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His mother looked surprised by his request. “I cannot refuse you if that’s your wish, son. But may I know if there’s a reason why you suddenly want to return to the palace?” His mother tilted his head to one side. “Do you miss Neoma that much?”

“I miss Neoma every day,” he said bluntly. “But I have a feeling that we must return to the palace before Neoma’s match against Calyx Dalton begins, Mother.”

His initial plan was to stay in the Hazelden Kingdom until he had completely recovered.

He thought it would take him months. But, surprisingly, he gained weight and muscles faster than he expected. Of course, he gained them naturally. He ate and slept well for the past few weeks, ever since he woke up. Moreover, he took energy potions that were good for the body.

[And as a de Moonasterio, I have fast regenerative abilities.]

He was still on the skinny side, but he looked healthier now than he did before. His skin looked better, too. In short, it wouldn’t be too embarrassing now if he showed himself to the public and reclaimed his spot as the Crown Prince.

.....

“I’ll attend the academy instead of Neoma, so I must begin my preparations now,” he said. “And Mother?”

“Yes, baby?”

“You should make your presence known to the Royal Palace, Mother,” he said. “You and Father already decided to get married. There is nothing wrong with your relationship, so let’s not hide, Mother.”

He knew that his mother wasn’t hiding.

But they had to be more assertive this time because...

“There’s a high possibility that the late Empress Juliet is still alive,” he said solemnly. “If Her Majesty returned, the nobles would probably demand Father to reinstate her as the empress. It would be nice if Mother and Father were already married if that time comes.”

But his parents decided to get married once Neoma was registered to the Royal Household.

[It would take time.]

“But it also wouldn’t be nice if Mother and Father rushed your wedding just because of the threat of Empress Juliet’s return,” he said. “It’s your long-awaited wedding, so I guess you’d want to prepare it as carefully as possible. But at least, Mother, let’s announce your relationship to Father proudly. Mother did nothing wrong- then and now.”

“Nero, baby, are you worried about Juliet’s return?”

He nodded. “The nobles deem the late empress as the perfect partner for Father. If she returned, we know what will happen next.”

“But Juliet isn’t an enemy, son.”

“If the late empress is still the same person that Mother and Father trust, then why did she hide all this time?” he asked. This time, he was speaking like it was already confirmed that the late empress was still alive. “Mother, don’t trust anyone too much.”

His mother looked at him for a moment as if she was studying him. Then she smiled and shook her head.

“Nero, it would be nicer if you act more like a child than an adult.”

“I can’t help it, Mother. The de Moonasterios develop faster than children our age,” he explained. “Moreover, I have the memories of my past life. I was an adult in those memories, and I feel like I merged my personality with the past me that I saw in my dreams.”

Thus, he never really acted like a child.

And he didn’t really have the luxury to act like a child because he had to grow up quickly to protect Neoma.

“My poor baby,” his mother said sympathetically, then she sat down beside him and hugged him. “I’m sorry for not being there for you and Neoma while you were growing up.”

He almost said that he didn’t need anyone else aside from Neoma.

But it would have been insensitive to his mother. And if he hurt his mother because of his calloused words, Neoma would be disappointed in him. He didn’t want that to happen, so he just kept his mouth shut.

“Don’t worry, Nero,” his mother said while patting his back gently. “Whether or not Juliet turns out to be an enemy, your father and I will deal with her. You and Neoma should just focus on being children.”

It was already too late for that.

Before he and Neoma were children, they were the Crown Prince and the empire’s one and only royal princess first.

But, of course, for his mother, he and Neoma would always be her babies.

“We’re family, Mother,” he said to console his mother. “We should get through anything and everything together.”

His mother smiled warmly at him. “Neoma raised you well, my little Pumpkin.”

“Mother, it’s the other way around,” he insisted. “I was the one who raised Neoma.”

His mother just laughed it off.

He just let out a sigh, then he changed the subject. “Mother, there’s another reason why I wanted to return to the palace earlier than scheduled.”

His mother, who calmed down after laughing, looked at him intently. “What is it, son?”

“Zeru, the ice phoenix, turned out to be Arche de Moonasterio’s former Soul Beast.”

“Arche de Moonasterio...” his mother trailed off, then she snapped her fingers. “Ah, him. The most incompetent emperor in history?”

“Zeru claims that Arche de Moonasterio wasn’t incompetent,” he said. “He also claims that Arche de Moonasterio cherished Aruna de Moonasterio as his twin sister.”

“That’s different from what the history books suggest about Arche and Aruna de Moonasterio’s relationship,” his mother said, confused but also curious. “According to the empire’s history, Aruna de Moonasterio’s brilliance dulled Arche de Moonasterio’s radiance. Thus, the twins never got along well.”

He nodded in agreement. “But I believe Zeru is more trustworthy than the history books. Thus, I’d like to hear his version of the story between Arche and Aruna de Moonasterio. Thus, I want to return to the palace as soon as possible.”

The history between Arche and Aruna de Moonasterio wasn’t something that he could discuss with Neoma via a communication device. And he couldn’t bring it up earlier when he met Neoma in his Spirit form because of time constrictions.

