"Awww, look at them. I should take a picture," Ceres said cheerfully, her eyes gleaming as she looked at the two cats snuggled up against each other.
The male cat, an all-black American Shorthair, was lazily grooming the female beside him, licking her soft fur with slow affection. The female, an equally black Persian cat with a luxurious coat and mismatched eyes, didn't seem to mind at all.
Ceres took out her smartphone and began snapping pictures from different angles, trying to capture the cozy intimacy between the two.
"Tofu is so well-behaved, Miss Jenny," she said with a proud grin to the head of the animal shelter she had been sponsoring.
That made Jenny and the other employees nearby burst into laughter.
"What?" Ceres asked. "What's so funny about what I said?"
"Tofu? Behaved?" Jenny chuckled, shaking her head. "That would be a miracle, Miss Ceres. He only acts like that when Luna's around. But the moment she's not? Oh dear, he bullies the other cats and even the dogs."
The staff nodded in agreement.
"Especially if he sees other male cats trying to get close to Luna," April added with a laugh. "He pretends he doesn't care, just sitting nearby like he's chill. But the moment Luna leaves? Wham! The poor cat gets smacked."
"Not just male cats, Miss Ceres," said Edward, still laughing. "Even the tiny kittens who try to snuggle with Luna. One moment they're asleep, the next they're crying because Tofu slapped them."
As they laughed, it almost seemed like the two cats knew they were being talked about. They both glanced lazily at the group for a moment, but remained utterly unbothered.
Ceres reached out and gently pet Tofu. From licking Luna, Tofu lifted his head and rubbed it against Ceres's hand, allowing her to pet him freely.
"He only lets you pet him like that," Marga observed with a smile. "Even Miss Jenny barely gets that much affection from him. Most of the time, he acts irritated after a few seconds."
"It makes sense," Jenny added warmly. "After all, you're the one who found him. Maybe to him, you're his human."
Ceres leaned forward and kissed the top of Tofu's head affectionately.
"They're saying you're a bully, huh?" she whispered to the cat in a teasing tone, placing another kiss between his ears. "You don't look like one to me. Our Tofu's such a charming boy."
"Oh, charming indeed," April laughed. "So many female cats try to catch his attention. And he flirts with them when Luna's not around. But the moment she shows up? He just walks away like, 'Bye, girls.'"
"There's a name for that kind of behavior," Ceres said, lips curving into a playful smile.
"Oh? What is it, Miss?" asked one of the employees, grinning in anticipation.
"One-woman playboy," Ceres replied.
That earned another round of laughter from everyone.
"Good thing Luna isn't the jealous type," Jenny added with a chuckle.
"Of course not. Luna's beautiful," Ceres said warmly. "She was born to be a queen. Just look at her, so regal."
As she spoke, she reached out and gently scratched Luna's ears. The Persian cat gave a small, pleased purr.
"That's why Tofu guards her so fiercely," Edward said. "He's scared someone might swoop in and steal his queen."
The laughter slowly settled, replaced by a gentle calm as they watched the two cats nestled together.
"Still no one interested in adopting them?" Ceres asked after a moment, her tone softer.
"Oh, we've had plenty of people ask," Jenny said with a sigh. "But that's not really the problem. Tofu becomes hostile when anyone tries to touch him. And Luna… she won't even come out of her cage when strangers are around. Actually, it's not just the two of them. We have a few others like that."
Ceres nodded, thoughtful.
"That's alright, Miss Jenny. As long as they're being taken care of here, just let them be," she said gently. "I read somewhere that animals can smell the intentions of people. They instinctively know who will love them, and they gravitate toward those people."
She smiled and looked at the two cats again.
"So until that moment comes, don't force them," Ceres said gently. "The same goes for the other animals too."
She turned to Jenny, her gaze steady, warm, and sincere.
"And if you ever need anything, if funding ever falls short, please don't hesitate to tell me, alright? No second thoughts. Just let me know."
Jenny gave a small bow, her voice tinged with gratitude. "Thank you, Miss Ceres. We're so grateful… And you know what? I think I've figured out why these two, and even some of the other cats and dogs, don't want to be adopted. Especially the ones you personally brought here."
"Oh?" Ceres asked, brushing her fingers through Luna's long, silky fur. "And why do you think that is?"
"I think… they want you to adopt them," Jenny said with a soft laugh.
Ceres blinked, surprised and clearly touched. "Really?" she asked with a wide smile, turning back toward the cats. Her voice turned gentle and cooing. "Do you two want me to be your mommy?"
As if on cue, both cats purred at the exact same time.
"Awww… I would love that too," Ceres replied, her voice filled with affection, but also tinged with sadness. "If only my Mommy wasn't severely allergic to animal fur, I would've brought all of you home with me by now."
She gave Tofu another scratch between the ears, then sighed softly. "Maybe one day… when Daddy finally allows me to live on my own, I'll adopt all of you. Every single one."
"When will that be, Miss?" Marga asked curiously.
"When I turn fifty," Ceres replied with a playful grin that made everyone chuckle.
"Oh, that's not too far off," Edward teased.
