***

I'M FUCKING bored.

Since Neoma was bored, it was time for her to play. And who was her best playmate in the Royal Palace? Yes, you probably guessed it right.

"Good morning, my handsome Papa Boss whose only saving grace is his shocking visual!

" Neoma greeted her father energetically after she barged in his office unannounced.

"Your beautiful, charismatic, and witty daughter is here to light up your boring world!

"

"No,

" her Papa Boss said bluntly without even looking up from the documents he was reading.

"Glenn, escort my beautiful, charismatic, and witty daughter out of my office.

"

Glenn laughed softly but he didn't move from his spot next to her father.

It wasn't like Glenn was ignoring her Papa Boss's order. The knight simply knew her father well enough to know that the emperor wasn't being serious with his order.

"Papa Boss, I'm here because I have a business proposal to make,

" she said, then she sat on the couch in the lounge area of her father's office.

"I've come up with a brilliant idea to inspire the scholars that I'm secretly raising.

"

She was the secret head of the Sword Lily Foundation that was built to support poor yet talented individuals in different areas. The foundation was being run by her Teacher Belmont in her stead. But all the important and difficult decision-making tasks were her responsibility.

"Your Majesty, should I ask the servants to bring refreshments?

" Glenn asked with a warm smile on his face.

"It's time for His Majesty to take a break anyway.

"

Her Papa Boss let out a sigh before he dropped the documents on the table, then he turned to Glenn to give the knight a sharp look.

"Sometimes I wonder if you have become Neoma's babysitter since you serve her better than you do to me.

"

"That's not true, Your Majesty,

" Glenn said cheerfully.

"Serving Her Royal Highness well is one of my duties as your faithful subject.

"

"Papa Boss, you have a smart friend,

" she chipped in, then she gave the knight a thumbs up.

"You're the best, Sir Glenn.

"

Glenn chuckled and copied her by giving her a thumbs up, too.

"You two are an annoying combination,

" her Papa Boss complained, then he stood up and sat on the couch across from him.

"Glenn, ask the servants to bring refreshments.

"

"As you wish, Your Majesty.

"

She behaved as a proper

"Crown Prince

" when the servants arrived to bring them tea and a wide variety of snacks.

As soon as the servants left, she returned to her usual mode.

It was only her, Papa Boss, and Glenn in the office anyway.

"So Papa Boss, I believe I need to look for a new batch of talented individuals to raise,

" she said after taking a sip of her sweetened tea.

"So I'm thinking of launching a writing contest.

"

"Have you run out of interesting books to read?

"

"Ohh, you know me so well, Papa Boss–

" She covered her mouth when she gasped.

"Oops.

"

Her father smirked at his reaction.

"Did you think I'd believe you when you said you just wanted to find a new batch of scholars to support? I'm pretty sure that you're thinking of hosting another writing contest just because you wanted to read new books.

"

"That's just one of the reasons, Papa Boss,

" she said defensively.

"Don't you trust your daughter's pure heart?

"

Once again, her father smirked.

"Your heart is just as pure as my soul, little rogue.

"

What a way to tell your daughter that her heart is corrupted.

"That means your heart is really pure, Your Royal Highness,

" Glenn, who was standing behind her father, said with a genuine smile on his face.

"His Majesty's soul is pure, after all.

"

She almost choked on her cookie. Sir Glenn, you're a nice guy but please don't spout bull**.

"Shut up, Glenn,

" her Papa Boss said, then he sipped his tea before he spoke again.

"What's the theme of the writing contest that you want to host?

"

"Passionate romance–

"

"Rejected,

" her father said sternly.

"Why is a young child like you so obsessed with indecent books?

"

"Papa Boss, how dare you disrespect the romance genre?

" she complained.

"Romance sells well!

"

To be honest, she was about to say

"sex sells

" but she would probably end up being grounded by her Papa Boss so she toned it down. She was telling the truth though. Erotic books were very popular from where she came from, and some of the bestselling erotic romance novels that she had read back then had been turned into movies.

"My answer is still no,

" her Papa Boss said.

"Do you want me to burn your secret collection of indecent books?

"

Oops.

"I have another theme prepared since I'm a girl's scout,

" she said, swiftly changing the topic to protect her not-so-secret stash of romance books.

