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Of course, Nero ignored Melvin’s pleas. He just poured more vodka into his glass, then he chugged it down in one gulp. “If you’re just going to nag at me, then leave.”

Melvin would often leave him alone as soon as office hour was over.

But this time, when his secretary heard him ask his servants to bring bottles of liquor in his room, Melvin followed him.

Half a bottle of vodka later, the damned secretary was still there.

“Prince Nero, I know you have a good tolerance for alcohol. You have poison immunity, so you don’t get drunk easily,” Melvin continued nagging him again. “Even so, you have a trial to attend tomorrow morning. Please stop drinking and take a rest already.”

“The trial is already happening tomorrow?”

“So, Your Royal Highness wasn’t listening to Duke Quinzel earlier,” his secretary said while shaking his head. “The Twelve Golden Families already decided to open a trial to judge Princess Neoma. They wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible, so the trial begins tomorrow.”

“What kind of trial begins that easily?”

.....

“It’s because Princess Neoma is a de Moonasterio,” Melvin explained. “If it’s just an ordinary noble going to a trial, there are several procedures to follow first. But when a member of the Royal Family is involved in a case, the Twelve Golden Families and the most senior monarch– if there is one– gain the authority to judge.”

He scoffed. “Ridiculous. Neoma isn’t even officially listed in the Royal Household.”

“Even so, we can’t deny that Princess Neoma is a de Moonasterio. The citizens have also seen her, so this issue becomes bigger than we’d like it to be,” his secretary said, sighing while shaking his head. “Since the Twelve Golden Families are the ones in charge of the case, they skipped several procedures to open the trial tomorrow morning.”

“Does my Imperial Mother already know?”

“Marquis Lennox was in the Empress Dowager’s palace earlier. I believe the marquis already informed Her Majesty about the trial tomorrow,” his secretary said. “Prince Nero, you’re also involved in the trial since if what Princess Neoma said turned out to be true…”

“How could it be true when I don’t remember any of it?!”

All the bottles of alcoholic beverages on the table broke when he yelled.

A broken piece even cut Melvin on the cheek, the red fresh blood dripping from the wound.

[What a weakling. He couldn’t even dodge that?]

“I really don’t get paid enough to deal with your tantrums, Prince Nero. If you want to attend the trial with a hang-over and embarrass yourself in front of an audience, then be my guest.”

[Ah, there he is– Melvin’s other side.]

Melvin Lucchesi was truly a scaredy-cat, just like the Northern noble that he was. However, every time he was physically hurt, his brazen side would come out.

[Just like how the Northern lords pretend to be weak and scared.]

“I feel bad for the empire for having a violent Crown Prince like you, Prince Nero. As soon as Your Royal Highness ascends the throne, I’ll quit and migrate to the Eastern Continent,” Melvin said while wiping the blood on his cheek with the back of his hand. “This empire is doomed anyway.”

“Careful,” Nero warned his secretary who obviously lost it. “I hate people who don’t know their place.”

“Hey, don’t fight~”

It was Calyx, and Calyx had his arm wrapped around Alucard’s shoulders.

“I smelled blood, so I brought your Order’s Healer here,” Calyx said before letting go of Alucard. “Alucard, go and heal Melvin’s wound. The palace will collapse if our future chancellor is hurt.”

Melvin let out a frustrated sigh. “Please don’t curse me, Prince Calyx.”

Of course, Calyx just laughed it off.

“We’ll take our leave now, Prince Nero and Prince Calyx,” Alucard said, then he turned to Melvin. “Can I lick your blood?”

“Of course not,” Melvin said, then he turned his back on Alucard. “What a pervert.”

And, just like that, Melvin and Alucard left in a chaotic manner.

“Your knights are funny,” Calyx said, then he sat on the chair across from him while lighting the cigar between his fingers. “Why are you drinking, Nero?”

“Is it true that Neoma pretended to be when we were younger?” Nero asked Calyx bluntly. Since his brother was older than him, it was possible that Calyx knew the truth. “Then does it also mean that all the big achievements under my name actually belong to Neoma?”

Calyx took a puff of his cigar before responding. “Yeah, everything Princess Neoma said was true. You almost died when you were young because of black magic that ruined your internal organs. Hence, our father forced Princess Neoma to pretend as you. My mother and I were still in hiding during that time, so our father only had you as his successor.”

He clenched his hands tight. “Was I really in a comatose state for that long?”

“That’s right,” Calyx said, nodding. “Our father hid you in the Spirit World with William while you were going under treatment.”

That was the part that he wanted to verify, but he couldn’t contact William ever since Neoma showed up.

[Even Tara, the Queen of the Spirit World, isn’t answering my call.]

“Why can’t I remember any of it, Calyx?”

“That’s not the question you should be asking me, Nero.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The one who almost killed you when you were a toddler was the Devil– and that Devil was Nichole de Moonasterio.”

He knitted his eyebrows. “Why would my aunt want me dead?”

“Because the Devil’s side wanted Princess Neoma to take the throne.”

He clenched his jaws tight. “Was it planned?”

“I’m not sure, but Princess Neoma came with Princess Nichole’s Soul Beast, didn’t she?”

He couldn’t say anything because Calyx was right.

“There’s one more thing, Nero.”

“What is it now?”

