n

n

n

n

"BUT UNCLE Scumbag, the captain of the Holy Knights can detect lies.

"

n

"Don't worry, Neoma de Moonasterio. It won't work once I pluck out my Rose.

"

n

"Why? Does your Rose has an amazing ability?

"

n

"You really don't know anything about your Roseheart Blood, do you?

"

n

"Mama Boss wasn't here to raise me as a Roseheart, duh. Mochi guides me from time to time, but she's not a Roseheart so her knowledge is limited. And you, Uncle Scumbag, who should be guiding me in place of my mother, curse at me every chance you get instead of educating me.

"

n

"Whatever. Do you know why you're domineering?

"

n

"I prefer to be called 'charismatic' instead of 'domineering,' thank you very much.

"

n

"Charismastic or dominant, same difference. The point is Rosehearts are born leaders because of the 'Tyrannical Aura' that we possess. People are naturally drawn to us because of our aura even if we don't do anything. But if we use it on purpose, then we can easily manipulate people. Which means even if we lie in front of a person that can detect lies, we won't get caught if we use our Tyrannical Aura on him.

"

n

"How do I use my Alluring Aura on purpose?

"

n

"Did you just change the name of our ability that has been passed down from generation to generation to something that suits your taste?

"

n

"Don' sweat the details, Uncle Scumbag.

"

n

"I can't believe you– our ancestors are probably crying in the Afterlife.

"

n

"I'll just apologize to them once we meet in the Afterlife. So, how do I activate my Alluring Aura?

"

n

"It won't be too hard since you've been talking with confidence from the start.

"

n

"So, the key is confidence?

"

n

"Confidence and malice. If you're going to lie, lie like you mean it. You have to have the intention to deceive and manipulate the person you're speaking to.

"

n

"In short, I have to have ill-intentions?

"

n

"Precisely.

"

n

"Uncle Scumbag, do you think the crows have a similar ability? After all, a crow managed to infiltrate the temple and pretend to be a Holy Knight despite the captain's ability to detect lies.

"

n

"That, or maybe the captain's ability to detect lies is useless against people stronger than him.

"

n

"Ah, `gotcha.

"

n

"Now, stop talking nonsense, and let's start scheming.

"

n

"I like the sound of 'scheming,' Uncle Scumbag. Kekeke~

"

nWilliam frowned after remembering his conversation with Neoma de Moonasterio earlier. The little princess worried whether they could deceive the captain of the Holy Knights.

nBut everything was going smoothly.

nThese Holy Knights are really gullible.

nAs of the moment, the Holy Knights, led by their emotional captain, were kneeling on the ground with their hands clasped together as if they were praying. Each Holy Knight had a blindfold made of his Mana.

nRight now, the Holy Knights were watching the memories left by Nero Roseheart and the White Lion in that place. The Holy Knights wouldn't see and hear anything else until the

"memory playback

" stopped.

nAnd here we have the idiot who fainted after consuming energy potions.

nHe squatted down beside the sleeping Neoma de Moonasterio on the ground. Yes, the arrogant princess was simply sleeping. And she was snoring loudly.

nThank goodness the Holy Knights aren't seeing and hearing this.

nNeoma de Moonasterio was still acting as the Crown Prince. Although snoring was something natural, it still wouldn't have been proper for a royal like her to be snoring in the presence of her subjects.

n

"This is what happens when you push yourself too hard when your current physical body isn't even ten years old,

" William said, then he put his index finger on Neoma de Moonasterio's forehead.

"It doesn't matter even if you drown yourself in energy potions when your body is in a bad condition. You de Moonasterios really overestimate your stamina.

"

nHe used his ability 'Switch' on him and Neoma de Moonasterio.

nIt wasn't enough to completely relieve the heavy toll on the young princess's body, but her physical body should be in better condition now.

nOf course, that meant that all of Neoma de Moonasterio's fatigue was transferred to him.

nHe was surprised at the heaviness his body felt after that.

nWow. All this fatigue from a child whose age is still a single digit? No wonder she still fainted despite consuming energy potions.

nHe could already hear Neoma de Moonasterio teasing him for being concerned about her.

nBut it wasn't like he had a change of heart overnight.

n

"Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio– that child is destined to be the next Aether.

"

nIt was Lady Irina, the Cosmic Tree, who said those words to him.

nWhen he heard that, despite his hatred for the de Moonasterios, he still thought Neoma de Moonasterio was pitiful. After all, being chosen as the next Aether was like a death sentence. No matter how powerful an individual was, even if they were Yule's descendant, how could they fight against the gods in the Upper World?

nYule can't protect Neoma de Moonasterio from his fellow gods.

nThat meant Neoma de Moonasterio's early death was inevitable.

nAfter realizing that, he decided to stop being hostile to the young and pitiful princess.

n

"You'll die early even if I don't do anything, so I will just sit back and wait for the inevitable to happen,

" William whispered as he pulled his hand away from Neoma de Moonasterio's face.

