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[But thank goodness oppa “proposed” when Lewis isn’t here.]

Lewis went out to fetch Hanna. The vice-captain of the Quinzels’ private army would escort her cousin personally. But she still sent Lewis to fetch Hanna to be safe, and her “son” obliged.

[I don’t want my “son” to panic and report to my father about oppa’s “proposal.”]

After all, she had a feeling that there was a reason behind that.

Her big brain could only come up with one explanation.

“Jasper oppa, are the vassal families under your household pressuring you to get married already?” Neoma asked carefully. “Is that why you proposed to me?”

.....

Noble children as young as sixteen years old were already eligible for marriage.

Jasper Hawthorne, who was already a duke at age eighteen, was a sought-after bachelor in the empire. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had been proposed to by different households by now. To noble and royal children like them, it was completely normal.

[It sucks, but it’s the norm here.]

Of course, she would change that soon.

“That’s right,” Jasper oppa said while nodding his head. “The vassal families are pressuring me to get married and have an heir.”

“They’re already asking you to produce an heir?” she asked, disgusted by Jasper oppa’s vassal families. “You’re still young and healthy, oppa. And you’re doing an excellent job as the youngest duke in the empire.”

“If I could, I would kill them all just to shut them up.”

She sipped her tea after hearing her oppa’s vicious words.

[I almost forgot that Jasper oppa is a vicious person who wouldn’t hesitate to choose violence if he needed to. After all, he wouldn’t have become a duke at age thirteen if he was a normal, kind child.]

“But the empire is lacking in nobles these days after most of them were punished because of the revelation of the tragedy that transpired in the Death Camp, so I’m doing my best to hold back,” the young duke explained. “If I killed the nobles serving my household, then it would create a problem for the Royal Family.”

“Thank you for your kind consideration, oppa,” she said, laughing. “Anyway, were you thinking of using my identity as ‘Neoma Ramsay’ as your fake fiancée to introduce to your vassal families?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Jasper oppa said while tapping his fingers on the table. “When you asked me to spread the “rumor” about the Crown Prince having a twin sister, I realized that Your Royal Highness is preparing to “return” to her rightful place as the empire’s sole royal princess. Am I correct?”

“Yep, you got it right, oppa,” she confirmed. “Now that my mother is back, my family and I decided that it’s time to reveal my identity to the world.”

The young duke nodded, as if saying that he understood. “It may be impudent of me, but I was thinking of giving Your Royal Highness the position of the ‘Future Duchess Hawthorne’ as protection. I know that Your Royal Highness doesn’t really need my protection, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a powerful family like mine to back you up.”

Well, her oppa wasn’t wrong, so she just stayed quiet while listening to him.

[Aside from Jasper oppa’s wealth, his information network is an asset, too.]

“Considering how the empire treated the previous royal princesses in the past, I’m afraid the nobles around you would just treat Your Royal Highness as someone they could marry off to a rich household to expand the Royal Family’s wealth and influence,” Jasper oppa continued. “I’m sure His Majesty and Prince Nero won’t let that happen, but the nobles could be pretty annoying when they’re being persistent.”

“Just like your vassal families?” she asked teasingly.

Jasper oppa laughed and nodded. “That’s why I thought a fake engagement with us would work. Once I introduce ‘Neoma Ramsay’ to my household’s vassal families as my fiancée, I’m sure they wouldn’t approve of Your Royal Highness right away. But that would at least stop them from sending women my way in the meantime.”

[Ah, poor Jasper oppa.]

He sounded fed up with his household’s vassal families.

“And once it’s finally revealed the ‘Neoma Ramsay’ is the Crown Prince’s hidden twin sister, then my household’s vassal families and the nobles around the Royal Family wouldn’t bother us about marriage,” Jasper oppa said. “Of course, if you accepted my proposal, it would be nothing more than a contract engagement. I don’t want to get killed by His Majesty and Prince Nero.”

She laughed at her oppa’s concern, but she immediately turned serious. “Oppa, your plan sounds plausible. But I’m afraid I have to turn it down.”

“I already expected that,” the young duke said, smiling.

“But it’s not because of Ruto,” she said, just in case her oppa was having a wrong idea. “I plan to dismantle the tradition that forces young people like us to get engaged and married at such a tender age. Of course, there are couples who choose to marry young. But most of the noble and royal children like us are forced to do that in order to expand our family’s wealth and influence.”

And that was the thing that she wanted to change.

In some parts of the empire, child brides as young as twelve years old existed.

