Royal Secret: I'm A Princess!

Author: sola_cola
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Gender Bender

SYNOPSIS

Royal Secret: I'm A Princess!,

Neoma was once again reborn as a baby princess and the crown prince' twin sister.
But her father, the sc*mbag of an emperor, only needs a son.

She' determined to change that, duh.

S.u.c.k.i.n.g up to her twin brother is easy. The problem is the "iron wall" around
the emperor. But to secure her position as the one and only princess, she has to
melt her father' cold heart and make him fully accept her as his daughter. Yep,
even if it meant she has to become the "crown prince."

And so, Neoma claims it now:

"Watch out, Papa! I' make you dote on me!"

Chapter 1 - LOVE ME TO DEATH

[FIRST LIFE]

[MY PSYCHO twin brother killed me in my first life.]

She was born Princess Neoma, the twin sister of Crown Prince Nero. They were the
children of Emperor Nikolai de Moonasterio– the ruthless ruler of Moonasterion
Empire.

[Nero inherited the "psycho genes" from that dude!]

After their mother died from giving birth to her and her twin brother, their
sc.u.mbag of a father abandoned them in the Luna Palace.

The servants in their residence showed obvious preference for Nero since he was the
crown prince. Thanks to that, she grew up jealous of her brother. And because of
her growing hate for him, they grew distant.

When she was five years old, she accidentally saw an assassin posing as a maid put
poison in her brother's food. But because of her envy, she didn't tell anyone. The
crime was only exposed when Nero's power awakened because of his deteriorating
health.

When Emperor Nikolai heard about Nero's "awakening," he took interest in her
brother and moved him into Blanco Palace– the residence that every crown prince in
history had used.

Nero, who held a grudge against her for keeping her silence instead of helping him
when he was being poisoned, abandoned her in Luna Palace despite her pleads to take
her with him. When the emperor came to take Nero with him, their father didn't even
look at her once.

And so, she spent many lonely years in Luna Palace. The servants practically
ignored her and only gave her the b.a.r.e minimum care that she needed while
growing up.
That kind of treatment broke little Neoma.

***

WHEN Neoma was twelve years old, she was finally able to escape Luna Palace when
Duke Rufus Quinzel, the emperor's cousin on the mother side, adopted her.

That was the time she found out that only the servants in Luna Palace knew about
her existence. The rest of the empire thought that Nero was the one and only child
of the emperor. To keep it that way, her douche of a father asked Duke Quinzel to
take her in.

[But I thought living as a duke's daughter is better than being treated like shit
in the palace.]

The duke and his wife Duchess Amber Quinzel lost their eleven year old daughter the
year before they adopted her. When the duke discovered about her existence because
of Nero's slip of the tongue, he talked to the emperor and suggested that instead
of keeping her in the palace, it would be better for her to grow up as a duke's
daughter.

She would later find out that it was actually the duchess' idea.

[Anyway…]

The servants in House Quinzel treated her better than the servants of Luna Palace
did. For the first time in her life, she felt that she was a princess. Even the
duke was kind to her. After all, he was her biological uncle.

Bpo ovu tphvull jfl ovu nzmgiuq.

[She treated me like a replacement of Hanna, her late daughter.]

Neoma was forced to dress, talk, act, speak, and even eat like how Hanna did when
she was still alive. If the duchess didn't like something that she said or did, she
would tell her that "Hanna wouldn't do that.�� To please her new mother, she
surrendered her own identity and lived as a dead person's replica.

But she endured because she liked the comfortable life that House Quinzel provided
her.

The duchess may only see her as Hanna's replacement. But Duke Quinzel genuinely
cared for her and thanks to him, she was able to breathe a little in that
household.

Still, Neoma felt lonely.

***

SIX years later after Neoma became "Lady Quinzel," she received a marriage proposal
from Lord Rubin– the heir apparent of Duke Samuel Drayton.

She was eighteen then and the young lord was only two years older. Aside from that,
he was also known in the empire for his "pretty" face and good manners. So when the
duke and duchess encouraged her to accept the proposal, she did.

That was the biggest mistake of her life.

She didn't know that Duchess Amber made a deal with Lord Rubin. If the lord married
her, then the duchess would adopt Lady Regina Crowell, the daughter of a poor
baron. According to Lord Rubin, Regina was a childhood friend that he wanted to
help rise up in the society and have a better life.

She sympathized with Regina because she, too, had lived in misery before she was
adopted. And she wanted her new friend to have the same fortune as her.

[I was stupid to believe then that Rubin and Regina were only "friends."]

Too bad she only discovered the two's indecent relationship when she was already
crazy in love with Rubin. She was willing to accept his affair with Regina because
it was only natural for some lords to have a mistress.

But then, she found out that Rubin and Regina were planning to kill her a month
after their marriage and make it look like an accident. And once she was dead,
Rubin would marry Regina who would soon have the status that would allow her to
stay with him.

After all, once her marriage with Rubin was registered, Duchess Amber would
officially adopt Regina.

[Rubin used Duchess Amber for his plan.]

So the story went like this: Duke Drayton wanted Rubin to marry her, a duke's
daughter, instead of Regina who was only a baron's daughter. Rubin didn't want his
father to kill Regina so he sent a marriage proposal to her.

But what Duke Drayton didn't expect was the deal Rubin made with the duchess.

Neoma told Duchess Amber about Rubin and Regina's evil scheme. But the duchess
didn't believe her. She even accused her of being jealous of Regina.

That was when she realized that Regina had already brainwashed the duchess. The
bitch acted like the perfect replica of Hanna– something that she had failed to do
over the years. Because of that, Duchess Amber believed that Regina was the
"reincarnation" of Hanna.

[The duchess' mental health wasn't stable then and Regina was a goddamn actress.]

She tried to ask for Duke Quinzel's help but the duchess had cut off her
communication with him. That was the time that her adoptive father rarely went home
because he was busy being Nero's swords master.

And so, Neoma felt helpless.

***

NEOMA knew that she would be killed if she didn't do something to protect herself.

She might have been abandoned by her estranged father and brother, but she was
still a de Moonasterio and the twin sister of Nero. During her lowest moment, she
remembered the forbidden book that she read in the shabby library back in Luna
Palace.

According to that book, a pair of twins born in the de Moonasterio family was a
curse. That was because royal twins like her and Nero could bind their lives
together if a proper spell was used– a forbidden spell that would unite their life
forces forever.

[That means if one of us dies, the other will die as well.]

She thought that if her life was connected to Nero, then he and the emperor would
be obliged to protect her. They had to if they didn't want the crown prince to die
with her. It was funny how desperate she was to live even though her life was
pathetic. Maybe it was because she didn't want to die unloved.

Art lm, jaov ovfo ar qart, lvu lmpevo frt ovzufourut f Bifhc Waohv ovfo hmpit
nuzdmzq ovu dmzgattur lnuii.

Unfortunately for her, Nero found out about her plan…

… thanks to Regina.

[That bitch hired an assassin to spy on me!]

Nero, who was already known as a violent prince during that time, came to kill her.
But it wasn't just because she wanted their life forces to be tied together. He
told her that he would take her life as punishment for "touching the wrong woman."

Apparently, the Black Witch that she threatened to perform the forbidden spell was
the woman that Nero was obsessed with. If she remembered it right, the Black Witch
was called 'Dahlia.' She didn't know that her brother was crazily in love with that
woman.

And just because she threatened Dahlia, Nero stabbed her in the heart with the
sword that their father, Emperor Nikolai, gave to him as a present when he was
officially declared as heir apparent to the throne.

[It felt like both my father and my twin brother killed me.]

Nero killed her as if he was just killing another insignificant enemy. His eyes
didn't show an ounce of emotion as he watched her slowly die of blood loss.

["I only gave you a quick and painless death because you look like my female
version. I don't want to see my face writhe in pain," Nero told her as he was
leaving, his voice void with emotion. "You should be grateful that you have a
generous older brother, my poor little sister."]

That wasn't the worst thing that happened while she was dying.

She hated the fact that Regina showed up at her last moments just to mock her.

["It's so easy to manipulate everyone around you, Lady Quinzel," Regina said with a
smirk that she wanted to rip off of her ugly face. "Rubin, Duchess Quinzel, and now
His Royal Highness Prince Nero." She laughed softly while shaking her head. "It was
so easy to turn them against you because they never really loved you, Ne-o-ma."]

Neoma vowed to herself that she would rise from the dead just to kill that bitch.

***

[SECOND LIFE]

UNFORTUNATELY for Neoma, she didn't get reborn as Neoma de Moonasterio.

But luckily, this time, she was born into a loving family.

[The only thing I can complain about is the fact that my parents named me 'Neoma.']

Anyway…

Her parents in her second life were both famous celebrities.

[My mommy is a seasoned anchor while my daddy is a veteran actor.]

Thus, she grew up in spotlight.

The memories of her unfortunate past life were vivid to her. So she promised
herself that she would change and do anything to be loved in her second life.

She tried her best to be a lovable child. Since her mental age was that of an
a.d.u.l.t, she grew up as a "smart kid" that was adored by many. Eventually, she
became a famous child star that everyone in the country loved.

But she didn't want her fame to get into her head so when she started high school,
she took a break from the entertainment industry. She focused on her studies until
she finished college.

After that, she went back to acting.

But after a few years, she decided to quit as an actress to be a vlogger in a site
called WatchMe. She became famous for her "mukbang" series. Many were awed by how
she could eat large quantities of food without getting fat.

[My metabolism is fast, y'all.]

Eventually, she gained 9, 999, 901 followers.

[And here comes trouble.]

She organized a countdown party with her other vlogger friends to celebrate her
milestone once she reached 10, 000, 000 Specs (this was what subscribers of WatchMe
were called). When she reached 9, 999, 999 Specs, she drank three glasses of
coconut wine– a challenge from one of her subscribers.

Neoma died of coconut wine poisoning.

***

[THIRD LIFE]

WHEN Neoma opened her eyes, she was back as Princess Neoma de Moonasterio.
A three-year-old Neoma to be precise.

She could tell that she was three because of the untouched strawberry cake on the
table. It had three candles. That was how simple their birthday celebrations were
at Luna Palace.

"N-Neoma, I-I'm sorry."

Neoma turned to the crying little boy sitting beside her on the floor.

[How pretty!]

The boy had platinum white hair, big ash gray eyes, and pale skin. He was tiny but
his cheeks were chubby– the kind that would entice anyone to pinch them.

[Who's this super duper cute baby boy?!]

"I-I'm sorry I ate your strawberries," the boy said in tears. "D-Don't be m-mad at
me…"

Her hands automatically moved to gently pinch his cheeks. She gasped at how soft
and smooth his skin was.

[What a blessed baby!]

"W-What are you d-doing, s-sister?"

She froze at that.

[""Sister.""]

Her eyes widened when realization dawned upon her. She let go of the round cheeks
as if she was burned.

[This cute little angel is Nero?!]

She was shocked because it had been a long time since she saw her psycho brother's
baby appearance. What stuck to her were his cold eyes when he stabbed her
emotionlessly. He looked so demonic to her at that moment that she forgot that he
was once a cute little baby, too.

[How tragic. This adorable brother of mine will turn into a psycho killer someday.
And he would even end my life…]

WAIT!

They were still babies right now. She could still change their future! If she
became a good sister to Nero, maybe he'd learn to love her. And if they grew up as
very close siblings, her survival rate might increase.

[Our father listens to Nero. If my twin brother becomes fond of me, then he might
ask the emperor to bring me along with him at Blanco Palace!]

Maybe making Nero grow fond of her wouldn't be enough…

[Then, if that's the case, I have to make this little boy depend on me until he
thinks that he can't live without me.]
Now she could put her acting skills to good use.

"Brother, Neoma isn't mad at you," Neoma said in an annoyingly childish voice. And
yes, she spoke in third person to act cute. [Well, I am just as cute as Nero.]

