"How the hell did you get this fat, Ceres?" Ceres huffed, glaring at the body she now inhabited as she ran laps around the Empress's Garden.
If anyone overheard her, they'd probably think she had gone insane, talking to herself while running in circles like a lunatic.
It had been two weeks since she woke up in Solmara. Two weeks of eating and drinking food that looked divine but tasted like absolute garbage. Two weeks of struggling to adapt to a body that felt like it had betrayed her.
And two weeks of rigorous exercise in an attempt to regain even a fraction of the discipline she had in her past life.
According to Ori, she could technically use magic to sculpt her body into her ideal form. But there was a catch,
The spell had to be maintained daily, which meant it would drain her HP by 5 every single day.
Hell no.
That was basically the fantasy version of cosmetic surgery, and she had no intention of wasting her life force just to maintain a fake beauty. It was too high a price to pay for something she could achieve naturally.
Not that she had anything against people who went through cosmetic procedures, to each their own, but she had always preferred hard work over shortcuts.
Besides, she was already beautiful and sexy in her past life. A true villainess deserved to be stunning, ruthless, and untouchable.
Brains, beauty, and breeding, she had all three in her previous world. If she was going to reclaim that level of perfection, she was going to do it properly.
So, the afternoon after she had recovered from her initial shock and had all her pressing questions answered by Ori, she had begun her training.
Thankfully, Aquilonis was a kingdom that snowed all year round, making her runs much more tolerable. The Empress's Palace and other royal estates had magic stones that controlled indoor temperature, but the moment one stepped outside,
It was literally the North Pole.
And over the past two weeks, Ceres had made some other interesting discoveries.
While Solmara was far from modern, certain technological conveniences existed, things powered by mana instead of electricity.
There were water faucets, chandeliers that lit up with a touch, ovens, even washing-machine-like devices.
But they all required mana to function.
Unfortunately, no one had invented a showerhead yet, though there were bathtubs.
And, most importantly, there was a toilet.
The first time her stomach cramped, she had nearly screamed at the horrifying thought that Solmara might function like the Renaissance era, where people just… did their business anywhere.
It was Ori who saved her from a panic attack by calmly informing her that yes, there were proper toilets, but like everything else, they required mana to flush.
Mana.
Something her body did not have and could not detect.
Host Ceres had an extremely high affinity for water magic.
But that was completely useless if she couldn't even use it.
Like owning a luxury sports car with no gas.
So, of course, she had to call for Delphine to activate the toilet for her.
Which was already mortifying enough.
But then Delphine had the audacity to say, "Shall I assist you in cleaning, Your Highness?"
Ceres had never refused something so violently in her entire life.
She'd rather die again.
She had immediately ordered Delphine to bring her a basin, a dipper, and water, anything so she could do it herself.
Thinking back, she now understood why the original Ceres could probably have fallen into depression.
Why she had agreed to Lucifer's offer to abandon this body in exchange for reincarnation in a world without magic.
If you couldn't even do the simplest things by yourself… what reason was there to keep going?
For two weeks, the only people she regularly interacted with were Delphine and her personal guard, Legion.
And Legion…
Ceres had almost choked on air when she first saw his Status Window.
📜 Name: Legion
🎂 Age: 27
♂ Gender: Male
🏹 Race: Human
⚜ Status: Commoner
🛠 Occupation: Guard
📊 Level: 20
❤️ HP: 150/200
🔷 MP: 50/200
🎭 Skills:
🏋️ Herculean Strength – Can lift and carry heavy objects effortlessly. ⚔️ Masterful Swordsmanship – Highly skilled in sword combat, excelling in both offense and defense. 🌀 Object Manipulation – Can control and move small to medium objects with his willpower.
✨ Abilities:
⚡ Blink Step – Instantly teleports short distances for repositioning or evasion. ☠️ Dark Pulse – Emits a necrotic wave that weakens enemies within a short range.
🔮 Magical Affinity: Lightning ⚡ & Necromancy ☠️ (Between Low and Medium) – Can summon weak lightning attacks and manipulate minor necrotic energy.
💙 Loyalty to Ceres: 30/100 – Aspires to be a knight and holds a strong sense of honor in protecting those he guards.
📌 Special Note: Compatible with Ceres. Replenishes 15% of her Life Force.
Ceres had stared at the last line for a full minute, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.
At least… she had found someone who could replenish her Life Force.
The problem?
With the way she looked right now, it was impossible for Legion to even think about getting into bed with her.
Hell, she herself was disgusted every time she looked in the mirror.
She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to push through another lap around the garden.
No.
'I refuse to stay like this.'
She wasn't the type of person to just accept things.
If she had to grit her teeth and work her ass off to reshape this body into the masterpiece it should have been, then so be it.
Lucifer had severely underestimated her.
And if she was going to be stuck in this world for seventy-nine years, she would make damn sure to spend every moment shaping her life back to the way it was, the way it should be.
She would rise again as the Ceres Evadne Monteverde she had once been, untouchable, unstoppable, and feared.
And she would commit so many evil deeds that Hell itself would personally come to claim her soul.
