性瘾者

NEOMA was free-falling.

She wasn't scared even though she was facing the night sky. But she was just wondering why she seemed to have fallen out of the sky. After all, she was in the shrine in Yule's Palace, wasn't she?

Anyway…

That damned Yule kicked her out of the shrine just when Emperor Nikolai seemed to be suffering from pain. She didn't want to admit this but she was a little worried about her father. Plus, she didn't want to see the person who tormented her in the past being tormented by another person.

Only I can bully Papa Boss.

She was distracted when she felt her back hit something cold. Then, much to her surprise, she realized that she just passed through the roof!

Did I become a ghost or something?

Panic kicked in her system.

She could no longer enjoy her "free-fall" after realizing that she was back in the palace, but she seemed to have passed through the roof and now, she was staring at a high ceiling. She immediately "got up" and turned to see where she would fall.

Oh, god.

She almost screamed when she saw several boxes of fresh ingredients like vegetables and fruits below her. She wasn't sure if that would soften up her fall. But she had a literally tough body so it wouldn't kill her even if she didn't ask Tteokbokki to cover her with his scales.

Right?

Ah, damn it! Tteokbokki, gear mode on! Now!

"We can't, thug princess," Tteokbokki said in her mind. "There's a boy watching you below. You can't reveal to anyone that you have a Soul Beast when you're disguised as Neoma Ramsay. So good luck and try not to die."

F*ck you, you traitorous ketchup-colored donkey!

"I will give you a proper burial, thug princess."

And it was followed by Tteokbokki's evil laugh.

She cursed under her breath when she realized that her Soul Beast returned to her the words that she told him several years ago.

What a sly donkey.

But to be honest, even though Tteokbokki's attitude may appear calloused to other people, she knew that her Soul Beast wouldn't let her die if she was in serious danger.

Although she was in a pinch right now, she knew that falling on the boxes wouldn't kill her. First, she had a tough body. Second, her fall was slowing down. Third, Yule's divine protection was still all over her. And Tteokbokki knew all of that.

Well, it wouldn't hurt if that damned donkey showed a little concern…

But then again, their relationship didn't work that way. She and Tteokbokki were both used to "bullying" each other. It might look like they had a bad relationship from the perspective of other people. But for her and her Soul Beast, it was the best way for them to get along.

Hmp! You're lucky that I'm merciful, you small-fry dragon.

"Watch out!"

She flinched when she heard the familiar voice. And when she looked below, her eyes widened when her earlier thought was confirmed. A boy with black hair, black eyes in a chef's white uniform greeted her.

Although he looked average compared to the boys around her, she still remembered him.

Ruto!

She thought Ruto would catch her just like in the movies.

But the young chef completely ignored her even though he clearly saw her falling. Instead of catching her, he swiftly moved the boxes away from the spot where she would fall. And Ruto even looked relieved after "saving" the boxes of fruits and vegetables!

This brat…!

She was even more infuriated when she landed on her butt, making a soft thud on the floor as she did so.

Shit.

"Did you survive, child?"

She raised her head to glare at Ruto. He was bending his knees while extending a hand to her. "You know that I'm a child and yet, you saved your ingredients instead of me?"

"I know that you're a child," Ruto said bluntly. "But I also know that you're protected by a divine barrier. You wouldn't die or get hurt with that kind of protection. Unfortunately, my precious ingredients don't have the same protection as you do."

She hated that it made sense.

Moreover, for some reason, his soothing voice cleared her head. Before she knew it, she was already calm. And she felt ridiculous for the entitlement that she felt a while ago.

As an adult, I'm ashamed of myself.

"Are you upset?" Ruto asked, still extending his hand to her. "I'm sorry."

He didn't have to apologize and yet, he did.

Now she felt awful about herself.

"Okay, I'll accept your apology," she said, then she accepted his hand and let him pull her up. She let go of his big and warm hand as soon as her feet were flat on the floor. "But in return, don't ask questions about the divine protection, and the reason why I suddenly appeared here."

After saying that, she looked around.

The lights were dim but she could still recognize the fancy room, and the equipment around her, and the variety of ingredients around. She was in the royal kitchen, but not the one in her residence. This kitchen was bigger and fancier, so she must be in Yule Palace's royal kitchen.

It makes sense that Ruto is here.

"I'm not going to ask you anyway since I'm not interested in other stuff going on here in the palace," Ruto said, distracting her from "sight-seeing." "But who are you?"

She gasped because she was shocked by his question.

It hadn't even been that long since they met each other at the Illumina Plaza!

"You're not a kitchen staff since I'm the youngest here."

"I'm not a kitchen staff. I'm a lady-in-waiting trainee at the Crown Prince's palace," she reminded him of the lie that she told him when they met. "Don't tell me you can't really recognize my face?"

He blinked several times, then he snapped his fingers. "Ah. Illumina Plaza. Corndog. Miss Ramsay."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You finally remembered me. I can't believe that you really forgot my face."

"I already told you that I see children younger than me as wrinkly faces," he explained while scratching his cheek. "And we only talk for a few minutes back then so remembering your voice is quite a challenge."

Her brows furrowed in confusion.

Does he have face blindness?

She unconsciously touched her throat. Now that she was disguised as Neoma Ramsay, she didn't wear the choker that changes her voice to match Nero's. If she wore that tonight, then Ruto wouldn't have recognized her, would he?