Like her twin brother, she also had platinum white hair, round ash gray eyes, and
milky white skin. And yes, her cheeks were just as chubby. Thankfully, even if the
servants were rude to them, they still fed them well.

"Neoma likes Brother more than she likes strawberries," she continued, still acting
cutesy. It seemed to work because Nero already stopped crying. "What Neoma owns
belongs to Brother as well," she said. Then, she held his tiny hands with her tiny
ones. To end him, she gave him her most charming puppy dog eyes. "Does Brother like
Neoma, too?"

His face lit up. Then, he nodded eagerly. "I like you, too, Neoma."

"Neoma is happy!" she said in an exaggerated happy voice. Then, she hugged her
brother. "Brother, I heard that it's the job of an older brother to be kind and
caring to his little sister. Does it mean Brother will take good care of Neoma
forever?"

"O-Of course," Nero said in his small but determined voice. Then, he gently tapped
her back with his little hand. "I will protect you forever, Neoma."

Neoma smirked at that. [That's right, Brother– you have to love me to death this
time!]

***

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Chapter 2 - RED FLAG

[NEOMA, four years old]

***

WHEN Neoma was sure that the maid assigned to babysit her already left the room,
she got up and stretched her arms.

[It's time to practice.]

Thanks to her little legs, it took her a while before she successfully and
carefully got down the king-size bed that she shared with Nero.

[Speaking of my twin brother…]

Nero was in the study now with his teacher that was in charge of basic learning
(read and write). Her poor brother's schedule for today was tight because of other
his classes like math, history, etiquette and swordsmanship.

Yes, at four, Nero already had to learn how to hold a sword.

Lucky for her, she only had two classes: basic learning and etiquette.
After her lessons, her nanny called Marie would force her to sleep so she could
secretly meet with her lover (a kitchen staff in the palace).

[Mfzau jaii zuopzr gudmzu tarruz lm I vfsu f duj vmpzl om qwluid.]

Neoma sat in a lotus position on the carpeted floor in front of the floor-to-
ceiling glass window. She was facing the huge but dull garden that was poorly kept
by the gardener. But thanks to that, she was confident that no one would see her
meditating.

She closed her eyes while her hands were clasped together as if she was praying.

[Let's concentrate.]

Female de Moonasterios were born weaker than the males. But still, they were still
stronger than average people with Mana. Because according to the legend, the royal
family was descendants of Yule– the God of Moon that their empire worshiped.

Since they had Yule's blood, they were physically stronger than average humans.
Plus, once a de Moonasterio reached twenty five years old, they would start to age
really, really slow. Aside from that, they were also blessed with physical strength
and immunity from common spells.

[Well, that's the case for de Moonasterio men.]

Neoma remembered that from her childhood as a princess, she was told by her
teachers to suppress her strength and Mana. Because according to them, a girl
didn't need to be strong or powerful. That her main purpose was only to be a "good
wife and mother."

[B*llshit.]

But since she was a naïve little princess then, she believed them.

And as a horrible result, she didn't have the chance to utilize her power as a de
Moonasterio.

[If I knew I would be betrayed, I would have made myself stronger and killed every
b*tch that hurt me in the past.]

Oh, she had that chance now.

"Neoma?"

Neoma opened her eyes when she heard a knock on the door the same time she heard
Nero call her. "Come in, Brother," she said in her cutesy voice. "Neoma is awake."

The giant doors opened.

She stood up when she saw Nero enter the room. He asked the maids to wait outside
the room. When they were finally alone in the chamber, she ran towards him.

"Neoma, don't run," Nero lightly scolded her while walking towards her. "You might
trip."
As soon as he said that, Neoma tripped on purpose.

"Neoma!"

She wasn't hurt but she sniffed and pretended to cry anyway.

[Behold my acting skills, my dearest brother!]

"Are you hurt?" Nero asked when he got down on one knee to check on her. "Let me
see your knees."

She nodded then she sat down and stretched her legs. Fortunately, she was wearing
high socks so her knees weren't scr.a.p.ed. "Neoma isn't hurt, Brother," she
assured him. "Don't worry about Neoma."

"Why did you run?" he scolded her again. "I told you not to, didn't I?"

"Neoma just wants to be with Brother the fastest," she said in a sad voice while
looking up at him with tears. "Neoma missed you, Brother."

He smiled shyly. "Do you like me that much?"

She almost rolled her eyes at that.

Also, she remembered that she and her brother could talk normally to each other.
But in reality, in a.d.u.l.ts' ears, they were speaking like how babies their age
would talk.

"Yes, Brother," she said in an annoying pitchy voice. "Neoma likes Brother the most
in the whole world!"

Hu immcut niuflut jaov ovfo.

[How gullible!]

"Brother, can you tell Neoma stories?" she pleaded while giving him a puppy dog
eyes again. "Neoma wants to hear what Brother learns." She acted like she was
making a huge circle in the air. "Neoma wants to know how Brother makes sparkles
this big."

She was talking about his Mana.

Her twin brother once showed her a silver hole that he made from his Mana. She
wanted to learn how to manifest her Mana as well so she was s.u.c.k.i.n.g up to
him.

[That's my life for the past year.]

"You're too young to understand but since you're begging me, then I'll tell you,"
Nero said with a proud look on his face. "I'll tell you the basics."

"Yehey!" Neoma said in an exaggerated happy voice. Then, she hugged her twin
brother tight. "Thank you, Brother!"
***

[GOSH, Nero sucks at teaching stuff.]

Neoma couldn't concentrate while meditating because she couldn't understand what
Nero said to her the other day.

This was how her twin brother explained how he managed to create a manifestation
for his Mana: ["Just imagine that you're standing in front of a full moon. Then,
slowly wrap your arms around it. Once you feel the warmth throughout your body,
that's it. When you open your eyes, you'll see your Mana manifest in a silver
hole."]

She didn't get it but she'd give it a try. That was why she was sitting on her
favorite spot in her room in her usual lotus position.

[Let's imagine a full moon.]

Surprisingly, she was able to imagine it easily. She saw herself floating in an
endless dark sky. In front of her, she saw a full moon as small as a tennis ball.

[Is it supposed to be this small?]

Well, whatever.

She wrapped her tiny arms around the small moon. When it touched her c.h.e.s.t, she
felt a different kind of warmth that flowed throughout her body. A few heartbeats
later, she suddenly felt like whole body was on fire.

[Hot!]

She opened her eyes and when she did, she thought the room was spinning.

Then, she fell on the floor while catching her breath. She still felt like she was
being burned alive. Worse, her throat was too dry to scream for help.

[What's happening to me?]

She closed her eyes tight and tried another way to ask for help. And at that
moment, only one person came into her mind.

[Brother, help me…]

She was hoping that Nero could hear because they were twins. In their past life,
they didn't have a strong bond and a link in their minds. But her twin brother
seemed to like her enough in this lifetime.

Maybe this time, their minds would be somehow connected.

"Neoma!"

She was relieved when she heard Nero's voice.

When she opened her eyes, she smiled weakly when she saw him running towards her
with a worried look on his face.

That was the face of a big brother who was worried for his little sister.

[Ah, he already fell for my charm.]

"Neoma," Nero called her again when he kneeled beside her. Then, he gently lifted
her head and put it on his l.a.p. "You have a fever. Where's your nanny? Why are
you alone here?"

Neoma just smiled and touched his chubby cheek with her tiny hand. "Neoma only
needs Brother."

"I know that," he said. "But a little girl like you shouldn't be alone like this."

["Little girl?" Pfft! We're the same age, Nero.]

"How long have the servants been treating you this way?" Nero asked in a cold
voice, his face suddenly turned serious. For a four-year-old boy, he seriously
looked intimidating. "Come to think of it, you were also alone when I went to visit
you the other day. Don't tell me your maids leave you to fend for yourself when I'm
not looking?"

[Yes, Brother. They're treating me like I'm invisible when you're not around."

But she didn't voice that out. Honestly, Nero's angry face was scaring her at the
moment. And she was too exhausted to speak.

"They must have lost their mind," Nero said, still angry. Then, he looked up at the
servants in front of her. There were three maids and three knights in the room.
"You," he said rudely to the servants.

She blinked in surprise with her twin brother's sudden change of attitude.

[Just last year, he was a shy crybaby. What happened in the past year?]

Did he m.a.t.u.r.e fast because she was depending on him too much?

[Gosh, did I create a monster?!]

"Fine Neoma's nanny and bring her to me," Nero said with a murderous look on his
little face. "If she doesn't kneel and beg for my sister's forgiveness, chop her
limbs off one by one."

"Brother!" she exclaimed in a panicky voice. She was so shocked by his words that
she was able to use her voice even though her throat hurt like hell. "You're saying
something scary."

She wasn't the only one who felt that way.

Just before she looked up at her twin brother, she saw the servants shiver in fear.
It was scary how a four-year-old boy was able to make a.d.u.l.ts feel that way. And
it wasn't just because of her brother's words.

The room was actually heavy because of the silver aura hanging above…

… and it was oozing from Nero's tiny body.

In her past life, her brother didn't have this kind of power yet when they were
kids.

[What have I done?]

"Don't worry, Neoma," Nero told her with a smile. But the glint of evilness in his
eyes made the smile look creepy. "I'll protect you, remember?"

It was official: Neoma's plan backfired on her this early.

[I have to fix this ASAP!]

Yeah, but how?!

***

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Chapter 3 - CROCODILE TEARS

NEOMA believed that a woman's tears could be used as a weapon.

So she cried– loud.

[Just like how babies my age would cry.]

Nero obviously looked startled when she cried. "N-Neoma, what's wrong? Why are you
crying? Are you hurt?"

"Brother is scaring Neoma," she said in a shaking voice. Gosh, sometimes she could
really surprise herself with how good she was at acting. "Brother's face looks
scary. Neoma doesn't like it."

Nero looked like he was suddenly slapped back to reality. It seemed like he was
also surprised by his sudden change of attitude. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you.
I'm sorry," he said. Then, he touched her cheek. When he smiled, he returned to his
usual angelic face. "Are you still afraid of me, Neoma?"

Neoma smiled and shook her head. Then, she put her little hand on top of Nero's
hand on her cheek. "The brother Neoma knows is back."

***

WHEN Neoma opened her eyes, Nero's sleeping face greeted her.

[Ah, yes. We still shared the same bed at this age.]

But they had separate play and study rooms because their schedule were different
from each other. They were only together during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and
sleeping time.

[Ir qw nflo iadu, Nuzm jmpit liuun mr ovu movuz latu md ovu gut jaov val gfhc
opzrut mr qu.]

But right now, he slept on his sides to face her.

[I didn't expect to change our relationship this easy.]

Well, in the past, she was gloomy and aloof. She harbored hate against her twin
brother so she was very bitter to him. And as a result, Nero grew distant to her.

But when she came back in time, she acted like how she was in her second life:
cute, lively, and very positive. She was a ball of sunshine, if she said so
herself. Thankfully, her attitude changed when she was born into a loving family.

So technically, she wasn't really faking her bubbly personality now.

But every time she wanted to capture Nero's attention, she would switch to her
"actress mode." She had been doing that for a year ever since she came back in
time.

[Luckily, it's easy to change a child's heart.]

Still, Nero's action a while ago scared her for real. She saw a glimpse of the
craziness that he had displayed in her past life.

[Was it possible that his mental health problem started at childhood?]

Gosh, now she suddenly felt protective of him. She had a bad history with him but
that was already in the past. They have a good relationship now so she didn't have
a reason to hate him. Plus, she wanted to get along him this time.

[Most of all, my mental age is older than Nero. I should protect my brother. I'll
make sure that he won't grow a psycho like he did in the past.]

"Neoma?" Nero asked when he opened his eyes. Then, he smiled at her. "The royal
doctor said you had light fever a while ago. But he made a medicine that suits our
body. How do you feel now?"

"Neoma feels better now, Brother," she said with a smile. "Thank you for taking
care of Neoma."

