Royal Secret: I'm A Princess!

Mona couldn't believe that she was walking down the aisle, on a red carpet, with Nikolai as they headed towards the altar.

Dion Skelton was already standing behind the altar.

And, standing behind the High Priest, were Neoma, Nero, and Hanna.

Now that made her realize she wasn't dreaming.

[Nikolai and I are really getting married…]

Mona unconsciously held onto the bouquet of pink roses in her hand a little tighter. It was uncommon for the women in the empire to carry a clutch of flowers during their wedding ceremony. But in Korea and most parts of the other world, it was common for brides to do so.

She could see the curiosity and the envy in the eyes of the female guests who were staring at the bouquet in her hands.

[I guess carrying a flower is going to be a trend now after my wedding.]

Mona didn't expect to have that kind of influence since she never expected to be married.

Her daughter once asked her about her dream wedding.

She wasn't able to give Neoma a precise answer because she had long given up on her dream of becoming Nikolai's legal wife. Aside from that, she never really wanted to become the empress. She knew it was selfish on her part.

[I want to be with Nikolai, but I didn't want the empress seat.]

In her defense, she knew that that she could help Nikolai and the empire more if she had the freedom that the empress couldn't possibly have. That was her main reason for refusing the responsibility that came with being Nikolai's legal wife. 

And, to be honest, she didn't really think marriage was important. It was enough for her to be with the person that she loved.

But because of her selfishness, her children were born out of wedlock.

And, ironically, those poor children were the ones who made this wedding possible.

[I know Neoma and Nero have different goals, though.]

Her daughter definitely just wanted her and Nikolai to finally be married. On the other hand, her son probably only wanted this wedding to happen for his coronation to be perfect.

Even so, Mona was grateful.

"As the child of Lord Yule, the Moon God himself, I stand before Your Imperial Majesty and Lady Roseheart as a witness to this holy matrimony," Dion Skelton said in a calm and clear voice. "With the power bestowed upon me as the Astello Temple's High Priest, I now pronounce Your Imperial Majesties as husband and wife."

Mona and Nikolai didn't prepare their vows, so the ceremony ended after Dion Skelton's pronouncement.

But they didn't need to exchange vows.

[We already whisper our love to each other every day.]

Hence, Mona was surprised when Nikolai opened his mouth.

"My lovely bride, I know heaven exists but I also know I wouldn't end up there after I died. However, the moment I saw you in that lovely wedding dress, I thought I had died and went straight to heaven."

Pfft.

Mona could already hear Neoma say 'cringey!' in her head.

Although she found Nikolai's words a little cheesy, she couldn't stop smiling. Moreover, her vision started to get blurry– her eyes brimming with tears.

"But I realized it was a foolish thought," Nikolai continued, his voice soft and so was his expression. "I can't die yet– not when I have you as a wife."

Okay, she had to take deep breaths to stop herself from sobbing.

[Neoma worked hard when doing my makeup. Although she said the products she used were all water-proof, I don't want to be a sobbing mess on this very special day.]

"Mona Roseheart de Moonasterio, I love you."

Ah, it was no use.

'Mona Roseheart de Moonasterio.'

She became a sobbing mess after Nikolai called her by her new name.

"Mona, you're the first and the last woman I will love in this lifetime, and the next," Nikolai said softly while putting the wedding ring on her left finger. "I will love you and our children forever."

Ah, she was glad to hear that.

[It must have not been easy for Nikolai to love our children this much, but look how far he has come.]

"Nikolai, you're the only one for me. You and our children make my life complete," Mona said between sobs while putting a ring on Nikolai's finger. "Let's love each other and live a happy life together– always and forever."

Mona and Nikolai sealed their love and promised with their first kiss as a married couple.

***

NEOMA clapped her hands after Mama Boss and Papa Boss sealed their heartfelt (and cringey) wedding vows with a kiss.

Of course, it was embarrassing to see your parents kiss in front of you.

But it wasn't the reason why she was distracted.

She tried to not make it obvious, but she was pretty sure her people had already realized that she was distracted.

Lewis was even boring a hole in her (beautiful) face.

Haaah.

"Lewis."

"Yes, Princess Neoma?"

"Bring that person to the pavilion by the pond," Neoma whispered, then she looked over her shoulder to turn to Lewis who was already standing behind her. "You know who I'm talking about, don't you?"

