TATE cursed under his breath when he found himself outside Castillo Hall.

Lewis Crevan, the fox boy, dragged him roughly out of the hall a while ago. And now, he was literally blocking his way so he couldn't enter the hall again. He didn't want to admit this but he couldn't pass a boy younger than him because he was freaking strong. Whenever he would try to attack the young fox, he'd attack him back with the intention of killing him.

As if that wasn't enough, a few moments later, a strange shadow-like dome covered the entire Castillo Hall. It seemed to be a shadow technique by a Quinzel.

It couldn't be Duke Rufus Quinzel because the Mana I feel is not that strong yet, Tate thought to himself while looking at the shadow dome. Then, it must be Lady Hanna Quinzel. Why is she helping the fake Crown Prince though?

But then again, maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

After all, the House Quinzel had been the emperor's loyal dog as a way to pay for the sins of the former Commander Gavin Quinzel.

"Hey, fox boy. I give up,

" he said. He couldn't risk his life fighting the fox boy when his young master was inside the hall unprotected. He'd rather use his strength protecting the duke instead of wasting his time fighting someone who was stronger than him. This was his punishment for underestimating the fox boy.

"Let me through.

"

Lewis Crevan, much to his chagrin, just ignored him completely.

This fox boy wasn't mute so why the hell wouldn't he utter even a word?! The only sound that he made from the very beginning was the sound of his breathing! He didn't even scream or groan when he punched and kicked him a while ago.

God, thinking about it just made his blood boil.

"I take it back,

" Tate snarled at the indifferent fox boy.

"I'll torture the hell out of you until I hear you scream for mercy, Lewis Crevan!

"

***

NERO was a little surprised when the spell that Madam Hammock cast on him and Neoma activated all of a sudden. When it took effect, his wig disappeared and so was the dress he wore. But it was instantly replaced by the clothes that Neoma wore a while ago (yes, the dress that he had a minute ago was probably on his twin sister now).

Neoma was the only one who could activate that by breaking the small spirit stone that Madam Hammock gave them a while ago.

Ah, so you decided to reveal the royal secret to Duke Jasper Hawthorne,

" Nero thought to himself. He could feel the fight between Neoma and the young duke. But his twin sister firmly told him not to interfere. I don't understand what you're trying to do, Neoma. But I pray that you didn't make the wrong choice.

"Nero, should I cover the Castillo Hall now with my Veil of Darkness?

"

Nero turned to Hanna who seemed to be waiting for his order. Ah, right. Neoma told the young Quinzel to create a Veil once the spell had been activated.

"Yes, please,

" he said.

"Only Duke Jasper Hawthorne should know the royal secret.

" He hesitated at first but in the end, he gently patted Hanna's face.

"But don't push yourself too hard, Hanna.

"

Hanna's naturally rosy cheeks turned rosier, then she smiled and nodded.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Nero.

"

***

NIKOLAI raised his head to look at Rufus when his cousin suddenly stopped in the middle of his oral report.

Right now, aside from Rufus, Glenn was also in his office. They were listening to the duke's report regarding the mastermind behind the attack a while ago. Kyle, on the other hand, just left the room to compensate the victims of the bombing attack earlier.

Nikolai raised a brow when Rufus remained silent.

"What's wrong, Rufus?

"

Rufus looked worried when he nodded.

"I just felt it when Hanna used her Mana, Your Majesty. I think my daughter created a huge Veil of Darkness.

"

"Hanna Quinzel is with my children,

" he told his cousin.

"Can you tell if the children are in danger?

"

The duke shook his head.

"I only felt Hanna's Mana because our shadow technique is quite connected to each other, Your Majesty.

"

"Your Majesty, should I check on the children?

" Glenn volunteered, obviously worried about the kids.

"As far as I know, they're at the Castillo Hall.

"

"No need for that,

" he said firmly.

"My Soul Beasts say that the children are fine. There's a fight, but apparently, the kids are winning.

"

Both Rufus and Glenn looked relieved by his assurance.

He, on the other hand, leaned against his chair and looked at his cousin with a raised brow.

"Rufus, it seems like your daughter is infatuated with my son.

"

Rufus flinched at his remark.

"It may just be a silly crush, Your Majesty.

