A distant memory...

DOMINIC ZAVARONI was shocked when a poor crow, hit by Princess Nichole's silver arrow, hit him on the head when it fell down.

"Ouch,

" he complained.

"Nichole, you did that on purpose, didn't you?

"

Princess Nichole, who still held her famous silver bow called Artemis, just laughed.

"I didn't know that you wouldn't dodge it, silly Dominic,

" she said, then she dropped her silver bow. But before Artemis could hit the ground, it got engulfed in a silver-ish light before it completely disappeared. The silver arrow that hit the now-dead crow also vanished.

"Why did my Father summon you again?

"

He could only give the Princess Royal a sad smile.

After all, as the Holy Saint, he couldn't share with Princess Nichole the thing that he just discussed with His Majesty.

"Ah, you can't tell me,

" she said, then she sat on the stone railing of Luna Palace's rooftop.

"And yet, you sneaked in here to see me again. I created a strong barrier around this area but since you were the one who taught me how to do that, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it was easy for you to infiltrate my palace.

"

He scoffed at that.

"You call this rusty house a palace? Don't make me laugh. The Holy Knights' quarters look more luxurious than this

"palace.

"

"

"Then, why don't you take me away from here?

"

He was so surprised by her question that he didn't know what else to do than avoid her gaze.

"Dominic, let's run away.

"

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists tight.

"You know I can't do that, Nichole.

"

"Why not?

" she asked casually.

"I'm of legal age now, Dominic.

"

He glared at her.

"Do you know how old I am?

"

"But in human years, aren't you just a few years older than me?

" she asked with a soft laugh.

"And you're just using that as an excuse, aren't you?

"

"Nichole…

"

"Never mind,

" she said, then she changed the topic.

"Dominic, I need your help.

"

He was relieved that the Princess Royal immediately dropped the topic this time.

"Help you with what?

"

"Recently, I feel like someone or something is watching my every move,

" she said seriously.

"Whenever I'll chase them, all I see is a black crow with red eyes.

"

His eyes widened in shock, then he turned to the dead crow on the ground.

"It didn't have red eyes,

" the royal princess said.

"It wasn't the same crow that kept following me these days.

"

Ah, now he knew why the Princess Royal who didn't enjoy hunting suddenly killed a bird. Yes, it was ironic that her weapon, the Artemis, was the best hunting tool in the empire. And yet, Princess Nichole refused to participate in hunting events.

"I will look into it,

" he promised her.

"Nichole, shouldn't you tell Prince Nikolai about it?

"

"Nikolai already has his hands full because of his upcoming wedding,

" she said.

"I don't want to bother him. I can protect myself anyway.

"

"This is one of the things that I don't like about you,

" he said with a scowl.

"You're not alone, Nichole. Please learn how to depend on other people.

"

"Isn't it what I'm doing now?

" she asked with a soft laugh.

"I'm asking you, the love of my life, to help me.

"

He definitely turned red when the Princess Royal called him the love of her life.

It wasn't like they had a romantic relationship. Aside from their huge age gap, their love was impossible because he was the saint and she was the Princess Royal. He could never be selfish and leave the temple just because of his personal feelings.

And Princess Nichole knew that.

"Thank you for asking for my help, Nichole,

" he told her.

"Please be safe, hmm?

"

She smiled and nodded, then she stood up and extended her hand to him.

"Dominic, this is the last time I'm going to ask you: won't you run away with me?

"

His chest tightened in a painful way.

God knows how much he wanted to take that hand. But his conscience and his love for his god prevented him from doing so. Moreover, their believers needed a symbol of god more than ever. If he ran away, those poor children would lose their way.

"Nichole…

" Dominic said, then he took her hand. But instead of taking it with the intention of running away with her, he just took it and brought it near his mouth.

"I am a loyal follower of Lord Yule, the Moon God.

"

Nichole seemed like she already expected that kind of response from him. In the end, she just accepted it and smiled at him– it was a bittersweet smile in his eyes.

"May I become the most important person in your heart in our next lifetime, my Dominic.

"

If only Dominic knew that it would be the last time that Princess Nichole could extend her hand to him, he would have grabbed it when he still had the chance...

***

"NICHOLE…

" Dominic Zavaroni extended his hand even though he knew that Princess Nichole was no longer there to take it. But after dreaming about the last time that she asked him to run away with her, he couldn't help but imagine a different scenario. One where he took her hand and ran away with her.

"Let's run away.

"

"Okay,

" a female voice said, then she grabbed his hand.

"Where do you want to go?

"

But instead of warm skin, he felt soft fur touch him.

When Dominic opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised to see Miss Gale, in her white bunny form, sitting on the back of her hand.

"Greetings, Miss Gale.

"

"Is it really the time for you to be sleeping?

" Miss Gale asked, then she hopped off and sat on his chest instead. Her pastel pink eyes were focused on his face. Although she was in her bunny form, the Wind Spirit's aura was still intimidating.

"And here I am, wondering where you have gone to. I thought you were going to visit Princess Neoma after checking on Prince Nero?