"Yup. Just thirty more years to go," she said with a laugh, and the entire shelter staff joined in.
"Or maybe when you get married," April suggested with a wink.
"I don't think so," Ceres answered, her expression dimming slightly. She reached out and gently scratched Tofu's ears again. "Ryzel doesn't like animals."
"Ryzel?" some of the staff echoed, exchanging puzzled glances.
"My boyfriend," Ceres explained with a soft shrug. "He says animals carry rabies and germs. He doesn't want them near him."
"Wait… isn't Mr. Falcon your boyfriend?" Jenny asked, blinking in confusion.
"What?!" Ceres suddenly sat up straighter, eyes wide. "Why would you say that? And how do you even know Zeus?"
Jenny laughed sheepishly. "He came here three months ago. Remember when I told you someone offered to cover all the expenses for the shelter's expansion? That was him."
Ceres blinked again, stunned silent.
"When we asked how he knew about the shelter, he said his future wife was sponsoring it. So, of course, we asked who his future wife was," Jenny said, now grinning, "And he gave us your name."
"Oh my gods. The nerve of that man!" Ceres huffed, placing a hand on her forehead. "FYI, he is not my boyfriend."
"He should be, though," Marga said brightly.
"What?!" Ceres nearly choked.
"I mean, when he visited, he actually played with the animals," Marga explained. "Luna even walked right up to him immediately. And, well, my grandmother used to say that the way a person treats animals tells you a lot about their heart."
"I don't know your boyfriend," she continued, "but since he's yours, I'm sure he must be kind, because you're kind. But I can guarantee Mr. Falcon is kind too. And… you two looked good together."
The others nodded and smiled, encouraging.
"That's why we didn't even question it when he said you were his future wife," Marga added, grinning. "So if there's any chance, maybe you should dump your boyfriend and marry Mr. Falcon instead. Then you can adopt Luna and all the others too!"
The entire group burst into laughter again.
Ceres could only shake her head in disbelief as they all broke into another round of laughter. But even as she joined them, part of her couldn't ignore the faint warmth rising in her chest.
A soft smile bloomed on Ceres's sleeping lips.
Aurelian, seated at her side, couldn't help but stare at her serene face. The delicate smile curved so gently it made something twist in his chest. He reached out, his fingers brushing the corner of her mouth, as if trying to capture the trace of her dream.
"Who are you dreaming of, Empress?" he whispered, voice barely audible. "Are you dreaming of that man again?"
There was pain in his voice, jealousy, too. A plea, laced with longing.
"Can't you forget him already?" Aurelian murmured. "I swear… I'll treat you well this time."
He gently tucked away a lock of hair that had fallen over her cheek, brushing it behind her ear with care.
It had been a month since they returned to the capital after the Monster Expedition. And Aquilonis had not seen a moment's rest since.
Now that spring had returned, the kingdom pulsed with life and urgency. Aurelian had been overwhelmed with pressure from the noble houses, particularly those aligned with his faction, urging him to proceed with his marriage to Celestria. They feared his siblings, Aurora and Augustus, would seize the throne if he waited any longer.
Meanwhile, Ceres had been endlessly busy with the Adventurers' Guild, leading multiple projects meant to uplift the citizens. The most prominent among them: the construction of a new orphanage beside the Holy Church. She worked tirelessly alongside the guild. Not because she sought gratitude, but because everything she did now had one hidden purpose.
She wanted to leave Aquilonis.
She wanted to journey across kingdoms.
She wanted to awaken the remaining Holy Beasts.
And all of it, every act of selflessness, every sleepless night, was for one quiet, desperate hope:
To see him again.
Even if only in dreams.
Even if only once more.
The man named Zeus.
She had lent him Seiryu.
And no one, not one person from the expedition, corrected the nobles who believed it was Aurelian who had subjugated the Holy Beast. They didn't even know the Empress had ever left the palace. The deception remained intact.
To the world, the Empress was still the same: the discarded, powerless, magicless woman, locked inside the palace walls. Still thought to be fat. Still mocked. Still invisible.
Only those who had joined the expedition knew the truth.
And they kept it.
Aurelian's gaze drifted to the heavy curtains cloaking the tall windows of the Empress's chambers. Noon sunlight threatened to break through the fabric, but the room remained dim, just the way she liked it.
He had been awake for hours now.
But Ceres never rose early. The earliest she stirred was an hour before noon. And yet, despite being an early riser, he remained beside her, watching the steady rhythm of her breathing.
Because she rarely let him into her bed.
And more painfully…
She didn't share it with him alone.
There was Legion, her knight.
Her ever-present shadow.
The man who stood by her side every day, who looked at her as if she were the sun and the moon combined.
A sight that twisted Aurelian's insides into a quiet madness.
The Duke of Aquilonis… the man born to be Emperor… now begged silently for crumbs of her attention.
She had once been his betrothed.
He had rejected her.
Now, the world had flipped, and it was he, proud, noble Aurelian, who was being rejected.
And he could do nothing but stay beside her in silence, watching her sleep… and wonder who she smiled for in her dreams.