NOW NEOMA finally understood why her ancestors remained as "ghosts" all this time.
[They couldn't rest in peace because they knew this day would come– the day when the world would end unless their beautiful and awesome descendant stepped forward.]
The 'beautiful and awesome' descendant would be Neoma, of course.
"Gosh, I'm really the Chosen One," Neoma said, half amazed-half annoyed by the cliché. "I was born for this trope!"
Drystan looked at Neoma weirdly, then he turned to Tteokbokki. "Is your princess okay?"
Tteokbokki gave Drystan a dire look. "Dude, have you met a normal de Moonasterio in your long life?"
"Touché," the King of Hell said, nodding. "The most "normal" de Moonasterio I have met was the first Emperor."
Neoma looked at Drystan in horror. "Emperor Primo is normal by your standards, Your Majesty? Wasn't he the dude who blew up half of the empire because of his Lunacy?"
"That was pretty normal for a de Moonasterio."
Right?
"And you're the most peculiar among your bloodline, Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio," Drystan said while looking at Neoma with judgemental eyes. "You're not evil, but you're not good either."
"Hey, morally gray characters are famous these days," Neoma said defensively. "What's wrong with me?"
"Everything is wrong with you, thug princess."
"Shut up, Tteokbokki."
"Little princess, I used my young appearance to make you focus on me. Keeping up this appearance isn't easy since it consumes too much energy," Drystan reminded her. "Please don't make me waste my energy– I need it to perform my duties well."
"I'm acting this way because I don't like this conversation," Neoma said, leaning against the chair while crossing her arms over her chest. "Of course, I'm touched and delighted to know that my ancestors gave up their chance to be reincarnated in order to use their good karma points for my sake."
Well, she had a feeling that it wasn't exactly for her sake.
After all, her ancestors were born way before her Papa Boss and Mama Boss were even born. Hence, she could only think of one reason as to why her ancestors reserved their good karma points.
The prophecy.
There was a prophecy about a female de Moonasterio who would become the first empress regnant of the empire.
[The crows lost their shit because of that prophecy.]
Hence, those crows started killing off all the princesses born from the Imperial Family.
[My ancestors probably knew that the empress regnant from the prophecy would save the world. So, they save up their good karma points for this moment.]
"It doesn't sit well with me," Neoma said, frowning. "Why is it my clan's SOLE responsibility to save the freaking world? Are we the only ones living here? No, right?"
"The people who are trying to destroy the world came from the bloodline of the Moon God," Drystan said casually. "Of course, it's YOUR clan's problem."
"Gosh, what a slander," she complained. "It's true that Callisto de Luca is Lord Yule's brother. But why is it only our clan's responsibility to stop that lunatic from running amok, huh?" She pointed a finger up even though the sky there was fake. "There are gods supporting that crazy bastard. Shouldn't the divine race take responsibility, too? Gosh. You're supposed to be superior to humans, and yet you expect humans to save the freaking world."
"I don't understand why you're upset, little princess," Drystan said in a tired voice. "I know saving the world is no easy task. But the reward is great. You'll be freed from being punished in the Afterlife if you succeeded."
"But I don't want to be saved at the expense of my ancestors' sacrifice."
Tteokbokki rolled his eyes. "Here she goes again."
"Your ancestors made their decisions a long time ago– they're already dead, and they don't seem to regret their choice," Drystan said, sighing as if he was already exhausted dealing with her. "And I've already collected their good karma points. I can't return it to them even if you asked me to."
"I want my ancestors to be reincarnated," Neoma declared, making up her mind. "They all lived a shitty life because they had the bad luck of being born a de Moonasterio. So, they deserve to be reincarnated and live a life where only a flower road awaits them."
"Do you understand what you're saying, little princess?" the King of Hell asked. "If you refuse the deal I'm offering you, then you'd suffer in the Afterlife. The punishment for people who commit mass murder is harsh."
"Gosh, I don't want to be punished either."
"Does my thug princess look like a person you can punish?" Tteokbokki asked, scoffing. "My thug princess gives the punishment and not the other way around."
Right?
"What is it that you want, little princess?" Drystan asked, sighing once again. "You refuse my deal, yet you also don't want to be punished. If you don't accept what I'm currently offering you, then I won't bring you back to life."
