性瘾者

Neoma was in Greko’s arms in one minute, then she was being hugged tight by her Mama Boss the next.

[I can’t tell Mama Boss that I can’t breathe properly, so I must endure.]

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just her mother who was showering her with love and attention.

Nero was gently pinching her left cheek while her Papa Boss was poking her right cheek.

[I hoped they washed their hands, though.]

“Cute,” Nero said while pinching her cheek gently. “I know this is an emergency, but you’re so cute, Neoma.”

Neoma gave her twin brother a dire look. “I know, duh.”

“This takes me back to the time when you used to curse me with your “colorful” words,” her Papa Boss, who was enjoying poking her cheek with a finger, teased her. “Your face back then was as cheeky as it is right now.”

.....

“Papa Boss, do you want to hear my “colorful” words again?”

Her father’s hand stopped moving because of her threat.

[Good.]

She only had to glare at Nero now. “Seriously, dude. Stop squishing my cheek.”

Nero frowned, but at least he stopped paying attention to her cheek now.

“Look at what the two of you have done,” Mama Boss scolded Nero and Papa Boss when she saw how red her cheeks were because of the two. “Don’t carelessly touch our Baby Muffin.”

Nero and Papa Boss both nodded obediently at Mama Boss’ scolding.

Neoma smirked smugly.

Heh.

[Mama Boss is THE boss in this family.]

But wait.

This wasn’t the right time to be having a precious family moment!

“Mama Boss, Papa Boss, Nero,” Neoma said in a serious voice, then she pointed at Baby Empress Juliet (carried by William) with both hands as a sign of respect. “We have a very important guest, so please prepare a room where our conversation won’t get leaked.”

***

[GOSH, I hate this.]

Neoma was currently on Nero’s lap, and her twin brother’s arms that were wrapped around her waist served like a seatbelt.

[He really secured me on his lap, huh?]

Since she couldn’t move freely anyway because her little body was a bit heavy for her, she could only lean against Nero’s chest to be comfortable in that position.

[Anyway…]

Mama Boss and Papa Boss were sitting on the sofa across from them.

Baby Empress Juliet, on the other hand, sat on a chair on her own. Mama Boss put pillows around the baby empress, though, to make sure Her Majesty wouldn’t fall.

[It really never fails to impress me how Baby Empress Juliet looks dignified all the time.]

“I can sense a powerful divine power in the child,” Papa Boss commented while looking at the baby empress. “Who is this child, Neoma?”

“She’s the baby that Lady Roxana wanted me to find,” Neoma answered. “She also happens to be the treasure that the crows stole from Lord Kingston.”

“Ah,” Nero said, then he snapped his fingers. “Come out.”

At first, she thought her twin brother summoned his Soul Beasts.

But, to her surprise, the White Lion suddenly appeared in front of the baby empress!

“Mother freed the White Lion from Calyx Dalton’s control by breaking his leash,” Nero explained. “But according to the White Lion, to gain full freedom, his treasure must be released as well. Now we know how he got freed.” He gently patted her head. “Good job for retrieving the treasure that the crows stole from the White Lion, Neoma.”

“I didn’t do anything that warrants such praise,” she said, and she was being honest. In fact, if Regina Crowell didn’t protect the annex building, then Her Majesty would have been hurt because of her and Trevor’s attack. “But I’m glad that we found the treasure in time.”

Kingston, the White Lion, finally looked at peace while standing beside the baby empress.

Baby Empress Juliet, on the other hand, was patting the White Lion’s head.

[Hmm. I wonder how the two got acquainted.]

“I feel something familiar with the baby, though,” Mama Boss commented, then she turned to her. “Neoma, do we know her?”

As expected of Mama Boss.

[My mother is indeed sensitive.]

“Mama Boss, Papa Boss, Nero,” Neoma said in a serious and polite voice. “This child is the reincarnation of the late Empress Juliet. Fortunately, she has the memories of her previous life.”

The silence that ensued was deafening.

[It’s okay, I already expect this kind of reaction.]

By that, she meant the shocked look on Papa Boss and Mama Boss. Even if she couldn’t see Nero’s face, she was sure her twin brother had the same look on his face.

[I was shocked as well the first time I met the real Empress Juliet.]

“It’s been a while, Nikolai, Mona,” Baby Empress Juliet in a gentle yet firm voice. “I’m delighted to know that the two of you are still together. And it’s already late, but congratulations on having your precious twins.”

Mama Boss and Papa Boss still looked like they were in disbelief.

[Understandable, though.]

“Neoma, it’s not that I don’t trust your words. But let me ask questions to this child first,” Papa Boss said firmly without tearing his gaze away from the baby empress. “If you truly are the reincarnation of Juliet, then tell me why she didn’t want to become the empress.”

“I have three reasons,” Baby Empress Juliet said, raising her three cute, chubby fingers. “First, I don’t and will never see you as a man, Nikolai. You’re just like a frustrating younger brother to me.”

Neoma had to stifle her laughter.

“Second, I genuinely wish for Nikolai and Mona to be happy together since you love each other very much,” Baby Empress Juliet said. “Unfortunately, in order to protect the two of you, I had no choice but to become the empress.”

Neoma knew that story, too.

[I heard that Empress Juliet and Papa Boss had a contractual marriage, and that they never shared a bed– not even once.]

