The Valentine estate's grand dining hall, usually filled with soft conversation and the clinking of silverware, was wrapped tonight in an awkward, suffocating silence.
Luca sat midway down the long table, fork in hand but appetite completely missing. He let out a slow sigh, staring down at the untouched food as a single depressing question echoed in his mind:
How… did it come to this?
He forced himself to look up.
At the head of the table sat Celestia — Empress of the Empire, ruler of nations, feared by demons and men alike — currently holding a tiny spoon in one hand and patiently feeding a giggling baby dragon in her lap.
A soft aahn~ and a delighted chirp followed as the dragonet opened her mouth for another bite, her little tail happily smacking the Empress's arm in excitement.
Everyone stared.
