Royal Secret: I'm A Princess!

“Of course,” Neoma smirked proudly after Greko showered her with compliments. “I was born pretty, son.”

Greko, who was holding her in his arms as carefully as he could, giggled. “Eomma, your cheeks are so chubby. Can I bite them?”

She was about to tell her “son” that she still had the dignity of a royal princess to keep so she couldn’t let him do that. Well, to be fair, she didn’t mind. However, she was a royal princess. She didn’t want other people to think that Greko was being rude to her since there were lions watching them discreetly.

Neoma was about to explain it to Greko when someone else beat to it.

Juri, who was standing by the door, cleared her throat. “Maknae-ah, you can’t do that. In the first place, we can’t even touch the body of a monarch casually.”

Greko’s shoulders slumped. “You’re right, noona,” he said, obviously disheartened. He even looked at Neoma with puppy dog eyes. “I’m sorry for being disrespectful, eomma.”

.....

Aww.

Her heart melted.

“It’s alright, Baby Greko,” Neoma said, gently patting his cheek. “You can just fill your eyes with my cuteness.”

Greko smiled and nodded. “Okay, eomma.

Juri, who was relieved now that Greko was in a good mood, smiled before she turned to her. “Your Royal Highness, shall we?”

Neoma nodded. “Yep, lezzgo.”

Her “daughter” obliged and opened the door for her.

Greko, who was still holding her in his arms, entered the room and walked to the bed.

Empress Juliet, in her baby form, was sitting on the bed while leaning against some pillows behind her back.

Oh?

She already knew that Empress Juliet had pink eyes.

However, she noticed that something had changed in the baby empress’ eyes: the pink orbs had become shinier.

Neoma couldn’t explain it in words, but she had one thought in her mind.

[Empress Juliet’s eyes look like supernova.]

“Little Neoma, you’re here?” Empress Juliet greeted her cheerfully. “Did you get a good rest?”

“Not really, but I’m fine, Your Majesty. Thank you for asking,” Neoma said politely, then she gently patted Greko’s arm. “Maknae-ah, put me down.”

Greko nodded, then he put her next to Empress Juliet.

Juri and Greko then stood by the door like the proper guards that they were.

“Your Majesty, I apologize but I told my “children” about your real identity without asking for your permission first,” Neoma said, bowing her head to the former empress. It was hard to do it because her head was bigger than her body. But thankfully, she was able to control her body gracefully. “I’m really sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Little Neoma,” the former empress said. “And I trust you. I know that your “children” are tight-lipped.”

“They are, Your Majesty.”

“I’m glad to know that,” Empress Juliet said kindly. “Little Neoma, I’m no longer the empress so you don’t have to address me as such.”

“But how do I address Your Majesty then?” Neoma asked shyly. “Both Papa Boss and Mama Boss- I mean, my mother and father- respect you a lot, Your Majesty. I can’t just address Your Majesty casually.”

“Little Neoma, to be honest with you, I already want to forget my life as the former ‘Empress Juliet,\'” the former empress said in a serious voice. “I don’t know if Nikolai and Mona already told you this, but I never really wanted to become the empress. In fact, I didn’t even want to be a wife or a mother. However, Nikolai needed to marry me in order to stabilize his position in the empire. And I want to help him become a powerful emperor. Hence, I entered a contractual marriage with your father.”

‘Contractual marriage.’

[If this was a romance fantasy novel, then Papa Boss and Empress Juliet would have been in love with each other while under the contract marriage.]

However, this was real life.

She could tell that the former Empress Juliet didn’t really like her position.

“I both love Nikolai and Mona genuinely,” the former Empress Juliet said. “I wanted to protect them, hence I accepted the role of Nikolai’s wife and the position of becoming the empress. The original plan was for me and Nikolai to divorce once he finally got power over the nobles. But the plan was ruined when I died.”

“Oh,” she said, then she bowed her head. “I heard from Papa Boss and Mama Boss that Your Majesty sacrificed yourself in order to save them when the three of you tried to free the Soul Beasts in the past.”

Obviously, that plan failed.

“Little Neoma, look at me.”

She did as she was told...

... and she was blown away by the expression on Her Majesty.

The former Empress Juliet wasn’t smiling. But she had a serene look on her face. Hence, even though Her Majesty was in the body of a child, she still looked like the dignified lady that she was.

Neoma could practically see a crown on top of the former empress’ head even though she was a baby.

[She’s beauty, she’s grace...]

“I never regretted my decision back then,” Empress Juliet said calmly. Her face actually looked strict now that she wasn’t smiling. However, the empress’ sparkling supernova-like eyes were warm. “Even if I turned back time, I would still sacrifice my life for Nikolai and Mona.”

