Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

654 FROM LOVERS TO ENEMIES?

“I’M SURE my face already tells you who I am,” Neoma said, smiling at Ruto’s colleagues. “And you already know Dahlia whom you worked with for the past few years, so let me introduce you to my people.”

Of course, she knew that Ruto’s colleagues already knew who her people were. Even so, it didn’t hurt to be polite.

Neoma politely pointed to Hanna.

“This is my cousin– Lady Hanna Quinzel, the “kidnapped” Quinzel Princess.”

Hanna smiled and slightly– yes, just slightly– lowered her head as a greeting.

[Well, we can’t expect the highest-ranking noble lady in the empire to easily bow her head to just anyone, especially not to the people from the Eastern Continent. After all, Hanna is the perfect textbook example of a prim and proper noble lady. Plus, she’s the future Crown Princess.]

Anyway…

She then pointed to Baby Skylus who was already asleep on the other bed (the other one was occupied by the drunken Aspen).

“That baby is Prince Skylus Griffiths, the First Prince of the Hazelden Kingdom and the Moon God’s new saint.”

.....

Since the baby couldn’t greet them as he was already asleep, she moved on to the next person that she wanted to introduce.

“And finally, my youngest “son,”” Neoma said proudly. “Greko, the intelligent half human-half fairy Healer. He’s also the disciple of Lord Marcus, the former emperor’s Healing Sage.”

Greko smiled brightly and bowed properly to their guests. “Hello, noonim and hyung-nim. I am Greko, Princess Neoma’s youngest child. It’s an honor to meet all of you.”

Aspen suddenly stood up.

Then the drunk dude bowed politely towards them.

Esther (the Snakewoman) and Faust (the half elf- half fairy one) bowed their heads towards them as well.

“Great. Now we know each other,” Neoma said while clapping her hands. “Don’t you think this calls for a celebration?”

Aspen, who looked sleepy as fuck earlier, suddenly opened his eyes wide. “I know there’s a reason why I like you, Princess Neoma,” he said cheerfully, his reddish-brown eyes sparkling while looking at Neoma with a hopeful look on his face. “Should we drink?”

Hmm.

There were two minors with them, but why not?

[Children need to sleep early anyway.]

“Sure,” Neoma said, then she turned to Ruto. “I’ll introduce you to soju and beer.”

She had the magic picnic basket in her Lynx ring aka her inventory.

The magical picnic basket was the device Trevor made to store the food and equipment they use for cooking. Of course, most of the food store in her magical picnic basket was Korean food and side dishes.

[But Trevor is addicted to soju and beer, so we also stored some.]

Now she was also craving her favorite alcoholic beverage.

“Babe, can you cook fried chicken for us?” Neoma asked Ruto. “Soju and beer taste better with chicken.”

Ruto looked surprised as he pointed to himself. “Me?”

“We don’t have fried chicken on the menu of our restaurant in this hotel,” Hanna said, smiling kindly at Ruto. “But you’re a famous chef even now, Lord Ruto. If you show yourself to the head chef of our restaurant, I’m sure he’ll allow you to make your own meal. He’s your big fan, after all.”

Neoma was proud of her cousin for doing a good job.

[That’s Hanna for you.]

Now everyone was looking at Ruto with a hopeful look on their faces.

[Heh.]

Ruto turned to Neoma as if he was blaming her for his current predicament.

Neoma felt bad about putting Ruto in a tight spot, but she was happy with her pettiness.

[That’s a little payback for being rude to me, babe.]

***

“YOUR ROYAL Highness found the Fourth Elemental Guardian? And it’s a mere duck?!”

Neoma, who was busy pouring soju into her shot glass, turned to Faust with a sharp look in her eyes. “What do you mean a ‘mere’ duck? Ducks are fucking bastards, especially the male ones. You can’t underestimate them.”

Ruto’s friends suddenly fell silent as if they were surprised to hear her curse.

Her friends, on the other hand, didn’t even bat an eye.

Anyway, they ended up drinking in one of the hotel rooms they booked.

Greko and Skylus were already sleeping in the other room. Since the two were minors, they weren’t included in the “drinking session,” of course.

Right now, only the adults were in the room.

They put the two coffee tables side by side, then they sat on the carpeted floor while surrounding the tables.

There were bottles of soju and beer on the table, and they each had a shot glass in front of them. And, of course, the two huge bowls of fried chicken were in the center of the tables. As expected of her man, his dish was a hit.

[Yes, Ruto still ended up cooking fried chicken for us.]

Neoma smiled at Ruto’s friends who still looked shocked after hearing the one and only royal princess of the empire curse like a sailor. “Yes…?”