Lewis glanced at Miss Sola quickly before turning to her. "Yes, Princess Neoma."

***

"IF YOU'RE going to kill that person, make sure there will be no witness."

Neoma just rolled her eyes at Nero's "advice." "I'll be quick," she said, gently patting her twin brother's shoulder. "Guard the fort for me."

She wanted to congratulate her parents, but that could wait for later.

Nero scoffed at her words. "That goes without saying."

Aigoo.

Thanks to Nero and Hanna (who subtly nodded at her when she looked at her), who acted as her shield, she was able to slip away from the crowd unnoticed.

Well, except for her "children," of course.

They, including Trevor, followed her when she went out of the Glass House. Hence, she felt the need to explain.

"Miss Sola isn't an enemy, but she's also someone who's not supposed to be here," Neoma explained while walking ahead of everyone. "I don't even know how she sneaked in undetected when the palace is brimming with strong people."

"That only means she's stronger than most people here~" Trevor said. "But if she was supposed to be an ordinary person, then it could only mean one thing. Children, what do you think is happening here?"

Gosh.

[Why is he giving my "children" a surprise quiz?]

Surprisingly, her "children" gave an answer at the same time.

"She's being possessed."

That was the unanimous response of her "children."

Then complaints directed at Trevor followed.

"Don't call us 'children.'"

It was Paige's strict voice.

"Only Princess Neoma could call us that."

It was Jeno.

"And stop acting as if we're close if you don't want to get stabbed in the back in a dark alley."

Yep, that was Xion.

"Moreover, you should be standing five feet away from our princess or else I'll introduce you to my sledgehammer."

Only Juri could threaten a demon with her reliable weapon.

"Trevor hyung, we don't need a 'father.'"

Of course, innocent Greko could never say or do anything wrong.

Pfft.

"Why are you bullying me?" Trevor complained lightheartedly. "And your "mother" is single. You can't stop me from pursuing her~"

Neoma just shook her head.

She didn't have time to join "bullying" Trevor because she soon arrived in the pavilion where Lewis and her guest were already waiting.

"Children, stay here and make sure no one will see or hear anything."

Neoma headed straight to the pavilion after that, with only Trevor following her now.

She didn't need to tell the demon boy to follow her since as her Contractor, he was legally obliged to follow her especially when she was meeting new people/potential clients.

[Because we're pretty sure Miss Sola is being possessed by someone… or something.]

Lewis bowed towards Neoma when she arrived in the pavilion.

"Good job, Lewis," Neoma said, then she faced Miss Sola who was standing in front of her with a smile on her face. "We met again, Miss Sola."

She met her favorite erotic novel writer while she was living as Neoma 'Ramsay.'

Of course, it was possible that the writer recognized her despite her disguise back then. Even so, it was unlikely for Miss Sola to come to the royal engagement/wedding ceremony uninvited.

"It's been a while, Miss Ramsay."

As expected.

[This isn't the Miss Sola I know even though she called me by the name I used back then. The vibe is just different, you know?]

But she decided to play along for now.

"We had a brief yet interesting conversation before," Neoma said lightly. "Do you happen to remember what it is?"

Miss Sola smiled. "I brought my new unpublished novel for you."

As expected, this wasn't really the Miss Sola that she knew.

[We talked about Miss Sola's ability that allowed her to see that this wasn't my first life, but this Miss Sola right here quickly changed the subject.]

"Are you still writing erotic novels, Miss Sola?" Neoma asked, smiling. "I haven't heard from you in a while."

"I still write erotic novels," Miss Sola said, pulling out a book from her handbag. "But the main genre this time is different."

Neoma accepted the book handed to her, then her jaw dropped.

In the empire, illustrations as book covers weren't popular yet.

However, the book in her hands had an illustration…

… of two men hugging each other in a 'sus' way.

[No way…]

Neoma gasped softly. "BL?"

Miss Sola just smiled in response. "Read it tonight, Miss Ramsay. I'm sure you'll like it."

Neoma raised an eyebrow. "Are you already leaving?"

"I only came here to deliver my new book to my number one fan before it hits the bookstores."

[It seems like their time is up.]

"Miss Sola is my favorite erotic novel writer– no, my favorite writer ever," Neoma said in a light yet threatening voice. "If something bad happens to her, I might lose my mind. I'm sure you know that the scariest thing in this world after Absolute Darkness is a powerful de Moonasterio losing their mind, don't you?"

