"Do you not even have salt here?" The Empress's frustrated cry echoed through the chamber as she threw the steak prepared by Delphine onto the floor.
"I apologize Your Majesty," Delphine quickly knelt down, gathering the wasted food with a sigh. The Empress Palace was already struggling with its budget, and yet here she was, wasting precious resources. "I don't know what 'salt' is. I already asked the royal kitchen, and they said they have nothing like that."
For two weeks now, the Empress had been requesting something called "salt" and "sugar," but no one, not even Delphine, knew what those things were.
After cleaning the mess, Delphine respectfully excused herself to fetch another meal, but the Empress did not respond. Instead, she let out a soft groan and collapsed onto her bed as if in pain.
"What happened?" a deep voice asked the moment Delphine stepped outside the Empress's chamber. Legion stood just outside the door, standing guard as usual. His sharp brown eyes studied Delphine's troubled expression.
"She was looking for salt again," Delphine said, her tone filled with confusion. "Do you know what it is?"
Legion shook his head. "Never heard of it."
"I don't know what to do anymore," Delphine admitted, clutching the tray in her hands. "I've never seen her act this way before. I've noticed small changes in her behavior, but this… throwing food? It's not like her at all. She was fine just last night." Her gaze drifted to the closed door behind her.
"Today is the late Emperor's funeral, isn't it?" Legion reminded her. "She isn't allowed to attend. Maybe she's just grieving."
"Maybe…" Delphine murmured, though she remained unconvinced. "But what do I do about her meal?" She sighed, shaking her head as she turned toward the Empress Palace's kitchen.
Legion simply watched as his younger sister walked away, concern flickering in his eyes.
After a moment, he pressed his ear against the chamber door. Silence.
Perhaps she had fallen asleep.
Stepping back, Legion turned his attention toward the window overlooking the Empress Garden. Even now, he still couldn't believe what he had witnessed the previous night. If he hadn't been standing right behind her, he would have dismissed it as a dream.
Everyone believed the Empress lacked both the ability to detect mana and the power to wield it. Even the strongest magic affinity meant nothing without a mana reserve.
But last night proved otherwise.
It wasn't just a dream. The proof stood before him in the form of the mysterious tree that had sprouted overnight.
And the warmth.
Despite the relentless snowfall outside, the moment snowflakes touched the ground within the Empress Palace's perimeter, they melted instantly. It wasn't just the earth, every plant, and every pathway remained untouched by frost. But the strangest thing?
Once melted, the snow didn't turn into water.
It simply… disappeared.
No trace. No moisture in the soil. No dampened footprints on the cobblestone paths.
Legion's gaze swept across the Empress Garden, still in awe. Then, something else caught his attention.
A second tree.
Another tree stood tall not far from the newly formed Empress Golden Tree. The Malvera Tree.
That tree had never borne fruit, not even when the palace's Warm Mana Stone had been regularly replaced to maintain balance. But now…
Legion narrowed his eyes. He wasn't mistaken.
It was blooming.
Fruits hung from its branches, an impossible sight.
Long ago, before their parents died, their mother had once told them stories about the Malvera Tree, a sacred tree of Celestial Beings. It was said to bear the most delicious fruit in existence.
Yet no one knew when or why it had stopped producing. Over time, people dismissed it as nothing more than a myth.
And yet… here it was. Bearing fruit once more.
Legion turned back toward the Empress's chamber, pressing his ear against the door once more. Silence.
It seemed she truly wasn't feeling well.
Nor did she seem to have any intention of going for a run this afternoon, as she usually did for the last two weeks.
Making up his mind, Legion turned on his heel and headed toward the Empress Garden. From where he stood on the terrace, he surveyed the area below.
Then, without hesitation, he jumped.
Legion landed with ease, his movements fluid as he made his way toward the Malvera Tree. And just as he had suspected, it was bearing fruit, something no one had seen in years. The branches were heavy with golden, heart-shaped fruits, glistening under the soft daylight.
He hesitated, recalling the stories their mother used to tell them when they were children.
"The Malvera fruit is the most delicious fruit in existence."
Not that he would know.
Legion and Delphine had spent their lives surviving on bread and leftover scraps from the nobles' tables. The concept of something truly delicious was foreign to him.
With a flick of his fingers, Object Manipulation came into play. Four fruits detached from the tree and floated toward him, landing perfectly in his hands. He lifted one, inhaling its scent.
It was unlike anything he had ever smelled before, sweet and intoxicating, with an underlying freshness. Strangely, it reminded him of the natural fragrance of the Empress herself, the scent that clung to her skin when she returned from her afternoon runs.
He wanted to take a bite.
But these fruits belonged to the Empress. Until she allowed it, he had no right to taste them.
Even so, the temptation gnawed at him, making his throat dry as he swallowed.
Shaking his head, Legion pushed the thought away. "I hope she likes it," he murmured before turning back toward the palace.
With Blink Step, the journey from the garden to the second floor took mere seconds.
Standing before the Empress's chamber once more, he pressed his ear against the door. Silence.
He knocked three times.
No response.
"Can I come in, Your Highness?" he asked.
Delphine was allowed inside whether the Empress responded or not, but the same rule did not apply to him.
Again, silence.
Legion hesitated before swallowing his uncertainty and slowly pushing the door open. He peeked inside the vast chamber.
"Your Majesty?" he called softly.
His eyes landed on her form, curled up on the massive bed in a fetal position.
A frown creased his brow.
