"YOUR MAJESTY, we have received a report from Dion.

"

Nikolai immediately raised his head to meet Geoffrey Kinsley's eyes. He was still in the throne room because his meeting with some old and annoying nobles just ended. Geoffrey would usually wait until he returned to his office before he gave his report. But for the Paladin to speak urgently like this could only mean one thing.

"What happened to the Crown Prince?

"

Only the two of them were left in the throne room after he sent the knights away.

But the throne room wasn't as safe as his office and bedroom, so he addressed Neoma as the Crown Prince just to be extra safe.

"Apparently, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince fainted after offering his blood to the Mother Hisa Tree,

" Geoffrey reported in a formal yet worried voice.

"Dion and Jeanne have locked up Lady Wisteria, the mages, and everyone in the villa in their rooms for now.

"

"I don't care about that,

" he said impatiently.

"What's the Crown Prince's condition?

"

"His Royal Highness hasn't woken up yet,

" the Paladin reported.

"Lady Juri Wisteria and the half-elf Greko are taking turns in checking on the Crown Prince's condition. But apparently, the children are having a hard time doing so because of His Royal Highness's Soul Beast.

"

"What is the Soul Beast doing?

"

"The Soul Beast is allegedly preventing them from laying a hand on His Royal Highness,

" Geoffrey said.

"Dion reported that the Soul Beast has cast a powerful barrier around the Crown Prince. Thus, they couldn't move His Royal Highness to a more comfortable place.

"

He was relieved to know that Neoma's Soul Beast was keeping her safe.

But of course, as a father, he couldn't be at ease. If only he could go to Neoma…

"Let's wait for now,

" Nikolai said, his heart heavy because of the decision that he made. Unfortunately, he still had duties as an emperor. Until Nero and Neoma were strong enough to inherit his throne, he had to protect it for his children. Thus, he wouldn't let the greedy people around him find a reason to remove him from his rightful place.

"Tell Dion to give us a report every one hour.

"

***

"THUG princess, are you awake?

"

When Neoma opened her eyes, she was greeted by Tteokbokki in his small dragon form.

"Ah, I'm in your dimension?

"

After getting up, she found herself in a familiar space.

It was the all-white room that floated in the space– the dimension where she first met Tteokbokki. But she found a thing that didn't exist there before.

Isn't that the flaming throne that belongs to Crimson– Tteokbokki's mean persona?

"I have to pull your consciousness here to protect you,

" Tteokbokki explained, then he clicked his tongue.

"Don't you remember what happened before you purposely

"shut

" your mind?

"

"I remember,

" she said, then she stood up and walked towards the flaming throne.

"I heard a woman's crying voice when I touched the Mother Hisa Tree.

"

To test if Tteokbokki was going to have a violent reaction, she sat on the throne.

She wasn't afraid to sit on the flaming throne because the flame didn't hurt her. It just felt like a warm Mana that embraced her body.

Tteokbokki didn't react.

Her Soul Beast even sat on the armrest.

"It's a vicious Spirit,

" Tteokbokki explained.

"The poor Spirit seems to have been soaked in Darkness for a long time. I took a peek earlier to make it shut up but…

" The Soul Beast gulped before it spoke again.

"A horrendous sight greeted me.

"

"What did you see?

"

"That Spirit… has a physical body.

"

She was confused.

"Then, why call it a Spirit if it has a physical body?

"

"Because I'm not sure if she's still alive!

" the Soul Beast reasoned with her.

"Her Spirit is definitely still alive. But her physical body has been stuck inside the tree for at least fifty years.

"

"Is it an old woman? Her voice sounded young, though.

"

"That's the thing, thug princess,

" Tteokbokki said.

"The Spirit's physical body looks young. I think the woman looks like she's in her early twenties.

"

She clenched her hands tight.

"Do you think they have sacrificed her to grow the Mother Hisa Tree?

"

"I don't know,

" the Soul Beast said.

"Do you think the Royal Family is capable of doing that?

"

The answer was yes.

Looking at Tteokbokki reminded her of her father's confession. According to her Papa Boss, it was true that the de Moonasterio's Soul Beasts were created from the souls of the male Rosehearts killed by the Royal Family in the past.

She tried to ask Papa Boss for more details but when he said that dealing with the Soul Beasts in the past caused the late Empress Juliet's death, she contained her curiosity. The pain in her father's eyes made her unable to probe more.

Papa Boss said that he'll tell her everything once he's ready.

"Thug princess?

"

"Ah, yes,

" she said after she snapped out of her trance.

"Tteokbokki, how can we save the lady trapped in the tree?

"

"Why do we have to save her?

"

"Do you think I can just leave her alone after knowing that my family is behind this atrocity?

" she asked, scoffing.

"Plus, it's my job to unravel the secret of the Mother Hisa Tree. My Papa Boss wants to know why the Wisterias and the Hammocks have been so interested in Hisa Tree since time immemorial. Maybe I can find the answer if we save that woman.

"

"Is that tree really special?

"

"Well, it's the key ingredient in making the best ointment in the whole continent.

"

"Ointment?

" Tteokbokki asked, confused.

"I thought you were after the flower-shaped jewels.

"

Her eyebrows arched.

"The Hisa Tree doesn't produce flowers.

"

"The jewel flowers grow inside the tree.

"

"Huh?

"

"I saw it.

"

"Then, how could you get the flowers from inside the tree?

"

"You brought mages with you, right?

" Tteokbkki reminded her.

"I think that's their purpose.

"

"Tteokbokki.