He just smiled. "I already fired your nanny. She'll be replaced by the head maid."

That was a surprise.

In her past life, Stephanie (the head maid), was in-charge of Nero. Well, the old
woman eventually became her nanny when Nero was transferred to the Blanco Palace.
Thanks to Stephanie, her life in Luna Palace became more bearable until Duke
Quinzel adopted her.

She was only a bit shocked that Stephanie became her nanny earlier than expected.
But maybe she should stop being surprised. After all, she was changing her destiny.

[Anyway, Stephanie is strict but she's better than the other maids here. Plus, in
my past life, she was really unaware that I was being mistreated because she was
too focused on raising the crown prince. But when she found out about how rude the
maids in charge of me were, she fired them all.]

"Brother, will you be okay without Stephanie?" Neoma asked curiously. "She's your
nanny, isn't she?"
"I'm a big boy now so I don't need a nanny. Alphen is enough," Nero said. 'Alphen'
was the head butler that acted like her brother's secretary. "I'll make sure that
you won't be bullied again, Neoma."

[Gosh, he's really changed.]

"Thank you, Brother," Neoma said with a big smile. "Neoma can't live without
Brother so please stay as my guardian angel, okay?"

[In short, please don't turn into a nasty psycho, Nero.]

***

[NEOMA, five years old]

[GOSH, I'm so pretty.]

Neoma couldn't help but admire herself in the mirror.

Right now, she wore a cute pink sailor dress with white socks and black doll shoes.
Her platinum white hair now reached her back. She decorated it with a flower crown
that she made when she played at the garden a while ago.

She only stopped admiring herself when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Neoma said, fully expecting Nero to come in.

She wasn't wrong.

When the door opened, Nero came inside with a gentle smile on his face.

Ever since she told him that she didn't like his "scary face," her twin brother
never showed his anger in front of her again. And she was making sure that it
wouldn't happen even though she wasn't looking.

"Neoma, are you ready?" Nero asked when he was walking towards her. "It's time for
lunch."

"Yes, Brother," Neoma answered with a smile. "Neoma is ready."

He offered his hand to her. "Let's go."

She held his hand and let him guide her out of the room.

They were followed by Stephanie and three other maids. There were also two knights
behind the maids that served as their personal bodyguards.

[But they're weak. I remember them dying easily when the palace was attacked.]

That was why she couldn't entrust her life to the low-level knights in Luna Palace.
For the past year, she did nothing but improve her Mana control. She would ask Nero
to tell her about his magic class so she could copy what he learned.

So far, she could make little "air waves."

Her thoughts were cut-off when they reached the dining hall.

The knights helped them sit on the little chair on top of the big chair. When their
food had arrived on the table, her twin brother turned to the maids.
"You may leave now," Nero said with a smile. "We feel uncomfortable when you watch
us eat. We'll just call you if we need something."

"As you wish, Your Royal Highness," Stephanie said while bowing.

Then, everyone left them alone.

[Finally.]

"Let's eat," Nero said while switching their plates. "You really like my food,
don't you?"

"Yes, Brother," Neoma said while nodding eagerly. "The maids don't let me eat meat
because they said I can't be fat."

That was true.

Her diet was harsher than Nero's. Only a small portion of meat was served to her
and she was forced to eat salad every freaking meal time. She was only five years
old!

[The standards for princesses in the empire are highly impossible.]

When she told Nero that she wanted to eat his food without the maids knowing so she
wouldn't be scolded, he came up with that plan. Every meal, he would ask the maids
and the knights to leave them. Then, he would switch their plates.

"It's so yummy, Brother," Neoma said after she ate a portion of his steak. She
wasn't lying. Nero's food was always superb compared to hers. "Thank you for giving
Neoma your food."

Nero smiled and patted her head. "Once I become powerful enough, I will make sure
that no one could tell you what you can and can't eat anymore."

She just smiled at that.

To be honest, there was a reason why she slyly made her twin brother switch their
plates.

In her past life, this was the year Nero was poisoned.

Unfortunately, she couldn't remember the face of the assassin who posed as a maid
in the palace. And so, she decided to eat the food Nero was served instead.

She was confident that Nero wouldn't let her die anyway. Plus, in the past, the
food poisoning caused her twin brother's power to awaken. She was risking her life
for the chance to awaken her power before Nero did.

[I need to be powerful enough to protect myself.]

She stopped thinking about it when her heart suddenly thumped against her c.h.e.s.t
hard. It was so painful that she dropped her fork and steak knife. Then, she
clutched her c.h.e.s.t tight.

"Neoma?" her twin brother asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"My c.h.e.s.t…" Neoma said. She was in too much pain that she forgot to speak
"cutesy." For the first time since she went back in time, she actually felt fear
for her life. "Nero, it hurts…"

Nero looked shocked while looking at her. At first, she thought it was because she
called her by his name. But when he spoke again, she realized that it wasn't the
thing that caused the surprised look on his face. "Neoma, your eyes turned red…"

***

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

Nikolai raised an eyebrow at Glenn– his personal knight– when he rushed in his
office with a bewildered look on his face. "What is it that caused you to forget
your manners, Glenn?"

"My deepest apologies for raising my voice in your presence, Your Majesty," Glenn
said while bowing low. When he told the knight to rise, he looked up at him with a
distracted look on his face. "We have received an urgent message from the Luna
Palace."

Luna Palace?

Ah, right. He had children there. And he almost forgot about them.

"One of the twins has awakened," his knight informed him. "Your Majesty, your child
must be a genius to have been awakened this early."

He wasn't the least surprised or interested to know that. "Even though his mother
is nothing but a lower noble, the royal prince still has my blood. Why are you so
surprised, fool?"

"It wasn't the royal prince, Your Majesty," Glenn said while shaking his head.
"It's the royal princess who has awakened her powers."

Nikolai wouldn't lie– that news stunned him. "The royal princess awakened before
the royal prince?"

Now that was unprecedented.

***

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Chapter 4 - FIGHT ME, SOUL BEAST!

NEOMA woke up in plain white room.

No, it would be more appropriate to say that she was inside a giant cube and all
the sides were white. She was standing in the center while facing a black shadow
beast that was shaped like a dragon. But it seemed like a baby dragon because it
was just a little taller than her.

[But a dragon? How cliché! I want something more magical!]

"A little de Moonasterio, huh?" the shadow dragon mocked her in a deep, menacing
voice. "I didn't expect that you'd awaken at such a young age. The question is… can
you handle me?" His long snake forked tongue came out of his huge mouth and wiggled
like it was supposed to be intimidating. "If you can't, I'll eat your soul."

[Let's see… how did Nero handle his Soul Beast again?]

Every de Moonasterio was supposed to have a 'Soul Beast' inside. It served as their
guardian but not everyone could summon or use its power. According to the legends,
the Soul Beasts were picky when it comes to choosing their masters. Just because
she was a de Moonasterio didn't mean that this shadow dragon would serve her.

But in her past life, when Nero awakened, he was able to control his Soul Beast
that came in the form of a shadow wolf. Thankfully, during that time, Nero told the
emperor how he was able to control the Soul Beast.

And thankfully, she still remembered what Nero said then.

Every single detail was stuck in her mind because during her first life, she tried
to summon her Soul Beast. Sadly, it didn't heed her call. Maybe it was because she
was weak-willed then.

[But now, I have all the motivation I need.]

Neoma cracked the knuckles of her small hands while rotating her head slowly from
side to side. "Hey, clench your teeth," she said. "And no hard feelings, okay?"

The shadow dragon, even though didn't have a face, appeared to be confused.

Svu plut ovfo qmquro om zpr omjfztl vaq fl dflo fl vuz lvmzo iuel jmpit fiimj vuz.
Tvur, lvu zfalut vuz oarw dalo frt nprhvut ovu lvftmj tzfemr ar jvfo fnnufzut iacu
aol ovzmfo. Svu ovmpevo vuz dalo jfl emare om euo ovzmpev gpo dmzoprfouiw, lvu vao
f lmiat gmtw.

And as soon as her knuckled connected to the shadow-y throat, her punch sent the
dragon flying until it hit the white wall. The impact was strong enough to put a
crack on it.

Neoma blew on the top of her fist like a badass that she thought she was. "I'm the
boss here, `got that?"

According to Nero, the Soul Beasts resided inside their soul. Thus, the name. Duh.

That meant that the "cube" she was in was the deepest part of her soul. And the
master of her soul was her and no one or nothing else. To "tame" the Soul Beast,
all she had to was to take control. If she thinks that she's stronger than the
dragon, then she'd be stronger than it.

[In short, willpower is the answer.]

In her past life, Nero said that he beat the wolf into a pulp until it called him
"master."
[My twin brother is so violent.]

Well, it wasn't like she was one to talk.

[Damn, it seems like violence runs in our veins.]

"Hey!" the shadow dragon complained when it got up from the floor. "You punched my
throat, you little b*tch!"

[Oh, right.]

Nero also said that their Soul Beasts would have the same personality as them.

[I have a bad mouth so this little shit also has one, huh?]

"Listen, you shadow-y bastard," Neoma said while cracking her knuckles again. "I
don't want a dragon– I want a unicorn!"

Gosh, it seemed like her mental age had retrograded back to that of a child's!

***

"GREETINGS to the empire's one and only moon," the servants said in unison.
"Welcome to Luna Palace, Your Majesty."

Nikolai ignored the maids, butlers, and royal guards that greeted him when he
arrived at the palace's dining hall. He walked past them and went straight to his
children. Of course, Glenn was walking closely behind him.

He found the royal prince standing protectively beside the royal princess who was
sitting on a chair, almost lifeless.

Tvu iaooiu eazi vft imre nifoarpq jvaou vfaz frt zut uwul.

[Red eyes are the symbol of a de Moonasterio's awakening.]

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Nero greeted him with a solemn look on his face. Oh, he
could talk without stuttering. The child didn't even appear intimidated by his
presence. And most of all, he could look straight into his eyes without shaking in
fear. "Are you here to help my sister?"

[Rude.]

Well, that was also a sign of being a de Moonasterio so he didn't mind.

And he hated to admit this but looking at Nero reminded him of himself when he was
his age. They looked alike. Even the sharp look in their eyes was similar.

[Heh.]

"Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to stop the royal princess's awakening,"
Nikolai told his son. "An early awakening like this could only be caused by two
things. First, you can awaken if you're a prodigy good enough to summon your Soul
Beast. Second, you can also awaken if your life has been put in danger. What do you
think caused the princess's awakening?"

"It's probably the latter," his son answered. "The cook checked Neoma's food and he
found poison in the steak sauce. I already asked the guards to capture everyone who
was present when our food was made. Also, the guards chased the one maid that ran
away when the princess got into this state."

Nikolai was impressed.

He heard that the royal prince was diligent and respected by the servants. But he
didn't expect him to be this smart and have great leadership skills.

[I wonder how he made the servants in this palace obey him.]

"As of this moment, the royal princess may have met the Soul Beast inside her,"
Nikolai explained to the prince. "Let's just hope that your twin sister tames the
beast because if not…"

"What?" the prince complained when he paused. "What will happen to Neoma if she
fails to tame the Soul Beast?"

"The Soul Beast will eat her soul," he said to the royal prince who glared at him.
He smirked at his son's reaction. "Your poor twin sister will die if that happens."

As soon as he said that, the royal princess suddenly coughed blood.

The royal prince looked shocked when he saw what happened to his twin sister.
Worried was obvious in his face as he tried to wipe the blood off the princess's
mouth. "Neoma…" He turned to him with a desperate look on his face. "Your Majesty,
tell me what I have to do to save my twin sister."

"You can do nothing but wait," Nikolai said strictly. "It's a battle that the
princess must overcome herself. Why don't you just trust your little sister?"

"Neoma can't fight," Nero said in a frustrated voice. "My baby sister is a sweet
little angel that can't even kill an insect."