"But don't worry– this time, I'll help you become more powerful in order for you to help me save Mona in the future.

"

n***

nARGH.

nWilliam wanted to roll his eyes while watching the Holy Knights cry silently after watching the memories of the First Holy Knight.

nThose punks wouldn't shut up at how brave Nero Roseheart and the White Lion were.

n

"I can't believe they erased the First Holy Knight's identity from history just because the nobles of the empire have a personal grudge against the Rosehearts,

" the captain said in an emotional voice.

"And the Rosehearts kept it a secret all this time. Why did you do that?

"

nAgain, he wanted to roll his eyes.

nBut he had to gain this fool's favor in order to form a contract with Neoma de Moonasterio.

n

"The Rosehearts don't crave for fame and recognition,

" William said in a solemn voice.

"That's why even though Prince Nero found out that the First Holy Knight was the ancestor he was named after, he kept quiet. His Royal Highness just wanted the temple to be safe and protected in order to honor his ancestor.

"

nThe gullible Holy Knights looked touched by his bull**.

nNow, to bait them even more…

n

"Thus, even though Prince Nero received a message from Nero Roseheart, I don't think he'd share it with you,

" he lied with a straight face and firm voice. Then he gently patted Neoma de Moonasterio's head and acted like he was concerned about her.

"After all, he doesn't want to meddle with the temple's affairs.

"

n

"Whatever do you mean by that, Lord William?

" the captain asked worriedly.

nHe raised his head and met the captain's curious gaze.

"Truth be told, I also heard the message that Prince Nero received from the First Holy Knight.

"

n

"My lord, may we know what message did Prince Nero receive from the First Holy Knight?

" the captain asked carefully.

"I know it's tacky to do that while His Royal Highness is unconscious. But I thought that if it has something to do with the temple, then we, the Holy Knights, also deserve to know the truth.

"

n

"I understand where you're coming from, and I agree with your thoughts,

" he said. He agreed a little too easily because he wanted to get it over and done with.

"But I will understand if you side with the temple.

"

nThe captain and the rest of Holy Knights looked nervous now.

n

"You know that the Rosehearts could still live as a Spirit even after their death, right? Just like me,

" he began carefully.

"That's the same case with the First Holy Knight.

"

nThat was complete bull**.

nNot every Roseheart could live as a Spirit after death. He was only able to live as a Grand Spirit because he almost because a Soul Beast in the past. The de Moonasterios tampered with his soul, thus he remained in that form after his physical body died.

nLiving Rosehearts could live in their Spirit form as long as their physical body is alive, though.

n

"The First Holy Knight knew what happened to the temple recently, and he was concerned. Thus, he reached out to Prince Nero in order to relay his message to his successors. And those successors are you– the current Holy Knights of this generation,

" William said, purposely appealing to the Holy Knights' emotions.

"Nero Roseheart believes the temple needs to change its current leader, and he wanted our Prince Nero to choose the right person to replace the High Priest.

"

n***

n

"NAME your candidate to replace the current High Priest.

"

nNeoma woke up to William bossing her around.

nDid I **ing faint?

n

"Yeah, you're the idiot who fainted even after consuming energy potions,

" William, who was standing in front of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest, said.

"For the record, you were asleep for three days.

"

n

"What?!

" Neoma said, shocked. She immediately got up but when William snapped his fingers, she felt a powerful force push her down until she was sitting on the bed again.

"Excuse me?

"

n

"Don't worry too much. Your so-called

"children

" took care of most of the work.

"

n

"What happened while I was unconscious?

"

n

"A lot,

" the Grand Spirit said.

"First, the current High Priest filed a complaint against the empire for meddling with the temple's affairs. They also implied that you caused the Darkness that almost swallowed them up in order to overthrow the High Priest.

"

nShe knitted her eyebrows.

"Really?

"

n

"But Jasper Hawthorne and Paige Avery countered it by revealing the deals that the High Priest made with questionable individuals. Apparently, the High Priest sold the stolen weapons they hid in exchange for Holy Relics.

"

nShe was relieved to hear that.

"I'm glad that I can rely on Jasper oppa and Paige.

"

n

"Lewis is on detention, though.

"

n

"Why?!

"

n

"The High Priest and his cohorts tried to enter your room while Paige Avery was changing your clothes in order for you to sleep comfortably,

" the Grand Spirit said.

"Of course, your

"son

" didn't let it happen. But he went a little crazy and destroyed the High Priest's praying room.

"

nShe pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Lewis…

"

n

"Jasper Hawthorne thought Lewis went overboard, so he suggested that Lewis be detained in the meantime.