"

"But a puppy love could easily be turned into a serious romance when the children grow up,

" he said, enjoying the look of horror on Rufus's face. Okay, he was a little bit insulted by his cousin's reaction.

"What's with that look, Rufus? Is Nero inadequate for Hanna Quinzel?

"

"It's not like that, Your Majesty,

" his cousin denied while shaking his head.

"I just think that it's too early to talk about the children's relationship at the moment.

"

Well, that was true for most.

But his son was the Crown Prince, and the daughter of House Quinzel was the top candidate to become the Crown Princess in the near future. For royals and higher nobles like them, the talk of engagement between their families' heir and heiress would never be too early.

"Rufus, you know that Hanna Quinzel is the top candidate to be the Crown Princess, don't you?

"

Rufus nodded, then he bowed his head so low he thought he'd hit the desk.

"Your Majesty, I want Hanna to have the freedom to choose whom to marry once she's of age to become a bride,

" he said in a pleading voice.

"Please don't force my daughter to marry Prince Nero if she has a change of heart in the future.

"

Nikolai let out a deep sigh.

"I was just messing with you,

" he said.

"Stop making me look like the bad guy, Rufus.

"

***

"I'M NEOMA de Moonasterio, Nero's hidden twin sister,

" Neoma introduced herself to the shocked Jasper Hawthorne. She smiled at him, then she curtsied politely.

"It's nice to meet you, Your Grace.

"

"Why?

" Jasper Hawthorne asked in disbelief.

"Why would you reveal your secret when I haven't agreed to be your ally yet? Are you going to kill me now?

"

She just laughed it off, then she squatted down and hugged her knees to meet his eye level.

"Your Grace, I can't tell you how I discovered your family's dark secret,

" he said seriously.

"So to be fair to you, I decided to reveal my own secret to you.

"

"You're trying to earn my trust, aren't you?

"

"Of course,

" she admitted because it was too obvious to deny anyway.

"After all, I really want you to be my ally.

"

His brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why though?

"

"Because I know your goal and I believe that we have the same ideologies,

" she said bluntly.

"Plus, I want to help you with the thing about Mount Kimbro.

"

Once again, he looked shocked. Then, he laughed while shaking his head.

"You really know a lot of things that a hidden princess like you shouldn't know,

" he said, then he turned serious.

"Now you have my attention, Your Royal Highness. If you can't tell me how you managed to uncover these secrets, you don't mind if I spy on you, do you?

"

It was her turn to laugh.

"A spy shouldn't tell his target that he'd spy on her, dummy.

"

"I know that,

" he said with a smirk.

"But it seems like you're smart enough to know if you were being spied on or not anyway.

"

She smiled and nodded.

"So, is it safe to assume that we're allies now?

"

"I want to hear what you know about Mount Kimbro,

" he said while moving his head from side to side.

"And I lost to you.

"

"Now, we're talking,

" she said with a smile, then she extended her hand to him.

"Duke Jasper Hawthorne, will you be my oppa?

"

He just raised a brow at her.

"Oh, 'oppa' means 'older brother.' It's from a language that only the royal family speaks,

" Neoma lied with a bright smile on her face. To be honest, she was mentally order than Duke Jasper Hawthorne. But he was older and more mature than the other children around them. Plus, he was smart and responsible. She knew that she could depend on him.

"I feel like we'd really get along well, Your Grace.

"

"I'm not so sure about that,

" Jasper Hawthorne said, then he took his hand and shook it.

"I don't have a sister so don't blame me if I don't know how to treat you like one.

"

***

"HEY, HOW long are you going to look around?

" Rubin asked, his hands on his hips. He hated to be in Illumina Plaza because there were a lot of commoners around them. But since his companion was really interested, and he couldn't say 'no' to that angelic face, he couldn't help but give in. He was starting to regret it now though.

"We should hurry and go to the palace now. I thought you wanted to see the Crown Prince?

"

Regina, holding a pink parasol in her hands, finally stopped looking at the stalls around them to turn to him. Then, she smiled sweetly at him. And when she smiled, her beautiful green eyes sparkled even more. Her raven hair framed her small, lovely face. So even though she wore a simple dress than what most noble ladies usually wear, her radiant beauty still stood out.

"Yes, I can't wait to see the Crown Prince, Rubin.

"

***

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***

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