The moment Legion stepped inside the Golden Canopy, he froze.
His sharp eyes darkened at the sight before him...
The Empress, straddling Duke Aurelian, her bare skin exposed while the Duke remained fully clothed.
And the Empress saw him.
But Ceres simply smiled.
She didn't stop.
She didn't hesitate to let out a soft moan as Aurelian's mouth latched onto her other nipple, claiming it, worshipping it.
She kept her eyes on Legion.
She saw it...
The way his fists clenched at his sides, the way rage flickered behind his usually composed expression.
The scene before him...
It infuriated him.
Yet, he remained still.
Because he had no right to be angry.
He had already accepted it...she had told him before.
There would be others.
She would let others claim her body...and he had no say in it.
He was just her knight.
He forced himself to breathe, to mask the anger, the disappointment, the quiet ache twisting in his chest.
And when Ceres saw him calming down...
She smirked.
Without warning, she grabbed Aurelian's hair, forcing his head back.
The Duke let out a deep groan, displeased that she had interrupted his pleasure.
Ceres didn't care.
She leaned in and kissed him...chaste and teasing.
Then, she moved again against his hardness, making him suck in a sharp breath.
Aurelian chased her lips, trying to kiss her deeper...
But she pulled away.
He growled.
Ceres did it again.
And again.
Until frustration coiled inside Aurelian like a beast...
But at the same time, he loved it.
She chuckled, pressing one last deep kiss against his lips...
Before she bit down on his lower lip, hard enough to draw blood.
Aurelian hissed at the sting.
"Did you like it?" Ceres purred, rolling her hips against him once more.
Aurelian's only response was a guttural groan, his grip on her tightening.
She smirked.
And then...
Without warning, she pulled away.
She stood up, leaving Aurelian aching with unfulfilled pleasure.
"You can leave now, Duke," she said casually, as if she hadn't just had him on the edge of madness.
She didn't even glance back as she walked toward the bathtub.
Instead, her gaze landed on Legion.
"My bath. Now."
Aurelian stared.
Disbelief crashed into him as Legion stepped forward, and began assisting the Empress.
The water sloshed as Ceres settled into the bath, her expression completely unbothered.
And then, Legion's hands touched her.
Aurelian's body locked.
"Are you kidding me?!"
His voice was thick with fury, not just because she had cut things off between them...
But because now, she was allowing another man to touch her.
Aurelian's jaw ticked violently as he watched Legion's hands glide over the Empress's bare skin, beginning to lather soap across her chest.
"Did you expect me to sleep with my stepson?" Ceres drawled, tilting her head, mocking him.
Aurelian's breath hitched.
"What would my late husband say," she mused, voice dripping with sarcasm. "If he learned that his widow slept with his son?"
Aurelian's hands shook.
"Stop that, you lowborn!" he roared at Legion.
But Legion didn't stop.
Because Ceres never told him to.
And then, as if Aurelian's rage wasn't already boiling over, Legion leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her shoulder.
Like he always did.
And Ceres, like always, tilted her head, offering him more access.
That was when the tent rumbled.
The air crackled.
Aurelian's rage manifested into raw power, a ball of freezing blue energy forming in his palm.
The temperature inside the Canopy plunged, distorting the once comfortable air.
"Let go of the Empress, commoner."
His voice was low, lethal.
Legion did not move.
Ceres, however, sighed.
"Enough."
She didn't yell.
She didn't need to.
Her voice was calm.
But there was finality in it.
Aurelian's breath shook.
"I told you to leave."
His fists tightened.
"Are you choosing this lowborn over me?"
His voice was unbelieving, furious.
Ceres raised a brow.
"No, Duke. I am the one giving you a choice right now." Her eyes locked onto his, unyielding, "Are you going to walk out on your own? Or not?"
She leaned back in the bath, completely unbothered.
"Because you and I both know…" A smirk ghosted her lips. "I can make you leave. Whether you like it or not."
Aurelian gritted his teeth.
His gaze flickered to Legion.
To the way the knight's hands never stopped moving.
To the way Ceres didn't stop him.
Aurelian took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
The ball of frosted energy in his palm shrunk.
And then, finally, it vanished.
"We will 'talk' again, Empress," he said through gritted teeth, his tone low and dangerously controlled.