"

"I just went back in my room to change my clothes and nap for a bit,

" he said, ashamed that he fell asleep when he was supposed to visit the young royal princess.

"I'm sorry but do you know how long I've fallen asleep, Miss Gale?

"

"I saw you when you lay on the bed,

" the Wind Spirit said.

"You fell asleep for three minutes before you started to have a weird dream.

"

Just three minutes?

Argh, with how Miss Gale scolded him, he thought he had fallen asleep for more than an hour.

"Did you dream about Princess Nichole again?

"

He almost had a heart attack because of Miss Gale's straightforward question. If another person asked him about the former Princess Royal, he would have thrown a fit. But since it was the Wind Spirit, he'd probably die if he fought her one on one.

"If I had known back then the black crow with red eyes that Nichole mentioned that day would cause her demise, I would have taken her hand and ran away with her.

"

The reason why he couldn't truly hate Emperor Nikolai after he absorbed Princess Nichole's life force was the fact that it was the only way to give her an honorable death back then. It was ruthless, but even now, he knew that the then crown-prince did the right thing.

After all, The Crow ruined the Princess Royal so much that even he would rather kill her than see her suffer more.

"It's too late to regret your decision, Dominic.

"

"That, I know,

" he said, then he decided to change the topic before the memories of Princess Nichole make him cry again. He carefully held Miss Gale in his hands before he got up.

"Where have you been to, Miss Gale? I expected you to stick to Princess Neoma all the time.

"

"I'm not Princess Neoma's babysitter,

" she complained.

"The young princess asked me to train her how to become a Summoner like Mona.

"

"Well, she's a Roseheart so the fact that Her Royal Highness turns out to be a Summoner like her mother isn't surprising.

"

"Uh-huh. I'm busy searching for Spirits that Princess Neoma can practice summoning,

" she said.

"Luckily, I found one. It's a problem

"child

" but it seems like the young princess is good at handling problematic children anyway.

"

He smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, there's a reason why I'm here, Dominic,

" the Wind Spirit said.

"Princess Neoma also wants to learn how to create strong barriers like the former Princess Royal.

"

He was surprised to hear that.

"Really?

"

"Yes. But since we can't depend on little Nikolai to teach Princess Neoma on how to create barriers, I figured it's up to us to aid the young princess,

" Gale said seriously.

"Dominic, as Princess Nichole's former mentor, would you accept Princess Neoma as your new disciple?

"

He would have said no if they didn't find out about the black crow that Princess Neoma saw in her dreams.

But after knowing that The Crow may have been resurrected to target the young royal princess this time, he could no longer stand on the

"neutral

" side. Moreover, he had already expressed to Emperor Nikolai his intention to protect Princess Neoma.

"I don't mind taking Princess Neoma in as my new disciple,

" Dominic Zavaroni said firmly.

"But of course, we need to ask her if she wants to be my student first.

"

***

NERO was quite anxious while waiting for Hanna to talk.

He just told her about her fight with Neoma. Right now, he was waiting for her to comment on the problem.

Why is she so quiet?

Right now, they were in a tea room guarded by His Majesty's Soul Beasts. Sir Glenn excused himself a while ago to attend to the foreign princess. But the knight said he would return as soon as possible.

He didn't mind though. After all, he needed privacy with Hanna anyway.

"I see,

" Hanna said after taking a sip from her tea. Then, she elegantly put the teacup down on the saucer before she raised her head to look at him properly.

"Prince Nero, you haven't matured yet, have you?

"

Nero, offended by the young lady's assumption, raised a brow.

"Excuse me?

"

"Do you think Neoma is only thinking of her survival?

" she asked in firm, clear, and a little cold voice.

"And you got angry at her for using you so that she could escape this palace as soon as you're fully recovered?

"

Okay, Hanna's attitude right now had taken him aback.

The young lady was usually prim and proper. She also smiled a lot to appear polite. In short, she acted like a pushover. But there wasn't an ounce of meekness in her behavior now.

"Prince Nero, you may not know this because you're a male,

" the young lady said.

"But the life of a Moonasterion Princess is filled with nothing but loneliness and hardships. What's wrong if Neoma wants to leave this palace? This place has never treated her right until she donned your clothes and took your spot.

"

"I know how she's treated before we switched places,

" he insisted with clenched hands.

"But that's exactly the reason why I'm working hard to recover and become a prince that can protect her.

"

She took a deep breath before she continued speaking.

"Neoma has to wear a magical collar that changes her voice to match yours every minute of her life, Prince Nero. She can't even talk using her own voice.

"

He felt gutted when he heard that. Well, he already knew that. But somehow, hearing that from another person made him feel more awful.

"But that doesn't end there,

" Hanna said in a sad voice.

"Princess Neoma likes wearing pretty dresses but she's forced to wear your clothes every single day. She likes flower arrangement and embroidery but she was banned from doing so because it's too

"feminine

" for a prince. Instead, she's forced to take swordsmanship and horse riding lessons for a

"hobby.

" She also takes good care of her skin but due to her training, her hands and feet are now full of blisters. And she's only eight years old, Prince Nero.

