Chapter 772 NO MORE SECRETS
[PLEASE don't give me that look.]
Neoma could accept the cold look she would receive from enemies.
Heck, she even wouldn't mind being looked at as if she was an interesting test subject.
But she couldn't stand the look she was receiving from her loved ones at the moment.
Lewis and Trevor already knew about her secret, but they still gave her a look that revealed their broken hearts.
Hanna and Jasper oppa looked devastated by the crushing revelation.
Of course, her children looked the same. Juri, Paige, and Greko became emotional. Even the usually stoic Jeno and Xion looked like they were about to cry any moment.
But the hardest to look at was her parents' reactions.
[I'm glad Nero is unconscious.]
"Ah, they didn't know?" Helstor asked, laughing. "I'm sorry. It seems like I revealed your secret, Princess Neoma."
[This fucking bastard!]
Neoma clenched her fist, ready to punch Helstor to oblivion. But she made the mistake of looking at her Papa Boss and Mama Boss. She couldn't help but do so since her parents practically blocked Ah, Papa Boss was fuming.
This was the first time her father yelled at her.
her view. "Papa Boss, Mama Boss, let's talk later," she said in a hurry, trying to walk past her parents. "We need to catch Helstor first–"
"Is it true, Neoma?" Papa Boss asked, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Is it true that you only have a little over three years left to live?!"
Ah, Papa Boss was fuming.
This was the first time her father yelled at her.
Papa Boss' loud voice echoed in the room, causing all the fragile things there to break. It was because her father's bloodlust was oozing.
If there were ordinary people in the room, they would have died already.
After all, even Neoma herself felt the crushing pressure coming from her Papa Boss.
[Argh... it's making my knees weak...]
"Neoma, answer me!"
Argh.
Neoma flinched because Papa Boss' grip was starting to hurt.
[My shoulders would have been broken already if I wasn't a de Moonasterio...]
"Nikolai, you're hurting our daughter!" Mama Boss yelled worriedly, slapping Papa Boss in the back. "Calm down!"
Papa Boss immediately let go of Neoma's shoulders with a bewildered look on his face. It was as if he just realized what he had done. "I'm sorry, Neoma..."
"Let's talk later, Papa Boss," Neoma said in a hurry, her gaze only fixed on one person. "Lord Helstor is getting away!"
She tried to run after Helstor who was quickly turning semi-transparent.
But her damned knees suddenly gave out.
Mama Boss and Papa Boss caught her before she hit the floor, but the damned psycho god was getting away easily.
"Get that bastard, kids!"
Lewis and the others immediately ran after Helstor.
Unfortunately, Neoma didn't get to see what happened next because everything turned black soon.
***
SNIFFLE.
Argh.
Neoma, who automatically got down on her knees to match the height of the little ones in front of her, frowned.
Considering that she was face-to-face with her Spirits right now only meant she passed out.
[That damned psycho god...]
Anyway, that white room decorated like a cozy cottage was definitely the home of her Spirits.
Since Helstor revealed her secret when her guard was down, everyone heard it.
[I should have sealed Tteokbokki and the rest first...]
"Don't cry, everyone," Neoma said softly. "I'm not dying."
Her Spirits only cried louder.
Mochi, her Wind Spirit in the form of a white bunny.
Soju, her Water Spirit in the form of a green toad.
Kimchi, her Fire Spirit in the form of a gecko lizard.
Namoo, her Wood Spirit in the form of a wooden capybara.
Kingston, the mighty White Lion that– for some reason– turned into a cub.
[Why did Grandpa Kingston become a baby lion?]
"It's because of your current state, Princess Neoma," Kingston explained in a cracked voice. "We have a safe home in your soul because of your abundant Mana. But if we take too much space, your lifespan might decrease a bit because of the amount of life force that you're using for us. So I turned into this size to help you conserve your life force."
Lifespan and life force were often used as a replacement for one another.
But there was a difference between the two.
