Royal Secret : I'm a Princess!

MY SHINING INHERITANCE

NIKOLAI put a hand on Neoma's head, and used his magic to check if she was really sleeping or not.

She was indeed asleep.

So, his child was only talking in her sleep, it seemed.

Is it because of her fever?

When he was a child, he would also talk in his sleep when he was sick.

Juliet would always "elegantly" use that opportunity in the past for her benefit. Whenever he was sick, she would often ask him for permission that she knew he wouldn't give her if he was sober. That was how "cunning" the late empress was. But she never used those chances to do disgraceful things.

If she would "exploit" his weakness, it was always for the good of other people.

That was the kind of lady she was.

Let me borrow your "trick," Juliet.

He didn't want to do this but in the end, he was tempted to ask questions to Neoma that he would never ask her if she was awake.

"Neoma, why are you craving for mushroom soup?" he asked his daughter. "I banned the dish from the royal menu a long time ago."

She just mumbled something incoherent again.

This child is really... feral.

"Appa..." Neoma whispered a little later. "Dad..."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Who is this "appa" and "dad" that you keep calling, huh? I'm the only father that you have, brat."

She frowned in her sleep. "Sc*mbag Papa..."

He shut his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose while trying to calm himself down. Patience– he needed a lot of patience when dealing with Neoma.

"Duke Quinzel..."

He opened his eyes and glared at his daughter. "What about Rufus?"

She smiled– and it was a genuine, innocent smile that she had never given him yet. "Best dad in this world..."

That annoyed him.

He knew that every time Rufus would visit the palace, he would allot time to have tea with Neoma or watch her train. But he didn't know that his daughter would be this attach to the duke to the point that she already considered him as her "dad."

"Ungrateful little princess," he said, then he gently flicked her forehead with his fingers. "I'm your only father in this world."

Commander Gavin Quinzel already stole Mona from him.

He wouldn't let another Quinzel steal someone from him again. If that happened, he would destroy House Quinzel with his own hands. Laws be damned.

But it wasn't like he didn't understand why Neoma would think that Rufus was a better father than him. He knew that he wasn't good to the royal princess. Still, he couldn't help it. Rather, he didn't know how to raise a girl.

He lost something important to him a few years ago, and that thing was exactly the reason why he was acting this way towards Neoma.

"I know that I can never be the best father to you," Nikolai said, then he put his hand on top of her head. He used a small amount of magic to put Neoma into a deep sleep. She needed to rest for the entire week for her to recover fully. "But I will be the kind of employer that will see through our contract until the end, Neoma."

***

"AM I already in hell?" Neoma asked in a groggy voice because when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by Emperor Nikolai and Count Sprouse. "Why am I surrounded by demons?"