91: DISAPPOINTED BUT NOT SURPRISED

DISAPPOINTED BUT NOT SURPRISED

[8 YEARS AGO]

"Your Majesty!"

Nikolai abruptly got up when he saw Glenn's face as soon as he opened his eyes. When he looked around, he realized that he was back in his room. "What happened?" he asked, confused. The last thing he remembered was him chasing Mona and Commander Gavin Quinzel to a strange place that was blurry in his mind. "Where are the traitors?"

"They're gone, Your Majesty," Glenn reported to him, his head hanged low. "When we arrived at the old mansion of the Rosehearts, we found you unconscious on the ground."

He was surprised to hear that from the knight because he didn't remember that he went to the Roseheart estate. But to be honest, he couldn't trust his memories right now. His head was aching and it felt like his skull would break into two.

"Lady Roseheart and the commander were lying beside you. But when we approached you, Lady Roseheart and Commander Quinzel suddenly turned into ashes."

He felt gutted.

That meant Mona and Commander Gavin Quinzel died because they failed to complete the spell that they tried to perform. And he was the reason why the two failed.

I killed them.

But to be honest, he couldn't really remember what happened back then.

His thoughts were cut-off when he heard a baby's cry. Much to his shock, he found a baby beside him.

"It's the royal princess, Your Majesty," Glenn informed him politely. "We found Her Royal Highness between Lady Roseheart and Commander Quinzel before they turned into ashes."

He clutched the sheets in his hands as anger rose in his chest.

It was true that he hunted down Mona and the commander to retrieve the royal princess. But now that the lowly woman was gone, he could no longer see the value of his children. The royal prince could be his heir. But he had no use for the royal princess.

"Throw the children to the Luna Palace," Nikolai said coldly. "I don't want to see them again."

***

"PAPA BOSS, are you still with me?"

Nikolai blinked several times, pushing the unwanted memories that resurfaced in his head to the deepest corner of his heart.

How could he remember something so awful in that moment?

"Are you already sleepy, Papa Boss?" Neoma asked, then she sipped her overly sweetened tea before she continued speaking. "Is it past your bedtime now?"

Nikolai rolled his eyes at her. "Since you've overstayed your welcome, I'll give you another job."

"I knew you wouldn't give me a present without asking for something in return," she said while shaking her tiny head. "I'm disappointed, but not surprised, Papa Boss."

"Why do you always have a retort to everything I say?"

"That's a part of my charm, Papa Boss," she said with a huff. "Anyway, I don't do extra work without pay."

"I'll let you get whatever you want later if you succeed."

"You mean WHEN I succeed?"

He smirked at her but his expression was still a little weird. It was as if he didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed by her rudeness. "Don't talk to me that way in front of other people at the banquet later."

"Of course, I won't," she assured him. "I will transform into a perfect prince at the banquet, Papa Boss."

He seemed satisfied with that assurance. "Since you're smart and arrogant, is it safe to assume that you know the Hazelden Kingdom?"

Gosh, does he really have to add the "arrogant" part?

"Hazelden is known for three things," she began with an urge to show-off after getting called "arrogant." Well, it was true. But she didn't want to hear that from her father who was far more arrogant than she was. "First, their kingdom is very famous for their specialized weapons called Favor. Each Favor is embedded with a special spirit stone called Lender. These Lender stones are infused with Mana, and when attached to an ordinary weapon, the wielder becomes capable of using Mana that the Lender stone, well, lends them." She groaned as complaint. "Gosh, whoever named the specialized weapons and the spirit stones of Hazelden definitely lacks creativity."

"The name isn't important," her father said. "The fact that they can produce spirit stones that can lend power to tools and non-Mana users is valuable."

She nodded in agreement. "True that."

After all, not every person in the empire was born with Mana. Most of the Mana users in the empire were royals and nobles. And thus, they were on top of the "food chain."

But with the help of Lender stones, the Hazelden Kingdom was able to create an army of non-Mana users that could fight Mana-users equally. That was why the empire's alliance with the said kingdom was very important.

I remember back in my first life, when a war broke out between Moonasterion Empire and the Allied Countries that harbored grudge against Papa Boss, Hazelden sent a huge supply of Lender stones to the empire that helped us win the war quickly. Thus, the damage was minimal.

