Ceres didn't know how to begin.
How could she possibly explain the truth to the people standing around her?
They were inside the Planning Room of the Empress Palace. Seated on the high-backed throne-like chair at the center of the long desk, Ceres slowly looked at each face present, Aurelian, Legion, Arwen, Celion, the six Knight Commanders, high-ranking magicians from the High Tower, Captain Hugo and his team, and even the Guardian Priest of the Holy Church. Each one had been summoned because they were her most trusted people in Aquilonis.
But the tension in the room wasn't just from her. It was from him.
Tuf.
And not only him.
Beside him stood Luna, her presence eerily calm. Then there was Orso, the hulking beast of a creature seated casually on the floor next to Ceres as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And as if that wasn't already a shocking sight, the demon Comet was leisurely walking around, serving everyone snacks and drinks like a graceful but unsettling butler.
Standing guard beside her was Seiryu, silent and watchful.
And because of Orso's presence, they had made a peculiar discovery about the Empress Palace, one that likely applied to every structure Tuf had ever built across the kingdom.
The doors… adjusted themselves.
They changed size depending on the being who entered. Even doors that once seemed impenetrable to anything larger than a human now shifted seamlessly for Orso's massive frame.
A kingdom built by a being who expected gods and monsters to one day walk its halls.
Ceres closed her eyes briefly, drawing in a slow breath before beginning.
"I know you've been worried," she said softly, looking first at Aurelian, then Legion. "About my behavior these past few days."
Silence met her words, thick and weighted with anticipation.
"Before I explain the reason why… I need to tell you the truth," she continued, straightening in her seat. "The truth about who I really am."
She looked at each of them, her gaze steady despite the storm inside her.
"I am not Ceres Evadne Valeria," she said, her voice unwavering. "My real name is Ceres Evadne Monteverde."
Gasps rippled across the room. Eyes widened. Several hands clenched tightly at their sides.
Most of them… had no idea.
"I know you have questions," she added quickly, lifting a hand. "And I promise I'll answer them. But let me explain everything first. Please."
The room stilled once more.
"I came from another world. A place called Earth," she said, her tone gentle, almost nostalgic. "That world has no magic, only science. Some of the things I created here... and the things Tuf has created as well... are from Earth. Only now, they're fused with magic."
She paused, steadying herself as the weight of her memories pressed down.
"I don't know how time flows between Solmara and Earth. But back on Earth… during the second week after Emperor Aurelios died here in Solmara…" Her voice trembled slightly. "I also died."
A stunned silence followed.
"But instead of being judged for my deeds… the Celestials told me it wasn't my time. That I hadn't done enough to deserve either heaven or hell." Her fingers curled over her lap. "But they couldn't send me back either… because my body was already dead."
Her next words were barely above a whisper.
"It was Lucifer… whom you all know as Solmara… who sent me here. To the world he created."
Her gaze turned solemn.
"He placed me in the body of the First Princess. That's why I've always been… different. That's why I didn't act the way the original princess did."
A few glanced at each other, as if silently acknowledging the questions they had buried for months.
"And I know… I know some of you have always wondered why I'm so obsessed with the Dream Spell," she said, eyes glimmering. "You already know the Dream Spell I seek isn't just a simple one. It's not to enter dreams of people here…"
She swallowed.
"It's to reach across worlds. To Earth. Because I wanted… for the last time… to speak to someone."
She blinked back tears as her voice broke.
"His name is Zeus. He was my fiancé. We were about to start a family… when I died."
A single tear traced down her cheek, but she didn't wipe it away.
"And earlier today… I learned something that changed everything again."
Her next words came out with a quiet intensity that silenced even the murmurs of the knights.
"Through Evadne, the true owner of this body, the original First Princess, who now lives as my sister on Earth, I learned that Zeus is here."
She let the truth sink in, then whispered the final blow.
"He is here in Solmara… and he is the Demon Lord Caelum."
