"Your Highness, everything is prepared for the Warrior's Farewell tonight," Seiryu informed her.
They had already returned to the shore of the Frozen Sea.
"When do we begin?" Ceres asked.
"Once the Blue Moon reveals itself," Seiryu replied.
Ceres nodded, but another thought crossed her mind.
"I remember the Late Emperor's funeral… There were fireworks. Is that necessary?"
It wasn't that she hated fireworks.
But she knew, the sight of them would break her.
The memory of one of the happiest moments of her past life would come rushing back, and she refused, absolutely refused, to break down in front of the grieving commoners.
She had to stay strong for them.
"Before my slumber, I recall that Warrior's Farewells were done with a song, not fireworks," Seiryu said.
Ceres let out a quiet breath before offering a small smile.
"Then let's have the song instead," she decided.
Seiryu gave a small nod of acknowledgment.
"Call Legion for me," she added. "I need the two of you for something."
Without a word, Seiryu vanished.
And when he reappeared a moment later, Legion was with him.
"Your Highness?" Legion greeted, awaiting her command.
"Go back to the Empress's Palace with Seiryu and bring the children here, and Morgana," she instructed.
"I believe some of them just lost their families. I want them to say goodbye."
There was a sadness in her tone as her gaze drifted toward the long row of fallen warriors, their bodies resting on wooden pyres that Seiryu had created.
Legion placed his fist over his heart and bowed deeply.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
With that, he and Seiryu teleported away.
Ceres remained where she stood, staring at the fallen.
A thought crossed her mind.
What did her parents feel?
What did Zeus, Diana, and their friends feel, when her original body lay lifeless inside a coffin?
She had no doubt that her father, Romos, despite his pain, would have put on a strong front.
But her mother, Cielo…
Her mother would have broken down.
Because her mother was always the one who cried first.
She missed them.
She missed them so much.
But she wasn't worried about them.
Because her mother and father had each other.
They had a lifetime of happy memories with her, and she knew that would be enough for them to keep living for her.
But Zeus…
Zeus was different.
The memories they shared wouldn't be enough for him to continue living without her.
Because their story had just begun.
They were just starting to plan their future together.
A fresh wave of tears spilled from her eyes.
She just hoped that when she was finally able to cast the Dream Spell, it wouldn't be too late.
But she had no way of knowing.
Ori wasn't allowed to tell her if time moved the same way in Solmara as it did on Earth.
So she had set a deadline for herself,
One year.
She would give herself one year to reach 600 HP.
Currently, max HP is at 102.
And she knew that as her HP increased, the cost of magic consumption would decrease.
That meant she needed to constantly use magic from now on.
She wouldn't hold back anymore.
"Your Highness…"
The hesitant voice of Lady Layla pulled her from her thoughts.
Ceres blinked, turning her gaze to the Knight Commander, who stood beside her, a clean white handkerchief in hand.
Without a word, Ceres took it, gently wiping the tears from her face.
"Thank you, Knight Commander," she said, offering a small but genuine smile.
"You're welcome, Your Highness," Layla responded shortly.
But she didn't move away.
She lingered.
Ceres noticed the way Layla kept glancing at her, as if she had something to say but was hesitating.
A long silence stretched between them.
Ceres tilted her head.
"Do you need something from me?" she finally asked, her tone calm yet expectant.
Layla's fingers tightened slightly at her sides.
She hesitated, then finally, she met Ceres's gaze.
There was something in the air.
Something unspoken.
Something that needed to be said.
And Ceres waited.
Because whatever it was, she knew it was important.
Lady Layla finally spoke.
"I will not ask for forgiveness for the decision I made," she began, "because even before the expedition started, I thought it through countless times."
"And I would do it again if I had to, if it was the only way." She paused, struggling to say what needed to be said. "What I really wanted to say is…"
But she couldn't seem to find the words.
After a moment of silence, Ceres offered a small, understanding smile.
"I understand, Knight Commander," she said softly. "And you don't need to explain yourself to me. Believe me, I do understand. Where you really need to explain is to the commoners. And it's not going to be easy."
Ceres's gaze flickered with empathy.
"They have been oppressed by the noble factions for so long. They trusted the Holy Order, partly because many of you are commoners yourselves. Unfortunately, that trust has been broken. It might take a very long time to regain even a fraction of it."
A trace of sadness crossed the Empress's face.
