Frankly speaking, Legion wasn't a bad catch.
He stood at about 6'1", with short tousled platinum-silver hair, piercing brown eyes, and fair skin. His sharp, well-defined features and strong jawline only added to his striking appearance.
Honestly, he could easily be cast as the Prince Charming in a Hollywood film.
If they were on Earth, he'd probably be a model rather than a guard.
The problem was…
She felt nothing for him.
"Ceres, it doesn't matter whether you like him or not," she pep-talked herself. "You don't have a choice. You need him to refill your HP and level up just to be able to create the Dream Spell."
She let out a long sigh.
She needed that Dream Spell.
She needed to talk to Zeus.
Because she knew him.
With her death, he would blame himself. He would never stop.
And she couldn't bear the thought of him making his own life miserable because of her.
She wanted to speak to him, to tell him how much she loved him. To tell him he didn't have to blame himself. To apologize for leaving him behind, when they were just about to start a family together.
Tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them.
The thought of sleeping with another man felt like she was cheating on Zeus.
She hated this.
She hated that she had no choice.
Ceres sat up on the bed, determined.
She had to be practical.
She only needed to level up until she reached at least 600 HP max. Then, as much as possible, she would stop using her blessings after she spoke with Zeus.
She had lived without magic before, she could do it again.
She just had to be smart with how she used her gifts.
She had to make sure that every time she used them, it contributed something big to Solmara.
So that when the time came that she stopped using them, there would be no difference in how people respected her.
She had to ensure that every move she made brought her closer to a comfortable and luxurious future.
"Okay, Ceres. You can do this." She cheered herself on.
She stood up and walked to her study table, picking up a pen and paper that Delphine had brought earlier.
Then, she began writing.
HP Remaining: 44.5
Needs to go down to 30 or less.
Need to use: 15 HP
What do I need right now?
✔ Salt?
✔ Sugar?
✔ Spices?
✔ Coffee?
She tapped her pen against the desk, staring at the list.
"It seems like a waste of HP for something so simple…" she muttered.
But she couldn't take it anymore.
The food here was unbearable.
And she was not a tea person.
She missed her coffee, her daily dose of caffeine.
Ceres let out a long sigh, pouting slightly as she stared at the list.
Then, a thought struck her.
"Ori," she called out. "The sea here… it's the same as the sea on Earth, right? It's still salty?"
'Yes, Your Highness.'
"Then why does no one here know what salt is?"
There was a slight pause before Ori responded.
'Apologies, Your Highness. I cannot answer that question. I do not have that information. However, I can confirm that salt does exist in this world. It is just that no one knows how to use it, or, rather, they do not understand its purpose.'
Ceres frowned.
"This kingdom is located near the Frozen Sea, right? How long would it take to travel there?"
'From the Empress Palace, using the Empress Carriage, assuming there are no delays, it would take ten days to get there and another ten days to return.''
"That far?!" Ceres groaned. "Is there no faster way to get there?"
'Teleportation magic, Your Highness. However, with your current HP, I do not recommend it. You will experience a minor discomfort upon teleporting.'
Ceres's eye twitched.
A minor discomfort for anyone else meant a major discomfort for her right now.
So, nope.
She wasn't risking it.
Then, a thought hit her.
"Wait a minute… doesn't Legion have some kind of teleportation ability?" she muttered to herself.
She frowned.
"Ori, I can't see Legion and Delphine's status windows anymore. Was that a one-time thing?"
'No. The first time you interact with a being, their status window will appear automatically, but then it will disappear. You just have to will it to appear again, Your Highness.'
Ceres raised an eyebrow.
"Will it cost me HP?"
'No. It is part of Archangel Azrael's gift. Like speaking to me is free, viewing status windows is also free. The same applies to Appraisal.'
Ceres blinked.
"Appraisal? I have that?"
'Yes.'
"How do I use it?"
'You just need to look at an object and say or think 'Appraise', and you will see a status window displaying information about the object.'
Ori continued,
'It will show details such as: its name, what it is made of, where it was made, how it was made, and who made it, depending on the situation. If the information is too overwhelming, you can specifically choose what details you want to see.'
Ceres stared at the desk, processing what she had just learned.
"Is it possible to set my Appraisal skill to automatic? And how much HP will it cost me?" she asked, tapping her fingers against the wooden surface.
'I can activate automatic Appraisal, Your Highness. And it will not cost you HP. However… will you not be overwhelmed if you suddenly see a flood of information in your line of sight?'
"I only want automatic Appraisal to identify an object's name and whether it has a counterpart on Earth," she specified.
Because if salt existed here but Solmarians didn't know how to use it, then it was highly likely that other spices existed too, just waiting to be discovered.
'Automatic Appraisal for object name and Earth counterpart activated.' Ori confirmed.
"Thank you, Ori."
With that settled, Ceres continued listing the things she needed to do or ways she could ensure a comfortable life in Solmara.
When she couldn't think of anything else, she moved on to sketching dresses she wanted Delphine to make for her.
The designs were heavily inspired by the clothes she wore on Earth.
"I'm sorry, LV, Chanel, D&G, and all the other luxury brands," she muttered as she sketched. "But I have no choice but to steal your ideas because my god! I cannot stand the clothes here."
She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she completely lost track of time until a knock sounded at her door, followed by Delphine stepping inside.
"Your Highness, here are your Malvera fruits," Delphine said, carrying a plate with five golden fruits.
Ceres glanced at them briefly.
