Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"I FINALLY feel refreshed," Mona said cheerfully after stepping out of the bath. "Thank you for letting me use your bathroom, Tara."

Yes, she went to the Spirit World for a quick shower.

She wanted to spend time in the tub of warm water and fragrant rose petals that Tara prepared for her, but she didn't want to keep her children waiting for her for too long.

To be honest, she didn't really need to take a bath.

Although she had been trapped in the ice for thirteen years, time had stopped for her, so her physical body didn't change. But now that time had moved for her again, her real age caught up to her already. She looked more mature than she did earlier.

"I'm glad to be of use to you, Mona," Tara, the Queen of the Spirit World, said. Then she pointed to the different yet pretty dresses floating around the room. "I brought all the dresses that I think would suit you. You may choose anything you want from this collection. I'll do your hair and makeup later."

She smiled fondly at the queen. "Just like the old times, huh?"

The queen smiled back at her and nodded. "We're still friends, Mona."

It didn't take her long to decide what to her. She chose the plain peach V-neck long-sleeve maxi dress, and paired it with nude high-heeled shoes. After that, she let the queen do her hair and makeup.

"I heard my children have been under your care," she said while Tara was styling her hair into a half-up crown braid. "Thank you, Tara."

"You don't have to thank me, Mona," Tara said. This time, she was putting little flowers in her hair. "I care about your children a lot."

"Tara, do you find my children valuable to the Spirit World?"

"I can't deny that, Mona."

As expected, Tara really did find her children useful.

Although the two of them were friends, she still acknowledged the fact that Tara was a queen. Thus, there were times Tara had to act as the Queen of the Spirit World and not her friend. She understood that.

However…

"Tara, I will lend the Spirit World my strength if the time comes that you'd need help," she said seriously. "Just don't touch my children."

It was a warning.

She knew it was rude of her to threaten the person that took care of her children for years. But Tara was her friend, so she knew the lengths the queen could go to protect the Spirit World.

So Tara also needed to understand that she'd do the same to protect her precious babies.

"I won't do something that will earn your wrath, Mona," Tara promised her. "After all, the Spirit World wouldn't want to make an enemy out of the Daughter of Nature."

Mona smiled at the queen. "Let's preserve our friendship for a long time, Tara."

Of course, she didn't leave the Spirit World without giving anything back for the help that she received from the queen.

Mona blessed Tara's favorite garden until the flowers bloomed like never before.

***

"MY VOTE goes to Dahlia's ice sculpture of Princess Neoma," Wyatt Fletcher said. "I just find it more fun to look at. It's full of life."

"That's true, but I can't take my eyes away from Prince Nero's ice sculpture," Warren said. "It's so beautiful that I thought Princess Neoma has been turned into ice."

The Fletcher Twins turned to Glenn and spoke at the same time. "Sire, you'd be the tie-breaker."

"I told you that you can speak casually to me when we don't have an audience," Glenn said to the twins. Then he turned to the two ice sculptures in front of him. "This is going to be a hard decision for me, since both ice sculptures have their own charm."

Nero sipped his tea while listening to the king and the twins' discussion.

After he and Dahlia were done with their ice sculptures, he summoned the Fletcher Twins and asked Glenn to come to his residence if he had time. Of course, the king dropped everything to answer his call.

Then the Fletcher Twins set up a tea table on the porch. The two also made tea for him while Dahlia asked for another mug of hot chocolate.

[She has the tastebud of a kid.]

He hated how he found it adorable.

[Anyway…]

He didn't want to admit this, but although he was confident he made the prettier ice sculpture of Neoma, he still couldn't get his eyes off of Dahlia's ice sculpture.

[Her sculpture of Neoma is so lively.]

The ice sculpture that he made was of Neoma smiling elegantly. It captured his twin sister's beauty and grace. But admittedly, it was just that.

On the other hand, Dahlia's ice sculpture of Neoma was full of life and innocence. The smile that the Black Witch put on her version of Neoma's ice sculpture reminded him of the time he and his twin sister spent at the palace leisurely.

"I've made my decision," Glenn said, then he pointed both of his hands at Dahlia's ice sculpture. "I choose Miss Dahlia's ice sculpture because it reminds me of Princess Neoma's innocent days, where she doesn't curse yet."

Ah, so Glenn had the same feeling that he did.

Since Dahlia's ice sculpture perfectly captured Neoma's innocence, he didn't feel that bitter after losing.

[I wonder if I could keep both ice sculptures for life…]

"Thank you, gentlemen. You saved my life," Dahlia said, relieved. "Had I lost, I would have been forced to disappear from Prince Nero's sight without fulfilling my duty."

Glenn and the Fletcher Twins turned to him with questioning eyes.

"We made a bet," Nero explained briefly. Then he stood up and bowed to Dahlia, earning a collective gasp from the Black Witch, the Fletcher Twins, and the Hazelden King. "Miss Dahlia, I apologize for being rude to you all this time. I swear on my name that I won't be a jerk to you anymore."

What Dahlia said earlier hit him.

["And Your Royal Highness must remember that strong denial is an affirmation. To me, it sounds like Your Royal Highness is convincing yourself that you won't get obsessed with me."]

