"How long do you plan on ignoring me?" Celion asked his younger brother.
"Shouldn't you start getting used to not speaking to me at all?" Cecilion responded coldly, his eyes filled with undiluted rage as he faced his older brother. "Because if your plan had succeeded, I would be dead by now."
"I tried to stop you from going out and mingling with the commoners," Celion countered, his jaw tightening. "But you didn't listen."
It was an hour before noon.
The camp was already buzzing with preparations to leave the islet, marching towards the shore of the Frozen Sea.
That night, a warrior's farewell would be held for the fallen...
And by dawn, the march back to the capital would begin.
"Ah, so it's my fault again," Cecilion let out a bitter laugh. "Because I'm stubborn, right?"
"That's not what I said," Celion sighed, rubbing his temple.
"I know you have a soft spot for the commoners, which is why I tried to keep you from joining this expedition… But you insisted on coming."
"We did what we had to do," Celion continued, his voice firm. "For the kingdom's survival."
Cecilion sighed, his rage slowly giving way to exhaustion.
"I know, brother," he murmured.
"But I still can't understand how your conscience could stomach something so heartless."
The anger in his eyes softened into something sadder, heavier.
"But maybe…" his voice lowered, "maybe the Empress was right."
"Maybe I'm just not ready to understand your actions yet."
"But one day… I will."
Celion stiffened, his brows furrowing.
"The Empress told you that?" he asked, his disbelief evident.
Even the high-ranking officials standing nearby turned their attention to the brothers, listening intently.
Cecilion nodded.
"She said she understood why you had to do it. That if she were in your shoes, she would have done the same for the kingdom."
"But she would have given the people a choice."
Silence.
That was the moment they all realized it.
The Empress wasn't mad because of the blood ritual itself.
She was furious because they had lied to the commoners.
Because they had let them believe they would return alive...
When in reality, they never had a chance.
A heavy sense of shame settled over the officials once more.
Before anyone could say anything, a soft voice interrupted.
"Sir Knight?"
The brothers turned to see Delphine, who had just approached.
"Saintess," Cecilion immediately bowed in respect.
"Saintess," Celion acknowledged, but did not bow.
Delphine winced slightly at the title.
"I'm sorry to disturb you," she said hesitantly. "But have you seen my brother?"
Cecilion's expression turned sympathetic.
"He went with Captain Hugo to the camp," he informed her. "They're retrieving the bodies of the fallen."
Delphine's lips pressed together.
"Do you need anything?" Cecilion asked, his voice gentle.
"He left instructions for me to look after you," he added. "If you need anything, just tell me."
Delphine waved her hands frantically, her face flushing.
"Ah! No, no! I'm fine!"
She still couldn't believe that Legion had gone as far as ordering a noble knight to watch over her.
"The Empress is awake," she continued quickly, "and she needs her bath."
"If you need help with that, Saintess," a new voice interrupted.
It was Lady Layla, who had been standing nearby but could no longer keep silent.
"There are mage women and priestesses in the camp. They can assist you in preparing Her Highness's bath."
"Ahm…" Delphine awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"It's okay, Lady Knight."
"I don't bathe the Empress."
Silence.
Delphine's lips parted slightly, realizing too late what she had just said out loud.
"It's Legion."
"That's why I'm looking for him."
"What did you just say, Saintess?"
The fury in Duke Aurelian's voice made Delphine's entire body stiffen.
She turned slowly, face paling as she saw him standing there, his hands clenched into tight fists.
"Y-Your Majesty," she stammered, lowering her head in a nervous bow.
"Tell me it's not true."
Aurelian's voice was dangerously low, his knuckles white with how tightly he had clenched his fists.
"Tell me the Celestial Knight does not bathe the Empress."
The image forming in his mind was too much.
The Empress, bare and vulnerable inside a bath filled with rose petals...
And Legion, tending to her.
His jaw tightened.
His breath hitched.
His mind refused to accept it.
"Answer me."
Delphine swallowed hard.
"Yes… Y-Yes, Your Majesty," she admitted reluctantly.
Aurelian's eyes darkened.
"And why is that?" His voice was cold, sharp as a blade.
"Are you not her personal maid?" His gaze was piercing.
"Why is it a man who bathes her?"
Delphine clenched her hands.
"It was what Her Highness wanted, Your Majesty," she forced herself to say, voice trembling slightly.
Aurelian gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the storm of emotions crashing inside him.
