Royal Secret: I'm A Princess!

NEOMA stared blankly into the fancy chandelier of her bedroom.

She left the room to let Mama Boss and Dahlia finish Charlotte’s treatment.

The unicorn was out of immediate danger now, but the poor thing kept losing consciousness because of Mana depletion.

Well, Mama Boss and Dahlia can handle it.

That was why Neoma returned to her room and just lay down on the bed.

For the first time in her life, she felt completely helpless.

”Have you finally decided to fulfill your lifelong wish to be a lady of leisure?”

Tsk.

Neoma was pretty sure that she told her children not to disturb her.

She even ignored Lewis, who looked like he had something important to report.

But, then again, who could stop the emperor from barging into her bedroom?

”Go away, Nero,” Neoma said lazily. ”I’m not in the mood.”

”And that’s exactly why I can’t leave you alone,” Nero said, sitting on the bed. This punk didn’t only sit, he also gently cradled Neoma’s head and made her lay her head on his lap. ”What’s wrong? Why do you look like the world is about to end?”

Aigoo.

Nero’s humor is really dark and broken.

”You know damn well that the world is truly about to end,” Neoma snapped at her twin brother. ”Nero, the Black Ocean may not be really made of water. But it’s still in liquid form. And, yet, someone absorbed it. If I were that person, do you know what I would do after absorbing that large body of water?”

”You’d submerge the entire world in flood.”

Wow.

To be honest, Neoma knew that Nero knew her as much as she did.

But she was still surprised that her twin brother knew her that well.

Okay, we’re creepy twins, indeed.

”Exactly— that’s what I would do,” Neoma said, letting out a frustrated sigh. ”Nero, our empire can’t survive a twenty-four-hour heavy rainfall. Well, we will probably live. But the people living outside the Imperial Palace? We can’t save them all.”

”You talk as if it’s already been decided that it would rain of Darkness soon.”

”It’s not just Darkness— it’s Darkness mixed with Impure Mana and... what’s that called again? The thing that Hanna discovered?”

She received a written report about that from Hanna.

But she only scanned it as she was busy with other things.

”Malice,” Nero answered. ”It’s the element that turns Darkness into something evil and harmful towards humans.”

Right.

Darkness and Impure Mana weren’t inherently evil— both were a part of Nature, after all.

The Darkness owned by Darkness attribute users turn into Impure Mana when the users die, but that doesn’t mean Impure Mana is meant to harm humans.

However, if mixed with Malice, then everything would change.

”Imagine if Darkness mixed with Malice suddnely pours from the sky? I can’t think of a way to stop that, Nero,” Neoma said indifferently. It wasn’t like she wasn’t feeling anything. In fact, she was suppressing her emotions. Otherwise, she would have snapped already. ”How about you?”

”Prevention is better than cure, so let’s just kill whoever absorbed the Black Ocean before they get the chance to turn it into rain.”

Right?

That thought also crossed Neoma’s mind.

”I’m thinking that maybe turning the Black Ocean into rain takes time. Because if it’s something that they could do instantly, then they could have done it already while we weren’t even aware that the Black Ocean had dried up,” Nero said while combing his hands through Neoma’s soft and luscious hair. ”That means we have time to hunt down that bastard and kill them.”

Pfft.

It was funny how Nero’s nonchalance and violence ended Neoma’s worries.

Well, she was still worried about the uncertain future.

But, thanks to her twin brother’s unbothered attitude, she calmed down.

Who am I? I’m Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio. If Plan A doesn’t work, I’m the type to make Plan B-Z to ensure the safety of my loved ones.

Whew.

Neoma almost crumbled because of fear...

... huh?

Fear?

I was scared?

Neoma raised her hands, and much to her shock, only then did she realize that her hands were shaking.

Oh my goodness!

I’m trembling in fear?

ME?

”So, you’ve finally realized that you’re shaking in fear,” Nero said teasingly. The punk even had the audacity to chuckle. ”It’s been a while since I’ve seen you scared, Neoma. You actually look cute while trembling like a tiny animal.”

Neoma glared at Nero. ”Do you want to die? How dare you compare your noona to a tiny animal, you disrespectful brat?”

”You’re not my older sister.”

”Hey, when will you accept the fact that I was born first?”

”Do you have proof?”

”Hey, our Mama Boss has already confirmed that I was born first.”

”Do you know that in other cultures, people consider those who came out last as the older ones between twins?”

”Good for them. But, in our culture, those who are born first are the older ones.”

”I’m still not calling you older sister.”

”I do remember you calling me ’noona’ when I ’died,’ though.”