***

"DIE, you beast! Die!" Neoma screamed while punching the shadow dragon in the face.
"I won't stop hitting you until you give up!"

To be honest, Neoma was just as beaten as the shadow dragon. The beast attacked her
a while ago and b*tch-slapped the hell out of her using its tail. She ignored the
pain and fought back as hard as she could.

So now, she was straddling the shadow dragon while throwing strong punches at it.
Even though she was tiny, her strength as a de Moonasterio was no joke.

"I give up!" the shadow dragon screamed. "I acknowledge you as my master, Neoma de
Moonasterio!"

Neoma stopped her fist mid-air. Then, she smiled sweetly at the dragon. "Then, can
you do what I want?"

"Give me some time before I shape-shift into a unicorn," the dragon said in
frustration. "It will take time before I can change into another form. Especially
now that my energy is depleted after you beat me to a pulp!"

"You shouldn't have threatened me in the first place," she countered. "I felt like
my life is danger so I had to resort to self-defense."

"Self-defense my foot!" the Soul Beast complained. "Let's talk once I recovered my
strength. For now, let's bid each other farewell." It slapped its own tail against
the wall. "See you later, Master Neoma."

Before Neoma could even talk back, a warm light engulfed her body and the next
thing she knew, a strong force was already pulling her down.

***

NEOMA gasped after she felt like she was gutted hard in the stomach.

"Neoma!"

When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by Nero's worried face. She wanted to
assure her twin brother that she was okay. But her attention was caught by the
handsome and tall man standing behind Nero.

Platinum white hair, light ash gray eyes that almost looked like silver, pale skin,
and unbelievably handsome face.

She gasped aloud.

[Emperor Nikolai de Moonasterio!]

Her sc.u.mbag of a father.

To be honest, she resented the emperor in her past life.

Even now, she hadn't fully forgiven him yet for abandoning her. She wanted to cruse
and yell at him. But she held back because she knew venting out wouldn't solve
anything.

So she swallowed her anger and smiled at the handsome sc.u.mbag.

"Papa!" Neoma said in a very sweet voice that made her want to puke. But instead,
she got off the chair, ignored her brother, and ran towards the emperor. Then, she
clung to his leg while looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. "Are you here to take
Neoma with you, Papa?"

When Emperor Nikolai raised an eyebrow at her, Neoma felt like she wanted to punch
herself in the throat.

["Papa," my foot!]

***

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Chapter 5 - MY FATHER IS A SC*MBAG

IF NEOMA was going to write her life story and give it a title, she'd definitely
call it 'My Father is a Sc*mbag.'

After she awakened and asked if her father would bring her with him, he just looked
at her, shook his leg until she let go of it, and then turned to Nero. Yep, he
acted like he didn't even see her even though she gave him her most charming smile.

[Ungrateful d*uche.]
"Nero, work harder to awaken your powers as a de Moonasterio," Emperor Nikolai told
her twin brother. "From now on, I'll carefully watch over your development."

Okay, Neoma was surprised to hear that.

[He took an interest in Nero even though I was the one who awakened first?]

It seemed like she wasn't the only one who was surprised by the emperor's
declaration.

The servants around them looked proud and happy. If His Majesty had taken interest
in the prince, that only meant that from now on, Luna Palace would receive more
attention from the emperor. More attention meant bigger budget for the palace.

And of course, the servants would feel honored if Nero became the emperor's
official heir apparent.

[Whatever the case is, I'm still being ignored here!]

"I'll work harder to protect my sister, Your Majesty," Nero promised the emperor.
He was smiling but his words were as cold as the look in his eyes. Gosh, her
brother was indeed a monster in the making, huh? "Thank you for your concern. Now,
if you have nothing else to say, I'd like to kindly excuse myself with Princess
Neoma. I'm sure she's tired from her awakening."

The servants and the knights who heard the prince gasped.

Even Neoma was shocked.

[Oh my. Nero got balls. In my past life, he couldn't even look at the emperor in
the eye when we were kids. But right now, he's talking to our father as if they're
equals.]

Wait, this shouldn't be about her twin brother.

[I should be the star this time!]

"Papa, Neoma saw a monster in my dream," Neoma said in the cutesy voice that Nero
couldn't resist. Also, she gave her father the best puppy dog eyes that she could
muster despite her urge to punch his throat. How could the emperor be this
heartless towards a cute little girl like her?! "Can you tell Neoma about it,
Papa?"

Emperor Nikolai gave her a look that said he was disgusted by her. "I don't want to
talk to a princess who can't even talk properly."

Okay, that made her cheeks burn from embarrassment.

The servants even looked away as if they didn't want to make her feel ashamed even
more. But what the hell? The damage had already been done!

"There's nothing wrong with how Neoma talks," Nero declared. Then, he looked at her
and gently pinched her cheek. "Don't worry, Neoma. The way you talk is fine."

Neoma forced a smile. "Thank you, Brother." She still refused to give up so she
looked up at the emperor again. "Papa, I will talk properly from now on. I
promise."

Emperor Nikolai just gave her a stoic look before he turned his back on them.
"Strengthen the security around Luna Palace and add more royal knights," he ordered
to Glenn, his personal knight. "Make sure that no harm will befall on the royal
prince."

Glenn bowed at the command. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

She waited for the emperor to add another order that would somehow show that he
also cared about her. But it didn't happen. His Majesty went out of the dining hall
without even looking back once.

Neoma felt a stab in her heart.

[Is he saying that he only cares about the prince?]

What a sc*mbag of a father.

***

"NEOMA, how do you feel?"

"I feel great, Brother," Neoma assured him. Then, she patted the space next to her.
"Let's sleep now, Brother. I'm sleepy."

Nero smiled and gently pinched her cheek. "I'm glad to see that you're still as
energetic as before. And thankfully, your eyes have returned to its original
color."

That was true.

A few minutes after her awakening, her red eyes returned to being ash gray. After
that, she felt very hungry that she was able to eat three plates of big steak in
one sitting. Thankfully, her nanny didn't scold her for eating "too much."

Anyway, right after having dinner, she felt sleepy. So Nero asked her maids to give
her a bath and prepare her bed right away.

And thus, here they were now in their bedroom.

Neoma and her twin brother were now wearing a matching pair of yellow silk pajamas.
Usually, Nero would read a thick history book before sleeping. But for tonight, he
seemed to be determined to look after her because he didn't bring a book.

"Neoma, can you tell more about what you told the emperor a while ago?" Nero asked
while he was sitting beside her, his fingers playing with her hair that was
scrambled on the pillow. "Did you really see a monster in your "dream?""

Neoma nodded. Now that she was lying on the bed, her eyelids were starting to feel
heavy. "Yes, Brother. I saw a shadow monster that looks like a baby dragon."

His forehead knotted in obvious irritation. "Did it hurt you?"

"No," she lied while shaking her head. "I cried loudly until it got away from me.
It seems like the monster hates loud crying noises."

"That's a relief," her brother said. "Neoma, just because your power awakened
doesn't mean you have to fight to protect yourself. You don't have to do that
because I'm here for you."

She smiled and nodded. "I know that, Brother."

[If our father isn't such a jerk, I wouldn't have cared about this "awakening"
shit, you know? I wanted to live as a lazy princess loved by her powerful brother.]

"I'll work hard to awaken my powers as well," Nero promised her. "Neoma, once I
become the official crown prince, you won't need to beg for the emperor's
attention. When I grow up and become more powerful, I can overthrow him anytime."

She laughed nervously at that. Was Nero seriously thinking of overthrowing their
father in the future? If someone else heard her twin brother, they would probably
think that Nero was planning a coup! "Brother, why would you need to overthrow the
emperor when you're already the crown prince? Being in that position means you're
the heir apparent."

"I can't wait for His Majesty to die before I ascend the throne," he said with a
smile. Oh, my. How could he smile like an angel when he was saying cold things that
only come out of a devil's mouth? "I can't just sit back and continue watching him
treat you bad, Neoma. I want to end it as soon as possible."

[And for that reason alone, you want to overthrow the emperor?!]

Gosh, what a violent thought for a five year old baby!

"Brother," she called him with a scowl. "I want us to get along with our father.
We're a family, aren't we?"

"The two of us are family," he insisted. "We don't need the emperor."

"But I want us to get along with our father," she said with a pout. "He's also our
family, Brother. I'm greedy so I want to be loved by everyone."

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Alright. I'll try to get along with the emperor."

Neoma smiled and opened her arms. When her twin brother gave him a hug, she kissed
his cheek as reward. "Thank you, Brother."

Nero's face lit up. "Anything for you, Neoma."

***

WHEN Nero was sure that Neoma was already deep asleep, he silently sat up and got
down the bed. Then, he carefully pulled up the blanket until it covered her pretty
neck. [I'll be back, Neoma. Sleep tight.]

After making sure that his sister was comfortably sleeping, he quietly left their
chamber.

"Guard the princess well," Nero coldly ordered the two royal knights standing by
the door. "If something happens while I'm away, I'll have your heads. Is that
clear?"

The two knights bowed deeply. "We understand, Your Royal Highness."

He turned his back on them and started to walk away.

Alphen, the thirty year old head butler with brown hair and dark chocolate eyes,
followed closely behind. He even put a silk robe over his shoulders. "Your Royal
Highness, the assassin is in the cell now. Based on our investigation, she was
alone when she entered the palace as a mole. Are we not going to report this to His
Majesty?"

"The emperor doesn't care about this issue because it wasn't me who got poisoned,"
Nero said coldly. "And I can deal with the assassin on my own."

He hadn't awakened yet like Neoma did.

But he was confident that he was the strongest five year old boy in the whole
empire. Aside from his natural physical strength, he was also gifted with a strong
Mana and a great talent for swordsmanship. Even though his body was tiny, he was
full of potential.

And of course, his d.e.s.i.r.e to protect Neoma only made him stronger.

[Speaking of Neoma…]

He had a feeling that her twin sister knew that his food was being poisoned. That
was definitely the reason why she asked him to switch food with her.

[I should have noticed that.]

He wanted to question Neoma about it but he didn't want to force her after she just
awakened her powers. Once she had rested enough, he would slowly begin to question
her. But of course, he'd be very careful since he didn't want to scare her.

His thoughts were cut-off when they finally reached the bas.e.m.e.nt of Luna
Palace. It was a secret cell that he only found out recently. When he asked Alphen
where he could torture Neoma's irresponsible nanny before, the head butler brought
him there.

Oh, right. Killing Neoma's irresponsible nanny was his first kill. And now would be
the second.

"Your Royal Highness!" the assassin, still wearing her maid uniform, kneeled and
bowed until her forehead touched the cold ground of her cell. "I beg your
forgiveness! I was being blackmailed by Marquis Severano! I didn't want to harm you
or Her Royal Highness!"

Nero smirked. He didn't know why but the scent of blood and the feel of cutting
flesh with his sword made him feel excited. Ah, he was the only five year old boy
in the empire who felt that way. "I don't care who ordered you. The fact that
you're the reason why I almost lost my Neoma is enough for me to kill you." He
extended his hand to Alphen. "My sword."

Alphen bowed before he placed his short sword on his hand.

"Your Royal Highness!" the assassin cried helplessly. "Please have mercy!"

Nero smiled sweetly while pulling out his sword from the sheath. "I don't have
mercy for people who hurt my precious Neoma."

Filthy blood was spilled that night.

***

NIKOLAI smirked when he heard Glenn's report.

Apparently, Nero had been killing every servant in Luna Palace who dared to
disrespect him or the royal princess. No wonder he had the servants wrapped around
his little finger even though he was only five years old.

[Fear is one great tool to use if you want people to follow you.]

To be honest, he didn't expect Nero to rule over the Luna Palace. Neglected
children like him were often mistreated by servants. But his son found a way to
rule the palace, huh?

[He's really my son.]

"Your Majesty, what should we do about Marquis Severano?" Glenn asked. "It seems
like the original target was Prince Nero and not Princess Neoma."

