<Must not be from any part of the Eastern Continent>
"I THINK I heard it wrong, my dear cousin. What did you say again?"
"I'm giving up my dual citizenship," Ruto said bluntly. "Please revoke my citizenship as a citizen of the Kingdom of Suoh."
Elias Solfrid, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Suoh, and also his older cousin on the mother's side, looked at him in disbelief. The shock may have been bigger than expected since the Crown Prince even dropped the piece of grape he was about to put in his mouth.
"Your Royal Highness, don't waste food," Ruto scolded his older cousin. "Eat your food properly."
He couldn't believe he was scolding Elias about eating his food properly when his cousin was seven-year older than him.
[He's about to turn thirty and yet he's still careless…]
Fortunately, only the two of them were in the Crown Prince's room.
"Ruto, have you lost your mind?" Elias asked when he finally found his voice again. "You're the nephew of the king, a prince of this kingdom, and the future Grand Duke of House Solfrid! What do you mean by giving up your citizenship?!"
"I need to be a full citizen of the Great Moonasterion Empire–"
"Ruto, it's not cool to chase your lover who already dumped you."
"…"
"I get that Princess Neoma is a beauty, but you can't just give up on your life and position in this kingdom just to chase her," Elias scolded him. "Ruto, if you become a full citizen of the empire, your status as a Stroganoff won't mean much since your father is just a mere marquis who doesn't have any political power."
"Yes, I know that."
"And you still want to give up your citizenship?"
"Yes."
Elias let out a sigh. "Let me just ask one question then: Will the Kingdom of Suoh and, ultimately, the Eastern Continent benefit from this foolishness of yours?"
Ruto tilted his head to one side. "Maybe."
"When did you become such a ruffian, my dear cousin?"
"Wasn't I raised to do whatever I wanted?"
"Pfft. We spoiled you too much."
"I need to go," Ruto said in a serious tone. "If the world gets destroyed, the boundary between the Eastern and the Western Continent wouldn't matter anymore."
"So, you're saying you're going against your divine's father's will?" His older cousin raised an eyebrow at him. "For Princess Neoma? I thought you don't love her anymore."
"I just don't think it's right to abandon the Western Continent right now."
"Do you know what you sound like at the moment, Ruto?"
"I don't want to know, Your Royal Highness."
"You sound exactly like me when I threw away my position as the Crown Prince after the old geezers in the Noble Council opposed my marriage– just because my wife was a commoner," Elias said, laughing. "But because of my stubbornness, I got to keep my position as the Crown Prince and marry the love of my life. Were you inspired by my perseverance, my dear cousin?"
"Not at all, Your Royal Highness."
"Stop addressing me formally when it's only the two of us here. It's annoying to hear you speak like that when you used to be cute as a child."
"How can I speak casually to the kingdom's Crown Prince?"
"I'll revoke your dual citizenship if you call me 'brother' again."
"If you insist, Brother."
Elias laughed out loud. "Go," he said, picking up another piece of grape. "I'll deal with House Solfrid after your departure."
Of course, he already expected this ending.
He knew very well that the Crown Prince adored him as a younger brother, hence he went straight to him instead of his uncle– the strict king.
Ruto bowed his head to his older cousin. "Thank you, Brother."
***
<Must be 18-25 years old (in human years)>
"LORD Jasper, why don't you apply as Princess Neoma's husband?"
What a dangerous thing to ask.
"Tate, do you want me to die?" Jasper asked, sighing while shaking his head at his cousin-slash-attendant. He couldn't even raise his head to glare at Tate because he was drowning with paperwork. It was his fault for bolting out of his office as soon as he received the announcement from the Crown Prince's palace. He returned home after confirming Princess Neoma's plan. "You know how protective Princess Neoma's family is, don't you?"
"Your biggest obstacle is Prince Nero, but fortunately, Prince Nero hasn't remembered his love for Princess Neoma yet," Gin, who was helping Tate with the administrative works for House Hawthorne, said. "Hence, you only have to avoid getting killed by His Majesty."