Nero, who was probably reminded of that awful memory, glared at Neoma.

And Neoma burst out laughing.

Ah, it’s really fun teasing Nero.

Thanks to that, her hands finally stopped shaking.

”Thank you, Nero,” Neoma said sincerely. ”Raising you is really worth it.”

”I meant it when I say I’m glad to see you scared, Neoma,” Nero said in a serious tone. ”Not to make fun of you, of course. I’m just saying that I’m glad to know that you still know what fear is. It’s good to be fearless, sure. But, sometimes, you act like you’re an immortal or something. And that’s concerning.”

”Alright, I get what you’re trying to say, so stop nagging. But, Nero...”

”Hmm?”

”Don’t tell Mama Boss and Papa Boss.”

”Don’t tell them what?”

Tsk.

This brat already knows what I’m talking about, and yet he still wants to hear it straight from me...

”Don’t tell Mama Boss and Papa Boss that you saw me shaking in fear.”

”What do I get in return?”

”You can touch my face.”

”Alright, deal,” Nero said, and then the brat immediately started (gently) pinching Neoma’s cheek, and then he kneaded them as if he were kneading dough to make bread. ”Neoma, don’t be scared. I’m here for you.”

”I know,” Neoma said, closing her eyes when she started to feel sleepy. ”Nero, let’s stop the world from ending...”

***

”IT WAS the Ancient Devil, Princess Neoma.”

Tsk.

Neoma wanted to curse after hearing Charlotte’s revelation, but she held back since the kid was eating her breakfast.

Well, Charlotte wasn’t really a ’kid.’

But she looks like one.

Anyway, Neoma just remained quiet while sitting in the chair next to the bed.

Charlotte wasn’t well enough to get out of bed, so they brought her breakfast on a wooden bed tray.

”The Ancient Devil is wearing human skin, but I can’t be mistaken.”

Ah, yes.

Neoma remembered that the Ancient Devil was using Noah Solfrid’s body as his new vessel.

I almost forgot about the bastard who claims to be crazy in love with me.

”The Ancient Devil only brought himself,” Charlotte said after taking a few spoonfuls of the porridge the Royal Chef had prepared. ”I don’t know what he did, but the Black Ocean suddenly started acting strange. I knew my blood wouldn’t be enough to purify it, but I had a strong urge to do so.”

”Is that why you cut yourself?” Neoma asked. ”Because your blood can purify Impure Mana.”

”Yes, Princess Neoma. However, I’m not Master Novak. My blood is nothing more than a few drops compared to the ocean that tried to swallow me whole.”

”How did you escape?”

Charlotte suddenly got teary-eyed. ”Nathaira, the Imoogi that Lady Roseheart left to protect the Black Ocean and me, sacrificed her life so I could escape. She hid me inside her body while the Ancident Devil was absorbing the Black Ocean.”

”Do you know what happened to Nathaira?”

Charlotte shook her head. ”When I woke up, I was already here.”

Neoma then glanced at Aruna and Arche de Moonasterio, who were standing across from her. ”Did you see the Imoogi?”

”No, we didn’t see anyone else,” Aruna de Moonasterio answered while shaking her head. ”There was no life form left in the dried-up Black Ocean.”

”We left immediately and brought the unicorn here because we just knew we couldn’t let her die,” Arche de Moonasterio. ”But Nero, the ghost of Nero from the first timeline, insisted on staying there to investigate. We might hear more news from him later.”

”I see. Thank you.”

I’ll send my children there to assist him.

Neoma wanted to go there herself, but she had a scheduled trip to hell.

Trevor really needs to wake up now.

Haaah.

So many things to do, so little time left.

”Charlotte, thank you for the information. And I’m glad that you survived,” Neoma said carefully. ”Don’t worry about the Black Ocean. I know that it’s a serious matter, but we’ll deal with it somehow. For now, I want you to stay here and rest. You need to recover.”

”Yes, Princess Neoma,” Charlotte said, nodding. ”Thank you.”

Ah.

Neoma suddenly remembered the merfolks.

If the Black Ocean suddenly disappeared, the Mermaid Princess must have been affected by it.

We should reach out to them.

But that matter was something that Nero could handle since he was the emperor anyway.

I’m sorry, baby brother, but your noona is really busy right now.

***

AFTER talking to Charlotte, Neoma finally had the time to visit Lewis.

I heard he’s staying with his fellow Silver Foxes.

But when he was almost there, a figure hiding behind the bushes caught her attention.

What is that thing?

Neoma raised an eyebrow. ”A sneaky white fox?”

***

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