"I HEARD that Chef Ruston Stroganoff and Duke Jasper Hawthorne paid you a visit earlier," her father, the always grumpy Emperor Nikolai, confronted her. "And a while ago, before I left my office, I received a message from His Holiness asking me to open the portal that connects his temple to my palace a week from now. Apparently, the saint has business with you."
Her Papa Boss was free to speak like that because as usual, they were alone in the rose garden of her palace. Lewis and Sir Glenn were guarding at the entrance. It didn't matter if the two could hear them. After all, Lewis and Sir Glenn were their most trusted allies.
Anyway…
She and her father were having afternoon tea, and she could tell that the snacks were prepared by that damned Ruto.
After all, her egg salad sandwich had pickles in it!
"Aren't you famous, little rogue?"
"Of course, Papa Boss," Neoma said haughtily. "Do you know that I often have a dream where I have 9, 999, 999 million followers?"
Remembering her follower count back in her second life pissed her off.
After all, she was having a party back then while waiting for her following to reach 10 million. But alas, she drank a poisonous coconut wine and died. Just. Like. That.
I wonder if I successfully reached 10 million followers after I died…
But come to think of it, she had a death suited for the "digital age" of the modern world, huh? Her death was caught in 4k after all. And since her death was broadcasted, she probably became the most famous vlogger of her generation.
I feel bad for the fan who gave me the coconut wine as a present though. I can't resent them knowing that they probably didn't want to kill me. But I'm not gonna lie, I miss Mom and Dad.
"You're talking nonsense again," her father said while shaking his head. "If you have time to play with your friends, why don't you give the same attention to the children of our allied families? I heard from Alphen that you're just making a mountain out of the pile of letters that you received from several noble households. Is that a new decoration for your office?"
She just laughed exaggeratedly at her father's sarcasm. "Papa Boss, I'm simply using my time wisely. Plus, I need to keep my distance from other people to protect my secret. I don't want people to get used to my appearance. After all, once Nero returns, I'm pretty sure that he will look different from me. As of now, I'm still taller than my twin brother. But it won't always stay that way."
In her first life, Nero was a foot taller than her.
"Plus, Nero's features will probably turn sharper as he grows old," she said. Although she was speaking like she wasn't certain to avoid suspicions from her Papa Boss, it was the truth. Nero's features were sharper than hers. Well, it couldn't be helped since she had a meek personality back then. So she looked 'delicate' in her first life. "We have to be extra careful, Papa Boss. I will only keep people I trust by my side. But don't worry. I'll keep the allies of the Royal Family at arm's length."
"I'm glad that you understand your position well."
She just sipped her tea. Then, she began munching on her egg salad sandwich. She couldn't help but frown every time she had a bite of pickles.
"What's wrong?" her Papa Boss asked. "Is the food not to your liking?"
"The egg salad has pickles in them, Papa Boss."
He sighed and shook his head. "That's why I told you to tell Ruston Stroganoff to stop serving you the food you don't like. Why are you being stubborn about it?"
"Papa Boss, Chef Ruto is my chef," she said. "He's just helping me get rid of my pickiness on food. Plus, I always eat greasy food. He wants me to have a balanced diet by making me eat fruits and vegetables. He's taking good care of me so you have to raise his salary, okay?"
"You don't have to worry about that."
"`Kay," she said, then she finished her sandwich quickly. "So, Papa Boss. I heard from Sir Glenn that you're here to apologize to me."
If it wasn't for that, she'd be making a strategy with Lewis by now.
Before Jasper Oppa left a while ago, he told her some things that she and her son needed to do while waiting for his instructions.
The emperor cleared his throat before he spoke. "Is there anything you want? I'll grant it to you as compensation for accidentally hurting you."
Geez.
Was it going to kill him if he apologized properly to her?
"Fine," she said. "I want the current hottest sexy romance book published in the empire right now, Papa Boss."
"No," her father said firmly. "Anything but that."
"That's the only thing that I want right now," she said. She wasn't that addicted to sexy romance books. She was just doing that out of spite. "I heard that 'Mommy Villainess' from Author Sola is the best romance book in the empire right now. Unfortunately, it was already sold out at the bookstore that we visited during the Moon Festival. I want to read it so find me a copy ASAP, Papa Boss."
"You little rogue–"
"I heard that Captain Kiho, the male lead of 'Mommy Villainess,' dotes on his wife and son," she said with a fake bright smile on her face. "Let's read it together, Papa Boss. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two from the captain about good parenting."
