After the council meeting adjourned, Princess Aurora headed straight to her private office in the East Wing. Unlike her brothers, Aurora was the true hand behind every critical decision in the empire. While Aurelian bore the title of Duke and Crown Prince, it was Aurora who shaped policy, managed resources, and kept Aquilonis afloat during their hardest years.
From childhood, Aurelian never cared for the crown. He wanted to be a knight, not a ruler. And when Aurora, just a girl then, told him she wanted to be Empress one day, he made her a promise. "Once I become Emperor, the crown is yours." Aurelian had never taken that promise back. Not once.
While he practiced with wooden swords in the courtyard, Aurora would sit with their father's tutors, absorbing every lesson on law, economics, and diplomacy. She had been groomed for leadership, not by decree, but by her own iron will.
It was her strategies that kept the empire alive during brutal winters. Her policies that stretched a starving kingdom's resources. She was the silent force behind the throne, and everyone knew it.
On her desk now lay a thick scroll, stamped with the golden sigils of no less than twenty noble families.
"Petition to Dethrone Ceres Evadne Valeria as Empress of Aquilonis."
Aurora's lips thinned as she read the title.
The support was there. Even some of her siblings' allies had signed on. And yet, no matter how many signatures she gathered, they couldn't execute it, not yet. The late Emperor's final will left no room for interpretation: Ceres would remain Empress unless Aurelian married.
And Aurelian, for reasons Aurora still didn't fully grasp, refused to do so.
Aurora never imagined Ceres would become her greatest obstacle.
Not when the Royal Family of Vaelundis had first proposed the marriage between their First Princess and Aurelian. Back then, it had seemed like a godsend. Vaelundis promised food shipments, desperately needed for Aquilonis's survival, in exchange for a political marriage. Simple. Clean.
At the time, they didn't understand the offer.
Ceres was, after all, the First Princess of Vaelundis, the very same who, according to rumors, had once been betrothed to the heir of Pyrrathis, the most powerful kingdom in all of Solmara. That alone should have made her untouchable. But then they saw her portrait.
She was fat. Not disfigured, not monstrous, but large enough that no one could ignore it. And though not hideous, her physical appearance alone was enough to stir disgust among nobility. There was no way a woman like her could stand as Empress. She couldn't even detect mana, much less wield it. What kingdom wouldn't become the laughingstock of the continent with such a woman seated on its throne?
But Aquilonis had no choice.
Their people were starving. Every year, they barely held the line against the beasts that emerged from the Frozen Sea. The Monster Hunt drained their coffers. There was no time or money to build up their economy, not while their borders were constantly under siege.
So Aurelian agreed to the betrothal. But he assured Aurora it was just for show. That Ceres would hold the title of Empress in name only. The real power would stay in Aurora's hands.
Then came the wedding.
The day they met Ceres face to face, Aurelian turned away in visible disgust. And Aurora... even she had to stifle a grimace. The woman was not what they expected. Not regal. Not refined. She waddled rather than walked, and her silence only reinforced the assumption that she was meek and stupid.
Aurelian rejected her that same day.
Their father had stepped in.
To secure the alliance, he married Ceres himself. And shockingly, Vaelundis didn't even protest. Another confirmation that they had simply wanted to discard their unwanted princess in the most diplomatic way possible. But of course, they could never outright disown her, she was still royal. In Vaelundis, the First Princess was considered a sacred symbol of prosperity. The bearer of divine fortune. It was said the purity of their kingdom's waters, some of the richest in all of Solmara, was tied to her existence. Superstition, perhaps. But even their enemies could not deny the quality of their resources.
Aurora stared down at the petition.
She had waited patiently. Calculated every move.
And yet… Ceres remained.
A pawn, elevated to empress.
Not by strategy. Not by blood.
But by fate, and Aurelian's growing madness.
Aurora clenched her jaw and reached for her quill.
If the law couldn't remove Ceres, then she would have to find another way.
One that wouldn't require ink.
"Do you think it's true?"
The sharp sound of her brother's voice cut through the silence just as the door clicked shut behind him. Augustus strolled inside without waiting for permission, his usual arrogance painting every step.
Aurora slowly lifted her head from her paperwork, her stunning features cold and unreadable.
"About what?" she asked, arching a perfectly groomed brow.
They had never been close. In fact, Aurora despised Augustus. He had spent their childhood blaming her for the death of their mother, Empress Rosielyn, who had died giving birth to her. He was only three at the time, a boy too young to understand the cruelty of fate, so he turned that grief into resentment.
And yet, here they were. Two children bound by blood, united only by temporary truce... and by Aurelian's growing madness.
Aurelian had done the unthinkable. He had tamed the Holy Beast Seiryu. Spring had returned to Aquilonis. Their people no longer faced starvation. They no longer needed to grovel to Vaelundis for food or compromise with shameful marriages.
And yet, their brother, the very man Aurora had molded to one day give her everything, was turning his back on her.
The one thing she had always wanted. The only thing he had ever promised.
The crown.
And now... he was threatening to break that promise.
"About the demi-human prince," Augustus clarified, lounging like a lazy cat across the velvet couch. "Do you really believe there's a being out there, not Celestial, who's stronger than a Holy Beast?"
Aurora didn't answer immediately. She dipped her pen in ink and resumed writing, cool, composed, and dismissive.
"Do you believe it?" she said dryly, not looking up.
"I asked first."
She finally looked at him, her eyes glinting with cool amusement. "The only thing I believe is that Aurelian has gone insane."
Augustus chuckled. "You must be seething, aren't you?"
Aurora didn't answer. She didn't need to. Her silence was enough.
