"Why are there so many maids here in the Empress's Palace?" Celestria asked with a frown as they arrived at the grand entrance. "I thought the Empress was given a minimal budget?"
Aurora didn't answer right away.
Because she didn't know how to.
She was the one who approved all royal expenses, and the Empress's Palace was allocated just enough for a single personal maid and one knight.
And yet… here they were, she, Augustus, a group of noble ladies, and their personal knights, staring at a flurry of activity. Servants bustled across the wide marble hall, carrying trays, cleaning corners, arranging fresh flowers. Organized. Efficient. Far too many.
"Princess Aurora, welcome," a soft voice broke the silence.
Delphine, bowed politely in front of them. "I am Delphine. How may we assist you today?"
Augustus grinned the moment he laid eyes on her, gaze dragging over Delphine's gentle face and long chestnut hair.
"How long have you served the Empress?" he asked, stepping close. He reached out and casually twirled a strand of her hair between his fingers. Though surprised, Delphine kept her expression calm.
"Two years, Prince Augustus," she answered with poised respect.
"Two years?" he echoed with a smirk, drawing in the scent of her freshly washed hair. "Why not transfer to my palace instead? I'll make sure your life is far more comfortable there."
Delphine smiled politely, as if unaware of his touch.
"I appreciate the offer, Prince Augustus, but I'm content serving the Empress. My salary is fair, and I have no complaints."
She then turned her attention to Aurora once more. "May I ask what brings you here today, Princess? So I may inform Her Highness?"
"Tell her I want to speak with her," Celestria snapped before Aurora could answer.
Delphine offered a bow. "May I ask what the conversation will be about, so Her Highness is prepared?"
"No, you may not!" Celestria hissed. "Who do you think you are to question us, peasant?"
Delphine apologized with a subtle bow, her face composed. Then she gestured to another maid.
"Mara, please escort our guests to the receiving room and prepare refreshments. I'll inform the Empress."
Without another word, Mara led the group deeper into the palace, her steps quick and precise. She didn't need to ask who they were, she had seen women like them before. Nobles who didn't see commoners as people, only as tools.
Once seated, Mara left to coordinate refreshments. Inside the kitchen, the maids scrambled to prepare the best they could, not because they wanted to impress, but because they wanted them gone as quickly as possible.
A few minutes later, Mara returned with a silver cart and began serving the guests.
"What's that smell?" Aurora asked, wrinkling her nose as the scent of roasted beans filled the room.
"That's coffee, Princess," Mara replied with a respectful tone. "But we've also prepared tea, if you prefer."
Aurora picked up a small porcelain cup and brought it to her nose, sniffing curiously. "This is the same drink Aurelian's been obsessed with since he returned from the expedition," she said, taking a sip.
She immediately grimaced. "Ugh! It's bitter. How can he drink this?"
"You may add sugar or milk, Princess," Mara offered, placing a small crystal bowl of sugar cubes and a delicate porcelain milk pot beside her.
Aurora followed the maid's suggestion, watching as the dark coffee lightened with a swirl of cream. She took another sip, then nodded approvingly. The bitterness had been replaced with a smooth, rich flavor.
She was starting to enjoy it, even laughing softly with the other noble ladies, when the door to the receiving hall creaked open.
The room fell still.
And then, she entered.
The maids immediately stood straighter.
"Your Highness," they chorused in unison, bowing with practiced grace.
Celestria's smirk froze.
Augustus blinked, stunned.
Even the knights shifted uncomfortably in place, suddenly unsure of themselves.
The woman who entered, followed closely by Delphine, was nothing like the Ceres Evadne Valeria they had mocked for years. She was no longer the image of the overweight, discarded princess from the Vaelundis kingdom.
No.
This woman was divine.
With ethereal grace, Ceres stepped forward, her presence radiating raw power and unmatched elegance. Her dress clung to her body like silk spun from moonlight, barely there, revealing the curve of her waist, the dip of her back, the swell of her hips. An Empress who needed no crown to be recognized.
She was untouchable.
Unapologetic.
And dangerously beautiful.
"Who are you?!" Celestria spat, rising from her seat. Her voice cracked with disbelief and envy. "I said I wanted to speak to the Empress. Who the hell is this woman?"
Delphine didn't even flinch. She simply tilted her head and gave her mistress a knowing look.
Ceres raised a brow, her golden eyes calmly scanning the room. She noted every face. Every knight. Every noble lady. And most importantly, she noticed the absence of a seat for her.
Deliberate.
How… predictable.
She had no intention of using magic, not this close to the arrival of the Third Son. But only a fool would think these people came here just to "check on her."
This wasn't a courtesy visit.
It was a show of intimidation.
And she wasn't going to back down to play their game.
Fine, she thought.
You want a show?
Then I'll give you one.
Without a word, Ceres lifted her hand and conjured a golden velvet high-backed chair right in front of them. It shimmered into existence with divine elegance, the magic so refined it made the air vibrate.
