Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!



NEOMA couldn't understand how she and the others could see the Darkness scattered in the sky.

And yet, no one saw that the damned thing was gathering around Nero.

[I must purify that thing quickly.

Only Neoma was allowed to visit Nero who was on probation, and not even Lewis was allowed to come with her to the Crown Prince's room.

It was fine with her since she didn't want to attract attention.

She must do this quietly.

[Nero is attracting the blobs of Darkness around us.]

Neoma also noticed that there were blobs of Darkness trying to attach themselves to her. But her Moonglow was blocking them.

[Nero's Moonglow couldn't protect him, though.]

And it was probably because of that red thing mixing with the Darkness.

Neoma, probably thanks to the eyes she borrowed from a goddess, could instinctively tell that the light thing was the manifestation of Nero's Lunacy.

[Nero's Lunacy and the Darkness are mixing together like DNA strands.]

"What are you talking about, Neoma?" Nero asked, knitting his eyebrows. "Purify me? Why do you talk as if I'm an evil spirit you need to purify?"

"How are you feeling, Nero?" Neoma asked instead of answering her twin brother's questions. Then she cupped his face between her hands. "I heard you went on a killing spree earlier. Do you still feel the need to get violent?"

"It wasn't a 'killing spree' because nobody died," her twin brother said, scoffing. "Can you please stop touching my face?"

The red strand of light glowed when Nero expressed his irritation.

[Yep, that's totally his Lunacy empowered by the damned Darkness.]

Nero had a nasty temper, and he had a violent nature. But her twin brother was usually good at controlling his bloodlust.

Plus, as the Crown Prince, he was careful of protecting his image.

[Attacking Marquis Spencer at his own estate wasn't something Nero would do– especially not when his coronation is just around the corner.]

"I should have noticed it earlier," Neoma said, her voice full of guilt. "I should have noticed that you're acting stranger than usual. You're good at keeping your image clean, so I should have known something is wrong with you these days…"

What the hell was she doing these days?

She received the Sun Goddess' message, so she got busy with the announcement of her search for a husband.

That was why she failed to look after her twin brother.

"I'm sorry, Nero," Neoma said softly. "I'm so sorry for neglecting you these days…"

"You're being dramatic, Neoma," Nero said, holding her by the wrists. "You're talking as if I'm dying…" He trailed off, then he knitted his eyebrows. "Am I dying without my knowing?"

"…"

"Looking closely, those aren't your eyes," he commented, then he scoffed. "Are you stealing from gods now?"

"I only borrowed these eyes," she said. "Let go of my wrists."

Her twin brother did so without making a fuss.

"Nero, do you remember the gift that Emperor Primo gave you?" Neoma asked carefully. "The mask that's shaped like an infinity symbol."

According to Mama Boss, the gift was meant to control Nero's Lunacy.

"What about that stupid gift?"

"That's not a 'stupid' gift, you punk," she scolded her twin brother. "Try to activate it."

"I don't know how. It simply activated when I was about to lose my mind during the trial."

Right, and Emperor Primo didn't leave a manual.

[It may be a stupid gift indeed…]

"But I can try," Nero said, tilting his head to one side. "I just have to give in to my Lunacy a bit."

What?

Neoma's eyes widened in shock after she realized what Nero meant by that. "No, that sounds dangerous!"

It was already too late, though.

Nero's eyes turned red and hazy, a clear sign that he was out of it.

Moreover, it was a little scary to see her twin brother all froze up like that.

She didn't have time to worry about that, though.

As soon as Nero lost it, the intertwined strands of Nero's Lunacy and the Darkness around him suddenly became "alive."

Eyes.

Several small orbs filled the strands, and those little eyes glared in Neoma's direction.

[The audacity of these little bastards to glare at me…!]

Neoma was a bit distracted when the mask shaped as an infinity symbol appeared on Nero's blank face…

… then she gasped.

[It's covered in Darkness now.]

No wonder the mask couldn't control Nero's Lunacy!

Neoma immediately grabbed the mask and pulled it away from Nero's face. But, much to her shock, the strands of Lunacy and Darkness came along with the mask– surging towards her like a tsunami as a result.

She pushed Nero away from her, then she put him inside her Dome in order to separate him from the blob of Lunacy and Darkness.

But she didn't really need to protect her twin brother from it.

After all, she was now the target of that creepy thing with several little eyes.