"The second theme is about dragons.

"

"Dragons?

"

"Yeah,

" she said, then she sipped her tea before she continued.

"I made Tteokbokki cry the other day. It seems like my jokes have gone too far and they have become borderline bullying. I want to make it up to him by reading stories about dragons to him. That little punk likes being praised a lot so I know that he'd be happy with my plan.

"

Her father scoffed.

"Your Soul Beast is your servant. You don't have to appease it.

"

"Tteokbokki is not my servant, Papa Boss,

" she said firmly.

"Tteokbokki is my younger brother. So that makes Tteokbokki your son, too.

"

"Are you trying to build a shelter for animals now?

"

"Tteokbokki would cry if he heard you call him an animal, Papa Boss,

" she said with a pout.

"Don't bully my Tteokbokki. Only I am allowed to do that.

"

Her Papa Boss let out a deep sigh while shaking his head.

"I'll summon Lady Belmont here for you to discuss your plan with your teacher.

"

Neoma smiled at her father.

"Thank you, Papa Boss.

"

***

***

"I DON'T want to play with you,

" Neoma, dressed and acting like she was the Crown Prince, declared while looking at Rubin Drayton.

"Why do you keep on coming here anyway?

"

"Do you think that I visit His Royal Highness on my own accord?

" Rubin Drayton, that little bastard, retorted haughtily.

"I'm only here to build some sort of relationship with you– the Crown Prince.

"

Damned politics.

Because of that damned thing, here she was now– practicing archery with Rubin Drayton in one of the training grounds in the palace. Of course, they were surrounded by servants and guards from the Drayton family. As well as servants and royal knights assigned for her protection.

After completely crushing Rubin Drayton by defeating him in a few rounds of target archery, the whining bastard finally requested a break. Well, what could she do? Rubin Drayton had longer limbs than her but she had more accuracy and precision when hitting the target from a set distance.

I'm awesome that way.

"These are normal snacks,

" Rubin Drayton complained after the servants spread a variety of snacks on the table.

"I want to eat your chef's famous

"corndog.

"

"

She rolled her eyes and sipped her tea before she responded.

"Rubin Drayton, you don't deserve to eat the food that my chef personally makes for me.

"

"You can't do that to me,

" the brat said with a frown.

"Your Royal Highness, I am the successor of Duke Drayton.

"

She smirked.

"And I am the successor of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Nikolai de Moonasterio– the one and only moon of the Great Moonasterion Empire, and the descendant of Lord Yule– the Moon God and the protector of our continent.

"

"That amazing person will soon be my royal father-in-law though.

"

Her smirk disappeared.

It was a relief that the servants and guards were far from them. Even Lewis had to stand with the guards since she was talking with the young lord.

But knowing her son's sharp senses, he probably heard what Rubin Drayton said.

This **ing bigmouth!

"Hey, you little bastard,

" she said in a low and cold voice. To protect their conversation from being leaked, she created a Dome around them. It also served as a soundproof barrier of some sort. Lewis looked alarmed so she gestured to him that she was fine.

"Who gave you the permission to talk about the royal secret so openly? Do you have a death wish?

"

The little bastard shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's not like I'm breaking the oath since Your Royal Highness also knows the royal secret,

" he said.

"Come to think of it, Your Royal Highness is going to be my brother-in-law in the future.

"

"Are you crazy?

" she said, huffing.

"I heard from my father that the engagement has been called off a long time ago. You're not my sister's style, you know?

"

Well, she really liked Rubin Drayton's face even now.

But she hadn't lost her mind yet. Even though the little bastard hadn't betrayed her the way he betrayed her in her first life, she wasn't stupid to fall for him again. Now that she knew her worth very well, she wouldn't beg for his love or attention anymore.

"The engagement hasn't officially been called off yet, Your Royal Highness.

"

Ah, **.

What was her Papa Boss thinking for not officially calling the engagement off with Rubin Drayton yet?!

"Don't worry, Rubin,

" she said while gritting her teeth.

"House Drayton will soon receive a formal letter calling your engagement off with my precious twin sister.

"

Look at the little bastard smile.

It must have been his plan to provoke me so the Royal Family would officially call off the engagement first.

But if Rubin Drayton had to do this even though she was pretty sure that her Papa Boss already called off the engagement a long time ago, that only meant Duke Drayton hadn't accepted it yet.

