile. "I won't let you lose yourself, Lewis. So don't hesitate to let go of your inhibitions if you have to."

"Okay, Princess Hanna," Lewis said, giving her a small smile. "I'm under your care from now on."

Hanna just smiled and nodded at Lewis, then she turned to Neoma again. "Princess Neoma, I love you."

Lewis' face turned red. "I do, too."

[Aww… what a shy confession.]

Neoma opened her eyes, and this time, her red eyes had turned back to their normal ash-gray color. "I'm not good at expressing my feelings with words, so let me just leave a present for you."

***

MONA was worried about Nikolai and Monik when all of them felt Helstor's presence dominating the dark sky for a moment.

Then it was followed by a sky quake.

They also saw Nikolai's Soul Beasts fall from the sky one by one.

[Ordinary people couldn't have seen it, but we did.]

Hence, Mona asked Trevor to delay opening the portal leading to the Cosmic Tree.

"It's gone," Dahlia commented. "Lord Helstor's hostile energy is gone."

"But we all felt it, didn't we?" Trevor asked, eyeing the older Neoma cautiously. "The burst of unbelievably strong Moonglow…"

The demon trailed off.

And it was understandable.

Mona covered her mouth with her hands when she gasped softly. "N-Neoma…"

Her daughter's body had turned semi-transparent, and she also shrunk.

[Neoma's red eyes have also returned to their natural color…]

It was as if Mona's daughter was about to disappear at any moment.

"It's time for me to leave," the older Neoma said indifferently, then she sat beside the sleeping Nero and held his hand. After that, she extended her other hand to Mona. "Mother, please give me a hug."

Of course, Mona didn't waste time and hugged her daughter tightly.

"Mother, please teach Nero everything he needs to know about being a male Roseheart," Neoma whispered to her. "He's the key to free the Soul Beasts. But Nero's mental state is weak. To control his Lunacy, his Roseheart Blood must be stronger than his Moonglow."

Mona nodded. "I understand, daughter. I'll properly teach Nero how to use his Roseheart Blood."

"And take care of our family, Mother."

"Neoma…"

"I'm glad that the Neoma of this timeline has a mother," the older Neoma said softly. "Please love her a lot for me, Mother."

"Of course, I'm already doing that," Mona said between sobs, hugging the Neoma who had lived a miserable life without a family. "Neoma, even though we didn't get the chance to meet in the first timeline, please know that the Mona of that time loved you– she definitely did."

"I know, Mother," Neoma said softly. "That's why I'm leaving without regrets."

And Neoma even left them with a precious gift that they didn't deserve.

***

TO SAY that Jasper was surprised would be an understatement.

He went to check on Duke Rufus Quinzel's tent after he felt a strangely familiar divine power inside. That was when he saw Princess Neoma.

The Imperial Princess looked different, though.

Since he was aware of Princess Neoma's secret, he realized right away that the Princess Neoma in front of him was the one from the past timeline.

But how?

[And, more importantly, why do I feel like crying?]

"Duke Jasper Hawthorne, you fool," the older Princess Neoma scolded him with a frown. "Don't do that again. Not in this timeline."

Jasper was confused. "Whatever do you mean by that, Princess Neoma?"

"Don't die for me."

Oh.

So, he died for Princess Neoma in the first timeline.

Jasper grinned. "That's not a bad way to go, Princess Neoma."

"Don't make me smack you to knock some sense into your thick skull, Duke Hawthorne."

He just laughed it off.

[I treasure my life, but if it's for Princess Neoma, then I don't mind dying. After all, I know that giving up my life for her would save the world.]

"You're having foolish thoughts again, you cheeky duke. You've never listened to me."

Jasper smiled and shrugged…

… but that smile disappeared right away.

Princess Neoma suddenly turned transparent as she quickly shrunk in size.

"Princess Neoma, what's happening?" Jasper asked nervously. "Are you…?"

"Yes, what you're thinking is correct, Duke Hawthorne," Princess Neoma said indifferently. "It's time for me to leave."

***

RUFUS' heart broke a little when he saw Princess Neoma's body shrink and turn transparent.

Even her red eyes had gone back to their normal color.