Cautiously, Legion stepped inside and approached her bedside. "Your Majesty?"
"What do you want?!"
Her sharp cry rang through the room as she turned to face him, her voice laced with irritation.
Legion didn't flinch. He was used to being shouted at by nobles, it came with the job. But what did surprise him was her appearance.
Tears streamed down her cheeks in endless rivers.
She wasn't just upset, she was breaking down.
"Are you in pain?" he asked carefully, resisting the instinct to wipe the tears from her face. She might not appreciate the gesture.
"I'm so hungry," Ceres choked out, her voice trembling with frustration. "And I'm so thirsty. I've been drinking water all day, but it doesn't help. The food, my god, the food! I can't stomach another bite. Everything tastes so bland, so disgusting, I can't swallow it anymore!"
Then, as if the weight of everything crashed over her all at once, she broke into uncontrollable sobs.
Legion felt a flicker of panic.
He didn't know how to comfort her.
Then, he remembered the fruits in his hands.
Wordlessly, he held them out to her.
Ceres lifted her tear-streaked face and frowned at the golden fruit in his palm.
"Apple?" she muttered in confusion. "You're giving me an apple?"
Legion blinked. Apple? He had never heard of such a thing.
"I don't know what an apple is, Your Majesty," he admitted. "But this is called Malvera. I saw the tree in the garden bearing fruit, so I picked some. I thought you might like it."
Ceres stared at him, puzzled.
"There's a tree like this in the garden?" she asked, clearly confused.
"It just bore fruit today," Legion explained. "To be honest, most people believed the Malvera Tree's fruit was a myth. It has never produced fruit for as long as anyone can remember. Our mother once told Delphine and me that it was the favorite fruit of Celestial Beings." His lips curved into a small, rare smile.
Ceres, however, seemed to focus on only one detail in his explanation.
"You and Delphine are siblings?" she asked, momentarily distracted from her hunger.
Legion wasn't offended by her lack of awareness. It was common for nobles, especially royals, to pay no attention to the lives of their servants.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered simply.
Before the Empress could say anything else, the door opened, and Delphine entered, carrying a slice of cake on a small plate.
She paused for a moment, clearly surprised to see Legion inside the chamber. But what shocked her more was the sight of the Empress's tear-streaked face.
Still, she quickly composed herself.
"Your Majesty, please eat this, even just a little," Delphine said softly, approaching them. "You need to have something in your stomach."
Ceres frowned the moment she laid eyes on the cake.
Delphine bit her lip. What else could she possibly serve the Empress? If even cake, something usually considered a luxury, displeased her, what options were left? The kitchen's supplies were already running dangerously low. And besides, the Empress had never been picky with food before.
Everything changed two weeks ago.
That was when she started craving things they didn't have, asking for strange things like 'salt' and 'sugar.' Even so, she still ate what Delphine served, though it was obvious she disliked it. She had also noticed that the Empress had stopped enjoying the tea she brewed for her.
"It's not even good," Ceres muttered, casting a quick glance at the cake before completely ignoring it. Instead, she took the fruit from Legion's hands, the one she had never seen before.
"What's that?" Delphine asked her brother, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"Malvera," Legion answered simply.
Delphine stiffened.
"Malvera?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
Ceres raised a brow, glancing between the shocked Delphine and the fruit in her hands.
"Are you sure this is edible?" the Empress asked, now eyeing the fruit with suspicion. She turned her gaze to Legion, her sharp golden eyes narrowing. "Why does Delphine look so startled?"
"I-I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Delphine quickly said. "It's just… I've never seen a Malvera fruit before. According to stories, it was the favorite fruit of Celestial Beings."
Ceres scoffed, twirling the golden fruit in her fingers. "Celestial Beings? More like Lucifer's forbidden fruit," she muttered under her breath.
But they still heard her, not that they knew who Lucifer was.
"Is it even good?" she asked.
Legion hesitated before admitting, "We've never tasted it before, Your Majesty. But it smells very sweet."
Ceres stilled, her lips pressing into a thin line. "So, let me get this straight, you've never tasted it, but you're giving it to me to eat? Did it ever occur to you that it might be poisoned?"
Legion froze, guilt flashing across his face.
No, it hadn't even crossed his mind.
He had been so amazed that the Malvera Tree had finally borne fruit that he never considered the possibility that it might be dangerous. After all, no one had seen this tree produce anything for centuries.
"My apologies, Your Majesty," Legion said, reaching out to take the fruit back. "I should have thought of that…"
But Ceres pulled it away before he could touch it.
"Forget it," she said, examining the fruit in her palm. "Even if it's poisoned, I'd rather eat this than endure another bite of the disgusting food you keep feeding me."
Delphine flinched at the harsh words but said nothing.
Ceres sighed, staring at the fruit as if contemplating its fate. As if speaking to it directly, she muttered, "You better taste good, especially if you were Lucifer's favorite fruit."
Then, gripping the fruit firmly, she bit into it.
Instantly, a golden glow engulfed her entire body.
Legion and Delphine gasped, holding their breath as brilliant light radiated from the Empress.
And right before their very eyes, she transformed.
Ceres still had the same long platinum-blonde hair, and they knew it was still her. But the woman now sitting on the bed was no longer the plump Empress, the one people mocked, ridiculed, and disrespected.
Instead, before them sat a breathtakingly beautiful woman, her face ethereal, her features so delicate and perfect that she looked like she belonged to the heavens themselves.
As if she had stepped straight out of the ancient descriptions of Celestial Beings.