GALE paid a visit to Mona's son.
It was true that she was very fond of Princess Neoma. But that didn't mean she didn't care about her master's other child. Although she had to say that if the real Crown Prince turned out to be as intolerable as little Nikolai, she might just forget that Mona had a son.
While sitting on the windowsill of Prince Nero's room, she quietly watched the young prince that just got out of the bathroom. He wore a dress and a wig a while ago. But this time, he didn't have his wig anymore and he wore clothes that befitted a royal prince like him.
Everything about the royal prince screams royalty.
She didn't want to say this but Prince Nero looked more majestic than Princess Neoma. Even though they resembled each other so much, she could clearly see the difference between the twins. And it was the 'aura.'
Princess Neoma had a warm aura that made people drawn to her.
On the other hand, Prince Nero had a cold and aloof aura that clearly sets him apart from the rest. He had the charm of a lone wolf. And most people were attracted to such charisma.
"I can see Mona's face in Princess Neoma because of her feminine feature. Moreover, the royal princess inherited my master's gentle eyes and kind smile," Gale thought to herself aloud while watching Prince Nero pour some tea for himself. "But you, on the other hand, look like a child version of little Nikolai, Prince Nero."
"I apologize for looking like my father."
To say that she was shocked when Prince Nero responded to her would be an understatement.
She spoke aloud because she thought that the Crown Prince wouldn't hear her. After all, Princess Neoma who had already awakened her Roseheart blood still took a while before she was able to hear her voice.
Prince Nero can hear me when he hasn't awakened his Roseheart blood yet?!
Prince Nero stopped pouring tea in his teacup, then he raised his head and looked at her straight in the eye. "Greetings, Miss Spirit."
And he knew that she was a Spirit?
She was curious so she used her ability to gauge how much 'Spirit Energy' the royal prince possessed. If the de Moonasterios had 'Divine Power,' then the Rosehearts had 'Spirit Energy.' It was related to the Rosehearts' use of Evocation (aka the power/ability to summon a spirit, demon, deity, or other entities).
Her thoughts were cut-off when all of a sudden, while looking deep into Prince Nero's eyes, she saw herself floating in the vast blue sky.
The scenery gave her chills because she only had one interpretation for it.
Prince Nero's Spirit Energy seemed to be infinite.
Gale could only laugh softly in disbelief. "Ah, yes– you are also Mona's child."
***
"WOULD you like some tea?" Nero offered the Spirit that visited his room. "I brewed this myself so I can't guarantee what it tastes like though."
Of course, he knew that it couldn't drink tea because it took the form of a white bunny. But he also knew that Spirits could change into their human form. Anyway, the most important thing was the Spirit seemed to be fond of Neoma. As long as it wasn't hostile, he wouldn't bear his fangs at it even though he didn't like how the Spirit invaded his privacy.
And the Spirit wasn't hostile anyway.
He could tell because his father's Soul Beasts weren't attacking the Spirit. Even though the White Tiger and the Black Tortoise were in their "energy ball" form, he knew they would have transformed back into their original form had they sensed danger.
Since it didn't happen, that only meant that the Spirit was on their side.
"Thank you for the offer but I can't drink tea in this form, Prince Nero."
He just smiled at that. "If you know the royal secret, then you must be a servant of my twin sister."
The Spirit seemed to be offended by his choice of words. But it didn't comment on it. "Greetings, Your Royal Highness," it said in a soft voice that made him think that it might be a woman. "My name is Gale, and I'm a Wind Spirit. Your twin sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Neoma, fondly calls me 'Mochi.' Please refer to me as 'Gale' though. I only let you know what the royal princess calls me because I don't want you to be confused."
He smirked at the Spirit's petty payback.
First, she talked "politely" to him in a sarcastic tone.
Then, she let him know her real name and the one that Neoma gave her. The Wind Spirit specifically asked him to address her as 'Gale' as a way to let him know that she didn't like him.
"It seems like my words have offended you, Miss Gale," he said. "I will be more careful from now on."
