687 PARTY CRASHERS (4)
HEH.
Neoma couldn’t help but smile while looking at her “children.”
Lewis.
Paige.
Juri.
Jeno.
Xion.
Greko.
At long last, she was finally reunited with her lovely kids. Even Baby Skylus was there to greet her when she arrived with Dahlia and Xion.
.....
[Hanna and the ducal couple aren’t here, so they must be busy.]
It was time for them to get busy, too.
“My lovely children, thank you for waiting for me,” Neoma said. She wanted to be as cheerful as she could, but she felt a little tired. Just a little, okay? “Now let me hear your report about what happened while I’m gone.”
No one responded to her right away.
Her “children” and Baby Skylus just looked a Lewis who stepped forward.
[Oh. Is Lewis the spokesperson for today?]
“Princess Neoma.”
“Yep?”
“Before we give our report to you, please have coffee first,” Lewis said, his face full of innocence at the moment. “We all worked hard together to make your favorite coffee.”
Neoma knew that something was up, but she trusted Lewis. “Okie-dokie.”
***
HMM?
Neoma was shocked when she realized she was already comfy on the bed.
Juri and Paige moved so fast when the two gave her a bath.
The next thing she knew, she was already wearing a comfortable pair of pajamas (from Korea!) while bundled up on the bed with a warm and soft blanket. She was leaning against the headboard while holding a warm mug of coffee between her hands.
All of her “children” were standing in front of her, while Baby Skylus was already sleeping beside her.
“Okay, kids. Calyx Dalton’s birthday party is in three days,” Neoma said, going straight to business. “That psycho bastard will hold his party at Callisto Hall– the grandest ballroom in the Royal Palace.”
Yes, it was the hall named after Callisto de Luca.
“Gosh, that hall needs a renovation. And a change of name, too,” she complained. “Anyway, you already know about how my grand entrance will go. Should we go over a plan and do a final dress rehearsal?”
Her dress was made by a famous Korean designer.
Of course, her dress wouldn’t be appropriate to wear at a royal banquet. But it was a party to honor Calyx Dalton, and she had no intention to respect it. Hence, she chose a modern dress that would be considered scandalous by this society.
Her children’s clothes and other accessories would also appear “strange.”
[I told them it’s fine to wear more glamorous clothes than what they chose, but my kids insisted that they wanted to wear the uniform that Tteokbokki bragged to them…]
“Princess Neoma, your coffee is getting cold.”
“Oh, right,” Neoma said. “Thanks for the reminder, Lewis.”
She took a sip of her coffee, then smiled when she realized that her coffee had been spiked.
[I knew these kids are up to no good.]
“I know you wouldn’t poison me, and poison doesn’t work on me anyway,” she said, smiling at her children. “So, what did you put in my coffee? Don’t worry. I’m not mad. I know you have a reason for doing this.”
It was Lewis who stepped forward.
[Yep, and rightfully so. After all, he’s the commander. He has the duty to take responsibility for his siblings’ actions.]
“First of all, we’d like to apologize for spiking your drink, Princess Neoma,” Lewis said apologetically, bowing deeply towards her. “We will accept any punishment Your Royal Highness will bestow on us later.”
The other children behind Lewis also bowed their heads in apology.
[Aww… they worked together. Nice. They’ve gotten really close over the years.]
Lewis raised his head to meet Neoma’s gaze. Although he still looked indifferent, his golden eyes actually looked sad and guilty. “Princess Neoma, we put a sleeping potion in your coffee.”
Uh-huh.
[I already guessed that much.]
“Gosh, why is everyone suddenly obsessed with my sleeping schedule?”
“Princess Neoma, you barely slept a wink while we were in the North,” Xion said, frowning. “Please get some rest before the banquet.”
“Well, now that you put a sleeping potion in my coffee, I have no choice but to rest,” she said, smiling while shaking her head. “I’m sorry for making you so worried about my health that you had to resort to spiking my drink. I’m not saying that what you did was right, but I understand where you’re coming from. I know I’ve been neglecting my health recently.”
She couldn’t help but feel impatient though.
[I only have five years left, so I need to work FAST before I become unalive.]
“Having said that, I still need to punish you all for spiking my drink,” Neoma said sternly. “You won’t receive your salary for three months.”
Of course, she was paying her children all this time for serving her.
[I’m a rich momma.]
