Chapter 184 - THE STORY BEHIND YULE’S TEARS

"NE-NE, don't say things that you don't mean."

"And when did I do that?" Neoma asked Yule while looking at the god's pretty, galaxy-like eyes. "I'm arrogant because I have the skills to back it up. Thus, I don't say things I don't mean, Lord Yule."

Yule looked surprised by her declaration. Then, his already sparkly eyes sparkled even more. "Do you want to be the first empress of the Great Moonasterion Empire now?"

"I don't 'want' to be the empress," she corrected him. "I need to."

"Interesting," the god said, then he snapped his fingers.

The next thing she knew, she was already seated on the floating chair across from Yule. She even had a cup of tea in one hand, and a coaster in the other.

"Wow, this is so convenient," she said, then she sipped the tea. Her eyes sparkled when she had a taste of the strange yet delightful drink. And no, it wasn't tea even though it was in a teacup. "Wow, Lord Yule. This tastes like my favorite toffee nut latte from St*rbucks."

"I'm glad that you liked it, Ne-Ne," he said smilingly. "The tea that I serve my guests magically transforms into whatever they feel like drinking at the moment."

Ah, so she was craving for St*rbucks right now.

I should ask Ruto to recreate my favorite St*rbucks drinks later.

"Interesting," she said, making the god laugh. "Anyway, I have a question, Lord Yule."

"What is it, Ne-Ne?"

"Do you want me to become the first empress of the empire?"

He smiled brightly at her. "Yes."

"Then, let's make a deal," she said. After that, she put the teacup down on the floating white table between her and the god. "If you create a miracle for me, I will create a miracle for you."

"Tell me more about it, Ne-Ne."

"I'm sure that my Papa Boss won't let me die since I'm Nero's proxy," she said. "And I can tell that I'm not dying yet. If I was, I'd be at the Spirit World instead of having tea with you, Lord Yule. I guess right now, we can say that I'm in a coma. Which means I'm barely alive."

He just smiled and sipped his tea.

"But even if Papa Boss successfully wakes me up, my physical body won't magically return to normal, will it?"

"Of course not."

She already expected that and yet, the confirmation from Yule still scared her a little.

"The fact that your body didn't blow up to pieces after what William did to you is already a miracle, Ne-Ne."

"That's because Hanna managed to protect her body properly," she said. After all, William said that he'd swap Hanna's condition with hers. If Hanna's body was torn into pieces from the explosion, then she would have suffered the same fate. "I guess noble children are literally built different, especially higher nobles like Hanna."

"You can say that again," he agreed with her with a firm nod. "Hanna Quinzel, as you call it, is 'built different.' After all, she has inherited the blood of the Quinzels. Their Shadow Manipulation Technique is one of the strongest techniques in the empire. All the descendants of House Quinzel are blessed with a stronger physical body than average nobles. Moreover, I believe that Hanna Quinzel's shadow protected her when she was attacked."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "Hanna's shadow can think on its own?"

"Rather than 'think,' it would be more appropriate to say that a Quinzel's shadow is designed to protect its owner," the god explained. "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that their shadows are equivalent to a de Moonasterio's Soul Beast."

She clapped her hands. "That's so cool. I didn't know that their shadows are that good."

"Their shadows are also capable of other 'cool' things," he said, then he sipped his tea before he continued. "But we're not here to talk about the Quinzels, are we?"

"Right," she said. Gosh, how impatient. It looked like she and her Papa Boss inherited their impatience from Yule, huh? "I'll get straight to the point then: please fix my physical body, Lord Yule."

He laughed softly while gently shaking his head.

It wasn't a mocking laugh so she wasn't offended. To be frank, it sounded like he was surprised by her request, then he just laughed it off.

"Now I understand why you called it a miracle," the god said, his voice filled with amus.e.m.e.nt.

"I know that my request sounds ridiculous," she said. "But as what Bokuto said, "it's not impossible– it's just hard.""

"Who's Bokuto?"

"A cutie owl."

"Ah, I see," he said. He obviously didn't get her reference but he probably didn't want to be rude. Thus, he just changed the subject swiftly. "You're right. Your request isn't impossible for me to grant. But it's going to cost me a lot."

"Huh?"

He smiled kindly at her and when he spoke again, he sounded patient. "I'm not the only god here in the Upper World, Ne-Ne," he explained. Ah, right. The world where gods and goddesses lived was called Upper World. But to humans, it was more known as the 'heaven.' "I can't do whatever I want. And if do something that goes against the law of this world, it will have some consequences on me."

"Will helping me fix my body back to normal go against the law of this world?"