Faust snapped out of his trance first. “I can’t believe that the Fourth Elemental Guardian is a duck, Princess Neoma. We’ve searched for all the mythical beasts on both the Western and Eastern Continent looking for it!”

“And that’s why you failed,” Neoma said, shrugging. Then she finished her glass of soju in one gulp. AH, THIS WAS IT. The taste of soju in her system made her feel more alive than ever. “He left a clue and said he could fly, swim, and walk. It’s obviously a duck.”

“It cannot be a simple animal!” Faust insisted. The half elf-half fairy was already red even though he only had a few shots of soju. “The Fourth Elemental Guardian should be a water serpent!”

“Why a water serpent?”

“Because water serpents have wings!” Faust said, his voice still raised. “They can fly, swim, and they can crawl!”

“Gosh, the Fourth Elemental said he can WALK– not crawl.”

“No!” Faust yelled, slamming his hands on the table. “I can’t be wrong!”

“Why the fuck are you yelling at me?”

The atmosphere suddenly changed.

Dahlia and Hanna turned to Faust with an indifferent look on their faces.

It seemed like Aspen (who was busy mixing soju and beer) and Esther (who was in her third chicken wing already) noticed it because they suddenly stopped what they were doing.

“Apologize,” Ruto said in a calm yet firm voice. “You were rude, Faust.”

Faust immediately bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Princess Neoma.”

“It’s fine as long as you calm the fuck down,” Neoma said while shaking her head. “Dude, I know it sucks to be wrong. But you can’t always be right. I know I’m not the best person to talk about humility because I don’t have it, but there’s no shame in admitting that you thought wrong. Take it as a learning experience.”

Faust clenched his hands. “Thank you for the advice, Princess Neoma.”

The half elf-half fairy didn’t look grateful, but she just ignored him.

[He must really be pissed that he’s wrong.]

And since Neoma was right, she acted generous.

Heh.

[I’m Neoma, I’m always right.]

“May I know how you found the Fourth Elemental Guardian, Princess Neoma?” Faust asked, carefully this time. “And how did you know that it was really the Fourth Elemental Guardian?”

Neoma raised an eyebrow.

[Oh, is he questioning me now? Should I turn into a bitch or act benevolent?]

“I was there, too, Sir Fraust,” Dahlia said, and it looked like she was upset that Faust sounded like he didn’t believe Neoma. “The duck we met is really the Fourth Elemental Guardian.”

“Sir, I know you’re from the Eastern Continent,” Hanna said, smiling coldly. Her tone was polite, but her eyes were vicious. “But please don’t forget that you’re talking to the one and only royal princess of the Great Moonasterion Empire.”

Neoma smiled, then she took a bite of the chicken wing in her hand.

[I’ll act benevolent since my people are getting angry in my place.]

“I probably found the Fourth Elemental Guardian easily because I’m lucky,” Neoma said in order to stop Hanna and Dahlia from grilling Faust. “If I remember correctly, the former saint blessed me to have good luck when I was a toddler.”

To be precise, Uncle Dominic asked her to choose among three gifts.

She chose ‘luck.’

Anyway, Faust didn’t look convinced by her luck.

“Faust, Neoma also owns an Elemental Guardian,” Ruto said indifferently. “Don’t you think she would know it better than you do?”

Neoma turned to Ruto. “Right?”

Ruto just stared at her face again, then his hand moved to carefully wipe the smidge of sauce from the corner of her mouth using his thumb. “Right.”

.....

Oho?

“Gosh, you should have just told me,” Neoma said, then she pulled out her handkerchief and used it to clean Ruto’s finger. “There.”

Ruto tilted his head as if he was confused. “Thank you?”

Neoma copied what Ruto did. “You’re welcome?”

An awkward silence ensued then.

Until Aspen’s loud laugh broke the silence.

“Princess Neoma, as a token of gratitude for introducing soju to me, please allow me to pour a drink for you,” Aspen, whose face was very red at the moment, said. “Thank you for introducing me to this amazing beverage.”

[Look at this punk.]

Aspen was acting like a typical loud drunk.

However…

[His eyes are clear as day.]

Neoma picked up her glass and held it with both hands as a sign of respect. “Alright, I’ll accept it.”

[I like shrewd people as long as they don’t use their shrewdness to trick me.]

Aspen smiled and poured soju into her glass.

Neoma thanked the demigod, then she turned away from Aspen. After that, she covered her mouth and the glass with her hands before she drank the soju in one shot.

It seemed like the people around her were confused as to why she turned sideways.

Except for one person, of course.

“It’s a sign of respect,” Ruto explained to their confused companions. “In Korea, a country in the other world, the younger person who received the drink from an elder would turn away when they drink as a sign of respect.”

“That’s right,” Neoma confirmed after drinking. Then she smiled at Aspen. “I have to show my respect to someone who’s way, way older than I am.”