Life force referred to the things that could either increase or decrease your lifespan like the amount of your Mana, condition of your physical and mental health, and for the de Moonasterios, it would include their divine power or Moonglow.
[When Trevor said the Darkness that hit Nero earlier was eating at his life force, it meant the Darkness was sucking out all the energy that could decrease his lifespan.]
Life force could also be transferred. But it didn't guarantee to extend one's lifespan.
[Transferring life force to another person only means improving one's overall health. Like a health buff in video games.]
The lifespan, on the other hand, was the exact number of days one had left to live.
"Don't worry about useless stuff, Grandpa," Neoma said after calming down a little. "I'm healthy enough to provide a home for all of you."
Despite what she said, her Spirits still looked worried about her.
"Little Neoma, why did you hide it from us?" Mochi asked in a sad voice. "You do know that keeping us in the dark would only make us worry even more, don't you?"
Neoma flinched, but she couldn't refute what Mochi said. "I didn't have the face to tell you I only have a few years to live. After all, if I die, then all of you would die with me. I'm afraid to see your reaction..."
"Princess Neoma, you didn't think we'd blame you for our death, did you?" Soju asked between sobs. "We will gladly die with you because we know you'll give us an honorable death."
Mochi, Kingston, Kimchi, and Namoo nodded with tears in their eyes.
"Whether your death is honorable or not doesn't matter to me," Neoma said, a lump forming in her throat. "I don't want you to die with me."
"Why are you so selfish, thug princess?!"
[This voice...]
Of course, it was Tteokbokki– in his human CHILD form.
Neoma stood up and approached Tteokbokki– the person she felt most sorry about in that space. "I'm sorry, Tteokbokki. Because of me, you'll die early..."
"Do you think I care about that?!" Tteokbokki asked, his cracked voice full of contempt. "Now I know why you sealed us here and would only summon us if needed– you didn't want us to know that you're dying!"
"I don't have any plans of dying so soon," she argued. "I wanted to find a way to extend my lifespan first before I tell you–"
"That doesn't change the fact that you made a selfish decision!"
"I'm sorry..."
"You're only sorry because your secret was exposed!" Tteokbokki said between sobs while wiping his tears with his hands. "Why would you keep that a secret from me, you insensitive thug princess?! We were born together, and we would die together! You shouldn't have kept it from me. Why didn't you give me a chance to console you? I'm your Soul Beast! We're supposed to stick to each other no matter what!"
Ah, so that was why Tteokbokki was mad.
And that was probably why her Spirits and Elemental Guardian felt betrayed.
[They wanted to console me during a difficult time...]
She felt strangely touched.
"I'm sorry, Tteokbokki. I didn't think that far ahead," Neoma said in a cracked voice, getting down on one knee and hugging Tteokbokki who was currently in his child form. "I won't push you away again– I promise."
"You better keep your promise, thug princess!" Tteokbokki demanded, hugging her back. "No more secrets from now on!"
Neoma smiled and nodded. "Okay."
Kingston, Mochi, Soju, Kimchi, and Namoo soon joined their big family hug.
***
TREVOR COULDN'T see the angry emperor's face.
Heck, he couldn't even lift his head because His Majesty's thick bloodlust was crushing him slowly. The last thing he saw before he was forced to kneel and bow was the emperor's glowing red eyes.
"Argh..."
Trevor slightly turned to his side and saw Lewis having the same difficulties as him.
Yep, the fox was also kneeling and bowing in front of the emperor.
The two of them were summoned to the throne room because the two of them already knew about Princess Neoma's condition.
His Moon Princess and Prince Nero were taken to the bedroom since the royal twins were both unconscious. Empress Mona, Hanna, Princess Neoma's knights, and Prince Nero's knights were there to protect the twins.
On the other hand, the emperor's Paladins were working hard to make sure the news about the palace attack wouldn't leak.
[It's such a shame that Helstor escaped.]
