性瘾者

[WAIT… Marcus is a common name.]

Neoma decided not to jump to conclusions easily, but it was already too late. She had already opened her big mouth, and Paige Avery looked like she was waiting for an explanation. "My father has a Healing Sage named Marcus. But Lord Marcus doesn\'t have a surname, so I\'m not sure if he\'s the one you\'re looking for."

And if she was going to be savage– er, honest, she\'d say there was a huge possibility that the Marcus Paige Avery was looking for was already dead.

"The Marcus I know doesn\'t have a surname, too," Paige Avery said, her face suddenly looking hopeful. "He was disowned by his family after he chose to pursue his dream of becoming a Healing Sage instead of running their merchant guild. I don\'t know how it is today. But back in my day, being a doctor or a Healing Sage was frowned upon by the nobility."

"Time has indeed changed," she said. "Today, being a doctor or a Healing Sage is a noble profession."

For the first time since she met her, the mage smiled genuinely. "That\'s a relief to hear."

"Would you like to meet my father\'s Healing Sage to check if he\'s the one you want to meet?"

"Yes, but not now," the mage said, then she looked at her pale and frail arms. "It seems like the Hisa Tree provided nutrients to my body the entire time I was trapped inside. I should have had a hard time gaining back my motor skills after being in a comatose state for fifty years. But the little boy who stayed with me recently restored the energy I lost. He\'s an amazing Healer."

She smiled proudly while Greko was getting praised. [That\'s my boy.]

"But I still feel sluggish," Paige Avery continued, then she raised her head to meet her gaze. "Your Royal Highness, can I stay here a little longer?"

"Of course."

"And I\'d also like to ask for a separate training room," the mage added. "I want to test if my magical power is still the same."

"I understand," she said. "I will provide you with everything you need, Lady Avery."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Royal Highness."

"No problem."

"Uhm, I will not get executed, right?"

She laughed softly because she knew what the mage was worried about. "Don\'t worry, Lady Avery," she said. "You won\'t get executed just because you slapped my father."

The mage gulped. "Is slapping the emperor not a big deal anymore?"

"It\'s not that it\'s a big deal," she explained gently. "Even if my father isn\'t an emperor, it would still be wrong to hurt an innocent person. But my father isn\'t as narrow-minded as our predecessors. He knows you\'ve mistaken him for his father, and he also knows the horrible thing the previous emperor did to you and your clan. Thus, he understands your pain and anger."

The mage smiled. "It seems like the current emperor is benevolent."

"Nah, my father is far from that," she said while shaking her head. "I\'m also not a benevolent person. But both of us are trying to be decent people and good leaders."

"That\'s good enough," the mage said, then she smiled bitterly. "Your Royal Highness\'s grandfather wasn\'t only a crazy bastard– he was also a terrible emperor."

"I know, right?" she agreed, then she stood up and bowed deeply.

Paige Avery gasped loudly, then she abruptly stood up– causing her chair to fall to the floor. "Y-Your Royal Highness, why are you bowing to a lowly person like me…"

"Lady Avery, I know I said that my grandfather\'s sin isn\'t mine to inherit. But I can\'t ignore his atrocities," Neoma said sincerely. If the previous emperor was just a distant ancestor, she wouldn\'t have cared about his sins. But that crazy bastard was his grandfather– her Papa Boss\'s father. "You don\'t have to forgive my grandfather, but please allow me to apologize to you and your entire clan that my blood has hurt."

***

"I HEARD from the Moon Priest that you found Gavin Quinzel trapped in a block of ice."

Neoma wanted to curse the Moon Priest for beating her to reporting to her Papa Boss.

But since she was having a yummy Eggs Benedict for breakfast, she didn\'t let it ruin her mood. Plus, she and her father had both been crazy busy these days. This was the first time they had a meal together in a while.

"That\'s true, Papa Boss," Neoma said, then she sipped her orange juice. She could speak casually to her father because, like always, only Lewis and Geoffrey Kinsley were in the dining hall with them. Plus, the entire room was protected with a soundproof barrier. "But it was the same ice that entrapped Mama Boss, so I couldn\'t save appa."

"Did you really intend to save Gavin Quinzel?" her father asked carefully. "I\'m not scolding you. I just want to know your plan."