Her hunger and thirst from earlier had completely disappeared after eating the fifth Malvera fruit Legion had given her.
It seemed that, even for her, the Malvera fruit worked in eliminating hunger and thirst.
The only difference was that due to her special condition, she had to multiply the amount she ate equal to her level of discomfort.
"I'm not hungry yet," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just put them over there. I'll eat when I get hungry again."
Delphine nodded and placed the plate on the side table.
"Did you eat already?" Ceres asked, though she didn't look up, already returning to her sketching.
"Yes, Your Highness," Delphine replied softly, her expression warm despite the fact that the Empress wasn't looking at her.
She still couldn't believe how delicious the Malvera fruit was.
She and Legion had eaten theirs earlier, and just as their mother had once described, it was the most exquisite thing she had ever tasted.
Delphine had almost cried.
And the fact that the Empress willingly shared such a precious fruit with them… filled her with gratitude.
Now, she understood why the Empress was so particular about taste.
If the Malvera fruit was what she was subconsciously craving, then of course everything else would taste bland and unappealing to her.
"If you feel hungry and want to eat more, you and Legion don't need my permission to take and eat one," Ceres said casually. "Just be mindful, the tree only bears 379 fruits per year."
She glanced at Delphine with a small smile before turning back to her work.
Delphine's eyes welled up with tears at the Empress's words.
She would make sure to keep track of how many fruits they had taken, starting today.
"If you're not busy," Ceres spoke again, this time lifting a sketch from the desk, "can you sew this for me? Use the materials from my old dresses, or anything in the Empress Palace that might work."
She handed over the drawing, a spaghetti strap nightgown, simple but elegant.
Delphine studied the sketch, already thinking about how to recreate it.
"I can do that, Your Highness," she said, then hesitated. "But I will need to take your new measurements."
Ceres nodded in approval.
And with that, they got to work, completely losing track of time.
Ceres continued sketching, and Delphine was already in the middle of sewing the first piece when a sudden explosion echoed outside.
Both women froze.
They turned toward the open terrace, where the sky lit up in bursts of color.
Fireworks.
Delphine was awestruck.
She had seen fireworks before, but this display was breathtaking.
In Solmara, fireworks were used to celebrate the life of someone who had passed.
It was a tradition, a way to honor their existence before finally saying goodbye.
But while Delphine stared in wonder, Ceres felt her chest tighten, the overwhelming weight of grief crushing her from the inside out.
Because the moment she saw the fireworks, she was instantly reminded of one of the happiest nights of her life on Earth…
The night Zeus proposed to her.
A sharp, unbearable pain spread through her heart as if someone had reached into her chest and was mercilessly twisting it.
Ceres broke down, collapsing to the floor as a heart-wrenching sob tore through her.
"Zeus!"
Delphine gasped, completely taken aback.
"Your Highness!" she cried out, rushing forward as Ceres clutched her chest, her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs.
She had no idea what was happening, the Empress had been perfectly fine just moments ago.
Legion stormed into the room, immediately sensing that something was wrong. His sharp eyes landed on the Empress, who was now on the floor, her trembling hands clutching her chest as if she were physically holding herself together.
"What happened?!" he demanded, his deep voice laced with urgency as he turned to Delphine.
"I, I don't know!" Delphine admitted, panic evident in her voice as she tried to steady the sobbing Empress.
Ceres had begun to punch her own chest, her sobs turning into anguished cries.
This wasn't the kind of cry that came from self-pity or temporary sadness.
This was different.
This was the cry of someone who had just lost something so precious, so irreplaceable, that nothing could ever fill that void again.
A cry of someone whose heart was shattering into a million pieces.
"Mommy!… Daddy!… Zeus!"
Ceres screamed their names, each syllable drenched in raw pain.
"I miss you!… I miss you so much!"
Tears streamed down her face, her entire body shaking violently.
"I'm sorry!… I'm so sorry for leaving you!"
Her sobs grew louder, more agonizing, her hands fisting against her chest as if trying to punch the pain away.
"Your Highness, stop!" Legion ordered, immediately moving in.
He could see her swinging her fists harder, hitting herself with reckless abandon, as if the pain inside could be lessened by inflicting it physically.
Before she could strike herself again, Legion grabbed both of her wrists, his strong grip preventing her from harming herself any further.
But Ceres fought against him, struggling desperately as if wanting to break free.
Seeing this, Legion had no choice.
Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a firm embrace from behind, restraining her completely.
"Enough, Your Highness!" he said, his voice steady yet firm, holding her in place.
Ceres continued to cry, her body trembling violently against him, her energy slowly draining as the weight of her grief settled deep in her bones.
Delphine could only watch with tears in her own eyes.
She had lost her own parents before, so she knew.
She knew this pain.
And perhaps… what the Empress was feeling was even worse.
There were no words that could ease that kind of sorrow.
Nothing could undo the loss she had suffered.
So the only thing they could do, as her people, as her companions, was to stay with her.
To let her cry.
To let her mourn.
To remind her that she wasn't alone.
Outside, the fireworks continued, bursting into brilliant colors in the sky,
A celebration of a life lived.
But inside the Empress's chambers, Ceres's heart was breaking into millions of pieces.
Because as the fireworks lit up the night, all she could think about was the people she had left behind on Earth.
The unforgettable memories.
The life she had lived.
And the life she could have had.
She sobbed over and over, calling out for her parents, for Zeus, apologizing over and over, telling them how much she loved them.
How much she missed them.
How much she wanted them back.
She needed that Dream Spell.
She needed it desperately.