ã€ŠThe Broken Prince&#x27;s Loveã€‹


 Prologue

    Cedar had to admit that he wasn''t a good person. He would never have claimed that anything else was the case, but he would also argue that most of the things that had happened weren''t truly his fault.

    He hadn''t asked to be born as the second prince of the royal family of Artias. He also hadn''t asked to be the son of a mother who was slowly decaying because of her boundless jealousy directed at her husband''s mistress and a father who didn''t look at anything but his work.

    The worst thing about his family had to have been his brother though, which Cedar obviously hadn''t asked for either. Everything that he lacked had been handed to Theodore on a silver plate ever since his birth. Theodore was the firstborn. Theodore was the heir, the future emperor, and thus the only person who had ever gained their father''s interest. Theodore had been raised by the emperor''s mistress, who had loved him like any normal mother would love her son, which meant that he had been granted the attention of two wonderful parental figures.

    In the meantime, Cedar had been forced to live in his perfect brother''s shadow while enduring their real mother''s anger issues. He had pointed out that this was unfair countless times, but it was clear that no one would listen to him.

    By now, he had given up on it and stopped struggling against this fate. Even if another person told him that he could dig up the riverbed to change the flow of water, which was a metaphor for his life, he didn''t believe that. He could dig as much as he wanted, but the stone would still keep its original form. He couldn''t help but be jealous of Theodore and hate his brother when he had been raised to do that. Likewise, he also couldn''t change that his personality might seem a bit twisted to others.

    In the end, none of this was his fault, and Cedar would also apply this to the situation he was currently in. There hadn''t been much he could have done differently, but right now, he didn''t truly care either. Cedar let out a small sigh and lifted his hands to signal the knight that he didn''t mean any harm, but that didn''t seem to calm the other man down.

    Instead, the guard stepped closer and hissed in a voice that was probably supposed to be intimidating. ¡°I told you to get away from the wall, didn''t I? Do you want to be hit so badly, huh? If you come closer even one more time, I will make sure that you won''t ever try it again.¡±

    Cedar hadn''t even done anything that upsetting, so he had no idea why the knight was this aggressive. Maybe it would be better to let that man calm down instead of doing anything problematic any time soon. He might really end up with a sword in his stomach if he provoked the wrong person. ¡°I understand.¡± The prince gave the other man a bright smile and took a step backward. ¡°I won''t bother you again. Would you mind lowering your sword then? I don''t wish to get hurt on accident.¡±

    The knight''s face scrunched up as he stepped closer. ¡°If I mess up your face, it certainly won''t be an accident. Go back inside. I won''t repeat myself.¡± His words might have sounded a little less like a threat if he had said them in a nicer tone, but apparently, being polite wasn''t this man''s strength.

    Cedar didn''t have any desire to get this person to explode, but he couldn''t back away like this either. ¡°Please calm down, Sir. I did not have any bad intentions. I merely wished to take a look at the pond. I planned on going a bit closer for that. If it''s too close to the walls for your liking, I won''t go there again. But maybe you should stop threatening a member of the royal family if you wish to keep your position here.¡±

    The guard let out a snort and held his sword forward. ¡°Do you think anyone would care enough to actually deal with any matter that is related to you? No one here would bat an eye if you died. I would actually do the world a favor by getting rid of the murderous prince who dared to attack the royal palace. His Majesty would be happy to have you slayed right here.¡±

    Cedar had to hold back from giving a snarky response at that. He was sure that he had begun this discussion with at least a dozen servants by now. Being a prince truly didn''t pay off when everyone around him seemed to hate him.

    Even though his title granted him some amount of power, he had never been seen as an influential individual by most people in the first place. This had only gotten worse after his mother, Camille Estien, the current dowager empress, had attempted to kill Theodore right after his coronation. Cedar had spent six years in confinement by her side before being released. Instead of using this chance to gain power to slowly undermine the emperor, his mother had just started a direct attack on the palace three months ago. Naturally, she had sent Cedar in first with a bunch of mercenaries.

    As expected, waltzing into the royal palace with some warriors didn''t do much against the royal guards that protected the palace. The mercenaries had been defeated swiftly, and the perfect Theodore had once again been successful in winning every single fight in his life.

    Cedar had been put back into confinement with his mother and a wound on his head, which was thankfully almost healed by now, by his dearest brother. But that didn''t make his situation much more pleasant. After all, he was surrounded by a group of people who thought that it was fun to disrespect the fallen members of the royal family. The other half of the staff members were trying to flatter Camille until they got her favor in an attempt to gain a little bit of power like this, but most were similar to the guard Cedar was up against right now.

    That man just glared at him and became even more aggressive at the other''s silence. ¡°Well? Can''t say anything about that, you arrogant bastard? At least you know your place. Now go back, or I will show you what happens to people that disobey the emperor''s order.¡±

    By now, Cedar would love to just go back, but that would be a hassle. He had prepared everything, and hiding all of this while waiting for a second chance would be annoying. So, he would have to use this opportunity. The only thing that could help him here was doing what he had always been good at. Talking and infuriating people. ¡°The thing is... Even if my beloved brother put me here, he wanted me to be alive. So, you killing me wouldn''t make him happy. If anyone is disobedient right now, it''s you. The only question is whether you will accept that or keep making comments about how I''m powerless. Would you please lower your sword now? I am only trying to enjoy the view of the pond. I won''t do anything reckless.¡±

    The knight narrowed his eyes at him and took a step forward. ¡°You are awfully confident for someone that doesn''t deserve anything but to lay in the dirt that you came from. Even your face is disgusting enough to make me want to puke. Get back in the building now.¡±

    Cedar glanced down to check the floor. He took a half step back before looking up again. He had to remember that stone there, or he might trip later, but that was all he had to check for now. Cedar scanned the knight''s posture and slowly turned his body slightly to the side while carefully inspecting the environment. They were still alone. Good. Then this might work. ¡°I don''t think that you are in any position to order me around, Sir Knight. Aren''t I above you in terms of status?¡± He showed the other man a smirk and waited for a response while almost expecting an attack.

    But the guard had a little more self-restraint than Cedar had given him credit for. The muscular man glared at the prince and lifted his sword higher, but he didn''t do anything. ¡°If you want to cause problems for yourself, you are on the right track. But I assume that you do not want to get hurt and end up with scars that prove that the traitorous prince is also stupid. I told you to-¡± He was almost at his breaking point, and that was the perfect time to strike.

    Cedar let out a low chuckle and cut the other man off. ¡°Stupid? That''s a new insult. I don''t think I''ve ever heard anyone say that.¡± He spoke with as much sarcasm in his voice as possible. ¡°And you, the most amazing knight in this whole nation, finally told me. I must be blessed by the gods.¡± Sometimes, he wondered if the gods had truly blessed him with the worst luck imaginable. After all, they were forcing him to meet simple-minded people like this again and again.

    The guard''s face got red, and the veins on his forehead were puckering as if he was seconds away from getting a heart attack because of his anger. ¡°You...little...¡± He didn''t finish that insult and glared down at the prince before coming a bit closer. ¡°I think someone needs to show you that a loose mouth won''t do you any favors here. You will regret trying to pick a fight with me. You had countless chances to get away, so don''t complain now.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    That was exactly what the prince wanted.

    Cedar tensed his muscles and scanned the other''s movement to be prepared for when that man lunged forward. ¡°How about we duel then? If you are such a great knight, surely defeating a stupid prince won''t be an issue. Give me a sword or a wooden stick, and you will be able to show me who the stronger person is.¡± No matter what option the other man would choose, it would end up being favorable for Cedar, especially if the guard acted like he had predicted it.

    And unsurprisingly, that fuming man did the prince the favor. ¡°Duels are only for worthy people. You don''t deserve something like that. You should get something that shows you how much of a piece of garbage you are. This isn''t a playground for you to parade around on, so I guess I will have to prove that to you now.¡± The knight put his sword into the sheath that hung around his waist and cracked his knuckles. Perfect. That idiot was truly easy to control, and he still hadn''t noticed a thing.

    Cedar took half a step backward again and glanced at the stone below his feet while turning his head to the side. ¡°You don''t put away your weapon while you are facing your opponent. Didn''t your oh-so-great royal guards teach you that? You can''t underestimate anyone. I should remind you that it would be better to be prepared the next time.¡± He slowly moved his hand to the side and pulled out the sand he had hidden in his pocket. He kept it in his closed fist and carefully brought it behind his back while keeping an eye on the other man. It seemed like this might work out without any issues.

    After all, the knight still hadn''t noticed. He just rolled up his sleeves and took a step forward, which made it seem like he prepared to attack. ¡°You are way too confident. I will make sure that you think about whom you offend before trying anything next time. The most experienced fighter around here will make you understand that your title won''t protect you from being beaten black and blue.¡± With that, he cracked his knuckles again, which was as boring as it had been the first time. He probably wanted the prince to be scared now, but he would have to try harder than that.

    Cedar had grown up in a family that consisted of people who were able to glare at others in such a manner that the concerned people feared death immediately. He was also rather sure that his mother was much more violent than this man could ever be, so he didn''t worry in the slightest. There was no way that he would lose against an idiot like this. The area around them was cleared, and he only needed a few more minutes before everything would be over. If he did it well, no one involved should come to harm either. He slowly pulled out the second item he had prepared and hid it at his side as well. Now he was ready to strike. ¡°I see. Maybe that would be intimidating if I could see any fighter somewhere. But I only see a talkative, bratty boy in a uniform here. That doesn''t make you a knight, you know? As you said, this title won''t keep you from being hit by something unexpected. So, will you prove that you can fight now, or will you start calling for help soon? I can let you off the hook if you apologize to me.¡±

    It was obvious that the other man wouldn''t take that well. The guard''s face contorted with fury, and he let out a growl. ¡°I see. If that''s how it is, I will be happy to break a few of your bones. Come at me!¡± He yelled the last part and stormed forward after that. Perfect.

    Cedar changed into his fighting mentality immediately so that his body almost reacted on its own. He only needed to jump to the side at the right moment now. He kept watching the other man''s movements until the last second and made a small step to the side while turning his body.

    The guard, who had expected his fist to make contact, fell forward and stumbled over the rock.

    Just as Cedar had planned, he had a small moment to get ready for the quick finale. He moved around the short, thick branch in his hand and gripped it tightly. Surely, the other man would attack again now. And once again, Cedar''s guess had been right.

    The guard already pressed his hands into the soil and jumped up to charge at the other man. ¡°You bastard!¡± This time, he yelled even louder, which made the prince worry about whether others would come to check up on them.

    But Cedar didn''t have time to think about that. He needed to act quickly. So, he took a swing with his left hand, which still held onto the sand, and threw it at the man. Until now, everything went as expected, but suddenly, that changed.

    The knight only slowed his movement for a moment and reached into his jacket to pull out a small dagger as he wildly sliced without seeing anything. Guards weren''t allowed to carry daggers though. Why did he have one?

    Cedar had no time to waste. He lunged forward. His body moved on its own at that moment, so he could only pray that his reflexes were enough to save him. He would have to be faster now, or he might end up being slit open at some point. He raised his right arm and brought down the branch onto the side of the other''s head. But as expected, his reflexes were more focused on crushing the enemy than on actually avoiding nonlethal attacks. He noticed that he had attacked but not defended himself as soon as he made contact with the guard''s skull. He jumped back again, but there already was a huge gash on his arm. The prince already prepared before the pain set in, and when it did, he only took a deep breath and gazed down at the now unconscious knight.

    What a useless injury.

    Cedar should have expected something like this when he was using the most treacherous attacks possible as well. Well, it wasn''t like being injured like this was anything new. At least it was just the slit. It would have been worse if the dagger had been stabbed into his flesh. Like this, no muscles were injured. The slight blood loss was the only issue since it would leave a trail. Cedar pressed his hand on his puckering arm and considered fetching a bandage before he left. But he wouldn''t. That would use up too much time. He couldn''t risk it. If he wanted to get out today, he would have to do it now.

    He crouched down to the unconscious man and held his hand onto the other''s neck. He felt a pulse after just a few seconds. Good. At least the guard was still alive and didn''t bleed too much. That meant that this man would wake up in five minutes at most. Everything else would have been rather annoying to deal with.

    Cedar let go of his wound to rip off a bit of fabric from the other''s cape. Apparently, this had been a higher-ranking knight since he had a rather long cape, but Cedar didn''t care much. If the other man acted like an idiot in front of the person who was known as the best swordsman his age, this should have been expected.

    The prince''s outfit alone had betrayed that he wanted to blend in with a crowd. Anyone who had stopped to think would have realized what his plan was, but now it was too late.

    Cedar wrapped the cloth tightly around his arm and made a mental note to disinfect the wound as soon as he could. He would need to use up a few of his gold coins to buy some medicine at the next pharmacy. Luckily, he had enough money on him to be able to do that.

    Cedar glanced down at the knight once more and gave him a bright smile. That man would be really upset when he found out what had happened. Well deserved. The prince stood up and ignored the slight aching of his arm as he looked around one more time.

    The area around him was deserted. This was his chance.

    He reached down to steal the other man''s sword and tied it to his waist before brushing his clothes off. Then he walked over to the gardening shed, which was rather close to the walls that surrounded the confinement estate. The tree next to the shed had a few low-hanging branches, so it was easy to climb up. His wound didn''t hurt enough to stop him, so Cedar only took a few seconds before he reached his destination. From the tree, he just had to jump over onto the roof, and now he could scan the area outside the walls.

    Cedar had been able to memorize the walking patterns of the guards in advance, and even if the knights changed it rather often, they were more lenient when it came to this side of the property. As long as he waited for two guards to pass, he had at least two minutes before the next ones would come. That would give him more than enough time to climb over the wall and cross the street. Once he was in the field on the other side, he could easily hide by ducking between the wheat plants. And as long as no one found the unconscious knight, Cedar should have an hour before anyone noticed that he was gone.

    For once, it was truly perfect. At least if one didn''t count his arm being slit open, but he wouldn''t be picky.

    Cedar didn''t have the time to complain about such a small cut anyway. He kept his eyes directed at the street and lowered his body as soon as a couple of guards came by.

    The knights chatted about the women they had seen in an inn rather loudly, so it seemed like no one had alarmed them. That was calming.

    The prince waited until the men rounded the corner of the estate and quickly climbed up the wall, where he stopped once more. He would have liked to look around to gaze back at the mansion, but he didn''t have time for that. A guard could come at any moment and spot him, so he hurried. He jumped down and didn''t waste a second before running toward the wheat field.

    The street was broad and sandy, so Cedar took a bit longer than he had hoped for, but those three extra seconds wouldn''t change much. He reached the field soon and immediately crouched down to hide for a moment. No one was yelling, so he seemed to have some time left before he needed to expect pursuers. For now, he just made sure that no one was around before he continued to run through the field. Hopefully, his training had given him enough stamina to keep him going when he had a long way in front of him.

    Cedar had a destination in mind, and he needed to reach it by tomorrow evening before the royal guards cornered him. After stopping to get some medicine, he would have to hurry to go there.

    If that stupid guard hadn''t injured him, he could have gone without that extra destination, but it seemed like he had no choice but to accept his fate for now. Hopefully, that guard would have the same headache Cedar had had after being knocked out by his brother during the revolt. Then they would be even.

    But for the prince, this didn''t make much of a difference. He needed to move forward without wasting time to fulfill his plan. If everything went right, he wouldn''t have to deal with any stupid knights anymore once he was done. But before he could win, he would need to start digging up the riverbed a bit. Even if he was almost sure that he wouldn''t succeed in changing his life, he had nothing better to do. Giving it a try was more helpful than sitting around.

 Chapter 1: Father and Daughter

¡°

    ¡°

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°

 Chapter 2: The Result of a Failed Plan (1)

    Great.

    Wonderful.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    <hr>

    Great. ¡°Your concern touches me deeply, but there is no need to be so worried. It is not as bad as it may have looked like.¡± In fact, he was pretty sure that it was worse. ¡°So, it would suffice if I could use this room for a short while. I just need a few days of rest. Of course, I don''t deserve to ask anything of you when you already saved my life, but I have to admit that I doubt that leaving now would get me far. Until when would you allow me to rest here? Perhaps for three more days?¡±

    But-¡± She continued in a bit louder tone. ¡°You can definitely stay here, Your Royal Highness! He doesn''t ever enter this building.¡±

 Chapter 3: The Result of a Failed Plan (2)

    that incident. I am known as a traitor, and that is why I was put in confinement. Since I am here now, you should have guessed that I broke out. Now, what do you think would happen if guards found me here? Would they assume that your family helped the emperor''s enemies, or would they not?¡±

    ¡°

    anyone? Even if they are someone willing to plunge Artias into chaos by killing their own brother? One that wishes to take over the nation for their own satisfaction?¡± He waited for her to look away and prepared to tell her that he didn''t have the right to judge, which meant that she could admit the truth.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°

 Chapter 4: Tense Meals and Formalities

    ¡°

    Great. Her father having new ideas was the last thing she needed. Now she would probably need to listen to news that would only make her life harder. She balled her fists as she rushed down the hallways. She hated being forced to run toward her misery, but arriving too late would be much worse. Her heels clicked on the cool tiles, and she only stopped when she reached the door to the dining room. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock.

    ¡°

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    <hr>

    ¡®Cedar¡¯. But if you change your mind, please tell me immediately.¡± She had to admit that this was much shorter than his title, and it felt more pleasant too. She liked his name, even if she shouldn''t be happy about saying it. If she did something to displease him, he could easily use this against her later.

 Chapter 5: The Prince of Many Rumors

    again? Some guards really messed up. How can they just let the biggest threat to the emperor flee?¡±

    The first man spoke again. ¡°Finally! I can provide information here. One of the knights was wounded severely. They say that the prince lured the knight into a corner of the building with some strange trick. He pretended to show the guard that there was something wrong with the wall and immediately knocked him out while the man''s back was turned. The poor knight didn''t do anything, and yet, he was injured this cold-heartedly. He might even suffer from long-term damages.¡±

    ¡°

    bad enough that Leonard was still in the area, and even the slightest rumor about the prince being sighted somewhere would call that damned man here. Cedar should have expected that people believed him to be the Valerian estate, but it was still frustrating to know that Leon was sitting right outside these walls while waiting for him.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    would in theory. But since you will just scare her off, you need to disappear until she comes back.¡±

    my letter now?¡±

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 6: A Visit and a Friends Worries (1)

    Lucille almost collapsed onto her bed when she came back into her room. She buried her head in the pillow and let out a pathetic wail. Why had her father needed to hire a dragon as her new tutor? She had known that training with a professional would be hard, but this was ridiculous.

    She had spent the last five hours keeping her head upright while balancing a book on top. Standing wasn''t so bad, but whenever she walked, she dropped everything. That the tutor was the vilest woman in this world, who loved to yell at her student for every single mistake, didn''t make it easier either. Lucille hoped that seeing that person thrice a week wouldn''t become the norm. She understood that her father wanted her to improve herself to some extent, but there was no need to overdo it. After all, she had no time limit as far as she could tell. This didn''t make her impossible mission easier, but at least she could delay her doom for a bit longer.

    Lucille flipped over with a groan and stared at the ceiling. Maybe all of this would be a bit easier if she didn''t carry another weight around with her. She was currently hiding the prince of Artias, who had attempted to assassinate the emperor three months ago and had broken out of confinement. That her father would kill her if he found out about this was her biggest worry. But that she didn''t know what she should make out of Cedar was bad too.

    She had hidden the prince for two weeks now and called him by his first name, but it was still strange. Maybe she was too inclined to sympathize with him because his circumstances reminded her of her own, but he didn''t feel like a threat to her.

    Cedar might even be a little bit kinder than she had thought. He had consoled her after she had come back from the tutor last time. Back then, she had almost cried while bringing him his dinner too, and he had told her a few jokes to cheer her up. He didn''t seem to be a complete monster at least. But she still couldn''t forget that he had tried to kill his own brother. He was definitely not an easy person.

    Lucille never knew what exactly he was thinking. It felt like Cedar''s smile hid a whole world of different emotions that no one would ever understand. And when they talked, she was almost sure that the lighthearted topics they addressed were nothing more but useless chattering to him. As if he blabbered a lot while revealing as little as possible about himself. But she wasn''t really sure about that. After all, she felt like she didn''t understand most of what was going on in his head. He did seem nice when he talked to her, but that might just be because she hid him right now and he couldn''t risk upsetting her.

    She had no idea. Thinking about him was a bit exhausting, to be honest.

    Lucille was pulled out of her thoughts when a voice chimed in from outside the door.

    ¡°My Lady!¡± Mathilda knocked five times and didn''t wait for a response before she rushed in. She lifted an envelope and showed her mistress a bright grin. ¡°You will be overjoyed to see this. My Lady, a letter for you arrived. It''s from Lady Lamont.¡±

    Lucille jumped off her bed. She ran toward her maid and took the letter into her hands before impatiently ripping it open. It had been a while since she had seen Fiona or written to her, so she was truly happy to get some news now. As expected, she was greeted by the most beautiful handwriting she could imagine. Her eyes flew over the letter, and slowly, a beam spread on her face.

