[WOW, THAT's the most beautiful face I've ever seen in all my multiple lives.]
Neoma imdiately realized she was summoned to another realm again while she was asleep. It pissed her off, but her anger lted away when she was greeted by a pretty face. Call her shallow all you want. But pretty faces would always heal her.
"Annyeong, Neoma unnie!"
Ah, it was Kim Nabi.
Naturally, the most beautiful face she had seen in all her life was her own face.
[As expected of a face genius like .]
"Well, this is awkward," Neoma said while looking around. "I didn't expect you'd summon here… wherever this is."
They were in a small garden on an island floating in the sky.
It wasn't the garden that she saw when she got lost and saw Nabi for the first ti.
"This is my ho in the Cosmic Tree's vast garden, unnie," Nabi explained when she probably noticed she was wondering where they were. "Her garden is so vast, and even the sky in this realm belongs to her. I wanted privacy, so I asked for a floating island as my ho." She pointed at the gigantic tree with an aesthetic-looking treehouse in it. "That's my house."
"It's a pretty house," she said sincerely, then she turned to Nabi. "How are you, Nabi-ya?"
"Looking after the Cosmic Tree's garden is fun," Nabi said cheerfully, then she opened her hands. A yellow watering can materialized in the air. She grabbed it tight and began watering the yellow roses in front of them. "Life here is monotonous, but I don't get bored since Ruto oppa visits from ti to ti."
She knitted her eyebrows. "Ruto visits you?"
"Yes, unnie," Nabi said, then she turned to her and giggled. "But don't get jealous. Ruto oppa talks about you a lot."
Of course, that should be the case.
Her chest swelled with pride.
"What did Ruto say about ?"
"Hmm…" Nabi looked up as if she was thinking, then she turned to her with a bright smile on her face. "Neoma unnie, you're Ruto oppa's number one. He likes you more than he likes cooking."
It was obvious Nabi didn't want to tell her what she talked about with Ruto.
[More like Nabi can't.]
She let it slide, since Nabi said nice things. But she was curious about one thing…
"Nabi-ya, did Ruto teach you how to speak Korean?"
Nabi smiled and nodded. "Oppa taught almost everything I know, unnie."
Interesting.
[How did Ruto learn Korean, though?]
But co to think of it, Ruto ntioned in a passing that he was the one who brought her soul back to this world from Korea.
[That ans he went to Korea to fetch my soul there.]
But did it an…
She let out a soft gasp when the realization hit her.
[Was Ruto the one who sent the coconut wine? But if he did, he practically poisoned ! Should I hate him for that?]
But what if that was the only way to bring her back in this world?
She understood that Ruto had to do it, that he didn't have the luxury to ask her whether she wanted to go back as Princess Neoma de Moonasterio. But for so reason…
[I feel vexed.]
"Unnie, please have more faith in Ruto oppa," Nabi said, as if she could read her thoughts. "You can't hate him, can you?"
"I don't like the fact Ruto is keeping a lot of things from , but I understand he has to follow the rules that he has to in order to keep his past mories intact," she said, then she sighed. "And you're right. I can't hate him."
Nabi just giggled. "Unnie, the Cosmic Tree is already awake. She woke up a little earlier than expected."
"Oh," she said, surprised. "Then, is it ti for to save you? You told Tteokbokki to tell to save you once the Cosmic Tree is awake."
"I invited you here to talk about that, unnie," Nabi said, then she faced her. "The last ti Ruto oppa was here, he told that our appa, Gavin Quinzel, was trapped in a block of ice. Apparently, only your Soul Beast can save our appa."
She clenched her hands, her heart now thumping loud and fast against her chest. "My Soul Beast will return three years from now."
"Unnie, you're going to save appa, right?"
[I knew it.]
"Ruto oppa said you sent your Soul Beast to another world to train in order to save your real mother," Nabi said nervously. "But only your Soul Beast can save our appa. I know that in this world, our appa did bad things. Still, I want to et him."
