Legion did not miss the flicker of sadness in the Empress's eyes when she realized he couldn't teleport to the Frozen Sea.
And he felt useless.
There was a way for him to go there...
A way he never wanted to take.
Because that place was the reason for their parents' death.
But he had sworn to be of use to her.
"I can go to the Frozen Sea, Your Highness. If that's the only way to get salt," Legion declared.
Delphine's eyes widened in horror.
Ceres immediately noticed.
"You don't have to force yourself, Legion," she said in a calm voice. "I'll find another way."
"It's fine, Your Highness. I just need to go there once. After that, I'll be able to teleport there anytime." Legion gave her a small smile.
Ceres raised an eyebrow.
"If it's really fine, then why does Delphine look like she's about to pass out?"
Legion said nothing.
But Delphine's hands trembled.
"… Our parents died there."
A heavy silence filled the room.
"But I won't be staying long, Your Highness," Legion reassured her. "I just need to see the place, then I can teleport there whenever we need to get sea water."
"Are you sure?" Ceres asked.
Legion nodded.
"But as the name suggests, it's a frozen sea. Would that affect the salt?" he asked.
"No," Ceres answered. "As long as it's seawater, it'll be fine."
She turned to Delphine.
"What about you? Are you okay with this?"
Delphine hesitated.
She looked at Ceres, then at her brother.
Legion smiled and nodded at her... reassuring and determined.
She let out a heavy sigh.
"Yes, Your Highness," she said, her voice quieter than before. "And if something goes wrong, Legion can always teleport back to the palace immediately."
"Good point," Ceres said.
She turned back to Legion.
"Alright then… But it would take ten days by carriage to get there. Are you okay going alone?"
Legion shook his head.
"It's impossible to go to the Frozen Sea alone, Your Highness," he explained. "The paths leading there are guarded outside the kingdom walls.
"To go there, I need to register for the Monster Hunt Expedition happening next month."
Ceres nodded, then smiled.
"Then make sure you prepare everything you need for that expedition."
"I will, Your Highness," Legion replied with a smile of his own.
"Now that that's settled," Ceres turned to Delphine, "Make sure we don't run out of salt before Legion returns, alright?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Delphine answered immediately.
And with that, they returned to cooking.
Ceres instructed Delphine on how to make burger patties.
She wasn't a fast food person on Earth, but Zeus would make her healthy, homemade versions of fast food every now and then.
She had seen him make burgers before.
And now, she was telling Delphine exactly how to do it.
As Delphine and Legion followed the Empress's instructions, they became more and more amazed.
This was the first time Delphine had ever made something like this.
And as the meat sizzled on the pan, releasing a delicious aroma…
She and Legion exchanged glances.
This smelled different.
Better.
Something they had never experienced before.
Finally, after preparing three burgers, they placed one in front of Ceres.
She grinned.
They all sat at the kitchen table.
"Alright. Let's try this," Ceres said excitedly.
She picked up the burger with her hands.
Delphine's eyes widened.
"Your Highness, shouldn't you use cutlery?" she asked, already reaching for a fork and knife to hand over.
"No," Ceres smirked. "This is the proper way to eat it."
Delphine hesitated but said nothing.
"Bon appétit."
And with that, Ceres took a big bite.
She chewed slowly, savoring the flavor.
Delphine and Legion held their breath.
She looked deep in thought.
"… Hmm. It's delicious."
The siblings sighed in relief.
"But," Ceres added, "it could use a little more salt. Try adding a bit more next time."
She took another bite, humming in satisfaction.
"It's already far better than the bland food I've been eating."
She looked up at them.
"Well? Go ahead. Eat your share."
Delphine and Legion exchanged glances.
Then, hesitantly, they picked up their own burgers and copied what the Empress had done.
Legion paused.
"Your Highness, what does 'bon appétit' mean?" he asked before taking a bite.
"It means 'Enjoy your meal.'"
Delphine and Legion smiled.
"Bon appétit, Your Highness!" they said in unison before taking a bite.
And their eyes widened in shock.
"This is…!"
Ceres laughed at their stunned expressions.
"Good, right?" she said, clearly amused.
The siblings could only nod enthusiastically, too busy chewing to speak.
As they ate, Ceres gave Delphine a new task...
To experiment with her usual dishes, adding salt and black pepper to enhance the flavors.
And the results were mind-blowing.
Delphine and Legion had never imagined that two seemingly simple ingredients could change everything.
With salt and pepper, the food became richer, more savory.
Even Ceres, who had barely been able to stomach the meals before, found herself enjoying every bite.
Not long after, Delphine and Legion planted the black pepper seeds in the Empress Garden.
Despite Aquilonis's cold climate, the plants thrived.
And because sunlight was scarce, Delphine found a way to dry the peppercorns using the oven.
Meanwhile, Legion had begun preparing for the Monster Expedition.
He also continued training with his Marionette ability... experimenting to see if he could teleport his controlled knight armors even if they were far apart.
It took multiple attempts...
But after countless failures, he finally mastered it.
All thanks to the Empress.
Legion had also noticed something unusual.
Ever since that night with the Empress, his HP and MP had skyrocketed.
In one night, his stats increased by 50 points each.
That kind of growth should have taken months, some even years, of battle and intense training.
And it wasn't just that.
Even when the Empress did something small...
Like placing food on their plates or handing them a drink...
Their HP and MP would rise.
Legion didn't understand why.
But there was one thing he was sure of:
Everything in their lives had changed the moment they pledged themselves to the Empress.
Now, he could control all twelve knight armors in the palace.
Even if he was miles away, he could still see through their eyes and move them freely.
And if needed, he could make them teleport to his location.
This ability gave him peace of mind.
Even if he left for the expedition, he would still be able to watch over the Empress.
One afternoon, during his daily training in the forest, Legion suddenly heard something through one of his knight armors.
A scream.
It was the Empress.
Instantly, Legion teleported to the palace, arriving at the armor's location.
The knight armor had been stationed in the library, but through its eyes, he could see the Empress outside...
At the back of the palace.
Without hesitation, he teleported to her side.
At the same time, Delphine came running.
"Your Highness!" Legion immediately checked the Empress for injuries.
Delphine did the same.
"Are you hurt?" Legion asked, concern clear in his voice.
Ceres waved them off.
"I'm fine," she assured them.
"Then why did you scream?" Delphine asked, still catching her breath.
Ceres's golden eyes sparkled with excitement as she pointed at a small shrub growing wildly nearby.
"It's a coffee plant!"
"… Coffee?" Legion frowned at the unfamiliar word. He looked at the plant she was pointing at.
"It's just a wild shrub, Your Highness. It's not edible."
Ceres rolled her eyes.
"I know it's not for eating. You drink it."
Delphine's brows furrowed.
"Do you mean Moondusk shrub?" she asked hesitantly. "I've tried making tea from that plant's leaves before… But it tasted horrible. And the fruits are too hard to eat.
"We let them grow because sometimes they release a nice aroma. But they're basically useless."
But Ceres wasn't listening.
She was too overwhelmed with excitement.
After nearly a month of drinking nothing but tea...
She was finally going to have coffee again.
"Harvest those green beans, all of them," she ordered, grinning.
Delphine and Legion glanced at each other.
To them, the plant was nothing but a weed.
But the sheer joy on the Empress's face made it impossible to refuse.
"… As you wish, Your Highness."
And so, they followed her orders.