Yes, even with all her ages combined.

Aspen looked too surprised to comment.

[Aside from the fact that there’s NO young demigod in the world, his eyes showed wisdom that only a person who has lived long enough possessed.]

Esther patted Aspen’s shoulder. “Aspen, you should be eternally grateful to Princess Neoma. She’s the only ‘junior’ that will respect an elder like you.”

[Pfft. I wonder why their group “bullies” Aspen.]

“Princess Neoma!” Aspen said, then he stood up and bowed deeply towards her. “I’m in your care from now on!”

Neoma couldn’t help but laugh at Aspen’s antics. “You’re funny, good sir.”

“Babe.”

She almost choked on her chicken when Ruto suddenly called her by their cheesy endearment. “Huh?”

Ruto extended his hand to her. “You have a favor to ask of me, don’t you?” he asked. “Let’s talk about it over a cup of coffee.”

“I don’t have a favor to ask from you,” Neoma said, smiling cheekily at her man. “I’m here to receive my reward for finding the Fourth Elemental Guardian that you failed to find after YEARS of searching.”

***

“YOU WANT me to remove the curse on Duke and Duchess Quinzel?”

Neoma sipped her coffee before she responded. “Yes. I want that as a reward for finding the Fourth Elemental Guardian.”

Ruto knitted his eyebrows. “Why do I have to be the one to give you the reward when finding the last Elemental Guardian would benefit us all?”

That was a good point.

[Anyway…]

Right now, Neoma and Ruto were having coffee in the room where Greko and Skylus were sleeping.

To make sure that their conversation wouldn’t wake the children, she put a thin layer of Dome on the lounge area that she and Ruto occupied. It was also some sort of precautionary measure to ensure that no one was eavesdropping on them.

“Because I made YOUR job easier,” Neoma said, placing the mug on the table quietly. “I’m sure you have your own agenda for looking for the Elemental Guardian.”

“Even so, the “reward” you’re asking for is too much,” he said indifferently. “Removing the powerful curse on the ducal couple wouldn’t be easy. I’m sure you know it’s a dangerous method. It’s like you’re asking me to die for you.”

As expected, red flag Ruto was no longer a simp for her.

It hurt a little, but fortunately, she could separate her personal life from work.

On the other hand, she suddenly appreciated Trevor even more now.

[Trevor puts his life on the line to help my people to remember me.]

She also felt bad that she was asking Ruto to put his life at risk. But she had to do what she had to for her people.

[I have to be brazen, especially at times like this.]

“Ruto, I don’t think you understand that you’re not in the position where you can set the conditions for this deal,” Neoma said, smiling at Ruto. He was just Ruto now and not ‘babe’ because they were talking about serious business. “The moment I found the Fourth Elemental Guardian, I already have the upper hand here.”

Ruto sipped his coffee before he spoke. “The upper hand?”

“I know you’re looking for the duck because of the information that he has.”

It was the information Duckie was asking them to pay for.

The fact that Ruto didn’t react only confirmed her thoughts.

[My man needs that information, whatever it is.]

“If you don’t want to make a deal with me, then forget about the information that you want,” she said in a serious tone. “If I told the duck to not share the information with you, he’d surely follow my order. In short, I can monopolize the information that the Fourth Elemental Guardian has.”

After all, she knew the duck’s weakness.

[And he owes me a lot for the number of diamonds I gave him.]

“You’re not making a deal with me,” Ruto said, scoffing. “You’re threatening me, Princess Neoma.”

Yeah, that was exactly what she was doing.

Even though she said that she would make a deal with Ruto, she ended up threatening him instead because he was being... well, rational.

[I guess I’ve been spoiled. I was so used to Ruto putting his life on the life for me. And now that he’s not willing to do that for me, I’m having a hard time.]

But, just like what she said earlier, she had to be firm and brazen.

[I’m sorry, Ruto.]

“And what about it, Lord Ruto?”

“You’re not the only one here who can make a threat.”

As soon as Ruto said that, that howling Thunderbird– Veton– appeared behind him, the bird’s entire body covered in frightening electricity.

Neoma smirked. “How cute.”

After saying that, it was HER Elemental Guardian’s turn to show up.

Kingston materialized beside her and growled at Veton.

The Thunderbird’s howl and the White Lion’s growl were enough to break the thin barrier that Neoma made.

Aigoo.

[What will these beasts do when the children awaken because of their noise?]

Ruto’s dark purple eyes glowed menacingly. “Princess Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio, I need the information that the Fourth Elemental Guardian has.”

“Then do my bidding, Lord Ruston Solfrid Stroganoff,” Neoma said, her eyes turned glowing red. “Undo the ducal couple’s curse.”

***

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