677 CHOOSE WISELY

“LITTLE Black Witch, are you going to break that device?”

Dahlia placed a hand on the orb before she answered Duckie’s question. “I wasn’t born yet when this device was created. Needless to say, this device is way older than I am. I know I should respect things that my ancestors made..”

She gathered her Mana in her hand, then it let it flaw inside the orb.

Soon, the orb absorbed her Mana.

The device had the ability to suck out a person’s Mana dry. That was why even the Black Witches of the past were careful not to touch the orb.

Right now, she could feel the orb sucking out all the energy in her body.

“Little Black Witch, what are you doing?” Duckie asked worriedly. “It’s sucking out your Mana!”

“It’s alright, Lord Duckie,” Dahlia said, smiling at the Fourth Elemental Guardian that was in his human form. “This orb can’t suck out my Mana.”

As expected, the duck looked confused.

.....

But Duckie’s curiosity was soon answered when long cracks began to appear all over the orb. And when the orb was finally filled with Dahlia’s Mana, it exploded.

Of course, the Darkness that the orb accumulated was also released.

Dahlia didn’t let it attack anyone, of course. With just a wave of her hand, a semi-transparent round fish tank appeared and captured the broken pieces of the orb. The Darkness that was released was entrapped once again.

[Whew.]

“Little Black Witch, you’re also strong, huh?” the Fourth Elemental Guardian said. “You made it look simple, but breaking the orb filled with Darkness was no easy feat.”

Dahlia smiled shyly. “Thank you, Lord Duckie.”

She wasn’t on the same level as Princess Neoma or Lord Ruto, of course.

But she trained hard enough to not be a disgrace among the Black Witches.

“You broke the device that your ancestors made, Little Black Witch,” Duckie said in a serious tone. “Is that alright?”

“I believe that the ‘Nightmare Catcher’ is a device that shouldn’t exist in the first place,” Dahlia said, looking at her hands wistfully. “I know that Darkness isn’t inherently evil. However, a device that creates artificial Darkness would only bring harm to the world. I don’t know why my ancestors created it. But as the only Black Witch in the world, I have a feeling that I should break it with my own hands.”

“Well, if that’s what you feel as a Black Witch, then I won’t say anything anymore,” the duck said. “You’re already an adult, so I assume you know what you’re doing.”

To be honest, she didn’t know what she was doing most of the time.

[What does being an adult mean anyway?]

“What should we do now?” Duckie asked worriedly while looking around. “Should we wake them?”

Of course, the duck was talking about the sleeping victims.

Some of the victims were already starting to stir.

“The nightmares stopped when the orb was broken, but it will be dangerous if they suddenly woke up. They might find it difficult to separate reality from the nightmare they just had,” Dahlia said worriedly. “We must keep them asleep for now.”

She clapped her hands together to summon her Elemental Guardian.

In just the blink of an eye, Lapiz appeared. Of course, the Blue Whale was in her small form since her current size would be too large to fit in the room.

<“You called, Dahlia?”>

“I need your help, Lapiz,” Dahlia said gently. “Help me give everyone here a good night’s sleep.”

***

HMM?

Neoma looked outside the window and noticed that it was “raining.”

Of course, it wasn’t real rain.

“Dahlia is using her power, huh?” Neoma wondered out loud. “Is this the power of her Elemental Guardian?”

“That’s right,” Ruto, who also stopped beside her to watch the “rain,” said. “Her Elemental Guardian wields the water element.”

“Cool,” she said, then she turned to him. “I’m also cool with adoption if ever we decide that we want to have children in the future.”

“Huh?”

“I was a bit surprised earlier when you said you can’t have biological children.”

She was surprised because that damned Calyx told her that she got pregnant in the first timeline.

[But it’s not like I should trust anything that bastard says.]

Even so, she still couldn’t discard that possibility.

“Having said that, I’m still a little hesitant about having children in the future because I’m not confident I’d be a good mother,” Neoma continued brazenly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I want a family with you.”

Well, to be fair, she was aware that she only had five years to live.

But it wasn’t like she had already given up. She knew there must be a way for her to live longer.

“Are you sure about that, Neoma?” Ruto asked in a serious voice. “Do you really want to settle with someone who doesn’t love you the way you want to be loved?”

“Of course, I’ll only think about marrying you for real once you fall in love with me again,” Neoma said, shrugging. Then she continued walking as Ruto kept up with her pace. “I’m just telling you in advance that I don’t mind, even if you can’t have biological children.”

In fact, maybe it was for the better.

The gods were traumatized when Yule and Roxana gave birth to the most powerful bloodline in the human world– the de Moonasterios.

Ever since then, the union between two powerful gods had become forbidden.

[Ruto and I are no gods, but most celestial beings are wary of us and our relationship. If we get married in the future, I have a feeling they’ll forbid us from having children to avoid creating another de Moonasterio bloodline.]

“I like it.”

Neoma turned to Ruto with beaming eyes. “Me?”

“I like that you don’t have any bias against adoption,” Ruto said, patting her head. “I can already tell you’re going to be a good mother, despite your fears.”

“Then hurry up and fall in love with me again.”

“You should love yourself more, Neoma.”

“Gosh, I already love myself too much.”

“You don’t,” he said bluntly. “For someone who claims she loves herself the most, you’re too sacrificing.”

“What?”

“Live longer,” Ruto said, then he avoided her gaze as he walked ahead of her. “That’s one way to love yourself more.”

Hmm?

[Did Ruto just tell me to live longer?]

historical

“Does he already know?” she whispered to herself, then she suddenly remembered that Trevor avoided her after they talked about her lifespan.

Moreover, it happened when Ruto mentioned that her Moonglow was unusually weak.

She got nervous back then because she thought her man already noticed that her lifespan was shortened.. wait.