    Mathilda stood next to her and tried to catch a glimpse of the text while grinning as well. ¡°Lady Lamont finally has time to see you? I''m glad. Will you visit her tomorrow? You don''t have a lesson then, right?¡±

    Lucille happily nodded and put the letter back. ¡°I will just ask Father first, but since it''s Fiona, he will agree.¡± After all, her best friend was the daughter of Duke Lamont, who was one of the most influential men in the nation. If Raymond wanted his daughter to be in contact with one person, it was Fiona. This might be the only time that his ambition was beneficial. That didn''t mean that Lucille was happy to face him, but at least she could be sure of a positive response.

    The young woman considered delaying a visit to her father until tomorrow, but he usually disliked it if she told him about her plans too late. So, she decided to go now and get it over with. She quickly brushed her tangled hair and straightened her dress again before leaving the room.

    As Lucille walked to her father''s office, she focused on taking deep and steady breaths. Visiting Raymond Valerian while he was working was always scary, no matter how well she had behaved during the past few weeks. This meant that she had to focus on keeping a straight face even more than usual. She did her best to hide her nervousness as she greeted the butler in front of the office.

    The elderly man nodded at her and then disappeared inside the office. Seconds later, the door was opened, and her father beckoned her inside.

    Viscount Valerian looked even more intimidating than usual when he sat on his grand chair in front of the massive desk. Even the window with the view of the dark garden behind him seemed to make this worse. As always, Raymond had a grim expression on his face while he scribbled some notes onto his documents. He continued to write until his daughter stopped in front of the desk to curtsy. Then he set down the pen, which was unusual for him. ¡°Lucille. Is there something you wished to tell me?¡± She wouldn''t be here otherwise.

    Lucille slowly lifted her head again. ¡°Good evening, Father. I won''t bother you for long. I merely wanted to request permission to go out tomorrow. Fiona invited me to come over for a few hours in the afternoon. I do not have any lessons to attend that day, so it will not interfere with my studies.¡± Hopefully, she hadn''t seemed too excited about this invitation, or she might be scolded for neglecting her etiquette training. But it appeared like she was lucky.

    Her father merely scanned her expression for a moment before he replied. ¡°Very well then. Ask the coachman to prepare, and take two guards with you. Don''t forget to bring a small hospitality gift and return before the sun sets. And remember that you should stay away from the trouble in the capital.¡±

    Lucille bowed her head again and inwardly breathed out in relief. ¡°Thank you, Father. I will remember all of that and take care of the planning now.¡± She remained quiet after that. For a few seconds, an uncomfortable silence followed, and she carefully made eye contact with her father.

    Only then, Raymond spoke up. ¡°You may retreat. Do not forget to prepare everything, or you might arrive too late.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Father. Have a good night''s rest.¡± Lucille hinted another small curtsy before walking back to the door. She almost slouched her shoulders in relief and counted the steps toward her release. She hadn''t tripped or done anything that annoyed her father this time, so it had been one of the best visits that she had ever had. Maybe this day wasn''t so bad after all.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Her father''s voice made her freeze.

    A thousand thoughts went through Lucille''s head in an instant. Had she disturbed him? Had she done something wrong? Had he found out about her horrible lesson today? Or had someone seen Cedar in the annex, which would be the worst case? All of Lucille''s muscles tensed as she slowly turned back to the desk. ¡°Yes, Father?¡± She cursed her quiet and uncertain voice and desperately hoped that whatever mistake she had made wasn''t too bad.

    Raymond''s eyes seemed to pierce her mind and reveal her deepest secrets, but he wasn''t upset. Thankfully, he was just stern as always. For a moment, he was silent, which almost made her tremble, before he looked down and began writing again. ¡°Have a good night and rest well, Lucille.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Lucille could only stand there and listen to that in confusion. She was pretty sure that she took a second too long before she repeated her farewell. ¡°I will. Thank you, Father. Have a good night as well.¡± She stiffly turned around and left the room while being careful not to make too much noise. As soon as she was in the hallways, she let out a deep breath and relaxed.

    She had received permission to leave, and everything should be fine now. She would inform the coachman and two guards before going back to her room. There was no need for her father to be upset with her, and she could finally see Fiona again. That was good. Even if she knew that this might be a horrible idea, she needed to tell someone about what was going on inside her head. There was only one person that she trusted enough, and she would take the risk to speak to her tomorrow. Maybe her friend Fiona could erase some of her worries.

    <hr>

    The next morning, Lucille was in a hurry from the very beginning. She wanted to make sure that everything was prepared for her departure so that she would be on time. So, she had gotten ready before lunch and only ate with Cedar before leaving. She jumped up as soon as she was done with her plate and quickly put on her bonnet. ¡°I will be back by dinner. I brought some extra food for you in case you get hungry so that you don''t have a reason to go out. I politely would ask you to stay in this room to make sure that no one sees you.¡±

    Cedar, who was still in the middle of eating, gave her a bright smile. ¡°Of course. I swear on the Estien family. No one will see me. I am currently hiding, so everything else would be problematic. There is no need for you to worry. I can take care of myself for a few hours. Please enjoy your visit. I would ask you to greet Lady Lamont, but that may be difficult.¡±

    Lucille swallowed and avoided his gaze. She couldn''t tell him that she planned on explaining the situation to Fiona. He wouldn''t trust her friend as much as she did, so that was understandable, but she knew that Fiona was good at keeping quiet no matter what the topic was. ¡°Thank you. I will hurry to go see her then. Goodbye.¡±

    The prince waved at her as she darted out of the room.

    Lucille jumped down two stair-steps at a time and hurried to the carriage. She told the coachman to start moving as soon as she sat down and only allowed herself to breathe out in relief when they left the estate. She should have more than enough time to arrive punctually. There hadn''t been a need to hurry at all, but she wanted to be sure.

    She hated the thought of being late. Maybe because it had never been good for her to arrive even a minute after it was expected of her. Maybe because she didn''t want to let her only friend wait. She didn''t know, but it annoyed her more than anyone else. After all, she always stressed herself for no reason no matter where she went.

    While the carriage drove over the broad streets that connected the capital to the many noble estates that were located close to it, Lucille looked out of the window and scanned her surroundings. The wheat fields usually were empty, but today, she saw multiple men in uniforms that walked through them. Apparently, these knights were here to find Cedar, at least if one wanted to believe the countless rumors that circulated among the citizens.

    Her father had found out about this matter by using his connections, so Lucille had to assume that almost every single person in the vicinity talked about the prince''s disappearance. And if someone accidentally found Cedar in their estate, she might be accused of treason. A shudder ran down her spine, and she quickly dropped the curtain.

    No one should know about Cedar''s location. If someone had seen him, they would have told the guards already. As long as he hid in the annex, they would be safe.

    Lucille told herself that for the rest of the carriage ride. She was more than relieved when they reached the Lamont estate. She needed to vent her frustration soon, or she might snap. When the carriage came to a halt in front of the main entrance, she climbed out with the help of the coachman and quietly thanked him before turning to the building. As always, she had arrived way too early, as the clock in the center of the entrance revealed. This time, it was only by forty minutes though, which meant that she was rather late in comparison to other days.

    Of course, Fiona knew about her friend''s punctuality, so a butler already stood there to bring the guest inside. As Lucille was led into the building, she could barely suppress her happiness about being able to visit her best friend again. She had spent a lot of time in this house, so being here reawakened memories, which were much more pleasant than most she had made at her own home.

    Lucille was brought to the room next to the main office on the second floor. She knocked and entered when she was asked to step in.

    The room was medium-sized and neatly organized, and a big window front allowed sunlight to fall into the office. A tidy desk and a cushioned chair stood in the middle while the right side of the room was furnished with a seating area with some prepared tea cups. All the walls were hidden by bookshelves. It was almost like a paradise.

    As soon as the door opened, a young woman, who was only three years older than Lucille, stood up from the desk and greeted her friend with a bright smile. ¡°Luci!¡± Fiona was a head taller than her friend, and when she rushed forward to hug the other woman, Lucille almost felt like she was lifted up.

    It was always fun to see how Lady Fiona Lamont, a person who was known to be calm, mature and dignified without a fault, acted way less careful when she was alone with her dearest people. Even her polite mask dropped, and she was as cheerful as a little child when it came to doing what she loved. Right now, she had sat in her office for a while, so it was to be expected that she would be in a good mood.

    Lucille grinned back at her and hugged the other woman. ¡°Hello, Fiona. You seem to be doing well. I''m happy to see that.¡±

    Fiona swayed to the sides and pulled her friend with her while patting the other''s back. ¡°Of course! If I get to see my Luci, I feel better immediately. I missed you.¡± She tightened her hug for a moment before taking a step backward to make eye contact. ¡°I''m sorry. I really am. I wanted to visit you but... I''m in the middle of the most important phase. Right now, it''s pretty stressful, so it is hard for me to get some rest.¡±

    That was understandable. Fiona was in the process of convincing her family that she was suitable to be the future head of the household. Duke Lamont, her father, agreed, but her aunt and uncle as well as her cousin, who had been supposed to become the duke until now, weren''t happy about that decision. So, Fiona worked hard to prove that she was much more capable and dealt with politics, ran her own stores and even planned on becoming the first female minister. Right now, she already did as much as the duke himself, if not more. She only waited for the emperor to implement the promised laws that would allow her to claim the position of the reigning duchess herself.

    Lucille understood that Fiona had to plan for her whole life now well. So, she would have to deal with not seeing her friend as often for a few months. ¡°It''s fine. I know what depends on this. Besides, I don''t have too much time either. I need to attend etiquette lessons now, and my teacher is a dragon. She is worse than anyone you can imagine. If you had more free time, I would ask you to be my tutor instead.¡± She let out a small sigh and let go of the other woman.

    Fiona gave her a sad smile. ¡°I''m sorry to hear that. When this year is over, I can offer it to your father if you''d like to. Maybe I could become your tutor then. But I assume that he didn''t just hire someone for no reason. If something happened, please tell me.¡± She gestured to the couch and sat down.

    Lucille let out a nervous chuckle before following the other woman. She took off her bonnet and sat down on the sofa as well, on the side she usually picked. As always, the same tea was prepared, and she happily gulped down a bit while trying to ignore the churning of her stomach. She was definitely scared of addressing this topic, and that was why she was so reluctant to begin. She scolded herself for it but stalled for some time first. ¡°Your office is even more furnished than last time. It looks elegant and, yet, comfortable at the same time. It seems that you are working hard. I''m proud of you. Don''t neglect your health though. Make sure that you are sleeping enough.¡±

    But of course, Fiona was used to this kind of a distraction. She immediately steered the topic back toward the important matter. ¡°You look like you''ve been stressed in the past weeks too. Maybe even more so than me. Is it because your father came up with something again?¡±

    Lucille''s grip around her cup tightened as she gazed to the side. ¡°Partly. For now, there isn''t much to say about that though.¡± She tapped her fingernail onto the porcelain and bit the inside of her cheek. She stared at the tea in her cup and quietly continued. ¡°He wants me to marry into a wealthy and influential family and told me to impress Duke Vasquez. He didn''t talk about just approaching him and being nice but really about doing everything I can to make His Grace get engaged to me. I think that I''ll really end up with a lot of problems this time. If I try anything, I will risk ruining my reputation, and if I don''t...Father will get upset.¡± She wasn''t sure whether losing face in public and being unable to marry for the rest of her life would be better than making her father angry. Most likely, it would be.

    Fiona furrowed her brows and stopped drinking her tea. ¡°That''s horrible. It''s serious this time, isn''t it? Have you decided what to do already? I can help you in both cases. You know that you can always move in here if you ever need a place to stay.¡± That would be wonderful, but unfortunately, it was impossible too.

    Lucille would need to listen to her father for two more years at least. Then she would be an adult at the age of twenty and be able to leave. But even then, it would be hard for an unmarried woman to run away from her household. She couldn''t live with the Lamonts and make them pay for her forever after all.

    While that would be much better than staying with her father, she also knew that Raymond wouldn''t find this funny at all. He had always insisted on her owing him and her needing to do well for the family. If she ran away, he might get even angrier than what she had already seen, and she had no desire to witness that.

    In short, Lucille lacked the courage to move out. Since her chances of avoiding her father''s plans for two more years were low as well, she probably didn''t need to think about that option either. But this wasn''t what she had to talk about now. There was still a more problematic topic than marriage lying in wait. And even though Lucille wanted to bring it up, she had to collect herself before doing so.

 Chapter 7: A Visit and a Friends Worries (2)

    Lucille kept quiet for a bit before she finally responded. ¡°I''m still unsure, Fiona. I''ll think about it. Moving in with you sounds nice, but...¡± Her voice trailed off before she forced herself to resume. ¡°I have some months left to make my decision regarding this issue, I think. I will tell you when I know. Right now, I have a different problem that is much bigger though.¡±

    Fiona stiffened at that. She set her cup down with a clink and met the other''s gaze with a serious expression. ¡°Even bigger? What happened?¡± As always, she immediately jumped to the rescue and wanted to offer as many solutions as possible. She was truly a god-sent. But even she wouldn''t be able to solve this on her own.

    Lucille looked down at her lap as she tried to find a way to explain this without revealing the worst first. Maybe she should start with the main part. ¡°Two weeks ago, I went out into the garden after the discussion with my father. I...found a pool of blood and then an injured man.¡± She carefully glanced up at the other''s expression before resuming. ¡°I took him in and got a doctor for him too. That man is now hiding in the annex. I''m...scared of Father finding him. But I can''t throw him out either.¡±

    Fiona blinked a few times. She leaned back and twisted the ends of her lilac hair around her finger, which she always did when she got lost in thoughts. A moment later, she was frowning again and made eye contact with the other woman. ¡°Luci, who is that man? You''re not the type to go ahead and pick up strangers. Was he in danger? And are you in danger now because of that person?¡±

    Lucille had hoped that her friend would be cheerful and joke about whether the man had been handsome. But unfortunately, Fiona was well aware that Lucille was way too cowardly to go against her father for naught. Lucille would only do it if the matter was truly important to her. So, she would have to talk about this now. The young woman chewed on the inside of her cheek before speaking up. ¡°You have to swear that you won''t tell anyone about this. If you talk to someone, I will be in big trouble.¡±

    Fiona only became even more tense at that. ¡°Luci. What happened? Is that person threatening you?¡±

    Lucille quickly shook her head and lifted her hands. ¡°No, no. He isn''t...trying to harm me. I''m protecting him, and others are searching for him. The issue is that...they might harm my family if they...¡± She stopped herself and decided to just be direct. She let her head hang forward and glanced at the other woman from behind her hair. ¡°It''s His Royal Highness.¡±

    It took a moment for Fiona to process this. But as soon as she did, she jumped to her feet with wide eyes. ¡°His Royal Highness? The second prince? As in Cedar Estien, the wanted criminal that flew from confinement? The one that tried to kill His Majesty?¡± Her shock was clearly written on her features. She was definitely upset and not just a little bit. She was panicking and probably already went through all the things that could go wrong in her head.

    Lucille hurried to put down her cup and wrung her hands while trying to explain. ¡°It''s not like you think. I don''t want to go against His Majesty, and I don''t want to protect the prince for long either. It''s just... He was hurt, and he could have died, and if he went out now...¡± She knew that her excuses didn''t do much. This had been a horrible idea, and she was aware of it.

    Who took in a wanted criminal and then acted like it was completely normal to do so? It wasn''t good of her to protect Cedar. This didn''t just risk her own well-being but also her family''s. She might really end up being branded a traitor if this was revealed.

    Fiona took a few steps to the side before pacing from one end of the room to the other. She massaged her temples and looked tenser than Lucille had ever seen her. She did that a few times before stopping and turning to the other woman. ¡°Why did you do that? ¡±

    Lucille fiddled with her fingers and avoided the other woman''s gaze. ¡°I...wanted to save his life. You didn''t see how much blood he lost. He might have died. So...¡±

    ¡°I get that! But you should have informed His Majesty immediately after. That would not only have put a wanted criminal back in confinement so that he can''t commit treason again. It would also have prevented you from being dragged to court because of a misunderstanding.¡± Fiona was rarely as agitated as now. She gestured around wildly. ¡°You might even get convicted for treason because of this! And what will you do now? Are you going to keep him hidden inside your home, or are you going to send him away soon? Please tell me that you will throw him out. Two weeks are enough for him to recover!¡±

    Lucille averted her eyes. ¡°I don''t know. Fiona, his whole stomach was slit open. He will take a while. And...I don''t think that he even wants to return home. You can imagine that living in confinement...purely because of his circumstances is painful for him.¡± She was aware that this stance was way too naive, but she couldn''t change it all of a sudden.

    As expected, Fiona opened her mouth to object before she froze. ¡°It''s because of his mother, isn''t it? Because you think that...¡± She walked over to the sofa and plopped down on it. She ignored the creaking of the poor piece of furniture and made eye contact with her friend. ¡°Is that your reason? I am right, aren''t I?¡±

    Lucille would have liked to deny it, but she couldn''t. To her, Cedar almost was like a mirror. Surely, their situations were very different, but there was a common similarity. Both had been raised as a pawn for their parents and were only supposed to fulfill their family''s wishes. The both of them knew well what it felt like to be unhappy while everyone around them barely understood what kind of troubles they were experiencing. Maybe she had also taken Cedar in because this was the first time that she knowingly did something her father would be angry about. This was her choice, and she had decided to go through with it on her own. But she understood that either reasoning didn''t make this situation much better.

    Fiona saw the other''s silence as a response and lowered her head for a moment. Her voice was strained when she spoke. ¡°Lucille, I won''t judge you. But this is dangerous. In more than one way. His Royal Highness isn''t a good person. You know that. He was involved in multiple crimes and even committed treason. He is only alive thanks to His Majesty''s generosity. Surely, the people who search for him could cause problems, but what if he hurts you?¡±

    Lucille interlocked her fingers and played around with her hands to keep herself from getting too emotional. She held back from raising her voice and tried to explain it calmly. ¡°That''s not a risk at all. He isn''t a bad person. I ate with him every day for two weeks. You know that I''m in the annex for hours at a time, so we talk a lot. And Cedar was always polite and-¡±

    Fiona''s face fell at that. ¡°You call him by name?¡±

    Only now, Lucille realized her mistake, but she had no chance to correct herself.

    Fiona already spoke up. ¡°Lucille, what are you doing? You can''t get so close to that person!¡± She actually looked scared while she said that.

    Lucille hurried to raise her hands in a rejecting gesture as slight panic rose in her too. ¡°I''m not! I''m not close to him. We only talked a bit about some useless things. It was nothing important. I just thought that he was lonely and that he needed some company. So, I sat down with him and talked to him as much as I could. You don''t have to read anything into that.¡±

    Fiona narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. ¡°You plan on hiding him for longer, don''t you? And you also call him by his first name and eat with him. Of course, I will read something into that. I worry, Lucille. He isn''t like you. That man isn''t just a victim of his past. He is a murderer, and his mind is completely twisted. Human lives don''t matter to him. He would kill dozens if it got him the throne. It''s a miracle that only two guards were hurt while he escaped. He evaluates people by how well he can mobilize them to aid him in reaching his goals. If they are useless, he kills them without hesitation.¡± She wanted to say more, but she didn''t get the chance.

    Lucille felt a pang in her heart when she heard all of that and quickly spoke up to defend Cedar. ¡°You don''t know that. Rumors aren''t the best source of information. And even if he had...psychological problems...¡± Which he certainly had. ¡°Can you really blame him? His childhood was probably worse than mine. You saw what his mother did at balls. At least my father has some self-restraint, but the dowager empress raised him to harm his older brother. I think Cedar...is doing rather well for that.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Even though she said all of that, she knew that she had an ulterior motive here. If she blamed Cedar for doing what his mother had raised him to do, she would admit that both his and her actions were based on their own choice. Then she would also have to blame herself for following her father''s every demand. She would admit that she had had a choice. But she remembered well that this ¡®choice¡¯ only allowed one valid response while the other was connected to much more trouble than it was worth resisting for. For Cedar, it had to have been the same. So, she could never dare to say that he should have acted differently.

    But Fiona wasn''t convinced. She gazed at her friend with a sad look in her eyes before she spoke up. ¡°Luci, you can''t save everyone. Even if you give your best and believe in them, there are some individuals that won''t ever move on. It''s too late for some people. Cedar Estien is one of them. He has issues, and while I understand why you would compare yourself to him, you shouldn''t. His past explains his behavior, but it doesn''t justify it. That''s why I need you to be careful. Remember that you aren''t indebted to him in any way. He might have told you that, and he may talk about his past to gain sympathy-¡±

    Lucille shook her head with vigor. ¡°Cedar never did that. He doesn''t talk about himself at all. He also never made me take him in. I offered it, and he wanted to refuse, but then he noticed how bad his wound was. He never tried to manipulate me at all, and he also didn''t ask much about my family. I only told him that I didn''t eat with my father, and he didn''t question it.¡± That wasn''t true. She had actually admitted to their parents being similar directly after he had woken up. But Cedar had truly never tried to get her to do anything else for him.

