"PRINCESS NEOMA, please wear this."
[So much for "sneaking out."]
Neoma tried to sneak out of her bedroom via her balcony. But as soon as her feet landed on the ground, Lewis stepped out of the darkness and handed a thick cloak to her. "Gosh. Do you not sleep, Lewis?"
"I do, Princess Neoma," Lewis said while draping the cloak over her shoulders. "My siblings and I take turns in guarding your room. But I know that you're not going to sleep tonight, so I told them I'll be with you all night."
That sounded wrong without context, but Lewis was Lewis.
[He's not good at expressing himself in words.]
At least, it was nice to hear Lewis call his fellow knights his 'siblings.'
[That's what I call progress.]
"How did you know I was planning on sneaking out tonight?"
"You have a mischievous look on your face earlier when you "obliged" to sleep, Princess Neoma."
Tsk.
[Lewis isn't good at speaking, but he sure has sharp eyes.]
"I guess your siblings aren't sleeping either."
"How can we sleep when you're up, Princess Neoma?" Lewis responded while following her behind. "Paige and Greko are with Dustin and Young Miss Sharon. Juri and Jeno are interrogating the commoners who attacked you earlier. And Xion is still in the slums. Even Prince Nero and Princess Hanna's people are busy working."
And Neoma could tell that her Mama Boss and Papa Boss wouldn't be able to sleep either while taking care of international affairs.
[This is Helstor's fault.]
"Are you going to let the child die, Princess Neoma?"
Neoma turned to Lewis with a surprised look on her face. "Oho? It's rare for you to care about other people, Lewis."
"I don't care about the child," Lewis said bluntly. "But I care about how you'd react if the child died under your watch, Princess Neoma."
Ah.
Lewis knew about her "savior complex," so he knew where she was coming from.
"To be honest, my OP-ness is scaring me these days, Lewis," Neoma confessed. There was something about the silence of the night that made her feel a little vulnerable. She didn't hesitate to show that side of her to Lewis because he was one of the people that she trusted most in the world. "I can see the weakness of the people around me." She turned to him and smiled bitterly. "I can even see how to kill you, Lewis."
"I figured that was the case the day you cried your eyes out, Princess Neoma."
"Aren't you scared of me? I can kill you anytime. I don't mean to offend you, and I'm definitely not looking down on you. But you know that I'm stronger than you, don't you, Lewis?"
"If Your Imperial Highness ends up killing me, then it probably means I did something worth to be killed over."
She let out a sigh. "Lewis."
"I live for you, Princess Neoma," Lewis said in a casual yet sincere manner. "You're the person who gave me reasons to live. Hence, I wouldn't mind even if you take it all back. I'd gladly die by your hands."
"Don't say something scary, Lewis. You can't make a single person your entire world."
"I can," he said confidently. "Do you want to make a bet, Princess Neoma?"
"Tsk," she complained, clicking her tongue. "You know I don't make bets I can't win."
Lewis laughed softly. "At least, you're aware that you're my world."
"Wow. And you're even talking casually to me."
Lewis just shrugged.
"You can't kill yourself even after I died, Lewis."
"…"
"Of course, I'll do my best to extend my lifespan," Neoma said when Lewis remained silent. "But if all else fails, you have to promise me that you'll keep on living, Lewis."
"Princess Neoma, you know I'm a rule breaker. Even if you force me to make a promise, I'll just break it if I want to."
"Gosh, you shouldn't sound proud of it."
"I want to respect your wishes, but I feel like I'm going to lose my mind if I lost you," Lewis said in a serious voice. "So please don't die for my sake."
"Can I ruffle your hair?"
Instead of giving a verbal response, Lewis just bent his knees and lowered his head.
"Gosh, I'm glad that you're taller than me," Neoma said while ruffling Lewis' hair. "It's not that I want the child to die. But it's too late to save him. Or do you think I'm giving up way too easily just because the child isn't innocent?"
She had heard the full report from Melvin.
Apparently, according to Nero, Dustin smelled of blood.
[That means the child killed many people. And it looks like most people killed were innocent people living in the slums.]
That was something that she couldn't gloss over.
"You don't have to save everyone every single time, Princess Neoma," Lewis said, then he raised his head to look at her straight in the eye. "We won't hate you for it, so please don't be too hard on yourself."
Aww.
That was actually pretty touching.
Neoma smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Lewis."
***
"MOMMY, are you here for me?"
Neoma froze when the baby god suddenly floated towards her, then climbed her torso until she was forced to carry him in her arms.
[He feels different right now…]
The baby god felt like a normal baby, except that he could actually use Mana.
[And he got bigger.]
"He's still the God of Death, but his consciousness has relapsed back to the consciousness of a child," Manu explained. "Hence, you have to wait if you need to talk to him as the God of Death. Right now, he's no different from a crybaby his age."
"Uhm, okay," Neoma said while awkwardly holding the baby in her arms. She didn't know why, but she had always felt awkward with this baby. Which was weird since she was usually good with kids. "Aegiya, why are you still awake?"
"Because you're not here, Mommy," Aegiya said. "The scary emperor was here earlier. He's so scary."
"Papa Boss? What did my father say to you?"
Aegiya shook his head. "I don't remember, Mommy."
"He cried himself to sleep after getting a visit from His Majesty," Manu explained. "If I have to guess, then I believe His Majesty tried to ask the God of Death about your lifespan. Specifically, how to extend it."
Ah, that sounded plausible.
[But we can't talk to the God of Death if his mind is that of a child's at the moment.]
"Neoma noona?"
Oh.
Skylus, who was already sleeping on the bed when she arrived, got up while rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. "You're here, noona?"