No way.

[Could it be..?]

“Trevor Kesser,” Neoma whispered angrily while clenching her hands tight. “I’m going to kill you.”

***

NEOMA was already in a bad mood when she faced Jasper oppa and the lords of the North: Count Tyler Lucchesi, Count Larry Dawkins, Count Benjamin Russo, and Viscount Austin Morrisey.

The gentlemen all looked shocked upon seeing her.

[I met these people when I was posing as Nero, so it feels strange to finally meet them as me this way.]

Right now, they were in Viscount Austin Morrisey’s castle.

Everyone in the village was brought to the castle thanks to Ruto’s teleportation skills. Duckie also helped moved the townspeople to the castle.

Dahlia and Duckie were now in charge of checking on the people’s conditions.

The rescued elves and fairies were also resting in the guest rooms of the castle. But those who still had the power to heal volunteered to help Dahlia in treating anyone who needed medical attention.

Fortunately, Viscount Austin Morrisey had the sense to feed his people.

On the other hand, Toni Crowell and the other crow bastards were taken in the underground prison.

Ruto volunteered to guard the crows.

.....

[Someone has to keep an eye on those bastards so they wouldn’t kill themselves.]

“You’re back, Your Royal Highness,” Jasper oppa greeted her with a polite bow. “Thank you for working hard.”

“You did a good job, too, Duke Hawthorne,” Neoma said, addressing Jasper oppa by his formal title in front of the other lords. After praising her oppa, she faced the older nobles with a stoic face. “Let me introduce myself first.”

Right now, they were in the conference room of the lord’s castle.

Jasper oppa was supposed to sit on the center seat since he was the highest-ranking nobleman in the room, but he didn’t.

[It’s because I’m here.]

“I’m Neoma Roseheart de Moonasterio, Nero’s older twin sister,” Neoma said while sitting in the center seat. “And I don’t enjoy talking while looking up, so you may all sit down now.”

Jasper oppa, who chose the seat on her right side, was the only one who sat down.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, gentlemen.”

The old nobles flinched before sitting down as if they were bewitched.

“I know it must be hard for you to believe that I’m the Crown Prince’s twin sister, but I’m not here to convince you,” Neoma said nonchalantly. “I’m only here to talk about what happened. Seeing as how fast you responded when we arrived at the castle earlier, I guess it’s safe to assume that Duke Hawthorne already explained what happened.” She turned to Viscount Austin Morrisey, the owner of that small territory. “Is that right, Viscount?”

Viscount Austin Morrisey trembled as if he was scared.

To be honest, Neoma felt bad.

[I heard from Hanna that her best friend in the academy, the one called ‘Sandie,’ is Viscount Morrisey’s daughter.]

“That’s right.. P-Princess Neoma.”

The other lords looked at the viscount in disbelief, as if they couldn’t believe that Viscount Austin Morrisey already addressed Neoma as a princess.

“Duke Hawthorne already informed us about the sacrifices.. the fake Elemental Guardian.. and the kidnapped children of Nature..”

[The viscount is quite timid, huh?]

“The fairies and the elves informed me that they already contacted their clan leaders, and the representatives of their respective clans will be later.”

The lords of the North suddenly looked nervous.

[And they should be.]

“I will face the representatives of the fairies and the elves,” Neoma said, shocking the noblemen. “As the lords of the North, the only thing I expect of you is to help your people. Feed them delicious and warm meals. Provide clean clothes for them. Give them the best medical attention you could give. Restore their homes. Improve their living conditions from now on.”

“It’s easier said than done, ma’am,” Count Tyler Lucchesi, the leader of the Northern lords, said. The count didn’t address her as a princess, but at least he spoke politely to her. “Looking after everyone in our territories isn’t an easy feat.

“Count Lucchesi is correct,” Count Dawkins said. “We’re doing our best for our people, but it’s near impossible to give equal attention to every town.”

“Then try harder,” Neoma said calmly. After all, she knew that the count was right when he said improving the living conditions of their subjects was easier said than done. “The nobles protect the citizens, the crown protects the nobles, and the gods protect the crown.”

She wasn’t so sure about the last part, but whatever.

“If you give your all to protect the suffering people of the North, then I assure you that the crown will have your back,” Neoma said firmly. “Right now, it seems like the bastards who threaten the safety of our people see the North as the empire’s weakest link.”

The Northern lords obviously were offended.

[Truth hurts, huh?]

“This is going to be rude, but please pardon my insolence,” Count Russo said in a slightly hesitant voice. “Ma’am, you talk about how the crown will have our back. Do you have the right to speak like you represent the crown?”

“Count Russo,” Jasper oppa said sternly. “Be careful with your words.”

“It’s alright, Duke Hawthorne,” Neoma said, her eyes going back and forth while addressing the Northern lords with her sharp gaze. “Nero is the current Crown Prince, while Calyx is the self-proclaimed First Star of the empire. Even if I prove that I’m really Nero’s twin sister, it won’t change anything, since the successor to the throne has already been chosen. For the Northern lords, at least, their stance would remain the same.”

The expressions of the Northern lords didn’t look good anymore.

[Ah, I hit a nerve.]

It was predictable anyway.

The Northern lords had maintained a neutral stance for how many generations now.

[These are the people who stood idly while the empire suffered from horrible emperors in the past. They wouldn’t budge even if a royal princess suddenly appears.]

“Unfortunately, I don’t think you can remain standing on a neutral stance, dear Northern Lords. There’s going to be a war of succession soon,” Neoma declared boldly. “Whether you like it or not, you’ll soon be forced to pick one side.” She stood up because she was almost done talking to the Northern lords. “Me, the current Crown Prince, and the self-proclaimed First Star– choose wisely.”

***

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