"Anyway, the second fun fact about the kingdom is that they are known for being elusive," she continued. "After all, the kingdom is in the North where it's always snowing. Thus, we rarely see them leave Hazelden."

"It's "always" snowing because they use snow as barrier," her father explained. "Although it's always cold outside, the inside of the kingdom has normal weather."

"Interesting. I'd love to visit their kingdom once," she said. Maybe she should start researching on how to make heating pads then sell them someday to the Hazelden Kingdom. Anyway… "Last but not the least, Hazelden is known for having a harem of beautiful princesses."

"I'm glad that you mentioned that," her Papa Boss said, then he sipped his tea before he continued speaking. "The Hazelden Kingdom is trying to push their first princess to become the new empress. I want you to deal with her during the banquet so she wouldn't have the chance to stick to me all night."

The fact that women were vying to be her father's new empress wasn't news to her.

In her first life, she remembered that a lot of princesses and high-ranking noblewomen tried to seduce her father. She kind of remembered that a few of the princesses of the Hazelden Kingdom were sent to the Royal Palace.

Unfortunately, she didn't know if her father remarried after she died.

"Aren't you considering remarrying, Papa Boss?" she asked carefully. "It has been years already since the late empress passed. My mother is already gone, too. A political marriage with a valuable ally doesn't sound so bad."

She honestly didn't mind if her Papa Boss remarried.

Nero was already the crown prince so even if he remarried and conceived another male child, her twin brother's position was already solidified.

And I'm sure as hell that my future stepmother can't bully me if she turned out to be evil.

"Do I have a reason to remarry?" her Papa Boss asked back. "I don't need another political marriage because my power over the empire is already absolute. I have other ways of keeping Hazelden Kingdom in check so I don't need to marry one of their princesses."

Judging by his words, it seemed like his marriage with the late empress was only for politics. Then, she remembered that her father indirectly confessed that she and Nero were conceived out of love.

That means he loved our Mama.

"Papa Boss, why didn't you marry my mother?"

He looked surprised by her question, then he gave her a cold glare that made his ash gray eyes glow.

His eyes didn't turn red so it means he's not angry.

Thus, she had the courage to stare back at him, her own eyes glowing as well.

"When I was still in the Luna Palace, I heard that my mother died of giving birth to me and Nero," she said carefully. That was also what she heard back in her first life. But now that she had the chance to know who her mother was, she also realized that her death wasn't due to giving birth to them. "Papa Boss, how did my mother die?"

To be honest, she already had an idea.

If her Mama and the man called Commander Gavin Quinzel (that looks like her dad/appa) were together in her second life, then it wasn't hard to believe that the two really betrayed her Papa Boss. And if they were caught by her father…

"Your mother paid the price for betraying me."

She clenched her hands.

Like she thought, he must have really ordered the death of her mother. And if her Mama was punished, Commander Gavin Quinzel may have suffered the same fate.

"What will you do now that you know the truth about your mother's death?"0

"Nothing," she said, then she opened her hands. "I never met my Mama in this lifetime. And even if I hate you for what happened to her, she won't come back."

He smirked at her. "I guess you inherited my coldness."

She just sipped her tea.

I don't want to hear that I inherited something from my Papa Boss even if it's true. Hmp!

"Why did you even bring up your mother?" her father asked. "Does it have anything to do with what I asked you to do?"

"Yes," she lied. Then, she continued bluffing. "At the banquet, I'm pretty sure that some snotty nobles will bring up my mother to insult me. Gosh, what if the princess of Hazelden Kingdom bullies me because my Mama isn't a higher noble?"

Her father scoffed. "You? Getting bullied? Impossible. It's definitely the other way around. You're good at putting people in their place."

"Papa Boss, don't praise me too much."

"It's not a compliment."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, Papa Boss. I need to know the strength of House Roseheart, and why some nobles are afraid of my mother's family. I need that in order to defend myself once someone makes the mistake of mocking me."

"Oh," her father said in a teasing voice. "Does the Great Princess Neoma need her father's help this time?" He smirked at her haughtily. "I don't hear a "please" from you, daughter."