“Moreover, you’ll have to do voluntary work every weekend for three months,” she added. “I’ll give you a list of orphanages and foundations that need help.”
Lewis and her other “children” looked relieved that they were being punished.
[Although we have a close bond, I still must remind them that I’m the boss. There’s a line that they shouldn’t cross while working for me. As long as we respect that boundary, then our family will continue living in harmony.]
“Anyway, the potion is working since I feel sleepy now,” Neoma said while rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. “How long will the potion keep me asleep?”
She looked at Greko and Paige because only the two could make the potion.
It was Greko who raised his hand and hesitantly answered her question. “You’ll be asleep for at least three days, eomma.”
THREE DAYS???
[But Calyx’s birthday party is three days from now!]
***
“LADY Hanna, are you sure you want to give me that gorgeous emerald dress?”
Hanna smiled and nodded at Hanna’s question. “I’ll be honest with you, Dahlia. That dress is actually what I wanted to dress at the banquet.”
She didn’t ask her personal tailor to make a beautiful dress for Calyx’s banquet.
[I don’t care about the fake First Prince’s birthday.]
She just wanted to dress up for the occasion because it was Neoma’s grand debut in high society.
But there was a reason why she was no longer allowed to wear the emerald dress.
“It was decided by the royal tailor that I would be wearing a matching dress with Nero,” Hanna lamented. “The red dress was fabulous…”
But it wouldn’t complement her green eyes the way the emerald dress would.
[And red isn’t my color.]
“Red dress… then…”
Ah, she knew what Dahlia was thinking.
After all, only members of the Royal Family were allowed to wear red during formal events. Especially if the event was hosted by the Royal Family.
“It’s an unofficial announcement that I’ll become the Crown Princess soon,” Hanna said in a serious voice. “My engagement with Nero would become official on our coming-of-age ceremony.”
Dahlia smiled softly. “I see.”
It seemed like the Black Witch didn’t have any complaints about her engagement with Nero, so she changed the topic right away.
“I think your red hair and the emerald dress would look good together,” Hanna said. “But if you don’t like the style, I have many new dresses that you can choose from. I only recommended the emerald dress because it’s my favorite among them.”
Dahlia looked at Hanna for quite some time before talking softly. “Lady Hanna, I think the emerald dress would suit you better. I wish I could see you wear it at the banquet.”
.....
She could only smile because she couldn’t simply wear what she wanted now.
[This is what I have to put up with to become the Crown Princess.]
But if Neoma was in my place…
[I guess Neoma would wear whatever she wanted.]
“Hence, I cannot wear the emerald dress,” Dahlia said, smiling apologetically at her. “Would it be alright if I look at the other dresses, Lady Hanna?”
“Of course,” Hanna said, smiling. “Come this way, Miss Dahlia.”
***
WHEN NEOMA opened her eyes, she felt refreshed.
All the fatigue that her body accumulated recently had disappeared, hence her body felt light. Moreover, when she touched her face, she felt like her skin had become softer and smoother. In short, she probably got prettier again.
[Gosh, me and my visual.]
“Neoma, are you ready?”
Hmm?
Neoma was surprised to see Hanna, Dahlia, Paige, and Juri all smiling at her while holding different tools like a hair brush, a towel, and even the bath bomb that she brought from Korea. “Oh, is it time for me to get ready?”
It was going to be a long morning, huh?
***
“YOU’VE arrived?” Hanna asked politely while standing on the balcony and talking to an esteemed guest. “Princess Neoma is still getting ready, but she’ll be here soon.”
She was talking to the Black Phoenix– Princess Nichole’s Soul Beast.
[His name is Vespera, if I remember correctly.]
It was kind of intimidating to see the Black Phoenix, especially the warm black flame that engulfed it. But that feeling faded away when the Soul Beast slowly transformed into his human form.
“Then I shall wait for Princess Neoma.”
Hanna blushed a little while staring at Vespera’s handsome face. The Soul Beast in his human form looked more dashing in his maroon suit that emphasized his good build and long legs. But the most distracting part was his face. “It’s like I’m looking at Lady Mona’s male version.”
Vespera, the Black Phoenix, smiled. “A lot of people have said that I look like Mona’s twin brother,” he said while combing his hand through his silver-ish hair with pink strands. “I guess my appearance as Princess Neoma’s escort for tonight would shock the empire– especially since I’m just one of her “harem” for this occasion.”