“If I, the empire’s one and only royal princess, get engaged for convenience when I’m only thirteen years old, then it would go against my principles,” she said, then she smiled at the young duke. “Oppa, I can’t say anything about your household affairs since you’re a duke. I understand that you have things you must do in order to protect your people and your territory.” She clasped her hands together. “But I sincerely hope that you marry out of love and not out of convenience.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jasper oppa said solemnly. “I won’t choose just anyone to be your sister-in-law, Princess Neoma. After all, you’re my precious little sister.” He extended his hand to pat her head gently. “I’m taking back my proposal. I shouldn’t have done that in the first place. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, oppa,” she said. “I know that you only did that with good intentions.”

He smiled and nodded while pulling his hand away. “Thank you for understanding, Princess Neoma.”

“No problem, oppa,” she said, then she changed the topic. “How is my request going?”

“I’ve already bought the mouths of the right people for this job,” the young duke assured her. “Rest assured, before the entrance exam begins, the “rumor” that the Crown Prince has a twin sister would have spread like wildfire already.”

“I trust you, oppa.”

“Thank you,” the young duke said. “And I also have another proposal to you.”

She playfully glared at him. “Oppa, it’s not another marriage proposal, is it?”

“Of course not,” he said, laughing while shaking his head. Then he explained. “I came up with a way to spread the rumor faster while making it more believable. But I’m not sure if you’ll agree with it.”

“Let’s hear it then, oppa.”

She and Jasper oppa had been discussing his brilliant plan for fifteen minutes when the two of them froze, then they turned to the door of his office at the same time.

A strong presence was behind that door.

It was strong, but not hostile.

Even so, it rendered both her and Jasper oppa immobile for a moment.

“I’m not sure if I should be scared or pissed,” Jasper oppa said after he recovered from the shock. “Viscount Stroganoff, it’s rude to barge in like that.”

She wasn’t surprised when Jasper oppa realized immediately that it was Ruto.

[I don’t know how Ruto did it, but he let us know who he is through his Mana.]

Anyway...

When Ruto was out of the kitchen, most nobles would address him by his title.

And in the West Continent, Ruto was a young viscount. It was the lesser title of Morton Stroganoff that Ruto inherited.

“I apologize for my rudeness, Duke Hawthorne, but I’m here for Miss Ramsay.”

Neoma’s heart suddenly thumped hard and fast against her chest.

[Ruto is really here.]

Jasper oppa clicked his tongue. “I just belatedly realized that Viscount Stroganoff knows that I own this information guild.”

“Ruto knows almost everything, oppa. But we can trust him,” she assured Jasper oppa, then she stood up and immediately headed for the door. Then she opened it without hesitation. “I told you I’ll kill you if you go here...”

She trailed off.

[Huh? A chest?]

Then she looked up.

She had to look up to see Ruto’s face because he towered over her. Wow. And here she thought Lewis was already tall. Ruto’s growth spurt was the most impressive, it seemed.

[Is Ruto taller than Jasper oppa, too?]

But looking at Ruto’s face gave her heart a painful squeeze.

[The burn mark on his face is still visible.]

And yet, Ruto looked more handsome than she expected.

Purple hair.

Dark violet eyes.

[He’s no longer hiding his purple hair?]

Now, Ruto looked like the ‘Commander Yoan’ in her past memories. But, of course, the commander in her memories was bigger than Ruto, which was natural because the commander was in his early twenties while Ruto was only seventeen years old.

However, the face couldn’t be mistaken.

[Ruto is really Commander Yoan, huh?]

“Oh, you’re right,” Ruto said, then he tilted his head to one side while looking at her face intently. “You’ve become prettier, Neoma.”

Neoma felt her entire face turn warm. “I know, but you’re too late to flatter me,” she said, then she took a step backward while her eyes were still focused on Ruto’s face. “I just received a marriage proposal from Jasper oppa.”

Jasper oppa let out a fake, loud cough from behind.

She, on the other hand, was bewildered by her own words.

[Why did I suddenly blurt it out?! Am I some sort of lunatic deprived of attention?! Am I a desperate woman?!]

.....

God, she hated herself at the moment.

Her thoughts were distracted when Ruto raised an eyebrow.

“Is that so?” Ruto asked, obviously displeased. Then he took a step forward and leaned down to meet her eye level. “Did you accept Duke Hawthorne’s proposal, Neoma?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What if I did?”

“Then I’ll leave,” he said, then he avoided her gaze.

“Are you upset?” she asked, aghast.

“I’m upset with myself,” Ruto said, then he covered half of his face with his hand while still refusing to look her in the eye. “I know I shouldn’t be, but I can’t help but get jealous.”

Ruto was jealous?

Neoma knew it was ridiculous, but it made her happy to hear that from Ruto.

***

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