Then, with heavy, thunderous steps, he turned… And left.
Leaving Ceres to smirk, and Legion to continue what he was doing.
Ceres let out a slow exhale, closing her eyes as Legion's hands moved gently through her hair, massaging her scalp with the scented oil.
The rhythmic motion, the warmth of his touch...it should have been comforting.
But her mind was elsewhere.
"Are you mad at me?" she asked suddenly, her eyes still closed.
Legion didn't hesitate.
"No, Your Highness."
"Good," she murmured.
Then her lips curved slightly, though there was no amusement in it.
"Because you know you have no right to be, don't you?"
The movement of his hands faltered for just a moment.
Ceres felt it.
She opened her eyes and turned toward him, shifting slightly in the bathtub.
Legion was kneeling beside her, his expression carefully guarded.
But she could see it.
The pain lurking in his eyes, the emotion he was trying so hard to suppress.
She smiled softly, reaching out to cup his cheek, her thumb brushing lightly over his skin.
"I'm not saying this to hurt you," she whispered, hoping he could see the sincerity in her gaze.
"You and Delphine are the only two people I trust right now. And you are important to me."
Legion's jaw tightened slightly, but he didn't pull away.
"I know I'm hurting you with my words… with my actions," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "And it's not going to end soon."
She exhaled, her grip on his cheek gentle yet firm.
"That's why, from the beginning, I want you to know your place."
"Because I don't want you to hope."
"And I don't want to give you false hope."
The words cut deep, but she knew they had to be said.
Ceres leaned forward and pressed a soft, tender kiss against his lips.
When she pulled away, she held his gaze, her expression unreadable.
"I told you before," she said quietly, "you will never have my heart."
"Because I no longer have it."
His breath hitched, but he said nothing.
"I already gave it away."
Ceres's voice trembled slightly, and before she could stop herself, a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
Her fingers curled slightly, gripping Legion's shirt.
"And the Dream Spell I want to cast…" her voice grew softer, "is so I can see him again."
Legion's eyes flickered with understanding.
"Because I left him without saying goodbye."
She bit her lip, trying to keep her voice steady.
"His world… revolved around me. And I left him."
"Not because I wanted to."
Another tear fell, but she didn't bother to wipe it away.
"And with me gone," she whispered, her voice breaking, "I know he doesn't know what to do."
"Or if he even wants to continue living."
Legion's hand rose instinctively, gently brushing away the tears slipping down her face.
She let out a shaky breath.
"And I just… I just want to tell him it's okay to live without me."
"That I want him to live for me."
A painful silence stretched between them.
Then, softly, Ceres reached for Legion's hand.
"And I don't want you to live like that either," she said, her voice filled with quiet determination.
"I don't want you to build your life around me, waiting for something that will never come."
"Because you and Delphine are important to me."
Her fingers tightened slightly around his.
"So, from this moment on, I am freeing you from your Knight's Oath."
Legion's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.
"You can still serve me if you wish."
"But your life is yours to live. If one day, you want to leave...then leave."
"Don't worry about the Oath."
Her voice softened.
"The only thing I will ask of you…"
She looked at him firmly.
"If you can no longer be loyal to me...tell me to my face."
"Do not betray me."
A pause.
"And I promise to do the same."
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.
"I will use a lot of people."
She closed her eyes.
"I will use you… just as I told you before."
"Just so I can see him one last time."
"The only man I ever loved."
She pulled away slightly, her hands framing his face.
"I want your loyalty," she whispered.
"But don't give me your heart."
"Because I will only break it."
"And I don't want to."
She inhaled sharply.
"Save it. Guard it."
"For the one woman who deserves it."
Legion's eyes shut tightly, his shoulders trembling ever so slightly.
"Your Highness…"
His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.
But he didn't say more.
He didn't need to.
Because Ceres already knew.
She let out a small, sad smile.
"But there's one thing that will never change," she murmured, shifting back slightly.
"No matter what happens… I will change this world."
Her gaze hardened.
"As long as I am alive, I will reshape it into something better."
"A world where even a simple commoner can have their rights recognized."
"And I want you and Delphine beside me… As I achieve that dream."
Legion closed his eyes, taking a slow breath.
Then, when he opened them again... There was no hesitation left.
"Yes, Your Highness."