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Since she and the others weren’t allowed in the emperor’s room, the head butler of the Yule Palace ushered them to the drawing room. Now, she was sitting on the sofa while Ruto (who borrowed the kitchen earlier), was serving tea for her.

On the other hand, Lewis was sitting on the chair across from him. The fox boy didn’t want to sit initially, but she reminded him that he was currently a guest in the emperor’s palace and not as Neoma’s knight. Lewis then sat down reluctantly.

[At least he listened to me.]

“This tea will help you calm down, Lady Hanna,” Ruston Stroganoff said after he served her and Lewis each a cup of tea that he brewed himself. “Lewis, drink the tea instead of staring at it.”

Lewis, who was obviously not listening to Ruston Stroganoff, just continued staring at the teacup in front of him.

[He really doesn’t like the viscount.]

.....

Hanna smiled at the young chef. “Thank you, Viscount Stroganoff. Lewis and I appreciate the tea you brewed for us.”

“Don’t mention it,” the young lord said, then he sat on the other end of the sofa that Lewis occupied. “And please feel free to address me by my nickname, Lady Hanna. I am not used to hearing people address me by my father’s lesser title.”

She smiled and nodded. “If you insist, Lord Ruto.”

He acknowledged her by nodding, then he looked back and forth between her and Lewis. “I know that the two of you are worried about Neoma and Prince Nero. But if it’s any consolation, please be assured that the royal twins are both safe.”

That was a relief to hear, but...

“How did you know that?” Lewis asked the young lord indifferently. “We only heard the gist of what’s happening from Princess Neoma earlier.”

She nodded in agreement.

All they heard from Neoma was the fact that Nero was going through his second Awakening as a de Moonasterio, and it looked like things weren’t going well.

The worried look on Neoma’s face earlier scared her.

[She wouldn’t show that kind of emotion if Nero wasn’t in a dire state.]

“If either Neoma or Prince Nero gets into a life-threatening situation because of the Soul Beasts, the Moon Priest would let us know since he’s the one responsible for them,” Lord Ruto explained. “The fact that the Moon Priest isn’t here yet only means that Prince Nero is going through his Awakening just fine.”

For some reason, Lord Ruto sounded trustworthy.

Before she knew it, the young lord’s comforting words already put her at ease.

Lewis frowned, but she could tell that the fox boy was also relieved by Lord Ruto’s assurance.

[Ah, now I know.]

Hanna realized why Neoma liked Lord Ruto the most out of all the boys around her.

[Lord Ruto is probably the person who can soothe Neoma the best when she’s having a hard time.]

***

MONA was relieved when Nero’s chest wound finally stopped bleeding.

But there was still a thorn left in her heart because her other child, her Baby Muffin, felt the same pain that her son was feeling wherever he was at the moment.

“William, look after Nero for a moment,” Mona said to the Grand Spirit, then she walked towards the wall to take a look at Neoma. She could see her daughter’s image on the transparent screen created by the communication device attached to the corners of the wall. “Baby Muffin, how are you feeling now?”

Neoma, who was sitting on Nikolai’s bed while leaning against the headboard, smiled at her reassuringly. she said, then she put a hand over her chest.

Nikolai nodded in agreement. <"Mona, don\'t worry too much. I also summoned Manu here to be safe."

Manu was the Moon Priest, if she remembered it right.

"That\'s a relief," Mona said. Even so, her heart was still filled with worry as Nero hadn\'t woken up yet. "But if Nero doesn\'t wake up soon, I\'ll force my way into the Soul Beasts\' dimension to get him out of there."

***

NEOMA thought her mother was a badass after she said she\'d force her way into the Soul Beast\'s dimension just to get Nero out of there. She didn\'t even know that someone who wasn\'t a de Moonasterio could do that.

[But Mama Boss is a Roseheart, and so are the Soul Beasts.]

"Mona is considered the Daughter of Nature," her Papa Boss explained to her. "The Cosmic Tree helps her open any door that allows Spirits in their dimension. Since your mother is a Roseheart, she could travel anywhere in her Spirit form."

"Ah, I see," she said while nodding.

Her Mama Boss, who could be clearly seen on the translucent screen on the wall, smiled and nodded as confirmation.

She was about to say something when she felt the shift in the air.

Even her Papa Boss suddenly looked on guard.

Then, suddenly, a drunk man wearing commoner clothes appeared in the room. He reeked of booze, and he couldn\'t even stand straight. Most of all, his entire face was flushed red.

"Lord Manu?!" she asked, surprised to see the Moon Priest in this state.

[He looks like an ordinary yet very handsome civilian.]

And surprisingly, he concealed his divine power well.

Her Papa Boss clicked his tongue at the Moon Priest. "This is the first time I met a drunk representative of Yule."

[Ohh... Papa Boss is not impressed.]

"We enjoy booze, too, Nikolai de Moonasterio," Manu said. Thankfully, despite how drunk he looked, he still spoke clearly. "And anyone who serves a lunatic family like yours would need some booze to continue this work. Do you know how frustrating it is to work with and for the de Moonasterios?"

"Papa Boss, Lord Manu has a point," she said, nodding. "I\'d drink too if I need to work with a bunch of lunatics."

Manu gave her father a look that said \'I-told-you-so.\'

Her Papa Boss just rolled his eyes, then he became serious. "Manu, Nero is going through his second Awakening. It appears like he has gained another Soul Beast. But his chest bled earlier."

her Mama Boss asked worriedly.