    Fiona refused to believe that though. ¡°Luci, trust me. I already disliked the prince when His Majesty was crowned. His Royal Highness was fourteen then and already an obvious psychopath. You may not have paid attention to that, but he always smiles. And while he grins at you, he plots about how he can use you. Right now, you are his best bet to stay hidden. Of course, he will be nice to you. Don''t misunderstand that. You need to think realistically. How long is he supposed to stay with you?¡±

    Lucille didn''t know that. She could only say that she wouldn''t force Cedar to return to his horrible mother. She averted her eyes for a moment before speaking up. ¡°Fiona, I know that it sounds...bad. But I can imagine how I would feel if I was able to hide somewhere far away. And to be thrown out from that secret hiding space would be a nightmare. I don''t plan on doing that to him. He will leave when he is ready to.¡± After saying it out loud, she felt like this might be ridiculous. So, she hurried to add something. ¡°The annex is empty anyway, so it''s fine for him to live there for a while. He doesn''t inconvenience anyone.¡±

    Fiona almost seemed to sink into her sofa at that. She buried her face in her hands for a while before slowly lifting her head again. ¡°I won''t convince you like this, will I?¡± She took a deep breath before resuming with a serious expression. ¡°Then let me tell you a story. One of the maids who work here used to be employed in the palace. She happened to witness a few interesting scenes there. She thought that the whole royal family was a bit odd, but especially the younger son worried her. He was always smiling no matter what happened. Even when his father would obviously ignore him, he continued to act as if he was happy. Even when his mother had another hysteric fit, he was there to calm her. Keep in mind that he was maybe eleven at most at that time. Still, he was only focused on learning about politics and economy or training his abilities with a sword.¡±

    Lucille didn''t really want to rely on stories of the past and baseless rumors, but this was important to her friend. She kept her mouth shut and listened.

    Fiona paused, and her expression became grimmer as she continued. ¡°He wanted to be better than the perfect first son, but he never managed to beat him except for when they were sparring. So, he trained from dusk to dawn whenever his mother didn''t ask for his presence. And yet, he would ask for his brother''s belongings whenever he saw something. When he received it, he never gave it another glance and just put it in his room. He only took it because he wanted what his brother had after all. But when he didn''t get permission to take it, the result wasn''t fun.¡± Fiona narrowed her eyes slightly and gave Lucille a look that underlined that this wasn''t just a joke. ¡°I''m sure that this maid didn''t lie when she told me about it. There was only one time that she witnessed the prince after he was losing his temper. He was eight then. I''m not sure what it was about, but he had a fight with his older brother in his father''s office. The maid walked by the opened door and just saw how the crown prince touched his shoulder from behind very slightly. But all of a sudden, the second prince turned to the wall and pulled off a decorative sword before holding it to his brother''s throat. The maid ran away to get help, but when she came back, everything was like it never had happened. The prince smiled as brightly as always, and the sword was on the wall again. His brother looked terrified but wouldn''t say what had happened. But the prince knew that the maid had seen him. He ignored her even though she attended him back then, so she thought that it was fine. However, a week later, she was dismissed, allegedly because she made a grave mistake. But in reality, it had to have been because he wouldn''t let anyone reveal the truth.¡±

    Lucille listened to all of that and folded her hands. Was she supposed to be angry about that? If an eight-year-old was raised by a mother with hysteric fits, how could one expect him to control himself? Most likely, Cedar had been way too mature for his age, and he may even have more self-control than the dowager empress. After all, he hadn''t actually hurt his brother despite having the chance. He probably had known that attacking at that moment would only have caused problems for him, which proved that he had been thinking logically to some extent. And this maid, who had seen him, had apparently been dismissed with a recommendation letter so that she could work in another influential house. Cedar could have done much worse if he had wanted to. There was nothing too bad about this story, and it only made Lucille want to help even more.

    But Fiona acted as if she had told the most terrifying thing imaginable. ¡°Do you understand now? He was violent even as a child. If he trained sword-fighting back then, he will probably still be training now. He is way stronger than all the people at your mansion. He could overpower you in an instant.¡±

    Lucille almost felt a bit offended, even though she wasn''t the one being insulted. ¡°Why would he do that? I''m helping him. And right now, he is still hurt. A small touch to his side would be very painful, so I doubt that he could fight seriously. Besides, I''m not his brother, who seems to be the person he hates most. If he didn''t kill His Majesty, he wouldn''t hurt me either. You don''t have to worry.¡± She was aware that she put a ridiculous amount of energy into defending Cedar, but she couldn''t help it.

    Cedar seemed so pitiful to her, and yet, everyone seemed to ignore him. They merely accepted stories they had heard and never stopped to question his motives. Wasn''t that unfair to him? He should at least be able to say something about the incident before being judged.

    Maybe Lucille was thinking like this because she had been through similar problematic situations too. She had been forced to act to her father''s whims often enough, and no one had ever asked why she had done that. Thanks to her father, she had been forced to cause trouble at multiple events in the past already. There had only been smaller incidents of her needing to act like an arrogant brat, but still, she had been blamed in the end. She was called a vile and stupid witch without being at fault too. So, she would defend Cedar until he was proven guilty.

    Maybe that didn''t fit together with her goal of not trusting him and not getting too close to him, but she had already made up her mind. She wouldn''t let down her guard completely, but she wouldn''t act like he could kill her any second either.

    Fiona pressed her lips into a thin line and met the other''s gaze. A few seconds of silence followed before she sighed. ¡°I should have expected this. You always say that you are weak, but you are actually pretty stubborn. I don''t think that anything can change your mind when you decided on how to act.¡± She lowered her gaze and closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Then I will have to keep quiet about a wanted criminal hiding at my best friend''s house now, huh? You better invite me out for that as a reward at some point.¡±

    Lucille breathed out in relief and showed her friend a small smile. ¡°I will. When you finished your work and proved that you will become the duchess, we can go out more often. I believe that there is a new caf¨¦ close to our favorite one. We can try it out then.¡±

    Fiona returned a sad smile. ¡°Of course. But I can''t help but worry, you know? I''m just asking you to keep my words in mind. Be careful. Prevent other people from finding him, and keep your guard up around him.¡±

    ¡°I planned on doing that. Yes, I want to help him, but I know that he did some bad things. I won''t trust him just like that. Thank you for staying quiet. I really needed to get this off my chest.¡±

    Fiona still didn''t look too happy, but she did her best to cheer up. ¡°I see. Then it''s good that I am here to listen to you. I won''t tell a single soul. But you need to tell me what''s going on at your place. From now, on you should write me a letter every few days. And don''t feel bad about asking me for help. I don''t want you to get hurt, so I will do my best to assist you. You can ask for anything, and I will gladly take care of any matter. I can even rent a small apartment somewhere outside the capital so that you could send him away, just in case something happens.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. That won''t be necessary, but I will approach you if I need some advice.¡± Lucille probably wouldn''t ask for anything more than that. She didn''t want her friend to get in trouble because of her reckless decision, so she wouldn''t force Fiona to get involved. This was her own responsibility, and she would deal with the consequences.

    <hr>

    For the rest of their conversation, both women refrained from talking about complicated topics. They just focused on lighthearted subjects while avoiding mentioning anything that was related to Lucille''s big secret.

    When the guest prepared to leave in the late afternoon, Fiona hugged her for a long time and reminded her once more. ¡°Be careful around him. You don''t know what he is capable of.¡±

    Lucille just nodded at that and then hid her uncertainty behind a smile. She had no idea how she would deal with this. She didn''t want to distrust Cedar nor did she want to trust him. This would end up being a dilemma if she ever needed to make a choice. She just hoped that it would never get that far.

    That was all she could think about while sitting in the carriage and driving home.

 Chapter 8: Returning to Old Habits

that person had to be the worst of all.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    that important to you?¡±

    ¡°

 Chapter 9: Hiding Secrets

    Lucille felt like her heart would burst at any moment. The fact that her father was here was bad enough, and now she would also have to go inside such a cramped storage room full of dust and spiderwebs? She would have liked to refuse, but the choice between meeting her father and going inside was easy to make. Cedar only gave her a little push, and she quickly rushed inside while almost colliding with the shelf on the opposite of the door.

    It wasn''t that bad. She didn''t have much space at all, but she could still breathe. At least she thought that until Cedar also came inside. He was much too close to her. This could almost be called a hug already, and the thought of that made her stomach tingle. Maybe this wasn''t such a good idea after all. Maybe they should find another hiding spot.

    Lucille opened her mouth to propose that but immediately closed it again. She could hear that her father spoke to someone in the distance, so she needed to be quiet. She told herself that but still had to hold back a squeal when Cedar moved.

    The prince bowed down to her and whispered into her ear. ¡°I fear that this is a bit uncomfortable, but we will have to ignore that. Please hold on for a while. We only need to wait until your father is gone.¡± He hadn''t even said anything bad, but in an instant, she felt how her whole body got warm.

    Without a doubt, Lucille''s face was flushed now, and she hated herself for that. She had no idea why she reacted this sensitively to Cedar, but she definitely wasn''t fine with him being so close to her. How come he was completely calm while she was so tense that she feared that she might collapse soon? She weakly nodded in response while trying to calm herself down.

    As the footsteps proved, her father definitely came closer now, and he was almost here. Just a single thought of him accidentally opening this door and finding her like this made Lucille shudder. She held her breath in an attempt to calm down, but once again, the prince unintentionally riled her up again.

    Cedar put his hand onto her shoulder and squeezed it for a moment. He had probably wanted to help her, but this didn''t do anything to aid her composure.

    Lucille stiffened even more and tried to ignore how odd it felt to be touched like this by him. Otherwise, she was only ever close to Fiona and Mathilda, and that didn''t bother her, but this was completely different. She almost felt like her heart would stop soon, and at the same time, her blood almost boiled over. She was sure that she was blushing, and that only made her even more embarrassed. If she had to admit that this was because of Cedar, she would die out of shame.

    But right now, it didn''t seem like Cedar knew what he was doing. He leaned closer to her again and whispered in a quieter tone than before. ¡°Are you alright? Do you have a problem with darkness or tight spaces or something like that?¡±

    She quickly shook her head while doing her best not to pay attention to how sensitive her skin felt when his warm breath brushed over it. ¡°I''m fine. Just...¡± Apparently, she had been a bit too loud since Cedar gently shushed her.

    Just a second later, her father came close enough for her to understand what he was saying.

    Two pairs of footsteps sounded through the hallway, and the man who accompanied Raymond and seemed to be a servant spoke up. ¡°Should I go check her bedroom then? Or should I ask her maid?¡±

    Viscount Valerian''s voice was as cold as always as he replied. ¡°Do both in that order. I thought that she would be here for sure, but it seems like she isn''t ready yet. Tell her to come to the foyer as soon as you find her. I will go greet the guests in the meantime.¡±

    This only proved that hiding here had been a stupid idea. Lucille''s father knew that she spent all of her time in this building. If she wasn''t here, he would get suspicious. But the same would have happened if he had found her in the hallway instead of the old bedroom, where she usually was. Walking around near her mother''s old library had been a horrible idea from the very beginning. Lucille should have told Cedar that they couldn''t go here. After all, Raymond might truly lose his composure if he found her anywhere close to this room.

    But still, it seemed like she was somewhat lucky for once in her life.

    Her father didn''t bother to look around and just left immediately. The servant''s hurried footsteps made it seem like he was running away as well.

    Lucille held her breath for a bit longer before she allowed herself to exhale. Then she began counting and gave herself a minute before she reached for the door handle.

    Apparently, Cedar had thought the same since their hands met there.

    Lucille withdrew her hand as if she had been burned and waited for him to open the door. As soon as he did, she stumbled out and took a few steps forward. She held her hands to her cheeks and desperately tried to calm down a little before turning back.

    She didn''t know whether it was good or bad, but Cedar seemed to notice that and gave her a few seconds. He only spoke up when she had composed herself a bit. ¡°I apologize for that. I didn''t know that you didn''t like rooms like this. I will remember it from now on.¡±

    Lucille was about to correct him, but she stopped herself. It was better if he thought that she was scared of the dark and cramped spaces. Why would she need to explain that she just hadn''t been used to being close to him? So, she gave him a forced smile. ¡°It''s not your fault. At least my father is gone now. But...¡± She froze as she remembered what Raymond had said. Her father wouldn''t be happy if she came too late when they were welcoming guests. In an instant, her stomach began churning, and she whipped her head around to the prince in a panic. ¡°We have guests. I will go greet them. It would be best if you go back to your room and stay there for now.¡±

    Cedar smiled at her and nodded. ¡°Of course. I hope that those are pleasant guests. Have a nice evening.¡±

    She wasn''t sure whether she would be happy to meet those people. If they were acquaintances of her father, she probably wouldn''t like them. ¡°I will, thank you. Have a nice evening too.¡± With that, she hurried toward the staircase, only to stop to turn around again. ¡°Please take more care of your health. It would be really bad if you were to get hurt. So, be careful.¡±

    Once again, the prince kept his cheerful facade upright without any cracks. ¡°Naturally. I thank you for your concern. I will pay attention to that from now on.¡± He wouldn''t. She was almost sure of that.

    But she didn''t say anything and just walked down the steps that her father hadn''t gone to. Lucille used the back entrance and made a detour around the estate so that she could say that she had taken a walk in case someone asked her.

    It didn''t take long, but the extra minute was already enough to give her time to think about Cedar. Seeing him train had shocked Lucille more than it should have. She shouldn''t have gotten so upset, and she shouldn''t have scolded him either, but in that moment, she hadn''t been able to hold herself back. It had barely been two weeks ever since his whole side had been slit open, and yet, he acted like everything was fine.

    She had seen how he flinched when he accidentally brushed over the wound though. It had to hurt so much, but he didn''t admit that to himself. Instead, he trained for hours and did so with an expression that didn''t make it seem like he had been having fun. As soon as Lucille had come, he had turned to her and raised his sword as if he was prepared to defend himself from an attack from behind too. That wasn''t something a person should have in mind when they heard a door opening.

    Cedar didn''t act like training was a hobby but like it was a necessity, so he continued to hurt himself by overdoing it. But as much as he didn''t admit that he was suffering because of that wound, Lucille didn''t admit that she was genuinely worried about him. She didn''t want to accept that she would like to protect him for as long as possible. But even more than that, she didn''t want to admit that she had reacted this sensitively to him just touching her shoulder.

    Lucille pushed that thought away and shook her head before she sped up her pace and ran toward the building. As soon as she opened the door, someone pulled it open from the inside, and she was greeted by Matilda''s shocked expression.

    ¡°My Lady! There you are! The master was searching for you. You have guests. You need to hurry to greet them.¡± Mathilda put her hands on the other woman''s shoulder and began pushing her toward the foyer.

    As expected, Lucille didn''t get nervous at that even when her maid''s fingers brushed over her skin. So, she truly had just reacted differently because it was Cedar. Great. She quickly decided not to dwell on that and focused on the situation at hand. ¡°Shouldn''t I change first? I think I need to brush my hair before I go downstairs.¡± She had definitely gotten a bit dirty in that storage room, so she had to pick a different dress unless she wanted to embarrass herself.

    But Mathilda didn''t listen to her for a single second. ¡°The master said that you need to hurry. There is no time to change. Apparently, the guests will only stay for a short while. Come on.¡± She was much less careful than the prince as she maneuvered her mistress forward.

    At some point, Lucille pushed the other''s hands away and hurried to the entrance hall on her own. Nervousness rose inside her stomach, and she began asking herself who these guests could be. If they wouldn''t stay long, they couldn''t be her father''s friends. Then maybe a business partner? But why would they come this late? She came up with a few possible explanations, but all of that was wiped away when she entered the foyer.

    There were royal guards here.

    Lucille froze in place and felt a shiver run down her spine. Those were the people searching for Cedar, weren''t they? Had they found him already? No, then they would already have arrested him for sure. But those knights had probably gotten some kind of clue that had led them here. If she got scared now, she would reveal her knowledge about the prince''s location.

    Lucille balled her hands into fists and forced herself to calm down. If she stayed composed, the guards wouldn''t have a reason to suspect her. Then they wouldn''t walk around here, and they wouldn''t find Cedar. The young woman slowly came down the stairs while gripping the railing tightly and walked toward the group.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Her father already saw her and glanced down at his pocket watch for a moment before he addressed her as soon as she had reached him. Raymond looked like he was upset, but he hid it as he always did when others were present. So, he just gazed at his daughter with a look that made her shrink in herself. ¡°You are late, Lucille. Where were you? You let our guests wait.¡±

    She couldn''t even reply before another voice chimed in.

    ¡°There is no need to scold her, Lord Valerian. We didn''t announce our visit, so it is only natural that she would not be prepared.¡± A man with a blond ponytail stepped forward and gave the young woman a polite smile. ¡°I apologize for arriving at such a short notice. Good evening, Lady Valerian.¡±

    Lucille felt like her lungs refused to work but did her best to smile back. This wasn''t good at all. If Leonard Astame, one of the emperor''s most trusted companions and the responsible one for investigating Cedar, came here, she was ruined. That man wouldn''t just show up because he was bored. He had to be sure that the prince was here.

    Lucille swallowed and made a small curtsy. ¡°Good evening, Lord Astame. Welcome to our modest home. I hope that you had a pleasant trip here. What can we assist you with?¡± She could swear that her voice trembled a bit, and it almost felt like her legs would give in soon.

    Leonard gave her a bright smile, but still, it seemed like his eyes just searched her expression for any trace of nervousness. ¡°There is no need to worry. This is just a routine visit. As you might have heard, there has been some trouble in the capital. We are only here to ensure that your estate is safe. That is why I had to ask your father for permission to go through your mansion. It will not take long, I promise.¡±

    Lucille''s life flashed in front of her eyes, and she could only nod. If she said a single word now, she would give away that she was definitely hiding someone. Inwardly, she cursed all of this while imagining what would happen now.

    Leonard would definitely find Cedar and arrest the prince. Then the Valerians would be accused of hiding a wanted criminal, and they might even end up being punished. Did this count as treason? If so, they were ruined.

    Lord Astame scanned the woman in front of him for a moment before he spoke up again. ¡°You are slightly red. Is everything alright?¡± Nothing was alright.

    But Lucille just smiled at him while trying to keep herself from crying. ¡°I apologize. It''s just...¡± She couldn''t say that she had hidden in a storage room with Cedar and that him being close to her had almost made her faint. But at least she had another excuse for this, even if she doubted that she was good at lying. ¡°I...ran. I came here as soon as I heard that we had a visitor from my maid. That is why I also did not have the time to change. I apologize for my unsightly appearance.¡±

    ¡°Oh, do not be harsh on yourself. There is nothing wrong with your attire, and you are a beautiful young lady. I sincerely hope that the sudden visit did not interrupt any important matters.¡± Leonard smiled at her while looking like he already knew that she was hiding something before he turned to her father. ¡°I did not mean to disturb you like this, but I fear that it will be necessary. Could I ask you to lead me around the estate now?¡±

    Raymond put on his practiced polite smile, but his eyes were as cold as always. ¡°Of course, Lord Astame. I will lead the way. I assume that you wish to see as much of the estate as possible.¡±

    The other man nodded at that. ¡°Indeed. And...¡± He glanced at Lucille with a knowing smile. ¡°I would like to ask you to join us as well, Lady Valerian. I want to hear as much about the mansion as I can. And of course, I am curious about whether you witnessed any strange developments during the past weeks.¡±

    Lucille felt a shiver run down her spine, but she nodded weakly. ¡°Of course. I haven''t seen anything, but I will do my best to help you.¡± She averted her eyes and tightly pressed her hands together while praying. As if that had ever helped her. But in the end, she had no other choice but to hope for the best while trailing behind the two men.

    She noticed that the guards had dispersed and that only a few followed them while the rest most likely searched the estate. They truly suspected that Cedar was here, didn''t they? As long as they didn''t enter the annex, it would be fine. But if they did, it would be over.

    The young woman felt like crying as she followed Leonard and her father and listened to their small talk. Whenever the marquess addressed her to ask what she had done for the past weeks, she tried to answer in a calm way but failed miserably. While they were in the main building, she still managed to keep her composure though.

    But as soon as Leonard announced that he wanted to go into the annex, Lucille slouched her shoulders and wrote her last will in her mind. This was it. Unless Cedar had managed to climb over the wall without any guard seeing him, she would be accused of treason.

    If she was good at lying, she might even have been able to feign innocence, but she didn''t trust her acting skills for one second. Would pretending to be an arrogant troublemaker help her here? That was the only thing she was somewhat good at, but this would only worsen her punishment. Great.

    When they entered the annex, Leonard personally opened the door to every room and looked inside. He even checked the storage room from earlier and the bathrooms.

    In the end, only a few chambers were left, and Lucille got more nervous with each passing second. She knew that she could count the remaining time she would have in freedom, but still, a small part of her desperately hoped that she was lucky in some way. She didn''t really believe that, but she tried her best to create some sort of opportunity for Cedar to leave. When they reached the hallway with the bedroom, she took a deep breath and spoke up. ¡°Lord Astame? Would it perhaps be...possible that you could let me enter one of the rooms on my own for a minute? I fear that I may have...made a mess, and I would like to clean it up first.¡± She probably looked pitiful while saying that, but it didn''t help her.

    Her father glared at her, and Leonard just smiled. The latter one didn''t think about it for even a single second before replying. ¡°I apologize, but it would be better for me to enter immediately. I do not care much for the state that the room is in. I only need to check one thing. As soon as I am done, I will leave, and then I will refrain from bothering you again.¡±

    Lucille''s heart skipped a beat before it began pounding. ¡°Are you certain? You cannot give me a second?¡±

    This time, Raymond spoke up in a cold voice. ¡°Lucille. Lord Astame will need to check that room. Stand back, and let him do his work.¡± He gave her a glare that underlined that this wasn''t a request but an order.

