Three days.
Three days left until the arrival of the Demon Lord's son.
Usually, after Aurelian or Legion replenished her HP and she leveled up, Ceres could rest easily. Her body would surrender to sleep the moment her HP stabilized. But not tonight.
Even after Legion had fully restored her HP and her body had absorbed the surge of strength from leveling up, rest refused to come.
Legion had long since fallen asleep beside her, one arm draped protectively around her waist. But sleep continued to evade her.
Carefully, Ceres slipped out of bed, moving slowly so as not to disturb him. She gently lifted his arm from around her waist and placed it softly on the sheets. Legion didn't stir.
She picked up the silk robe resting on the nearby chair and slipped it over her bare skin, its smooth fabric a cold contrast to the warmth of Legion's body. Then, barefoot and silent, she stepped out onto the veranda.
The twin moons hung high in the night sky, one red, one blue. The blue, larger and colder, eclipsed the red in silent dominion. Even after all this time in Solmara, the sight still fascinated her.
Earth had only one moon.
She exhaled slowly, lifting a hand to touch the Starlight Necklace resting against her collarbone. Her fingers lingered there, tracing the cold jewel that always seemed to pulse with memory.
A soft, sorrowful smile formed on her lips.
It was inappropriate, just a few moments ago, she had been wrapped in Legion's arms. But in silent moments like this, when the world was peaceful and the kingdom slept, her heart betrayed her thoughts.
She couldn't help it.
What would her life be like… if she never died on Earth?
Or worse, what if she were here… but Zeus was with her?
One thing was certain.
If she were still Empress of Aquilonis with Zeus at her side, this looming threat wouldn't even register as a problem. He would've taken care of everything, effortlessly, quietly. The burden of leadership would have been lighter. Her nights would have been restful, filled with laughter or long, teasing arguments over coffee and breakfast in bed.
She wouldn't be losing sleep. She'd simply sip her coffee and muse over what dress style she'd conjure up for the next day.
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Aurelian. Or Legion, especially Legion. She did. Deeply.
But Zeus… Zeus was Zeus. The kind of man who would move mountains in silence for her and then apologize for the dust later.
If he were here, even with the Demon Lord's son coming, she knew, she would be sipping her coffee while he handled everything ruthlessly and efficiently.
But he wasn't here.
So she had no choice but to bear it.
To rule.
To protect.
To care, for this kingdom and the people she once wanted nothing to do with.
Ceres's hand tightened around her necklace.
Her mind circled back to Prince Azul's warning, his voice still echoing in her head. The Third Son. The Black Panther. The predator who nearly destroyed Seiryu centuries ago.
Even though they all reasoned that Seiryu's defeat a thousand years ago might've been because his former master was corrupt, rendering him unable to unleash his full power, the unease in her heart wouldn't fade.
What if it happened again?
What if this time, she was the reason they lost?
She wasn't some paragon of virtue.
She never claimed to be.
She would sacrifice anyone if it meant achieving her goals.
Even now, she was choosing to hurt the very people who cared for her… and they knew it. She knew it.
Didn't that make her corrupt, too?
Of course it did.
Ceres had always known who she was. In her past life, she was a villainess. The one who made other people's lives a living hell simply because she could. Her family is wealthy, and she has her parents and Zeus, who love her deeply, dote on her constantly, and never see any fault in her.
Wasn't that why Lucifer cast her into Solmara in the first place?
Because even the Devil feared her?
Feared that she would one day usurp his throne in Hell?
What kind of soul earns that kind of punishment?
If even the Devil thought she was too much of a threat… wasn't that already a sign?
She stared up at the blue moon.
Even with Seiryu's current strength, even if his bond with her was purer than the last, it still wasn't a guarantee.
Could he face the Third Son again and win this time?
This time… with her as his master?
Ceres didn't know.
And now, she wasn't even sure if replying to the Third Son's message had been worth it.
Prince Azul had warned them not to provoke him.
But what if, because of that one response, she already had?
It was possible the Third Son could be her shortcut. The key to reaching the Demon Lord himself… to strike a deal, to obtain the HP she desperately needed.
But what if that door had already been slammed shut?
What if the only thing she had invited was death?
Ceres stood frozen on the veranda, consumed by her thoughts, her fingers now gripping the edges of her robe as the cool wind kissed her skin.
She didn't even notice the soft shift of movement behind her, didn't hear the creak of the bed or the silent footsteps padding toward her.
Until warm arms wrapped tightly around her waist from behind.
She inhaled sharply, startled, only to feel the familiar strength of Legion as he pulled her close, his body heat grounding her, his presence wrapping around her like a shield.
"What's on your mind, Your Highness?" he murmured, his breath warm against the curve of her neck, lips brushing gently against her skin.
"Just the day ahead," Ceres replied softly, choosing her words carefully.
She didn't tell him that part of her thoughts had been drifting to Zeus, the man she once believed was hers forever.
"You should be resting," Legion whispered, kissing her shoulder tenderly, where her robe had slipped and exposed the delicate line of her skin. "We've done everything we can. The knights, soldiers, mages, they're all training harder than ever. Everyone agreed to rest at night to conserve their strength. You, especially… you need rest more than anyone."
"I know," Ceres sighed, allowing her weight to lean back against his chest.
It didn't erase the fear, nothing could, but Legion's steady presence dulled the edges of her anxiety, just enough to keep her from unraveling.
"I never thought any of this would happen," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "All I wanted was to level up, cast a dream spell, and live a quiet life afterward. I would've been content with a simple life here. Just me, Delphine, and you. As long as we were safe and comfortable…"
Her voice trailed off.
