Royal Secret: I'm A Princess!

Chapter 645 - 645 FIVE YEARS AGO (7)

645 FIVE YEARS AGO (7)

[ARGH!]

Nikolai clutched his head with his hands after Nichole forcefully made him watch snippets of Gavin Quinzel’s past memories.

His twin sister had just grabbed him by the head earlier and forced him to watch the fragments that she shared with him without his permission. But that was the strange thing between twins.

[We can force a link to open between our minds.]

The one that stood out the most was the moment when a White Lion Knight begged Gavin Quinzel to spare him because he had a pregnant wife. But Gavin Quinzel still killed the knight who was also one of his people.

Nikolai thought it was cruel…

… until the corpse of the fallen knight turned into a smoke shaped like a beast. Then it attacked Gavin Quinzel.

Several similar instances happened to Gavin Quinzel.

“Skinwalkers,” Nikolai said after his headache was gone. “Monsters who steal the form of the people they eat. That Helstor controls the Skinwalkers?”

.....

Skinwalkers were reduced to a myth in the empire now.

After all, Skinwalkers were children of darkness, and humans were wired to scare the Darkness. Hence, the Skinwalkers had to hide their existence from the world.

And since then, almost no one believed in the existence of the Skinwalkers anymore.

“I believe I already killed all the remaining Skinwalkers in the empire before I left the other world,” Gavin Quinzel said. “I thought it was the only way I could avenge my people who were eaten by the Skinwalkers. Unfortunately, even though I knew Lord Helstor was the person behind the Skinwalkers, I easily gave up the idea of getting my revenge against him.”

It was something Nikolai wouldn’t hold against Gavin Quinzel.

[Only a few people are brazen enough to wage war on a god.]

Yes, their precious Neoma was an exception.

[My daughter picks a fight with anyone who annoys her– god or not.]

“Hence, I ran away to this world pretending that I didn’t know Lord Helstor was the one who placed the Skinwalkers in the Order of the White Lion Knights.”

Nikolai didn’t ask Gavin Quinzel why he didn’t report the appearance of the Skinwalkers to him before leaving the other world.

After all, he already knew the answer.

[I wouldn’t have believed Gavin Quinzel back then, and I would have killed him right away.]

“Is everything clear now?” Nichole asked while looking back and forth between Nikolai and Gavin Quinzel. “Gavin Quinzel didn’t kill his people. They were already dead. By killing the Skinwalkers who took their place, he helped them rest in peace.”

“That and betraying me and Mona are two different things,” Nikolai said coldly while looking at Gavin Quinzel with sharp eyes. “I can’t forgive you for the latter.”

“I’m not asking for Your Majesty’s forgiveness,” Gavin Quinzel said awkwardly. “I know I don’t deserve it anyway.”

“But I think I can forgive you, Gavin Quinzel.”

All eyes were on Mona now.

Nikolai turned to his lover, feeling betrayed. “Mona, you were trapped in the ice under the Black Ocean for thirteen years because of Gavin Quinzel.”

Even Gavin Quinzel nodded in agreement, as if the former commander couldn’t believe that Mona was willing to forgive him.

“I know that,” Mona said, looking at Gavin Quinzel. “I’m not saying that you did it for my sake. But if I wasn’t trapped in the block of ice, then Helstor would have killed me. Hence, I’m a little grateful for your selfishness.”

Nikolai couldn’t really argue against Mona’s reasoning.

“Even if we resent you, we can’t change the past,” Mona continued, then she paused for a moment. “Moreover, Neoma loves you despite everything.”

Nikolai unclenched his hands.

[Ah, yes. Neoma loves Gavin Quinzel because Gavin Quinzel was a better father to her than I was to her.]

“I can’t really hate the person who raised our Neoma with love and great care,” Mona said, smiling. “For that, I am grateful to you and Go Areum.”

Gavin Quinzel bowed towards Mona. “I don’t deserve your grace, Lady Mona.”

“Raise your head, Gavin.”

The former commander did as he was told.

“Neoma is my and Nikolai’s daughter,” Mona reminded Gavin Quinzel. “Allow us to be her parents this time.”

Nikolai felt a shiver down his spine.

Even though Mona’s voice was calm and gentle, he felt the heavy pressure behind her words.

[She wasn’t asking– it was a command.]

No wonder Gavin Quinzel lowered his head. “I understand, Lady Mona.”

“I’m not telling you to disappear from Neoma’s life. I don’t have the right to ask you that,” Mona said, her voice lighter this time. “However, I want to remind you that Go Areum’s real daughter, Kim Nabi, is back.”

Ah, that was right.

The soul that they brought with them apparently belonged to the body that Neoma possessed when she was still living as Gavin Quinzel’s daughter.

“Nabi is Go Areum’s daughter, and she’s not the daughter that you raised,” Mona said, her voice slightly cold now. “Gavin Quinzel, can you love Nabi as if she’s your own daughter even though she’s not Neoma?”

