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 looked at her reflection in the mirror long and hard.
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 drape. The mattress was super soft and the bedsheets 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 to 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, adult Nero still looks pretty but no one would mistake him for a girl.]
But maybe she should stop thinking about her first life.
[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 a 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.]
When she heard that, her resolve to take his place for the meantime strengthened.
"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 like 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 the 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 bare 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 are 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 hips 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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"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 flustered 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 chest. "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."
That was when she finally realized who Lewis was.
[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 a basic human setting.
When Emperor Nikolai invaded the land where Lewis's 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.
She should be kind to the poor boy…
… 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."
[And tell him my three precious wishes.]
***
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 adult 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 chest 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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