“Gosh, Your Majesty,” Neoma said, frowning. “Were you a saintess? Of course, I’m very grateful that you saved my Papa Boss and Mama Boss back then. But I’m sure that Your Majesty knows the pain your death caused to my parents. So, if Your Majesty can turn back time, please do your best to come out alive with Papa Boss and Mama Boss. Your Majesty’s life is also precious.”

The former empress looked surprised by her words.

Then Her Majesty gave her a ghost of a smile. It wasn’t a full-blown smile. And, to be honest, her smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

[I can tell that Empress Juliet isn’t the type to smile a lot.]

She could imagine the former empress to be the type to have a “resting bitch face.”

[But, obviously, Empress Juliet has a warm heart.]

“Little Neoma, I don’t know if you’re going to be disappointed, but saving Nikolai and Mona back then was actually a self-service act,” Empress Juliet said firmly, her face serene and serious again. “Of course, I genuinely wanted to save them. However, I also did it for myself.”

Neoma knitted her eyebrows, confused. “But how was sacrificing Your Majesty’s life for Papa Boss and Mama Boss considered self-service?”

“Because I was promised by Lady Roxana, the Goddess of Light, that she would reward me for my sacrifice- she said she’d let me reincarnate as the person that I’ve always wanted to become.”

“The person that Your Majesty has always wanted to become...?”

“A saintess,” the former Empress Juliet said, putting a hand over her chest. “I never wanted to be a wife or a mother because I’ve always wanted to serve Lady Roxana as her saintess.”

Neoma was honored to hear about the former empress’ dream.

Then she felt enraged.

[How dare the crows use Empress Juliet, someone who never wished to become a mother, to give birth to Calyx Dalton?!]

***

“THANK YOU for bringing me to the Aether.”

He looked up when he heard the voice coming from above him.

And there, he found the intruder.

Helstor, the God of Eternal Darkness, stood on a branch with his hand placed on the Aether’s body. His red eyes that were filled with mischief, glowed. Then, after uttering an ancient spell that Ruto didn’t understand, the god set the Aether on fire.

To be precise, a black flame made of Darkness.

Ruto’s eyes went wide with shock. “No!”

The damage had been done, though.

He couldn’t believe that Helstor could summon such a large amount of Darkness in the Upper World- the place that could purify any kind of Darkness right away.

However, the Darkness continued to burn the Aether.

Why?

Why wasn’t the Darkness getting purified?!

Ruto growled lowly when he realized what was happening.

[The fact that Helstor, the God of Eternal Darkness who has been banned from the Upper World could roam here freely, only means he got help from some of the gods here.]

And those gods probably wanted the old Aether to die in order to find a new one.

[They knew that Neoma has the possibility to become the next Aether.]

“Crazy bastards,” Ruto cursed under his breath. Then he used all the divine power that he could muster at the moment. “I won’t let your plan succeed.”

He couldn’t grab the sword that pierced through his chest earlier because it was laced with Darkness. However, that changed when he covered his hand with his divine power. He easily pulled out the sword out of his chest and purified the Darkness that engulfed the blade.

Helstor, who watched all of that happened, clicked his tongue. “Ruston Stroganoff, you should give up while it’s still early. I know that you just realized that I’m not the only one who wants the old Aether to die.”

He ignored the puny god.

.....

Even without looking at his reflection, he could tell that his right eye had already turned glowing red.

And his hair...

[It definitely looks closer to white now that I’m using my full divine power.]

He hated it.

Ruto didn’t like it when his hair turned closer to white from using his divine power because it made him look like a de Moonasterio.

The last thing he wanted was to look like Neoma’s brother.

“Ruston Stroganoff, it’s futile to resist,” Helstor warned him while the god was gathering all the Darkness he had in his body. “Can’t you see that no god is willing to help you right now?”

Ruto smirked bitterly. “Who said I need those useless gods to defeat you?”

After saying that, the sky darkened, and thunder rumbled continuously. Then it was followed by huge lightning that struck across the now vibrant sky.

It was followed by the pouring rain.

Of course, the “rain” wasn’t water- it was actually his divine power in liquid form.

In just the blink of an eye, the “rain” poured harder until the divine power- in its liquid form- began to quench the Darkness that burned the Aether.

To simply put, he purified the Darkness that Helstor used in an attempt to kill the tree.

“Ruston Stroganoff,” Helstor growled at him. No matter how much the god tried to make his Darkness bigger to burn the Aether, it didn’t work since the “rain” automatically purified the black flame. In the end, the god jumped off the tree and came at him. “When will you realize that you can’t save Neoma de Moonasterio no matter you do?”

Ruto summoned his ancient bow and arrows. “I’ll save Neoma this time,” he said while aiming his arrow at Helstor. “That, or I’ll just help her burn this world again.”

***

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