[Argh.]

Soon, the shape of the mixture of Lunacy and Darkness turned into a snake filled with eyes all over it.

[Disgusting shit.]

Neoma grabbed the 'snake' with both of her hands because it was big and thick. She intended to melt it with her purifying power. But, much to her shock, it was her hands that got burned when she touched the damned thing.

But she didn't let go of the disgusting shit.

"Tteokbokki," Neoma said, summoning her Soul Beast. "Burn this damned thing!"

And Tteokbokki responded by burning the 'snake' with his bright, red flame.

She mixed some of her breath to make the red flame grow bigger. The bigger the flame, the quicker the disgusting shit would get purified.

Or so she thought.

Neoma was spooked when the disgusting shit shaped like a snake with little eyes suddenly disappeared from her grasp…

… then a pair of hands grabbed her by the wrists.

[What the fuck???]

"How did you realize my real plan, Princess Neoma?"

Huh?

The voice and the presence were both familiar, but not the form in front of her.

It was a seven-foot man dressed in all black…

… a man with four eyes.

There was an extra eye in each of his cheeks, giving him four eyes– red eyes, to be exact.

[He looks like an anime character… no, brain. Stop.]

"Who tipped you off, Princess Neoma?"

"Huh?" Neoma asked, blinking. "Lord Helstor?"

[Is this his real appearance?]

"Princess Neoma, do you want Prince Nero dead?" Helstor asked, laughing. "You trapped your dear brother inside your Dome filled with purifying air from your breath. What do you think would happen to him when his body is covered in Darkness?"

Neoma's gaze went past the bastard god, then clicked her tongue when she saw Nero holding his throat while trying to breathe desperately through his mouth.

[No! He's suffocating!]

She was forced to collapse the Dome she used to protect Nero. And, at that very moment, the snake with eyes all over its body suddenly appeared again– the disgusting shit wrapping its body around Nero who was obviously not in his right mind at the moment.

[Nero!]

Neoma tried to ran past Helstor, but the bastard god blocked her way and attacked her with a long sword made from Darkness. She immediately summoned Skewer and blocked the Darkness sword with her own Death Scythe engulfed with Tteokbokki's red flame.

The collision created an impact so powerful it made the ground shake.

[Can I kill a god on this bastard's level?]

***

"DADDY, we must go to the palace."

Glenn, who was on his way to meet Duke Exton with Skylus in his arms, looked at his son and got nervous when he saw his eyes glowing. "Is it going to be dangerous, son?"

"Lord Yule is calling for me, Dad," Skylus said. "Princess Neoma needs me."

***

[NERO IS gone.]

The moment Neoma blocked Helstor's attack was the moment Nero was swallowed by the disgusting snake.

[Nero's Soul Beasts didn't appear, which means they're currently locked up inside him.]

Tsk.

"Don't worry too much, Princess Neoma," Helstor said, laughing. "We will take care of Prince Nero well."

Ah, so their target was indeed Nero.

[What's with their obsession with my twin brother?]

Neoma jumped away from Helstor, creating a decent distance between them since she was aware she couldn't beat the bastard god in a sword match.

[Kids, a scythe is not a good weapon of choice for a sword fight.]

"You look pretty calm, Princess Neoma," Helstor commented, and it looked like he wanted to talk now. "Do you not care about Prince Nero anymore?"

"Do you know what the power of friendship is?"

"Hmm?"

"You probably don't know because your boring ass doesn't have friends," Neoma said, laughing mockingly. "Let me show you what the power of friendship is."

BANG.

A black hole appeared on the floor with a loud bang.

"My Moon Princess, this is the power of love– not friendship!"

Of course, it was Trevor…

… and the demon boy had the unconscious Nero draped over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes.

[Only Trevor would treat the Imperial Crown Prince that way…]

"Duke Hawthorne will demonstrate the power of friendship, though."

Yep, Trevor didn't come alone.

Jasper oppa arrived with the demon boy.

Pfft.

Neoma laughed when she saw Duckie, Jasper oppa's Elemental Guardian, had the disgusting snake between its beak.

The disgusting snake shrank, and now only the size of a slightly big worm.

"Duckie, don't eat that. It might upset your stomach," Neoma said playfully. "I'll treat you to a feast later."

"Haaah."

Right, Helstor was still here.

"Hey, insufferable god," Neoma said. "You're not here to fight, aren't you? Spill the tea now before my children arrive."

