性瘾者

Neoma clenched her hands, trying to stop her ‘let’s-adopt-this-child impulse.’

By this ‘child,’ she meant Duckie in his human form.

[I know Duckie is way older than I am, but I can’t help but see him as a pitiful child who just lost his precious family.]

It was obvious that Duckie just cried because of his red and puffy eyes.

Neoma was actually surprised when the Elemental Guardian approached her after she talked to Jasper oppa. Right now, the two of them were on the balcony where they could see a vast land covered in white snow. It was also facing the frozen forest where she sent off the fairies and the elves earlier.

[And Jasper oppa is waiting for us by the entrance of the balcony.]

“Why are you thanking me? I barely did anything,” Neoma said while shaking his head. “The credit goes to you and Jasper oppa.”

Duckie laughed softly while shaking his head. “Princess Neoma, I don’t think Jasper Hawthorne would have agreed to help me if it wasn’t for you.”

.....

She couldn’t refute that.

[As I said before, Jasper oppa is not a kind person. He’s calculative and will only move if it benefits him. But he’s nice to me and my people, so there’s that.]

“Did Jasper oppa accept you as his Elemental Guardian?”

Duckie looked offended by her question. “Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? I CHOSE Jasper Hawthorne as my new master.”

“It goes both ways,” she said, shrugging. “You chose oppa, and oppa has the right to decide whether to accept you or not. To be honest, I don’t see why oppa would be desperate to have an Elemental Guardian.”

Now the “child” looked like he was about to cry. “Does it mean Jasper Hawthorne doesn’t need me?”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Huh?”

“Jasper oppa doesn’t need you, so you can be assured that oppa won’t use you as a tool or a weapon,” she explained. “If Jasper oppa accepts you as his Elemental Guardian, then maybe it’s because he likes you as a person?”

Duckie gulped before asking in a hesitant voice. “Princess Neoma, do you think Jasper Hawthorne won’t force me to do… evil things?”

“The Jasper oppa I know will never do that,” she said. “But if ever your fear came true, then just come to me. I’ll smack oppa at the back of his head for you.”

She could say that confidently because she knew Jasper oppa wouldn’t turn evil.

“That’s a relief,” Duckie said, smiling at her. “I guess I really chose a better master this time.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I killed my previous master, Princess Neoma.”

“Ah, he must have deserved it.”

The duck looked genuinely surprised. “Are you not going to ask me why I committed such sin?”

“If you killed your master just for shit and giggles, then you wouldn’t be here,” she said. “I’ve only become Grandpa Kingston’s caretaker recently, but I learned that he couldn’t kill me. If he did, he would be punished by the god who created the Elemental Guardians. Then his soul would vanish and he would never get reincarnated again. So, the fact that you’re still here means the god accepted your reason for killing your previous master.”

“Even so, don’t you think that we don’t have the right to take away someone’s life that easily?”

“You’re asking the wrong person here, Duckie. I’ve already killed countless of living beings from the first timeline up to now,” she said. Although she still sounded confident, she wasn’t proud of her killings. “I live a life where I’ll get killed if I don’t kill. But honestly? I genuinely think that there are scumbags in the world who don’t deserve to breathe, so don’t ask me if we have the right to take away someone’s life that easily.”

“You… are really not a good person.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty much fucked up in the head. I’m a de Moonasterio, remember?”

“Right.”

She laughed at how Duckie easily accepted the fact that she was fucked up in the head just because she was a de Moonasterio. “Anyway, why are you speaking politely to me? I heard you curse before. I thought I already found my kindred spirit, but you suddenly became polite.”

“I received two warnings from two scary men,” Duckie said, gulping. “The God Slayer and my new master told me to speak politely to you if I want to live longer.”

Pfft.

“Then you can speak freely when it’s only the two of us talking.”

“I’ll think about it, Princess Neoma.”

She laughed again. “Can I still call you ‘Duckie?\'”

“That’s my new identity now, Your Royal Highness.”

She nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry for your loss, Duckie. I already asked Jasper oppa to give your family a proper burial. You can help him with the preparations.”

Duckie suddenly turned emotional. “Thank you, Princess Neoma.”

“And you can take Toni Crowell’s head.”

This time, the duck looked shocked. “But isn’t she the ringleader? We have to kill her if we need information…”

“We don’t need her since she’s not really a real member of the Crowells,” she said. “Your revenge is more important than whatever information she holds.”