"Aside from my voice, is there another way for you to remember me?" she asked. "Wait, can you recognize my Mana?"

If that was the case, then it was going to be a problem.

"I don't read other people's Mana because I know that it's something that's easy to hide or change."

That was true.

Every time she would go out as Neoma Ramsay, she would hide her real Mana and go low profile. That was the reason why Tteokbokki didn't help her a while ago.

"I remember people by their physical features like hair, skin color, built, and sometimes…" He paused. Then, much to her surprise, he caught a strand of hair between his fingers and held it up close to his face. After that, he leaned down, closed his eyes, and sniffed in the scent of her hair. "Through scent."

Then, he opened his eyes and looked at her face intently.

Okay, she suddenly held her breath for some reason.

Then, she heard one of her favorite T*ylor Swift songs blast in her head. But her big brain made a little change in the lyrics to fit the current situation.

I wanna stay right here, in this royal kitchen.

You put your eyes on me. 

In this moment now, capture it, remember it.

She released the breath that she knew she was holding in, then she stepped away from Ruto. She was hoping that her face didn't turn red even though she could feel her cheeks turn warm. "R-Rude," she accused him. "I'm a lady, Mr. Ruston Stroganoff. How could you casually touch my hair and sniff it like a dog, huh?"

"Ah, I apologize," Ruto said in an embarrassed tone. In fairness, he looked guilty. "I act without thinking. It won't happen again."

"`Kay," she said. She was surprised by what he did, but she didn't feel violated. After all, she knew that it was Ruto's way of imprinting her into his memory since he couldn't recognize faces. "I will let it slide if you feed me."

As if on cue, her stomach grumbled a little too loudly.

She didn't get embarrassed though. Because even if she was pretty, smart, and almost perfect, she was still a human who gets hungry like everyone else.

"Ah, then you fell in the right place," he said while rolling the sleeves of his chef's uniform up to his sleeves. "I stayed in the kitchen because I was trying to make one of the snacks that His Royal Highness Prince Nero wanted me to make for him."

Her ears perked up. She remembered that she sent the Royal Chef the recipe of a few easy-to-make snacks that she missed from Korea. Of course, she chose the snacks that had ingredients easily found in the royal kitchen. "Really? What kind of snack is it?"

"His Royal Highness calls it 'Tornado Potatoes.'"

She squealed in delight. "I can't wait to try it!"

'Tornado Potatoes' was one of the snacks that she had always wanted to recreate in this world. In her second life, it was one of the street food that she would often get on her way home. After all, Korean street food was really, really good.

"Then, sit down and wait patiently," he told her. "I already softened the potatoes and the next procedures are easy to do."

"`Kay," she said, then she sat on the small wooden stool used by kitchen staff when checking the ingredients in the boxes. As soon as she relaxed, she suddenly remembered the little kids who were still probably looking for her around Yule's Palace. "Ruto, I'm being chased by little ruffians. I apologize in advance if they storm into the royal kitchen and mess up the place."

"Don't worry about that, Miss Ramsay," Ruto said in his usual nonchalant tone, then he turned his back on her to attend to the potatoes on the table. "Those little ruffians you're talking about won't find my territory even if they turn Yule Palace upside-down."

Neoma tilted her head at one side.

Is the Royal Kitchen well-protected by Papa Boss's barrier because it's the place where our meals are being made?

***

TREVOR felt Princess Neoma's presence a while ago.

Lewis Crevan felt it, too.

And as a result, both of them rushed in the direction where they felt the Moon Princess appear. But much to his shock, what greeted them was a plain wall. There was no door, and Princess Neoma's presence completely disappeared.

Ah, would it be more appropriate to say that Her Royal Highness's presence was covered by something else?

I'm pretty sure Princess Neoma is here.

He wanted to break the wall in front of him but if he was wrong, he'd earn the wrath of Emperor Nikolai for destroying a part of his residence. Moreover, the fact that Lewis Crevan couldn't seem to figure out where Princess Neoma disappeared into was making him doubt his own senses.

It was obvious that the fox boy was using all his sharp senses to detect the Moon Princess, but to no avail.

Hmm… how about this?

"Lewis Crevan, Princess Neoma is beyond this wall," Trevor said, then he pointed at the wall in front of them. "I would have punched this but it's protected by His Majesty's Holy Barrier. As a demon, I'm weak to holy–"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because all of a sudden, Lewis Crevan jumped and kicked the wall.

Desperate much, my dear son?

It seemed like the fox boy used his full strength because his two cute and fluffy tails came out. Unfortunately, his power as a Silver Fox didn't work.

As soon as Lewis Crevan's foot hit the wall, he was electrocuted.

The electric shock was strong enough to make the quiet and indifferent fox boy groan in pain, then he dropped on the floor unconscious.

Oops.

He squatted down and gently poked Lewis Crevan's face.

"Ah, good thing you're still alive, my reckless son," he said, relieved that his little dirty trick didn't kill the fox boy. Princess Neoma would kill him if Lewis Crevan died. "As I thought, you're still weak compared to the monsters around you. After all, you're still unable to see the horrible creature behind me."

Strictly speaking, Lewis Crevan wouldn't be considered weak anywhere in the empire.

But not when he is compared to the monster beyond the wall, that is.

"My dear son, you should be the strongest person beside your mother," Trevor said to the unconscious Lewis Crevan. "Should I help you bring out your other tails before I leave?"

***

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