    Normally, she wouldn''t dare to refute this, but Cedar being found was much worse than being forced to meet her angry father. Viscount Valerian would be much more upset about his daughter committing treason than about this, so the decision was easy.

    Lucille turned to the marquess and tried to convince him again. ¡°I am truly sorry, but...the thing is...that is my mother''s old bedroom. She left a while ago, but I still care deeply about-¡±

    This time, Raymond didn''t let her finish. ¡°Get yourself together.¡± He didn''t seem to care that she flinched at his harsh tone and addressed the other man. ¡°Lord Astame, please feel free to ignore my daughter and enter. There is nothing special inside that room.¡±

    Leonard stared at him for a moment before turning to Lucille. He gave her a reassuring smile but remained firm. ¡°I apologize, but I have to enter. I promise that I won''t touch anything. You will not notice that I was inside at all.¡± He put his hand on the door handle and pushed it open without stalling for time. Yet, he kept his eyes on her face as if he wanted to see her reaction.

    Lucille felt like she was about to throw up. Leonard would find Cedar now. There was no other way. She almost fell to her knees while doing her best to keep her head upright. She closed her eyes and balled her fists while waiting for someone to start screaming. She was sure that it would only take a second before the marquess rushed in to arrest Cedar, but it stayed quiet.

    Lucille only dared to open one of her eyes after a few moments had passed. Why had nothing happened? Was everything alright? Had Cedar hidden? She opened her second eye too and was surprised to see the marquess come out of the room alone.

    Leonard just smiled at her and closed the door behind him. ¡°As expected, there was nothing special. I apologize for bothering you for no reason. But we can be sure that everything is fine now. Should we take a look at the other rooms?¡±

    No way. Had the gods truly granted her wish?

    Lucille could barely believe it. Had Cedar not returned to the bedroom? But where had he hidden then? She tried to hide her surprise, but she probably failed.

    Her father just scanned her with narrowed eyes before he reached into his pocket to pull out a key. ¡°I shall go open the next room. I assume that you wish to see every single one, so please wait for a moment.¡± With that, he walked over to the door to the old library and prepared to open it despite his obvious unwillingness.

    Lucille let out a deep breath and was about to relax, but Leonard''s presence kept her from doing so.

    The marquess gave her an ominous smile before whispering to her. ¡°If you wish to keep your lover hidden from your father, you need to be a bit more reserved. At least clean up the room, or anyone would guess what happened. And it''s dangerous to leave candles unattended, so don''t do that again.¡± He turned around and approached Viscount Valerian before going into the room with him.

    Lucille was left behind in utter shock. A lover? What was he talking about? And she was sure that she hadn''t left any candles burning. It was good that Cedar hadn''t been found, but she had no idea what this was supposed to mean. She almost wanted to check immediately, but she feared making herself seem suspicious. So, she continued to trail after the two men.

    It only took a few minutes before Leonard was done looking at all the rooms. He seemed satisfied when he hadn''t found anything and, to Lucille''s relief, decided to leave quickly. ¡°I once again apologize for disturbing you, Lord Valerian, Lady Valerian. I will not come here unannounced again. I hope that you can forgive my insolence this once. I will have to excuse myself for this evening.¡±

    Raymond replied with his typical cold expression. ¡°There wasn''t any issue, Lord Astame. We thank you for your visit. You are always welcome here, and we are happy that we were able to help you. I wish you a good evening and a safe return to your current home.¡±

    Leonard smiled at that. ¡°It is good to hear that we have not bothered you too much. Thank you for your hospitality.¡± He turned to the young woman and said farewell to her too. ¡°I wish the both of you a wonderful evening. Remember to stay safe and out of trouble.¡± He almost seemed to remind her of what he had said earlier with that knowing smile of his.

    Lucille''s stomach churned a bit, but she replied with a polite smile anyway. ¡°Of course, you could not bother us. Good evening, Lord Astame. Until we meet again. Have a safe return.¡±

    Even if it seemed like everything was fine, she was tense until Leonard actually left the house. And this didn''t even allow her to relax completely either.

    Lucille still remembered angering her father earlier, so she needed to hurry to leave before he got upset. She had to find Cedar too. So, she whipped her head to the side and quickly addressed Raymond. ¡°Father, may I have permission to leave? I will go clean up the room. I mentioned the mess a while ago, didn''t I? Please excuse me so that I can take care of that immediately.¡±

    Her father looked at her for a moment before he broke the silence. ¡°Go ahead. Good night, Lucille.¡±

    She made a quick curtsy while trying to hide her relief. ¡°Thank you, Father. Good night.¡± With that, she rushed back to the annex. She didn''t waste time running up to the second floor and was completely out of breath when she reached her mother''s old bedroom. She barely dared to open the door, but she forced herself to do so anymore.

    She extended her trembling hand and pushed down the door handle before the door opened with a quiet creak. Lucille stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

    The room didn''t look much different from last time. There only were three little differences. There were a few candles burning at different spots in the room. The bedsheets weren''t tidy anymore, and the blanket had been pushed off so that it was lying on the floor. And there were rose petals spread across the room as well.

    Cedar still wasn''t here, but apparently, he had redecorated the room before disappearing.

    Now Lucille understood why Leonard had assumed that she was meeting a lover here. But why had the prince made it seem that way? And even more important than that, where was he? She cleared her throat before quietly speaking up. ¡°Cedar?¡±

    The doors of the wardrobe swung open so suddenly that Lucille let out a yelp and jumped back.

    Just a few seconds passed before Cedar climbed out of the wardrobe with a wide smile on his lips. He brushed himself off before looking toward her. ¡°Well, that was annoying.¡±

 Chapter 10: The Lost Mother

¡°

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

 Chapter 11: Casual Acquaintances

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°I, the traitorous prince, don''t really have the right to say anything like that, but be careful around her. She isn''t someone that would physically hurt you, so you don''t have to fear her. But she isn''t pleasant to be around. I had a few...interesting conversations with her. There isn''t much I can tell you about her, but you should keep in mind that she isn''t your friend even when she smiles at you. Just

 Chapter 12: Old and New Meetings

    ¡°

    ¡°

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    really upset about hearing something like this, right? So, she will have to vent her frustration. And since you aren''t there, she will target those around her. After I tell her, I will definitely stay clear of the mansion for a month or so. And I should make sure not to speak to her while she is eating. I don''t want her to throw a knife or hot tea at me.¡±

    ¡°

 Chapter 13: Lies Dont Travel Far (1)

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°what?¡± Her father was yelling now. ¡°A man from another family? And you, as an unmarried girl, just think that you can meet him in secret? Do you have any idea what this means for your future?¡±

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    He would have to go back to that prison. He would be forced to withstand his mother''s constant nagging until he finally received his brother''s permission to leave. And they couldn''t even be sure that the emperor would ever allow him to leave. In the worst case, Lucille had condemned him to a life full of terror and manipulation. She knew how that felt, and his mother was way worse than her father had ever been. That thought only made her sob again, and her tears came back with full force. ¡°I''m sorry...¡±

    ¡°

 Chapter 14: Lies Dont Travel Far (2)

    ¡°

    ¡°

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    this?¡± He lowered his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He was definitely exhausted because of this situation.

    A lot. She couldn''t just abandon him and push him off the cliff.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 15: Misunderstandings and Clarity

¡°

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°

    Reeve?¡±

 Chapter 16: I Will Protect Your Daughter

today.¡± That wasn''t even false.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    <hr>

    <hr>

 Chapter 17: Last Chance

    ¡°is the dowager empress. But does she have any power in her current state? Will Theodore scold me for her? He would rather congratulate me. Will she come out and beat me up herself? She is neither strong enough nor will anyone let her out. She is in confinement, isn''t she? Can she send assassins like for her first son? I don''t think so. Her every move is under surveillance So... What will she do about me leaving?¡±

    ¡°

    The prince gave her a little smile. ¡°No, it''s fine. You are right about her being...a rather unpleasant person. If you don''t do what she says, she gets extremely angry. Sometimes, she even does that when you are doing what she wants. I really understand why people would call her vicious.¡± He had witnessed Camille in her worst moments, so he couldn''t deny that she was a pretty horrible person. Still, talking badly about his mother felt weird. That was something he would never do under normal circumstances, so it was helpful that no one who knew him well was listening.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    In the end, it was fine because Cedar didn''t really care about Lucille all that much. He didn''t want her to get hurt, but he felt that way around most people. Lucille was just someone who helped him. She was convenient, and he liked talking to her. That was all there was to it. He just couldn''t afford to have Camille misunderstand.

    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Why would Cedar be angry when she had cried for him? He couldn''t remember the last time that this happened. But even after he said that it was fine, Lucille looked like she was embarrassed. She was even more dejected than before now. This wouldn''t do. So, he ruffled his hand through her hair and then carefully straightened the strands again. ¡°It''s really alright. These aren''t even my clothes. They belong to your servants, don''t they? And I just trained, so the one who should be worried about getting dirty is you. I wanted to change anyway, and I will just wash this.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡®You will get what you asked for. Wait for your present.¡¯

 Chapter 18: Going into the Capital (1)

¡°

    ¡°

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 19: Going into the Capital (2)

    Lucille almost sighed in relief and slouched her shoulders when Luciano finally disappeared. That earned her a concerned look from her friend, so she hurried to speak up before the other woman did. ¡°It''s fine, Fiona. I was just a bit tense. But now it''s better again because he''s gone. I know that I shouldn''t be so worried, but I couldn''t help it.¡±

    Fiona didn''t look like she was convinced. Still, she nodded and let her friend change the topic. ¡°About that ornament... Are you going to buy it? It looks really good.¡±

    Lucille paused for a moment and inwardly sighed again. She knew that her friend would argue about this with her. ¡°It''s too expensive.¡±

    As expected, Fiona immediately refuted that. ¡°What do you mean, Luci? You have the money. Your father told you to buy what you like. You should treat yourself this once.¡±

    ¡°But this is ridiculously expensive. I''m serious. I won''t use three months of my allowance to buy one hair ornament.¡± Maybe a duke''s daughter didn''t think much about that, but Lucille had a general understanding of what commoners earned. That was enough to make her reluctant to throw this much money out of the window just because she liked some hair clip. Maybe she could find something just as beautiful for less money?

    Fiona pouted and glanced at the jewelry stand before lifting her chin. ¡°But you never buy yourself anything. Don''t just give up on this when you really want it. I can give you some money too. Or...¡± She crossed her arms, and a smile spread on her face. ¡°I could buy it for your birthday.¡±

    Lucille knew well that her friend wouldn''t become poor because of such an investment, but she still refused whenever Fiona offered to buy something for her. It had happened often enough. So, she also recognized that determined glimmer in her friend''s eyes. Complaints were useless. Still, she tried it, only to be cut off immediately. ¡°I don''t-¡±

    Fiona turned her head to the side. ¡°You can''t stop me. If you don''t buy it, I will. And then I can do whatever I want with it. Make your decision now.¡± She paused and looked toward her friend again as her expression softened. ¡°Luci, this is the first time that you ever were this interested in a piece of jewelry. Don''t keep yourself from enjoying things. It would be a shame if you keep saving up money, only to let it rot somewhere. It would be better for you to finally start getting what you want, at least this once. What else are you going to do with so much money?¡±

    Lucille knew that she had already lost as soon as Fiona had seen that hair clip. No matter what, that piece of jewelry would be sold today, and it would end up in Lucille''s possession one way or another. In that case, she would rather pay herself instead of making her friend buy it. She lifted her arm with resignation and waited for one of the vendors to come.

    It only took a few seconds, and then a young woman with a simple business costume and a flawless smile approached them. ¡°Good afternoon, dear client. What can I be of service with?¡±

    Lucille gestured to the ornament and explained that she wanted to buy it. Then she waited for the woman to get a key to open the jewelry stand. When she tried the hair clasp on, she inwardly had to admit that she was a bit happy that she had given in. After all, the ornament was really pretty and maybe one of the most gorgeous items that she had ever seen. It would be a shame if she ended up not being able to wear it because of her desire not to be too flashy in public. She wouldn''t ponder this now though. She would just buy it and wear it at home if she was too nervous.

    So, Lucille let the vendor bring the box to the counter and followed her to process the purchase. As she stood in front of the register, she felt guilty again and considered not buying it after all. But it should be fine as long as she didn''t get anything during the next few visits, right? She told herself that while waiting for the vendor to ask for her signature.

    But it seemed like this would take a moment longer.

    The vendor smiled at her before disappearing into the room behind the counter. She stayed there for a minute or so before coming back with an even brighter smile. ¡°I sincerely apologize for letting you wait, but I have wonderful news. It seems that you are the thousandth client this year. You will receive a discount, Young Lady.¡±

    That made no sense. How were these people counting their guests? Did they draw a line for every purchase on a piece of paper? And why would they only mention the discount at the counter instead of luring people in with it? This was too suspicious.

    Lucille almost considered denying the discount, but paying a little less couldn''t hurt. ¡°How much is it then?¡± If she was lucky, she might save three hundred gold coins or so.

    The other woman beamed at her. ¡°This is a very special discount. This item is only half of the original price now.¡± That was way too generous. There had to be something unpleasant connected to this. Lucille''s skepticism had to have been obvious since the vendor hurried to continue. ¡°Of course, there isn''t a requirement. You do not need to sign a special contract nor will we try to sell you something else. You will only need to pay three thousand gold coins for this item. It is a great deal for you.¡±

    This made even less sense. Why hadn''t the store advertised this discount? They might have earned much more money with that.

    But now Lucille would just buy one item, which she would have taken anyway, so that the store lost money. If she was a bit more confident, she might have pointed out that this was a terrible way to run a business. Of course, she just stayed quiet though. She read the check with extra care and made sure that nothing was wrong multiple times before she finally signed.

    With that, she left and took the box with her after making sure that the ornament couldn''t be harmed during the transport. The women then exited the store while Luciano waved toward them.

    Lucille waved back, even though she was a bit embarrassed, and then gladly sat down in the carriage. She just wanted to close the door behind her, and then no one would see her worried expression anymore, but that wouldn''t help her consciousness. She still felt bad about buying something so expensive. And the discount just made it worse.

    As soon as they reached the carriage, Fiona spoke up. ¡°Luci, did you notice that?¡±

    Lucille had no idea what her friend meant. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Duke Vasquez told that woman to give you a discount. I saw how he came out from the room behind the counter after you purchased it.¡± Fiona''s eyes twinkled as she said that. ¡°He heard that you didn''t want to spend that much money and immediately intervened. He must like you!¡±

    Lucille pressed her lips into a line and held back a dejected reply. She loved romance novels, and she knew that Fiona liked them too. If she was the heroine in such a book, the male lead might have fallen for her in an instant. But this wasn''t a book. ¡°Definitely not. This is how you run a business, Fiona. You lure in reluctant customers with things like this to make them buy something else next time. You shouldn''t confuse that with personal emotions.¡±

    Fiona pouted at that and looked at her friend as if she really considered the option she talked about to be true. ¡°But maybe he does like you a little. I mean... I didn''t get a discount. But you said that you didn''t want to spend so much money, and he immediately reduced your expenses by half. That makes it seem like he cares about your well-being at least. He wanted to make you smile, and you didn''t even give him that. We can''t be sure, but if he really likes you, you can use that to your advantage. Being friends with a duke is beneficial. And maybe it could go even farther than that. It would be extremely convenient if you two really got to like each other a lot. You know why.¡±

    Of course, it would be extremely convenient if Lucille liked the man whom her father wanted her to marry. But that was just a dream. Lucille knew that things wouldn''t work out like this. She didn''t want to become someone''s wife just because of their status. She had expected this for all of her life, but she was still reluctant. Surely, it would be good if her marriage was accompanied by pleasant feelings, but there was no way that love would develop here.

    Lucille was certain that she could fall in love if she spent enough time with someone. But she doubted that Luciano, who could probably have most of the young unmarried women in the capital, would ever like her. And one-sided feelings might be worse than no one being in love at all. ¡°This isn''t a romance novel. I doubt that I will ever find my happily ever after in such a romantic way. It would be nice, but don''t count on it. Besides, I have a lot of other things on my mind right now.¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Fiona was silent for a short moment before she opened her mouth. ¡°Duke Vasquez would probably be a better choice than His Royal Highness, you know. I worry, Lucille.¡±

    Lucille froze at that. What was this supposed to mean? She attempted to answer but cut herself off. She was quiet for a few seconds before replying. ¡°What? Why are you suddenly saying that?¡±

    She didn''t receive an answer.

    But to be honest, she already guessed it herself. Lucille''s first reaction to this comment had been wanting to say that she liked Cedar much more than Luciano.

    This might become a huge problem.

    <hr>

    When the carriage reached the Valerian estate, Lucille climbed out and bid farewell to her friend. She was still lost in thoughts but quickly hurried inside. She brought the jewelry box to her room and then prepared to go to the annex to eat dinner, but she froze in the doorway and turned around again.

    Now she could put the ornament on, right? If she had bought it already, she might as well wear it. Just because she liked it. Not because she wanted to show it to anyone or something like that.

    Lucille bargained with herself for a moment before swiftly putting it into her hair. Of course, she didn''t just go out like that though. She stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes before she was content with the position. Even then, she still considered taking it out and going without it. She was already embarrassed, even though nothing had happened yet, which made her even more uncertain.

    In the end, Lucille forced herself to leave the clasp in her hair and walked over to the annex. When she arrived, food hadn''t been prepared yet, but Cedar was already waiting for her.

    The prince opened the door for her after she knocked and gave her his typical bright smile. ¡°Welcome back. How was your trip?¡±

    Lucille''s mood immediately lightened again after seeing that. The prince always seemed to calm her down. ¡°It was fine. Nothing much happened.¡± She came into the room and sat down at the table before waiting for him to join her. She only remembered the crucial detail about her trip after a few seconds passed. ¡°Ah, wait. One thing did happen. We met a group of royal guards. Apparently, they are still searching the area for you. They even stopped the carriage and looked inside before letting us pass. That was directly next to our estate, so...¡±

    Cedar let out a quiet sigh and put his cup back onto the table. ¡°I should have expected that. After all, they last found a trace of me in a house just a few minutes away. I fought against the knight there. After that, I dragged myself into a carriage and jumped out here. I certainly left some blood on the road next to your house too. They probably know that I''m in the area since no witnesses have seen me elsewhere ever since I disappeared. But luckily, they seem to doubt that I could have climbed in my wounded state, or they would have focused on this estate much earlier. ¡±

    Lucille nodded slowly and thanked him for the cup of tea, which he pushed toward her. She took a sip and tried to distract herself from her foolish thoughts. Why had she even put the ornament on? Had she expected Cedar to notice it? How stupid. They weren''t really close, so he probably didn''t care much about what she was wearing. ¡°It''s good that they didn''t think about coming here again. It would be problematic if we needed to hide you every few days.¡±

    Cedar gave a little affirmation before taking a sip of his tea.

    After that, a short silence followed.

    Lucille tightened her hold on her cup and swallowed her illogical disappointment. She should just tell him something about her day to distract herself. ¡°Well, the guards left us alone after they saw that there was no one with us. We went to a jeweler''s store in the capital then. Apparently, it belongs to your cousin. We accidentally met him there and chatted for a bit, but nothing aside from that happened.¡±

    Cedar perked up at that. ¡°You met Luciano? How was he doing? I didn''t see him for a while.¡± If he addressed the other man by his first name, their relationship seemed to be good.

    ¡°Are you close?¡± Lucille regretted asking that immediately. What if she had touched upon a serious topic just now? She hadn''t wanted to pry into his personal matters. But before she could apologize, she already received a response.

    The prince shrugged and replied in a calm voice. ¡°Somewhat. Our mothers used to push us together. My aunt because she wanted us to be friends and my mother because she wanted to plot with the former duke. So, Luciano and I spent a lot of time in our childhood together. We don''t really cling to each other, but we think similarly in a lot of matters. There were some troubles with the former duke since Luciano tended to listen to him blindly though. Anyway, I don''t necessarily trust Luciano, but I do trust him a bit more than many others. Now that his father is dead, I think that you can drop the caution around him too. He should be a person I can talk with. After I''m officially allowed to leave confinement, that is. And if he even wants to talk to me anymore.¡±

    Lucille wanted to hold back, but her curiosity was too big for her to keep quiet. She scanned the prince''s expression for a moment before carefully asking him. ¡°If you do not want to answer, please tell me. I know that this is none of my business, but why wouldn''t he talk to you?¡±

    Cedar gave her a bright smile. ¡°I don''t mind telling you. Theoretically, it''s not my fault, but my mother kind of murdered his father. Claude Vasquez would have been put in prison and executed in a few years anyway due to him committing treason and many other crimes. But my mother was worried about him revealing something sensitive about her and made sure to kill him when he left his cell one time. She burned down half of the Vasquez mansion. Claude was killed, and his corpse burned. Luciano and his mother and younger sister could have been unlucky too, but thankfully, they were outside. Still, all of that left scars on them. I''d understand it if he didn''t want to see me right now.¡±

    So, it had really been the dowager empress'' fault. There had been countless rumors about her wanting to get rid of her most trusted underling.