"I'd like to ask for Nero's opinion on how the foolish marquis should be dealt,"
Nikolai said. "Tell the royal prince that I want him to join me for dinner tomorrow
evening."

***

NEOMA was lying on her stomach on the carpeted floor while drawing. She was
mindlessly coloring a stupid sketch she made. For her "drawing assignment," she
drew a stick figure of her, Nero, and her sc*mbag of a father.

[Why is it so hard to get close to my father?]

Her thoughts were cut-off when she heard a knock on the door, followed by Nero's
voice. She told her brother to come in.

"Neoma, you're not yet done with your assignment?"

Neoma smiled when Nero entered the room. She sat up and showed him the paper that
she was working on. "I'm done, Brother."

Nero smiled and sat beside her. Then, he looked carefully at her drawing.
Particularly, he was looking at her stick figure holding the hand of his stick
figure version. It seemed like he was satisfied by it because he smiled when he
looked at her. "Your drawing has improved, Neoma."

That was b*llshit because she knew her drawing s.u.c.k.e.d. But she smiled anyway.

"Thank you, Brother," Neoma said sweetly. "Are you done with your sword training?"

He smiled and nodded. "We can play today."

She pretended to be thrilled and raised her arms while screaming happily. "Yehey!"
Her gullible twin brother looked satisfied by her reaction.

[Heh.]

Their happy moment was interrupted when Alphen knocked and entered the room. The
head butler was carrying a giant box in his hands.

"Greetings to the royal prince and the royal princess," Alphen greeted them with a
bow. When he raised his head, his attention was focused on Nero. "Your Royal
Highness, His Majesty had sent you clothes to use for tonight."

Nero's forehead knotted. "For what?"

"His Majesty is inviting you for dinner, Your Royal Highness."

"How about me?" Neoma asked excitedly. "Did Papa send me clothes as well? Am I also
invited to that dinner?"

"My deepest apologies, Princess Neoma," Alphen said with a bow. "His Majesty only
sent clothes and invitation for Prince Nero."

Nero's mood instantly turned sour but when he turned to her, his eyes widened in
shock. "Neoma, are you crying?"

Neoma didn't want to cry, damn it!

Gosh, she was very aware that her father never loved her in her past life. She also
knew that gaining his favor in this lifetime would be very difficult. She thought
she was prepared to be treated like sh*t again by her father. But she didn't expect
that it would still hurt.

[Just what did I do for that stupid emperor to hate me this much, huh?]

***

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Chapter 6 - CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

"I'M NOT crying, Brother," Neoma denied while blowing her tears and snot were
rolling down her face like crazy. "These are tears of joy. I'm happy for you."

God, why was she crying like a baby?

Well, technically, she was a baby girl. But her mental age was that of an
a.d.u.l.t. Living in a modern world as a modern girl in her second life taught her
that she didn't need validation from men! She was a strong independent woman, okay?

[I don't need my father's approval to feel and live like a human!]

Stupid tear ducts.

"Leave," Nero ordered Alphen. "Tell His Majesty that I'm grateful for the
invitation but I have to reject it. I don't want my sister to have dinner alone."

"Brother, I'm fine," Neoma insisted. "I can eat on my own."

"No."

"Brother, I want you get along with our father," she said while hugging his arm and
giving him puppy dog eyes. "Please have dinner with His Majesty. Please? Please?
Please?"

Her brother went to her and wiped her tears using his hands. Then, he pulled his
dainty white handkerchief out of his b.r.e.a.s.t pocket and put it over her nose.
"Blow your nose, Neoma."

She did as she was told.

It was gross but Nero didn't seem to mind. He just quietly cleaned her nose and
folded the hanky inward before putting it back in his pocket. "Do you really want
me to have dinner with His Majesty?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, Brother!"

"Are you sure you won't get lonely while eating alone?"

"I won't," she assured him. "I'll miss you, though. So please come back early."

Nero seemed to be satisfied with her words because he smiled warmly while
c.a.r.e.s.sing her cheek. "Okay, I'll do what you want." When he turned to Alphen,
she noticed that her brother's face turned serious. "Tell His Majesty that I'll
join him for dinner."

Alphen bowed. "As you wish, Your Royal Highness."

After saying that, the butler bid them goodbye respectfully and left the room.

"I'll tell the chef to cook all your favorite meal tonight," Nero promised her.
"And don't worry about your diet. I made sure that Stephanie and the other maids
won't scold you."

That made her half happy-half nervous.

Was it just her or Nero was really turning into a little tyrant?

[I need to soften up my brother with love.]

"Brother, you're really kind," Neoma said sweetly. "I know that brother is kind to
everyone, right?"

Nero only gave her an awkward smile.

[Uv-mv.]

***

"BROTHER, you look so cool!"

Nero smiled at Neoma's praise.

He also liked how she looked at her with big, shining eyes. Whenever his twin
sister looked at him that way, he really felt loved and appreciated.

[That feeling is very addictive.]

"Your new clothes are so nice, Brother," Neoma said while admiring his outfit.
"You've always looked elegant but this time, you look extra expensive."

The clothes the emperor sent him was a tailored tailcoat, dress shirt, and dress
shorts in gold. And oh, his shoes were obviously expensive.

He was also adorned with other luxury accessories like gold cuff links and buttons,
gold brooch, and a customized pocket watch with his initials. To simply say, he was
covered in gold and other luxury gems.

His outfit was very different from his twin sister's.

[Gmt, vmj hfr ovuw ozufo qw Numqf iacu oval?]

Neoma wore a simple pink sailor dress. Her hair was flowing freely on her back. The
only decoration on it was a pink headband. Her accessories were all very simple,
and so was the old pair of shoes she had been wearing since she turned five.

Of course, his twin sister was lovely whatever she wore.

[But still, simplicity doesn't suit a princess like my Neoma.]

His precious sister deserved all the best things in the world.

"Brother, why are you looking at me like that?" Neoma asked while tugging at the
hem of his tailcoat. "Is there something on my face?"

"Yes," Nero said. Then, he gently pinched her chubby cheek. "You have cuteness on
your face, Neoma."

She giggled at that. "Am I cute, Brother?"

"You're the cutest in the whole empire, Neoma."

And Neoma hugged him as reward. "Thank you, Brother."

Nero smiled and kissed the top of her head. [Don't worry, Neoma– I'll give you a
comfortable life soon.]

***

"YOU look like a proper prince now," Nikolai commented while watching Nero eat
steak with an elegance that didn't make him look like a child. Now, he wouldn't
regret his decision to invite his son for dinner. This was the first time after so
many years that he allowed someone to join him in the grand dining hall of his
palace. [And of course, the tailored clothes I sent him made him look like a royal
more.]

"I'm not your only child, Your Majesty," Nero reminded him in a cold voice. "The
royal princess also deserves to be dressed luxuriously."

"The empire doesn't need a princess so I don't see the benefit of investing on your
sister," he said to his son, colder than the tone his child used on him. "Nero,
you're going to move in to Blanco Palace. The arrangements have already begun."

"I'll only move to another palace if Neoma is with me."

"I'll send the princess to House Quinzel," he said. "My cousin, Duke Quinzel, has a
daughter the same age as your sister. The princess will stay there to study bridal
lessons."

The prince snapped the knife in his hand into two the same time his aura turned
menacingly. "What do you mean by "bridal lessons," Your Majesty? Neoma is only
five."

"Young ladies as young as that can already get engaged at that age," he countered.
"But of course, she will wait until she's sixteen before she can get married."

"Who did you choose for Neoma to be her fiancé?"

"House Drayton has a son two years older than you," he answered. "Their family
belongs to the Royal Faction and they're very rich. The young Lord Drayton would be
a good match for your sister."

"No," his son said angrily. "I won't let you sell my sister off to an unknown
family at such a young age."

"If you don't like my decision, then feel free to try and kill me," Nikolai said
with a smirk to rile up his son. Maybe angering him would awaken his power. Before
he declared Nero as his official heir, he wanted him to be awakened first. And it
was embarrassing that a mere princess had managed to wake up her Soul Beast first.
"If you become the emperor, then maybe you can make a law that will prevent your
precious sister from getting married."

"I'll steal the throne from you even without your provocation," Nero said firmly.
"You better enjoy the last remaining years of your reign, Your Majesty."

***

NEOMA felt nervous while watching the maids pack her things.

According to Stephanie, the emperor would be sending her to House Quinzel for her
bridal lessons. Even though the head maid didn't say who'd she be engaged to, she
had a feeling that it would be Lord Rubin Drayton again.

[This is seriously scaring me. Everything is happening fast. If I get sent to House
Quinzel now, then that means I'll meet Hanna who's still alive this time. Will the
duchess be kind to me if her real daughter is around?]

But on the other hand, meeting Rubin this early could be an advantage to her.

[Rubin and Regina are only two years older than me. Maybe Regina isn't as rotten as
she was in my past life during this time. And if they're still children like me, I
can "innocently" destroy their relationship by purposely charming Rubin. Plus, even
though I'm not neglected, I'm still a princess. I'm sure House Drayton would choose
me over a lower noble like Regina for their son.]

She would use her acting skills to charm Rubin's parents so they would choose her
side eventually.

And of course, she would "seduce" Rubin. She would make him crazy in love with her
until he dumped Regina. She wasn't sure if their relationship would change this
time but one thing was certain: she wouldn't let Rubin and Regina make a fool of
her again.

[But would Nero be alright if I leave him alone here?]

Well, she was sure that her twin brother would be properly treated as a crown
prince. But she was worried about his violent nature that was starting to show as
early as now.

[How can I watch over him if we were apart?]

"Your Royal Highness, are you feeling alright?" Stephanie, who was kneeling before
her to reach her eye level, asked. She looked formal as usual but she could see a
hint of worry on her gentle face. "I understand that you may have been shocked by
His Majesty's order to suddenly send you to House Quinzel. But please don't be
scared. Duke Quinzel is your biological uncle. He also has a good reputation so I'm
sure he'll treat you well."

["Better than this palace,"] she could almost hear Stephanie add.

"I'm fine, Stephanie," Neoma said cheerfully. Even though the servants weren't
exactly friendly to her, she would still always act kindly to them. She knew that
they were starting to warm up to her and Stephanie was no exception. Good thing she
used to be a child star in her second life. She knew exactly how she should act to
get the a.d.u.l.ts to like her. After all, whether in this world or the modern one,
good-mannered and bright children were always favored. "I'm sure Papa only wants
what's best for me."

[God, give me strength to punch that sc*mbag of a father someday.]

Stephanie gave her a look of pity, then she hugged her as politely as she could.
"Oh, Your Royal Highness. You don't deserve this."

[I know, right?]

***

NERO was forced to stop walking when he felt a pang in his c.h.e.s.t. He leaned
against the wall when he lost his balance. Also, he was starting to get dizzy.

"Your Royal Highness," Alphen, who was now squatting in front of him, asked him
worriedly. "What's happening?"

He just heaved a deep sigh.

[The poison is probably working.]

Ever since he got a hold of the poison that Neoma consumed, he started to mix it in
his own food just like what happened to his twin sister.

It was his own way of punishing himself for failing to protect her.
And moreover, he decided to consume the poison to see if he would awaken the same
way that Neoma did. He was being impatient because he wanted to be stronger to
protect her. Once he had awakened, he would start his plan of overthrowing Emperor
Nikolai.

"Alphen," Nero called his butler. "Catch me."

He collapsed after saying that.

[Now, let's see what kind of Soul Beast awaits me.]

***

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Chapter 7 - PRINCESS NO MORE

NERO smiled when he woke up inside a dark, unfamiliar room.

Standing in front of him was a white shadow-y beast in the form of a wolf with two
tails. It must be his Soul Beast.

"Hi, there," Nero greeted the white wolf. "Will you lend me your power, Mr. Wolf?"

"I know that Soul Beasts like me exist to serve a de Moonasterio like you," the
Soul Beast said in a metallic voice. "But I don't feel like following an order from
a brat."