She exhaled again, her heart aching.
"But now, that quiet life I wanted, it feels like a dream I'll never reach. There's a real chance this kingdom will fall into ruin once the Third Son arrives."
She turned slightly to look at Legion, her eyes glimmering beneath the light of the twin moons.
"But do you know what scares me the most?"
He didn't answer, only held her tighter, waiting.
"That I might be the only one left alive."
Her voice broke, and she didn't bother to hide it.
"Everyone else might die… and I'll still be here. After all, my death is already written in the stars. I have seventy-nine more years to live. I won't die until then, no matter what happens."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"And it terrifies me… because this time, I won't be the one leaving."
"I'll be the one left behind."
The silence that followed was deafening. The kind that wrapped around the bones and lingered in the soul.
So this is what it feels like.
Just imagining it, imagining a future where the people she now cared would be gone, and she would remain, it was already breaking her heart.
Her throat tightened.
And despite the man holding her, the one who had sworn himself to her, who now watched her with silent devotion, Ceres couldn't stop the thoughts from creeping in.
How did her parents on Earth survive this kind of grief?
How did Zeus survive it?
How did he go on, when the person he loved most had been ripped from him with no return?
No hope. No second chance. Only silence.
And now, the weight of that same silence loomed over her.
One she feared would come for her next.
Legion said nothing as he held her, but his arms around her waist were steady, grounding. His body, warm and solid against her back, lent her borrowed strength. And for a while, she let herself lean on him. She let herself pretend that this moment, however fragile, was safe.
But far away from her thoughts, unseen but not untouched, another watched.
From one shadowed corner of the palace, where the soft glow of the twin moons illuminated the marble floors and cast long shadows across the stone walls, Aurelian stood. Silent. Still.
He had seen the Empress step out onto the veranda, her robe fluttering lightly in the breeze. He had seen Legion walk toward her, and hold her like something precious.
And she didn't resist.
Ceres didn't notice Aurelian watching her. But he saw everything. Every detail.
And it burned.
He hadn't been able to sleep. Not for days now.
Rest had become a luxury Aurelian could no longer afford, not with the arrival of the Demon Lord's son drawing near. His mind wouldn't quiet. His blood wouldn't settle.
He wanted to see her. To be near her.
To spend every moment he could, in case there were no more moments left.
But she had not summoned him to her chambers again.
Not this week.
It had been seven long days since she last allowed him to lay beside her. Seven days since she touched him with that commanding yet devastating gentleness. Seven days since she looked at him with something other than distance.
A week since he last breathed her in, warm, soft, and untouchable even when naked in his arms.
He knew he had no right to hope.
She told him herself, he should not expect anything.
And yet… hope lingered like a cruel sickness in his blood.
He had not touched another woman since the night he first touched her.
Not even once.
He hadn't shared a bed, a kiss, a fleeting glance with anyone but her, despite still being engaged to Celestria Blackwell.
He was supposed to end that engagement.
He wanted to.
But Ceres stopped him.
Because if he did, his siblings, backed by powerful houses, might challenge his right to the throne.
Even after everything, after his neglect, after that day, the day he shattered her heart at what should've been their wedding, Ceres still believed in him.
Still believed he was the one who should lead the people.
That between him and his two power-hungry siblings… he was the only one who truly cared.
And Aurelian questioned that every day.
But that wasn't the only reason he hadn't married Celestria.
If he did… she would become Empress.
And Ceres would leave.
She would have no reason to remain in Aquilonis.
No reason to stay by his side.
And he would lose her forever.
He never wanted the crown.
Never cared for politics.
Never gave a damn about court or diplomacy.
Before her, the only thing that made him feel alive was the hunt, the thrill of slaying monsters, of feeling blood on his blade and fire in his veins. That was his purpose.
That was all he needed.
Until the day he saw her again.
That moment Legion teleported her to the Frozen Sea's islet.
That moment the wind tangled in her platinum-blonde hair and rays of the sun kissed the planes of her face.
He didn't recognize her at first. Not the woman she had become.
She was no longer the frightened, round-faced First Princess of Vaelundis, the girl he left behind.
She stood proud. Commanding. Beautiful beyond reason.
A presence that stole his breath more than any battlefield ever could.
And he knew, he knew, that was the moment he lost himself.
But Ceres never said it aloud, and yet he knew…
She didn't believe him.
She didn't trust the way he looked at her now.
That the only reason he looked at her differently was because her body had changed. That his feelings were shallow, skin-deep, born only from desire.
And maybe… he had thought that, too.
But now?
Now he didn't understand it either.
Because he knew she was the same woman. And yet, something told him she wasn't. Not really.
There was something different in her eyes now. Something unearthly.
Like the soul inside her had never belonged to the girl he once rejected.
And the woman standing out there, bathed in moonlight, wrapped in another man's arms, she was the one who made his heart pound harder than any blade ever had. She was the one who made him feel more alive than any battlefield ever could.
And even if she had always looked like this back then… he knew.
He still wouldn't have loved her the way he does now.
Because the woman she was now… wasn't just beautiful.
She was terrifying.
Glorious.
Irrevocably his, even if she never would be.
And so Aurelian watched from the shadows.
As her pain poured silently beneath the twin moons.
As Legion held her close, unaware that another man, just as broken, just as willing, was bleeding for her just a few floors below.
He watched.
And said nothing.
Because he didn't know what was more painful…
The memory of the day he let her go…
Or the quiet truth that maybe, even if he begged for forever, he was already too late.