"You called for me, Your Majesty?" Celion asked as he entered Duke Aurelian's tent that evening.
Only three days remained until they reached the capital, and the closer they got, the more tangled Aurelian's thoughts became.
"We're alone here, Celion," Aurelian said, waving a hand for his old friend to sit across the table. "Drop the titles."
Celion took a seat and poured them both a drink, watching Aurelian carefully.
"What's weighing on your mind?" he asked, breaking the silence that had stretched too long.
"The Empress," Aurelian replied without hesitation.
Celion said nothing at first. He waited, letting the Duke speak further.
"We can't afford to lose her as Empress," Aurelian continued, his voice tight. "According to my father's last will, once I marry, Ceres will automatically lose her title as Empress."
Celion studied him closely. Although the Blackwater House only held the title of Baron, their blood had long run alongside the royals, several Empresses had come from their line. Celion had been Aurelian's closest friend since they were toddlers. He knew Aurelian more intimately than the Duke knew himself.
"Is it really the kingdom that can't afford to lose her… or is it you?" Celion asked with a smirk. "Because as long as she holds that title, she's bound to stay in Aquilonis. But once she steps down, she's free to go wherever she wants. You're developing feelings for her."
Silence again.
Aurelian didn't deny it, because it was true.
"Would you be angry… if I broke off my engagement with Celestria?" Aurelian asked.
It wasn't a question he asked lightly. He trusted Celion more than his own siblings. And Celestria wasn't just any noblewoman, she was Celion and Cecilion's youngest sister. The cherished jewel of House Blackwater.
Celion met his gaze directly.
"No," he said simply. "If I think about what's best for the kingdom, you're right. We can't afford to lose the Empress Ceres."
His voice grew more serious.
"She's not just the master of a Holy Beast. And it's not just her magic or power. It's her vision, her way of seeing the people, of inspiring them. I believe she's the beginning of the change we've long hoped for in Aquilonis."
Celion leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing with thought.
"But Aurelian… even if everyone here on the expedition has come to respect her, some still fear her. And back in the capital, there are many nobles who will outright oppose the idea of her remaining Empress."
Aurelian's jaw tensed.
He said nothing, but Celion noticed the shift in his expression.
"And she already told you, didn't she?" Celion continued. "She plans to travel to the other kingdoms. To awaken the remaining Holy Beasts. To meet this so-called Demon Lord. Do you really think she'll agree to stay here, tied to the palace?"
The image of Ceres, unconscious under the Dream Spell, came to Aurelian's mind. Her face streaked with tears. Her lips murmuring a name, Zeus. Her voice whispering "I love you" to a man Aurelian had never heard of.
A man she had once belonged to.
He never expected to feel this way about the woman he had rejected before. But now, the very thought of her walking away from him… stung.
"And there's another issue," Celion added. "You can't keep delaying your ascension to the throne. With spring returning to Aquilonis after a thousand years, the nobles are already stirring. Your siblings, Princess Aurora and Prince Augustus, will surely make a move. You focused on the annual expeditions, but they focused on politics. They've built stronger alliances among the noble factions than you have."
Aurelian's hands curled into fists on the table.
Celion was right.
On all fronts.
But what troubled him more than politics, more than the weight of the crown or the scheming nobles in the capital… was the quiet truth that no matter how much power he held, he might still lose her.
And he did not want to lose her.
"Do you think she would ever agree to marry me?" Aurelian asked quietly, not looking at Celion.
"No," Celion answered without hesitation.
Aurelian let out a bitter laugh.
"She isn't politically motivated," Celion continued. "If she cared about holding power for its own sake, she would have long used the fact that it's because of her that Vaelundis is feeding Aquilonis. Even after you rejected her, and we all did, frankly, because of her appearance, she said nothing. She remained quietly in her palace."
Celion leaned forward.
"She won't marry you for the throne, Aurelian. Unlike any other woman, she won't take your hand to keep her status. There's a bigger chance she might do it for the good of the common people… but even then, I'm not sure that would be enough. In the days I've observed her, I've come to believe something, she's a woman who makes her own rules… and lives by them."
Aurelian leaned back in his chair, exhaling as he tilted his head toward the ceiling of the tent, as if the answer, or her face, might be waiting there.
Why hadn't he seen it before?