“Can I really do it, Princess Neoma?” Duckie asked in a serious tone, his eyes glowing menacingly. “I don’t want my new master to get in trouble.”

It was true that the authority to punish the crows caught in this territory belonged to the Northern Lords.

Jasper oppa was a duke, but he was still an outsider.

However…

“Do it. I’ll make sure Jasper oppa won’t get in trouble with the Northern Lords,” Neoma said, putting a hand over her chest. “I’ll take responsibility for everything.”

***

“NEOMA, make sure to sleep once you return to the Royal Capital.”

“Why?” Neoma asked Ruto, frowning. “Why is everyone acting like I don’t sleep?”

Right now, the two of them were standing in front of the portal.

Dahlia was waiting a few feet away from them from Xion.

Yes, her assassin son had just returned from the secret mission that she gave him.

[Xion is an assassin, so it’s only natural for him to disappear abruptly. He’s good at it.]

“The point is you don’t get enough sleep,” Ruto scolded her. “Do you want your skin to suffer because you don’t get enough sleep?”

She touched her face. “But I always use my skincare products.”

“Neoma.”

“Fine, I’ll sleep,” she said, pouting. “You make it sound like I don’t take care of myself when I do.”

“If you want to be the prettiest at Calyx Dalton’s birthday banquet, then you have to get ENOUGH sleep. A three-hour sleep a day isn’t enough.”

She just shrugged. “I bet I would still be the prettiest lady in the empire, even if I look haggard.”

“Don’t you want to look perfect for your date?”

Oho?

The red flag Ruto was showing his ugly head again.

[It’s alright, I can fix him.]

“Are you jealous of my date?”

“Who is he?”

“It’s a surprise,” she said, patting Ruto’s shoulder. “But you know him. I guess you’ve already met him since you’re older than me.”

Ruto knitted his eyebrows. “Is he older than you?”

[A lot older, actually.]

“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “But don’t worry, because he’s not a pervert or a pedo. We have a completely platonic relationship.”

Her man fell silent while his face looked murderous at the moment.

[Gosh, he’s already down for me so badly even though he claims hE dOesN’t lOve mE.]

“Is he handsome?”

Neoma smiled at Ruto brightly. “Your face is my most favorite face in the entire world, babe.”

“So, he’s handsome.”

“Look at the time,” she said, then she looked at the non-existent watch on her wrist to avoid Ruto’s sharp gaze. “We need to go, babe. Hanna and my children are waiting for me.”

“Handsome men are dangerous, Neoma.”

“That’s why you’re dangerous, Ruto,” Neoma said, then she looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Can I touch your face?”

.....

Ruto looked confused, but he still nodded in response.

She didn’t hesitate to cup his face between her hands. “Babe, what color would you wear at the party?”

“Mother is the one in charge of my clothes for formal events,” he said. “But since our kingdom’s official colors are white and gold, Mother probably prepared an outfit with those two colors in mind.”

“Ah…”

“Are you going to wear red at the party?”

Her eyes opened wide a bit. “How did you know?”

He smiled as if he found her amusing. “Only official members of the de Moonasterio Royal Family are allowed to wear red during formal events.”

“Right?” she agreed, grinning. “And do you know what color did I choose for my children’s outfits?”

Ruto tilted her head to one side. “No, you tell me.”

Neoma smirked haughtily. “Black.”

***

BLACK was a color banned during a birthday banquet for a member of the Royal Family because it was considered bad luck.

Hanna couldn’t help but smile while shaking her head.

“Neoma would make her “children” wear black during Calyx Dalton’s birthday banquet,” Hanna whispered to herself, amused. “The old nobles and the Royal Faction might pass out from shock.”

Before Neoma returned to this world, the outfits that the royal princess and her “children” would be wearing for the fake First Prince’s birthday banquet were already prepared.

It was easy to prepare them in secret because Hanna owned all the luxury boutiques on Grandiose Avenue. She made sure that the tailors wouldn’t speak about the clothes to a single soul.

Of course, she didn’t tell the dressmakers that the clothes they were making would be worn at Calyx Dalton’s birthday banquet.

[I feel bad for them, but we need to do this…]

After all, Neoma MIGHT turn Calyx Dalton’s birthday banquet into a funeral.