"

n

"Jasper oppa did the right thing as the duke of the empire,

" she said.

"Even though it pains me to know that my son is imprisoned, we still have to act accordingly. After all, the High Priest is the current leader of Astello Temple.

"

nThe Grand Spirit nodded.

"Although Lewis is imprisoned, it's just for show. He's being treated properly.

"

n

"That's a relief to know.

"

n

"The captain of the Holy Knights made sure Lewis would be treated well.

"

nShe raised an eyebrow.

"Did everything go well even though I fainted?

"

n

"Of course,

" he said arrogantly.

"I adapt and improvise well.

"

n

"Are the Holy Knights on our side now?

"

n

"Yeah,

" William said confidently.

"I told them Nero Roseheart, the First Holy Knight, reached out to you in order to make things right in the temple. And that will happen once the candidate you choose replaces the current leader of the temple.

"

nShe groaned in complaint.

"Is that why you asked me to name a candidate earlier?

"

n

"The Holy Knights will support you,

" the Grand Spirit said.

"And there are other high-ranking priests already siding with you after the High Priest's corruption was exposed.

"

n

"That's good, but I can't just name a candidate, Uncle Scumbag.

"

n

"I already told you, didn't I?

" he asked in an impatient tone.

"The perfect candidate is already in your hands.

"

n

"Who?

"

n

"The Paladin with weird eyes.

"

n

"Dion Skelton?

"

n

"Whatever his name is,

" he said.

"That guy is a fallen angel, but he didn't commit any crime aside from running away.

"

n

"But the word 'fallen' has a negative connotation,

" she said.

"Won't it be a problem?

"

n

"Fallen angels whose wings remain white are considered angels that Yule let go for a reason,

" he explained.

"The fallen angels who committed a sin have black wings.

"

n

"I can't ask Dion to lead the temple,

" she said while shaking her head.

"He ran away from wherever he came from because he didn't want to be a person like the saint or the Moon Priest. He just wanted to live as a normal human.

"

nThe Grand Spirit let out a sigh.

"Neoma de Moonasterio, do you think Yule turned a blind eye to Dion Skelton's escape just because of pity? Yule is a god, and gods don't do charities. He probably let that boy go because he knew this day would come.

"

n

"But I don't care whether Lord Yule intends for Dion to be the temporary leader of the temple until the new saint arrives,

" she said firmly.

"Dion is his own person, and he has the right to live his life the way he wants to. I won't force him to do anything that he doesn't want to do.

"

n

"I'll do it, Princess Neoma.

"

nShe gasped when Dion suddenly appeared behind William.

n

"I apologize for startling Your Royal Highness,

" Dion said, then he stepped forward and bowed to her.

"It was William's idea to hide me while you talk.

"

nShe gave William a confused look.

"What for?

"

n

"Because I know you'd refuse to ask one of your people to do your bidding. I know fallen angels escape their home because they don't want to be connected to the temple, so I figured the Paladin here had the same reason for running away,

" the Grand Spirit said.

"Knowing you, I just figured you wouldn't force that kind of person to become the next leader of the temple. So, I asked him to listen to your reasoning and then decide for himself.

"

nShe let out a sigh, then she turned to Dion.

"You don't need to feel pressured, Dion.

"

n

"The prophecy says the next saint will arrive in a few years,

" Dion said politely.

"If it's only temporary, then I'll do it. I'll protect the temple until the new saint arrives.

"

n

"Are you sure?

"

n

"Yes, Your Royal Highness.

"

n

"Again, are you sure?

"

n

"Yes, Your Royal Highness.

"

n

"For the last time, are you sure?

"

nDion let out a small smile.

"Thank you for being concerned, but please don't worry too much about me, Princess Neoma,

" he said, then he bowed to her.

"I want to do this because I want to help Your Royal Highness succeed.

"

n

"You heard the boy,

" William said, then he gave her a dire stare.

"Just respect his decision, Neoma de Moonasterio.

"

nNeoma sighed, then she stood up.

"Alright, let's rock and roll.

"

n***

nSPECIAL EVENT because the lack of comments makes me sad. Haha!

nIf my notification blows up because of comments, I will upload 3 chapters tomorrow. I hope you don't think I'm being mean. I appreciate silent readers, but sometimes I feel disheartened. Hehe! So I hope you leave comments (if it's not too much to ask) from time to time~

nBenefits of leaving comments:

n1. Happy author, happy ending! Haha jk. But it will definitely motivate me to post more chapters. Hehe.

n2. I think there's a ranking for the number of comments a story receives? More comments = higher in rank. And a high rank will give my story more exposure~

nThat's all. Thank you~

n***

nHi. You may now send GIFTs to our Neoma. Thank you~

n***

nPlease ADD my story to your LIBRARY to be notified when an update is posted. Thank you! :>

n