The nobles gasped.
Then she sat. Effortlessly. Crossed her legs. And met their gazes one by one.
"I am the Empress," Ceres said coolly, her voice smooth and laced with deadly poise. Her gaze settled sharply on Celestria. "I have a meeting with the Duke and the Knight Commanders shortly. So if you've come here for petty games, speak now, before I decide you're no longer worth my time."
Celestria's face twisted in disbelief.
"You?! You're the Empress? Are you mocking us? Bring out Ceres this instant!"
Ceres rolled her eyes.
"I'm right here, darling. You just didn't recognize me because you've spent too long staring at your own reflection."
Then she turned to Aurora, pointedly ignoring Celestria.
"What do you want, Princess Aurora?" she said with mild boredom. "As I said, I don't have time for dumb people… or those who can't process basic facts."
She cast a pointed glance back at Celestria, casually, dismissively.
Celestria's face turned crimson.
"What did you say to me?" she hissed, rising to her feet.
Ceres didn't even blink. "I said you're dumb. And deaf, apparently."
"You bitch!" Celestria shrieked, storming forward. "How dare you!"
She raised her hand, ready to slap the seated Empress,
But she never made contact.
Ceres caught her wrist mid-air with stunning speed. Then, with a flick of her fingers and no change in expression, she slapped Celestria across the face.
Hard.
The sound cracked through the room like a whip.
Celestria stumbled back, stunned, clutching her cheek in disbelief.
"Let that be the last time you think of raising your hand to me," Ceres said coldly, her voice low and dangerous. "Because next time, I won't be so generous."
But Celestria quickly recovered, her face twisted in rage as she lunged forward again.
"Igor, grab her!" Celestria screamed to her sworn knight.
Immediately, the hulking knight named Igor stepped toward Ceres, ready to restrain her.
But there wasn't a trace of fear on the Empress's beautiful face. Instead, she simply raised a brow in calm defiance.
"What's this chaos?" a voice full of authority cut through the tension.
Everyone turned.
Aurelian had just entered the room.
Igor froze mid-step, his instincts kicking in at the sight of the Duke's glare.
"This bitch slapped me!" Celestria shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at Ceres.
Before her finger could even reach Ceres's face, the Empress snatched it midair, and twisted.
Celestria howled in pain.
Aurelian's eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight of Igor, who looked like he might still dare to move.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on her knight," Aurelian said, voice a low, lethal growl. "Or you'll die where you stand."
The entire room fell silent.
None of the nobles could believe what they were witnessing.
He hadn't even asked who started the fight.
He hadn't hesitated.
He had immediately, instinctively, chosen Ceres's side.
Aurelian strode toward Ceres, not to stop her, not to reprimand her, but to stand beside her.
And still, Ceres didn't release Celestria's hand. She twisted harder, drawing another yelp from the noblewoman.
"Aurelian, help me!" Celestria cried, tears gathering in her furious eyes.
But Aurelian didn't even look at her.
His gaze was fixed solely on Ceres.
"How long do you plan to play with her?" Aurelian asked, his tone devoid of accusation, his voice low and almost fond, like a man indulging a lover's whims. "You know we can't waste too much time right now. Less than two days left before our 'guest' arrives."
He shrugged off his cape and draped it carefully around Ceres's shoulders, shielding her barely-there dress from the hungry stares of the male knights. His jaw tightened at the sight of them.
He wasn't angry at Ceres.
He was furious that others had seen what was his to protect.
"Aurelian!!" Celestria sobbed, humiliated, still struggling against Ceres's iron grip.
But none of the other nobles moved.
They could not afford to cross Aurelian now.
Not when he stood so openly for the Empress.
The tension in the room crackled, thick and suffocating.
Celestria screamed again, disbelief and rage boiling over.
The guests and nobles who had followed to 'visit' the Empress could only watch helplessly. This was not the outcome they had expected. They came to intimidate the Empress, but instead, they were the ones being humiliated.
"I actually have a grievance with this bitch," Ceres said sweetly, her voice dripping venom. "She ordered her knights to steal the apples I gifted to Maureen before the expedition. And one of her knights kicked that little girl so hard she nearly died."
"And what do you want to do about it?" Aurelian asked smoothly.
Ceres smiled, a dangerous, radiant smile.
"I want to scratch this bitch's face off."
Gasps echoed in the room.
Augustus and Aurora lurched forward instinctively, their faces pale.
But before anyone could speak, Aurelian stepped behind Celestria, seizing both of her arms and yanking them behind her back, pinning her still.
"Do it," Aurelian said darkly.
Shock rippled through the nobles.
"Aurelian! Have you lost your mind?!" Augustus and Aurora shouted in unison, staring at their brother in horror.
But Aurelian didn't move.
He didn't look at them.
All his attention was on Ceres, his Empress, with unwavering devotion, like she was the only thing that mattered.
And he would let her do whatever she pleased.