Royal Secret: I'm A Princess!

NERO SHOULD really be grateful to Neoma and her "children."

The Abyss, the supposedly most dangerous area of the Spirit World, turned out to be nothing but a vast green field.

[They cleaned up this place so well.]

The land was fertile, and Mana was flowing freely in the air.

Whatever substance that corrupted the place once was already gone without a trace.

[Tara is stupid for cutting off Abyss from the land she rules just because she can't purify it.]

But the queen's bad decision benefitted the Imperial Family.

"What do you think of the place, Dahlia?" Nero asked without looking at Dahlia who was standing behind him. "Isn't this the most perfect place to release the angry male Rosehearts?"

"You're right, Your Imperial Majesty," Dahlia said meekly. "The Abyss is far from the land where the Spirits live. Hence, they won't get affected by what we're about to do."

That was the affirmation he needed to hear before he began.

[Let's get this done and over with.]

First, Nero summoned all the vengeful male Rosehearts that he locked up in his Soul Beasts' dimension.

The process hurt him physically and spiritually.

His heart felt like it was about to burst while he felt like his soul was being torn apart.

But he endured.

He bit his lower lip until it bled while clenching his hands tight— his nails dug deep into the skin of his palms.

The only thing stopping him from crying in pain was his sheer pride.

[I won't cry— especially not in front of Dahlia.]

And it worked.

Nero's pride allowed him to stand proudly despite the unmeasurable pain that he had to endure, even if it only lasted a minute.

He succeeded anyway.

One semi-transparent bubble appeared in front of him.

And then it was divided into two.

Then those two bubbles multiplied themselves.

Again and again.

Eventually, a huge part of the vast green field was filled with big bubbles.

POP.

That was the sound of the bubbles bursting one by one.

For each bubble that popped, a vengeful Spirit of a male Roseheart was freed.

The process repeated countless times until Nero and Dahlia were now surrounded by hundreds of male Rosehearts.

Even in their human form, the male Rosehearts were still vengeful.

Nero could feel the anger and hostility of his ancestors.

And it wasn't like he didn't understand.

[I'm a Roseheart, but I'm also a de Moonasterio— the clan that tortured them.]

"My name is Nero Roseheart de Moonasterio," Nero said in a calm voice despite the murderous feeling of the Spirits directed at him. "I am here to free all of you."

That was the moment he realized that the Spirits could talk.

After all, he heard the "whispering" of his ancestors.

Oh.

[They are calm enough to speak now.]

"A de Moonasterio is setting us free?"

"Don't trust the boy! He may have Roseheart blood in him— but he's still a de Moonasterio!"

"He doesn't even have pink hair!"

"That white hair and ash gray eyes make me want to puke!"

"What kind of a foolish Roseheart let herself give birth to a de Moonasterio's child?!"

"You can curse at me, but don't insult my mother," Nero warned his ancestors coldly, his red eyes glowing. "I know you hate the de Moonasterios, and you have the right to be angry at us. That's why I'm here."

"Do you think just simply setting us free will be enough to atone for your sins?!"

"Of course, not," Nero said, scoffing. "But I need to know first if every single one of you really want to finally rest in peace. My twin sister told me that there might be some Rosehearts who might want to stay as a Soul Beast."

"Who wants to be a weapon of your blasted clan?!"

"I cannot rest in peace until your bloodline ends!"

"These damned white-haired bastards, really…!"

His ancestors were so noisy that he wanted to cover his ears. But he knew that it would be disrespectful, so he stayed still.

[Mother will be sad if I show our ancestors disrespect.]

But Nero had a feeling that his ancestors already hated his sharp tongue.

After all, he could hear most of them cursing at him.

[Neoma, I think you're wrong— none of them wants to stay a Soul Beast.]

"I want to stay a Soul Beast."

It started as one voice.

But the other male Rosehearts who felt the same way started to say their piece one by one.

"I know that what the de Moonasterios had done to our clan was unforgivable. But I've regained some of the memories of my time as a Soul Beast. The de Moonasterio that I served was a good person."

That shocked Nero a bit.

[There was a good person in our bloodline except for Neoma?]

"Mine, too. I don't want to blame the new generation for their ancestors' atrocities."

"I have a different reason. Although I haven't completely forgiven the de Moonasterios yet, my hatred for them isn't enough for me to choose resting in peace. I still want to see the world."

"That's the same for me. I want to roam the world even as a Soul Beast."

Of course, the male Rosehearts who hated the de Moonasterios to the bone complained right away.

"Traitors!"

"How could you say that when the de Moonasterios were the reason we suffered?!"

"Whether the new generation has nothing to do with the past or not, every single de Moonasterio should taste the same pain that we had been through!"

A fight broke out naturally.

Nero's ears hurt this time.

Hence, he couldn't just keep his mouth shut for long.

"This is why I've gathered you here," Nero said, raising his voice a little. However, he remained calm. He only spoke again when he finally got everyone's attention again. "I will take those who wish to stay as Soul Beasts with me, and I will send the remaining ones to the Afterlife."

[And this is what Neoma calls as 'free will.]

***

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