The duke still probably wanted to marry Rubin off to her.

It's not that Duke Drayton is desperate to be a part of the Royal Family since I wasn't recognized as part of it even in my first life. He's probably after my awesome genes since a royal family member's child will always inherit the traits of the de Moonasterios. Plus, if I gave birth to a son, my child will gain the right to inherit the throne.

Hmm.

Come to think of it, during her first life, Duke Drayton had expressed his discontent toward the

"crazy Crown Prince

" even though he was supposed to be a part of the Royal Faction.

Huh? Is that the reason why Duke Drayton was very desperate to marry Rubin off to me back in my first life? Was the duke hoping that I'd give birth to a son that could overthrow Nero who had a bad reputation back then?

It actually made sense.

Since my mother gave birth to Nero, they probably thought that the curse on the Rosehearts had finally been broken.

"Rubin Drayton.

"

"What?

"

Look at this rude bastard. Only I am allowed to be rude here, you know?

"You like someone else, don't you?

"

Rubin blushed disgustingly.

"I'm cheering you on, Rubin,

" she said, then she put her hands on her chest while faking a benevolent look on her pretty face.

"Don't worry. I will help you get the girl that you love. If Duke Drayton gets in your way, tell me. I will help you.

"

It seemed like the little bastard was still really a kid because his face lit up with her bull**. Her conscience was pricked a liiittle bit but she ignored it.

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness,

" Rubin said sincerely, then he smiled brightly at her.

"I appreciate your support.

"

Tsk. Rubin's visual is really shocking. I hate him but his handsome face is innocent, right?

Neoma, whose eyes were blessed because of Rubin's smiling face, unknowingly gave the young lord a genuine smile.

As expected, Rubin's face is too dangerous– my heart almost wavered.

Unbeknownst to Neoma, that genuine smile of her toward Rubin Drayton made some people unhappy.

Very unhappy, at that.

***

***

"WHAT is our Ruto cooking this time?

" Neoma asked cheerfully as soon as she entered Ruto's private kitchen in her father's palace. She called Ruto as soon as she heard an interesting piece of news earlier. Then, using their communication device, she asked him if she could visit his kitchen. He said it was fine so here she was now.

"I heard something from my fellow servants.

"

"I'm just cooking some corndogs,

" Ruto asked without even looking up at her because he was busy frying some corndogs. Was it her or he looked upset for some reason?

"Did you hear about me sending food to the young Lord Drayton?

"

"Yep,

" she said. She heard it from Lewis. And thus, she immediately disguised herself as Neoma Ramsay and wore a simple dress.

"I heard you came up with a new version of a corndog. May I have some?

"

"Okay.

"

Oh.

Ruto was pretty cold right now, huh? He was probably in a bad mood. Well, that was okay since he wasn't being rude to her. It was natural for everyone to have a bad day anyway.

I should leave after filling up my stomach.

"Here,

" Ruto said, then he faced her and handed her a corndog-on-stick that she accepted wholeheartedly.

"This is an experiment though. I'm not sure if you'll like it.

"

"I will like everything and anything you cook, Ruto,

" she said, then she took a bite of the new corndog.

Instant regret.

It was hell.

"Ruto, you betrayed me,

" she said bitterly, her eyes teary.

"How dare you put cucumber in this corndog instead of sausage?!

"

Ruto looked at her for a few moments before he burst out laughing.

"You hate cucumber that much?

"

She nodded, but she continued on munching on the cursed cucumber corndog.

"You don't have to force yourself to eat it, Miss Ramsay.

"

"But I don't want to waste it since it's you who made this cursed snack…

"

"I didn't make it for you so it's fine,

" he said, then he gently and swiftly snatched the cursed corndog from her hand.

"I made this specifically for Lord Drayton.

"

"But why?

"

"I heard that Lord Drayton complained earlier that I didn't serve him the snack that I usually make for you.

"

"Huh? Then, why didn't you just make a normal corndog for him?

"

He shrugged.

"I thought he might like it since he likes healthy food?

"

"How did you even know that?

"

"Well, I'm a royal chef,

" he said.

"Lord Drayton and his family are often invited at the banquets held in the palace. I know what most nobles like to eat.