"After all," Augustus went on, grinning, "did he not swear to put the Empress crown on your head? And now look, he won't even meet your eye in Council. He speaks only of preparations and war and demi-human myths. It's as if he's already forgotten you."
"Shut up," Aurora hissed, finally slamming her quill down. "Do you honestly think I need Aurelian to become Empress? We both know who holds the real power in court."
"Do we?" Augustus's grin widened. "Because last I checked, you're still addressed as Princess. Not Empress."
Aurora stood from her chair in one fluid, elegant motion, walking around her desk like a woman who owned the room.
"I can eliminate that Empress-in-name-only whenever I want," she said coolly. "She holds no power. She's a ghost in the palace. When was the last time anyone saw her in public? Two years ago?"
"That may have been true before," Augustus countered. "But things have changed, dear sister. This 'mythical' demi-human prince Aurelian keeps talking about might be a joke, sure. But what isn't a joke, what is fact, is that he's been spending nearly every waking hour inside the Empress's palace."
Aurora's jaw tensed.
"He's been defending her. Openly. In court. In front of nobles. Before soldiers and knights," Augustus continued. "He's delayed his wedding to Celestria, repeatedly, because of her. And the rumors... they're getting louder."
He leaned forward, voice lower, more venomous.
"There are whispers, Aurora. That he intends to marry her. That he intends to keep her as Empress. Not just in name, but in truth."
Aurora's nails curled into her palm. Blood welled beneath her manicured fingertips.
"She bewitched him," Augustus said with a smirk. "That hideous woman bewitched him. And he has forgotten everything, even his vow to you. That promise he made you? The Empress crown you've been polishing in your dreams since you were a child?" He shrugged. "He's forgotten all about it."
Aurora's breath was slow and heavy.
"She is nothing," she whispered. "A discarded daughter of Vaelundis. A woman who was mocked, rejected, loathed, by the very kingdom that birthed her. Her own people tried to throw her away like trash. And now? She thinks she belongs here? That she can take what was promised to me?"
Her voice sharpened.
"I've ruled this court from the shadows for a decade. And I will not, will not, be replaced by her."
She turned to the window, the distant towers of the Empress's Palace ahead.
"If I must tear her from that throne myself..." Aurora whispered, "then I will."
A slow, cruel smile curled on Augustus's lips. But before he could reply, the doors to Aurora's office burst open.
"Aurora, you need to help me!" Celestria cried as she stormed in, her face blotchy from tears, her composure in ruins.
Aurora didn't have to ask why. She already knew.
"Aurelian," Celestria gasped, "he, he ended our engagement. He said he's only going to marry her. That she will be his only Empress!"
Augustus let out a sharp bark of laughter, cruel and unbothered.
"What the hell is so funny?!" Celestria snapped, eyes blazing.
"Your face, Celestria," Augustus said lazily from the sofa. "That's what's funny. The sheer disbelief in it. You got bested by a woman you called hideous. Fat. Worthless. After breaking our engagement so you could chase after Aurelian like a dog to a bone… and now here you are. Crying. Over Ceres Evadne."
Celestria turned pale with rage and humiliation.
Aurora, however, wore a different expression altogether. She didn't like Celestria, not then, not now. Ceres had been a far more convenient Empress, quietly hidden in her palace like a discarded ornament. But the moment she became an obstacle, Aurora's tolerance ended.
And now? Now the enemy of her enemy had come crying for help.
Perfect.
Aurora's lips curled into a smirk before she schooled her face into something tender. She crossed the room with slow grace and pulled Celestria into an embrace.
Augustus raised a brow in disbelief at the unexpected gesture. Aurora met his gaze over Celestria's shoulder with a sly, mocking smile.
"Shhhh… don't cry," Aurora murmured, gently wiping the tears from Celestria's cheeks. "This isn't the end. If anything… it's the beginning."
Celestria blinked up at her, confused but hopeful.
"We just need to remind the dear Empress of her place," Aurora continued sweetly. "Fix yourself. We'll pay her a visit. After all, it's only right for us noble ladies to check on her during a time of national crisis. Isn't that what friends are for?"
"But… Aurelian warned me," Celestria hesitated. "He told me not to harass her…"
Aurora's smile widened.
"Harass?" she repeated, feigning shock. "Oh, no, no. We're not harassing anyone. We're simply going to have a little chat. Ask how she's doing. Offer her our concern. If she trembles or hides in a corner like she always did, well… that's hardly our fault, is it?"
Celestria stared at her for a moment, then smiled. Slowly. Darkly.
"You're right," she said, a dangerous glint lighting up her eyes. "We're just going to talk. And remind that little bitch who she's dealing with."
Augustus chuckled, standing from the couch.
"You two are evil," he said, shaking his head. "And I mean that as a compliment. Since I've nothing better to do, how about I come along? Might be fun to watch the lamb tremble."
"That's actually a wonderful idea," Aurora agreed. "I'm sure the Empress would feel so supported having more of us check on her."
She turned and rang the bell on her desk, calling in her personal maid.
"Gather the noble ladies," she instructed smoothly. "Let them know we'll be paying the Empress a visit. I'm sure they'll want to join us."
The maid bowed and disappeared.
And as the group began making their way to the Empress's Palace, Celestria walking with new fire in her step, Augustus trailing in amused silence, none of them realized they were already walking the path Aurora had laid out from the beginning.
One step at a time.
Toward the removal of the crown.
And Celestria? She had no idea that she wasn't the one being helped.
She was the tool.
The weapon.
The pawn.
Aurora didn't need to lift a finger, Celestria would do it for her.
All she had to do… was smile.