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
No one among the humans dared speak. They didn't know how to react.
Ceres continued. "And if you're wondering why I'm telling you all of this now, although Aurelian, Legion, and Seiryu already know the reason, it's because I've made a decision."
She took a breath.
"I will be leaving Aquilonis."
A stunned stillness settled in.
"I will be stepping down as the Empress."
Aurelian's eyes closed, lashes trembling ever so slightly.
Of course.
Now that Ceres knew the man she loved, Zeus, was actually the Demon Lord Caelum, how could he still hold her to the promise they made?
How could he chain her to the Empire… when everything she ever wanted was now within reach?
"But… Empress, what will happen to Aquilonis if you leave?" Celion asked, voice tight with worry.
Everyone in the room knew, the Empress leaving wasn't just a political problem. It was a potential collapse. Tuf's promise, his protection, all hinged on her. Everything he had done… he had done for her.
"If you're worried I won't hold up my end of the bargain, High Court Magician," Tuf cut in sharply, "don't be."
His voice carried a mocking undertone, one that silenced everyone instantly.
"As I said before, as long as the Empress, our mother, vouches for Aquilonis, I'll give you the best deal possible."
Then his gaze turned cold.
"But don't think for even a second that we'll agree to return to Velrathis without her."
His eyes locked with Aurelian's, openly challenging him.
But Aurelian didn't respond to Tuf.
Instead, he turned to Ceres.
"So… you're really leaving us now? Just like that?" His voice cracked. "What should we tell the people, Ceres? That their Empress abandoned them?"
He was playing his last card, her love for the common people.
But before Ceres could speak, another voice cut through the tension.
"She won't be leaving immediately," Luna said suddenly.
Her words shocked everyone, including Ceres.
"I'm not?" Ceres blinked.
"Kitten?" Tuf echoed, brow raised.
Luna crossed her arms. "It doesn't mean she's staying forever. She's still leaving. Just… not yet."
And though she didn't look at Tuf, her words were directed at everyone else.
"So it's better if you all start standing on your own feet," she added. "Stop depending on her like helpless children."
Ceres sighed deeply.
She looked at Luna, studying her calmly. If Orso was right, that Luna truly took after Zeus in temperament, then there had to be a reason behind her words. Something deeper. Something only family would understand.
They would need to talk… privately.
Turning back to Aurelian and the others, Ceres took a breath.
"It's your choice if you want to reveal to the world that I'm not the real First Princess of Vaelundis. But there's something I want all of you to know about her, about the real First Princess."
"Contrary to what the world believes, that she couldn't detect or use mana, she could. In fact, she could see it. She is not, and has never been, useless."
She let the silence stretch before continuing.
"When she was only one year old, her demi-human blood awakened. And at that tender age, she saw a glimpse of the future, one where the Demon Lord destroyed all of Solmara… because she failed to recognize him."
Ceres's voice grew tighter.
"Of course, now I know that the girl she saw in that vision was me. Not her. But she didn't know that. She thought she was the threat. So she did everything she could not to stand out. She made herself small. Invisible. Hoping the Demon Lord would overlook her. Spare the world."
Her throat tightened. "In her silence… she was protecting everyone."
Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears.
"But the world mocked her for it."
Her words turned sharp now. Cold.
"In Vaelundis… it wasn't just verbal abuse and neglect. They did unspeakable things to her. And her own family allowed it. Watched it. Let it happen."
Her voice was ice now.
"And I intend to make them pay."
She paused, letting the fury sink in. But then, she softened.
"I'm not telling you this so Aquilonis will wage war against Vaelundis on my behalf. I'm telling you this because now that you know who I really am…"
Her voice trembled again.
"…I want you to know who she really is too. The First Princess. The one whose body I now inhabit. The one this world discarded."
"She gave up everything. Her voice. Her strength. Her identity. All to protect people who didn't even know she existed."
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.
"She sacrificed everything… for all of you."