It had been obvious that Theodore''s news about the attack wouldn''t be nice, but this was even worse than what Cedar had expected. It seemed like Camille had hired unskilled young men from an orphanage while knowing well that the royal guards would kill most of the attackers.


    Cedar closed his eyes for a moment. He didn''t want to think about what had happened during the battle. So, many people had fallen for no reason. Why would some orphans challenge the royal guards, who were certainly much more powerful than random young men? Cedar opened his eyes again and turned to Theodore. “What made them think that committing treason was a good idea? They didn''t suddenly wake up with the wish to kill you.” Of course, they hadn''t. The true reason was as obvious as it could get.


    Theodore''s wrath-filled expression already revealed that. “I''m not sure whether they knew who we were. They didn''t even know who Camille was when she proposed that she would fund the orphanage if those men agreed to follow her. She claimed that she would hand over her private funds to the owner as long as her demands were met no matter whether the attack was successful. The people she hired do not seem to be very rich, and this was probably a huge chance for them to secure the future for themselves and the other children they cared about.”


    Only Camille could be so cruel. Her plan hadn''t been too thoughtless this time though. It would have worked if Cedar hadn''t intervened, and Camille certainly hadn''t believed that her son would do that while coming up with this plot. Now the plan had failed, and two or three dozen people had lost their lives for no reason. Only Camille would be fine with such an outcome. She was probably angrier that her plot had failed than she was sad about the lives that were lost.


    Cedar had to hold back a bitter chuckle. What a loving mother he had. Every time he thought that he knew how bad she could be, Camille proved him otherwise. “It seems that Mother is as kind and compassionate as we always believed her to be.”


    Theodore was boiling underneath his calm facade. That was obvious by the way that he balled his fists and glared against the wall. “Indeed. She used them as a distraction with the full knowledge that most of them would be slaughtered. Apparently, she even told them that they would be tortured if they surrendered. That might be why none of them dared to give up even when it was obvious that we would win.”


    So, Camille hadn''t even cared about keeping the people she didn''t need anymore alive. She had just thought that sending soldiers who feared for their deaths would fight better. She hadn''t even told them that they would be up against royal guards so that they could prepare.


    Cedar was used to it. He had known his mother for his whole life, and he would claim that he knew her best in this world. But even he could only freeze in shock when he heard something like this. How could Camille have raised a person who could differentiate between right and wrong when she clearly couldn''t? She couldn''t even try to justify sending barely adult orphans to their certain deaths no matter whether she managed to push the blame onto Theodore in her mind. Was she still the good one in her own twisted world? Camille had to have a lot more problems than her sons could imagine.


    Cedar didn''t dare to say anything about her anymore. He just needed to know one more thing. “Since you know all of this already, the trial will just reveal what happened to the public. Judgment is inevitable, is it not?” Treason would only be punished with one specific order, especially when the perpetrator wasn''t a member of royalty anymore.


    “It is. It''s over. I will personally ensure that no questions about the trial arise. Her house of lies and terror will finally come crashing down on top of her and bury her along with all the pain she caused.” Theodore forced himself to stay calm for a moment before he resumed without the murderous tone in his voice and glanced at his brother. “You won''t have to testify. We prepared everything. We only have to take the last few steps, and then it will be over. I will give you the summary after the trial. But the only thing you need to know is that you are fine. You are safe here, and everyone is on your side. We will all support you once it''s time.”


    Cedar didn''t like the meaning of that. He unwillingly tightened his hold on the blanket, and he was pretty sure that his smile widened. The worst part had to be how it felt like a pit formed in his stomach when he heard that.


    For the longest time now, he had been able to push away the things that were related to his mother''s unhappy future, but now it was time. Camille would be executed in just a few weeks. She would die, and her son would stand by without interfering. Knowing that felt strange, really strange.