"Easier said than done," Jasper said, clicking his tongue. "Moreover, it's weird if I suddenly applied as a marriage candidate for Princess Neoma when I'm treating her like my little sister all this time."
"I'm not telling you to become a marriage candidate so you could marry Princess Neoma," Tate denied. "Lord Jasper, I'm telling you to use this as an excuse to stop the vassal families from pressuring you to get married."
Oh.
OH.
Jasper raised his head, greeted by Gin (in his human form) pouring tea into Tate's teacup while his cousin-slash-attendant was sitting comfortably on the sofa. "You have a point, Tate," he said. "If I tell the noisy representatives of the vassal families that I'm going to apply to be Princess Neoma's marriage candidate, then they'll finally shut their mouths. Won't they?"
"Of course," Tate said, nodding his head. "You're one of the most sought-after bachelors in the empire, Lord Jasper. It would be weird if you don't become one of Princess Neoma's marriage candidates."
"Fortunately, Princess Neoma is looking for men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five," Gin added. "I guess the age is set that way to weed out perverts and predators like Marquis Spencer."
Ah, right.
Jasper had also heard about the fact that Marquis Spencer dared to ask for Princess Neoma's hand in marriage. "It's a shame that Marquis Spencer couldn't become a candidate, though."
Tate and Gin looked at him as if he had gone mad.
Hence, he felt the need to explain.
"I'm sure Princess Neoma would put her marriage candidates to different tests," Jasper began his explanation. "Had Marquis Spencer become one of the marriage candidates, I would have killed him "accidentally" during one of the missions."
Tate and Gin immediately nodded their heads in agreement.
"You're right, Lord Jasper," Tate agreed with him. "But I'm sure House Spencer would still send out a representative. House Spencer doesn't have a young master from the main family, so I bet they'd choose one from the vassal families."
"I'll take care of the useless bastards during the selection," Jasper said determinedly. "I won't let just anyone stand beside Princess Neoma."
Gin laughed playfully, then he walked towards Jasper and sat on the armrest of his seat. "My lord, why are you talking like that's your only goal?" he asked teasingly while wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "If you're going to become one of Princess Neoma's marriage candidates, why don't you do your best and try to win her over for real?"
"I agree with Gin," Tate said, nodding enthusiastically. "You're more than qualified to ask for Princess Neoma's hand in marriage, Lord Jasper."
Argh.
Of course, he knew that.
He was the youngest duke in the empire, and his wealth wouldn't pale in comparison with the Quinzels. And he may not be as handsome as Rubin Drayton, but his face was approved by Princess Neoma before.
Even so…
"Princess Neoma calls me 'oppa' because she thinks of me as her older brother," Jasper said softly. "I won't betray Princess Neoma's trust."
***
<Commoners and non-humans are free to apply>
"THIS is such a dangerous condition, Princess Neoma. Fortunately, I qualify even though I already lost my noble title and a part of my humanity," Trevor said, adjusting his eyeglasses. Of course, he was only using those eyeglasses for aesthetics. His vision was perfect. "Hence, I volunteer to be the team's representative and become one of your marriage candidates."
He was appealing to Princess Neoma who was just looking at him indifferently.
Of course, he was also ignoring the cold glares from his Moon Princess' "children."
"Since you allowed anyone to become your marriage candidate, it's highly possible that the crow bastards and Helstor might send out their own people in the mix," Trevor said, thumping his chest. "Hence, someone like me should get rid of the garbage."
Princess Neoma raised an eyebrow. "Is that the only reason why you want to join the selection?"
"No, that was just an excuse," Trevor said bluntly. "I simply want to marry you, my Moon Princess."
He heard a growl from somewhere.
But he'd pretend he didn't hear and see Lewis, who was standing beside Princess Neoma, growl at him.
[It's not my fault Princess Neoma's Guardian Knight isn't allowed to join the selection~]
That had always been the rule of the empire.
"Alright, go and join the selection."
Trevor was shocked after receiving Princess Neoma's permission. "Really, my Moon Princess?"
"I need an eye on the candidates anyway," Princess Neoma said. "Plus, it's not like I can stop you. Can I?"