She gripped the bread knife in her hand tight before she nodded. "Yes, Papa Boss. I can\'t leave appa alone."

"Even if you found out that Gavin Quinzel was the one who trapped your mother in that ice?"

She flinched when she heard the bitterness in her father\'s voice. "Did the Moon Priest tell you about it as well, Papa Boss?"

"That man has loose lips."

"I see," she said. "It\'s not like I intend to keep it a secret from you, Papa Boss."

"Neoma."

"Yes, Papa Boss?"

Her Papa Boss sipped his tea before he spoke with glowing red eyes. "I won\'t stop you if you want to save Gavin Quinzel from that ice prison," he said, then he put the teacup down on the table quietly. "But after you saved him, you can\'t stop me from punishing him. I hope you understand that his past actions have consequences."

She gulped hard. "Papa Boss, it seems like the woman appa loves isn\'t Mama Boss, but a woman called Go Areum that looks like my mother–"

"Neoma, I don\'t care about that," her father said coldly. "Does it justify that he hurt your mother just to be with the woman he loves? Moreover, even if you are correct about your hunch, we do not know how he met a woman from a different world. You may not see it because you love and respect your "appa" too much, but Gavin Quinzel is shrouded in mystery. He\'s actually a suspicious person."

She couldn\'t talk back because she knew her father was correct. All she could do was lower her gaze to her half-eaten Eggs Benedict.

Her appa, Gavin Quinzel, had so many secrets.

She was able to end up with the conclusion that her appa loved her eomma, Go Areum, because she saw how much the two loved each other in her second life. But her father was correct. How did her appa meet her eomma when the two lived in different worlds?

[This is why I want to talk to appa…]

"I said I won\'t scold you, but I still did in the end."

She raised her head to look at her Papa Boss to see if his face was as sad as his voice.

[Ah…]

She felt something tug at her heart when she saw the frustration and regret in her father\'s face.

"I promised you I won\'t lose my cool when we\'re talking about Gavin Quinzel. I also promised you I will treat him fairly since he was good to you in your second life," her Papa Boss said in a quiet and sad voice. "But after knowing what he did to Mona, I can\'t forgive him. I can\'t let him get away with it easily, even though he has been a good father to you."

She didn\'t know why, but she suddenly felt guilty. "Papa Boss…"

"I have to excuse myself now," her Papa Boss said bitterly as he stood up. His eyes already returned to their natural color, but the pained look in them didn\'t disappear. "Enjoy your breakfast, Neoma."

And just like that, her father left the dining hall with Geoffrey Kinsley.

[How could I enjoy my breakfast now, Papa Boss?]

She knew that her Papa Boss had the right to feel that way.

But despite knowing what her appa did to her parents, she realized she couldn\'t completely hate her appa after seeing him trapped in that stupid block of ice.

And because of her stubborn affection, she ended up hurting her Papa Boss.

"Princess Neoma did nothing wrong."

She looked up at Lewis who was standing behind her, then she smiled bitterly. "Really? I think I\'m a terrible daughter."

"None of it was your fault, though?" Lewis said bluntly, then he tilted his head to one side. "It\'s the adults who messed up in the past."

The way her "son" simplified her problem made her smile.

She appreciated the way Lewis comforted her.

"Thank you, Lewis," Neoma said sincerely. "Thank you for always taking your mother\'s side."

Lewis let out a frustrated sigh. "You\'re not my mother, Princess Neoma."

***

"YOU\'LL NEED a new Soul Beast once I take the Fire Dragon with me."

Neoma blinked several times while staring at Manu, the Moon Priest, who suddenly turned up in her office. This bastard disappeared last night while she was talking with Paige Avery. And now, he suddenly showed up when she was busy with her administrative works. "Aren\'t Soul Beasts beings that are born with us? It\'s not like I can just go and rent one just because Tteokbokki will be gone for quite some time."

"I am the King of the Soul Beasts," Manu said bluntly while pointing to himself. "I can give you a new Soul Beast."

"I\'ll think about it if it\'s a unicorn."

"How about the Ice Spirit who betrayed your mother?"

She raised an eyebrow at the Moon Priest. "But he\'s a Spirit," she said, confused. "How can a Spirit become a Soul Beast?"

Manu smirked arrogantly. "Do you trust me?"

Neoma shook her head. "No."

"Ungrateful brat."

***

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***

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