"

He bit her lower lip because he knew what Neoma would have to go through as the

"crown prince.

" But…

"But you think it's normal for Neoma to do that for you, don't you?

" the young lady confronted him while giving him a disapproving look.

"Why? Is it because she's a mere princess while you're the crown prince?

"

His face turned red from embarrassment.

"It's not like that!

"

"Then, you should do everything in your power to help Neoma get out of here safely, Prince Nero,

" Hanna said firmly.

"She never once felt that the Royal Palace is her home. Do you know that she has a secret bag where she hid a few clothes and some bags of gold coins just in case she gets kicked out of the palace?

"

"What…?

"

"She also never touched any of the gifts that she received as

"Prince Nero,

"

" she continued in a sad voice.

"Everything that's supposed to be yours is hidden in the Royal Treasury Room, Your Royal Highness. I know because she showed me where she put all the gifts that I prepared for you in the past three years.

"

This time, he couldn't think of anything else to say. He felt utterly defeated by Hanna's words. It seemed like a slap to him.

"Neoma is protecting your place as the crown prince because she truly cares for you, Prince Nero,

" she said with a soft tone this time.

"She wants you to have a safe and comfortable place to return to. If it isn't sibling love, then I don't know what else to call it.

"

He loosened up his clenched hands and took a deep breath.

Alright, he lost. He would admit that Hanna's words successfully knocked some sense into him. Moreover, it wasn't like he could stay mad at Neoma for so long.

He was hurt, but now he knew that Neoma suffered more than he did.

"Hanna, if you were me, what would you do to protect Neoma?

"

"I can only think of two things that I'd do if I were you, Prince Nero.

"

"I want to hear it.

"

"First, if I were you, I'd provide a safe and comfortable life for Neoma outside the Royal Palace,

" Hanna said seriously.

"I'd give her a new identity so people with malicious intent towards the royal family would never find her. And second…

" She paused for a moment before she continued, her green eyes now glowing for some reason.

"If I were the crown prince, I'd take the throne from His Majesty and get rid of the laws that oppress the Moonasterion Princesses.

"

"You're crazy, Hanna Quinzel,

" Nero said, amused by Hanna's sudden boldness. He wasn't going to lie: he liked the changes he was seeing in her. With that thought, he couldn't help but smile.

"Have you always been like that?

"

***

"YOUR MAJESTY, Prince Nero is requesting for the key of the Royal Treasury Room.

"

Nikolai raised his head to look at Glenn properly. Right now, he was in his office but he didn't mind the knight's interruption. After all, he wanted to talk to him anyway.

"You can give it to Nero,

" he said.

"Anyway, since you're already here, I have something to tell you.

"

"I'm listening, Your Majesty.

"

He leaned against his chair before he spoke.

"I'm thinking of giving Neoma her own private Order.

"

'Order' referred to the private army that served one member of the royal family. The best example would be the White Lion Knights under his direct control.

"Since Her Royal Highness is now the crown prince, it wouldn't be weird for her to have her own Order,

" the knight said.

"But I thought you'd only give a private army for the crown prince once Prince Nero returns, Your Majesty?

"

"The Order that I'm talking about isn't for Nero.

"

Glenn fell silent for a while, then his eyes widened in surprise.

"Your Majesty, you'll get Princess Neoma her own private army?

"

"Yes,

" Nikolai said firmly. He thought about it for a long time. Now that there was a possibility that The Crow was still alive, he had to do everything in his power to defeat it again. And he should start by giving the best protection to The Crow's target: his daughter.

"It's time to give Neoma the things that she deserves as the royal princess.

"

***

NOTE: Ah, finally! I was able to update daily for a month. Congrats to us! Unfortunately, I won't be able to do it this March. I wasn't able to prepare a stockpile for my new privilege tier because I was busy with my day job.

Anyway, I will add FIVE more chapters so please give me three or five days before I post them.

I promise that they're going to be worth it.

The next arc is going to be INSANE. So please consider buying my privilege. My dream is to have more than 500 priv readers this time. Thank you to the 306 people who bought my priv. Love y'all. Hope to see you again this month. Hehe.

Here are a few things that you can look forward to in the upcoming arc:

1. Duke Jasper Hawthorne and Princess Neoma de Moonasterio roasting each other--- verbally and literally. LOL

2. You'll see why Sir Glenn is called 'Mad Dog.; He's not that kind, yk?

3. Friends and allies leaving Neoma one by one.

4. You'll finally meet REGINA CROWELL! Which means Rubin Drayton will return. Haha yeah, I know you're not excited about that.

5. MY FAVORITE PART OF THE UPCOMING ARC: NEOMA GOING ON A RAMPAGE. Our princess is bat** crazy, I tell you.

Yes, I am bribing (and begging) you to buy my privilege tiers: 1 coin for 2 chapters, 50 coins for 5 chapters, and 100 coins for 10 chapters. Hope you consider buying them. Thank you. <3

Again, please give me 3-5 days to prepare for my next update. Sorry in advance for making you wait. And thank you always for the support. :)

***

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