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He was talking to Mona again.

But this time, he was only using a pocketwatch instead of the entire wall as a communication device. It did not fully satisfy him with that. Even so, he was grateful to see Mona’s beautiful face on the compact screen of the pocketwatch.

It was a surprise that Mona called him again, but he wasn’t complaining.

“Thank you, Mona,” he said softly. “Thank you for deciding to return to the palace with Nero.”

Mona smiled, then she traced her finger on the screen as if she was caressing his face.

He smiled and nodded. Then he turned serious. “Mona, I will announce your return to the palace properly. I won’t hide your existence. Will that be alright with you?”

.....

To be honest, he knew he was asking for a lot.

In the past, people blamed Mona for Juliet’s death. They also accused her of stealing the empress’ spot, the reason why he couldn’t marry her in the past. Thus, Mona ended up being labeled as the emperor’s concubine.

But he wanted to change that this time.

[Mona will be known as my beloved wife from now on.]

Mona said, surprising him.

Nero said something like that to Mona?

Ah, he was proud of his son.

He kissed the screen of the pocketwatch.

If people had seen what he just did, he would be labeled as a lovefool emperor. Not that he cared.

He pulled his face away from the pocketwatch immediately to see Mona laughing.

[Ah, she’s really beautiful.]

Seeing Mona happy made him smile.

Again.

[I’m smiling an awful lot these days.]

“Neoma and I will be waiting for you and Nero here,” he said. “It’s late- you should rest now, Mona.”

It wasn’t like he didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

But he saw Mona yawn earlier, and he could tell that she was already sleepy.

Mona said while rubbing her eyes with her hand.

“Good night, my love.”

Mona laughed softly at the endearment that he used, then she sent him a flying kiss before she ended the call.

He was left smiling from ear to ear.

[No need to prepare a room for Mona- she’s going to stay in mine.]

After his call with Mona, he summoned Kyle Sprouse.

It was an inappropriate time to call his subordinate in his bedchamber, but the count still arrived fast. Kyle was dressed lightly, but he didn’t mind since he was the one who summoned the count at that ungodly hour.

“Your Majesty, you called for me?”

“Yes,” he said, then he looked at Kyle with a serious look on his face. “Mona and Nero will be returning to the palace. Prepare the necessary arrangements.”

“By preparing the necessary arrangements, I understand that Prince Nero’s existence must be hidden,” Kyle Sprouse said. “However, Lady Roseheart’s arrival must be announced properly. Did I get that right, Your Majesty?”

This was why Kyle was the chancellor.

The count understood all his orders well even without him giving the full details.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want you to do, Kyle,” he said while nodding. “Warn the people in the palace that anyone who speaks ill of Mona would die at my hands.”

Kyle flinched. “Your Majesty, are you really going to marry Lady Roseheart?”

His eyes turned glowing red instantly while glaring at the count. “Do you have a problem with that, Kyle Sprouse?”

The count fell silent for a while, then he shook his head. “It’s time for Your Majesty to choose your happiness over the empire. You now have a successor that may continue your legacy, anyway. Your Majesty and Lady Roseheart have waited long enough to be with each other.”

That surprised him.

[I thought Kyle would express his opposition against my marriage with Mona, but I guess he just resigned himself to accepting Mona as my wife, huh?]

“I’ll excuse myself now, Your Majesty,” Kyle said, then he bowed to him. “I have a lot of things to prepare.”

He nodded, ignoring the iffy feeling in his chest, since he wanted to focus on his family’s happiness. “I leave everything to you, Kyle.”

After the count left, he suddenly realized that he hadn’t checked on Neoma yet.

[It’s past her bedtime... where is my little rogue?]

***

[GOSH, RUTO’s skin is so soft and smooth.]

Neoma’s thoughts, as usual, were inappropriate.

“A cinnamon roll?” Ruto asked, confused. “Would you like me to make some cinnamon rolls for you?”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his adorable misunderstanding.

“Silly, no,” Neoma said, then she gently pinched his cheeks. “A cinnamon roll is a character who’s kind, gentle, supportive, sweet, and too good for this world.”

“I don’t think I fit the description since I’m not that good of a person.”

“You are,” she insisted. “And you deserve better than your current situation.”

“What do you mean by that, Neoma? I’m fine-”

“You’re not fine,” she said solemnly, then she pulled her hands away from his face. “You carry the burden of the memories I don’t remember.”

“It’s not a burden to me.”

“Sure,” she said sarcastically. “Your mother begs to differ, though. If you don’t stop putting your life on the line because of me, Lady Yngrid would never approve of me.”

“It’s not like my mother hates you, Neoma,” he said. “It’s my fault. I’ll explain it to Mother once I come home.”

“Ruto, describe the Neoma you met in your first life in three words,” she said. “Not my physical appearance, since I already know that I was beautiful and hot back then.”