So that when the time came when she finally arrived in Hell, she could punch Lucifer straight in the face.
And she would stay there for as long as she pleased, making his life miserable, until he deeply regretted ever sending her to this world and binding her soul to this useless body.
Ceres threw her head back and screamed to the sky.
"JUST YOU WAIT, LUCIFER!!!" she bellowed, voice full of rage and determination. "I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU NEVER MESSED WITH A CERES EVADNE MONTEVERDE!!!"
And for good measure, she flipped both her middle fingers at the sky.
Then, just as she was about to feel satisfied, she paused.
Wait.
Wasn't Hell underground?
Ceres lowered her gaze and flipped off the ground instead.
Right at that moment,
"Your Highness!"
Delphine's sudden voice startled the life out of her.
"Son of a…" Ceres clutched her chest, her heart hammering wildly. Then, she turned to glare at Delphine, her patience already stretched thin.
She hadn't been this foul-mouthed back on Earth, but here in Solmara?
Cursing was the only thing she could do to keep herself from physically lashing out.
And considering how heavy her arms were, slapping someone would probably tire her out instead of satisfy her anger.
"Can you please not do that?!" she snapped. "Do you not see how unhealthy this body is?! I could get a damn heart attack from shock!"
Delphine immediately bowed her head. "I deeply apologize, Your Highness. It will not happen again."
Ceres huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Next time, approach me from the front before speaking. At least that way, I'll see you coming and won't feel like my soul is about to leave my body."
Delphine visibly hesitated, as if unused to this kind of directness from her.
Ceres knew why.
Host Ceres had spent her life bending her head down, barely speaking, because she was made to feel like she was a waste of space. The one royal who couldn't even perform the most basic ability in Solmara, detecting and controlling mana.
But she wasn't that Ceres.
And she refused to let anyone treat her like dirt.
"What do you want?" she asked, arching an expectant brow.
Delphine straightened. "Tomorrow is the Emperor's funeral, Your Highness."
Ceres remained silent.
"Princess Aurora has sent a message," Delphine continued, her voice softer now. "She says… you are not required to attend."
A cold silence settled between them.
Ceres only nodded.
The Emperor, her technical husband, had been dead for a month now.
But his burial had been delayed to allow royals from other kingdoms to arrive and pay their respects.
And yet, she, his wife, was forbidden from attending.
Ceres Evadne Valeria.
The Empress in name only.
Not that she cared.
But the way they treated host Ceres made one thing painfully clear, she had never been respected, even as an Empress.
In Solmara, the Empress was the second highest rank in the kingdom, just below the Emperor.
And yet, her servants were commoners.
Her guard was a commoner.
Legion, her only protection, wasn't even a knight.
In this world, commoners were not allowed to hold the title of knight.
An Empress should have noble ladies-in-waiting.
An Empress should have knights from noble houses guarding her.
But she had been given neither.
Because she was never meant to be treated as royalty.
Ori had shown her glimpses of host Ceres's past, showing her how the late Emperor had treated her.
Although they were only married on paper, the old Emperor had been kind to her.
If anything, he had treated her like a daughter rather than a wife.
Perhaps that was one of the many reasons why host Ceres accepted Lucifer's offer so easily, too.
Because with the Emperor gone, she had been left alone.
And the treatment toward her had only gotten worse.
The Empress's Palace was massive, yet the only two people who remained in her service were Delphine and Legion.
According to Ori, when the Emperor was alive, the palace had been filled with servants.
But when he died, they all left.
Even her budget as an Empress had been severely cut, leaving her with barely anything to sustain herself.
The only reason Delphine and Legion remained was because, as commoners, finding a new job in Aquilonis was near impossible.
There were too many competitors.
Most commoners in this kingdom were so desperate for work that they were willing to be paid in just bread, as long as they had a warm place to sleep at night.
Ceres let out a slow breath.
"…What time is the funeral?" she finally asked.
"The procession will begin afternoon at the Hour of the Maiden," Delphine said. "The dinner banquet at the Hour of the Scorpion, and the magical fireworks at the Hour of the Water-Bearer."
Ceres frowned. Ori. Translation.
"That's 5 PM, 7 PM, and 10 PM," Ori's voice echoed in her mind.
Ceres clicked her tongue.
This stupid world and its stupid time system.
She turned back to Delphine. "What time is it now?"
"It is the Hour of the Moon, Your Highness."
"That's 3 PM," Ori clarified.
Ceres nodded to herself, then sighed.
It wasn't like she had wanted to attend the funeral in the first place.
But she wasn't so heartless as to not pay her respects in her own way.
Even if she had only known the Emperor through memories, she acknowledged that he had at least been kind to the previous Ceres.
She could honor that much.
Ceres turned back to Delphine.
"…Help me get ready," she said, her voice softer.
Delphine blinked, momentarily surprised by the request. "Your Highness?"
"I may not be allowed to attend the funeral," Ceres murmured, her golden eyes sharp, "but I will still say my farewell, in my own way."
Her gaze drifted toward the Empress's Garden.
"At the very least… I can do that much."