She didn't know why, but her heart hurt while listening to Nabi.
"Ruto oppa told our appa isn't my biological father, but he's the only father I have now."
Ah, yes.
Nabi's biological father was already gone.
"Unnie, both our appa and I… we're still alive on the other world, aren't we?" Nabi asked carefully. "I'm talking about our physical bodies."
"Apparently, you and our appa are in a comatose state."
"And our eomma is waiting for us to wake up," Nabi continued. "Unnie, the reason I changed my mind about asking you to save after the Cosmic Tree wakes up is because of what happened to our appa. I don't want to leave this world without him."
She had already seen this coming.
But now that she heard it straight from Nabi's mouth, she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.
[Nabi wants to leave this world with appa…]
"Ruto oppa told I can still return to my own world," Nabi said in a serious voice. "Unnie, I want to return to Korea to be with my appa and my eomma."
[She said 'my appa and my eomma.']
Nabi wasn't wrong to claim Gavin Quinzel and Go Areum as her parents.
She knew very well that Nabi owned the life and family that she had in her second life.
In fact, the poor girl was the biggest victim out of them.
Nabi was forced out of her own physical body, then her soul was brought to a different realm. Now she was living as a Spirit when she was supposed to be an ordinary Korean girl.
[I know that, and yet…]
"Unnie, can you help be with my family?"
It was an earnest wish from an innocent little girl.
Yet, Neoma's selfish and corrupted heart couldn't give her an answer.
"Unnie?" Nabi asked worriedly. "Are you crying?"
"I'm sorry, Nabi-ya," Neoma said in a cracked voice, then she closed her eyes. "I'm really sorry."
***
"AH, SHIBAL," Neoma said as soon as she opened her eyes, cursing in Korean since she just talked with Nabi in her dream. When she got up, she still felt pissed so she cursed again using the empire's language this ti. "Fuck it."
"There's sothing alluring about hearing Your Royal Highness curse as soon as you wake up."
Right?
She was totally on brand.
"Lewis," she said, greeting the only person in the room. Her son was standing on the side of the bed like the loyal guard that he was. She was still in the king's luxurious room, since only the king's palace was suitable for the "Crown Prince" like her to use. Her "children" destroyed the other palaces, after all. "I'm a bad person."
Lewis just tilted his head to one side while giving her a look that said 'you just realized it now, Princess Neoma?'
Argh.
[The truth hurts, indeed.]
"You're being a smart-ass with your cheeky expression, Lewis," she complained, then she stretched her arms. "I had a conversation with Nabi."
"The you in the other world?"
"Yeah, the real daughter of Go Areum and Yoon Jung– and the one whose body I stole when I was a baby."
"You didn't steal her body, Princess Neoma," Lewis gently reminded her. He was free to address her that way because the room that she was using was protected by a soundproof spell that Juri made for her. "Just like Lady Nabi, you're a victim of the adults' foolish mistakes."
Ah, she could really trust Lewis to make her feel better when she was feeling like shit. "But I haven't told you yet what Nabi and I have talked about, Lewis."
"It doesn't matter since I will always side with you, Princess Neoma."
That made her smile.
"But I will listen to Your Royal Highness's rant," Lewis said, using the word 'rant' that she taught him the right way. "What did you talk about with Lady Nabi, Princess Neoma?"
"Nabi wants to help her return to Korea to be with our appa and eomma," she said, then she smiled bitterly. "I couldn't give her a proper response, so I ran away."
She ran away by forcing herself to wake up.
"I know that Nabi deserves to return ho and be with her family," she said, her heart aching once again. "But my appa and my eomma… I also want to be with them. I can't do that once Nabi returns to Korea, since I can't use her physical body anymore."
She was aware that she couldn't leave the empire easily. Especially not now when she finally found people to cherish in this world.
And yet, her heart still yearned for her appa and eomma.