Miss Sola, or whoever it was possessing her, laughed softly. "I'll keep that in mind, Princess Neoma."

Ah, her aura changed.

Neoma didn't want to admit this, but she was rendered speechless and MOTIONLESS.

She didn't even know how long she stayed in that pathetic state until she heard Trevor speak.

"She's gone, my Moon Princess," Trevor said in a serious tone. "Is it alright to let her go?"

"They don't seem hostile," Neoma said, using a gender-neutral pronoun since she was talking about the being who possessed her favorite writer. "Plus, I lost the battle of nerves just now."

"Huh?"

"I was humbled real quick," Neoma admitted even though her pride was wounded. "The divine being who possessed Miss Sola could kill me if they wanted to."

That was why she unconsciously kept her arrogance in check.

"If that divine being is strong enough to make you say that, then it only means one thing," Trevor said, frowning. "It was a major god."

"There's only a few major gods currently active in the Upper World at the moment."

"Trevor, do you know what the name 'Sola' means in the ancient language?"

"Sun…" Trevor trailed off, then he got a serious look on his face. "Sun."

"That must be the reason why Miss Sola was possessed," Neoma said, smiling. "The Sun Goddess has finally reached out to me."

***

NEOMA had a feeling that the book that the ~allegedly~ Sun Goddess had left in her care was meant only for her eyes.

Hence, she asked Lewis and Trevor to wait for her at the pavilion's entrance.

She, on the other hand, sat on the railing.

[Lezzgo.]

Neoma then opened the book…

… only to be surprised at the characters that greeted her.

"Hangul?" Neoma whispered to herself in disbelief. "This book is written in Korean?"

And it was definitely not a BL novel.

She immediately turned to Lewis and Trevor.

Just one look and the two immediately headed towards her without her needing to say anything.

Neoma then showed a page of the book. "Can you read this? What language is used here?"

"I see the standard language used in the empire~" Trevor, who could understand Hangul, said that the language used in the book was the one used in the empire. "Oh~ It's BL~ And it's pretty spicy, huh?"

Ah, Trevor and his slang.

"I see the same, Princess Neoma," Lewis said, then he tilted his head to one side. "Do you see something else?"

"That's right," Neoma said, frowning. "Gosh, how could the Sun Goddess do this to me when I want to read BL?!"

***

"LORD RUBIN, you haven't forgotten about our deal," Hanna whispered while leaning against the railing of the terrace. "Have you?"

After Emperor Nikolai and Empress Mona's wedding ceremony, the guests were ushered back to the grand hall for the banquet.

She slipped away from the crowd to corner Rubin Drayton.

Hence, the two of them ended up talking on the terrace away from people's scrutinizing eyes. Of course, she was also using her Shadow Veil at the moment.

[Nero must be looking for me, so I should be quick.]

"I haven't forgotten about our deal, Princess Hanna," Rubin Drayton said. "The role of the Shadow Pillar, the one that I remember from my past life, is to stop Princess Neoma from going crazy. To be precise, you're the one in charge of stopping Princess Neoma's Lunacy."

Hanna knitted her eyebrows. "Is there a cure to the de Moonasterios' Lunacy?"

"Only the Shadow Pillar could "absorb" the light that turns Princess Neoma insane," the young lord explained hesitantly. "There was a time that Princess Neoma's Lunacy went out of control. It was the Pirate Princess, the one who could use Shadows, who stopped her from completely turning crazy."

The explanation was too vague.

All she understood was the fact that her Shadow could stop Neoma from going insane.

"How?" Hanna asked, a little confused. "In what way could I use my Shadow to stop Neoma from getting swallowed by her Lunacy?"

"A Black Hole," the young lord said in a whisper. "The 'Pirate Princess' in my past life absorbed all the light that Princess Neoma possessed by locking her up in a Black Hole. However…"

That made her nervous, but she didn't show it.

[I was the Pirate Princess in Lord Rubin's story, right?]

"The Black Hole stopped Princess Neoma's Lunacy," Rubin said, gulping. "But it took away the Pirate Princess' life."

Ah.

Hanna was a little stunned.

[So, I have to sacrifice my life in order to stop Neoma from getting completely insane?]

***

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