"

"Thug princess.

"

"You're pretty useful today,

" she said, pleased.

"Do you want a hug as a reward?

"

"Being hugged by a thug princess like you is not a reward but a punishment.

"

She just laughed it off. After all, she had gotten used to trash-talking with Tteokbokki. It was their unique way of bonding.

"Anyway, let's check it out tonight. I'm not a mage, but let's see if we can save the woman and harvest the jewel flowers before Lady Wisteria does.

"

Those jewel flowers would serve as a piece of evidence to prove that the Wisterias– and probably the Hammocks– had been embezzling something from the Hisa Tree all this time.

"Hey, thug princess.

"

"What?

"

"Shouldn't you be more concerned with that man with the shadow of a god?

" Tteokbokki scolded her.

"I can feel his malice towards you. He could be an assassin, you know?

"

So far, Xion had been acting like a normal butler.

She also realized that he wasn't aware that she could see the god attached to him, so she had been pretending not to see it. And judging by her group's normal reaction towards Xion, she could tell that only she was aware of the butler's true identity.

The fact that Mr. Xion could hide his malice from Jeanne and Dion is impressive.

"Tteokbokki, it seems like this is a job that only the two of us could accomplish.

"

"What kind of job?

"

"Saving the Hisa lady and catching Mr. Xion,

" Neoma said cheerfully.

"Let's make a plan while I'm here.

"

"I have a plan,

" Tteokbokkin said in a voice more cheerful than hers.

"Let's make you bait, thug princess.

"

Ah, this brat was asking for a beating, huh?

***

WHEN NEOMA opened her eyes, she realized she was still in front of the Mother Hisa Tree where she had fainted.

But what shocked her the most was the fact that it was already nighttime.

The sun was still up before I fainted…

"Princess…

"

Neoma smiled at Lewis. He wouldn't have addressed her by her actual title if the area wasn't safe. And seeing that her people surrounded her, she felt relieved.

"Lewis, I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me.

"

After saying that, she got up and looked around.

Jeno, Juri, and Greko were all looking at her worriedly.

"I'm fine, children,

" she said as she slowly stood up. Thankfully, her motor skills quickly recovered.

"Where are Jeanne and Dion?

"

"It's their turn to patrol the area, Princess Neoma,

" Juri said, while looking at her with concern.

"Are you alright?

"

"I'm fine,

" she said to assure her children.

"My Soul Beast just went out of control.

"

<

"Hmph! Now you're using me as a scapegoat!

">

Naturally, she ignored Tteokbokki's complaint in her head.

"E-Eomma…

"

She turned to Greko and ruffled his smooth head.

"Eomma is fine, maknae. Did I scare you?

"

Greko nodded while sniffling, as if he had been crying the entire time.

"I can't help eomma because of the barrier…

"

Ah, right.

Tteokbokki mentioned that he casted a barrier over her body when she fainted.

"I will tell my Soul Beast to create a barrier that will allow my children in next time,

" she promised, then she turned to the oldest members of her group.

"What happened after I fainted?

"

"Sir Dion and Dame Jeanne arrested Lady Wisteria and the mages for investigation,

" Jeno explained in a serious voice. For once, the always-sleepy young lord was wide awake.

"They also put everyone in the villa at house arrest.

"

She nodded, kind of expecting for that thing to happen since she, the Crown Prince, suddenly fainted.

"I see.

"

So, they locked everyone up in the villa except her guards.

It was the perfect time to hit two birds with one stone.

"Princess,

" Lewis, who stood beside her with a concerned look on his face, said.

"Rest first.

"

"Okay,

" Neoma said obediently.

"But bring Mr. Xion to my room later.

"

Lewis, Juri, Jeno, and Greko all turned to her confused.

"Who is Mr. Xion?

"

It was Neoma's turn to get confused.

They don't remember the sketchy butler?

***

"IF YOU really trust and respect me, stay and pretend to guard my room as if I'm here.

"

That was Neoma's threat to her guards before they finally agreed to let her leave the villa alone. She didn't have time to explain about the sketchy Mr. Xion. And thus, she just told them to trust her. It worked like a charm.

Well, not really. I'm pretty sure they're keeping an eye on me.

Anyway, she came back to the Mother Hisa Tree alone.

Her first purpose was to find a way to save the woman trapped inside the tree while Lady Wisteria and the mages were still under house arrest.

And the second purpose…

"It's dangerous for you to be here alone, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"

She turned around and found Xion in front of her, as expected. Yes, this was the second purpose– to lure the assassin to her.

This time, the man no longer wore a butler's uniform.

Oh, damn. What a handsome assassin.

Xion now wore a black long-sleeve turtle-neck shirt, black leather pants, black combat shoes. A belt that held several daggers and a revolver gun was attached to his (thin!) waist. Moreover, the evil glint in his eyes was very clear since he was no longer hiding his malice.

The shadow of a man with red eyes behind him is still there.

"You must be wondering who I am,

" Xion said in a cheeky manner while smirking.

"But don't bother asking, my prince. After all, you'll never remember who I am anyway–

"

"Shut up, Xion,

" Neoma said coldly.

"You talk too much for an assassin.

"

The assassin looked very surprised by what she said.

In fact, it looked like his world suddenly crumbled.

"You…

" Xion began, still shocked.

"How did you remember me?

"

Neoma scoffed, then she closed her eyes for a moment.

"How you ask?

" When she opened her eyes again, she was pretty sure that they had turned glowing red by now.

"I have the blood of a god in my veins, duh.

"

***

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***

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