He laughed softly, then he looked up at the ceiling as if he was thinking. “The Neoma I met back then was... bitter.”

She couldn’t refute that. [Well, in my defense, I had a shitty life back then.]

“The Neoma of the first timeline hated the world,” Ruto continued, still looking up at the ceiling as if he found it interesting. “But she was too powerless back then. Even if she wanted to fight in order to live, she couldn’t.” He turned to her, and for some reason, his face softened up. “You were weak back then, Neoma. So weak that I still feel the urge to protect you even now.”

[Ah, I knew it.]

“Ruto, do I still look weak to you now?”

He shook his head. “But I’m still stronger than you.”

“Are you trying to piss me off?”

He laughed again. “Lastly, you were sassy even back then. Well, you were timid at first. But since you inherited the nasty temper that all de Moonasterio seemed to possess, you eventually snapped and showed your fierce personality.”

“Bitter, weak, sassy,” she said, pouting. “Gosh, those are all negative traits. Did you only like me for my face back then?”

“I never saw your face back then,” he confessed.

“Huh? Really?” she asked, confused. “But in my memories, Commander Yoan would always look me in the eye.”

“Oh, I can see your eyes,” he said, beaming. “I told you before- my eyes could see gods. Since you have the eyes of a god, I could see them clearly.”

“You can see them even if my eyes aren’t red?”

He nodded. “Emperor Nikolai and Prince Nero were strong, though. I saw their faces clearly back then.”

She clicked her tongue. “You’re pissing me off.”

“That was before you died,” he said. “After that...”

“Stop,” she said, then she covered his mouth with her hand. “I don’t want you to be punished and fall asleep again.”

“Mmm.”

His breath tickled her palm, so she pulled her hand away from his mouth. “Gosh, that tickles.”

.....

“Are you upset?”

“I don’t like that you’re looking down on me, Ruto.”

He looked shocked by her accusation. “When did I look down on you?”

“If you’re not looking down on me, then have more faith in me,” she said, pouting. But even though she was acting childish, she meant every word she just said. “Ruto, I’m not the same powerless Neoma that you needed to protect back then. You may be stronger than I am, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

“It’s not about you being strong or weak,” he said patiently. “You’re very precious to me, Neoma- then and now. I just want to do everything for you, so you could just live your life as a lady of leisure. Isn’t that your dream?”

“It is,” she said. “But I’m a de Moonasterio, Ruto. I’m prideful, so I want to achieve my dreams with my own hands.”

“Neoma...”

“Treat me as your equal, Ruto,” she said firmly. She wasn’t asking this time- she was telling him what to do. “If you get hurt again because of me, I will hurt myself until I get the same injury that you got in the name of protecting me.”

He frowned, obviously displeased by her threat. “Don’t do that to yourself, Neoma.”

“Don’t patronize me,” she said sternly. “Ruto, I’m not that arrogant to think that I could fuck up my enemies on my own. I’m perfectly aware that I need help. But I don’t need you to do everything for me- I need you to treat me as your equal.”

She noticed that it suddenly got hot in the kitchen.

And it was because of her emotions. She was pissed, so her Mana naturally leaked out as if she was preparing for a fight. The only reason Tteokbokki hadn’t appeared yet was because she was holding back by reminding herself that Ruto was a precious person to her.

“Alright, let’s not fight,” Ruto said, as if he was in a panic. Then he put his hands on her shoulders carefully, his face full of worry. “I’m sorry, Neoma. I was in the wrong. Let’s calm down.”

She’d love to calm down, but her emotions were too high at the moment.

Her eyes even turned glowing red, even though she was trying to calm the fuck down.

“Neoma, please excuse me- just push me if you hate it.”

She was confused, but she didn’t have the time to ask what Ruto meant by that when, all of a sudden, he wrapped his arms around her.

He pulled her in a warm and tight embrace as if he didn’t want to let go.

Oh.

Ohh.

[Ruto is hugging me.]

She felt like the heat that spread in the kitchen earlier was now gathered in her face, making her cheeks flush like a shy maiden that she wasn’t.

And gosh, her heart wouldn’t shut up.

“I’m sorry for making you angry, Neoma,” Ruto whispered, his face buried in her hair. “You’re right- my way of protecting you was wrong. We are supposed to be equals, to be partners, and yet I treated you like a fragile glass. I’m so sorry for being uselessly overprotective.”

Hearing Ruto’s gentle and remorseful voice finally soothed her.

“Ruto, if you find yourself trapped between sacrificing people and saving the world, then come to me,” she said calmly, her arms still glued to her sides. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to hug Ruto back. Was she nervous? “It seems like you’re the type of hero who’s used to choosing between two options only. But I’m different, Ruto. If I’m trapped inside a room and you asked me to choose between Door A and Door B where sacrifices would be made whatever door I choose, then I’d smash the wall and create my own exit.”

