Chapter 54 - UNWITHERING ROSE

NEOMA was surprised when Sir Glenn said that they were heading to the de Moonasterio Shrine instead of the Royal Tower.

And since only a few people had the permission to enter the shrine's premise, the knight asked her servants to return to Blanco Palace. That meant even Stephanie and Alphen– the head maid and head butler of her palace– didn't have access to the shrine.

Anyway…

Sir Glenn received a call from Count Kyle Sprouse a while ago. According to her father's aide, the emperor was now heading to the shrine. She didn't know what was happening but based on the anxious look on Sir Glenn's face, something terrible must have happened.

Is it related to the talking book?

"Sir Glenn, the de Moonasterio Shrine is where the royal family members are laid to rest, right?" Neoma asked. Of course, she was using euphemism. The shrine is nothing but a private cemetery for the royal family.

"Yes, Your Royal Highness," Sir Glenn said, anxiousness still visible on his face. "We are headed the late empress's shrine."

Okay, hearing that made her nervous.

And that nervousness turned into anxiousness when they reached the shrine.

The de Moonasterio Shrine was like a modern museum in the middle of a luxurious park. As soon as they stepped foot in the premise, she felt a heavy pressure on her shoulders.

"Your Royal Highness, are you alright?" Sir Glenn asked worriedly.

"I'm alright," she assured him. "I was just a little surprised at how powerful the barrier around the area is."

The knight smiled. "You're impressive, Your Royal Highness. The first time I stepped foot in here, I fell on my knees while choking because of the heavy aura in the air. The fact that you're standing straight without having difficulty in breathing proves that you have the right to enter the shrine. I shouldn't be surprised though. After all, you're a de Moonasterio."

She just smiled and was about to say something when suddenly, a group of well-dressed old noblemen came running towards him.

"Your Royal Highness!"

Sir Glenn immediately stood in front of her protectively. He didn't have to say anything. The aura that he emitted clearly said that if those men took one more step towards her, he'd apprehend them.

The noblemen really stopped approaching her and maintained a safe distance from her. But the way they looked at her was making her feel uncomfortable.

Their eyes were begging her for some reason.

"Your Royal Highness, please stop His Majesty!" one of the five noblemen pleaded her. "His Majesty is about to do the unspeakable act to the late empress's tomb!"

The way Sir Glenn remained silent told her that he knew what was going on.

Neoma recognized the noblemen in front of her as her father's advisors. Had the situation been different, she would have entertained them to gain their favor. But she was curious as to what the emperor was up to. "Let's go, Sir Glenn," she said, then she walked past him.

Sir Glenn immediately caught up with her and escorted her to the shrine properly.

The White Lion Knights outside the shrine stopped the noblemen from following them. And so, they were able to enter the shrine quietly.

She noticed that Count Kyle Sprouse was standing near the door while Emperor Nikolai was standing close to the single tomb inside the room. When Sir Glenn stood beside the count and bowed to her, she realized that they couldn't enter the chamber further.

I guess only members of the royal family can go near the tomb.

When she felt her father's enormous aura, she immediately walked towards him and stood by his side. Then, she turned to him.

Oh. His eyes turned red.

And they were glowing creepily.

The next thing that the emperor did shocked her.

He must have used his power to lift the lid of the coffin.

Wait– is he opening the late empress's casket?!

"Papa!" Neoma yelled in surprise. "What are you doing? We already know that you're a jerk so you don't have to prove it by disrespecting the dead!"

"Shut up," Emperor Nikolai snapped at her.

Okay, that was pretty scary so she shut her mouth.

Plus, she was distracted when she saw what was inside the casket. To be honest, she was expecting a skeleton dressed in a lavish gown. But it was empty.

Well, not really empty.

Beautiful crystal roses were placed inside the coffin instead of the late empress's body.

Her Majesty's body is missing?!

"Juliet…" Emperor Nikolai whispered to himself in an anguished voice. "Who dared to disrespect you this way…"

Neoma was surprised to see the pained look on her father's face.

She didn't know why she felt a squeeze in her heart to see her father grieve like that for other people.

So, Papa treasures the late empress.

Then, how about her mother?

***

NIKOLAI was fuming.

He was furious that Juliet's body was stolen from her tomb. But he was even more frustrated at himself for failing to protect the late empress's final resting place.

"The late empress's body has been stolen," Nikolai announced to his shocked advisors waiting for him outside the shrine. "The prime suspect is Duke Sloane so bring that bastard to me so I could announce his death sentence."

The advisors seemed to be shocked and confused to react.

To be honest, he didn't want to tell the advisors the matter about the late empress. But even though he was the emperor, there were still rules that he had to abide if he wanted to stay in power. Unfortunately, that included reporting the things that he had to do like going to the shrine to check if the late empress's body was still there.

"Your Majesty, I will personally go to House Sloane to arrest the duke," Kyle told him. "The evidence we have against him is enough for him to be executed even without a noble trial."

"Bring that damned duke to me first," Nikolai said in a cold voice. "I will squeeze the truth out of him before I kill him with my own hands."

***

"HELLO, my little fiancée."

""Fiancée," my foot," Neoma told the talking book, then she sat on the sofa across from him. She looked at him from head to toe. He still looked the same except he looked like a child, obviously. The piercings in his ear also disappeared. And instead of robe, he wore a normal three-piece crisp suit. But he wore a pair of shorts instead of pants. It kind of looked cute on him but she would never say it aloud. "Gosh, even in a child's body, you still look evil."

She could talk freely like that because she asked Sir Glenn to give her privacy with Trevor.

Her Papa Boss sent her to the Royal Tower first because apparently, he needed to take care of Duke Sloane first. She heard what happened from Sir Glenn so she had an idea of what was going on right now.

"Trevor, is it true that Duke Sloane targeted my son because he wanted to revive the late empress?" she asked curiously.

Trevor raised a brow at her. "You have a son?"

"Lewis, the fox boy is my son," she answered proudly.

"Ah," the talking book said while nodding his head. "That makes him my son, too. Now I'm obliged to protect him, right?"

"My son doesn't need a father. I'm capable of raising him on my own," she said, then she changed the topic. "Duke Sloane seems pretty dumb to me. He can't be the only one who planned this."

The little devil just sipped his tea.

"Wait, I just remembered something strange," she said. "Byron and Harry bullied Lewis before. But during the times I spent with the kids, they seemed pretty tamed. Did they attack Lewis back then because you asked them to?"

"You can say that," Trevor admitted. "But I didn't try to kill our son back then. I was just trying to gauge his strength."

""Our son," my foot," she complained, then she changed the subject. If she continued to humor him, it would seem like they were flirting again. "Anyway, who's working with Duke Sloane? Are Count Thompson and Marquis Alberts involved in stealing the late empress's body?"

He shook his head. "The count and the marquis are just mere bookkeepers."

She gasped when she remembered something again. "How about my homies then? Are Byron and Harry not real people?"

"Bingo," he said playfully. "The "children" that you met were just given to the count and the marquis to help them conceal my presence."

She swallowed before she asked. "Then, what are they?"

Trevor smirked. "Helldog."

Right after saying that, he snapped his fingers.

As soon as he did, a huge black dog with bloodshot eyes appeared. But that size of the dog wasn't the only unusual thing about it.

The "helldog" had two heads!

Neoma gasped in shock. "Daebak!"

***

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