The white bunny disappeared from his sight when he blinked.
Then, the next thing he knew, the Wind Spirit was already seated on the sofa from across him. Ah, it seemed like Miss Gale was good at using teleportation spells.
He sat on the sofa, picked up his teacup, and sipped his tea before he spoke again. "May I know how you ended up serving my twin sister, Miss Gale?"
"I was sent to Princess Neoma as a present."
He waited for the Wind Spirit to talk more, but she didn't. Ah, it seemed like she didn't like him and she wanted to let him know that by putting a wall between them.
Fair enough.
"You said Lady Mona Roseheart was your master in the past," he said.
"That's right," she said in a mildly excited voice. "Do you have questions about your mother?"
He shook his head. "I really don't care about a woman who's no longer here," he said bluntly, obviously disappointing the Wind Spirit. "Moreover, I already know what I need to know about my mother."
"Really now?" Miss Gale, who looked really offended now, asked. "Pray tell me what you know about your mother then."
"My mother was the last head of House Roseheart," he said, remembering the things that he learned about House Roseheart before he went into a deep slumber. "Apparently, during the old times, House Roseheart was the family that used to keep the royal family in check. House Roseheart, led by powerful women, was deeply hated by the nobility. Thus, several old families worked with the royal family to disgrace the Rosehearts. And they succeeded. That's why when my mother was born, House Roseheart was already considered as a lowly noble household."
"That's a common knowledge among the nobility."
"This is just a rumor that I heard from the grapevine," he continued carefully. "But apparently, the Rosehearts have the ability to kill a de Moonasterio. But somehow, the royal family managed to "steal" that ability from a previous matriarch of the House Roseheart, and that caused their fall from grace." He sipped his tea before he continued. "Ah, I also know that I'm special because it's rare for House Roseheart to produce a male heir."
"With all due respect, if House Roseheart is still active, then Princess Neoma would have been the heiress and not you, Prince Nero."
"Ah, is that so?" he asked, not interested in that matter. Then, he put the teacup down on the saucer quietly before he changed the topic. "Why did you seem surprised when you realized that I can hear you, Miss Gale? Shouldn't that be a given since I'm a Roseheart as well?"
The white bunny seemed hesitant to talk at first. But in the end, she caved in. "You haven't awakened your Roseheart blood yet, Prince Nero. On the other hand, Princess Neoma already awakened. And yet, it took her a while before she was able to hear me."
He smiled when he heard that. "Then, I must really be special."
"It seems like you've stolen everything from your twin sister when you were still in your mother's womb."
He didn't miss the sarcasm, of course.
"I don't know if that's the case but I'm truly grateful that I'm blessed with both of my parents' unique abilities," he said, then he picked up his cup and sipped his tea again before he continued speaking. "The more capable I am, the more I can protect Neoma." He put his teacup down on the coaster, then he clutched his chest. "I'm weak and useless now because of my curse. But I swear on my life that as soon as I'm healed, I will catch up on Neoma."
"Catch up?"
"I've heard from the emperor about the things that Neoma has accomplished for the past three years," he said. "Even if His Majesty didn't say it directly, I'm aware that he wanted me to know that Neoma has already surpassed me. My twin sister has awakened both her Soul Beast and her blood as a Roseheart. If she was born a male, she would have stolen the throne from me a long time ago. The only reason why I'm still the Crown Prince is that I'm a male, and the empire only accepts men as heir to the throne."
"I'm surprised that you know that."
"I have to recognize my weaknesses and turn them into my strength as soon as possible," he said. "Right now, all I can do is to wait for Trevor to get rid of my curse. It's frustrating, yes. But I'm prepared to work hard once I'm healed. I have to be stronger as soon as possible so I could protect Neoma in the future."
"I like your resolve since it involves protecting our little princess," the Wind Spirit said. "But what will you do if you were forced into a situation where you need to kill your precious twin sister, Prince Nero? Even though Princess Neoma isn't legally qualified to compete with you for the throne, it might change in the future." She heard the white bunny smirk as if she was taunting him. "It's expected for siblings to kill each other for the throne anyway."
