[Earlier…]
THE HAZELDEN Kingdom again?
To be honest, Regina wasn't happy to be dispatched to Hazelden.
This time, her mission was to kidnap the only monarch staying at the palace at the moment– the young Prince Claude Griffiths.
In her opinion, it was a stupid move.
[Can't they see that Hazelden is being protected by the empire?]
They should have been focusing their force on the Imperial Capital while Princess Neoma and Prince Nero were both out of commission instead of wasting their time on other people.
"I'm always pleased to see your dissatisfaction in your life as a crow, Regina Crowell."
Regina's eyes widened in shock when she saw the person who greeted her as soon as she entered her bedroom. "Princess Neoma?"
It was indeed the Imperial Princess.
However, the Princess Neoma in front of her right now was older, taller, and more mature.
[And this Princess Neoma looks depressed, as opposed to the Princess Neoma I know.]
Ah, it must be it.
"Are you the Princess Neoma from the first timeline?"
"Have you retrieved the memories of your past life?"
"Not everything," Regina said, leaning against the door while crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you need from me?"
"The Neoma of this timeline is dead."
"I'm sure her people are working hard to bring her back."
Prince Nero froze Princess Neoma using his ice to protect her physical body from dying completely.
Moreover, the Imperial Princess had Ruto Solfrid.
"It seems like you know how they're planning to bring back the Imperial Princess of this timeline."
Regina scoffed. "I vaguely remember how a certain 'Commander Yoan' killed me in the past just to revive Princess Neoma."
That man had a different name, but she knew who he was.
[It's Ruston 'Ruto' Solfrid, isn't it?]
"I won't let the commander, or anyone for that matter, kill me just to revive Princess Neoma."
"You don't need to die this time."
"What?"
"Yoan had to kill you in the first timeline because he didn't know how your power worked back then," the older Princess Neoma explained. "But it's different now. We just need a piece of your soul as the last ingredient needed to bring back the Neoma of this timeline. She hasn't been dead for long, so a tiny piece of your soul would be enough to turn back time for her."
"So, you need me to bring Princess Neoma back to the time that she was still alive," Regina said. To be honest, she wasn't surprised to hear that. In fact, the moment Princess Neoma died, she had already expected Commander Ruto to chase her. But it didn't happen. "What makes you think I'll help you revive the Imperial Princess? It does me more good if Princess Neoma remained dead than it does when she comes back to life."
"If you cooperate with the children well, I'll give you what you want."
"I'm not going to listen–"
"I'll tell you how to kill the 'Crow Elders.'"
Crow Elders.
Just hearing that term already made Regina shiver.
The Crow Elders, or simply the 'Elders,' were the ones who brought back Callisto de Luca again and again. They were also the ones who raised Callisto de Luca and the other elite young crows like Regina herself.
But the Elders rarely come outside.
lightsnοvεl [They disappeared after the young crows were old enough to take care of themselves.]
And Elders knew how to hide well, so Regina hadn't seen them in years.
"Did I kill the Elders in the first timeline?"
Just like what she told the older Princess Neoma earlier, not all of her memories had returned already.
She just had seen a few fragments here and there.
"You failed to kill them, and that was how Yoan caught you."
Regina clicked her tongue. "So, the final trump card I've been nurturing all this time didn't work."
"It's not because you're weak, but because you didn't use your resources well."
"Resources?"
The older Princess Neoma smiled coldly and pointed at herself. "Me."
Regina scoffed, but she didn't say anything.
To be fair, ever since she got a gist of how Princess Neoma used her powers, she realized that they could actually work together well if they were on the same side.
[Unfortunately, we aren't.]
"A temporary ceasefire," the older Princess Neoma said. "Regina Crowell, if you give a piece of your soul to the Neoma of this timeline, then I'll give you the information that you need."
It was a tempting offer.
However, Regina didn't give a definite answer to the older Princess Neoma at that time.
***
"WHAT MAKES you think I'll trust you?" Trevor scoffed at Regina Crowell's suggestion. "I don't need you to work with me– I can get what I want from you even without your cooperation."
"Are you sure about that?" Regina Crowell said calmly, smiling at him as if she wasn't afraid. "Trevor Kesser, why do you think the older Princess Neoma asked the current Princess Neoma not to kill me?"
He didn't want to admit this, but the bitch made a point.
[Even my Moon Princess didn't tell me to kill Regina Crowell.]
"You need a piece of my soul as the final ingredient to bring back Princess Neoma," Regina Crowell said, putting a hand over her chest. "I'll give it to you. But if you kill me, then my soul would quickly vanish before you could even touch it."
"What?"
"You made Dilan look weak, but he isn't," the wench said confidently. "I knew your side would be after my soul to bring back your beloved Imperial Princess. And that's why I asked Dilan to make sure my soul would disappear as soon as I breathed my last."
Ah, this bitch was smart.
But if Regina Crowell already knew that we needed her soul as the final ingredient, then it must mean that she had really met the older Princess Neoma.
Hmm.
[I guess Regina Crowell is more useful alive than dead. Once I get a hold of this wench, I'll turn her into an unlimited supply of life force for my Moon Princess. Oh, damn. I'm really a genius, huh?]
"Alright. Let's do that," Trevor said, grinning. Then he opened his arms and looked around. "But what are you going to do with the crows that you brought here? If the higher-ups in your stupid little cult realized that you betrayed them, you're dead."
Regina Crowell just laughed, then several vines made of shadows and Darkness emerged from the ground…
… killing the hidden crows all around them in an instant.
Yes, Regina Crowell just killed her own allies mercilessly.
Trevor laughed out loud. "You're one crazy bitch, Regina Crowell."
***
NOWELL Elwood's feelings were complicated at that moment.
Seeing Claude, his baby nephew, wearing full armor trickled his heart because Claude looked so adorable in his full gear.
Of course, the armor was light, since they installed it with magic.
[It was a gift from the Imperial Family.]
Nowell, despite gushing about how cute Claude was in his full armor, couldn't help but feel bad for his nephew.
[A baby shouldn't be wearing an armor…]
But what could they do?
The palace was suddenly attacked by Regina and Dilan Crowell.
"Don't worry, Uncle," Claude assured him. "Grandma Roxana is protecting me, so I'll be fine!"
Nowell smiled and nodded. "I can see that, Your Royal Highness."
Claude was surrounded by hundreds of little pink lights.
Nowell, like most people born in Hazelden, wasn't gifted with Mana. However, he could tell that his nephew was surrounded by a strong Mana that acted like a barrier.
That put him at ease.
[Even if we all die here, Hazelden will be fine as long as Prince Claude survives.]
***
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