“That’s how it was supposed to be. If Nero de Moonasterio was physically hurt during his test in order to tame his new Soul Beast, it could only mean one thing,” Manu said solemnly, then he addressed each of them with an intense gaze before he dropped the bomb. “Nero de Moonasterio probably tried to take his own life.”

Neoma gasped loudly, while her Mama Boss and Papa Boss looked shocked by the Moon Priest’s revelation. “Lord Manu, please bring me to Nero now!”

[What the hell are you thinking, Nero?!]

But worst of all, Neoma had a feeling that she was the reason why Nero tried to kill himself.

[Don’t love me too much, you dummy!]

***

“ARE YOU crazy, Nero de Moonasterio?”

“Haven’t you been informed that all de Moonasterios are insane? So, yes, I’m crazy,” Nero asked, frowning. “I have to say that your true form is quite disappointing.”

The eighteen-year-old Neoma that ran toward him after he stabbed himself with an icicle slowly changed her form the closer she got to him. And when “she” caught him before he hit the floor, his chest bleeding, “her” appearance completely changed.

His “twin sister” had turned into a male Roseheart.

The person who caught him was a tall and lanky “young” man with shoulder-length pink hair, the strands a dark shade of red. He wore clothes that only nobles would wear under a thick, white fur coat. And he had the scent of the forest in him.

[This is the human form of the ice phoenix.]

“Can you return to my sister’s adult form?” he asked grumpily. “I liked the worried look on Neoma’s face when she saw me stab myself earlier.”

“That was me worrying about you using your twin sister’s appearance— not the real Neoma de Moonasterio,” the ice phoenix snapped at him. “Do you know what you just did? Hurting or trying to kill yourself in this dimension would hurt you physically! Your chest is probably bleeding in the real world as we speak!”

“Good,” he said casually. “The real Neoma is probably worried about me then.”

“You’re crazy,” the ice phoenix said bluntly. “Now I’m seriously thinking about failing you instead of letting you pass this test.”

“So, I passed?”

The ice phoenix let out a sigh. “You did, but your craziness is making me question if I made the right decision.”

“Did you test my love for my twin sister?”

“That, and your loyalty,” the ice phoenix said. “You see, I don’t have my memories of when I was still alive. But I learned the concept of ‘family’ and ‘siblings’ from my old master. He was your ancestor, so you definitely know him. Have you heard of Arche de Moonasterio?”

He knitted his eyebrows. “The most incompetent emperor in history?”

“My former master wasn’t incompetent,” the ice phoenix said sternly while glaring at him. “But he was a fool for his twin sister. His love for and loyalty to Aruna de Moonasterio made me envy them. So, when I met the wolf that you call Sev, I made him my sibling. Sev isn’t an official Soul Beast. He was one of those who were considered a failure, just like the black serpent attached to the Black Tortoise.”

Ah.

The ice phoenix was talking about his father’s Soul Beasts. But that wasn’t what was important at the moment.

“Sev isn’t an official Soul Beast?” he asked, confused. “You’ve seen my past memories since you were able to copy the eighteen-year-old Neoma from my first life. Then you should also know that in my first life, I didn’t have you as my Soul Beast. In those memories, I only had Sev.”

The ice phoenix nodded. “You probably failed my test back then. Based on the memories that I saw, you and your twin sister didn’t get along well in your first life.”

Ah, that was right.

[The old me wouldn’t give up his life for Neoma.]

.....

“But you have improved your relationship with your twin sister, and you passed my test successfully,” the ice phoenix said. “You earned the right to call my real name.”

To be honest, he was interested in hearing more about Arche and Aruna de Moonasterio’s relationship.

The books taught him that Arche de Moonasterio was the most incompetent emperor in their history, and Aruna de Moonasterio was killed for being more competent than her twin brother. Thus, he assumed that the twins had a bitter relationship.

But he figured he could ask the ice phoenix about it later, once the ice phoenix was under his full control as his Soul Beast.

[Moreover, I want Neoma to hear the story about Arche and Aruna de Moonasterio, too.]

“Close your eyes, Nero de Moonasterio,” the ice phoenix said, then he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against his. “If you truly deserve to be my new master, you’d be able to read my name without a problem.”

Nero closed his eyes and as soon as he did, he saw himself lying on the snow while looking up at the sky. Snow was pouring hard, but he also saw some strange things up there. Icicles that formed weird texts floated above him.

Soon, the unreadable texts began to make sense as his eyes turned glowing red.

“Zeru,” Nero said, then he opened his eyes. “Bring me to Neoma, Zeru.”

***

NEOMA threw the duvet and stood up, ready to drag Manu to wherever Nero was.

But as soon as her feet touched the floor, the entire bedroom suddenly turned cold.

As in icy cold.

Then, all of a sudden, Nero materialized in the middle of the room when he was supposed to be in the Hazelden Kingdom at the moment.

Her baby brother wasn’t alone.

An eagle-sized blue phoenix was sitting on his arm.

Ah, no.

It wasn’t a ‘blue’ phoenix. The ‘feathers’ of the mythical bird looked like they were made from ice.

[An ice phoenix?]

Damn, the ice phoenix looked so beautiful and elegant- something that suited Nero well.

The mythical bird was definitely the cause of the sudden change of temperature in the room.

“Neoma,” Nero greeted her with a bright smile on his face. “I’ve gained a new Soul Beast for you.” He gestured to the beautiful ice phoenix in his arm with his other hand. “Meet Zeru, the ice phoenix.”

Neoma smiled and gave her twin brother a double thumbs up. “Nero, how does it feel to be god’s favorite?”

***

NOTE: Today is my birthday~ Please leave lots of comments~ Thank you.