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Answer:

***

“PRINCE NERO, why do you like Princess Neoma so much?”

If Nero wasn’t in the classroom, he would have just ignored Calyx Dalton or told him to get away from him.

However, the two of them were currently working on a school project together. If it was up to him, he would have grouped with Hanna. Unfortunately, the teacher chose the pairings in the class for the team assignment.

That was how he ended up sharing a table with the crazy bastard.

.....

“Why would you ask that?” Nero asked without looking up at Calyx Dalton. He was busy answering the worksheet so he wouldn’t have to deal with the crazy bastard longer than he had to. “And what made you think I will answer your stupid question?”

“I thought you’d like it, though,” Calyx Dalton, whose hands were also moving as fast as his while solving the other half of the worksheet, said. “Bragging about Princess Neoma, I mean.”

“Are you dumb?” he asked bluntly, then he finally looked up at Calyx Dalton who was looking at him intently. It was creepy, but he had already gotten used to it. “I have a mental list of all Neoma’s lovely qualities. They’re a lot, so a day won’t be enough to talk about them. However, I refuse to share them with you.”

“But why?”

“Because you’ll definitely fall in love with Neoma once you get to know how endearing she is,” he said bluntly. “There are already too many pests hanging around my precious twin sister. I don’t want you added to the list.”

“That won’t happen. I will never fall in love with Princess Neoma,” the crazy bastard said confidently. “You’re far more interesting than Her Royal Highness, Prince Nero.”

“Crazy bastard.”

“I just asked why you like Princess Neoma because I want to be like her,” Calyx Dalton said, smiling “sweetly” at him. “Prince Nero, I want you to like me as much as you like Princess Neoma.”

“That will never happen,” Nero said without missing a heartbeat. “I’ll never like anyone else as much as I like Neoma- not even our parents come close.”

***

“IS GREKO already asleep?”

“Yes, Princess Neoma,” Paige said to the royal princess politely. “And I already brought the teleportation scroll that you asked me to make.”

“Very good,” Princess Neoma said, then she sat on the sofa across from her. “Paige, do you know why I asked to make a powerful teleportation scroll like that?”

Princess Neoma summoned her in the royal princess’s office.

It was already late at night, and Princess Neoma’s work hours ended for a while now.

The fact that the royal princess summoned her to her office at that time, without Lewis Crevan, only meant that Her Royal Highness needed to talk to her. Since Princess Neoma asked her to bring the teleportation scroll that she made, she thought the royal princess needed her advice as a mage and not as her “daughter.”

“Princess Neoma, the teleportation spell that you asked me to make is objectively one of the hardest teleportation scrolls to make. Even the Royal Archmage would have a hard time creating one,” Paige said carefully. “And because of its difficulty level, I was only able to produce one. But knowing Your Royal Highness, I don’t think you asked me to make the teleportation scroll for yourself.”

The teleportation scroll that she made took her more than a year to make.

Moreover, it almost drained her entire magic. She had to buy expensive premium Mana stones in order to complete the teleportation scroll. That was how hard it was to make one.

The royal princess nodded, then she sipped her tea first before she spoke. “Actually, I already consulted Lewis about this before I asked you to make the teleportation scroll. After all, Lewis is the commander of our Order.”

She nodded.

Even though Lewis was the second youngest (physically, at least) among them, no one complained or questioned Princess Neoma for making the fox boy the commander.

[Lewis deserves the position more than anyone else.]

“I plan to tell this to the other kids later. Since you’re the vice-commander, I figured I should tell you first,” Princess Neoma said. The royal princess was unusually serious at the moment. “Paige, I actually asked you to make that teleportation scroll for Greko.”

To be honest, she wasn’t surprised.

All of them knew that Princess Neoma had a soft spot for kids, especially for kids like Greko who had gone through a lot of horrible things at such a tender age.

“If you think it’s unfair that I only asked to make a teleportation scroll for Greko, you may speak now,” Princess Neoma encouraged her. “I’m listening.”

“Princess Neoma, when you asked me to create a teleportation scroll that will bring the user to your room in the Royal Palace regardless of the location the scroll was used, I already had a feeling that Your Royal Highness won’t use it for yourself,” she said. “I’m not surprised that you plan to use the teleportation scroll on Greko. However, I’m worried about what Your Royal Highness is preparing for.”

“As expected, you’re sharp,” the royal princes said, smiling. “Well, Nero has already reclaimed his place as the Crown Prince. I’m sure the crows won’t have a reason to keep me alive. Moreover, we’ll find ourselves in plenty of dangerous situations soon. And if we did find ourselves in a life and death situation, I’d like at least one of us to survive.”

She frowned. Of course, she understood where Princess Neoma was coming from and she liked Greko to be safe, too. However, it was upsetting to know that despite everything that Her Royal Highness had gone through in her past life, she still had a heart that was willing to sacrifice for her people.

“Greko is the youngest one among us,” Princess Neoma explained carefully. “I can’t let him die young. I know that it’s unfair to everyone of you because all of you are young, too. However, I won’t change my mind. I’m sorry, but just this once, please allow me to be a bad mother who favors her youngest child.”