When her heart finally calmed down a bit, she gathered the courage to look up at Ruto.

He loosened up his arms around her when he pulled a little bit away from their hug to look at her.

Her hands moved on their own to cup his face gently, her thumb brushing against his burn mark carefully. Ah, this burn mark. She hated and loved it at the same time. Of course, she hated that her Ruto had to carry this ugly mark on his face because of her.

But it was also the proof of his love for her, so she couldn’t hate it completely.

“Ruto, who am I?”

“The most beautiful moon in existence?”

That made her smile, her stomach getting attacked by butterflies at the moment.

God, she was melting.

How could Ruto melt her with just his smooth one-liner?

[He’s not this expressive before, but I’m not complaining.]

“You’re not wrong, but I’m a woman of many talents so I am more than a pretty face,” she said, smiling smugly. “Ruto, I’m Neoma- I find ways. No one could force me to choose between two options only. If I don’t like either choice presented to me, then I’d make my own. So, if you find yourself trapped between two choices that you hate, then come to me. I am and will always be the right answer.”

“You are and will always be the right answer,” Ruto said, nodding and agreeing with her. “I feel like that solves all my problems altogether.”

“Well, aren’t you lucky that you have me in your life?” she teased him. “You must have saved the world in your past life for you to be this lucky.”

And that was how Ruto’s face suddenly turned crestfallen.

“I did,” Ruto whispered in a weak voice. “And it wasn’t worth it.”

Ah, right.

She died before Ruto in the first timeline. Since she had died early, he was probably the one who finished the job she failed to accomplish.

[I left him all alone.]

Was that the reason why Ruto was so overprotective of her?

[My death probably traumatized him.]

“It’s alright, Ruto,” she assured him, then she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m not weak anymore. I won’t leave you all alone again.”

“I know that, but I can’t help but get worried,” he said. “You’ll be facing Calyx Dalton, too. I know that you can beat him easily. But with the appearance of Helstor, I’m afraid they might use underhanded tricks to corner you.”

“Ruto, don’t you know that I’m the West Continent’s biggest scammer? I made the entire empire believe I’m a boy, didn’t I?” she said smugly. “I won’t hesitate to use cheap tricks if I need to. Why would I play fair when my enemies are cheaters, anyway?”

Honor?

Dignity?

Hah!

She had been scamming her way to survival since she was five years old, so why would she care about those idealistic stuff now?

“Ruto, sometimes you have to stoop down to the enemies’ level because you have to be a bad guy in order to fight the villains,” she said firmly. “But since you’re a cinnamon roll, you may not be used to scheming.” She gave him a thumbs up. “Just leave the dirty stuff to me.”

He laughed softly while looking at her with warm, loving eyes. “Neoma, I’m not as good as you think I am. I don’t really fit the “cinnamon roll” category that you speak of.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, not believing him. “Ruto, do you know why the cinnamon roll type of hero has become popular in the romance genre?”

He shook his head. “No, you tell me.”

“It’s because cinnamon rolls are known to be very interested in their love interest’s well-being,” she said. “That makes you a cinnamon roll now, right?”

Ruto was about to say something when, all of a sudden, they felt a thick bloodlust in the air.

“Ruston Stroganoff, how dare you hold my precious daughter in your arms?!”

Oh, no.

Neoma belatedly realized that she was still locked in Ruto’s (warm, comfortable) embrace.

And Papa Boss just caught them in that intimate position!

[Shit’s about to go down.]

***

“YOUR EXCELLENCY, we just received a report from the palace.”

Callisto, who was in his crow form while watching Calyx throw up Darkness while sprawled on the floor of the training room, turned to Raven.

“Apparently, Mona Roseheart is about to return to the palace,” Raven reported indiffirently. “And it seems like Nikolai de Moonasterio intends to marry her this time.”

That was unpleasant news to hear.

he said firmly, then he turned to Calyx who was still sprawled on the floor.

Calyx looked like a mess, but the boy was doing fine.

[With the technique that Helstor taught us, Calyx will surely defeat the royal princess in the upcoming match.]

“What should we do, Your Excellency?” Raven asked worriedly. “If Mona Roseheart returns...”

Callisto said sternly.

***

NOTE: *kneels and bows down to the readers* I am deeply sorry for showing a seventeen-year-old boy hugging a thirteen-year-old girl in a not-so-platonic way. Both Neoma and Ruto are older than their current physical bodies/ages, but I feel like it’s not a proper excuse. However, the story requires that kind of physical contact between Neoma and Ruto (I promise there’s a reason for it).

Even so, I apologize if the scene made you uncomfortable.

In reality, it’s not okay for a seventeen-year-old to have that kind of physical intimacy with a thirteen-year-old.

Please let’s keep that in mind.

Again, I’m sorry.

And thank you for your understanding.

T_T

—sola_cola

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