"No, it's not like that," he denied while shaking his head. "To be precise, using my heavenly powers to favor a single individual would be frowned upon by the other celestial beings around me."

"Are you afraid of them?"

"No, but I have to be careful," he said, then he smiled sweetly at her. "If a divine war breaks out among divine beings, it will literally be the end of the Middle World."

The 'Middle World' was also known as the 'living world.'

Our world.

"The divine beings have to co-exist peacefully for the human world to be safe," he added. Then, he fell silent before he spoke again. "There's a way for me to grant your request without getting into trouble. You have to give me something in return though."

"Of course," she agreed. "That's why I offered you a deal, Lord Yule. A miracle for a miracle, remember?"

"A deal with a god isn't something to be taken lightly, Ne-Ne," the god said. "We have to make an official contract."

"It's fine with me, my lord," she said. "I know how contracts work. I even have one with my Papa Boss."

Plus, she had signed several endors.e.m.e.nt deals back in her second life.

Signing contracts is a part of a celebrity's life.

"You seem to be determined, Ne-Ne," he said in an amused tone. "I remember how adamant you are about not taking the throne for a "life of leisure." What made you change your mind?"

"I finally decided to accept the fact that I'm the protagonist of this world, my lord," she said, then she let out a deep sigh. "I mean, I'm only eight years old and yet, I've almost died several times already. You know what's more annoying? Papa Boss tried to kill me in the past because he was afraid that I'd compete with Nero. He's so sus of me no matter how many times I say that I'm not interested in the throne! Even Count Kyle Spouse looks down on me because a girl like me "dared" to "steal" my twin brother's place as if it was my idea. Then, all of a sudden, I found out that there's a cult dedicated to killing all the royal princesses to make sure that only male heirs could become emperors." She sighed loudly and shook her head. "Gosh. I'm the only eight-year-old baby girl in the world to ever go through all those stressful events."

"The life of a royal, especially a female royal, is indeed diffiult," the god said sympathetically. "You've worked hard, Ne-Ne. Good job."

"Thanks, but I don't want to work 'hard' anymore," she said firmly. "This time, I'll work 'smart.' I find it unfair that people who don't want me to become an empress are trying to kill me when I never expressed interest in the throne. In short, no matter what I say or do to prove to them that I don't want to be an empress, nothing will change." She smirked before she continued. "If those hypocrites want me to become an empress so bad, then I'll become one. And since I don't do things half-assed, I'll make sure I'd go down in history as the most competent ruler ever and crush my male ancestors' fragile masculinity in the afterlife."

Then, she laughed as if her sanity just snapped.

"I understand your feelings, Ne-Ne," the god said carefully. "But are you sure that it's enough reason for you to become an empress? Although I want you to take the throne, I don't want you to regret the decision you made when you were angry. After all, I know that your dream is to be a 'lady of leisure.'"

"Oh, I haven't given up on that dream, my lord."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let me state my term in our contract, Lord Yule," Neoma said seriously. "I will become an empress for a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years only."

Yule's eyes widened in shock. "You're going to rule for a limited time only?"

***

"LEWIS CREVAN, where are you going?" Glenn asked when he saw Lewis Crevan headed towards the exit instead of the waiting room where Madam Hammock went to. He was guarding outside the infirmary's private room where Princess Neoma was confined when he saw the fox boy walk past the waiting room. "Aren't you going to wait with Madam Hammock until Princess Neoma wakes up?"

Lewis Crevan stopped walking and turned around to face him. "I'm going to hunt."

"Hunt?"

"The young chef said that there were black crows following them earlier," the young knight said. "He killed those crows and said he's going to hunt down the others."

His eyes widened in shock. "Black crows?"

Now that was alarming.

When Princess Neoma said that she had dreamt of black crows, they immediately assumed that it was related to the cult. But they almost forgot about the possible revival of the Crow because they didn't detect any movement from the enemies' side.

Not until now, at least.

Ruto wasn't an ordinary child. He wouldn't kill black crows if they were just ordinary birds. The young chef wasn't aware of the cult, so he probably just followed his instinct when he killed the crows earlier. Even though Ruto was still young, he trusted the child's judgment.

After all, Ruto was the person His Majesty chose to be the next commander of the White Lion Knights.

"I will report it to His Majesty," he said firmly. "For now, search around the Royal Palace and kill every single crow you see, Lewis Crevan. I will dispatch a squad to do the same thing."

The young knight just nodded at his command, then he bowed politely.

"Wait, Lewis Crevan," he said when he remembered something. "Ruto is a year older than you so you can't call him 'young chef.'"