She could feel Lewis and the others trying to break the barrier.

Yep, she belatedly realized that Helstor locked them up inside the room.

"I'm just here to test my newly acquired power," Helstor said, then he snapped his fingers. "You and Prince Nero happen to be the perfect test subjects for my little experiment."

BLEURGH.

That was the sound of Nero coughing up blood.

Neoma quickly ran past Helstor and checked on her twin brother.

Trevor immediately put Nero down on the floor while her twin brother continued to cough up huge amount of blood.

"It's a different kind of Darkness, Princess Neoma," Trevor said nervously, his purple eyes glowing as he scanned Nero's body with his gaze. "I believe its eating at Prince Nero's life force as we speak."

Life force?

There was a kind of Darkness that could eat at a person's life force?

[Is that the newly acquired ability that Lord Helstor mentioned earlier?]

"This is a trap," Neoma pondered out loud. "Lord Helstor knows I can save Nero, and that's probably what he's aiming for."

"Then won't it be better and safer to wait for Empress Mona, Princess Neoma?" Jasper oppa asked worriedly. "If this is a trap, then something bad will definitely happen to you once you saved Prince Nero."

Trevor nodded in agreement with what the young duke said. "I agree with Jasper Hawthorne, my Moon Princess."

"But it might be too late if we wait for Mama Boss to arrive," Neoma said, cupping Nero's face between her hands. "I don't care about the risks– I must save Nero first."

Trevor and Jasper oppa tried to convince her to change her mind, but she didn't listen to them.

Neoma inhaled the Darkness out of Nero's lungs…

… and soon realized the trap that Helstor had set up for her.

[My life force… is decreasing?]

***

HONESTLY, Hanna couldn't see anything strange to her naked eyes.

But she could feel Neoma's violent bloodlust and Mana clashing with a powerful being, hence she could tell that the Imperial Princess was currently fighting an intruder.

And so, she asked every single person in Nero's palace to evacuate.

Fortunately, the ground shook hard while the people were evacuating. She used that as an excuse and said the earthquake was the reason for the evacuation.

She then covered the entire Blanco Palace with her Shadow Veil.

[We can't let people know that the palace's security has been compromised. It would only hurt the Imperial Family's reputation.]

"Excellent job, Hanna."

"Thank you, dear."

Those praises came from Emperor Nikolai and Empress Mona, respectively.

Hanna blushed, then she smiled shyly and nodded her head. "Thank you, Your Majesties."

The three of them then headed to the source of the negative energy that spread all over Blanco Palace.

Of course, it came from Nero's bedroom.

Lewis and the rest of Neoma's "children" were already door, trying to break the door and the wall that was covered by Darkness.

But their efforts were futile.

Hanna could clearly see the frustration in each knight's expression.

Lewis had his nine tails out, and each of his punches and kick could break down a boulder into pieces. But he could only leave dents in the door and not destroy it completely.

[Not yet, at least.]

That was the same thing with Juri Wisteria who was trying her hardest to break the door with her sledgehammer, but to no avail.

Xion Redgrave's poisoned dagger that should have melted the door already wasn't working.

Jeno Dankworth was shooting the door at the same spot using his double guns, but the bullets were only swallowed by the wall of Darkness.

Paige Avery was purifying the Darkness trying to attack them.

Greko, on the other hand, was providing support behind by replenishing the energy of his older brothers and sisters. The green aura coming out of the youngest's hands was acting like an energy potion in gas form.

[Their combined attacks are enough to bring down an entire palace in a few minutes, and yet the wall of Darkness remains unscathed…]

"A god is there," Empress Mona said, her pale blue eyes glowing. "Lord Helstor…!"

Hanna knitted her eyebrows. "The God of Eternal Darkness?"

"Children, move," Emperor Nikolai said while unsheathing Calypso, His Majesty's Holy Sword. "I'm going to break that thing."

However, there was no need for the emperor to intervene.

When Lewis kicked the wall of Darkness with the amount of power enough to destroy a hill, the wall finally collapsed.

Hanna was impressed.

[Lewis, you've become stronger again.]

Of course, it was thanks to the combined effort from all of Neoma's children that the wall of Darkness finally collapsed.

But Hanna knew in her heart that Lewis contributed the most.

All for Neoma, of course.]

[Ah, to be loved by someone like Lewis Crevan…]

***

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