The Black Witch was right.

His strong denial only made him look like he was trying hard to convince himself not to make the same mistake of getting obsessed with Dahlia. However, if he treated her like how he treated his allies, then wouldn't everything be settled?

He could keep a decent distance between himself and Dahlia without being mean to her.

[But why is she being quiet?]

"P-Please raise your head, Prince Nero."

It was Dahlia, and her voice sounded weak.

When he raised his head out of curiosity, he froze at the sight that greeted him.

Dahlia's blushing face was so adorable he didn't know what to do.

[No, I shouldn't be feeling this way…]

Dahlia stood up, then she bowed deeply to him. "Thank you for honoring your promise, Prince Nero," she said, her voice trembling. "And thank you for apologizing. Let's get along well from now on."

He wasn't so sure about that.

Thankfully, a sudden shift in the air distracted her from his unwanted thoughts.

And in just the blink of an eye, he was already surrounded by Glenn and the Fletcher Twins.

[Ah, so overprotective…]

"It's been a while, Nero."

It was William who just came out of thin air, and he wasn't alone.

He wasn't thrilled to see Lewis and the Grand Spirit.

But his eyes sparkled when he saw Neoma sleeping in William's arms. As far as he knew, his twin sister rescued their mother, who was trapped in the Black Ocean. Thus, she was supposed to be in her Spirit form.

That wasn't the case, though.

Neoma was in her physical body. Moreover, although his twin sister was wearing her usual attire when acting as the Crown Prince, her hair was long this time.

"What happened?" Nero asked as he approached William to check on his precious twin sister. "Is Neoma alright?"

William frowned at his question. "You should be asking first if we were able to save your mother. Don't you care about Mona at all?"

"I do, but Neoma is my top priority," he said bluntly, then he gently caressed Neoma's face. "Although it would be nice if our mother could reunite with our family, I wouldn't want it to happen at Neoma's expense." He turned to the Grand Spirit coldly. "You should know how I feel since you didn't hesitate to harm innocent people in the past just because you thought you were protecting my mother."

The Grand Spirit couldn't refute his words, so he just glared at him.

Moreover, it became colder because of him.

Everyone looked awkward now, except for Lewis, who maintained his poker face.

"Princess Neoma succeeded in saving Lady Roseheart," Lewis announced in an indifferent voice, breaking the awkward silence. "Princess Neoma is just sleeping because her energy was depleted."

"Thank you for the report, Sir Crevan," he said, addressing Lewis formally because he wanted to create a wall between them.

He hated the fact that Lewis' face was totally Neoma's type.

The now sixteen-year-old fox looked handsome even to him. His twin sister was weak to good-looking people, and she was at the age where she could choose her future spouse. Thus, this was a sensitive time for him.

He promised Neoma before that he would treat Lewis kindly.

But that was when they were kids.

[I must orchestrate a plan to separate Lewis from Neoma without my sister hating me.]

"I won't leave," Lewis said, as if he could read his mind. "Your Royal Highness can try, but I won't budge."

Heh.

Lewis was a worthy rival, indeed.

"Let's get inside first," Nero said, then he opened his arms. "Give my Neoma to me."

He had regained enough strength to carry Neoma without his legs giving up on him.

[I hate to see her in the arms of an old man like William.]

***

WHEN MONA followed William's traces, she found herself in a cozy room where she immediately found her babies.

Neoma and Nero were sleeping together on the bed, holding each other's hand.

[Aww… they look so adorable!]

She was about to break down in tears, but she was distracted when the Fletcher Twins appeared. A boy with golden eyes also appeared with the twins.

Ah, they must have been startled by her presence.

[Well, I'm glad that my children's guards are alert.]

She smiled at the twins and the unfamiliar boy that had the scent of a Silver Fox.

Wyatt and Warren Fletcher bowed their heads respectfully, then they left the room silently.

[It's good to know that they still trust me even though I left Nikolai in the past.]

The fox boy's eyes lingered on Neoma first before he turned to her and bowed.

[Oh? What's with the look that he gave my daughter just now? Hmm?]

When the twins and the fox boy were gone, she slowly and carefully approached her children.

Then she sat on the bed, careful not to make too much noise and movement, while watching her children sleep peacefully.

Before she knew it, her tears were already rolling down her cheeks.

She even had to cover her mouth with her hands to muffle her cry. But her heart still swelled with happiness. Was she really allowed to be this happy?

[Finally… I'm finally with my children.]

"Mama Boss?"

"Mother?"

And Mona cried harder when Neoma and Nero woke up and called her at the same time.

The twins had their father's eyes, so she was reminded of Nikolai. She missed him, too. But this time, she wanted to be with her babies first.

She couldn't control herself anymore and hugged her children tight.

Of course, she was careful not to crush them.

"Don't cry, Mother," Nero said while gently patting her back. "Neoma will get worried if you cry."

"Mama Boss, that's Nero's way of saying he's worried," Neoma explained, then she hugged her back. "Welcome home, Mother."

Mona only cried harder while hugging her babies tighter. "I am home, Neoma and Nero."

***

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