    That had been the case because Claude had messed up and been convicted of so many crimes that his whole family could have been exterminated. But the emperor had been generous and given the only son of the household, Luciano, a chance to take over the position of the duke. From then on, the Vasquez family had been a member of the emperor''s faction and supported him despite previously being on the dowager empress'' side.

    That had caused Camille Estien to hate that family even though her sister, Selena Vasquez, was the duchess. She had really attacked the dukedom despite their close relation. This didn''t make it Cedar''s fault though.

    Lucille dug her fingers into the cup as she spoke up. ¡°But His Grace shouldn''t blame you for any of that. When your mother was the one that did it, you aren''t at fault.¡±

    Cedar let out a small chuckle at that. ¡°If you approach it logically, maybe. But his father died, and the rest of his family was in grave danger. Don''t you think that he would be a bit biased? And aside from that, you also can''t just accept what I say as fact. You have no way of knowing whether I was involved too, you know? I could just make myself out to be the victim when I''m really the one that planned all of this.¡±

    Lucille replied without hesitation. ¡°That''s not true. You might not notice, but the way you speak gives away how you think about some things.¡± Not really, but she felt like she could catch a glimpse of his true emotions when his protective wall crumbled a bit. ¡°You don''t like what your mother does. So, you would never be the one who proposed something like this. She might have forced you to give her advice, but you definitely never plotted against the people around you of your own free will.¡± Maybe she had spoken with too much confidence.

    Cedar looked at her as if she had grown wings. For a moment, she thought she had said something wrong, but then he began laughing. He definitely had no idea how beautiful he was while doing that, even if his laughing didn''t necessarily seem honest. He also didn''t notice how Lucille stared at him for the next few seconds until he stopped to speak up. ¡°You truly are too trusting. Maybe you should be a bit more careful around other people. I can guarantee that not many think that I am nice. I think I''ve never heard anyone saying something like that to me.¡± He paused before making eye contact with her again, still with amusement flickering in his eyes. ¡°Where were we? Yes, you mentioned meeting Luciano. Do you not like him? It sounded like you weren''t too happy about seeing him. Isn''t he quite famous with most people? He tends to be quite social.¡±

    Lucille had no idea why he changed the topic so quickly. She obliged though. At first, she considered lying, but then she just decided to tell the truth. ¡°I mean...he''s polite, I think. But I can''t really relax around him. I told you that my father sometimes gave me strange missions, didn''t I? This time, it was the worst of all times. On the day that you came here, my father said that he wanted me to marry His Grace. Because he is the most powerful bachelor who isn''t a member of the royal family, you know? And obviously, I wasn''t too happy about that. After all, I can''t just approach a duke. He could ruin my reputation with just a few words. So, speaking to His Grace put me under a lot of pressure.¡±

    Cedar didn''t seem surprised to hear that. ¡°I see. But there is no need to worry about this at all, is there? Now that whole engagement thing shouldn''t be much of a problem for the next few months. After all, your father thinks that you are in a relationship with an even more influential bachelor.¡± He gave her a smile that made her heart skip a beat. ¡°If there are any issues regarding this, tell me, and I will take care of it. But enough about unpleasant matters. Let''s focus on the nice things in life. It''s really beautiful.¡± He paused for a moment to let her stare at him in confusion before he continued. ¡°I''m referring to the ornament in your hair. It seems to have been made by a skillful artist.¡±

    Lucille''s eyes widened, and she quickly hid her joy. He had noticed. ¡°I think so too. It was the first time that I ever bought something expensive like this. It was just very pretty, so I couldn''t help it. I regretted it a bit, but I feel like it was worth it. I will make up for it by holding back next time, but for now, I am glad that I was a bit more generous.¡± She realized that she was blabbering, but she couldn''t stop herself.

    Thankfully, Cedar didn''t look annoyed. He just smiled at her. ¡°It fits you. Your attire itself is stunning too. Everything matches the person that is wearing it. You chose it well.¡± Had he phrased it like this on purpose? If the ornament was beautiful and the person that wore it too, didn''t that mean that he had complimented her?

    Lucille tried to remind herself that this was just how young ladies were treated in noble society, but her cheeks were already flushed red. She barely managed to calm herself and quickly averted her gaze as she mumbled a response. ¡°Thank you.¡± Why did she react so sensitively? This was stupid.

    He definitely had just said that because he was used to charming women. A member of the royal family had to be charismatic after all. Cedar dealt out compliments as if they didn''t mean much. Just because he had called her pretty, that didn''t mean anything.

    She knew that. But when he said things like that with a breathtaking smile, she might momentarily forget.

 Chapter 20: Empty Spaces

    ¡°I know that your age difference can make it hard for you to find something that is fun for the both of you. But those five years don''t change the fact that you are brothers. You should try to play together instead of fighting.¡±

    ¡°So, you are trying to take my second son away too? You filthy, greedy bitch!¡±

    ¡°Mother, please don''t hurt Althea. She-¡±

    ¡°Don''t take that dirty word into your mouth. You won''t betray me too!¡±

    <hr>

    that day was bad enough, but seeing Althea''s demise in front of his inner eye again and again made him even more upset. He leaned against the railing with a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

 Chapter 21: To Be Protected and To Protect

¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°

 Chapter 22: Welcome Home and a Brothers Reunion (1)

    ¡°

    ¡°

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    What?¡± This was the first time in a while that he had lost his temper without bothering to hide it.

    ¡°

    She would get better.

    ¡°

    what?¡± He was silent for a moment before resuming in a voice full of concern. ¡°Cedar, what happened? Why did she want you to be hurt?¡± That would take too much time to explain.

    ¡°

 Chapter 23: Welcome Home and a Brothers Reunion (2)

    kindest letter I ever received. She said all the things that she told you after the trial to me now. And she added all of my triggers. It''s understandable if I''m fed up with being by her side when all that comes out of it is this, isn''t it?¡± He wasn''t even sure whether what he said made sense anymore. His head was swimming, so he might have messed up the sentences he had prepared a while ago.

    ¡°

    Maybe that was petty, but he couldn''t bring himself to care.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    would be more careful. He wouldn''t be so careless anymore while hoping that it would be fine. Cedar would have to be concentrated at all times and make sure that no one could read his emotions. He couldn''t let Lucille get closer either. She was already much too dear to him for his liking. He would have to avoid her in the future.

 Chapter 24: A Hazy Mind

    <hr>

    ¡°

    ¡°

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    She didn''t know, and she didn''t care. Lucille was just happy as long as he showed her a bit of his true personality. Then this wound might have been worth it, even if it hurt more than anything she had ever felt. It would take a long time until this fully recovered, and even then, she had no guarantee that everything would heal. She froze at that thought and slowly turned to Cedar. She was almost a bit scared to ask and actually didn''t want to speak up. But her mouth opened almost without her doing. ¡°Cedar, I know you''re not a doctor, but I have a question. Will it scar? The wound, I mean.¡± Was her speech even more slurred now, or was she just imagining it?

 Chapter 25: Future Plans (1)

    ¡°

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    that incident. ¡°What I''m used to is ignoring pain and patching myself up after I get hurt. Training in my childhood was harsh. Not as bad as it would be for real warriors or on a battlefield, but I did have to endure quite a bit. My mother didn''t like me whining, so I quickly stopped complaining. That also meant that I had to learn about first aid, which is rather beneficial now. But just because this was helpful to me, it doesn''t mean that I want other children to experience the same thing.¡± He wasn''t even sure why he told her that. Didn''t it sound like he wanted sympathy? That would seem a bit pathetic. So, he smiled at her and brought the spoon to her mouth again. ¡°Come on. Open up.¡±

 Chapter 26: Future Plans (2)

    definitely won''t force you to go back to that woman either. You will stay, that is the only option. The question is more about whether you are trustworthy. I need to decide whether to put you in a cell or whether to let you roam around freely.¡± That he was considering the second option proved that he was either brave and trusted his security measures or that he was reckless and didn''t believe that his brother could cause trouble from within. If it was the latter one, he was more than stupid.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    perfect.

 Chapter 27: What Do You Like About Him?

    Maybe Lucille was the only one who saw it.

    Cedar was fuming. There was a huge amount of anger below his wide smile, and he just barely held back from snapping at the people around them.

    She wasn''t sure whether the royal couple didn''t know or whether they just ignored it. Maybe she herself had just noticed it because she could feel how he tensed. Cedar was still holding her hand after all. He had probably forgotten that he hadn''t ever pulled back.

    Since Lucille didn''t have the desire to push him away, she just kept holding him too. So, they had been like this for the past minutes despite her almost dying out of embarrassment when she had realized. But right now, she didn''t want to let go either. Not when Cedar seemed to get angrier with each passing second. So, she just squeezed his hand tighter in an attempt to distract him.

    When the prince noticed, he almost seemed to snap out of some sort of trance. He turned his head to stare at their hands for a moment. Then he looked at her face before giving her a little smile. He was still angry, of course he was. A small distraction couldn''t keep him from fuming. But it seemed like he was a bit better now.

    Lucille smiled back at him before she focused her attention on the royal couple again. She regretted that in an instant.

    The emperor scanned them with skepticism while the empress hid a small smile behind her fingers.

    This almost made Lucille want to let go, but that would make this even more embarrassing. So, she quickly averted her gaze.

    A few seconds of silence followed before Blanche spoke up. ¡°In any case, it seems like we are keeping you from eating. Since that is problematic when you are supposed to recover, we will take our leave now.¡± She slowly stood up, which caused her husband to jump up so that he could help her.

    Lucille dared to meet the other woman''s gaze and quietly replied. ¡°Your Majesty could never disturb us. I need to thank you again. That we are allowed to reside here until the situation is calmer is extremely generous. I will be forever indebted to you.¡±

    The empress gave her a bright smile before responding in a soft voice. ¡°Helping others should be normal. You don''t need to think about doing anything for us. If you want to see it differently, just remember this. You saved the life of a member of the royal family. The least we can do is help you.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Cedar turned his head away and looked like he had to hold back from rolling his eyes. It seemed like he didn''t enjoy hearing it when the royal couple asked him how he was doing or said that it was good that he was healthy.

    Lucille squeezed his hand again before she spoke up. ¡°I''m just happy that I managed to reach my goal by doing something so reckless.¡± But she didn''t regret it. Even if Cedar told her that he would have dealt with the wound with fewer complications.

    Theodore linked his arm with his wife''s before responding. ¡°It would be better to refrain from doing something like this in the future though, Lady Valerian. While I do admire your bravery, it was awfully dangerous. You were lucky that Cedar found the royal guards quickly. Otherwise, it might not have ended like this. I know that warning you now isn''t helpful, but I wish to remind you that the dowager empress isn''t a lenient person. If she thinks that you are close to Cedar, even if that was just a rumor, she will target you. For now, you should be safe here, but I would still ask you to be careful. Of course, we will investigate and do our best to cut off all ways for her to contact any dangerous people. You may need to give a testimony regarding the incident if a trial does happen.¡±

    Cedar cut his brother off at that point. ¡°You are right. She may do that at a later date. But not now. I think the reason is obvious. But I doubt that you will even be able to put on a trial. There won''t be a single piece of evidence left. It''s surprising that there wasn''t a fire after that incident. You should probably send someone to search for unknown intruders who are spreading a strange flammable liquid.¡±

    Theodore let out a huff of air. ¡°I already did that. You may not believe me, but I pay attention to the things that woman does too. By now, I am very much capable of guessing what she wants to do next. There are enough people there to prevent a fire. And I am aware that there won''t be evidence too. Why do you think we needed to wait for a revolt before arresting you? Anyway. We will take our leave now and give you some privacy.¡± He turned to Lucille and gave her a little smile. ¡°Good afternoon, Lady Valerian. Please rest well and recover quickly. And do not hold back from scolding my brother if he does things you find odd. You have my permission.¡±

    Lucille had no idea how to react to that. She quickly bowed her head and replied. ¡°I wish you a wonderful evening, Your Majesty. I sincerely thank you for allowing me to stay here. Cedar doesn''t act strangely though, so I doubt that I will need to scold him.¡± Even if she had already done so upon seeing him train despite his injury.

    Blanche smiled at that before speaking up as well. ¡°I see. That''s how it is. I do have some questions about that later, but for now, we will leave you alone. Good evening.¡±

    Lucille quickly lowered her head again. ¡°I hope that you have a wonderful evening, Your Majesty. May you rest well.¡±

    Cedar glanced at her as if he found her goodbye amusing before he replied as well. ¡°Goodnight, Your Majesty. I hope that you will sleep well.¡± He didn''t look at the royal couple for long and quickly averted his eyes again.

    Apparently, that didn''t bother them though. The emperor and the empress left the room along with their guards and shut the door behind them.

    Lucille immediately relaxed, only to cringe at the numb pain coming from her stomach. It always returned when she had almost forgotten about it, which was quite frustrating.

    Cedar only took a second to notice that Lucille was gritting her teeth again and quickly moved to help her lie down. ¡°Is it that bad? You should have said something. I will tell the doctor to give you more medicine. You being a bit hazy is better than you being in pain.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°It''s actually not bad at all. It''s just unfavorable when I move around too much. When I tense my muscles, it hurts. I was a bit stiff around His and Her Majesty, so relaxing now was painful.¡±

    ¡°It is obvious that you''re very stiff around them. I''m glad that you don''t insist on formalities around me anymore.¡± Cedar smiled as if this was a joke, but he was probably very serious about this. Then his smile widened a bit as he scanned her face. ¡°Are you sure that you don''t want more medicine? The doctor should be in the neighboring room. I only need to stand up and walk ten steps, and then you can get it in just a minute or so. I don''t want you to lie around in pain because you won''t admit that it hurts.¡±

    A small smile grew on Lucille''s lips as she met his gaze. ¡°You are aware that you are a hypocrite, aren''t you? You never took pain medicine in front of me either. But in contrast to you, I''m not lying when I say that I''m not in pain. It''s really fine. I will need to be careful, but this is nothing problematic. I think there is something else that we need to talk about.¡± She forced herself to keep smiling as she said that, even though her stomach already churned. Just a second later, her smile died down though. ¡°About the servants...¡±

    Cedar quickly understood and cut her off. ¡°Let us wait with that. I don''t have all the information either. If you want to know soon, let''s ask my brother tomorrow. But give yourself one more relaxed night.¡± It sounded like he didn''t hope for good news.

    That was all she needed to hear to be certain. Countless people had to have died that day.

    Lucille balled one of her fists while tightening her hold on Cedar''s hand. She could only pray that as many servants as possible had ignored the rules to sneak out and that her father had taken many along with him. Otherwise, those poor people would have ended up like Mathilda. Lucille remembered the maid''s desperate screams and quickly closed her eyes. She didn''t want to think about that yet. She knew that it was ridiculous to push facts away like this, but she didn''t want to know this today. She wanted one more night in peace, as the prince had said.

    So, she hurried to open her eyes and addressed a random topic to distract herself. ¡°Are you really going to stay here in the neighboring room the whole night?¡± It would be odd to assume that he wanted to take care of her, but it had sounded like this.

    Cedar smiled at her, and it seemed like he had calmed down a bit again. ¡°Indeed. If I need to feed you, I can just sleep here too. After all, running around the whole time isn''t efficient. I will borrow one of the beds here.¡±

    Lucille almost coughed at that and quickly averted her eyes. She was still a bit embarrassed about Cedar feeding her, but showing that would only make it weird for the both of them. ¡°I see. Thank you very much. But I would understand if you don''t want to stay here for too long. After all, this isn''t a place a prince should sleep in.¡± She seemed to be more concerned about that than he was though.

    ¡°I slept under a bridge just a few weeks ago. This is much better. Don''t worry.¡± He smiled at her without any trace of the anger that he had previously shown.

    Lucille held still for a moment and just stared at him. She contemplated speaking up but was a bit worried about what he might say. So, she stayed quiet and waited for Cedar to move.

    He met her gaze for a while before looking at the nightstand. He shuffled around so that he sat closer to her again and lifted the tray. ¡°Then we should eat a bit before the sun sets. I feared that the soup might get cold, but it should still be somewhat warm.¡± He picked up the spoon and brought it to her mouth.

    Lucille wanted to say that she could probably eat alone by now, but she stopped herself at the last moment. She was still weak, so it would be better to move as little as possible, right? She definitely wasn''t enjoying the fact that Cedar took care of her this much and just thought logically about that. To the prince, this didn''t mean much either. He probably just felt bad because she had gotten hurt while protecting him, but she was still touched by him helping her with even simple tasks like these.

    So, Lucille just opened her mouth and let him feed her. She would eat by herself starting from tomorrow, but she might as well give herself some rest for today.

    The both of them spent the rest of the evening slowly eating some of the dishes that had been brought while chatting about lighthearted themes.

    Lucille barely managed to finish even half of her meal, and Cedar didn''t have enough room in his stomach to eat the rest either. But even though swallowing had been a little painful sometimes, she had gotten enough to be saturated. Now she was simply tired. Thus, she was happy when the sun set and she was able to lie down again.

    The doctor gave her a dose of the stronger medicine, and only minutes later, Lucille''s mind became hazy again. She didn''t have an issue with that though. To her, this was a chance. While she was still somewhat conscious and Cedar sat next to her, she could finally address the issue. Now that she was getting more and more woozy, she gathered enough courage to speak about what she had noticed. ¡°Cedar?¡± She looked at him through half-lidded eyes.

    The prince looked up from the book he had picked up and replied in a quiet voice. ¡°Yes?¡±

    Lucille forced herself to keep her eyes open as she tried to read his expression. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±

    Cedar gazed at her for a moment. ¡°Of course. I can''t promise that I will answer it, but I will listen.¡±

    She could just hope that he wouldn''t be upset about this. ¡°Don''t get mad though. I noticed this during our conversation earlier. You dislike it when other people tell you that you aren''t at fault. Did you notice that? You get angry when you are reminded that you''re not as bad as you think yourself to be. Your smile widens. It took a while for me to notice, but by now, I can tell when you get upset. And you don''t like it when your brother tells you that he wants to give you a second chance.¡± Lucille tried her best to say this without slurring her words too much. She hadn''t expected a complicated answer to this question, but she had been worried about the prince becoming annoying.

    Cedar didn''t seem to be angry though nor did he intend to give her an explanation. He just reached over to her and brushed his fingers through her hair while being extremely careful. ¡°You do pay a lot of attention to me. I don''t think that you should do that. It might not be pleasant for you. I''m not a good person.¡±

    Lucille felt her consciousness slipping away as she closed her eyes. She wanted to say one more thing before falling asleep. ¡°But I like you...¡± She wasn''t sure whether he had understood her. But when she tried to say it a second time, her tongue didn''t work anymore. So, she had to admit defeat.

    The only thing she felt while falling asleep was Cedar''s hand on her head. It felt nice.

    <hr>

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Lucille had imagined living in the palace as being exciting. But to be honest, she was already bored the next morning. Without moving around, there was only so much she could do. The only one that kept her from dying out of boredom was Cedar, who sat next to her almost the whole time.

    Most of the day had been fine. But in the afternoon, the prince had left to meet with the emperor to discuss some things regarding him breaking out of confinement.

    Now Lucille was all alone and lay in bed while looking around the room. She should have asked for some books. Then she would be able to do something useful instead of just waiting for Cedar to come back. But she didn''t have time to worry about what to do for long.

    A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

    Lucille looked around for a moment before realizing that the doctor wasn''t anywhere close to her. So, she raised her voice. ¡°Yes?¡±

    A second later, the door was opened, and a young woman looked inside with a bright smile. That was none other than Blanche Estien, the empress herself. ¡°Good afternoon, Lady Valerian. I hope I''m not disturbing you. May I come inside for a moment?¡±

    Lucille froze in place. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± She took a few seconds before she processed the situation. She scolded herself for being so slow and hurried to reply. ¡°Ah. I apologize. Of course. Good afternoon, Your Majesty. How can I be of assistance?¡±

    Blanche stepped inside and instructed someone to wait there with a hand gesture before she came in, accompanied by a maid with ginger hair. ¡°No, I have to apologize for the intrusion. I merely wished to ask whether you would like to join me for a cup of tea since I assumed that you would be bored while sitting around here. Waiting for your recovery is always annoying.¡± The fact that she even asked was ridiculous in itself. No person in this nation could refuse the empress'' request except for the emperor, who adored his wife more than anything else. There was just one possible answer here.

    ¡°I would be honored to be allowed to join you for a cup of tea.¡± Lucille quickly looked down to confirm whether she was somewhat presentable in her current state. As expected, she was lacking in all regards. She couldn''t curtsy to the empress, didn''t wear anything but a nightgown and could barely sit upright. ¡°Uhm. I apologize for my current-¡±

    Blanche cut her off before she could finish. ¡°You are injured. Do not act like you are required to bow as you normally would.¡± She came toward the bed and wanted to sit down on the chair Cedar usually used.