But no matter how much he tried...
The image remained.
And it infuriated him.
Before he could stop himself, his body moved on its own, striding toward the Golden Canopy with angry, purposeful steps.
Delphine's eyes widened in panic as she instinctively followed after him.
But she did not dare to stop him.
By the time Aurelian entered, the Empress was still lying on her stomach, sprawled across the soft bed inside the canopy.
She was wearing a long satin nightgown...a type of garment Aurelian had never seen before in his entire life.
Such thin fabric was utterly unsuitable for the cold climate of the North.
But that was not what made him stop in his tracks.
It was the fact that though the gown covered so much, it was as if it covered nothing at all.
The delicate material traced every perfect curve of the Empress's body, hugging her in a way that left nothing to the imagination.
If one did not look carefully, they might think she wasn't wearing anything at all.
Ceres stirred slightly, sensing the heavy footsteps that had entered her canopy.
"Legion, prepare my bath," she mumbled sleepily, her voice drowsy and relaxed.
She didn't even bother turning around to see who had entered.
"Leave us."
The deep, commanding voice sent an immediate jolt through Ceres's body.
Her eyes snapped open.
That was not Legion's voice.
She turned so quickly that the thin straps of her gown slipped off her shoulders, nearly exposing her breasts.
Her gaze locked onto the towering figure standing at the entrance.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she snapped, her voice sharp with irritation.
She had just woken up, and she had zero patience for social and moral etiquette right now.
Aurelian, however, did not answer her.
His jaw clenched, his hands tightening into fists.
"Did you not hear me?" he said instead, his gaze flicking to Delphine.
"I said leave us."
Delphine hesitated, glancing nervously at Ceres.
But the Empress sighed, rubbing her temple before giving a slight nod.
She already knew.
Aurelian was not leaving until he got what he came for.
"I'll be outside if you need me, Your Highness," Delphine said quietly before stepping out.
The moment the tent flap closed behind her, Ceres let out an exasperated sigh and turned away.
She flopped back onto the bed, clearly not interested in whatever nonsense Aurelian had come to say.
The Duke's footsteps grew closer...his presence looming over her as he finally spoke.
"What are you wearing, Empress?"
Ceres frowned at the tone of his voice.
It was anger, yes...
But there was something else.
Something dangerous.
"A nightgown, obviously," she replied, completely unbothered.
She remained comfortably sprawled out, not even bothering to fix the straps that had fallen off her shoulders.
"What do you want?" she asked lazily. "Why are you already so angry this early in the day?"
"It is not early."
Aurelian's jaw tightened further as his eyes traveled down her figure.
"It's already an hour before noon."
Yet here she was, barely awake, stretched out on her bed like she had no care in the world.
And worse...
She wasn't even trying to cover herself.
Ceres merely let out a lazy hum.
"Still early for me."
She shifted, turning onto her side.
And that was when Aurelian saw it.
At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him.
Perhaps he had missed it earlier because of the distance...or maybe it had been hidden beneath the fabric of her gown.
But now, it was impossible to ignore.
Love bites.
Scattered across the smooth skin of her back.
Aurelian's mind snapped.
"Ah! What the hell?! Are you crazy?! Put me down!"
Ceres shrieked as Aurelian suddenly grabbed her, lifting her up effortlessly.
He didn't say a word as he stormed toward the bathtub, already filled with warm, scented water...
And unceremoniously set her down beside it.
Before she could even process what was happening...
Aurelian's hands grabbed the fabric of her gown.
And ripped it off.
The fabric slid down her body, pooling at her feet.
Ceres stared at him, stunned.
Not because she was embarrassed...
But because she couldn't believe he had just done that.
Aurelian, however, was not even looking at her face.
His gaze was locked on the marks across her body.
And the longer he stared...
The angrier he became.
Because it wasn't just her back.
There were more.
On her shoulders.
On her collarbones.
And when his eyes lowered...
His fury only intensified.
Ceres, however, was far more amused than shocked.
She slowly crossed her arms, taking a good look at him.
And then...
She raised an eyebrow.
His front pants.
Something was growing.
"Take a picture, it would last longer," she quipped sarcastically.
Aurelian's brows furrowed.
"What?"
Oh.
Right.
No cameras in Solmara.
"Never mind."
His scowl deepened.
"What are you wearing?" he demanded.
Ceres glanced down at herself before rolling her eyes.