"I've spent over twenty years of my life with appa and eomma back in my second life. My life with them was filled with warm and happy mories," she said. "Even though I recently found out that my appa has done terrible things that hurt Papa Boss and Mama Boss, I still can't hate my appa. A part of wants to just forget everything in this world, then return to Korea with him. My eomma in that world is waiting for us, after all."
Lewis looked devastated by her confession. "Princess Neoma, when all of this is over, do you still want to return to Korea?"
"Even if I want to, I don't think I have a place in that world anymore."
Just thinking about Nabi was enough to squeeze her heart with guilt, so how could she even think of returning to Korea? Moreover, if she left this world her appa, she would be betraying her Papa Boss and Mama Boss.
[Nero, too. My baby brother will definitely go yandere mode if I leave abruptly.]
Thinking about Nero gave her the goosebumps.
"I think it's not up to whether I could leave this world or not," she said jokingly. "Nero would either destroy all the doors that lead to the other world, or lock up sowhere." She playfully glared at Lewis. "And I guess you'll help my baby brother keep in this world."
"I won't let Prince Nero take your freedom away, Princess Neoma," Lewis said seriously. "But it doesn't matter to whether you want to return to Korea or stay in this world. All I have to do is follow you, anyway."
Neoma laughed softly at Lewis' response. "I think you're a duckling and not a fox in your past life, Lewis."
***
"I'M NOT in a good mood," Neoma said when she returned to her temporary room. "William, Delywn, if you're here to ask for a rematch, I'm afraid I have to turn you down. I'm busy."
Yes, the two old Spirits were waiting for her in the room.
William was sitting on the windowsill, while Delwyn was shalessly lying on the bed.
She wasn't surprised to see the two fossils since Mochi, Soju, and Kimchi already reported to her earlier that William and Delwyn had already woken up.
It happened while Juri Wisteria and Jeanne Audley were giving her a bath. Since she didn't bring Stephanie to the Hazelden Kingdom, Juri and Jeanne volunteered to be her temporary maids. She didn't need assistants when taking a bath, but she must follow the protocol, or else the people serving her would get punished.
[Anyway…]
She went back to her room alone because she knew she had to deal with William and Delwyn.
Lewis, thankfully, followed her when she gave him an errand.
But it wasn't like she was completely defenseless.
"Didn't you hear ? I said I'm busy," she said, then she sat on the sofa. "My people found out that most parts of the kingdom are under the control of a substance similar to Darkness, including the barrier. I have a feeling the crows are behind it, so I'm thinking of how to destroy it." She waved her hands. "So shoo. I don't have ti to play with losers like you."
"We're not here to play with you," William snapped at her. "And I'm not a loser."
"You are, Uncle Scumbag."
"You–"
"I don't have the energy to argue with you, Uncle Scumbag," she said lazily. "I should have buried you in the snow while you were unconscious earlier."
William glared at her.
"I can help you with that," Delwyn said lazily. "I'll lend you my power if you make a contract with , Little Neoma." He pointed a slender finger outside at William. "Burying William under the snow won't be difficult. After all, I'm chummy with the ancient Snow Spirit that guards the Hazelden Kingdom."
Huh?
There was an ancient Spirit guarding the Hazelden Kingdom?
[Is that the reason why it doesn't stop snowing in the areas not protected by the kingdom's barrier?]
"Don't piss off, Delwyn," William threatened the Ice Spirit, then he turned to her with an unusually hesitant look on his face. "Let's make a contract, Neoma de Moonasterio."
Oh.
[He's not calling a 'filthy bug' this ti?]
These two dudes attempted to work together in order to get rid of her, and now they wanted to make a contract with her?
[Sothing is fishy.]
Neoma smirked at the two old Spirits. "Are you proposing to ?" She put her elbow on the armrest, then she rested her chin on the palm of her hand while giving William and Delwyn an arrogant look. "If you want to say 'yes,' then try to make my heart flutter with your offer, not-so-gentle n."
***
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