    However, she was stopped by her maid, who hurriedly intervened. ¡°Your Majesty! Please wait a moment. I will get you an armchair. It will only take a minute.¡± The maid ignored her mistress'' frustrated sigh and rushed over to the corner of the room to begin shoving an armchair toward the bed. She took a short while before finally finishing and speaking up while trying to calm her breathing again. ¡°There...you go. A comfortable chair.¡±

    The empress gazed at her for a moment before giving up and sitting down. ¡°Thank you very much. But that was unnecessary, and you know it. I''m pregnant and not sick.¡± She made herself comfortable before gazing at Lucille and showing her a soft smile. ¡°I apologize for the wait. May I introduce you? This is my closest friend and personal maid, who has been by my side ever since I came here. Her name is Stella.¡± Then she gestured toward the noble lady while looking at her maid. ¡°This is Lucille Valerian, the only daughter of Viscount Valerian. I think you know her though.¡± She turned to Lucille again. ¡°Stella remembers all nobles in the capital, which is rather helpful at times.¡±

    That wasn''t calming at all. Not when Stella stared at Lucille as if she was pondering something. The maid was quiet for a little moment before realization crossed her face, and her expression darkened. ¡°I...remember you. During the hunting festival last year, you started a fight with My Lady.¡±

    Lucille wanted to sink into the floor at that. Why did the maid have to remember that?

    The hunting festival had been one of the most humiliating events she had ever been through. That day, her father had decided that she should provoke Blanche, who had been the emperor''s concubine back then, to instigate a fight. This had been supposed to cause the emperor to feel apologetic toward their family. Lucille didn''t know the rest of that plan, but she knew that it had ended with her obeying because she had been scared.

    The result had been miserable. As expected, upsetting Blanche and the present children of influential families hadn''t helped. Lucille had just been forced to apologize after fearing that she might be dragged in front of a court for slandering others. Thankfully, the concerned people had refrained from doing that, but the son of Duke Duremont and the daughter of Marquess Bellfaux still seemed to despise her. It had been pure luck that the emperor hadn''t noticed what was going on so that Lucille hadn''t been ruined completely.

    But when she had told her father that this plan had been stupid afterward, she had regretted it deeply. She didn''t want to remember that evening at all. Just a little comment about that day made her remember though. Even if she tried to push these thoughts away, she wasn''t able to ban them from her mind.

    Lucille shuddered for a moment before whispering her response. ¡°Ah. I sincerely apologize.¡± That didn''t help much at all. Maybe it would be better to stay quiet to avoid upsetting the others more, but she didn''t want to let them believe that she was at fault. ¡°I know that it...sounds like an excuse, but I didn''t want to say any of that. I had to do that because...¡± Because her father made her do it? That wouldn''t help her family''s reputation either. ¡°Someone forced me to...¡± Saying it without naming anyone just made it sound like a lie. So, Lucille cut herself off and just let her head hang forward.

    ¡°Please raise your head. I already heard a little bit about that.¡±

    Lucille barely dared to comply, but she was greeted with a soft smile on Blanche''s side.

    The empress seemed as if she wasn''t angry at all and spoke in a soft voice. ¡°Of course, I don''t know much about your circumstances. But I already thought that it was odd when you reacted so timidly about being scolded back then. You were way too uncertain after delivering your speech. And that isn''t the only time that I found it strange when you acted out of character. Your difference in personality is astonishing regularly. You sometimes appear extremely confident, and then you get shy from one second to the other. Until now, I didn''t get why that was the case, but it seems to have something to do with your father, doesn''t it? Theo mentioned that you compared your parents to Cedar''s.¡± Her smile became sadder as she continued. ¡°I haven''t spent a lot of time with your father, but if you think that he is similar to the dowager empress, you have my condolences. From now on, you will be safe though. You are under the protection of the royal family.¡±

    Lucille didn''t know what to say about all of this. She could just meet the other woman''s gaze with confusion. Why did everyone around her already know what she had told Cedar? It was good that she didn''t need to explain too much about her situation, but it was still odd. ¡°I... Thank you.¡± Even though she wouldn''t be protected from her father for long. After all, she had to leave after the dowager empress had forgotten about her.

    Blanche quickly seemed to notice what was going on inside the other''s head. She waved to her maid, who brought a tray and pot of tea, before speaking up. ¡°I apologize if you are uncomfortable with me knowing about that. I promise that I do not have much more information. I also won''t pry. I just wanted to explain that I don''t blame you. That incident happened over a year ago, and I''m not mad in the slightest. You apologized multiple times by now, so it truly is fine. So, please feel free to relax in my presence. It will only be exhausting if we are tense the whole time.¡±

    Lucille was skeptical, but she didn''t dare speak.

    The empress smiled at her maid when the other woman poured her a cup of tea before resuming. ¡°As you may have guessed, I do not care much for formalities. You also don''t need to call me by my title while we are alone. It doesn''t feel right to be addressed so distantly when we aren''t even in public. You may call me by my name or my old title if you feel more comfortable with that.¡±

    Lucille definitely couldn''t do that. There was no way that she could speak to the empress without using formalities. That should be obvious too. But the other''s expectant smile made it hard to say no. She just forced herself to smile and nodded.

    Blanche seemed content with that and happily accepted the cup of tea from her maid. Then she waited until Stella had given Lucille a cup too and spoke up after that. ¡°Then I would like to invite you to drink with me. This is apricot tea, which is my favorite flavor. I''m sure that it will be to your liking as well.¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded while trying to keep the cup as still as possible. She didn''t want to embarrass herself by spilling hot tea over herself while the empress was watching. So, she stabilized the cup for a moment before replying. ¡°I am certain that it will be delicious. After all, this tea was brewed in the royal palace. It has to be special.¡± She tried to read the other''s expression while saying that and was once again surprised by how kind Blanche was when she was met with nothing but politeness.

    In the past, Lucille hadn''t seen her often and had only caused trouble for the other woman once or twice. So, it was odd for the empress to be this nice to a viscount''s daughter. But Blanche truly seemed like she was just happy to sip her tea here while giving Lucille an encouraging smile.

    Lucille stared at her tea for a moment before carefully drinking it too. It had the perfect temperature, and it was heavenly, as expected. Though, she still didn''t dare to swallow too much at once and was relieved when her stomach didn''t hurt too much as she drank. So, she relaxed a bit but still worried about dropping the cup. For a moment, it was quiet before Lucille forced herself to speak up. ¡°The tea is truly divine. I am thankful for being able to try it. It is as wonderful as one would have expected and even better.¡±

    Blanche grinned at that as she put her cup onto the nightstand. ¡°It''s good to hear that. It seems like my taste buds aren''t confused. I take that you were happy about the food you received then? Or let us be more general. Have you been content with your life in the palace for now? I understand that it''s frustrating not to be able to move around, but once you have recovered, you can take as many walks as you want to. Is there anything we can do for you right now?¡±

    Lucille shook her head. She would like to read some books to fight against her boredom, but she surely wouldn''t annoy the empress with such wishes. She could maybe ask Cedar later. ¡°No. I thank you for your offer, Your-¡± She interrupted herself at the other''s cough and quickly continued without the title. ¡°I thank you for your offer, but I don''t require anything. I cannot do much right now, but I am content with everything. The doctor takes care of me without ever complaining, and everyone else is extremely kind too. I will be eternally grateful for your assistance.¡±

    Blanche quickly chimed in at that. ¡°As I said, you do not need to thank us. It''s an honor. We are just happy that you liked it until now. Depending on the situation, you may need to stay here for longer after all. But there is still one little issue that we will take care of in a moment. We will need an excuse in that case. You cannot publicly say that you came here because the dowager empress tried to kill you after all.¡±

    Lucille hadn''t thought about this yet. She wasn''t sure what reason they could specify, but it was obvious that they needed one. It wouldn''t make much sense for a viscount''s daughter to stay in the palace. She couldn''t just reveal the truth, so she would have to find some kind of explanation in case rumors spread. ¡°I see. Unfortunately, I have no idea what would justify my stay here.¡±

    Blanche gave her a bright smile and replied. ¡°I do have an idea. I thought about claiming that I hired you to be my lady-in-waiting for the time being. We could say that you wished to learn more about etiquette and that we talked about this as a result. Then the time you can stay here isn''t limited, and we can always send you home after saying that you were content with what you learned.¡±

    That wouldn''t be a bad excuse if Lucille was someone from a powerful family, but a viscount''s daughter wouldn''t get picked for this position. Aside from that, she also wouldn''t say that she was a suitable person when her manners and etiquette were lacking. She tightened her grip around her cup a little. ¡°But is that excuse truly fitting? If you were to take in a lady-in-waiting, you would most likely choose someone with a much higher rank. Or you would invite Lady Ravillot.¡± Countess Ravillot was the noble lady the empress was closest with after all.

    But Blanche quickly shook her head. ¡°Lady Ravillot has a young child at home. I would never ask her to leave her daughter for me. And due to my origin, I doubt that someone will believe that I care much for ranks. I don''t see much of a difference.¡± Since the current empress had been born as a commoner before becoming a noble, it was obvious that she wouldn''t worry about things like this. But to everyone else, it probably still looked odd. However, Lucille had no chance to talk back as Blanche already continued with a small grin. ¡°Besides, your relationship with Cedar would be enough to give us an additional reason.¡±

    Why would being friends with a prince give you a right to become the empress'' lady-in-waiting? That didn''t make much sense. Of course, being acquainted with a member of the royal family was always good, but due to the strained relationship between Cedar and the emperor, this didn''t help much here.

    Lucille was silent for a moment before she decided to ask. ¡°My relationship? What exactly are you referring to?¡± She received a knowing smile in response. That made her worry even more about what this was about. Did the empress perhaps think that Lucille and Cedar were a couple too? Lucille felt her heart skip a beat at that thought, and she hurried to refute that. ¡°Please wait. No, no. You got that wrong! We aren''t...like that.¡±

    Blanche drank another sip of her tea before replying with a bright smile. ¡°I understand. You''re still in denial.¡± She chuckled at the other woman''s expression and quickly resumed. ¡°Please do not get angry. I was merely joking around. Your reaction proves that I''m onto something though.¡± She drank a bit again before returning to the original topic. ¡°Anyway. You can rest assured that you will not gain any disadvantages if you have the position of being my lady-in-waiting. You will get a steady income, boost your status and learn a lot about lifesaving topics like etiquette.¡± She made it sound like the last aspect didn''t really seem important to her.

    Lucille opened her mouth to voice her concern, but she had no chance to speak when the empress already continued.

    ¡°Since I have three maids, with whom I get along well, I don''t need much help. I spend most of my time with Theodore anyway. That means that you would have no tasks aside from appearing next to me during events. Doing that for a while should be fine. After all, it''s supposed to protect your life and keep us from revealing how serious all of this is. Would you be alright with us using that excuse? As I said, you will formally gain all of a lady-in-waiting''s privileges, so you only have advantages because of this.¡±

    Lucille obviously couldn''t refuse that offer. The benefits were tempting, and having an excuse was a good idea. Besides, she could never say no when the empress was asking her. She quickly bowed her head to reply. ¡°It would be an honor, Your Majesty. I sincerely thank you for this chance. I will do my best to serve you. It will probably take a few days until I can walk around again though.¡±

    The empress responded immediately. ¡°You don''t have to use my title. But you are right about what you said. Don''t think about moving when you are still injured. I forbid you from attempting to work for at least the next month. You won''t have to do anything later either though. As I said, my maids already have little to do, so I doubt that they will share work with you. And since there are enough other servants here, your main task might just be staying safe. I''m happy as long as you aren''t in danger. We will take care of the formalities regarding this matter later when you are feeling better, so you don''t need to think about it more.¡± Blanche took a sip of her tea before a smile came onto her lips. When she continued, her tone was much more cheerful than before. ¡°So. Now that we dealt with the serious things, it would be fine to chat about other topics, right? Please allow me to ask a question. What do you like about him?¡±

    Lucille was completely taken aback by that. She blinked at the other woman and couldn''t hold back a small noise of confusion. ¡°Huh?¡± She paused for a moment before catching herself. ¡°Pardon me. I am not quite sure what you mean.¡±

    Blanche''s grin widened as she set down the cup to rest her hands in her lap. ¡°I''m referring to Cedar. You two obviously like each other. I was asking about what you like about him. I was wondering how the two of you got to know each other. He usually isn''t this open with anyone.¡±

    Lucille''s eyes widened, and she only took a second to shrink in herself in shame. She felt how her cheeks were burning and quickly averted her eyes. She wasn''t even able to reply properly and just stammered around while attempting not to sound too much like a liar. ¡°That''s not... He and I aren''t...that close. I found him after...he was hurt and took him in. Nothing else happened. He''s really kind and nice and considerate. But we''re just...¡± What exactly were they? Friends or acquaintances or something completely different? She wasn''t sure what they even were. So, she could just stare at the floor without knowing how to explain.

    The empress laughed at that. ¡°I see. So, it''s like this. We''ll see how things develop in the future then.¡± She paused and waited until the other woman slowly lifted her gaze before continuing in a serious tone. ¡°I truly hope that you two can be happy together. But I still have to warn you. Cedar does have some issues. You should keep in mind that there are things that can trigger him. He won''t even hurt you if you say all of them to his face though. He can control himself easily. But he might get upset about some things without you knowing why. Give him some space and allow him to explain it to you then. He seems to trust you. That is good, but even then, he will be reluctant to show you his vulnerable side. It will take a while. Don''t pressure him, but talk to him when you feel like he wants to talk. Such chances are over quickly, so you have to use them.¡±

    Lucille once again didn''t know what to make out of this. Why was Blanche telling her all of this? Did it really seem like she was close to Cedar? But even if that was the case, why did the empress care?

    In the past, it had looked like Cedar and his brother''s wife got along as well as fire and water. After all, he disliked the emperor, so why would he like the empress? But Blanche spoke as if she knew what she was talking about. It was odd.

    Lucille was quiet for a moment before she couldn''t hold back her question anymore. ¡°I...thank you for telling me this. But I would like to ask you something in return. What is your relationship with Cedar? Of course, I will not force you to tell me. It''s just that I thought that you didn''t know him well, and still, you said some things an outsider wouldn''t know about.¡±

    Blanche gave her a smile in response. ¡°It''s hard to explain. You could say that I know him well while knowing nothing at the same time. Most things I am aware of came from Theo. I am not certain that the rest is still true, but I can guess some other things from the past. But I am almost sure that you already know more than I do. That''s why I would like it if you could stay by his side. Cedar deserves happiness too. We''ve always said that he just needs someone to lead him there. Whether you may be his friend or something else, it doesn''t matter. As long as you keep him company, it will do him good. And since you like him, this is a good deal for everyone.¡±

    Lucille couldn''t help but be embarrassed upon hearing that. She wasn''t anything special, so she wasn''t fitting for such a wonderful person as Cedar, and she knew that they hadn''t known each other for very long. But the fact that a third party saw that they liked each other made her happy. Especially if the empress thought that Lucille might be able to accompany Cedar to make him feel better.

    Lucille would definitely stay by the prince''s side for a bit longer if she had the chance. Right now, she wasn''t sure what she and Cedar were, but she liked him. So, she would try to spend as much time with him as possible.

 Chapter 28: Back at Home

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I never wanted causalities. Be happy that my mother didn''t plan the attack by herself. And think about who you are provoking next time. Pick up those books. Now.¡±

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 29: A Fathers Visit

¡°

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

 Chapter 30: Tears and Smiles

¡°

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    his mother had been the one to send assassins to kill everyone within the house.

 Chapter 31: A Friends Warning

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°someone else here, I listen to advice. Your intuition is always right, so it couldn''t hurt to be careful.¡±

    <hr>

 Chapter 32: A Duel

    he said this, it surely didn''t seem like he was being honest.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    perfect brother defended him, he couldn''t hold back. ¡°Don''t scold them too much. Isn''t it normal for them to distrust me? If you remember what happened five months ago, you should be more worried too. It''s understandable that those people would even disregard your words if they met someone like me. That would usually be a bit worrying since they should listen to you no matter what. But in this case, you know that their motive is to clear the palace of any danger. You should remind them to treat other guests with more courtesy though. I think that was all I needed to say. It was nice to talk to you. I will take my leave now if you give me permission.¡±

    again.

    ¡°

 Chapter 33: Closeness

¡°

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°

    <hr>

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 34: Distance

¡°

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 35: A Tea Party with Familiar Faces

¡°

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 36: Sweet Like Honey

¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

 Chapter 37: Im the Bad One

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

 Chapter 38: Warm

    ¡°Cedar? Can I hug you?¡±

    Cedar shouldn''t agree to that. The fact that they kept hugging was problematic enough since it only made it harder to define their relationship. And now they were outside. Agreeing to this would be the stupidest thing he could do.

    There was no way that he would do that. He wasn''t that foolish.

    Cedar looked at Lucille for a moment before he began cursing himself. He was an idiot. ¡°I can''t really stop you.¡± He lifted his arms and allowed her to carefully step closer to him. When he pulled her into his arms, his head was filled with reasons why he had to be the most stupid person to exist in this world.

    But after just a second, all of them disappeared, and he just focused on the strange sensation. He normally disliked being so close to other people, but when it was Lucille, it seemed to be fine. Especially since holding her made him feel much calmer than it should have made him feel. It was almost like he had found his peace while she was hugging him. Nothing around them bothered him anymore as he only focused on her presence. It felt like a small sun was cuddling with him and holding him warm. As if she offered some of her warmth to his cold life.

    She was way too trusting, wasn''t she? Lucille had just come into his arms as soon as he had told her that it was fine. Was it normal for strangers to do that? Not really.

    So, why didn''t it bother Cedar at all? Ever since he had hugged her once, she kept asking for it, and that might not be so good. After all, he never refused, even though he definitely should do it. That just confused him even more. He wasn''t sure what he felt when Lucille was around. It wasn''t good for him to lose sight of what he needed to do like this.

    And yet, he had no way to do anything against it.

    What would his options be? Pushing her away? Cedar couldn''t do that. So, he just accepted her embrace and got lost in his thoughts

    Lucille''s hug felt so warm that it wasn''t normal. Usually, he had never been joyful upon being hugged but had always pushed the concerned person away as soon as possible. To him, embraces had been nothing but a way to physically force someone to get closer. After all, his mother had only done that to manipulate him into obeying a bit longer.

    But this was much different. Cedar could stay like this for much longer while just enjoying how Lucille''s little figure cuddled against him, as if she trusted him with her life.

    Weren''t they both foolish?

    Cedar closed his eyes for a short while before he forced himself to open them again. If he stayed like this any longer, it would make him even more unwilling to let go of her warmth. He looked around and searched for an excuse to ask her to move on. But when his eyes fell on a group of servants, he froze. Great.

    Those people were all staring at the couple as if they were witnessing a miracle. Now all servants had seen how he had hugged Lucille, and he knew how fast rumors in the palace spread. He should have held back. Damn it.

    A small voice in the back of Cedar''s mind reminded him that he could simply hug Lucille a bit longer since it didn''t matter anymore, but he quickly stopped himself. This much was already far more than he should have allowed. Cedar slowly retracted his arms while ignoring how his whole body protested. It felt cold again, but he would have to bear that. ¡°I think it would be better for us to go to the winter garden now.¡± Even he heard that his voice sounded a little strange.

    Lucille slowly let go and backed away. She pushed aside a strand of her hair as she looked to the side. ¡°I...see. Alright. Let''s go.¡± Her face was flushed, and she didn''t dare to make eye contact with him.

    The prince could swear that his cheeks felt a bit warmer than before as well, but he refused to acknowledge that. He put on a bright smile and spoke up while forcing himself to be as confident as he would normally be. ¡°Then we''ll leave now.¡± He walked toward the staircase, and Lucille followed him before catching up to walk directly next to him. He did his best to ignore the piercing stares of the staff and prayed that she wouldn''t notice any of that.

    Thankfully, Lucille kept her gaze on the floor and didn''t look up once. She seemed to be embarrassed now, even though she had been the one to propose hugging. She truly was a strange girl when it came to things like this. Every sane person would stay away from the second prince, and she searched for his comfort when she was getting emotional.

    Cedar didn''t understand why that was, but he was grateful if it allowed him to be in her presence. He knew that this way of thinking was wrong, but he wouldn''t be able to do that. So, he might as well enjoy what was bound to happen anyway. It wasn''t problematic to spend time with her, was it? He told himself that while leading her to the winter garden.

    As he had remembered, the winter garden was gorgeous. The glass roof reflected the warm sun and only made the whole building glow even more, especially the small terrace in front of it. The inside of the winter garden was full of green and many different colors from all the exotic plants the emperor had ordered, which could already be seen from the outside and encouraged any passerby to enter.

    Cedar opened the door and gestured to Lucille, who seemed to be dumbfounded by so much beauty. It took a while before she entered and looked around inside.

    They followed a small cobblestone path to the middle of the building, where a terrace was tiled with gray stone. Multiple smaller paths led around the flowerbeds and soil that covered the rest of the floor. A table and some chairs stood in the center, from which one could see all of the wonderful plants that adorned this place.

    Cedar watched how Lucille stood there in awe and sat down at the table to observe her for a bit longer. He had already seen this winter garden, so while he was impressed by it, he wasn''t as overwhelmed as she was. Her reaction might have been the cutest thing he had seen in a while, so he was glad to watch it in peace.

    Lucille spun around a few times before she eventually stopped and joined him at the table. ¡°It''s beautiful.¡± She breathed that out in awe while still scanning her surroundings.