"It's called panties."
But before she could react...
Aurelian's fingers grabbed the strings at her hips.
And untied them.
The fabric fell away, slipping to the ground.
Ceres's eyes widened.
For a moment, she was speechless.
Then, Aurelian's rage reignited.
His gaze locked onto the deep red marks between her thighs...
And his hands clenched into fists.
"So you really slept with that lowborn knight of yours," he spat.
His voice dripped with fury.
Ceres's brow arched higher, amusement flickering in her eyes as she studied him.
She couldn't understand where all this rage was coming from.
"I don't understand why you're so mad, Duke," Ceres said, her tone languid, almost bored.
"It's normal for royals to take lovers. I know for a fact that you've been fücking that fraud Saintess..."
Her eyes gleamed, watching as Aurelian's jaw tightened.
"...and no one in this kingdom has ever cared before about who I sleep with. Especially not you."
Of course, Ceres wasn't talking about herself...but about the previous Ceres, the one who had originally owned this body before her soul inhabited it.
But no one knew that.
Not Aurelian.
Not anyone.
Her smirk deepened.
"So tell me, Duke… what changed?"
"Why do you care now?"
Aurelian opened his mouth...
Then closed it.
He had no answer.
"Could it be…" Ceres mused mockingly, stepping forward, completely unashamed of her nakedness, "that it's because I finally decided to take care of my appearance?"
Aurelian stepped back.
And he didn't know why.
He towered over her in height, in stature...
And yet, at that moment, he felt smaller.
"Is it because I am no longer the fat, ugly princess you rejected on our wedding day?"
For every step Ceres took forward, Aurelian took a step backward...
Until his legs hit the bed, and he was forced to sit.
Now, he was the one looking up at her.
Ceres's smirk widened.
And she didn't stop.
Instead...
She straddled him.
Aurelian sucked in a breath as he felt the heat of her skin press against him, her soft thighs framing his hips.
On instinct, his arms wrapped around her waist, one hand gripping her slender hips...
The other resting dangerously low on her back.
Ceres grabbed his hair, her fingers tangling in the strands...not gently.
And he didn't mind.
He should have.
But he didn't.
He liked the way she dominated him.
"Are you regretting it now, Duke?" Ceres whispered, her lips brushing the shell of his ear, her voice a silken taunt.
She rolled her hips...just enough to feel the hardness beneath her.
Aurelian's grip tightened.
His breath hitched.
She felt it.
The way his body reacted.
"The regret of leaving me at the altar on our wedding day?"
She placed a slow, teasing kiss along his jaw.
Aurelian's fingers dug into her skin, trying to control himself.
But she didn't stop.
"The regret of making your widowed father step in..."
She kissed the corner of his lips, making him hold his breath.
"...just to ensure the marriage continued?"
She leaned back slightly, her dark eyes meeting his, filled with challenge.
"I remember the first time you looked at me," she murmured, her fingers tracing the bridge of his nose.
Her touch was delicate.
Teasing.
"Your eyes were filled with disgust."
Her gaze lowered, watching the way his lips parted, how his chest rose and fell heavier.
"And yet now…"
She tilted her head, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"How can you look at me, your stepmother, with such burning desire?"
Aurelian's breathing turned ragged.
She was right there.
The temptation of her.
And she knew it.
Ceres kissed him.
A slow, sensual press of her lips against his.
It didn't even take a second for Aurelian to lose control.
He grabbed the back of her head, deepening the kiss, devouring her.
He should have stopped.
But he didn't.
His hand on her hip slid upward, grazing her side, his palm resting on her bare breast.
And when he felt her nipples harden under his touch...
Ceres moaned softly into his mouth.
And he lost all reason.
He had never been a gentle lover.
He always took what he wanted.
Never cared about pleasure, only satisfaction.
But with her...
All he wanted was to make her cry out his name.
He broke the kiss, trailing his lips down her jawline, her neck...
His tongue flicking over her collarbone.
Ceres let out a small gasp, arching into him, her fingers tightening in his hair.
He smirked.
She wasn't unaffected.
His lips moved lower, his breath hot against her skin...
Until he reached her breast.
Without hesitation, he claimed it, his tongue teasing, his teeth nibbling just enough to make her shudder.
"Ah..."
Ceres's breath hitched, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
And Aurelian loved it.
He wanted more.
More of her.
More of the woman who was once his greatest rejection...
And now, his greatest temptation.