Emperor Nikolai looked at her as if he was tired of dealing with her. Then, he took a deep breath before he spoke again. "I'm sorry, Neoma de Moonasterio," he said. Softly. Yes, softly! His face even softened up a little bit. "I'm sorry for physically and emotionally hurting you. I was wrong."
To be honest, she was surprised that her Papa Boss apologized sincerely.
She was touched.
But that wouldn't stop her from teasing her father.
"Apology accepted, Papa Boss. Thank you for apologizing and admitting your mistake," Neoma said cheerfully. "I still want 'Mommy Villainess' by Author Sola though."
***
"PRINCESS NEOMA, listen carefully," Mochi said to her seriously. Right now, they were in the pavilion by the pond again. As usual, the Wind Spirit in the form of a white bunny was seated on the railing around the pavilion. "The first thing you need to learn to summon a Spirit is to create a magical circle."
Pretty classic.
She had seen N*ruto do that to summon a divine toad or something.
"Okay," Neoma, standing in the center of the pavilion with Lewis standing behind her, said. "How do I make a magic circle, Mochi?"
The white bunny fell silent for a few seconds before she spoke. "Princess Neoma, your mother was a genius Summoner. The way she made magic circles was strange."
"Oh. Mama was OP, huh?" she said, impressed at how great her mother was. "Then, are you going to teach me my mother's technique instead of the natural way of making a magic circle?"
"Yes, Your Royal Highness. I can teach you the normal way of making a magic circle. But let's try your mother's technique first," the white bunny said. "After all, you have already awakened your Roseheart Blood. And your blood is the thing that we need to make that kind of magic circle."
"Ohh, sounds interesting."
Her mother in this world really sounded like a badass, just like her eomma/mommy in her second life.
Should I call my mother in this world 'Mama Boss?'
"It won't be easy," the Wind Spirit said. "Princess Neoma, please listen carefully. Since your mother was a genius, she sucked at explaining the things that she could do naturally. In short, I didn't really grasp it when she told me her way of making a magic circle."
"It's okay, Mochi," she assured her. "Just tell me what my Mama Boss told you. Since I'm her daughter, I think I can pull it off as well."
The white bunny nodded firmly. She could see in her eyes how much she trusted her. "Princess Neoma, I want you to draw your blood from your finger," she said. "Then, close your eyes and imagine transforming the drop of blood into a beautiful red rose. Do it before the blood drops on the floor. Once it turns into a rose, the Spirits around us will get attracted by the flower made from your blood. Then, they will come to you on their own."
It sounded simple but she knew that it wouldn't be easy.
Still, she wanted to give it a try.
"Here we go," Neoma said, then she pulled the pendant of her necklace hard enough until she got it. Yes, the pendant was Mini Skewer. She took a deep breath before she cut her finger with the blade. Then, she closed her eyes. "Mama Boss, please guide me."
But much to her dismay, nothing happened even after doing her best to visualize turning her blood into a beautiful red rose.
I failed…?
***
TO SAY that Trevor was shocked would be an understatement.
The past three days had been hellish.
After all, Prince Nero got a high fever even in a comatose state. He couldn't make his fever go down no matter what kind of medicine, magic, and remedy he used. When he was on the verge of leaving his hellhole to find a cure outside his territory, the young prince's soul suddenly separated from his physical body.
As soon as it happened, the Crown Prince's fever disappeared.
But his soul looked different from his body's physical appearance.
"What the hell happened to you, Prince Nero?" Trevor asked in disbelief while staring at the Crown Prince's soul. "Why did your hair turn pink? And most of all…" He gestured around the spacious room that he prepared for his future brother-in-law. "Where did all these bloody red roses around the room come from?!"
Those flowers only appeared when the Crown Prince's soul got separated from his physical body.
"Those flowers serve as an invitation," Prince Nero said, then he looked down at the marble floor that was suddenly turning into dirt. "It seems like the Spirit World wants me."
The Spirit World?
His eyes widened in shock.
The fact that he couldn't stop his own territory from turning into a huge garden only made it easy for him to believe the Crown Prince's words.
Moreover, he shouldn't forget one thing.
"You're the first male Roseheart after such a long time," Trevor said in disbelief. "Prince Nero, have you awakened your Roseheart Blood?"
***
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