He smiled and nodded. "My feelings for you are unstoppable, Princess Neoma."
"Shut up," Lewis growled at him. "You're making me want to maul your annoying face."
"Hey, don't take your anger out on me just because you're not allowed to join the selection, my son~" Trevor said playfully. "I don't make the rules~"
As expected, Lewis glared at him– his golden eyes glowing menacingly.
"Stop teasing Lewis," Princess Neoma scolded him, then she got up from her seat. "I was summoned by my parents, so I need to leave now. Can you submit your application form on your own, Trevor? You know it must be submitted to Nero's office, don't you?"
"Yes, my Moon Princess~" Trevor said cheerfully, giving Princess Neoma a salute. "I'll drop by Prince Nero's office later~"
After securing his Moon Princess' permission, Trevor immediately got the application form from Prince Nero's secretary.
Then he went straight to the Crown Prince's office…
… only to meet his soon-to-be rivals.
Jasper Hawthorn.
The damned chef Ruto Solfrid.
And even the Ancient Devil joined in.
[I can "accidentally" kill them during the selection, right?]
Trevor almost got in a good mood because he was comforted by the thought…
… until another marriage candidate arrived.
"Excuse me. Can you move out of the way."
Argh.
Rubin Drayton.
It wasn't only Trevor who felt threatened by the pretty boy's arrival. After all, it wasn't only him who almost got blinded by Rubin Drayton's shining face.
[Why is this child so freaking handsome?!]
It wasn't a problem that Rubin Drayton was handsome because every single person here was also good-looking.
The problem was Rubin Drayton's face was number one on Princess Neoma's list.
[My Moon Princess is obsessed with Rubin Drayton's face as much as she's obsessed with her own face.]
Worse, Rubin Drayton was Princess Neoma's FIRST LOVE.
Rubin Drayton let out a sigh while running his fingers through his hair – a gesture that made him more attractive than he already was. "I know I'm handsome, but I don't appreciate getting ogled by men."
[This crazy fucker…!]
Trevor clenched his hands, then he exchanged cold gazes with Ruto Solfrid, Jasper Hawthorne, and the Ancient Devil.
The four of them made a silent agreement right then and there.
[We'll take Rubin Drayton out of the selection first!]
***
"PRINCE NERO, I'm too scared to open the door."
Nero clicked his tongue at Melvin's cowardice. "They won't kill you. They're only here to submit their application form."
But Melvin wasn't wrong.
The young men behind the door were oozing bloodlust.
[Are they going to fight? Well, as long as they don't damage my palace, I don't care.]
"It's easy for you to say that because only His Majesty's bloodlust could make you weak in the knees, Your Royal Highness," Melvin complained lightly. "If I open that door and got accidentally hit by those boys' bloodlust, I would faint."
Nero was about to scold Melvin when, all of a sudden, blood dripped from his nose.
[What the…]
Melvin's eyes opened wide. "Prince Nero!"
Nero raised his head to tell Melvin to stop yelling, but his vision suddenly turned black.
[Did I faint?]
Argh.
Nero was annoyed, so he opened his eyes hoping that it would wake him up. He did wake up, but he found himself in a strange place.
[A forest…?]
He found himself in a forest, but it was obviously a dream.
[I was summoned.]
"You're finally here, you idiot."
Who the hell dared to call the future emperor an idiot?
Nero turned around to confront the culprit, but he was surprised when his collar was grabbed…
… by the person who looked exactly like him.
Huh?
[It's me… and the other me's eyes are glowing red as if he's angry…]
"How dare you, bastard?!" the other him yelled angrily. "How dare you to offer Neoma's hand for marriage to random strangers?"
"Who the hell–"
"Neoma is mine!" the other him yelled again, his voice full of anguish. Then the 'copy' punched him in the face. "Wake up and stop the selection this instant!"
Nero fell to the ground, flabbergasted after getting punched by the 'copy.'
However, instead of getting angry, he simply touched his bleeding nose as the realization finally hit him.
Ah.
That was when Nero realized who the other 'Nero' was.
[It's the Nero who remembers Neoma and loves her to death…]
***
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