He had always prided himself on not being a shallow man. But that day, the day of what should've been their wedding, despite having seen the portrait sent from the Vaelundis Kingdom, he'd felt disgust when he saw her in person. Her plump, short stature. Her supposed powerlessness. He hadn't even noticed the beauty of her eyes… because all he saw was a fat woman.
He knew before then that Ceres had been fat her whole life. With no ability to control mana, her body had been unable to burn excess energy, at least, that's what people believed.
Only to find out that she had hidden her power.
Had she kept the truth from everyone, even her own family? It wasn't impossible.
A woman like her, so powerful, so dangerous to the wrong hands, must have known what people would do if they discovered the truth. They would use her, sacrifice her, push her to her limits. So she hid it. Allowed the world to scorn her. Allowed herself to be ignored… because as she told Sir Draven, she knew her worth.
And she never let anyone else define her.
Did that man, Zeus, whoever he was, see her true worth when no one else did?
Despite the body she let the world judge, did he see the soul within? Is that why she loved him so fiercely? Is that why, even now, she would do anything just to see him again?
Aurelian didn't know this man.
But he wanted to.
He wanted to see what kind of man had earned Ceres's heart when no one else had even looked.
He wanted to understand, but more than anything, he was afraid. Terrified.
More than facing a thousand monsters on the battlefield.
He had never feared another man before… until now.
"Why not propose an alliance instead?" Celion asked, pulling him back from his thoughts.
Aurelian turned to him, eyes searching.
"You need a powerful ally, Aurelian," Celion said gently. "And who better than the woman who commands a Holy Beast? The one the commoners now look to as their protector. If you stand beside her, not as a suitor, but as a true ally, maybe, over time, she'll begin to see your intentions."
He placed a hand over his friend's shoulder.
"And maybe, just maybe… she'll see beyond your first rejection. And you'll earn a second chance."
Aurelian fell silent, deep in thought.
Celion was right. He didn't need to rush the Empress. Forcing things would only make her question his sincerity.
He needed to take his time with her. Unlike any woman he'd ever met, Ceres required patience. She demanded authenticity.
With resolve building in his chest, Aurelian stood.
"Where are you going?" Celion asked, surprised.
"I'll see her now," Aurelian replied. "You're right, we need to be allies. And before we return to the capital, we should already be standing together."
Though what he said was true, it wasn't the whole truth. He simply wanted to see her. He had no other reason to speak with her since the duel between Legion and Sir Draven had concluded.
"I don't think you can speak with her right now," Celion said, frowning. "I was going to meet with her earlier regarding what she mentioned yesterday, about enabling mages to cast magic without incantations. But the Saintess Delphine told me the Empress wasn't feeling well."
The moment Aurelian heard that, worry took hold of him.
Why hadn't anyone told him?
Delphine had warned them before: when the Empress used magic, it drained her life force. And lately, she had been using it too often.
Ignoring Celion's warning, Aurelian turned and exited the tent without a word.
Celion sighed and shook his head as he watched his friend walk away. Stubborn as always.
Aurelian made his way directly to the Empress's Golden Canopy.
As he neared, he spotted Delphine inside the tent meant for the children, surrounded by little ones. His brows furrowed.
Why is she with the children when she should be attending to the Empress?
But instead of confronting her, he continued his stride, until he stopped in front of the Golden Canopy.
Seiryu stood guard at the entrance, arms crossed, a teasing expression already forming on his face. Legion was nowhere in sight.
There was no sound coming from within.
"I need to speak with the Empress," Aurelian said firmly.
"You can't," Seiryu replied, raising a brow. "She's not feeling well… and she's busy."
"If she's unwell, why isn't her personal maid tending to her?" Aurelian snapped.
"The Celestial Knight is taking care of her," Seiryu answered with a grin that was anything but innocent.
Irritation flashed in Aurelian's eyes. Are all Holy Beasts this insufferable? he thought grimly.
"This is important," Aurelian pressed. "I need to speak with her. Now."
Seiryu gave him a once-over, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Alright," he said casually, stepping aside and motioning to the entrance. "Go right ahead."
Annoyed, Aurelian strode into the Canopy.
And the moment he crossed the threshold,
He heard it.
Sounds he hadn't noticed from the outside. Ragged breathing. A soft moan.
He froze.
His entire body went rigid as his eyes locked on the scene in front of him.
There, in the center of the bed, was the Empress.
Naked.
On top of her Celestial Knight.
Her head was thrown back, her body moving, her lips parting in a breathless moan of pleasure.