Yulia rolled up her sleeves and hoisted the hoe onto her shoulder. The action stopped the girls in their tracks, their eyes wide with shock.

"Your Highness... with us?"

"No, this is wrong! A princess shouldn't touch the dirt!" They swarmed her, hands reaching out to pry the tool from her grip.

Yulia blinked, stunned by their intensity. If only her college group projects had shown half this much initiative.

Giotto's face turned a shade of envious green. He was a noble; his boots had never touched a mud puddle before his brother's betrayal sent him to this abyss.

Sword training was exhausting, but tilling soil looked like a special kind of hell. He waited for someone to tell him he was too "refined" for the dirt, but the silence stretched on.

Yulia pushed the hoe into a girl's hands and turned to him. "Jojo, you're a water mage, right? Come to the storeroom and freeze the meat before the heat spoils it.",

Giotto's eyes brightened at the thought of leaving the sun. "You mean... I get to stay inside?",

"Just until the meat is frozen," Yulia said, offering a sharp, bright smile. "Then get back to the field. Thanks, Jojo.",

"It's Giotto Aus—" He slumped, his shoulders dropping. "Fine. Jojo it is.",

Yulia patted the dust from her rose-colored silk. She remembered the hot spring Caerus had mentioned and decided she needed to scrub the grime off before dealing with dinner.

She found the northern wing, her boots clicking against the marble as she carried a bundle of clean lace. She stepped through the archway into a cloud of white steam.

Caerus stood in the center of the pool. He was naked, his back turned to the door, every muscle in his shoulders corded like carved stone.

Yulia froze, her body turning as rigid as the marble pillars lining the water.

Water splashed. The man turned, his gaze cold and entirely unbothered by his lack of clothing.

"Perfect timing." He stepped out of the pool, droplets of water tracking down his pale chest.

Yulia didn't move. She stared at a spot on the wall, her face heating up faster than the spring.

"What are you waiting for?" Caerus tilted his head, his golden slit eyes narrowing. "Want to join?",

Yulia's composure snapped. She hurled the bundle of clothes at his head.

"Put some clothes on, you freak!"

The silk never touched him. It dissolved into gray ash before it even brushed his skin.

"You really aren't afraid of dying, are you?" Caerus moved with a blur of speed.

His hand clamped around her throat, lifting her until her toes brushed the stone. His palm was hot against her skin.

"Are you like the others? Do you dream of a holy kingdom waiting for you after your heart stops?",

Yulia's eyes brightened. She leaned into his grip, her pulse thudding against his fingers.

"Kingdom? I'm an atheist! I believe in coming back as a hero in eighteen years!",

Caerus went still. He stared at her as if she were a new species of insect.

"Gods don't give me bread," she rasped, her voice straining. "I farm. I cook. Laborers are the ones with the power!",

The silence stretched. Then, Caerus let go.

He draped his heavy, black outer robe over her head. The fabric smelled of cold mountain air and bitter herbs.

"I'm hungry," he said, his voice returning to its usual flat drone. "Finish your bath and make dinner.",

He vanished in a gust of wind. Yulia stood in the steam, clutching the oversized robe and fuming.

"Dinner? I'm spitting in your soup!"

She marched back to her room, the black silk trailing on the floor. Abby and Celine stopped their work, their gazes locking onto the dragon's garment.

"Princess? Is that... his?" Abby's voice was a hushed whisper.

"Caught him in the spring. He burned my clothes," Yulia muttered, throwing the robe onto the bed.

Abby's eyes shone with a mix of awe and pity. "You sacrifice so much for us... even cooking for commoners."

Celine stood in the shadow of the door, her expression unreadable.

She looked at the golden relief on the walls and the soft cherry wood bed. She thought of the handsome, lethal man in the spring.

"The dragon gives us food and rooms, not her," Celine whispered to the shadows once the others left.

She touched the silk of a dress hanging in the oak wardrobe.

"If he likes her, why wouldn't he like me?" Celine's grip tightened on the fabric. "I'd never touch the mud."

Someone was brave enough to target the dragon. Yulia didn't notice.

She finished the sauces with Jane and Molly's help. Ollie circled her like a hungry vulture.

"Lily! Lily! Where are the burgers? You promised!"

Yulia reached for his plate of roast meat. "Sick of this? Fine. Starve."

Ollie shrieked, shielding his food with his wings. Giotto, cutting beef nearby, let out a snicker.

Ollie's green eyes snapped to him. "You laughing at me, human?"

"No! I just..."

"Die, mortal insect!" Ollie dove, pecking Giotto's head like a manic woodpecker.

Giotto ducked and wove, dodging the divine bird. "Princess! Help!"

"You're losing to a bird," Yulia muttered. "Useless."

"Garbage," the other girls chimed in.

Yulia looked at the tray meant for the dragon. She didn't want to make the trip.

"Anyone want to take this to him?"

The kitchen went dead silent. The girls stepped back in a synchronized wave of terror.

Except for Celine.

She stepped forward, a soft smile on her lips. "I'll go, Princess."

"Perfect. I'll have your dinner waiting when you get back.".

Celine took the tray. Caerus was in the Temple of Abyss vault.

A gold goblet clattered at her feet as she entered.

"You're late," Caerus said.

He sounded... annoyed. Almost like he was complaining.

"Apologies, Lord Caerus." Celine bowed low, her voice a practiced honey. "I came as soon as the Princess finished, but..."

She let the implication hang.

The moon sat high in the sky. Caerus frowned.

"Where is Yulia Farislan?"

Celine walked closer, eyes scanning the mountains of gold and high-tier staves. "The Princess is... busy."

Caerus looked out the window.

The weed-choked field was now a neat grid of seeds. He saw Menningen, the Undead Knight, hiding behind a corner with a hoe.

"Stupid," Caerus muttered.

Celine took it as an insult to Yulia. "If I were in your favor, my lord, I would never neglect you. I would serve you at your feet..."

She reached for the edge of his black robe.

A gale erupted. Golden chains lashed out, pinning Celine to the air.

"Lord Caerus! I only want to serve you like Yulia! I'm more devout!"

Her tongue betrayed her. The truth spell took hold.

"I want to replace her. I want your gold. I want to stand above everyone."

Caerus sat on a throne he'd looted centuries ago. "A thousand years, and human greed still has no imagination."

He watched Yulia outside, chasing the skeleton knight. "You're a secret helper, Sir Menningen!" she yelled.

Caerus looked back at Celine. His eyes were cold, molten voids.

"Stop screaming. No god is listening. Except me."

He raised a finger.

"And here is my answer: eternal death."