"And if that trust cannot be restored," she continued, "then I hope you will still protect them. Because they are the ones who need you the most. Not me. Not the Duke. Not the nobles."
Lady Layla couldn't help but feel awed by the Empress. Ceres was at least a decade younger than she was, yet her wisdom was incredibly broad.
"I will remember that, Your Highness," Lady Layla said, bowing her head slightly.
Ceres's smile widened just a little.
"And as long as it's for the good of the kingdom and its people, even though I have no experience in ruling, if you ever need a different perspective, just let me know, Knight Commander. Sometimes it helps to hear another point of view."
"Empress."
A chilly voice cut through the moment as Duke Aurelian approached them.
In response, Ceres simply rolled her eyes, and the sight made the Duke's own eyes narrow in irritation. No one had ever shown him such blatant disrespect before.
She could see that a touch of anger still lingered in his eyes, no doubt left over from the morning's events at the Golden Canopy. But Ceres didn't care. She didn't even acknowledge that he was speaking to her, instead letting her gaze return to the fallen at the distance.
Aurelian's jaw clenched at the blatant dismissal. He exhaled sharply, trying to maintain his composure.
He was about to say something, when all of a sudden, Legion and Seiryu appeared nearby, accompanied by several children and an elderly woman.
"Your Highness!" the children cried out the moment they saw Ceres and made to run to her, only to be stopped by Morgana, the elderly woman, who had noticed the Duke's presence beside the Empress.
A bright smile instantly lit up Ceres's face when she saw the children.
"It's okay, Morgana," she reassured the older woman, opening her arms wide. The children wasted no time running into the Empress's embrace, their tiny voices overlapping in excited chatter.
Lady Layla felt a pang of disbelief at how genuine Ceres's smile was. It wasn't the cunning smile the Empress had shown the high-ranking officials the previous night, this one was warm, gentle, and filled with love.
The young ones, under seven, were bubbling over with excitement.
"Your Highness, we teleported!" exclaimed Merry, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Your Highness, is that very tall, beautiful man really a Holy Beast?" whispered Tilly, a six-year-old boy, glancing anxiously at Seiryu.
"Are we really in the Frozen Sea, Your Highness?" asked five-year-old Bob, looking around curiously at the icy landscape.
"Children, please behave," Morgana said nervously, unsure of whether she should acknowledge Duke Aurelian or remain silent. The tension in the air was unmistakable.
Ceres smiled reassuringly at the elderly woman before turning to the children again.
"Children," she said gently, "this is Duke Aurelian Aquilon, the next Emperor." She gestured toward Aurelian.
The children's once-cheerful expressions shifted to nervousness and fear. Some of them even hid behind Ceres for protection. Then she pointed to Lady Layla.
"And this," she continued, "is Holy Knight Commander Layla. Say hello."
The children bowed their heads shyly, murmuring subdued greetings, especially toward the Duke. The older ones, with Eric and Morgana, offered a polite bow, while Duke Aurelian acknowledged them with a brief glance before refocusing his attention on the Empress.
"Mama!" cried Pippin suddenly when he spotted his mother, Mara, among a group of commoner women setting up tents in the distance.
Mara turned in their direction and stopped short, clearly stunned to see her children here. Pippin, along with Merry, Lily, and Maureen, carrying baby Noe, dashed off toward their mother. Soon, the other children also recognized familiar faces and hurried to their own parents and relatives.
However, not all of them were so lucky. Some children had been orphaned from the very start of the expedition, and there were a few still standing around, casting anxious glances in every direction, searching for family members who simply weren't there.
"Your Highness…?" came a soft voice. It was May, holding her infant brother Calisto in her arms, her gaze drifting to the bodies laid out in front of them. Her eldest brother and parents had enlisted, but she couldn't find them anywhere.
That was the moment the cold truth sank in. The older children held back tears as best they could, while the younger ones began to sob openly.
In total, nine children had lost their families. As Ceres gently pulled them into her arms, even the older ones finally broke down, clinging to her as they wept.
Many onlookers, even the Knights, Holy Orders, and Mages who had participated in the blood ritual, found themselves tearful. Most notably, Lady Layla felt her chest tighten with regret. She had told the Empress she didn't regret her decision, but standing here now, realizing she was partly responsible for these children being orphaned in such a cruel world, she couldn't help but blame herself.