"I'm taller than him," Lewis Crevan said with a cute pout on his face. "A one-year gap doesn't make him better than me."

After saying that, the fox boy left with heavy footsteps.

Which was strange because Lewis Crevan was known for his quiet movements.

Glenn laughed softly and shook his head when the realization finally hit him. "Is Lewis Crevan jealous of Ruto?"

***

"YOU JUST said that you need me to be the empress, my lord," Neoma said with a sweet smile on her face. "You didn't say that I need to be the empress for the rest of my life."

Yule looked shocked by her term, then he laughed softly. "You're one wicked little lady, aren't you?"

She smiled and nodded. "It's just a part of my charm, my lord."

He just laughed softly, then he sipped his tea. He fell silent for a while before he finally spoke again. "I accept your first term, Ne-Ne."

She heard a 'but' so she just sipped her tea and waited for the god to continue.

"But in return, I want you to do one thing for me before your reign as the empress ends."

"What is it, my lord?"

Yule suddenly became serious. "End the cult for me, Princess Neoma de Moonasterio."

She got goosebumps when he called her by her full name. Even the usual playfulness in the god's voice was gone. Plus, his sparkly eyes suddenly darkened.

"The cult?" she asked with a raised brow. "As in the cult led by the Crow with red eyes?"

"Yes," he said with a firm nod. "The previous emperors before your father took the throne didn't bother to eliminate the cult. After all, the crows help the male heirs get rid of their competitors by killing the royal princesses."

That ticked her off.

"Why?" she asked. "Why do they have to kill the royal princesses when in the first place, the law states that a female royal can't succeed the throne anyway?"

"Because of a prophecy that says a woman would lead the empire to ruins," the god explained. "The prophecy was passed down to male heirs of the Royal Family. Thus, every single Crown Prince in the history of the empire was raised to be wary of their female siblings. When a royal princess is born in the royal family, it has been a tradition to raise them separately from the royal prince to avoid the siblings from forming a strong bond. Since the past royal princes were detached from their female siblings, they didn't care if the royal princesses were murdered."

"I want to say that they were all fools to kill innocent little girls just because of a mere prophecy," she said in a cold voice, her fists clenched tight. "But I guess they were right to believe the prophecy because the moment I was born, that prophecy has already been fulfilled."

He smiled meaningfully at her. "Are you saying that you're going to destroy the empire?"

"I won't hesitate if I have to," she said bluntly. "Sometimes, you have to choose violence. After all, only bad people can end the evil ones."

He chuckled at her response. "Are you calling yourself a bad person?"

"A person who aims to succeed the throne can't be a good person," she reminded him. "After all, the person who sits on the throne will also inherit the sins acc.u.mulated by the previous rulers."

"It seems like I chose the right person for the job."

"Well, I plan to end the cult in the first place so I can easily accept your term, my lord," she said. "But if you want to end them so badly, can you give me some clues about them? Like, their whereabouts. It seems like you know everything about what's happening in the Royal Palace so..."

"If I can see what the crows are doing, I wouldn't ask for your help, Ne-Ne."

"Oh."

That actually made sense.

"Unfortunately, my real eyes that can see everything have been stolen by the first Crow that led the cult."

She almost choked after hearing that revelation. "How did you get involved with the cult, my lord?"

He smiled sadly as if he remembering something that broke his heart. "Do you know how the Royal Family managed to get a hold of my tears?"

She was confused by the sudden change of topic, but she still went along with it. "Those were your real tears? I thought it was just some holy water with a romantic name."

"Those were my real tears," he said with a faint smile. "I cried for so long that they were able to fill a vial with my tears."

"What in the world did make you cry for that long, my lord?"

"Betrayal," Yule said with a bitter smile on her face. "Ne-Ne, I'm the founder of the cult."

Neoma's eyes widened in shock. "Oh shit."

***

WHEN HANNA opened her eyes, she realized that she was alone in the room.

But she wasn't afraid because she could hear her parents' voices outside the room while talking to Saint Dominic Zavaroni. The entire room was also covered and protected with her father's Mana.

And most of all, his father's own shadow was standing beside her while keeping an eye on her. Needless to say, she felt very safe at the moment.

But her heart was heavy when she remembered that she was fine because Neoma received the injury that she suffered from the bombing. But a while ago, before she fell asleep, His Holiness assured her that Neoma would be fine.

And I know that Neoma will be fine because, well, she is Neoma.

"Please hurry up and recover soon, Neoma," Hanna whispered to herself. "I want to quickly tell you that Regina Crowell has fallen into my trap."

***

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