“But the most important reason why I didn’t want to become the empress was because I’ve always wanted to serve the god that I’ve put my faith in,” Baby Empress Juliet said, then she put her tiny hand over her chest. “After all, I pledged my loyalty to Lady Roxana– the Light Goddess.”

For someone who committed a grave sin, the former empress sure sounded proud.

And Neoma was amazed.

[The law of the Great Moonasterion Empire dictates that the emperor and the empress must only pledge their loyalty to Lord Yule, the Moon God.]

Of course, that rule applied to the royal children.

“Only Nikolai and I knew that Juliet pledged her loyalty to Lady Roxana instead of Lord Yule. We kept it a secret even from Rufus and Gavin because pledging your loyalty to the Light Goddess instead of the Moon God is a serious crime for people related to the royal family,” Mama Boss said in disbelief. “Is that really you, Juliet?”

“It’s really me, Mona,” Baby Empress Juliet said. “I know it’s hard to believe, but with the help of the Light Goddess, I was reincarnated as the future Light Saintess.”

“A Light Saintess?” Mama Boss asked curiously. “But currently, the Light Goddess doesn’t have enough followers to build a proper religion dedicated to Lady Roxana.”

“I believe that’s the reason why Lady Roxana helped me get reincarnated,” Baby Empress Juliet said firmly. “I plan to create a temple that worships the Light Goddess.”

Neoma was once again in awe.

[Empress Juliet has her shit together, huh? It seems like she was being honest when she said that even though she was grateful to be born as a lady with a high rank, she still wasn’t that happy with her previous life.]

“Wait,” Papa Boss said, confused and worried. “If you were the real Juliet, then who is the Juliet residing in the palace right now?”

“That’s what I want to know, too,” Baby Empress Juliet said. “I’m certain I died when we were trying to free the Soul Beasts before. After all, I met Lady Roxana as soon as my soul left my body. When she offered me the chance to be reincarnated in exchange for creating a religion devoted to the Light Goddess, I agreed right away. Then I spent the following years in Oblivion while waiting to be reborn. Hence, I couldn’t possibly be revived without my soul.”

“We accepted “Lady Sloane” in the palace because her Mana was similar to yours,” Papa Boss said. “As you know, you have a unique Mana that felt similar to divine energy. And since Mana often stems from a person’s soul, we stupidly accepted that person as the former empress.”

Neoma felt bad for her Papa Boss who looked like he wanted to punch himself.

She hated seeing her father in that state, so she consoled him.

“It’s not your fault, Papa Boss,” Neoma said, comforting her father. “Empress Juliet’s body was stolen and revived. According to Trevor, the current Devil didn’t do it.”

They first suspected the Devil because they had the ability to revive dead people just like how they revived Gavin Quinzel– her appa.

“And since the fake Lady Sloane came here as Calyx Dalton’s “mother,” then it was obvious everything was orchestrated by the crows,” Neoma continued with her explanation. “If they are capable of stealing Seeds and Beads from talented individuals in the empire, then they must have used an unknown spell or magic device to revive Empress Juliet’s body without needing her soul.”

“They must have used a different person’s soul,” Nero added. “Hence, the fake Lady Sloane claims she lost her memories.”

“The children are right,” Mona said, sighing. “I can’t believe we almost fell into the crows’ trap.”

“It can’t be helped, Mama Boss, Papa Boss,” Neoma said. “After all, both of you treasure Empress Juliet very much.”

Hence, Mama Boss and Papa Boss were weak against the fake Lady Sloane.

.....

“I’m touched to hear that, Nikolai, Mona,” Baby Empress Juliet said, then she turned to Neoma and Nero. “Children, may I talk to your parents in private?”

Neoma and Nero both bowed at Empress Juliet politely, but Neoma almost fell forward because she couldn’t control her body.

[Ack, my head is too big!]

Literally, okay?

Thankfully, Nero caught Neoma before she fell from his lap.

But her twin brother laughed softly at what happened.

Even Baby Empress Juliet, Mama Boss, and Papa Boss all looked at her with warm eyes as if they found Neoma cute.

[Embarrassing!]

***

JULIET was conflicted.

She heard what happened to Ethan Sloane– her brother. Moreover, House Sloane was no longer a noble household.

[According to Nikolai, my brother tried to kill Neoma who was posing as Nero. But before Nikolai could punish my brother for attempting to kill his heir, my brother was found dead. And when the family members and vassals were punished, House Sloane naturally met its demise.]

She knew in her head that her brother deserved to be punished.

[Brother, to harm the one and only heir to the throne... no wonder House Sloane is no more.]

This may sound callous, but she was never close to her brother. Hence, she didn’t feel pain or sadness.

However, it was the opposite of what she felt towards Marquis Vincent Lennox.

“Grandfather,” Juliet said in a sad voice. “It pains me to know that his emotions are being used by the fake Juliet to control House Lennox.”

Her grandfather had always been fond of her.

In fact, her grandfather doted on her more than her parents did.

“Then do you want to meet Marquis Lennox and tell him the truth?” Nikolai asked. “We must save House Lennox since they’re being tricked by the crows.”

“Nikolai is right, Juliet,” Mona said. “We can provide evidence to Marquis Lennox for him to believe us.”

She knew that it was the easiest way to save House Lennox.

However, she had already made up her mind.

[I have already thrown away my attachment to my previous life.]

“Mona, Nikolai, I have something important to say,” Juliet said in a solemn tone. “The memories of my previous life as Juliet Sloane will disappear soon.”

***