He didn't expect that it would be easy to control a Soul Beast.

[But Neoma is special, of course. She's very cute so obviously, not even a Soul
Beast can resist her charm. My precious sister is really the best.]

"Well, I have flash news for you, Mr. Wolf," Nero said with a smile. "I don't take
"no" for an answer."

***

NEOMA was worried about Nero.

Her twin brother was now lying on bed, unconscious but his now red eyes were
opened. According to Alphen, it was a sign of his awakening.

[So, this is how I looked when I awakened, huh?]

Alphen and the maids gave Nero a sponge bath and changed his clothes into pajamas.
Then, they left her to sleep. They asked them to look after him.

[According to Alphen, it was Nero's order to leave him in my care.]

It felt good that her twin brother trusted her now.

"Good night, Nero," Neoma said to her twin brother. Then, she laid on her side and
put her hand on his tummy. She gently tapped his stomach while humming a lullaby.
"Come back safely, baby brother."

Wuii, ouhvrahfiiw, Nuzm jfl mituz gw f duj qarpoul.

But her mental age was old enough for her to act like his mother. She may be acting
cute to suck up to him and survive. But at the end of the day, they were still
siblings. And she didn't have a reason to hate him in this lifetime. In short, she
was genuine with her intention to get along with her twin brother this time.

[I won't let you become a psycho, Nero.]

She intended to stay awake until Nero woke up.

But unfortunately for Neoma, she still had a body of a child. She failed to fight
her drowsiness and soon, everything went black.

***

NEOMA woke up when she felt strange coldness in the room.

She got up and opened her eyes to check on Nero. Much to her shock, she saw a man
clad in black standing on Nero's side of the bed. And the intruder was pointing a
dagger at her twin brother's heart.

Neoma gasped aloud. "No!"

Not that the assailant would listen to her.

Irlouft, ovu qflcut qfr lofggut Nuzm ar ovu vufzo.

It seemed like the dagger was also laced with magic. She saw the blade turn into
fine black dust, then entered Nero's mouth. Right after that, her twin brother
coughed with blood.

That snapped her back to reality.

"Guards!" Neoma screamed at the top of her lungs. "We're being attacked!"

The way the assassin calmly turned to her told her that he was confident no one
would be coming to save them. That only meant one thing.

[The knights are dead.]

When the assassin walked towards her with a new dagger in his hand, she immediately
stood up on the bed and punched the dagger using her little fist.

Thanks to her awakening, her body was now sturdier than a normal child's.

The assassin looked shocked when the blade broke into two because of her punch.
[God, that hurts!]

She was cut a little but she didn't have time to dwell on the pain. As soon as the
assassin threw the dagger's holder, he moved to attack her with his fist.

As if she would let him hit her.

Once again, she used her super strong fist and gutted the assassin. She heard his
ribs broke when her tiny fist connected at his side. Before he could recover, she
jumped and kicked him in the face. She poured her strength in that kick so no
wonder she sent the assailant flying until he hit the wall.

[Gosh, I'm like a superhero.]

"N-Neoma…"

Neoma turned to Nero. He was already awake but he obviously looked like in pain.
His c.h.e.s.t area was also bleeding profusely. "Nero, let's go," she said, then
she helped him get up. "I know you're in pain but we need to run first."

Nero nodded, then his gaze went past her. His eyes widened in fear. "Neoma!"

She turned behind her and when she saw the assassin who was about to stab them, she
covered Nero with her body and closed her eyes tight.

[Is this my end?]

But a few seconds passed and she didn't feel any pain yet.

"Your Royal Highness!"

Neoma quickly opened her eyes. She saw Alphen and Stephanie running towards their
direction. When she turned to the assassin, she noticed the white-ish light wrapped
around his body like a rope.

Considering that Alphen's right hand was glowing, she could only conclude that the
head butler saved them in time.

[I'm alive!]

She turned to Stephanie who came to their side in a hurry. The head maid was
holding a dagger as if she intended to fight. But when she turned to Nero, she
looked shocked when she saw the blood in the prince's c.h.e.s.t.

"Stephanie, carry Nero," Neoma said in urgency. "He'll be fine. He just awakened."

Stephanie nodded and immediately carried Nero in her arms.

"Neoma," Nero said worriedly.

"I can run, Brother," she assured her twin brother, then she jumped off the bed and
ran with Stephanie.

Alphen stayed in the room to capture the assassin.

[Ov, emt.]
The hallway was filled with dead knights and maids that the assassin definitely
killed before getting into their chamber.

Neoma's "ace" in that lifetime was the memories of her past.

[But this didn't happen in my first life!]

***

NEOMA was hiding in the treasure room with Stephanie and Nero.

They failed to leave the palace because one of the knights in his last moments told
them that the assassin wasn't alone. Plus, moving around wasn't good for Nero. They
had to find a hiding place first to give her twin brother first aid.

So right now, Stephanie was doing her best to stop the bleeding from Nero's
c.h.e.s.t by pressing clothes in his wound. The prince looked really weak and was
barely awake. She had a feeling that the dust that entered his body a while ago was
wrecking his insides.

[We need a Healing Sage!]

But first, they needed to get out of there.

Neoma kept on pressing the gem in the brooch that Stephanie gave her when they got
in the treasure room. According to the head maid, it was an emergency device
designed to contact the emperor's palace. She had already sent a signal before so
she assured them that the royal knights from her father's palace would come and
save her.

[They're f*cking late!]

"This is bad, Your Royal Highness," Stephanie said with a terrified look on her
face. "The royal prince's wound won't stop bleeding. We need to get him to a
Healing Sage or else…"

The head maid didn't need to finish her sentence.

Judging by Nero's pale face, she knew that her twin brother wouldn't make it if
they just waited in there to be saved by the backup knights.

[I need to save my baby brother.]

Funny, wasn't it?

Nero killed her in her past life. She should have held her grudge longer so she
wouldn't feel this way. But how could she hate a little boy who showered her
nothing but love? He might be a little off. But in this lifetime, he loved her
genuinely.

She knew what she had to do.

Neoma grabbed the dagger attached to Stephanie's hip.

The head maid gave her a questioning look. As a response, she held her hair in one
hand. Then, she used the dagger to cut her hair until it was as short as Nero's.
God, she loved her long hair so much that it hurt to cut it that carelessly.

But she needed to do that for their survival.

"Stephanie, take off Nero's clothes," Neoma ordered the head maid. Then, she took
off her nightgown until she was only in her u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r. "I'll switch with
him."

***

AFTER Neoma wore Nero's clothes, she silently and carefully exited the treasure
room.

When she was sure that no one saw her come out from that chamber, she ran away from
it as fast as she could. To be honest, she didn't know where the exit was even
thought this was her second time to live in Luna Palace.

In her defense, the hallways were unusually dark. Plus, she wasn't really paying
attention to her surroundings because she didn't want to look at the dead bodies
lined up in the corridor. God, the assassins murdered everyone they saw in the
palace!

[How merciless!]

"There you are."

Neoma was forced to stop running when a masked man blocked her way. She tried to
run to the other side but another assassin appeared. Now she was trapped in the
dark hallway where two assailants blocking her possible exits.

Now she had no choice but to fight.

[Hey, Soul Beast! Shouldn't you help me during times like this?!]

But then again, before she left the Soul Beast, it told her that it would go on a
"hibernation" to change from being a dragon into being a unicorn that she
requested. That meant that her stubborn Soul Beast was asleep inside her.

[God, why did I ask it to be a unicorn again?!]

As soon as she asked that to herself, Emperor Nikolai's smiling face entered her
mind.

[Ah, that's why.]

In her past life, she made the emperor smile once.

It happened when her father asked her what she wanted for her last birthday in the
palace. During that time, she was about to leave her residence to be adopted by
Duke Quinzel. She was too shocked when the emperor asked her what she wanted for
the first time. So she blurted out what came to her mind first: a unicorn.

Emperor Nikolai smiled faintly and told her that it was too "childish" for a twelve
year old girl. She was embarrassed so she took it back and said she wanted pretty
clothes and shoes instead. But at that moment, she knew that she already received
the best birthday gift that she could ever ask for.

And that was to see her father smile for her.

Neoma suddenly felt emotional. "God, I'm about to die again," she whispered while
shaking her head. "If only I could see him smile once last time…"
"Kill him," the assassin behind her said. "Kill the royal prince!"

She knew that she couldn't win a fight against two a.d.u.l.ts but she didn't want
to die easily. Despite everything, she still went on a fighting stance and hoped
that her punches would do digits on the assassins.

[Here goes nothing!]

She used her arms to cover her face from the attack that she would receive.

But all of a sudden, the heads of the assassins fell off the ground. Their bodies,
without the heads, still continued to run towards her. But she managed to get away
from them until her back hit the wall behind.

She gulped while watching blood spurt from the headless neck.

[Gross.]

"For a girl, you're smart and brave."

Neoma looked up at the owner of the cold voice.

It was indeed Emperor Nikolai. Based on the bloody sword that he was holding in his
right hand, it was obvious that he was the one who saved her.

[Heh. He saved me?]

"You're not as useless as I thought you'd be," Emperor Nikolai said. With just one
shake of his sword, the blood in the blade magically vanished. Then, he put the
sword back in the sheath attached to his hip. "Neoma de Moonasterio, the first
princess of Moonasterion Empire. From now on, you'll live as Prince Nero's proxy."

[The hell is this psycho saying?]

Neoma, despite her confusion, still smiled at the emperor. "Father, what do you
mean by that?"

"From now on, Nero would be targeted by assassins sent by my enemies," the emperor
explained. "Until he's strong enough to protect himself, you'll pose as your twin
brother."

Her smile froze but she still acted innocent. "But Father. If I take my brother's
position, then wouldn't the assassins mistake me for him and…"

She stopped talking when she realized that was exactly what the emperor wanted her
to do.

[This sc*mbag wants me to be a bait?!]

"You're no longer a princess, Neoma de Moonasterio. From now on, you'll live as
Prince Nero de Moonasterio," Emperor Nikolai said coldly while looking down at her
with glowing red eyes. "Try to survive until your twin brother comes back to take
his rightful place, understood?"

Neoma was too shocked to react.

[Are you f*cking kidding me, you sc*mbag?!]

***
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you! :>

Chapter 8 - EMPEROR'S ORDER

{A FEW minutes after Neoma left the room…}

WHEN Nero woke up when he smelled Neoma's scent. He opened and eyes and realized
that he was being carried by Stephanie who was running as fast as she could. He
looked around and found out that they were already outside the palace. To be
precise, they were in the garden. "Where's Neoma?" he asked in a weak voice.
"Stephanie, where's my sister?"

Stephanie sobbed before she answered his question. "The princess sacrificed herself
to give us time to escape, Your Royal Highness," she said. "Her Royal Highness
posed as you and lured the enemies away."

He gasped in surprise.

That was when he realized that he could clearly smell Neoma because he was now
wearing her nightgown. There were also long strands of Neoma's hair on the dress.
Did his precious sister cut her hair and wore his pajama so the assassins would
mistake her for him?!

He hated to admit this but it was a good plan.

Nero and Neoma looked alike because they were twins, duh. And since they were still
both kids, their bodies weren't fully-developed yet. To simply put, it wouldn't be
impossible for the assassins to mistake Neoma as him if she cut her hair and wore
his clothes.

"Why?" Nero hissed. His body felt heavy for some reason, and the anger in his
c.h.e.s.t was making it harder for him to breathe. "Why did you let Neoma do
that?!"

"Forgive me, Your Royal Highness," Stephanie said between sobs. "It was His
Majesty's order that if the palace was attacked by assassins, our top priority is
to protect you. He also told us that if we were put in a situation where we have to
choose between Her Royal Highness and His Royal Highness, we must choose you."

To say that he was angry to hear that would be an understatement.

[What's wrong with the emperor?!]