    Cedar''s heart skipped a beat in a very unpleasant manner before it began beating faster. It was almost pathetic. It had been clear for so long, and he knew well that Camille deserved this. And yet, he couldn''t bring himself to accept it as a fact. He wasn''t surprised, but it still felt like a punch in the gut. His mother would die. She would be hanged or beheaded while guests sat there and watched her execution. And Cedar would have to sit there as well while trying not to break down as the person he had lived for was killed. Wasn''t this odd?


    Why was Cedar going to be on the winning side now as he got his nice future while Camille was executed? He had worked together with her for years. He had plotted for her. And he would argue that his mental state wasn''t much better than hers either. So, why wouldn''t he be punished in the slightest? Didn''t he deserve it too? He wasn''t sure.


    Much like he wasn''t sure whether he could have prevented this ending. Could he have connected with his mother if he had reached out to her a bit more? Could he have saved Camille if he had acted differently in the past? And had Cedar''s presence been helpful for her mental state at all, or had he just made it worse by adding his own problems into the mix?


    A voice pulled him out of his thoughts before he had come to a single conclusion. “Cedar. Look at me.”


    Cedar unwillingly obeyed. He turned to his brother and showed him a much too radiant smile.


    Theodore kept his eyes on his brother''s face while he replied in a gentle but determined tone. “None of this is your fault, alright? You did everything in your power. You offered her to mend her ways at least three times while I was present. Certainly, you did it even more often when you were alone. She never took your hand no matter how often you extended it to her. It''s her fault if she falls into the abyss now. And you aren''t like her in the slightest. You don''t deserve what she will get just because she is your mother. I know that bad things happened, but you didn''t leave a trail of blood and pain behind you while justifying it. You aren''t the villain here. She had already stepped over the edge before you were born. You couldn''t have done anything, and a child is never responsible for fixing their parents'' life. It was more than good enough that you didn''t fall into that bottomless pit with her.” He looked like he got a bit emotional while saying that.


    Cedar still wasn''t convinced though. In his head, there would always be the quiet voice that asked him whether he couldn''t have done more. Whether he hadn''t had the chance to pull his mother away from a dangerous path. Rationally thinking, he knew that he had never had that chance. But his mother had influenced his whole life so strongly that it was hard to deny that he could have influenced her as well.


    Maybe he shouldn''t admit that, but he had unwillingly done it by staying quiet.


    Theodore pressed his lips together for a moment before he whispered. “You are much stronger than you think you are. But no matter how much effort you put in, you can''t save a person who is jumping off a cliff. You were able to save yourself, but you don''t have the chance to decide for that woman. She had more than enough chances to turn back, and she never did. You aren''t responsible for that.”


    Cedar finally forced himself to respond to that. “I know.” He knew that this couldn''t have been his fault. But the amount of times that his mother had told him that she wished that he hadn''t been born made it hard to keep himself from worrying. He wouldn''t say that out loud though. He just continued to smile and did what he always did when it got uncomfortable. “Did you really just come here to give Lucille a break, or did you want to ask something else?”


    Theodore hesitated for a short moment. He knew that his brother just wanted to change the topic, so he was reluctant. But in the end, he complied. It didn''t seem like this topic would be more pleasant though. His eyes wandered to the other end of the room while he tensed a bit. His voice was quieter than before as he spoke. “About the dream you had...”


    Cedar didn''t want to speak about that either. The contents of that dream had been unpleasant enough, but the fact that it had felt like he had spent seven hours in a nightmare while experiencing a coronation with all his senses was much worse. He hated not being in control of himself, and that dream trance had been a bundle of what he feared most. Interacting with Lucille with ulterior motives, being trapped in his mother''s web, living with the knowledge that he had fulfilled his bidding as a tool, losing the people he might care about a little and so much more. He didn''t feel like talking about that for long. “Is that important?”


    He received no response, and that was enough of an answer.