Gosh, the sarcasm in her father's voice made her feel humiliated.

"Never mind. Your great daughter can deal with them on her own," she said with a roll of her eyes. Then, she stood up and walked towards her father's bed. Her mood instantly turned bright when she realized that the snow-white bunny was already up. "Good morning, Mochi," she greeted her even though it wasn't morning yet. Then, she gently picked up her new pet. "Let's go home, hmm?"

Mochi purred and nuzzled her arms.

"Good girl," she said, then she turned to her father. "Good night, Papa Boss. See you later."

"The fact that you and Nero were conceived by love is enough for you to be proud of your birth, Neoma," her father said, then he elegantly stirred his tea back and forth, never touching the sides. Yes, back and forth and not a circular motion to avoid 'storm in the tea cup.' "Not all royals and nobles were conceived that way."

And yet, as soon as she and Nero were born, her father ordered the death of her mother.

What happened during her Mama's nine month pregnancy that changed her feelings for her Papa Boss? Something wasn't clicking right. But she held back herself from getting too curious.

I must ensure my safety first before I investigate my parents from this life and the second one. I just need to endure for a few years anyway. Once Nero returns safely, I will be free and I can do anything I want by then.

"What?" her Papa Boss complained when he caught her silently staring at him. "I thought you need a piece of information that will protect you from getting "bullied" by the "snotty" nobles at the banquet later?"

"You acting kind scares me, Papa Boss," Neoma said bluntly. "Please don't die."

"I'm not going to die," Emperor Nikolai deadpanned. "Not until Nero sits on the throne, at least."

***

NEOMA now fully believed Saint Macaroni's prophecy.

Papa Boss acting kind to her was a huge death flag. If she was really the one destined to kill the emperor, then she should kiss her dream of becoming a lady of leisure goodbye.

No, I will not give up on my one and only dream!

"Sir Glenn, can you fetch Hanna and secretly bring her to my room?" Neoma asked the knight seriously. Right now, they were using the secret room that would lead her outside Yule Palace. They had to use that to hide her from the servants. After all, only a few knew about her. "After that, can you stay a little bit and listen to what I have to say?"

"Of course, Princess Neoma," Sir Glenn said. He probably sensed how serious she was because he looked worried. "Is there a problem, Your Royal Highness?"

Lewis also looked at her with a worried look on his face.

"No," Neoma lied with a bright smile. "I just want to have a girl talk with my cousin. It's going to be my first social debut so I'd like to hear some advice from Hanna."

***

"LEWIS, I lied a while ago," Neoma confessed when she and Lewis were alone in her room. She sat on the armrest of the sofa with her arms crossed over her chest. She just put Mochi in bed because her cute little bunny fell asleep again. "I didn't ask Sir Glenn to bring Hanna here just to have a girl talk with her."

"I know, Princess Neoma," Lewis, who stood in front of her with his hands behind his back, said. "You fake a smile when you lie."

She was surprised to hear that.

As expected of my son.

"I think I'll be ambushed during the banquet later," she declared, surprising Lewis. "And I have reasons to believe that it would be the Devil's minions."

The saint told her that the vision he saw would happen during the banquet. She didn't believe it at first because she didn't have any intention of killing her father. But her Papa Boss's strange actions scared her.

Plus, I shouldn't forget that I met the Devil's minion. They said we will meet again. The banquet is a perfect opportunity for them to attack.

 "Why didn't you tell Sir Glenn?" Lewis asked. "I know that I can protect you, but I don't want to be too arrogant when it comes to your safety, Princess Neoma."

"I can't tell Sir Glenn because he's my father's knight," she said. "Lewis, according to the saint, he saw a vision where I killed my Papa Boss."

Her son looked shocked by what she said.

"Don't worry, I have a plan. I only need you and Hanna. Tteokbokki and Skewer too, of course,," Neoma quickly assured Lewis. "If you follow my orders, we wouldn't need the White Lion Knights to protect me."

Lewis turned serious, then he bowed to her. "I will follow you, Princess Neoma."

***

INTERESTING, Gale said to herself while listening to Princess Neoma discuss her plan with her two friends. The royal princess reminded her of her former master, Mona Roseheart. Mona, your daughter is as reckless as you.

***

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