Nikolai didn’t want to admit this, but he actually respected Gavin Quinzel who loved another man’s daughter. He was aware that Nabi (Neoma’s former vessel) was Go Areum’s daughter with a man named Yoon Jung.

Even so, Gavin Quinzel loved Neoma (in Nabi’s body) as if he was his own daughter.

[It must not have been easy to do that.]

“Lady Mona, Go Areum’s daughter is my daughter,” Gavin Quinzel said, smiling. “That won’t change.”

Mona, who obviously liked Gavin Quinzel’s answer, smiled. “And this is why I’m willing to forgive you, Gavin Quinzel.”

Nikolai could only sigh because if Mona wanted to forgive Gavin Quinzel, then he had no choice but to follow her will, too.

[It’s definitely not because Gavin Quinzel gained my respect again, okay?]

***

“NABI-YA, how are you?” Neoma asked while peeling apples for Nabi. “Have you adjusted well to your new body?”

She visited Nabi because she heard Papa Boss and Mama Boss were in the hospital.

But her parents were with Aunt Nichole and Won-shik appa on the rooftop.

She knew the adults needed to talk, so she didn’t follow them there. Instead of doing that, she just visited Nabi in her private room in the hospital.

Uncle Dominic was there earlier, but he stepped out to give them privacy.

Trevor, on the other hand, excused himself and said he’d accompany Uncle Dominic.

[That demon boy is acting weird, but I’ll just confront him later.]

She had a feeling that Trevor’s strange behavior had something to do with her because he couldn’t look her in the eye.

“Unnie, I’m not complaining because I’m really happy right now,” Nabi said, then she frowned a little. “But I’m bored! After receiving some fragments of your past memories, I feel the urge to explore this new world with my own eyes and body! I want to eat all the delicious food you’ve had, visit the beautiful places you’ve been to, and socialize with other people!”

“Nabi-ya, don’t you find my past memories burdensome?” Neoma asked carefully. “If you want to start with a clean slate, then Trevor would erase my memories from your head. He could retain the parts that you need in order to navigate this new world safely. Moreover, you can also keep the skills that I learned while I was possessing your body.”

“I don’t think Trevor oppa has to do that, unnie.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“Your memories are already a mess in my head,” Nabi said while tilting her head to one side. “Most of your memories were already erased.”

Ah, she should have expected it.

[Ruto, what are you trying so hard to hide from me?]

Of course, she knew that the ‘secret’ couldn’t be harmful to her. Even so, she was starting to get really curious.

But the crazy part?

[I can’t ask Ruto because the more I remember, the more he’d suffer.]

“If that’s your wish, then I’ll respect it,” Neoma said, patting Nabi’s hand affectionately. “And don’t be impatient, Nabi. After you’re discharged, let’s travel.”

Nabi smiled and nodded. “I want to see the Namsan Tower– argh!”

She got worried when the child suddenly clutched her head tightly.

“Nabi-ya, what’s wrong? Should I call the doctor? Or Trevor?”

“I’m fine, unnie… but…”

“But…?”

“I just remembered something, but I’m sure these memories belong to you. Unfortunately, I don’t get it,” Nabi said, then she looked up at her with confusion in her eyes. “Namsan Tower. Promise. Jagiya. Those words kept ringing in my head.”

Ah, it seemed like something triggered her ‘sealed’ memories.

“Namsan Tower,” Neoma whispered to herself while gently patting Nabi’s head as a way to thank her for a very useful piece of information. “I have to go to Namsan Tower, huh?”

.....

***

“ARE YOU CRAZY?” Trevor confronted his “father” while the two of them were having coffee in front of the vending machine. “Are you sure you and Princess Nichole would give up everything just to get one thing?”

His ‘father,’ Dominic Zavaroni, smiled at him. “It’s the ONLY thing that Nichole and I wanted, Trevor,” he explained. “We’ll drop everything in order to have a complete and happy family.”

“Crazy.”

“Are you going to help us or not?”

“My lord, you want me to give you and Princess Nichole a normal human body?” he asked, sighing. “I’m a Sorcerer, not a god.”

Dominic Zavaroni tilted his head to one side. “Then should I ask Lord Ruto instead–”

“I’ll do it,” Trevor said right away. “I can definitely do it, okay?”

***

Hi! I launched a dream project recently, and that dream is to write a story with a male protagonist.

I posted a new story titled ‘FISHING FOR DISASTERS,’ and the first three chapters are up. You can search it by typing the title on the app or website if it doesn’t appear on my account yet.

Here’s the summary:

[FISHING FOR DISASTERS]

<You better catch all the Disasters if you want to know ending of One P*ece!>

That’s the reward for saving this world from Sea Monsters and Dungeons that would emerge soon?!

Then Zirkus, who died while stalking a famous Kpop idol and got transmigrated as a minor villain in a dungeon-themed novel, would do his best to catch all the Disasters-in-the-making!

All for the sake of saving the world, of course.

Ahem.

It’s time for a nerd to become a hero!

***

Please ADD my story to your LIBRARY to be notified when an update is posted. Thank you! :>