"It's time for me to leave."

"Already?" Rufus asked sadly. "Did something happen?"

The older Princess Neoma gave him a small smile, then she opened her arms. "Father, can you give me a hug?"

Rufus had always maintained a boundary between himself and the Imperial Family.

Although the Quinzels were the Imperial Family's extended family, he had always made sure to not cross the line to maintain the power balance in the empire.

But, this time, he did.

Rufus closed the gap between him and Princess Neoma to hug her. "I'm sorry for failing to protect you in the first timeline, Princess Neoma. I'm sorry for not noticing that you've suffered while being my daughter. I'm sorry I couldn't make it up to you."

"None of what happened was your fault, Father," Princess Neoma said while wrapping her arms around him. "So please don't apologize. You were the best father I could ever ask for."

[Ah, I see.]

Princess Neoma wasn't hoping to hear an apology from him.

"Thank you for being our daughter and completing our family, Neoma Quinzel," Rufus said in a cracked voice. "I love you."

"That's what I want to hear from you, Father," Neoma said softly. "Thank you."

***

[MOONGLOW…?]

Nikolai was savoring the moment that he finally got to hug his precious daughter from the first timeline.

[But what's this?]

He soon felt uncomfortable when he realized that Moonglow which wasn't his began entering and filling up his body.

"Neoma, stop!" Nikolai pleaded when he realized what was happening. Then he put his hands on Neoma's shoulders and gently broke the hug to look at his daughter's face. "Why are you giving me your Moonglow?"

"The world is simply paying what they owe me, Father," Neoma explained. "I asked the World to use my Moonglow to extend your lifespan."

His eyes widened in shock. "No, I don't need it, daughter. If you can give your Moonglow as an extension of one's lifespan, then give it to the Neoma of this timeline. Please."

"No can do, Father," his older daughter said. "I already threw away my remaining good karma points. Fortunately, my other wishes have been granted already. Hence, I cannot change the recipient of my Moonglow. There's no way to stop the process, too."

"Neoma…"

"Don't be too burdened, Father. I do not know how many years have been added to your lifespan," the older Neoma said. "After all, I asked the World to match your lifespan with Mother's lifespan. And nobody knows how many years Mother has left to live."

"You matched my lifespan with Mona?"

"I figured you and Mother would want to die together, Father."

That was true.

Even so…

"Mona would feel bad if both of us left you and Nero at the same time."

"Father, what makes you so sure that you and Mother would die before Nero and I?"

He frowned at his daughter. "Don't say that, Neoma. That wasn't funny."

"I'm sorry, Father."

"As long as you know," Nikolai said, then his vision turned blurry as tears brimmed his eyes. "Neoma, I haven't done anything for you to deserve this kind of present."

"I'm not doing this for you, Father," the older Neoma said, shrugging. "I'm doing this for the sake of this timeline's Neoma. Unlike me, she needs her family. As long as her family is safe and sound, then she wouldn't have a reason to burn the world to ashes."

Even if she said that, the fact that his lifespan got extended AND his Moonglow refilled wouldn't change.

Nikolai owed his life to the older Neoma.

"Thank you, Neoma."

His older daughter just gave him a faint smile.

"And I love you," Nikolai said softly. "I'm sorry I was such a scumbag father to you in the first timeline. I'll make it up to you by giving the current Neoma all the love in the world. And, in the next life, I would like it if you become my daughter again."

The older Neoma looked shocked by what he said, then much to Nikolai's surprise, tears suddenly rolled down her face. "Thank you for saying that, Father. Goodbye. And…" Then she smiled brightly for the first time while waving her hands at him. "I love you, Papa Boss."

'Papa Boss.'

The Neoma of the first timeline called him like how the current Neoma did.

Nikolai almost choked in his tears, and then he moved quickly to hug the older Neoma once again.

But he was already too late.

The Neoma of the first timeline had already vanished, leaving only traces of her Moonglow.

[No…]

"Neoma…" Nikolai whispered in a cracked voice, his tears falling down silently. "Let's meet again someday, hmm?"

***

IT WAS a picture of a perfect family.

Neoma of the first timeline.

Commander Yoan.

And the boy named 'Vitu.'