It was obvious that the damned god revealed Princess Neoma's secret in order to distract them.
[And it worked.]
"When did you find out about Neoma's lifespan?"
"Just recently, Your Majesty," Lewis said, obviously having difficulties speaking while being crushed by the emperor's bloodlust. "After Princess Neoma fought Ruto."
"I found out a little earlier than Lewis, Your Majesty," Trevor said politely. He was usually cheeky, but he knew he would die if he treated this situation lightly. "I found out when Princess Neoma and I went to the Astello Temple."
"And none of you bothered to inform me about my daughter's condition?!"
CRACK.
Trevor couldn't lift his head, so he wasn't sure what broke.
But something in the throne room definitely collapsed. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd find long cracks all over the walls and the floor later.
[It's scary, but I still need to open my mouth...]
"With all due respect, we swore our loyalty to Princess Neoma, Your Majesty," Trevor said. He didn't want to admit this, but he was nervous. He also prepared himself to be attacked by the emperor. "It was Princess Neoma's wish to keep this a secret from everyone else. I believe Princess Neoma was planning of revealing her condition only after she found a way to extend her lifespan."
Unfortunately, the condition hadn't been met yet before Helstor revealed the secret.
"Was it my fault?"
Trevor dared to lift his head because he was surprised when he heard how devastated the emperor sounded.
And His Majesty's voice sure matched his expression at the moment.
It was chilling to see the prideful Emperor Nikolai reduced to a father who looked so afraid to lose his precious daughter.
[The emperor... has really become a decent human being– no, a proper father.]
"Neoma gave me her Moonglow when I was about to die," Emperor Nikolai said in a lifeless voice. "Was it the reason why Neoma's lifespan decreased?"
"I wouldn't say that it has no connection, Your Majesty," Trevor said in an honest voice. He didn't say that to make the emperor suffer more. All he did was simply state the truth. "But even if Princess Neoma didn't share her Moonglow with Your Majesty, it seems like Her Royal Highness was really born with a short lifespan."
He didn't say that to comfort the emperor, and it didn't seem like his words were any help at all.
Emperor Nikolai still looked like he hated himself for stealing his daughter's lifespan.
[This is why Princess Neoma didn't want to tell you the truth, Your Majesty. She knew you'd blame yourself...]
He didn't voice his opinion because he didn't want to meddle in their family affair.
[I'll do that once I become Princess Neoma's husband.]
"I remembered Neoma saying that she was apparently revived in her first life after Nero killed her," Emperor Nikolai said, a glimmer of hope flashing in his glowing red eyes. "Is there a chance that Neoma remembers how she was revived back then?"
"The damned chef– I mean Ruto Solfrid said he used Regina Crowell's power back then," Trevor answered politely. "But the damned chef– er, Ruto Solfrid didn't tell us the details, Your Majesty."
Emperor Nikolai frowned. "Bring Ruston Stroganoff to me– as soon as possible."
***
"RUTO, THEY'RE coming here for you..." Sienna trailed off, then she knitted her eyebrows. "What is that THING?"
The 'thing' that shocked her was a pot in Ruto's arms...
... a pot big enough for a one-year-old baby boy to fit in.
Sienna ran to Ruto's residence in the Solfrid Estate to deliver the urgent news, but she didn't expect to find him in that situation.
"It's a baby," Ruto said bluntly. "Can't you tell?"
The baby in question had short black hair, pale skin, and eyes that he couldn't open.
Sienna could tell that the baby was awake, but his eyes weren't open– and it was definitely not the baby's choice.
[It's a baby god...]
Sienna unconsciously took a step backwards because the baby god's divine aura, albeit weak, still sent a shiver down her spine.
It was as if the baby's entire existence was something that shouldn't exist in the world.
"Don't be afraid, Sienna," Ruto said lightly. "This is MY baby."
Sienna's eyes widened in shock. "Just when did you give birth to a catastrophe– I mean, a baby?!"
***
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