    Cedar smiled at her and forced himself to stop thinking about hugging her again. ¡°It is. Even I have to admit that my brother is quite good at impressing women. He built this for Her Majesty even before she was his wife, and then he proudly announced that in front of everyone during his birthday. He didn''t just give her a gorgeous winter garden, he also pointed out that it belonged to her. That was supposed to show that she wouldn''t leave the palace any time soon. Apparently, most people got the message after that. This gift was a very thoughtful one. And as I said, it''s gorgeous.¡±

    Lucille looked like she vaguely remembered hearing how the emperor had reminded multiple people that his winter garden actually belonged to his lover, who had only been his concubine at that time. Doing that while the former empress had stood directly next to him had been rather daring. Despite that, Lucille described it in a romantic light. ¡°Her Majesty was probably very happy about this gift. It''s perfect.¡± It had to have taken a lot of time to prepare this too, which only proved how much Theodore cared.

    The prince nodded at that. ¡°Everything about their relationship is. Sometimes, I''m a bit worried about how close they are. You surely understand what I mean.¡± Theodore and Blanche acted as if they were the other''s shadow and rarely appeared without one another. That was why it had always seemed odd to Cedar that they desperately did everything to prove that their love was real, as if anyone had doubted that. He remembered discussing this with Blanche numerous times. She had always been furious when he had questioned whether she truly loved his brother, which had made her easy to provoke. She had hated Cedar back then, so even two sentences had been enough to make her boil. The day before yesterday, she had seemed rather different though. Much like Theodore also seemed like a completely different person from seven years ago. Cedar pushed that thought away and quickly listened to Lucille''s reply.

    ¡°I do. They cling to each other in public, so everyone would know. But I think it''s cute. After all, they fell in love because His Majesty saved her. It''s almost like in a fairy tale.¡± Lucille sounded rather happy while saying this.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Cedar almost let out a snort. Theodore''s life was definitely like in a fairy tale. It probably would be perfect if it wasn''t for the dowager empress and the second prince. Cedar was quiet for a moment before he spoke up. ¡°It may be rather similar to a fairy tale. Which is weird. In my family, there seems to be a strange curse. My brother saw Her Majesty in the pavilion and fell in love with her at first sight. She loves him back, and they are happy together. My father met Althea at a ball and had her move in with him a few weeks later. She also liked him back, even though he was only focused on his work. It''s almost a miracle that the two of them found their beloved partners without any issues. And then there is my mother.¡± He didn''t intend to say any more. He hadn''t wanted to complain about this anyway, but now it was too late.

    Lucille already watched him with curiosity and could barely hide that she waited for him to continue.

    So, Cedar gave in and resumed. ¡°While those two really loved, my mother claims to be full of love too. I don''t think she feels love though. I think it was the desire to possess her husband instead. But either way, her feelings were never returned. When Father met Althea, Mother''s sanity disappeared like it was crumbling away every second he spent with that other woman. Of course, I didn''t witness that since I hadn''t been born then, but I heard about it from enough sources. And since I saw how she was later, when she was forced to see how Theodore grew up with Althea, I know that her so-called love wasn''t anything but the desire to own others too. She didn''t truly regret losing her child. She hated the fact that my brother wasn''t hers and was angry at Althea for taking him away from her. And before that, she was angry because she hadn''t gained the favor of the most important man in the nation. So, she isn''t romantic, even though my father and brother were blessed with great relationships.¡±

    Lucille was quiet for a bit before replying. ¡°I see. That is...unfortunate. But this isn''t a curse.¡± She wrung her hands as she looked at the table before resuming. ¡°Earlier, you called falling in love because of a single meeting a curse. I don''t think that this is bad though. It''s wonderful. If both people are happy like that, isn''t it good?¡±

    Cedar smiled at her while memories of the past came back to him. ¡°I didn''t mean that by calling it a curse. That two people meet and become happy together is wonderful. I have to admit that I liked Althea a lot and that I was glad to see that she made my father happy. And I also believe that Theodore finding his true love is wonderful too. But there is still something that deserves to be called a curse. That is actually my mother. Because she was the one who tried to keep my father and Althea as well as Theodore and his wife apart.¡±

    And Camille had ruined Cedar''s life as well.

    He didn''t want to say it out loud because he was bitter about that fact too, but it was true. If she had focused on other things than her wrath, then he surely wouldn''t be in the current situation. He wouldn''t need to scold himself for letting someone close. But then again, Cedar probably shouldn''t complain. He was still alive and well after all. Others had it worse, and he didn''t deserve anything else anyway. He loved his mother still and would never regret the fact that he had been with her for so long.

    Lucille looked up and was quiet for a moment. ¡°That... I''m sorry to hear that. But that doesn''t mean that you can''t move on.¡± She was completely serious when she resumed. ¡°I don''t think that you''ll be like your mother. You will be like your brother. You will live as comfortably as him too. And you will be lucky and find a loving partner as well.¡±

    Cedar almost laughed at that. He wouldn''t find someone he could confidently call his partner. He knew well that his mother had successfully raised a broken son. There was no chance for him to fall in love. If he ever got that close to someone, Camille would personally make sure that they didn''t live on for long. So, he didn''t have to imagine something that wouldn''t happen. But he didn''t admit that. ¡°We''ll see. I doubt it, but we need to wait for what the future will bring to us.¡± He probably wouldn''t like what he would get then. The gods had never treated him well after all. But there was no way to struggle, so he would have to accept it.

    Lucille looked at him for longer than she normally would before casting her gaze downwards. ¡°I am sure that you will be happy. You''re in the middle of cutting off contact with your mother, so you already made a change. His Majesty will not let her hurt you, so you can be free from now on. In just a few years, she won''t matter to you anymore.¡±

    Cedar doubted it. The conflict regarding the position of the emperor would continue. None of this would end until Camille died. But a natural death would never come to her when the thing that kept her alive was her burning hatred. She wouldn''t give up so soon. ¡°It would be nice if we were really safe here. I''m not sure whether that will be the case though.¡± He was quiet for a moment before resuming in an attempt to change the topic.¡°By the way. A group of servants saw us earlier.¡± He didn''t want to tell her this, but he would have to do it, or Lucille would be surprised the next day. ¡°I just wanted to give you a short warning when it comes to rumors in the palace. The servants here love gossiping, and if you say something, a hundred people know five minutes later. By tomorrow, everyone will look at you strangely. Just ignore that if possible.¡±

    Lucille took a short moment to remember what could have been seen. Then her face was tinted red, and she looked at the table while nodding weakly. ¡°I...understand.¡± She looked rather uncertain, so Cedar tried to cheer her up a bit.

    ¡°Don''t worry about the rumors leaving the palace for now though. Theodore was clear about me officially not being here. We will see how long we can keep that facade up, but in any case, there shouldn''t be any problems regarding your future.¡± At least as long as Viscount Valerian and Theodore kept their mouths shut about the relationship they believed to be here. Cedar wasn''t sure whether he had calmed Lucille with this, but it was all he could say. He couldn''t do anything against the rumors once they spread.

    But to be honest, it wouldn''t be an issue if the people here thought that he and Lucille were in a relationship. As long as the staff didn''t treat her badly for that, it should be fine since this wouldn''t influence the outside world. Merely the nobles finding about this could be problematic.

    <hr>

    Cedar and Lucille had a long conversation at the table and talked about some different topics before walking through the winter garden for a while. After that, they returned to the palace, and Cedar brought Lucille to her room. He disliked seeing how she had to climb the stairs despite her wound, but she didn''t seem to be in too much pain. So, he said goodbye to her and prepared to enter his room while already mentally preparing for his training.

    He was stopped by a small group of servants that stood a few steps away from his door. One look at their nervous expressions proved that they were supposed to talk to him but didn''t dare to do it.

    Cedar would have liked to ignore them to avoid a stupid fight, but he needed to know what was going on. So, he turned to them and showed them his typical smile. ¡°Yes? Is there something you wish to tell me?¡±

    The people of the group exchanged uncertain glances. One of the men looked to the side to hide his face, and everyone else also seemed unwilling. In the end, the youngest maid stepped forward and lifted an envelope with shaky fingers. ¡°A letter for you has arrived.¡±

    Cedar stared at the red seal on the envelope and immediately felt on edge. Officially, no one knew that he was here. Which noble household would send him a letter? Was this from Viscount Valerian? If so, it would be fine, but everything else would be a problem. He quickly took the letter into his hands. ¡°Thank you.¡± He scanned the seal for a moment and felt his smile widen.

    The sender was Jenna Peril.

    Reading her name on the backside was enough to almost make him smell the intrusive fragrance of her overwhelming perfume. That woman was without a doubt the most infuriating person in noble society if he didn''t count his mother and himself.

    Cedar considered giving the letter back without saying a single word, but he had to accept it. If Lady Peril contacted him, he could already imagine what was currently happening behind closed curtains. Sometimes, he really hated his mother more than anything else in the entire world. He clicked his tongue and raised his head again to stare at the man who had turned away. ¡°Aren''t you the blind servant?¡±

    The man froze at that and finally lifted his head. ¡°What?¡±

    Cedar replied without looking at him while he scanned the letter. ¡°I mean, you ran into me earlier without apologizing. I assumed that that was because of your weak eyesight. After all, no one would dare to push a member of the royal family before running away. Right?¡±

    The servant tensed and took a little step back. He probably hadn''t expected to be recognized behind all of those bedsheets and now feared punishment. How cowardly people like that suddenly were.

    The prince slowly lifted his gaze and watched how the servants flinched. ¡°Is Theodore in his office?¡± He received a weak nod as a response. ¡°Good. Tell him that I need to discuss something with him. And don''t ask me what this is about. It''s important. Hurry up.¡± It seemed like he had managed to use the perfect tone again.

    The servant ran off without questioning anything.

    Cedar ignored the rest of the people and just opened the door to his room to go inside. He would have to read the letter before jumping to conclusions. But even the thought of opening it was revolting.

    Still, he ripped the envelope open while making sure that he didn''t damage the name and the seal before unfolding the letter. He just skimmed the lines and then put the letter away again. Nothing about this would have been suspicious if him being in the palace wasn''t a secret. If his assumption was true, he should keep this to himself to use it to his advantage later. But he didn''t care if this was the opposite of what he should do when a powerful person wrote to him. He refused to have contact with Jenna.

    The prince glanced at the envelope again and fished out a second smaller piece of paper. There was nothing written on that piece except for Jenna''s offer for help if he ever needed it and her signature in cursive letters. He didn''t have to keep that.

    Perfect.

    Cedar pulled out a match from the drawer before he could think about it. Once he actually held it, he was reluctant but lit the match up anyway. He picked up the small letter with two fingers before setting it on fire. He watched as the flame danced around the white paper and slowly colored it black until the letters of Jenna''s name were disappearing as well. The flame was nauseating. Cedar only let go of it to drop the paper onto an empty plate when the scorching heat had almost reached his fingers and threatened to remind him of unpleasant times. Then he watched the paper disappear while gathering the envelope and the other piece of paper.

    Seemingly, he hated Lady Peril more than he had ever admitted. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have felt the urge to destroy a piece of paper just because of a suggestive comment. Maybe he was so upset now because Lucille had shared his opinion in contrast to everyone else who had wondered why he wouldn''t accept a woman who was interested in him.

    Cedar wanted to get rid of the rest of this letter as soon as possible too, so he left the room to approach Theodore''s office. While walking, he couldn''t help but feel like it was cold, even though he had almost burned his hand just now.

    He would be warmer if Lucille was here.

 Chapter 39: Love Talk

    No matter how comfortable Lucille was with Cedar, the second prince of Artias, talking to the empress of the same family without any formalities felt wrong. She always reverted to her old way of addressing the other woman, which often earned her a pout. Lucille didn''t know why Blanche was so insistent on making her talk more informally, but she didn''t have the strength to refuse. So, she went along with everything. Still, she couldn''t help but feel a bit nervous when she sat in the empress'' room while Blanche and her three maids happily chatted.

    Darlene, the smallest maid out of all three of them, kept stealing cookies and devoured them whenever the empress looked away. This earned her a judgmental look from Angelica, who seemed to be her close friend and maybe even lover judging by the way they kept cuddling.

    And Stella was busy asking Blanche whether she needed something to be comfortable, which the empress always refused.

    Lucille sat next to them while awkwardly drinking her tea and feeling like she didn''t belong. This wasn''t the others'' fault though. They did their best to include her, but she was still a bit reluctant to join. So, she drank another sip of her tea and listened to the conversation in front of her.

    Darlene had just gulped down half of the plate of sweets by herself before her hand was pushed away by Angelica. She narrowed her eyes at that and spoke up a moment later. ¡°Anyway... What about trying out chocolate banana cake again? I haven''t eaten that in months.¡±

    Blanche seemed to think about that for a moment before she replied in a melancholic tone. ¡°It''s been a while since I baked cake. I would like to have some freedom again.¡± She glanced toward Stella.

    The maid quickly raised her hands to defend herself. ¡°There is no way that you can do that right now. You can''t get so close to extreme heat, and I also don''t want you to handle knives at the moment. Please endure it for four more months. Then you will have recovered after the birth and can begin baking like usual again.¡±

    Blanche narrowed her eyes at that too. ¡°And then what? At that point, I have to take care of our baby. I won''t leave our angel''s side for longer than necessary. So, I will have to go without baking for at least a few weeks after that too. Shouldn''t I use my time now to make some fine creations? I want blueberry-citrus pie. And not just a random one but the one that was made with my mother''s recipe. No one here can do it perfectly aside from me. I will need to make it myself.¡±

    Angelica chimed in here to calm her mistress. ¡°We understand how you feel, but it''s better to be safe than sorry. We don''t want you to take any risks. His Majesty also told you to be very careful.¡±

    The empress crossed her arms but quickly uncrossed them when the maid offered her the plate with cookies. She took two before replying. ¡°Well, he''s my husband. That doesn''t count. Besides, he is overprotective because of reasons you don''t understand.¡±

    Darlene barely swallowed what she had already put in her mouth before responding. ¡°You mean because he loves you and your baby?¡±

    Blanche stopped her movements to reply. ¡°That too.¡± Then she ate her cookie. When she finished, she looked at Lucille and offered her a smile. ¡°I hope that we do not bore you with our conversations. We can talk about something more interesting if you want to.¡±

    Lucille quickly shook her head. ¡°It is alright, Your Majesty. It''s just that I do not know what you usually talk about. I don''t want to address topics that you have already discussed often.¡±

    Stella made a rejecting gesture before she spoke up. ¡°To us, it''s normal to talk about the same things a hundred times. It''s fun one way or another. Besides, Her Majesty told you not to use her title, didn''t she?¡±

    Blanche turned to her maid. ¡°You are the one to talk. I told you not to use it when we are alone too. Just say ¡®My Lady¡¯ again. I don''t want to hear such a distant title all the time.¡± She didn''t wait for a response and just addressed Lucille again. ¡°In any case, we would like to include you more in our discussion. Is there something you are curious about? Please ask me anything you would like to know.¡±

    Lucille was quiet for a moment before she set her teacup on the table. She didn''t know what to ask since she didn''t want to be disrespectful. So, she barely dared to speak up. ¡°How did you and His Majesty fall in love?¡± She was a fan of romance, so she couldn''t help wanting to learn more about the couple that was known as one of the most adorable ones in the whole capital. She already regretted saying that a moment later though. Lucille lifted her hands and hurried to make a rejecting gesture. ¡°You do not have to tell me if you feel bothered being asked about it again and again. And I didn''t mean to offend you or intrude in matters that I should have no-¡±

    Blanche smiled at her. ¡°It''s fine. I love talking about it. If you are alright with me gushing about this, I will gladly tell you.¡± She waited for a small nod and began talking while she looked into the distance as if she was reminiscing. ¡°Theodore found me during a ball. I was crying in the pavilion, with the silver moonlight shining on the garden around us.¡±

    She had barely finished that part when Stella already chimed in. ¡°That day was His Majesty''s birthday too. You could say that she was his birthday present. The best one he has ever had, of course.¡±

    Lucille had heard about that part, but listening to the concerned person made it even more interesting. She was completely focused on the empress, who continued her story.

    ¡°Theo came inside, and we made eye contact. And from one second to the other, everything was different. We both fell in love at that very moment. Theodore came over to me and consoled me by wiping away my tears. And then he allowed me to move in. The first two weeks were nerve-wracking. We had so many moments in which we both were about to kiss but didn''t dare to. I didn''t know whether he liked me or whether I was just imagining it because he was so kind to me. But the both of us became more and more open with each day. We got closer and touched more often. We hugged each other, and it felt like there only were the two of us in this whole world. When we held hands, it was like I was melting. I thought that my heart would explode.¡± Blanche happily explained how their relationship had progressed after that without seeming to care much about telling this to a stranger.

    Lucille listened the whole time but could barely focus. She found the royal couple cute, but she couldn''t help but think about Cedar. She had held his hand too. That had been while they had been running away from murderous assassins, so it might not count though. But she had hugged him quite a few times by now. Did that mean that they were interested in one another romantically? No way.

    There was no way that Cedar would ever consider being with such a boring woman like Lucille was. Besides, she was only a viscount''s daughter. The only reason he had ever hugged her had been because she had asked him to do it. He had probably felt uncomfortable doing that and had just endured it for her sake.

    Lucille felt bad while thinking about that, but she also had to admit that she had liked hugging Cedar very much. The first time he had touched her had been while they had been hiding in a small storage room. Back then, it had felt like her brain was exploding. She would truly need to reconsider whether her reaction had been normal. Was it really fine for her to be so sensitive when it came to him? Definitely not. She couldn''t dare to develop such foolish feelings when she had just managed to make a friend. She didn''t want to gamble away her relationship with Cedar by acting weird all of a sudden.

    ¡°Lady Valerian?¡±

    Lucille snapped out of it and whipped her head up to see the other women staring at her. They had no way of knowing what she was thinking about, right? Immediately, her heart began hammering in her chest. ¡°I sincerely apologize for being distracted. It will not happen again.¡±

    Blanche gave her a bright smile. ¡°There is no need to apologize. It''s fine. We were just worried about you being mentally absent. Do you wish to share what you were thinking about?¡±

    Lucille quickly shook her head before she could help herself. At first, she thought that she might have offended the others now, but she was met with four wide grins in response.

    Darlene was the one who spoke up. ¡°I think the reason you asked about this is very clear. Why you are so interested in love? Will you tell us that?¡±

    Lucille immediately thought about Cedar and got embarrassed because of that. She quickly lowered her gaze and brought her hands to her cheeks to hide her blush. ¡°It''s not... I''m just...¡± She stuttered around without saying anything useful despite knowing that it only made her seem more suspicious. She took a moment before she managed to reject that idea much too loudly. ¡°It''s not what you think it is.¡± She was far too emotional while saying that. There was no way anyone believed her.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    The other women just smiled at her as if they knew exactly what was going on inside her head. Stella commented on it first. ¡°Ah. If you say that. But I have to give myself the right to comment on your choice.¡± She crossed her arms and looked up. ¡°I personally can''t understand his appeal at all. I''ve hated him ever since I saw him first. I think we never had a conversation, but I heard him talking to others, and that was enough to erase any desire to speak to him. He is a very unpleasant person. I don''t get how you like him.¡± She gazed at Lucille after that and maintained eye contact despite the empress narrowing her eyes at her.

    Lucille grabbed her teacup again and drank a bit while trying to hold back. She wanted to defend Cedar so badly, but that would seem odd, right? The people here probably didn''t like him very much, and she would immediately ruin her chances of getting along with them if she was honest about her affection for him. So, she forced herself to stay quiet for a moment. But as she drank her tea, she quickly realized that she didn''t want to let the other woman say something like this.

    She lifted her head and replied in a weak voice. ¡°If you don''t know him well, please don''t judge him. Cedar is a good person. It''s just that he doesn''t open up to others. He hides what he is thinking, but that doesn''t make him a bad person in the slightest. He is really, really nice, and if you talk to him for a bit, you will quickly notice that. Until now, he''s always listened to me and consoled me when I was feeling anxious. He is very considerate of others, even if you don''t notice that without paying close attention.¡±

    When she finished, it was quiet for a while. Great. Now everyone here would dislike Lucille for defending a traitor. She stared at her tea and only dared to raise her head after a few seconds. She wasn''t met with anger but smiles though.

    Stella hummed in approval. ¡°There you go. You admitted to liking him. I knew that you were thinking about him. You got closer because he consoled you, huh? That sounds awfully like what happened to His and Her Majesty. What a coincidence.¡±

    Lucille froze at that. She had been the only one to voice a specific name, hadn''t she? Stella hadn''t said whom she was referring to at all. Lucille had just immediately thought about Cedar. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she lowered her gaze. This was even more embarrassing than just revealing that she liked someone. If Cedar heard this, he would surely laugh at her. She kept her eyes on her cup and drank something in an attempt to calm down, but it didn''t get better. A few seconds passed, and she seriously considered excusing herself to put cold water onto her face.

    But then Blanche spoke up again without the amused undertone Lucille had expected. ¡°I apologize if we made you uncomfortable. It wasn''t our intention to embarrass you. Of course, no one here will utter a single word. But I can guarantee you that even him hearing this wouldn''t be an issue. After all, I know a bit about Cedar too, and I can promise you that he wouldn''t just hug anyone in public.¡±

    Lucille''s heart skipped a beat. Why did the empress know about that already? That had happened two days ago. Did the whole palace know by now? She slowly lifted her gaze and made eye contact with the smiling woman. ¡°But you misunderstood that. I was just a bit too emotional, and he calmed me down. It was my fault for asking him for a hug. He just didn''t want to make me feel bad, so he agreed.¡±

    The empress grinned at that. ¡°Cedar definitely wouldn''t care about that if you were a stranger. He hates touching people in general, and if he allows you to come close, he likes you a lot. You are only proving how close the two of you are with everything that you tell us. I''m happy to see that he is finally getting along with someone. Please take care of him.¡± Wasn''t this similar to getting the blessing of Cedar''s family?