"

Her ears perked up.

"I'm not a noble but we're pretty close, aren't we? Do you know what kind of food I like most?

"

"Meat,

" he said without missing a beat.

"And sweets. You have a separate stomach for dessert.

"

"You know me so well, Ruto.

"

He just nodded, then he started eating the cursed corndog saying that it was a waste to throw it away.

She already took a bite of that corndog, but she wasn't a child to make a big deal out of it.

That's an adult for y'all.

"Ruto, what is your favorite food?

"

"Steak and red wine–

" he said, then he abruptly stopped as if he was caught.

"Steak.

"

"You said red wine,

" she said with a frown.

"Ruto, I know that you cook meals with red wine in it. But it's not good for a child to drink alcohol, okay? Take care of your body.

"

"I will,

" he said, then he changed the topic.

"You're serving the Crown Prince, don't you?

"

"Uh-huh.

"

"Then, have you seen Lord Drayton personally?

"

"Uh-huh.

"

"What do you think of him?

"

"He's very handsome,

" she said casually.

"I don't like him, but his visual is my style. This is embarrassing to say but I really like his face. I also think that his blond hair and pale blue eyes are pretty.

"

Adult Rubin Drayton's built was also her style. He looked lean but if you look closely, he was quite muscular. His adult version was also very tall.

"I guess Lord Drayton is really handsome,

" Ruto said after finishing the cursed corndog.

"You don't fuss over my appearance that way.

"

She let out a fake cough.

Ruto was

"safe-looking

" while most of the men around her were

"dangerous looking.

" The more dangerous-looking a person was, the more good-looking they were. But Ruto wasn't like that so in her eyes, he was

"safe looking.

"

But her Ruto wasn't a squid! A squid was a Korean term for

"ugly

" people. And he was far from that!

"I also like your face, Ruto,

" she said sincerely.

"You look nice and very neat.

"

"You don't have to comfort me.

"

"You don't have to be too dangerous looking, you know?

" she insisted passionately. Then, she pointed to her face.

"You can't see my face but it's is very beautiful. And so, my shocking visual is enough for the two of us.

"

"What does it mean?

"

"It's okay even if only one person between a couple has a god-tier visual.

"

Ruto smiled and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are we a couple?

"

"No, not yet,

" Neoma said, then she flipped her hair before turning her back on Ruto to hide her blushing face.

"You have to feed me more before you get to ask such questions!

"

***

***

"LEWIS, let's go glamping!

" Neoma excitedly said to Lewis after she was done with her meeting with Lady Belmont– her favorite teacher.

"I don't want to play with Rubin Drayton tomorrow so let's escape from here!

"

Lewis, who was standing in front of her office desk, tilted his head to one side.

"What is

"glamping,

" Princess Neoma?

"

"It's luxurious camping,

" she said excitedly.

"Let's go camping on a mountain.

"

"Hmm…

"

"What is it?

" she asked when she noticed that her son seemed to be hesitating.

"Don't you like to go camping, Lewis?

"

"I want to go with Princess Neoma,

" her son said.

"But I don't think the camp life suits you. You're too vain and you hate insects. Moreover, I'm not that confident in my cooking skills yet. I'm used to catching and roasting wild boars but it might not suit your taste–

"

"Wait, Lewis,

" she said, cutting him off gently.

"I think you misunderstood it. I called it 'glamping' because it's not your average camping stuff. I want to be comfortable so I'll be bringing a big tent enough to fit a decent-sized bed and a small tea room. Of course, the food we'll be bringing will be provided by Ruto. Then, I'll let Tteokbokki play in the open field during the day and use him as a personal bonfire when it gets cold during the night.

"

"That's… too comfortable.

"

She giggled at her son's response.

"That's the point of

"glamping,

" my precious son.

"

"I'm okay with being your precious person but not as a son, Princess Neoma.

"

"You are both to me,

" Neoma said, then she stood up and stretched her arms.

"Let's go and get Papa Boss's permission first.

"

***

NEOMA'S heart thumped hard against her chest when the carriage abruptly stopped. She instantly turned to Jeanne Audley who was sitting on the couch across from her.

"It's the mountain bandits, isn't it?

"

Lewis, who insisted on riding a horse instead of joining her inside the carriage, closed the window earlier. And so, she couldn't see what was happening outside. She could hear loud voices spouting crude words though.