"I'll make sure that it won't happen to me and Neoma," he said confidently. He knew in his heart that Neoma wasn't interested in the throne. To be honest, his urge to be an emperor was only coming from his desire to overthrow his father. But if he had to give up the throne for Neoma, he'd do it. "But if ever I would be forced to kill my twin sister in the future, then I'd kill myself."
Miss Gale looked surprised by his declaration. "I don't it's something an eight-year-old child like you should be saying, Prince Nero."
"Eight-year-old child?" Ah, yes. But my age doesn't matter," Nero said, then he sipped his tea. "I don't care about anything else as long as I get to protect Neoma."
***
"PRINCESS Neoma, I am so annoyed," Gale complained to the royal princess who was busy admiring herself in the mirror (since it was rare for Princess Neoma to be allowed to dress up like a girl that she was). She, on the other hand, was seated on her young master's bed. "I went to visit Prince Nero a while ago."
"Oh, really?" Princess Neoma asked, then she turned around to face her. "He didn't kick you out?"
"The royal prince received me politely."
"Then, why are you annoyed?"
"He's too blessed!" she complained to the royal princess. "Although he couldn't use his Mana because of his curse, I still sensed his unlimited talent."
"Well, what did you expect?" the royal princess asked casually. "Nero is also a child of Mama and Papa Boss. Our parents are both OP so it's only natural that the two of us are both OP as well."
"What does 'OP' mean, Princess Neoma?"
"Overpowered," she explained. "As in super strong and talented."
"Ah, I see. Thank you for the explanation," she said. But she was still frustrated at how talented Prince Nero was despite his current limitations. "Princess Neoma, how do you feel after knowing that aside from being born a male, Prince Nero also possesses a talent that may surpass yours once he's fully healed?"
"I'm relieved."
"Relieved?"
"Nero is the "main character" in this empire," the royal princess explained. "I am not jealous of his position because it was never my dream to sit on the throne. I know that I'm just a "supporting character" that needs to fulfill his role until he returns. If he has the talent that can surpass mine, that's fine with me. In fact, I want him to be greater than me so that he wouldn't need to rely on me in the future."
She let out a deep sigh. "My poor little princess..."
"Don't pity me, Mochi," she scolded her lightly. "Don't you know that there are times that a supporting character overshadows the main character?"
"I'm not sure if I get what you're saying, Your Royal Highness."
"Nero is the main character but I'm the scene-stealer," Princess Neoma said proudly. "I'm Neoma Ramsay and I shine brighter than a star."
Gale didn't really understand what it meant. But she knew that the royal princess was trying to cheer her up. Surprisingly, it worked. "That's right," she said with a soft laugh. "Our Princess Neoma shines the brightest."
***
NEOMA knew what Mochi was worried about when she said Nero had everything.
But she didn't want to fuel the Wind Spirit's irritation so she brushed her concerns off casually. She didn't like doing that to other people, but she also didn't want her to see Nero as an enemy. After all, Nero was her one and only brother in the world.
"Princess Neoma, His Royal Highness Prince Nero is here."
She turned to the door where she heard Lewi's announcement coming from. After her father left her a while ago, Lewis returned to her side. She didn't know what happened to Trevor though. Not that she cared.
Anyway…
She knew that Nero would visit her in her room to "talk," thus she changed back into her real appearance. She didn't want to talk to him while looking exactly like her twin brother.
"Let him in, Lewis."
She stood up when the door opened and Nero entered her room. To be honest, she contemplated whether to greet him cheerfully or not. But when he saw how serious her twin brother looked, she decided to match it with her own poker face.
"Neoma, bring me to the special training ground that you asked to be built for you," Nero said in his usual demanding voice. Whenever he was this serious, he sounded so much like Emperor Nikolai that she was having the urge to call her twin brother a sc*mbag. "Let's fight."
Neoma almost choked in surprise but she retained her dignity by acting calm. "I won't give you a handicap, Nero."
***
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