"Stop," Nero ordered Stephanie in a cold voice. "I'm going back in the palace to
save Neoma!"

"Forgive me but I can't follow your order, Your Royal Highness," Stephanie said
tearfully. "It's my duty to protect His Majesty's only heir."

He knew talking wouldn't work so he just used the remaining strength that he had.
As soon as he released his Mana, Stephanie literally froze in where she stood. The
pressure from his unleashed power was enough to stop the head maid from moving. Her
arms automatically lost their strength– causing her to accidentally drop him.

Despite his aching muscles, he forced himself to stand up and run back to the
palace.

"Found you, Your Royal Highness."

Nero stopped running when the emperor's personal knight suddenly appeared before
him.

Then, all of a sudden, he was surrounded by royal knights.

Glenn got down on one knee to even their eye level. Then, he gave him a relieved
smile. "Your Royal Highness, allow me to bring you to you to the royal doctor."

"No," he said firmly. "I need to go back to the palace and save Neoma!"

"You're not going back in that palace, Nero de Moonasterio."

He froze at the coldness of the voice coming from behind. He didn't need to turn
around to know that it was Emperor Nikolai.

"Glenn, take the prince to the royal doctor," Emperor Nikolai said. "We're
leaving."

"Don't touch me," Nero hissed at Glenn who stood up and tried to walk towards him.
Then, he turned around to face the emperor. He could feel the wound in his
c.h.e.s.t opening up again, the blood sticking to Neoma's nightgown. If he'd be
honest, he'd say that he was about to pass out anytime. But his sheer willpower and
d.e.s.i.r.e to save his precious sister kept him standing. "Your Majesty, I'll only
come with you if you bring Neoma with me to the royal doctor."

"I already sent some of the royal knights inside the palace," the emperor said. "If
it isn't too late yet, then the princess would be saved."

"Neoma is still alive. I can feel it," he said firmly. "And I don't want the
knights to save her. Do it yourself, Your Majesty."

The emperor looked surprised by his request.

To be honest, he wanted to save Neoma himself. But at his current state, he knew
that he couldn't do it.

He didn't want to admit this but he noticed that Neoma was attached to the emperor.
In that situation, he didn't have to guess what his precious sister was feeling
right now. She was definitely scared.

Neoma would be relieved and happy if it was Emperor Nikolai who would save her
instead of him or the royal knights.

"I'll save the royal princess," Emperor Nikolai said. "But in return, you'll follow
my orders from now on."
Nero didn't like that but at that situation, he didn't really have the luxury to
act high and mighty. "Let's talk after you saved my precious sister, Your Majesty."

***

NIKOLAI found the assassins ahead of the royal knights he sent to the palace in
advance.

No matter how the assassins conceal their presence, they couldn't hide it
completely from him. And most of all, he could sense Neoma's presence.

[I have to admit that it's impressive for a princess to awaken her Soul Beast.]

He was supposed to let the assassins live for interrogation. But since they were
about to Kill the princess, he decided to kill them instead. There were other ways
to investigate the case and trace whoever sent the assassins to kill the prince.

To be honest, he was expecting Neoma to freak out after the gory way he killed the
assassins. She looked horrified at first, but calmed down right away.

[Impressive.]

"For a girl, you're smart and brave," Nikolai told her.

Neoma, who only noticed him when he spoke, looked up at him.

He was quite taken a back.

Neoma and Nero were twins so naturally, they looked alike.

But now that Neoma cut her hair short and wore Nero's clothes, it was hard to tell
that she was a girl. It wasn't just her appearance though. The amount of Mana that
she possessed was the amount that one would expect from the crown prince.

[No wonder the assassins were deceived.]

"You're not as useless as I thought you'd be," Nikolai told the princess. Then, he
shook of the blood in his sword with magic. Once the blade was clean again, he put
the sword back in the sheath attached to his hip. "Neoma de Moonasterio, the first
princess of Moonasterion Empire. From now on, you'll live as Prince Nero's proxy."

Seeing how Neoma could perfectly pose as the prince made him come up with the best
way to protect his heir until he was strong enough to protect himself.

This wouldn't be the last time that enemies would attempt to kill his heir. He
could hide Nero if Neoma would stay in the palace to pretend as the prince. Only a
few people knew about that the prince had a twin sister. Some of his enemies
probably knew that as well. But all he had to do was kill them to keep the
princess's identity.

As long as his future enemies targeted Neoma instead, Nero could safely hide and
come out only when it was time to declare him as the official crown prince.

[The prince's life is more important than the princess's.]

Neoma, after gaining back her composure, smiled at him. "Father, what do you mean
by that?"
["Father?"]

It seemed like Neoma was still a bit shocked because she wasn't acting cute right
now. Despite her effort to behave as lively as before, he could tell that she
wasn't in a good mood because of her sudden politeness.

"From now on, Nero would be targeted by assassins sent by my enemies," Nikolai
explained. "Until he's strong enough to protect himself, you'll pose as your twin
brother."

Neoma continued to smile at him despite the obvious confusion in her eyes. "But
Father. If I take my brother's position, then wouldn't the assassins mistake me for
him and…"

Tvu nzarhull lomnnut oficare.

Obviously, she already realized what he wanted her to do.

[Ah, she's indeed smart for her age.]

"You're no longer a princess, Neoma de Moonasterio. From now on, you'll live as
Prince Nero de Moonasterio," Nikolai declared, making his red eyes glow to
intimidate her. "Try to survive until your twin brother comes back to take his
rightful place, understood?"

Expectedly, Neoma looked shocked by his declaration.

But surprisingly, she didn't look intimidated at all.

Nikolai already noticed this before but Neoma had never looked at him with fear.
Sometimes, she would even look at him as if she was an a.d.u.l.t. To be honest, her
gaze often times made him feel uncomfortable.

"Papa, I'll follow your order because I trust you," Neoma said with a smile. It
seemed like she had already calmed down completely because she called him "Papa"
again instead of "Father." "But in return, will Papa try to love me if I become a
good daughter?"

Earlier it was Nero who demanded him to save his twin sister. Now it was Neoma who
was demanding him of something that would be hard for him to give.

But despite the eerie feeling that the princess gave off, she was still a child,
wasn't she? Making her believe that she would get what she wanted would make it
easier for him to control her. And if he successfully controlled Neoma, then Nero
would listen to him as well.

[Neoma has Nero wrapped around her little finger. But it's obvious that the
princess wants my affection. If I use that to my advantage, then I'd be able to
control Nero by using Neoma.]

"If you follow me like an obedient daughter that you should be, I will shower you
with all the luxurious things I could offer you," Nikolai compromised.

"That's so vague, Papa," the princess complained with a pout. "How about you give
three wishes instead?"
"Alright," he gave in. He was confident that he could give anything that a five
year old little girl would ask for. "As long as it is in within my power, I will
grant you three wishes."

Neoma gave him a polite curtsy. "Thank you, Papa."

***

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***

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Chapter 9 - PRINCE NERO'S THREAT

NEOMA ran towards Nero as soon as she saw him. She ran past Emperor Nikolai– who
was walking in front of her– to get to her twin brother.

Nero was lying on the ground while being engulfed in a strange golden light. He was
also surrounded by several royal knights. The old man dressed in a white cloak with
a wooden cane must be the royal doctor, aka the best Healing Sage in the whole
empire.

"Nero!"

Nero tried to get up when he heard her voice. But the Healing Sage immediately got
down on one knee to stop him and make him lie on the ground again.

"Your Royal Highness, you cannot move yet," the Healing Sage said. Then, the old
man glared at her. "Princess, please do not disturb the royal prince."

"Don't talk to my sister that way," Nero warned the old man.

The Healing Sage looked confused when he turned to the prince. "But Your Royal
Highness–"

"Let the royal princess stay with the royal prince," Emperor Nikolai ordered.
"Bring the royal twins to my palace."

Neoma was kind of shocked by the emperor's order but she ignored him for now.

She kneeled beside Nero. When her twin brother looked up at her, he looked shocked.
He obviously didn't like that she cut her long hair as short as his.

"Neoma," Nero said sadly. Then, he touched the strands of her now short hair with a
pained look on his face. "You did this to protect me even though you loved your
long hair so much…"
It was true.

She liked how pretty her long hair was. It pained her when she cut her hair but now
that she had confirmed that Nero was safe, it didn't matter anymore. Her small
sacrifice to protect her twin brother was worth it.

"It's okay, Brother," Neoma said with a smile. Then, she held his hand and placed
it on her cheek. "I love Bother more than I loved my long hair."

She wished she was just saying to suck up to her twin brother but sadly, she had
gotten attached to him for real.

[Gosh, I'm such a softie.]

***

NEOMA immcut fo vuz zudiuhoamr ar ovu qazzmz imre frt vfzt.

Right now, she was in a guest room in Yule Palace– the emperor's residence. Yes,
the palace was named after the Moon God that their citizens worshipped.

As expected, even though it was only a guest room, the chamber was luxurious. The
huge paintings had golden frames, and so were the windowsills. The antique vases
and the other decorations also looked expensive. The room had also its own bathroom
and toilet.

But the "star" was the huge bed, of course. It had four posts and a sheer dr.a.p.e.
The mattress was super soft and the bed sheets were elegant and comfortable.

She wasn't in the mood to appreciate the luxury though.

[I really cut my hair, huh?]

To be honest, she was kind of surprised at how similar she looked with Nero. Even
though she was wearing a nightgown, it would be easier for anyone to mistake her
for her twin brother.

[Nero is super pretty for a boy.]

And yes, the prince looked feminine as well. But they were still kids so it would
be safer to say that Nero looked androgynous for now.

[In my past life, a.d.u.l.t Nero still looks pretty but no one would mistake him
for a girl.]

Bpo qfwgu lvu lvmpit lomn ovarcare fgmpo vuz dazlo iadu.

[This is so different from what happened in the past.]

Posing as Nero would definitely be dangerous.

That meant assassins would come after her throat thinking that she was the crown
prince. Of course, Emperor Nikolai would try to protect her until Nero was powerful
enough to protect herself. But knowing her father, he probably wouldn't exert much
effort to keep her safe.
To the sc*mbag, she was just a pawn that he needed to buy Nero some time.

[But I'm sure that my father would need me as proxy for a long time.]

Nero was still in the "infirmary" in the palace.

When she told the Healing Sage that she saw the assassin's blade turn into dust and
entered Nero's mouth, the old man was shocked. Apparently, it was a dangerous spell
that would kill anyone from the inside in the most painful way possible. To be
precise, it was a spell that would make a person's insides rot slowly but surely.

Worse, the spell also served as a seal to one's Mana. That meant as long as the
spell was inside Nero's body, he wouldn't be able to unleash his full power. Not
even his Soul Beast.

[Poor baby brother.]

Wvur lvu vufzt ovfo, vuz zulmisu om ofcu val nifhu dmz ovu qufroaqu lozureovurut.

"Take all the time you need to heal, Brother," Neoma said under her breath. "I'll
try to survive until you come back."

[Now, let's think about the three wishes I'll ask from His Majesty.]

***

"NO," NERO told Emperor Nikolai defiantly after he heard his plan for him. Right
now, he was in the Yule Palace. But the room he was in was similar to a hospital
room. It might be the private infirmary wing in the emperor's residence. "I will
not leave Neoma alone in this palace. I won't even let her pretend as me! Are you
insane?"

Glenn, who was standing behind Emperor Nikolai (who was seated on the accent chair
beside his bed), looked shocked at the way he talked to the emperor. The knight
seemed like he was about to scold him but Emperor Nikolai raised a hand to stop
him.

"You heard what Marcus said, Nero de Moonasterio," Emperor Nikolai said. 'Marcus'
was the Healing Sage who looked after him. "The spell that was used on you was an
ancient one. It's dangerous enough that not even Marcus could heal you. The only
person who could save you is the saint. But the saint isn't allowed to leave the
Astello Temple, so you're the one who should come to him instead." He raised an
eyebrow at him. "If you die now, you'd abandon Neoma de Moonasterio as well. Do you
want that to happen?"

