NEOMA, back in her second life, was born with loving parents.
Her mommy was Mrs. Areum Kim, a seasoned anchor. While her daddy was Won-shik Kim, a veteran actor. As far as she remembered, both her parents were half Korean-half English. Because of that, they barely looked Asian.
Also, they were more used to speaking in English than in Korean language. That was why she also grew up calling them "mommy" and "daddy" instead of "eoma" and "appa."
Still, they weren't the only family in Korea who had foreign blood in them. Aside from their mixed race, they were just like any ordinary family in that country. She never noticed anything strange from her parents.
Ah, maybe except for the name they chose for her.
She had always wondered about how come her parents ended up giving her the name that she had in her first life.
And now, it seemed like she already found the answer.
"Princess Neoma!"
Neoma blinked several times when she finally came back to her senses.
She still couldn't breathe properly and her body couldn't stop shaking. Thankfully, the photo was gone. It probably disappeared when Sir Glenn closed the locket to attend to her needs. After all, when she "woke up," the knight's hands were already on her shoulders.
"Your Royal Highness, please take a deep breath," Sir Glenn instructed her.
She nodded, then she did as she was told.
"You're doing good, Princess Neoma," the knight said. "Please do it again."
She took several deep breaths before she finally calmed down. It probably helped that she could no longer see the photo of her mommy and daddy. She was still a little shocked, but she forced herself to get her sh*t together.
"I'm fine now," she assured the knight who looked really worried about her. "Thank you, Sir Glenn."
"What happened, Your Royal Highness?" he asked worriedly, then he handed her a white handkerchief.
She accepted the hankie and wiped her tears off with it. "Thank you, Sir Glenn," she said before she explained. "I was just touched by my mother's beauty, and then I got sad when I realized that I can't meet her anymore."
It was a lie but it seemed like Sir Glenn bought it. He even gave her a look of pity.
"Sir Glenn, may I know who the other knight in the photo is?" she asked curiously. She wanted to know if her Daddy Won-shik was still alive in that world. But to not make Sir Glenn suspicious, she came up with another lie. "I haven't seen him in the palace. Plus, he's wearing a different uniform than yours."
Sir Glenn smiled sadly before he spoke. "The knight that you saw in the photo was Sir Gavin Quinzel," he said. And she didn't miss the use of past tense. "He was the commander of the White Lion Knights– His Majesty's elite army– before he died."
Her heart thumped painfully against her chest when she heard that.
And then, she suddenly realized something.
""Quinzel?"" she asked in surprise. "How was the commander related to Duke Quinzel?"
Come to think of it, Sir Gavin Quinzel and Duke Rufus Quinzel both had golden eyes.
The knight's face smiled sadly. "He was Duke Quinzel's older brother. Sir Quinzel was the heir apparent of their family when he was still alive."
Okay, she didn't how to react to that.
[My father and my daddy were cousins?]
She had no doubt that in this world, Emperor Nikolai was her father. Her face and her Mana couldn't hide her blood.
[But how come Gavin Quinzel became my father in my second life?]
Could it be…
"What was the commander's relationship with my mother, Sir Glenn?" she asked, her heart beating loud and fast against her chest. "They seemed close since he was standing behind her in the photo."
She didn't know if it was just her imagination but she thought the knight smiled bitterly before he answered her question.
"Sir Gavin Quinzel was the knight that His Majesty assigned to be Lady Roseheart's escort before," Sir Glenn said, then he smiled and changed the topic right away. "Princess Neoma, it's time to return to your palace. Shall I carry you?"
She just nodded. Knowing that Sir Glenn wouldn't answer any of her questions anymore, she decided to give up for now. Plus, she wanted to sleep and clear her mind.
Neoma wrapped her little arms around Sir Glenn's neck when he carried her. Then, she laid her cheek on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Even though she didn't want to think about it, she still couldn't help it. [Did Lady Roseheart cheat on Papa Boss with Sir Quinzel?]
***
THE SIDE effects of the poison that Neoma took this morning were headache and vomiting.
It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. The terrible hang-over that she had back in her second life was worse. But of course, the side effects were light because the portion she took was only in small quantity.
To build-up her resistance to poisoning, they had to start with a little amount of poison.
"How do you feel, Your Royal Highness?" Madam Hammock, her personal Healing Sage, asked. The doctor was standing in front of her bed with a gentle smile on her face. "Can you still handle the pain?"
"I'm fine, Madam," Neoma said in a groggy voice. After having her breakfast, the symptoms of poisoning instantly kicked in. So right now, she was confined to her bed. No classes for her until she recovered. "Thank you for taking care of me."
"You don't have to thank me, Princess Neoma," the older woman said with a smile. "I'm just doing my job."
She just gave her a weak smile. "Madam, can I ask you questions about your ability."
"Of course, Your Royal Highness."
She thought about it all night.
There was a high chance that Emperor Nikolai and Sir Glenn wouldn't answer her questions about her mother and Sir Quinzel. And so, she decided to investigate the story behind her mother and two fathers.
[I have a feeling that the three of them were entangled in a tragic story.]
"Can a sage look into the past of other people?" she asked Madam Hammock seriously. "Is there a way for me to take a peek inside another person's memory, Madam?"
The Healing Sage looked surprised by her questions.
"Most sages have the ability to do that. But probing into one's memory can only be allowed if you have the consent from that person, Your Royal Highness," the doctor said. "They also must not be intoxicated or coerced from doing so."
There was no way in hell that Emperor Nikolai would allow her to take a peek into his memory.
"What if I want to see the memory of a person who's long gone?" she asked instead. "Is there a way to do that, Madam?"
This time, the Healing Sage looked hesitant to answer her questions. "Your Royal Highness, may I know why you're very interested in this matter?"
"It's for research for one of my classes, Madam," she lied. "I was asked by my teacher to study about spells that catch my interest.
[Wow, I'm such a big liar.]
The madam looked relieved to hear that. "If that's the case, then I recommend the Royal Grimoire that you can find in His Majesty's royal library."
Ah, why did she only think of that now?
A grimoire was a book of spells and it typically had instructions on how to perform magical spells. But…
"Does the Royal Grimoire include spells that are forbidden, Madam?"
Madam Hammock shook her head. "The spells in the Royal Grimoire are all approved by the Royal Tower, Your Royal Highness. Forbidden spells are banned in the empire so they aren't included in it."
[Then, I don't need the Royal Grimoire.]
Neoma then realized that there was one more grimoire that could probably help her uncover the truth about her parents' affair.
[I need the Devil's Grimoire.]
***
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