Royal Secret : I'm a Princess!

THE BOY WHO DUMPED ME

"YOUR MAJESTY, where's Princess Neoma?"

Nikolai raised a brow at Rufus.

He deliberately asked Neoma to welcome their new guests that he sent to her palace. Usually, guests were required to greet him in his palace first. But he didn't want Neoma to have an excuse to send-off Rufus.

"It's bed time for the royal princess," Nikolai lied with a straight face. "Why are you looking for my daughter anyway?"

They were free to talk without hiding Neoma's identity because they were alone in the entrance of Yule Palace, his residence, while waiting for Rufus's carriage. Ah, wait. They weren't completely alone.

Hanna Quinzel was with them.

The maids that he assigned for his niece was standing a few meters away from them– out of earshot so that they could talk freely.

"I just want to give Her Royal Highness some advice on how to wield a scythe," Rufus said with a soft laugh. "Why are you getting upset, Your Majesty?"

"I'm not upset," he denied in a firm voice. "And Neoma doesn't need your advice, Rufus. You're the captain of the Black Jaguar Knights and your squad handles firearms. Neoma's weapon is a scythe. She doesn't need your help in her training."

"I'm a double wielder, Your Majesty," the duke insisted. "I'm a swordsman first before a shooter. I'm sure I can help the royal princess with her training."

"Save that offer when Nero returns," he said, annoyed. "I'll make a slave out of you once the real crown prince awakens."

After all, it was a part of their tradition for the crown prince to enter knighthood with a different squad than the White Lion Knights. The White Lion Knights were directly under the emperor's command– and will be the crown prince's future private army– so to avoid bias, the royal prince must train under a different squad.

The second best troop in the empire was Rufus's Black Jaguar Knights. So of course, the crown prince was expected to train under Rufus soon.

To be honest, Neoma should have begun training with the Black Jaguar Knights when she turned seven years old. But to protect her secret, he made an excuse and told everyone that the royal prince was a Mana genius because of how enormous Neoma's Mana was.

So instead of sending her to the Black Jaguar Knights, he made Madam Hammock accept Neoma as her disciple.

The royal princess cussed at him during that time.

Tsk. Why is that brat so attached to Rufus anyway?

Rufus laughed. "It will be an honor to train the crown prince, Your Majesty."

"Leave," he told his cousin, then he turned to Hanna Quinzel.

The young lady remained standing with her head hanged low ever since he and Rufus began talking.

That was how a lady of the empire should behave when men were talking. But for some reason, he couldn't help but get pissed at that practice. If Neoma was there, she wouldn't probably hesitate to call them out for leaving her out of the conversation as if she wasn't there.

Yeah, she's that haughty.

"I'll go ahead to let you and your daughter say goodbye to each other," Nikolai said, then he turned his back on the Quinzels. "Have a safe trip back home, Rufus."

"My utmost gratitude, Your Majesty," Rufus said politely.

Hanna Quinzel curtsied when he walked past her.

After he made it clear to Rufus that he wouldn't allow him to make Neoma his disciple, he now had to welcome his other guests: Duke Samuel Drayton and his only son. He asked Glenn to escort the Draytons to the Blanco Palace.