"WHAT'S THE next on that the sketchy church spread this ti, Sir lvin?" Neoma asked, then she paused for a mont. "Oh. Should I address you as 'Count Lucchesi from now on?"
lvin imdiately shook his head. "You can just address as before, Your Imperial Highness."
Right now, only Neoma, Lewis, and lvin were left in the eting room in her palace.
She sent her other "children" to the capital to check what kind of rumors were circulating among the common people.
Nero, Mama Boss, and Papa Boss had royal duties to attend to.
Neoma was the only mber of the Imperial Family who had "free" ti.
"It seems awkward to do that since you're going to be the Imperial Chamberlain soon."
"Please don't curse , Princess Neoma."
"There's no use running away from reality, my friend," she said while patting lvin's slumped shoulder. "You're the only one who can serve Nero. Before I leave my position as the one and only Imperial Princess, I'll ask Nero to give you the 'National Treasure' title."
"N-National Treasure?"
"Count Lucchesi, only you can work so efficiently while dealing with Nero's tantrums and nasty temper," Neoma said firmly, giving the young count a thumbs up. "If you're not a National Treasure, then I don't know what else to call you."
lvin looked touched by what she said. "Thank you, Princess Neoma. If only His Imperial Majesty could be half as nice as you are…"
She just laughed it off because she could tell the young count was simply joking.
lvin would never insult Nero in a serious manner.
After all, the young count was very loyal to the young emperor.
[lvin was loyal to Nero in the first tiline, too.]
Neoma knew because she rembered that in the first tiline, lvin gave up his life for Nero.
And so did the other knights in Nero's Order.
"Count Lucchesi, thank you for being kind and loyal to my baby brother," Neoma said sincerely, smiling at lvin. "I an it."
lvin suddenly closed his eyes.
"Why are you closing your eyes, Count Lucchesi?"
"You're too pretty, Princess Neoma."
She laughed softly while shaking her head. "Thank you."
lvin cleared his throat, then he opened his eyes and went back to business mode. "Princess Neoma, you asked about the next on, didn't you?"
"Yep," Neoma said, nodding. "I need to know so we can scam them back."
"Apparently, during Emperor Nero's coronation day, dead animals would pour from the sky."
"Ohh. That's not a natural disaster, is it?"
"According to what the fake church spread, the cause of death of those poor animals was of natural cause," lvin explained. "Apparently, those animals died after "accidentally" drinking water from the Black Ocean."
Oh~
The Black Ocean was the place where Mama Boss was trapped for more than a decade.
"Natural, my ass," Neoma said, scoffing. "No living things live around the Black Ocean. They must have brought those poor animals there to kill them. That's no natural cause of death– that's preditated murder."
"Well, our people aren't in the right state of mind to think straight because of the fake church's fear-mongering," the young count said. "They are easily shaken because their faith in the Moon God has weakened due to the continuous calamities hitting the empire."
Right?
They really couldn't bla the people for losing their faith.
"Princess Neoma?"
"Yes, my precious son?"
Lewis frowned at Neoma's teasing, but he still said what he wanted to say. "Impure Mana. You can purify it, Princess Neoma."
"I know, right?" Neoma agreed. "But even if I purify those dead animals in order to bring them back to life, it still wouldn't put the people at ease because the on still happened. And the on will definitely happen because that petty Goddess of Misfortune follows Nero…"
She trailed off.
Nero was cursed so the Goddess of Misfortune would follow him wherever he went to.
But what if Nero left the empire?
No misfortune would befall them then.
"Nero can't leave the empire on his coronation day," Neoma said out loud. "Unless I take his place."
lvin looked skeptical. "Princess Neoma, I don't an to be rude. But I don't think the sa trick you did when you were younger would still work. The crows could tell if you switched places with Emperor Nero. Now that the two of you have grown into adults, you don't resemble each other as much as you do when you were younger."
Lewis nodded in agreent. "Princess Neoma is prettier than His Imperial Majesty."
The young count looked at the fox as if asking, "Are you serious?"
Lewis just ignored lvin's judgy look, of course.
[Funny kids.]
Neoma, on the other hand, slamd her hand on the table when her big brain started going overdrive. "Bring Ruto and Trevor here."
***
NEOMA went straight to the point as soon as Ruto and Trevor arrived.
She felt bad because she actually asked the two n to take a rest first, and yet she already summoned her when it hadn't even been half a day since she dismissed them.
It couldn't be helped since it was an ergency.
Luckily, both Ruto and Trevor looked refreshed as if their ragged appearance when they arrived was nothing but an illusion.
Anyway, back to work.
"Tell sothing about Nero's curse," Neoma said while tapping her fingertips on the table. "Is it etched in his soul?"
Trevor nodded. "That's right, Princess Neoma. It's like Emperor Nero's soul was branded, so the Goddess of Misfortune will follow him everywhere."
"But if Nero isn't in the empire, then no misfortune will befall on us, right?"
Again, Trevor nodded. "The natural disasters continuously hit the empire only because Emperor Nero is here."
"If we bring Nero's soul sowhere else while his body stays in the empire, will the Goddess of Misfortune still stay in the empire or would she follow Nero's soul?"
It looked like Trevor and Ruto already realized where the conversation was headed.
"I see," Trevor said, nodding. "I don't think we can easily fool the Goddess of Misfortune, though. After all, anyone who knows the Rosehearts must be aware that the Rosehearts can separate their souls from their physical bodies. Moreover, Emperor Nero can't be unconscious on his coronation day since it will only scare the people even more."
"Unless soone takes over Emperor Nero's body," Ruto said while looking at Neoma knowingly. "Are you planning to take the emperor's place during his coronation day, Neoma?"
"Soul switching," Neoma said, grinning. "Grandma Aruna and Grandpa Arche's technique!"
***
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