"Then think of something else, Your Majesty. It's not like my request is hard. I just want to be brought back to life without using my ancestors' good karma points."
The King of Hell sighed. "Little princess, you're being obnoxious."
"You need me more than I need you," Neoma reminded the king. "Even if you don't bring me back to life, I'll still get revived. I'm quite loved, you know? The people I left behind will surely do everything they can just to bring me back."
The fact that Nero already froze her body was proof that her people were trying to bring her back.
[I left a will that says I don't want to be revived at the expense of someone else's life.]
But Neoma had a feeling that a mere piece of paper wouldn't stop her people from bringing her back to life at all costs.
[This is the curse of being too loved.]
"And, Your Majesty, you need to know I'm not good at keeping still," Neoma said, smiling. "I get bored easily. And if I get too bored here, I might do things that will make you regret keeping me here in the first place."
"For the first time in my long life, I am tempted to smack a child."
Tteokbokki growled at what Drystan said. "How dare you threaten my thug princess? I'm the only one allowed to do that!"
"Aigoo. Calm down, dude," Neoma said, patting Tteokbokki's shoulder. "Your Majesty, let's have a sparring."
"What?"
"Let's fight," she said. "I'm bored."
"Alright," Drystan said, standing up. "If I win, then you'll take my offer seriously, little princess."
"If I win, you'll come up with a new deal," Neoma said, standing up with Tteokbokki. "And you'll stop calling me 'little princess,' Your Majesty."
***
<DON'T make me wait too long, Ruto.>
It was just one line.
And yet, Ruto couldn't help but smile while reading the letter that Princess Neoma left for him.
[She's waiting for me.]
"You can really be a hypocrite sometimes, Neoma," Ruto whispered to himself. "You said you don't want anyone to die at your expense, but you knew I'm following you."
[Am I the exception?]
It made Ruto happy.
"Daddy Ruto."
He folded the paper and quickly put it in his pocket before he turned around.
"You're back," Ruto said to the God of Death who was still in his baby form while floating in front of him. "Did you send off Neoma?"
"I did, but I don't think Mommy Neoma saw me," the baby god said. "And Mommy Neoma was dragged to hell as soon as her soul left her body."
He let out a sigh while shaking his head. "Drystan is still as impatient as ever."
"The King of Hell is probably offering a deal to Mommy Neoma by now. Do you think she'll accept the offer?"
"Neoma makes the offer and not the other way around," Ruto said. "But the King of Hell wouldn't let this opportunity slip. He'll do everything to make Neoma accept his deal, so I know that we still have time to bring her back to life."
"What makes you so confident, Daddy Ruto?"
"Drystan is lazy."
"Huh?"
"The King of Hell is lazy and he can't be bothered to crawl out of his little kingdom just to get involved in this war," Ruto said determinedly. "He was kicked out of the Upper World because he can't be bothered by anything."
That was the kind of person Drystan was.
[He learned how to manipulate people to do his bidding because he doesn't want to work.]
"I see," the baby god said, sounding like an adult all of a sudden. "Mommy Neoma gave me a name, Daddy."
"What name did she give you?" Ruto asked nervously. "It's not weird, is it?"
"'Vitu.'"
"What…?"
The baby god smiled sadly. "Mommy Neoma called me 'Vitu,' Daddy Ruto."
It was just a name.
Granted that it was just a name that anyone who could speak the ancient language could come up with, he was still taken aback.
[Out of all the names there, why choose that one, Neoma?]
"Don't cry, Daddy Ruto," Vitu said while wiping the tears off his face with his tiny and chubby hands. "It's just a name now."
Ruto, who didn't even realize he was crying until that moment, nodded. "Yes, it's just a name now."
***
TEASER FOR THE ROYAL SECRET AU:
***
"Are you sure you're not going to regret this, Nikolai?"
That was Mona's question the day she was kicked out of the house.
During that time, all I wanted was to make my parents proud.
Hence, my response to Mona was cold and cruel.
"I don't think I would. Thank you for being my wife for the past decade, Mona-ssi. And I'm sorry for forgetting everything. I wish you all the best in life."
Mona only smiled bitterly in response.
"I hate you, Appa."
That was what Neoma, between sobs, said to me.
I just turned my back on them without looking back.
***
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