    Cedar hated it, but upon seeing Theodore''s serious expression, he replied. “Like I said, I dreamed about being crowned the emperor. I think you were dead for some reason. I mentioned something about the unfavorable nature of your demise, which sounded a little like I was at fault. Anyway, the high priest did the whole ceremony. The dukes bowed to me. Luciano''s father was there too, even though he should have been dead. The worst part was that Mother was clinging to me while Lucille didn''t recognize me.” He didn''t ever want to be treated so distantly and with so much fear by Lucille. That would break his heart. Even imagining it made him unhappy. “Then the dream ended with me...well...” He couldn''t believe that he actually had to say this.


    But Theodore still didn''t say anything and listened closely, which forced the prince to resume.


    Cedar hated that part most. “With me manipulating Lucille into becoming my wife in name to keep the political stability. In return, I would protect her from her father and an abusive fiancé or something like that. It was stupid.” Which was why he wouldn''t ever think about it again if he could go without it. “But the fact that I couldn''t move on my own was a bit unpleasant.” He tried his best to seem nonchalant while explaining all of that, but his wide smile had probably betrayed the truth.


    A few seconds passed in silence. Theodore kept a close eye on his brother''s face while whispering in a hoarse voice. “And that is all you remembered?”Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Cedar glanced at the emperor with slight annoyance. He already remembered far too many details of that damned nightmare. If he had stayed there any longer, he might have forgotten that he was sleeping. “I wouldn''t call it remembering. It was a dream. One I disliked a lot, so I tried everything in my power to wake up until it finally worked.”


    For some reason, this made Theodore relax. He stared at the floor for a moment. He let out a little chuckle despite his brother''s confusion. “You really are stubborn enough to go against everything.” He lifted his head to look at the prince with something almost affectionate in his gaze. “You''ve always been even more stubborn than me.” As if this look in his eyes wasn''t odd enough, he lifted his hand and ruffled his fingers through Cedar''s hair.


    To Cedar, that was his cue to freeze. What was going on now? Was Theodore trying to get him to react in some way? Or did his brother want something specific? Did Theodore have a request of some sort? Cedar had no idea. The emperor was acting strange, and he wasn''t sure what to say about that. Cedar scanned his brother with uncertainty for a moment before he replied. “Is there something special about the dream?”


    Theodore slowly removed his hand, but he was still smiling. “If I say that it''s better that you don''t know, will you ask anyway?”


    Cedar should. All of this was way too vague. But to be honest, his intuition told him to leave it be, and his intuition was always right. “No. Not really. To me, it was a stupid dream, and I will leave it at that.” He could just hope that he would never dream of something so stupid again. If he was stuck in such a nightmare more often, he would lose his mind.


    Theodore seemed to accept the reply he had been given but got lost in thoughts. He didn''t move for a few seconds before he suddenly did the last thing that Cedar would have expected. He just came a bit closer and hugged his brother. “I''m glad that you are fine. I was really scared for a moment.”


    Cedar should be used to this odd behavior by now, but this level of strangeness hadn''t been reached before. He tensed without knowing what to do and just sat there while blinking.


    Was that a hug? Was Theodore seriously hugging him? He was careful to not touch his brother''s wounds too.


    Cedar had no idea how to deal with that. He would have liked to stay silent in this unmoving position, but he was pretty sure that that would reveal how uncertain he was. So, he replied while doing his best to sound normal. “I''m glad that I''m fine too. And I am glad that you didn''t get hit with an arrow despite my efforts. That would have been annoying.”


    Theodore still didn''t let go. He just stayed there while having his arms around his brother. For a few seconds, that had been somewhat fine, but now it was getting really odd. Yet, it didn''t seem like Theodore felt very bothered by that. He spoke up in a whisper. “Thank you for saving my life. But please don''t do something so reckless anymore. You can''t just risk dying or getting severely injured like this. You aren''t invincible either, so value your health more.”


    What was Cedar supposed to say about that? He hadn''t let himself be hit by the arrow or the sword on purpose. He could have avoided the later one with ease if he hadn''t been poisoned, and the former one had been shot from behind his back, so he hadn''t had the chance to step aside in time. “Well, if I ever have to save you again, I will make sure not to let some idiot hit me with a poison arrow. Then I might be able to fight without feeling like the world is spinning around me.” He didn''t know what to do with this hug, so he just awkwardly patted his brother''s back while waiting for him to move.