“It was Emperor Nikolai who forced the Twelve Golden Families to pass the law that allows women to inherit noble titles. It’s also the same law that grants Princess Neoma the right to the throne,” Calyx said, puffing out the smoke out of his mouth. “I didn’t want to say this because I didn’t want you to be hurt, but Princess Neoma has always been our father’s favorite child.”

Ah, Nero’s splitting headache returned. Moreover, this time, he also felt a painful squeeze in his heart. He thought he didn’t care about his family who abandoned him, so what was this feeling?

[It hurts…]

“Did you also know that when Lady Mona was given a chance to escape this world, she only brought Princess Neoma with her? And she made that choice the second time, even bringing our father with them. Your own mother abandoned you from birth, my poor brother,” Calyx said, standing up. Then he sat on the armrest of Nero’s chair and wrapped his arm around his head. “I didn’t want you to retrieve your memories because I knew you’d only get hurt once you remembered that your own family abandoned you in favor of Princess Neoma.”

Nero clutched his head and shut his eyes tight. “They really abandoned me…”

“Only mother and I truly loved you, Nero,” Calyx whispered, hugging him tight. “And we’ll continue loving you, so help us win the upcoming trial, my dear brother.”

***

IT WAS a fine morning for Neoma.

After devouring the delicious breakfast that Ruto brought for her and Lewis earlier, she took a bath and dressed for the occasion.

By ‘occasion,’ she meant the first day of her trial.

Hence, she dressed down on purpose.

She wore a flower-printed black dress that fell below her knees over a pastel pink chiffon long-sleeve blouse, and a pair of black chunky loafers (and ruffled-trimmed socks for cuteness!) for her footwear.1

Then she just tied her hair in a high ponytail, and didn’t put on makeup.

Yes, she was going to attend the trial BARE-FACED. She had to look humble, after all. But despite her efforts…

“Even though I’m trying to look low profile, my face still makes my overall look high class,” Neoma said, sighing while looking at her beautiful face in the mirror. “I don’t look like I’m about to attend a trial– I look like a rich high school girl attending an elite private academy.”

“We can’t do anything about it, Princess Neoma,” Lewis, who was standing behind her, said. “You’d look pretty even if you wear dirty rags.”

“I know, right?” she agreed with her “son.” “I have to act humble, at least.”

“But you don’t have modesty bone in your body, Princess Neoma...”

Aigoo.

She didn’t know if she would be offended by what Lewis said, or by how he sounded so genuine when he said that.

[He’s right, though.]

“Lewis, your mother is a good actress,” Neoma said, ignoring Lewis’ remark earlier. Then she turned around to face him. “I’ll floor you with my acting skills later.”

Lewis, who looked and smelled fresh after taking a shower and changing into casual clothes, just tilted his head to one side.

[Cute.]

But she didn’t let herself get swayed by Lewis’ cuteness.

“Lewis, I understand why you punched Nero,” Neoma said in a serious tone. “However, it’s still wrong of you to do that. Nero is the Crown Prince and, unfortunately, we have an absolute monarchy in the empire. If it weren’t for me, you would have been sentenced to death already for harming the heir to the throne.”

Lewis didn’t look remorseful, but he lowered his gaze to the floor as if he was afraid to look at her at the moment.

“I’m neither mad nor disappointed,” she consoled him. “I’m just saying this because I’m worried about you, Lewis. I know that I’m a bad influence on you because I’ve always done what I wanted. Plus, I could also be violent towards our enemies. But you should remember that I come from a place of privilege. I can act this way because my position won’t allow me to face heavy consequences for my actions. So please don’t copy my bad habits.”

Lewis finally raised his head to meet her gaze.

“As I said, I come from a place of privilege– and privileged kids like me are good at exploiting our advantages,” she said. She wasn’t bragging about her position– she was merely acknowledging her privilege. “So, if Nero or anyone else pissed you off, just tell me. I’ll punish them for you.”

.....

“I’m supposed to be your knight, Princess Neoma– not the other way around.”

“You’re my “son” first before my knight.”

It looked like Lewis had something to say, but they were interrupted when the door to her bedroom– er, prison cell suddenly burst open.

[Aigoo.]

Nero, who looked dashing in his white and red knight’s uniform, entered the room. “Let’s go, Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio.”

Neoma raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to escort me personally?”

“Unfortunately, you’re still a de Moonasterio so we can’t treat you like a criminal,” Nero said indifferently. “You’re going to ride the royal carriage with me, and we’re going to use a portal since it’s embarrassing for a member of the Royal Family to attend a trial.”

Hmm?

She noticed something strange in Nero.

[He’s calm. Too calm. It’s as if he suddenly stopped caring about me.”

Neoma didn’t want to admit this, but Nero’s indifference scared her.

[Nero, what happened overnight?]

***

“WE HAVE a problem, Duke Quinzel.”

Rufus leaned towards Jaxson Emmett, the vice-captain of his private army, who came to him in a hurry while he was on his way to the court. “What happened?”

“The Northern Lords,” Jaxson Emmett whispered. “They’re missing. And there are signs that a fight occurred in their residence.”

Rufus clenched his hands tight.

If the Northern Lords suddenly disappeared and couldn’t attend the trial, Princess Neoma would be at a disadvantage because Marquis Vincent Lennox and the members of the Noble Faction were against her!

The crows...

[This is definitely the work of the crows!]