[Father and Neoma encouraged me to return to my physical body then so that Mother would stop worrying about me.]

Of course, he’d do anything Neoma told him to do.

“I’ll talk to your father, and I will let him know that we will be returning to the palace,” his mother said. “We should inform the queen and the king of Hazelden about our departure, too. Let’s thank them properly for taking good care of us.”

“Of course, Mother.”

“And you should say goodbye to the Black Witch, too.”

He tried not to react, but when he saw his mother’s expression, he couldn’t help but let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t have that kind of relationship with Miss Dahlia, Mother,” he insisted. “I am committed to Hanna Quinzel.”

“Son, your relationship with Dahlia and Hanna Quinzel reminds me of your father’s relationship with me and Juliet in the past,” his mother said carefully. “I hope history doesn’t repeat itself.”

“Don’t worry, Mother,” Nero assured his mother. “I won’t hurt either Hanna or Miss Dahlia.”

***

NEOMA poured a healing potion over Ruto’s broken arm.

He got injured earlier when he stopped himself from hitting her by mistake. His instinct kicked in when she sneaked up behind him, so his arm moved on its own. Amazingly, he also managed to stop himself quickly.

But he was hurt in the process.

“I should have healed your broken arm first before I gave you my present,” Neoma said apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Neoma,” Ruto said softly. “Thank you for healing my broken arm.”

She smiled proudly and shook the empty vial in front of him. “This is one of the healing potions that my baby boy sent me. It’s effective, isn’t it? My baby is a genius.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “First, you call another guy ‘oppa.’ And now you’re calling another guy ‘baby’ in front of me? Is it fun seeing me jealous, Neoma Ramsay?”

“I’m talking about Greko,” she said, laughing. It was obvious that Ruto was just joking with her. He wasn’t that small-minded to get jealous of her “children,” right? “He’s my youngest child. You know him, don’t you?”

He nodded. “I know all the “children” you adopted. And that reminds me, where are they right now?”

“I heard from Papa Boss that my children have arrived at the Royal Capital a few weeks ago,” she said. “But they haven’t contacted me yet. I guess their mentors haven’t done giving them homeworks yet. I’m getting a little worried, though. None of them has responded to my letters yet.”

“Do you want me to look for them?”

She shook her head. “Nah, just return home for now and stop making your mother worry.”

He let out a sigh. “Fine, I’m going home later.”

She looked at him long and hard before she brought up the topic that she tried to forget. But she couldn’t let it slide. After all, she wasn’t the type to bottle up her feelings. “Ruto, is it true that you’d sacrifice people for the greater good? That if you were me, you’d let Brigitte unnie die so that the baby saint would get born in the world with his divine power intact?”

“If there wasn’t any other way, then yes, I would choose the new saint over the queen of Hazelden,” Ruto confessed carefully. “But you found a way to save them both. And I agree with the path that you chose, Neoma.”

“Still, if something like that happens again, you’d choose the greater good, right?”

“It depends.”

“On what?”

“Neoma, let’s define what the ‘greater good’ means to me first,” he said, then he turned to her with sparkling, dark purple eyes. “The ‘greater good’ is the benefit of the public, of more people than myself. But to me, the ‘greater good’ is the benefit of you, of your existence rather than the world.”

She understood what Ruto meant, but at the same time, she didn’t.

[Ruto looks like a self-sacrificing hero to me. Although I’m touched that he’s willing to sacrifice other people for me, I can’t say that I’m entirely happy with it.]

“Having said that, I’m obliged to do things that may hurt you,” Ruto confessed, and she could see the pain in his eyes. “I will end up hurting you as I get rid of the thorns in your path, Neoma. Even so, I promise you that I will be beside you until all your wounds heal.”

She let out a sigh. “`Fess up, Ruto. In what way are you going to hurt me in the future?”

“I already know where Empress Juliet is.”

She felt her heart sink to the floor. “As expected, the empress is still alive.”

“Will you hate me if I bring her back to the empire?”

.....

“Papa Boss and Mama Boss trust Empress Juliet,” Neoma said. Even so, her heart was still thumping hard and fast against her chest. “The empress is not an enemy, is she?”

“I haven’t met her personally yet, so I can’t say,” he said. “But the empress is a threat to you, Prince Nero, and Lady Roseheart.”

“Because of politics?”

“Because of politics,” he confirmed. “Thus, I’m asking you now: would you hate me if I bring the empress back to the palace?”

She laughed softly at his silly question. “If I said that I don’t want the empress to return, what would you do?”

“I’ll kill her for you.”

Her smile vanished instantly. “Ruto, are you serious?”

“I won’t let you suffer again in this lifetime, Neoma,” Ruto said solemnly. “I’m willing to be a sinner if it means letting you walk the safe path.”

His glowing dark purple eyes gave her the chills.

[He’s dead serious.]

Neoma cupped Ruto’s face between her hands. “Mr. Ruston Stroganoff, I prefer a cinnamon roll over a yandere.”

***

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