    Theodore let out a low huff. “We won''t be threatened like that again in the near future. You shouldn''t think about fighting already when you have done enough of that for a while. I will keep an eye on that. Don''t forget that. If you try to pick up a sword, I will personally intervene.” He let go at this point and slowly moved back a bit so that he could make eye contact with his brother. “Recover quickly, alright?”


    Cedar would do that if he had the chance to control his healing speed. That would be hard, but he would certainly try to move around normally as soon as possible. He didn''t say that though. “You mean so that you can drag me back to the minister meetings?”


    “That too. But you definitely won''t work during the next few weeks. Don''t think about politics. Focus on getting better and spending time with your lover. That is what you need to do now. No one will allow you to touch anything that is related to stressful activities in the near future.” He said that as if there was no room for discussion left.


    Cedar assumed that he had no say in this matter, so he wouldn''t even try to argue. If he could spend more time with Lucille, it was fine for him. “Then I guess that I will have to be lazy for a few weeks. Don''t complain about me not having finished any documents in that time though. I mean, I could technically prepare some here, but you said-”


    Theodore cut him off. “I said that you wouldn''t touch anything work-related. Don''t start thinking about loopholes.” He was silent for a short moment before a faint smile formed on his lips. “I''m glad that it''s like this now. This is much better.”


    Cedar had no idea what he was talking about. He scanned his brother with slight skepticism. He saw something odd in the other''s gaze, which immediately made him speak before the other man could continue. “Say, are you drunk, Theodore?”


    The emperor chuckled at him. “You really can''t deal with stuff like this, can you?” He genuinely seemed amused despite his brother''s confusion. “You are normally so clever, but in this regard, you may be a bit dense. Well, we will make sure that you can slowly get used it to.”


    Cedar wasn''t sure whether he liked how that sounded. “Depending on what you are referring to, I may or may not have to disagree. Will you enlighten me, or will I stay in the dark for a bit longer?”


    The corners of Theodore''s lips lifted. “I think you know that well. But don''t worry. We have enough time to let you understand on your own. Even though I am certain that I already told you the truth right to your face a few times. Well, it seems like even you don''t get it when someone is completely honest, even though you have no issues spotting lies.”


    Cedar did have a vague idea of what this might be about, but to be honest, this topic was a bit too odd for him. He scanned his brother for a moment before he chose to answer. “Then I will have to be patient until I can understand the confusing things that leave your mouth. But I can''t really control how quickly this will go.” So, he would just change the topic before this got too strange. “Theodore, I need you to have someone come to the palace. That person has to make something for me.”


    “I can have them come by in two days if necessary. Who were you-” Theodore didn''t have the chance to bring his answer to an end.


    Someone knocked on the door. When the emperor allowed them in, the door opened, and Lucille slowly came inside. “Hello.” She greeted the men in a weak voice before focusing on not spilling the contents of what she had brought. She carried a tray with a few cups and a pot so that she had trouble closing the door behind her. After a moment, she received some help from the guards outside, which allowed her to bring the tray to the table without additional problems. Then she showed her lover a soft smile. “I didn''t take too long, did I?” She had barely been away. Most likely, she hadn''t even taken the bath she had thought about before.


    Cedar greeted her with a smile in return. “You were gone for five minutes at most. It seems like you didn''t really rest like I asked you to, right?”


    Lucille couldn''t hide the way that she averted her eyes. “Well, I did sit down to calm down a bit, but... I usually sit around here with you as well, and that isn''t really exhausting, so I didn''t need to rest much. And-” She paused while gesturing to the teapot. “I coincidentally overheard how some servants prepared calming herb tea. I thought that it would be good for you to have some.” So, she had brought something for her lover despite him telling her that it was fine. How stubborn she was when it came to helping him.