Princess Neoma didn’t need to say ‘sorry’ or ‘please.’

She was sure that her “siblings” would feel the same way as her.

[Our Princess Neoma is really too kind for her own good.]

“I understand, Princess Neoma,” Paige said gently. “If ever we find ourselves in a life and death situation, we will use the teleportation scroll on Greko and send him to safety. I take it that we must keep it a secret from our youngest?”

The royal princess nodded. “Greko won’t accept it that he’s the only one that we’ll be sending to safety if ever we find ourselves in a gravely dangerous situation, so we must keep it a secret at all costs.”

“That sounds plausible, Princess Neoma.”

“I’m glad that you feel the same,” Princess Neoma said, smiling as if she was relieved. “Thank you, Paige. I hope the other kids take it positively, too.”

“I’m sure they’ll do,” Paige assured the royal princess. “And I’m sure they’ll agree with me, too, Princess Neoma.”

Princess Neoma looked confused, but Paige didn’t offer an explanation.

[I’ll make another teleportation scroll for Princess Neoma even if it kills me.]

***

“PRINCESS NEOMA, do you know that my older brother likes men?”

Jeno asked that casually, but he didn’t expect Princess Neoma to smack him in the head all of a sudden.

After all, the royal princess had never been violent to any of her “children.”

“Jeno Dankworth, are you out of your mind?” Princess Neoma asked, grabbing him by the collar. “How dare you out Count Dankworth to me, huh?”

“Uhm, it’s not like that, Princess Neoma,” Jeno explained, panicking. Princess Neoma really looked upset at the moment, and he didn’t want the royal princess to hate him. “My brother already told me that you already know why he’s making me his successor. I wouldn’t have asked that if I knew you weren’t aware of my brother’s orientation yet.”

The royal princess instantly calmed down. “Ah, I see. Sorry,” she said, then she let go of his collar. She even brushed off his shoulders with her hands. “However, be careful. You shouldn’t talk about your brother’s secret openly like that. There’s nothing wrong with his orientation. But we should respect the fact that he wants to keep it a secret.”

He nodded.

Of course, he was being careful about his older brother’s secret.

That was exactly the reason why he only mentioned that now that he and Princess Neoma were alone in front of Gemma’s grave.

Gemma was his little sister who passed away early.

After he became a Dankworth, he buried his little sister’s remains in a beautiful garden within the Dankworth Estate. Of course, he did that with his older brother’s permission.

“I understand, Princess Neoma,” Jeno said politely. “I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Very well,” Princess Neoma said, then she put a long-stemmed white rose on Gemma’s grave. “But why did you ask me about that anyway?”

“My brother is planning to reveal to the vassal families that he likes men.”

The royal princess turned to him with a surprised look on her face. “Really? I mean, I hope he’s doing that because he wants to and not because he’s getting pressured to come out.”

“Unfortunately, it’s the latter.”

“What’s making Count Dankworth pressured then?”

“The vassal families that support House Dankworth refuse to acknowledge me as my brother’s successor since I’m a bastard son,” he explained. “They’re pressuring my brother to tell them the real reason why he doesn’t want to get married or have an heir, at least. That’s why my brother is thinking of coming out. He knows that the vassal families would find him disgusting if he says he’s gay. And my brother is hoping that the vassal families will finally acknowledge me as their heir if that happens.”

Princess Neoma let out a frustrated sigh. “I want Count Dankworth to come out because he’s comfortable and not for something like that. I know I’m being nosy, but I can’t let that happen. Nero has already reclaimed his place as the Crown Prince. But I’m sure that he’ll listen to me if I asked him to help you get acknowledged as the successor of House Dankworth. Will it be alright if my twin brother and I lend you a hand, Jeno?”

“I’d be thankful if you and Prince Nero could help us, Princess Neoma,” he said. To be honest, he wasn’t comfortable with Prince Nero. But he’d do anything to help his older brother. “Brother Sean has always been nice to me. I want to be of help to him. But I don’t have enough power to do it alone.”

“It’s alright, Jeno,” the royal princess said, grinning. “I’m your mother, so you can rely on me when things get tough. It’s my duty to help my son. Plus, your Uncle Nero is more powerful than me. Let’s take advantage of his love for me while we’re at it.”

It was weird to hear that from a young lady.

However, he felt relieved that he had a “mother” like Princess Neoma.

“Uhm, Princess Neoma, does it not bother you?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“That my brother likes men,” he whispered, then he scratched his cheek. “To be honest, I still feel awkward around my brother after he came out to me.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Princess Neoma said bluntly. “But I understand where you’re coming from. In this world, at least in the empire, being gay is treated like a disease. To be fair, even in the modern world where I came from, the gays are still a part of the minority. However, I still have hope for both worlds. I know that one day, people will be more open-minded.”

Ah, this.

He knew that following Princess Neoma was the best decision that he had made in his life.