Neoma's heart already broke while looking at the poor child, but she had to strengthen her resolve. "Prince Skylus– no, Your Holiness."
Skylus looked surprised when she addressed him formally. "N-Noona?"
"Prince Skylus, the Imperial Princess addressed you by your proper title," Manu reminded the baby saint. "At times like this, you must do the same."
Skylus looked hesitant for a moment before speaking again. "P-Princess Neoma…"
"Yes, Your Holiness," Neoma said, smiling apologetically at the child. "We must go."
Skylus flinched, but he didn't say anything.
"We must retract your divine power before it's too late."
Skylus lowered his head. "Is Brother Dustin going to die, Princess Neoma?"
"According to Nero, that child has already consumed too much Darkness that his insides are already rotting," she explained to the baby saint. "Nero purified the Darkness, but he didn't have the ability to fix a rotting body. Even my mother couldn't do anything about it anymore."
"I… I know it all along, Princess Neoma."
"Hmm? Know what?"
Skylus raised his head, his tears rolling down his face. "That Brother Dustin's body is already long dead."
Okay, that surprised Neoma.
Even Manu looked shocked.
[Skylus didn't become the new saint for nothing.]
"The moment I saw Brother Dustin, I already know that the only thing keeping him alive is the Darkness inside him," Skylus said between sobs. "And the short time I spent with him made me realize that it was me who killed him."
"What do you mean by that, Prince Skylus?"
"My divine power isn't suitable for Brother Dustin's body, so it slowly killed him inside," Skylus said, sobbing. "I don't know how my divine power and Darkness managed to co-exist inside him, but I'm sure my divine power is also responsible for destroying his body…"
"How was that your fault, Your Holiness?" Neoma asked. "You didn't put your divine power in Dustin's body."
"But Princess Neoma…"
"Don't blame yourself for something you didn't do," she scolded him lightly. "I know I shouldn't teach you to hold grudges, but if you're going to blame someone for this shit, then blame the crows. But instead of getting mad, you should get ready for getting your revenge."
"Princess Neoma, you must teach the saint about forgiveness and not revenge," Manu scolded her. "The saint shouldn't learn how to hold grudges."
"It's not my style to teach people to forgive those who wronged them. In the first place, I never believed we find peace in forgiveness anyway," Neoma said in a serious tone. "I'm the type of person who only gets to sleep peacefully after getting even."
The Moon Priest could only sigh while shaking his head.
"But you're too young to hold grudges, so let me get angry in your place, Your Holiness," Neoma said when she turned to the baby saint. "So, I'll do the killing. You do the saving."
Skylus looked up at her with a confused look on his face. "Can I still save Brother Dustin, Princess Neoma?"
"Let him die a human being," Neoma said softly. "That's one way of saving him, Your Holiness."
***
SKYLUS slowly approached Dustin's bed.
Lord Manu offered to accompany him, but he decided to come alone.
[I know Brother Dustin won't hurt me anymore.]
Moreover, Neoma noona and Lewis hyung said they would guard the door.
If something happened, Skylus knew everyone would come to his rescue.
"You're here?"
It was Dustin's weak voice, echoing in the silent room.
"Yes, Brother," Skylus said, standing next to the bed. "I'm here."
Dustin still had his eyes closed.
His big brother looked so pale, and even his lips didn't have color in them.
Moreover, the smell of death lingered around.
It was something that Skylus could tell as the saint.
"Are you here to extract the divine power from me?"
Skylus clenched his hands tight. "Not yet."
"Not yet?"
Dustin slowly opened his eyes.
Ah.
[His eyes don't have light anymore…]
That meant Dustin could no longer see anything.
Skylus held back his tears. "Brother, I'll let you see it."
"See what?"
"Your most precious memories."
Dustin fell silent for a moment, then he smiled and closed his eyes again. "Before I was picked up by the crows, I was living happily with my siblings in the orphanage. But those bastards took my siblings one by one, forcing them to swallow the piece of divine power– hoping to find the right host for it."
Ah.
It was something that he didn't expect to hear from his big brother.
[My poor Brother Dustin…]
"Only I survived in the orphanage," Dustin continued in a weak voice. "I barely survived. But, apparently, I have the potential to be a saint. That was how I was chosen to take your place, Skylus." Tears silently rolled down his cheeks as he continued with his story. "I lived at the expense of my siblings…"
Skylus unclenched his hands, tears rolling down his cheeks silently. "Brother Dustin, don't blame yourself for surviving. We should only blame the crows for all of the pain they caused. My noona is good at getting even– she'll avenge us, so you can leave it to her."
"Are you talking about Princess Neoma?"
He nodded while wiping his tears. "I can't hold grudges because I'm the saint. But Neoma noona said she'll get angry in my place."
"Then can you tell Princess Neoma to be mad for me, too?"
"Consider it done, Brother Dustin."
Dustin laughed softly. "Skylus, I want to see my siblings one last time."
"Mm," Skylus said. He couldn't open his mouth any more because he knew only sobs would come out, so he just placed a hand on Dustin's eyes. His hand soon emitted bluish lights, a sign that he was using his divine power. He was using it to let Dustin watch his most precious memories for the last time. "Good night, Dustin hyung."
***
FUCKING HELL.
Neoma couldn't physically cry.
She wouldn't mind showing her vulnerable side if it was only Lewis there.
But Uncle Glenn (who just returned from his meeting with Papa Boss) and Lord Manu were there, too. Plus, the Moon Priest even brought the baby god with him.
Hence, she had to control her tears.
[There's nothing I hate in the world more than children getting hurt because of the cruel adults around them.]
"Lord Manu."
"Yes, Princess Neoma?"
"Get ready," Neoma said, sighing. "We might need to extract Dustin's divine power before the night ends."
***
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This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