    Theodore watched the couple for a moment before he stood up. “It seems that I''m not needed anymore. I will remove myself to leave the both of you alone. I wish you a wonderful afternoon. You should take it slow and get some rest until Blanche and I come back. That applies to both of you.” He made eye contact with Cedar before looking at Lucille. “Don''t overdo it. We don''t want either of you to be exhausted.” When he spoke like the worried older brother, it somehow sounded weird.


    To Lucille, it had to be even stranger, but she didn''t show her confusion. “We will make sure not to do anything exhausting. Cedar won''t move around more than necessary, and I won''t leave the room either.”


    Theodore seemed content with that. He smiled at the couple before slowly walking to the door. “Thank you for taking care of him. He is probably allowing you to do more for him than he would allow anyone else, so it''s important that you are here. And don''t forget that you don''t need to discuss with him. The emperor orders him to recover fully before he can even think about trying something exhausting. I will not be happy if that is ignored, so make sure to remind him that I can and will punish him if he tries to go against my word.” After he said all of that, he looked at his brother again. “Get some rest, and don''t just act like everything is fine. You are hurt, and you can admit that it hurts too. I hope that it gets better quickly, but don''t rush yourself.” He only left when he received a nod from his brother.


    Cedar was relieved when the emperor exited the room. Finally. Now he could enjoy some time without needing to deal with Theodore''s exaggerated worries about his brother''s health. That Lucille made a fuss out of this was unnecessary enough, so he didn''t need anyone else to worry this much too.


    The prince slowly turned to his lover and only smiled at her. He received the desired result in a few seconds.


    Lucille came over to the bed and sat down next to him to press a kiss onto his nose. Then she scanned his face for a moment before she spoke up. “Are you doing well, or did something special happen?”


    Cedar grinned at her, but his mood was already a bit dented. Something was wrong with Lucille. Her smile wasn''t as bright as normal, and he was pretty sure that she tried to hide it. Wasn''t she a bit tense too? He needed to take care of that before doing anything else. “Everything here was fine. Theodore was a bit sentimental, but that doesn''t matter. Say, did something special happen?”


    Lucille shook her head a bit too quickly. She was hiding something. “There wasn''t anything special. I got some tea and then came back.” She glanced at the nightstand and quickly found something she could use to distract Cedar with. “Ah. We almost forgot the cake. You still need to finish that.” She reached for the plate.


    Cedar didn''t let her though. He moved forward just in time and caught her hands before holding them between his. He gently stroked his thumb over her skin while looking right into his lover''s eyes. “Luci.” Apparently, his soft tone had helped already.


    Lucille lowered her gaze and relaxed a little, but she was still unhappy. “It would be stupid if I complain about this now. You have a much worse problem. So...”


    Cedar didn''t let go of her hands. Instead, he just continued to caress her skin while staring at her. “I''m just a little hurt and can''t walk around much. I''m not on the verge of death, so you can be honest. Most problems will be easily solvable if I get involved, right? So, please just tell me.”


    Lucille was reluctant. But after a few seconds of eye contact, she gave in. “I mean, you probably can''t do anything about this. And it''s not really a big deal either. It''s...” She stopped herself before choosing to be direct. “I just...received a letter. One of the servants gave it to me while I passed.”


    Cedar didn''t like the sound of that. Many people could send unpleasant letters to the palace. He needed to know whether it was someone dangerous though. “Who is it from?”


    Lucille was much quieter than before. “My father.”


    A letter from Raymond probably didn''t announce any danger, which calmed Cedar a bit. But still, he needed to know what was going on. So, he asked again. “But that isn''t everything, right? You wouldn''t be so on edge if this was just a normal letter from him.”


    Lucille averted her eyes again. “You''re right. It''s nothing really bad, but...” She glanced at her lover for just a second. She truly didn''t want to worry him.


    Cedar''s wounds weren''t that problematic anymore, so he didn''t know why everyone was exaggerating. He didn''t argue though. He just brought Lucille''s hand to his lips and gently kissed her. Then he made eye contact and whispered to her. “If it concerns you, please tell me. I want to help you.”