[Are you seeing this, Gemma? This amazing person is Princess Neoma- the person I swore to protect with my life.]

.....

“Love has no gender,” Princess Neoma said, then she turned to him. “It’s alright if you don’t understand your brother now, Jeno. But I hope that you won’t shun him just because of his orientation. Being gay doesn’t make anyone less of a person.”

Jeno smiled and nodded. “I will remember that, Princess Neoma,” he said, then he bowed to her. “Thank you.”

***

“JURI, I apologize if my question is too personal. But do you plan to have children with Jeno after you get married?”

Well, that was indeed a surprising question.

However, Juri had been with Princess Neoma for a few years now, so she already knew that the royal princess was full of surprises. “Well, Jeno needs an heir, and I don’t mind having a child with him. However, we’re not planning to have children anytime soon.”

Princess Neoma, who was punching a sandbag hanging on the branch of a tree in her secret training ground, stopped with her exercise to turn to her. “Is it because you’re worried about the rule that says female knights are obliged to retire once they get married?”

She nodded. “I was told female knights need to retire because they won’t be able to fulfill their duties once they get pregnant.”

“Bullshit.”

She laughed, already used to Princess Neoma cursing like a little sailor. “I agree with Your Royal Highness.”

“I will abolish that stupid law once I reclaim my place as the royal princess,” Princess Neoma declared. “To be honest, I’ve already proposed several laws that would make the lives of female workers everywhere in the empire fair. However, I don’t want to pass that job to Nero. Am I being selfish?”

“Not at all, Princess Neoma,” she said firmly. “You’ve already sacrificed a lot when you took Prince Nero’s place for many years. Almost all your hard work went to the Crown Prince’s credit. It won’t be selfish of you to keep one to yourself.”

“Thank you for saying that, Juri.”

She just smiled and nodded to the royal princess politely.

“Juri can you wait for a little more?” Princess Neoma asked. “I want to do this for the women of the empire as Princess Neoma. This is one thing that I don’t want Nero to take credit for. After all, this is something that I want to do for the women and not for the empire. So, please wait until I get more power as the royal princess.”

“You didn’t have to ask, Princess Neoma,” Juri said, then she bowed to the royal princess. “I’m sure every woman in this empire will patiently wait for the change that Your Royal Highness is about to bring.”

***

“UH, YOU don’t have to be here, Princess Neoma,” Xion said worriedly. “It’s boring, isn’t it?”

“Nah, it’s fun,” Princess Neoma said, smiling and clapping her hands while watching a gang fight from the spot where they were hiding. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a fight like this. But what the hell are the royal knights doing? They should be patrolling the area.”

Right now, they were hiding in an old building in the slums.

Princess Neoma promised him that she would accompany him so he wouldn’t get bored with his current mission. But he didn’t expect her to really be here.

[Her Royal Highness even escaped from Lewis’ watch.]

“Xion, you can’t control it, can you?”

He flinched. “When did you find out, Princess Neoma?”

“That you can no longer use the gift that Lord Redgrave gave you?” the royal princess asked, then she turned to him. “I noticed that you no longer use your ability to make people forget about you. I thought you had the liberty to choose whether you’d be forgotten or not. However, I noticed that you can no longer use it after Lord Redgrave disappeared.

“I still have the ability, but I can’t control it even after the Fletcher twins trained me,” he confessed, ashamed. “I’m afraid that if I lose control of it, everyone- including Your Royal Highness- will forget about me.”

It was a secret that he was afraid to share with anyone else.

However, Princess Neoma almost made him feel safe. Hence, it was easy for him to open up to her.

And he wasn’t wrong with his choice.

“Don’t be afraid of your ability, Xion,” Princess Neoma encouraged her. “I will never forget you- and even if anyone else does, I’ll help them remember who you are.”

Xion smiled, knowing that Princess Neoma really meant those words. “Then I’ll make you keep your promise if ever my fear comes true, Princess Neoma.”

***

“IS THIS all the list from the kids, Greko?”

“Yes, eomma,” Greko answered his eomma’s question cheerfully. “The children wrote their favorite animals in those papers, just like what you asked.”

He was talking about the children that Princess Neoma, his eomma, saved from the Death Camp.

The royal princess had been taking good care of the children ever since then.

And now, she was even doing voluntary work to help the people in charge of the survivors’ well-being.

“Then let’s begin making stuffed toys based on each child’s favorite animal,” Princess Neoma said while rolling up the sleeves of her blouse. “I hope the children will be happy to have a stuffed toy of their favorite animal. It will help their mental health if they have something that will help them calm down.”

He really didn’t understand the thing about mental health that Princess Neoma would often talk about.

But he felt happy to see his eomma caring about the children genuinely.

“Eomma, being with you is healing. My heart feels at ease,” Greko said, then he hugged his eomma who just laughed and patted his head. “I don’t think anyone deserves to be my father, eomma.”

[Not even Ruston Stroganoff.]

Princess Neoma just laughed it off, but Greko was serious.

[My eomma is too good for anyone in this world.]