Of course not.

But still…

"Can I not bring Neoma with me?" he asked desperately. "If it's His Holiness's
temple, then wouldn't it be safe for us? The Holy Knights protect the church after
all."

"Don't be ridiculous," the emperor scolded him. "The saint wouldn't allow just
anyone to step foot on his temple without a valid reason. Even if we are the royal
family that rules the entire Moonasterion Empire, we don't have much power over the
church. We even need permission from the saint before we enter Valmento."

Valmento was the proper name for "Holy Land"– the small country where the saint
lived.

Although Valmento was within the territory of Moonasterion Empire, it still

functioned as a separate country. According to his History teacher, the royal
family couldn't touch the saint or the church because the saint had the citizens to
back them up.

Most of all, the saint was believed to have the ability to talk to the gods.
Angering the saint was said to be equal to gaining the wrath of heavens.

"Does Neoma really need to pretend as me?" Nero asked bitterly. "You don't care
about my twin sister. I'm certain that you'd only do the b.a.r.e minimum to protect
her."

"That's not true," Emperor Nikolai denied. "Once Neoma takes your place, I'll treat
her like how I'll treat my heir. I'll give her the best protection that I could
give her. If I don't do that, then the enemies would realize that she's just
someone pretending to be you."

"Will that really work?" he asked dubiously. "There had been spies in the Luna
Palace. That means there are people outside the palace who know that I have a twin
sister."

"I'll deal with them," his father said confidently. "The servants in Luna Palace,
save for Alphen and Stephanie, had already been taken care of."

That meant the poor servants were killed except for the head butler and head maid.

[Neoma shouldn't know about this.]

"The general public doesn't know that you have a twin sister," the emperor said.
"When you were born, only the birth of the prince was announced to the public. Even
within the palace, there's only a few that knows about Neoma's existence. We can
pull this off."

To be honest, he hated to agree with his father.

But right now, he didn't have the power to protect Neoma. How could he do that when
he was slowly rotting inside? He had to be healed quickly if he wanted to return by
his precious sister's side right away.

"I'll go to the temple," he said firmly. "Make sure that you'll protect my twin
sister properly or else…"

"Or else what?" the emperor asked with a smirk. "You're going to kill me?"

"No," Nero said seriously. "If Neoma dies before I return, then I'll kill myself to
follow her wherever she would have gone to after her death."

Emperor Nikolai looked shocked by his threat. But in the end, he smirked as if he
was amused by what he said. "I can't let my heir kill himself, can I?"

***

NEOMA blinked several times to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

But no matter how many times she blinked, the boy straddling her h.i.p.s didn't
disappear.
[Who the hell is this dude?]

The "dude" in question was a handsome young boy who was probably aged eight or
older. He had silver, slightly gray-ish hair and golden eyes. His skin was as pale
as a canvas.

He looked too pretty but still, she couldn't trust anyone in that palace.

So she did what a girl ought to do when she woke up in bed being straddled by a
stranger: she sucker punched him in the gut.

The young boy flew and hit his back against the wall.

And damn, the part of the wall that caught the impact got wrecked. Was his body
made of steel or something?

Neoma's eyes widened in shock. "Who the hell are you, little boy?"

"Girl," the weird, handsome boy said in a monotone tone. Then, he pointed a long
and slender finger at her. "Princess, not prince."

***

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Chapter 10 - AM I A THERAPIST?

"PRINCESS," the strange boy told her while pointer a finger at her. "Not prince."

Neoma's forehead knotted in confusion. The boy looked older than her current body.
But what was with the strange speech pattern and action. "Who are you?"

"Lewis," the boy said, then he pointed a finger at himself. "Prince's butler. Me."

[Butler?]

"Your Royal Highness," said the manly voice from outside her room. If she was
right, it was Glenn– Emperor Nikolai's personal knight. It was natural for the
knight to be there because right now, she was at the Yule Palace. "My deepest
apologies but I believe a stray child entered your room without permission. May I
come in?"

"Yes," she said. "Come and pick up this strange boy, Sir Glenn."

The huge door opened and Glenn, in his chic black and gold military uniform,
entered her chamber with a fl.u.s.tered look on his face. As soon as he saw Lewis,
his face turned red as if he was embarrassed that he failed to look after the
child.

"I apologize, Your Royal Highness," Glenn said while holding Lewis by the collar.
Then, he put his hand on top of the child's head. When the knight bowed to her, he
also forced Lewis to bow. "We will accept any punishment that you deem appropriate
for this incident."

"Help me decide what punishment is appropriate, Sir Glenn," she said while standing
on the bed with her arms crossed over her c.h.e.s.t. "I woke up with that boy
straddling me."

Just for the record, she wasn't power tripping.

Yes, she was a brat. But her anger right now was justifiable. Even though the boy
was still young, it was still wrong for him to enter a girl's room and straddle her
while she was asleep!

Glenn gasped as if he was shocked by what he heard. Then, he momentarily turned to

Lewis with a glare before he raised his head. Then, much to her surprise, he
kneeled down with his head hanged low. "Your Royal Highness, I know that Lewis
deserves a death punishment for what he had done. But I'm begging for your mercy.
The child might act strange but I assure you, he didn't mean any harm. Please
forgive him, Your Royal Highness. If it will appease you, you can punish me heavily
since it's also my fault for taking my eyes off him."

"I will not give the boy a death punishment," she said. "But tell me why you're
willing to sacrifice yourself for him. Who is he, Sir Glenn?"

"Lewis is the last surviving member of the Silver Fox Clan," the knight said. "His
Majesty chose Lewis to be your personal butler once the plan commences."

The "plan" he was talking about was the one where she would pose as Nero.

But that wasn't what caught her attention.

[Lewis of the Silver Fox Clan? Sounds familiar. Have I met him in my past life?]

"Lewis was chosen because he's the strongest child closest to your age, Your Royal
Highness," Glenn continued explaining. "He is supposed to be His Royal Highness
Prince Nero's butler but due to our plan, Lewis will now be serving you, Your Royal
Highness."

Tvfo jfl jvur lvu darfiiw zufiaxut jvm Lujal jfl.

[Lewis… Lu!]

'Lu' was Nero's pet name for his butler in their past life. Eventually, 'Lu' would
become a knight. Naturally, he would serve Nero as his personal knight.

[Lewis was definitely that 'Lu!']

She gulped when she remembered what kind of person was 'Lu' in her first life.

[He was just as crazy and as violent as Nero in the past!]

And now that she was taking Nero's place, it also meant that all the people that
were supposed to serve him would serve her instead.

[Nero is leaving soon but I guess I'll be stuck with another psycho, huh?]
"Lewis grew up in isolation so please excuse his lack of manners," Glenn continued
with his pleas. "I swear this is the last time that this would happen."

"I'll let it slide this time," she said. "I'll trust you on your promise, Sir
Glenn."

Now that she knew that Lewis was "Butler Lu" in her past life, she already
understood why he acted the way he did.

[As far as I remember, Lewis was stolen from the Silver Fox Clan and was sold as a
slave. His "owners" didn't treat him like a human. Those bastards literally treated
Lewis like a pet! They made him live in a cage with their dogs.]

That was the reason why Lewis didn't have basic human setting.

When Emperor Nikolai invaded the land where Lewis' owners lived, the child was
rescued from his horrible living conditions. The emperor took interest in Lewis
because of his powerful Mana and so, he brought the kid to the Royal Capital.

[Lewis might be a psycho in the past, but right now, he's just a poor little boy.]

The knight raised his head and gave her a grateful smile. "My utmost gratitude for
your generosity, Your Royal Highness."

"No problem," she said. Then, she turned to Lewis who was just standing there,
spaced out. "Hello, Lewis."

Glenn turned to Lewis. "Lewis, introduce yourself to Her Royal Highness properly."

Lewis looked at her with a blank look on his face. Then, he pointed a finger at
himself. "Lewis. Me."

That was definitely not a proper greeting. But considering the life he lived before
getting here, he already did a good job. If she remembered it right, Lewis was
rescued only a year ago. Learning to talk in that span of time was already an
accomplishment.

Svu lvmpit gu cart om ovu nmmz gmw…

… and make sure Lewis wouldn't also end up as a psycho in this lifetime.

[Gosh, is being a therapist for these boys the reason why I came back here?]

"Hello, Lewis. I'm Neoma de Moonasterio," Neoma greeted the boy with her "signature
sweet smile" that captivated Nero. "Let's be friends, okay?"

***

NEOMA wasn't happy after the maids of Yule Palace dressed her up like a boy.

The matching dress shirt and dress shorts she wore were obviously expensive, and so
were the pair of shoes she had right now. But she wasn't really happy now that she
looked like Nero's carbon copy.

[I'm not cute!]

Well, not really.

Nero was very cute, of course.

What she meant was her outfit. As a girl, she enjoyed the dresses she used to wear.
They weren't as expensive or luxurious as what a princess should be wearing. But
still, as a girly girl, she loved her dresses.

She may act like a tomboy now but deep inside, she loved dressing up in girlish
clothes.

[Well, actually, I was a very meek lady in my past life. No wonder I was fooled
several times. Being reborn in a loving family in my second life helped me gain
confidence. So now, I ended up with this attitude.]

And she didn't regret that.

"Your Royal Highness, it's time," Stephanie told her. "His Majesty wishes to see
you."

Ah, right.

While she was at the Yule Palace, aside from Glenn, only Stephanie and Alphen came
to serve her.

[Understandable.]

After all, her acting as Nero's proxy was a royal secret.

"Let's go," Neoma said. "I can't wait to see Papa."

[Art ouii vaq qw ovzuu nzuhampl jalvul.]

***

NEOMA was surprised when she was brought to a parlor instead of Emperor Nikolai's
office or throne room. She was asked to wait inside alone. But Glenn, Alphen, and
Stephanie were all waiting outside.

[What am I supposed to expect here?]

Her brain hurt from thinking too much so she forgot about that for a while.

She just sat on the sofa and enjoyed the snacks prepared for her. Also, the tea
served for her had honey in it to probably suit the taste of a "child." But even
without sugar or honey, she could still drink tea.

[I'm an elegant a.d.u.l.t inside, you know?]

"Neoma?"

Neoma was surprised when the door opened when she was just about to take a bite of
her macaroon. But since she heard Nero's voice, she knew that her twin brother was
coming. She turned to him with a smile. "Brother…"

Her smiled faded and she dropped the macaroon at what greeted her.

"N-Neoma?" Nero asked nervously. "Do I look weird?"

She was too shocked to react.

Nero had a wig on– a platinum white wig that was as long as her previous hair. And
most of all, he was wearing a very pretty pink dress.

She felt like she was looking at herself in the mirror.

[Wow, we really switched places, huh?]

"Brother," Neoma said with a smile when she regained her composure. Then, she got
down from the sofa and walked towards him. "You look very pretty!"

Nero smiled as if he was relieved of what she said. When she stood in front of him,
he cupped her face in his hands. "You still look pretty even if you're dressed as a
boy, Neoma."

"Thank you, Brother," she said between giggles. "I look pretty because I look like
you!"

He smiled and gently pinched her cheeks. "Neoma, don't forget me while I'm away.
Eat all the food you want and stay healthy. If someone or something bothers you,
just send me a letter."

Her forehead knotted in confusion. "Brother, why are you talking like you're saying
goodbye to me?"

"I am saying goodbye to you, my precious sister," Nero said with a sad smile.
"Today is the day I'm going to the saint's temple."

Neoma gasped, her c.h.e.s.t unexpectedly tightening in pain. Unconsciously, she

grabbed Nero's hands and held them tight. The next thing she knew, she was already
speaking in a desperate voice. "Please don't leave me, Brother."

Wait, did she just beg her psycho twin brother to not leave her?!

***

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Chapter 11 - MY THREE AWESOME WISHES