"It must be the mountain bandits, Miss Ramsay,

" Jeanne Audley said, then she smiled at her. And yes, she was dressed as Miss Ramsay today. Thus, the carriage that she was using was a rental carriage that was similar to what merchants would often use.

"Why do you look excited?

"

Because! Mountain! Bandits! Are! Cliché!

You couldn't have a fantasy or an adventure-type novel without mountain bandits!

It wasn't like she was underestimating the danger that those types of people bring. But it was funny to her. Aside from Jeanne Audley and Lewis, she was with Dion. Unless the mountain bandits were legendary warriors in disguise, she knew that her life wouldn't be in danger.

Plus, Papa Boss wouldn't have given his permission if this mountain is dangerous.

"I heard that this mountain has mountain bandits that are causing problems to the merchants trying to go to the Royal Capital,

" she said in a slightly serious voice. She might act like a spoiled brat most of the time. But at the end of the day, she was still a royal princess with a strong sense of duty. She didn't care if all the credits would go to the real Crown Prince someday.

"I wanted to deal with them myself to see how the mountain bandits managed to operate for this long without getting caught.

"

The female Paladin looked surprised by her words, then she smiled warmly at her.

"Miss Ramsay, I'm proud of you.

"

"Don't be,

" she said with a laugh.

"I also came here to play.

"

Jeanne Audley's smile grew wider.

"That's why you're more amazing, Miss Ramsay.

"

Neoma just smiled and turned to her side. Then, she opened the window to take a peek outside. She couldn't help but giggle when she saw Lewis and Dion dealing with the huge and strong-looking men outside. The bandits were cursing in front of her precious son who remained quiet. So she cursed in his place.

"Lewis, ** them up good!

"

The bandits looked shocked to see and hear a child curse as much as they did.

***

***

"PAPA BOSS, what are you doing here?

" Neoma asked weakly when she saw her father sitting on the chair beside her bed. She had a fever so she was lying on her bed all day. When she opened her eyes, she saw her Papa Boss who was supposed to be busy with the upcoming national holiday.

"Are you worried about me?

"

"No,

" her Papa Boss said bluntly, but the way he gently placed a hand on her forehead said otherwise.

"I heard you haven't eaten yet. What do you want to have for dinner?

"

"Chicken and beer–

" She intentionally let out a loud fake cough after realizing her slip of the tongue.

"I mean, chicken and beeery hot porridge.

"

She knew it was lame, okay?

But she was sick so her brain was a little slower than usual.

"I'll ask Ruston Stroganoff to prepare porridge for you,

" her Papa Boss said.

"But you can't have chicken yet.

"

"Okay, Papa Boss.

"

"Were you about to say

"beer

" earlier?

"

She let out another fake cough.

"Of course not, Papa Boss.

"

Why was her father uselessly sharp? Tsk. It was hard to pretend like a normal kid because the memories of her second life were too vivid. So whenever her body was weakened, her brain functioned slower than normal. Thus, the mistakes.

"I know that you're curious but you can't drink yet,

" her father scolded her.

"The de Moonatserio children mature faster than average children your age. But your constitution is the same as any other child– alcoholic drinks are bad for you.

"

"I understand, Papa Boss.

"

"But on your coming-of-age ceremony, I will pour a drink for you.

"

"Can commoners hold a coming-of-age ceremony, Papa Boss?

" she asked curiously. Once her coming-of-age ceremony comes, Nero would have been back as a Crown Prince by then.

"I mean, I'm not registered as a member of the Royal Family. Or are you going to fulfill your promise and give me a duchess title as a reward for pretending as Nero all this time?

"

Her father fell silent for quite some time.

She didn't know if it was her imagination or her Papa Boss looked sad and guilty at the moment.

"You'll be a de Moonasterio by then,

" her Papa Boss promised her softly.

"You will be Princess Neoma de Moonasterio once you have come of age.

"

Neoma smiled because she wasn't sure if it would come true. But if it did…

"It would be nice,

" she said, then she closed her eyes when drowsiness pulled her in.

"It would be nice to be registered in our family officially…

"

***

NOTE: These are random moments before the current timeline, so Ruto is still pretending not to know Neoma's real identity.