    Lucille looked down again and sipped on her tea without being certain what to say. She wasn''t that close to him. She needed to explain that but had no idea how to phrase it.

    Thankfully, everyone''s eyes were torn away from her when someone knocked on the door. Lucille lifted her head to look at the entrance as well.

    Blanche raised her voice to reply. ¡°You may enter.¡±

    The door opened, and Theodore came inside with a little smile on his face. ¡°Good afternoon to all of you. I hope I''m not disturbing you.¡± Saying that while they all were sitting in his palace was a bit strange, but he managed to make it seem friendly just by how casually he seemed to view this. He approached the seating area and sat down on the sofa next to his wife.

    It only took a single second, and Blanche had forgotten about the cookies in favor of cuddling against him.

    Theodore pressed a small kiss onto her forehead before greeting her too. ¡°Hello, my angel.¡±

    The empress didn''t let him go without a real kiss, so she lifted her head to put her lips onto his before pulling back and beaming at him. ¡°There you are, Theo. I was already getting worried. Did something interesting happen?¡±

    The emperor put his arms around her as he responded. ¡°Not really. Just the usual preparations for the ball in two weeks. We have to think about how to explain that Cedar showed up here, but aside from that, everything is taken care of.¡± He turned to look at the other women and seemed to notice Lucille''s uncertainty immediately. ¡°There is no need to stand up, Lady Valerian. I usually chime in when my wife is sitting here. The others are already used to it, but it may feel a little strange to you at first. I can assure you that there is no reason for you to feel uncomfortable though.¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded but still tensed. Sitting in front of the two most powerful people in the nation was nerve-wracking, but she would have to do her best to seem calm. ¡°I understand, Your Majesty.¡± Her answer probably wasn''t convincing, but no one insisted.

    Blanche already mentioned another topic. ¡°Did you prepare for your birthday as well? There''s only a little over a month left. You will need to start planning soon.¡± She kept her eyes on her husband''s face while waiting for a response.

    Theodore smiled at her and stroked over her head before replying. ¡°I did a little. But since my beloved wife said that she wanted to take care of most things, I haven''t done too much. As promised, you will have the right to do whatever you want to.¡±

    Blanche seemed happy with that, but Lucille didn''t listen to them anymore. She had known that the emperor''s birthday party would come soon. But still, she couldn''t help but ponder it now.

    Usually, great festivities were held for the birthday of every member of the royal family. Lucille remembered visiting the emperor''s, the empress'', and the dowager empress'' respective parties. But she didn''t remember even a single celebration for the prince''s birthday. Had she truly never visited a party for Cedar? Of course, there wouldn''t have been a party during the six years he had spent in confinement. But last year, there hadn''t been a ball for him either. Had that been because of Theodore''s strained relationship with his brother? But even so, wasn''t that unfair when the dowager empress had also received a ball? Lucille would have liked to congratulate Cedar.

    ¡°It seems like she didn''t hear us. Lady Valerian?¡±

    Lucille was once again pulled out of her thoughts by the empress. Her gaze shot up, and she tightened her hold on her teacup. ¡°I apologize. Yes, Your Majesty?¡±

    Blanche scanned her for a moment before replying. ¡°Is there something that''s bothering you? If so, please feel free to speak up. You seemed like you were thinking about something.¡±

    Lucille opened her mouth and closed it again. She couldn''t just ask this, right? Wouldn''t she offend the royal family if she questioned their decisions? But she was curious about Cedar''s birthday. She didn''t even have a clue when it was. Didn''t she need to ask to be sure that she wouldn''t miss congratulating him next time? ¡°I...¡± She wasn''t sure how to phrase her question and took a short moment before she dared to speak. ¡°I would like to ask something, if you don''t mind it. When...is Cedar''s birthday?¡±

    To her surprise, no one got angry. Theodore just replied without hesitation. ¡°That was one and a half months ago. It''s the forty-third of summer.¡±

    Lucille froze. Cedar had been with her during that day already. But she hadn''t known about it at all. She had completely forgotten to congratulate him nor had she given him a gift. ¡°Ah. He didn''t tell me. I didn''t prepare anything.¡± She dug her fingers into the cup and lowered her gaze in shame.

    Theodore scanned her expression before he replied. ¡°That might have been better. He doesn''t like his birthday very much. That''s why we never have a grand party for him. He has disliked his birthday ever since he was a child, but back then, he still allowed a celebration. Since last year, he forbade it completely. So, you probably wouldn''t have done him a favor by giving him a gift.¡±

    Lucille pressed her lips into a line. She could imagine why Cedar didn''t like his birthday. But such a reason was ridiculous. She forced herself to make eye contact with the emperor. ¡°But he only dislikes it because no one made his birthday a wonderful day yet. That''s even more of a reason to give him something great, right? There doesn''t have to be a grand party, but a small acknowledgment would be nice. I mean, even a little gift would make him understand that someone thought about him.¡± She didn''t want to admit it, but her mind was already racing to find something that she could give him.

    What was she supposed to hand over to Cedar? There was nothing she could truly buy for him. Cedar was more wealthy than she was. What would a prince even need? Nothing much. And buying a gift wouldn''t feel very special either. She couldn''t imagine pleasing Cedar with materialistic presents, not when he just had to snap his fingers before whatever he wanted was his.

    But there had to be something Lucille could get for him. Then she could give it to him and apologize for missing his birthday. Or would he dislike the reminder?

    It seemed like Lucille''s thoughts had been rather obvious.

    Blanche beamed at her and spoke up in a soft voice. ¡°I''m sure he will like it if you give him a gift. But it may be hard to find something to buy. How about you make a gift yourself? You could bake a small cake and bring it over to eat with him.¡±

    Lucille had understood that the other woman loved baking by now, but she had never considered doing it herself. She had never cooked or baked, so the result would be a disaster anyway. She wasn''t confident in skills that required her to use her hands. Lucille was skilled at embroidery, but that was it. ¡°Baking? I don''t...think that this is a good idea. I never...tried that.¡± She had always eaten what others had brought her. She had never considered anything else since she had been raised as the young daughter of a noble family.

    But hearing this only made Blanche''s face light up even more. ¡°Then I can teach you! I needed an excuse to visit the kitchen again again anyway. It''s not that hard, so there won''t be any issues. I promise that it will turn out deliciously. Will you give me a chance?¡± She folded her hands and gave the other woman a pleading look, even though that wasn''t necessary since she was the empress.

    Lucille would never refuse such an innocent request. She could just go along with it and then decide whether she would actually give a prince some of the catastrophic cake she had made by then. She didn''t know whether her baking would be eatable, but for now, she had no reason not to try it. If she was unskilled enough, they would probably let her go. So, she agreed in a weak voice, which evoked a content grin from Blanche.

    Lucille swallowed and hoped that she would be able to create something that tasted similar to cake. She really wanted to give Cedar a present after all.

 Chapter 40: Late Birthday

    Cedar had to admit that training felt refreshing when he had one of the lighter swords he favored again. He could finally use a real training square too, so he was able to move around more than when he had hidden in Lucille''s house.

    But still, it was annoying to be watched by guards the whole time. Right now, he was only attacking a wooden mannequin, so they didn''t have to be so careful. Cedar had probably been here for hours, and yet, there always seemed to be people who liked watching him. Despite that, he stayed until the sun came closer to the horizon and only stopped then.

    Since Lucille had accompanied the empress for the past two days, Cedar hadn''t done anything but train the whole day. Thus, he was sweaty and slightly exhausted, which was great since it proved that he had demanded a bit more of himself yet again. That was enough for today though.

    He didn''t bother talking to any knights and brought back the sword by himself before leaving. As always, the prince ignored all the people around him and steered toward the third floor. He didn''t need to concern himself with the gossip that Lucille and him hugging had caused. He would take a short bath and then go to bed without thinking about anything. After all, he had trained to clear his mind, and worrying about his weakness didn''t help right now.

    He reached the hallways next to his room and was already focused on walking to the door when he saw another person in the corridor.

    It was Lucille, who looked like she was waiting for someone.

    It seemed like Cedar wouldn''t end up being calm later after all. Seeing Lucille always made him question himself again. He didn''t know how to deal with her since his feelings were a mess around her. He was way too happy to see her, even though it had only been a few hours since they had greeted each other. Cedar should avoid spending too much time with her, but he didn''t think about avoiding her even once. Instead, his feet immediately moved toward her. ¡°Lucille. Good evening.¡±

    She lifted her head and met his gaze for a second before averting her eyes. ¡°Hello. It''s...uhm... How are you doing?¡± She scanned him while barely daring to look at him for too long. ¡°Did you train? You look like...you might have trained.¡±

    Cedar smiled at her. ¡°I did. I spent a few hours regaining some muscle I lost after my injury. How are you? I didn''t see you much today. Did you spend time with Her Majesty?¡±

    Lucille weakly nodded. ¡°Yes. She and her maids are nice. We...did something special. That''s why I wanted to come here. I hope that I''m not bothering you right now. If you are tired, I can leave again and come back later and...¡± She sounded so much quieter and less confident than before. Was she upset with him? He hadn''t done anything to anger her, right? Had she finally noticed that he wasn''t a good person to be around and wanted to break off contact with him?

    The prince wouldn''t like that last option at all, even if it would probably be for the best. He scanned her for a moment before deciding to be direct. ¡°Did something happen? You seem so uncertain. I did not mean to make it sound like you disturbed me. I hope that it didn''t seem like that.¡± He braced for an unpleasant reply but already knew that he would apologize if he had made her this uncomfortable. He wasn''t the type to be so sensible, but right now, he didn''t want to risk sending her away accidentally.

    But Lucille quickly shook her head, which calmed him more than it should. ¡°No, no. You didn''t make it seem like that. I just thought that you may be tired after training. I won''t bother you for long. I only wanted to bring you...something.¡± She looked to the side before letting her eyes roam across the whole hallways. ¡°But giving it to you here is...unfitting. Could I come in for a moment?¡±

    That wasn''t a good idea. There was no one except for the two of them here aside from some guards that stood in the hallways, but that was already enough to spread gossip. Theoretically, letting an unmarried woman enter a man''s bedroom was frowned upon. They should avoid this for Lucille''s sake. But then again, Cedar had also sat in her room without any maids accompanying them. Since their embrace had already caused many rumors, trying to be distanced now wouldn''t do much.

    Cedar smiled at her and replied in a quiet voice. ¡°If you are fine with entering a man''s bedroom, you may come in.¡± He opened the door to his room and ignored how the guards'' eyes seemed to follow them.

    Lucille only understood that this wasn''t so good when she followed him inside with reluctant steps. She stopped in the middle of the doorway, and her eyes widened in realization. ¡°Wait! I forgot the most important thing. Please give me a moment.¡± She spun around and opened the door to her own room, which was directly across from his. Lucille took a few steps inside, picked something up and came out with a big silver tray with a cover. She tried to close the door behind her despite having no free hands, only to fail.

    Cedar quickly walked over to help her close the door while scanning the tray. Did she want to give him food? Why? Did he look so malnourished? Certainly not. He had trained as much as always and maintained the same diet. But he didn''t voice his questions and just watched how Lucille carried the tray over to his room. He used that chance to make eye contact with the guards to signal them to hold back with their chatting. Then he followed her and entered his room before closing the door. ¡°You seem to have brought something quite heavy if you are struggling to keep it upright.¡±

    Lucille didn''t dare to respond until she reached the table and set down the tray with utmost care. ¡°Well, I didn''t want it to be like this. But then I had so many leftovers and just thought that it couldn''t hurt to...¡± She cut herself off and scanned her tray skeptically before turning to Cedar. ¡°I am not sure whether this is any good, to be honest. I had help, but I mostly made it myself, and since I''m only a beginner, it obviously won''t be perfect. If I''m honest, I took a few attempts, but none were good, so I had to do it over again. I hope that this is acceptable now.¡± She faintly gestured toward the tray. ¡°I only wished to come to give you this gift. You can also open it by yourself later as well. I mean... I can leave if you want me to.¡± She actually looked like she would favor leaving to avoid seeing his immediate reaction.

    But Cedar could only freeze and stare at her. Lucille was giving him a gift? And it was something self-made too? Why would she do that and put so much effort into it? He was speechless at that. He hadn''t done anything special for her, so she didn''t have a reason to give him a present at all.

    And yet, she stood there while being shy and presented something to him.

    Cedar blinked at her before replying. ¡°A gift? That is unexpected. I don''t think I did anything to deserve such an honor. But if you insist, I will gladly accept it. The person who gave it to me has to be here while I open it though. Would you perhaps give me a short moment before that? I will quickly take a bath if you don''t mind it. I usually wouldn''t make you wait, but right now, I am a bit unclean.¡± He had trained for hours after all.

    Lucille scanned him first, and her gaze abruptly snapped away. She stared at the clock rather stiffly before replying. ¡°But that will take a while, won''t it? Should I return to my room for the time being?¡±

    He quickly corrected her. ¡°I would say that I usually take five minutes. Of course, you may return to your room if you feel more comfortable with that, but I can promise that I will not make you wait.¡± He would just wash himself and then get out of the tub instead of staying there to relax like many aristocrats often did. Since he used cold water too, he wouldn''t even have the desire to stay there longer. In fact, that icy water was exactly what he needed right now. His head felt as it was spinning slightly, and he was certain that his heart had skipped a beat when he had heard about the gift. Cedar needed to regain his composure a bit before he continued talking to Lucille, so this was a good chance. ¡°Would you be willing to excuse me for five minutes? You can sit down in the meantime if you want to.¡±

    Lucille nodded and took a seat while staring at her tray. She seemed like she was rather nervous about giving this to him.

    Cedar couldn''t help but be even more nervous than her though. So, he quickly spun around and grabbed some new clothes before rushing into the bathroom. He had already asked a servant to bring water a few minutes ago, and fortunately, it was already there. He stepped into the bathtub and lay down to move his head into the water. It was so cold that his skin began stinging, which was perfect right now.

    The prince stayed like this for a moment until he needed air and shot up to get ready. He didn''t want to let Lucille wait too long. And maybe he was a bit excited too. He didn''t want to admit it, but he was happy to receive a gift from Lucille. He would need to give her something in return, but first, he could enjoy her present to the fullest. Cedar didn''t even care what it was. He would like it anyway.

    Cedar was good at being polite, so he should have no issue showing Lucille a good reaction. Or would she hate it if he gave her the same smile he had put on in public? Probably. So, he should just be honest. But that was problematic for a completely different reason.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Cedar climbed out of the bathtub after cleaning himself and then quickly got changed. He rubbed his hair dry before burying his face in the towel. This situation wasn''t anything special, so he shouldn''t be excited at all. But he honestly couldn''t help it. So, he made sure that his hair wasn''t dripping and left the bathroom immediately. ¡°I hope I didn''t take too long. Did I make you wait?¡±

    Lucille, who had seemingly lifted the cover of the tray to check on her creation, closed it with a loud thud. She spun around and opened her mouth before closing it again. ¡°I... Yes.¡± She paused before quickly shaking her head. ¡°I mean... No. You didn''t take too long, and you didn''t make me wait.¡± She almost seemed a bit embarrassed after that and quickly averted her eyes.

    Cedar checked whether his hair was still wet again, but it was only a bit damp. His clothes also shouldn''t be a problem. He closed the door behind him while walking over to Lucille and taking a seat next to her. ¡°Good. Then I don''t think that we need to postpone this any longer. I''m more than curious what you got me. And of course, I''m curious why you gave me something too.¡±

    Lucille lowered her gaze before she slowly gestured to the tray. ¡°I...don''t know whether you want to hear that. But I will tell you when you take a look at it. It''s...nothing special. But it should be fine. I tried often enough, and it wasn''t that bad.¡± She didn''t meet his gaze and didn''t say anything else. It seemed like she was even more nervous than before.

    Cedar had to admit that his heart was beating a bit quicker too, for which he scolded himself. He shouldn''t react so sensitively to a small gift. No matter what it was, it wouldn''t be anything life-changing even if she had given it to him not just to pay him back but because of something else. Being so nervous didn''t make any sense. ¡°I see. I am sure that it will be wonderful, but let me confirm that.¡± He reached for the tray and carefully pulled it up.

    He revealed a cake, which looked like it had been made with great care. The dough itself was light yellow while a lot of chocolate cream covered up most of it. Small chocolate pieces and cream swirls decorated the top part along with a few strawberries and candles in the center. It was obvious that this wasn''t the work of someone who had worked as a confectioner for years, but it was pretty close. Hadn''t Lucille said that she had only done this for the first few times?

    Cedar stared at the cake for a moment before lifting his gaze to make eye contact with her. ¡°You made this? It looks gorgeous. Are you sure that you didn''t secretly hire a baker to make it?¡± He couldn''t see any cracks or unevenness at first glance.

    Lucille seemed to shrink in herself. ¡°No... I made it myself. I only let the others pull it out of the furnace for me because I was scared of burning my fingers. But I really did the rest.¡± She probably didn''t notice how adorable she was when she tried to be earnest.

    He couldn''t help but smile at her expression. ¡°I believe you when you say that. I only wanted to express that it looks far superior to what I would imagine when someone claims to never have baked. Are you a genius?¡±

    Lucille''s cheeks were tinted with a slight blush as she looked down to avoid his gaze. ¡°Not really. I didn''t do anything special. But I am happy if you like it. The others said that it was good as well, but I wasn''t sure. I think it worked out because I have a steady hand. I often did embroidery when I was younger, so decorating it was the easiest part. But I am rather uncertain whether it tastes well. I only tried some of the dough, and...it was fine then.¡± She was quiet for a moment before leaning forward. Picking up a small box of matches, she pulled out one. She scratched it across the surface of the box until the top flamed up. Then Lucille lit up the candles and looked at Cedar again. She cleared her throat before resuming in a voice that was probably quieter than she had wanted it to be. ¡°My mother always used to do this. If you blow out all candles at once, you should be granted a wish. You can''t say it out loud though. You need to do it quietly.¡± She averted her eyes after that, which made the prince even more curious. She had promised to tell him what this was for, and yet, he hadn''t received an answer.

    Cedar didn''t like fire very much, so he was skeptical at first, but in this situation, it suddenly didn''t seem too bad anymore. The illuminated cake was truly a sight to see. Cedar scanned Lucille''s expression while she explained what he needed to do before he replied. ¡°I see. Then we will do this in a moment. But let me tell you that the cake looks beautiful first. Receiving something like this is an honor. Especially since you took the time to make this yourself. I can''t put my gratitude into words, and I can''t wait to taste it as well. But I have one question left. Would you tell me what this is for before we eat? I didn''t do anything special for you during the past few days.¡±

    Lucille smiled at his compliment, but her smile quickly faded when he finished. ¡°That''s not true. You saved my life and then took care of me for the past month. Besides, I like you. I wouldn''t need a reason to give you a gift. But in this case...¡± She looked to the side and pulled her hands below the table. ¡°Please don''t get upset. I heard that you don''t like it very much. But I wanted to give this to you as a late birthday present.¡± She almost seemed like she expected him to yell now.

    Cedar could only sit there and stare at her. Theodore had to have told her. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have known. The prince''s birthday had been a while ago, and yet, Lucille had prepared something as soon as she had heard about it. That was ridiculous. How could someone care so much about such a meaningless day? She had been right about him not liking it. If it had been anyone else, he would have told them that too. But after seeing her expression, he felt like he would worsen her mood if he revealed it. So, he only smiled at her. ¡°It''s true that I didn''t really see the need to receive gifts during my birthday and that I never celebrated it much. But to accept a gift you put so much effort into is a pleasure. Thank you very much. We can use this chance to make sure that it tastes as good as it looks.¡±

    Lucille gazed at him with round eyes before quickly nodding. She took the knife from the tray and carefully offered it to him. She kept her eyes on him while he cut the cake and could barely hide her grin while doing that. But it only took a moment for her to stop him. ¡°Wait! You need to blow out the candles and make a wish first.¡±

    Cedar stopped himself just in time and lowered the knife. He didn''t truly have a wish nor did he believe in such superstitions, but he didn''t mind playing along for her. ¡°Alright.¡± He would need to blow out all of the candles at the same time, wouldn''t he? That shouldn''t be too hard. He leaned forward and brought his face in the right position while being careful not to get too close to the scorching flames, but his attention was soon directed away. He should probably focus on the candles, but he could only look at Lucille.

    The setting sun had caused the room to be a bit darker than usual. The orange flickering of the flames illuminated the table and the people who were sitting directly next to it. Lucille''s face was also touched by the soft candlelight, which cast small shadows onto her features. She just sat there in silence and watched him while waiting for him to make his wish. It was so simplistic.

    And yet, this might have been the most beautiful scene Cedar had ever seen.

    The way that the candles illuminated her soft hair and made her eyes glint shouldn''t have been breathtaking, but it was. He had seen that Lucille was a beautiful woman from the very beginning, but right now, he couldn''t deny that his heart skipped a beat. This was dangerous. He had been tiptoeing on the border of no return for too long and felt like she pulled him over more with every second that their eyes met.

    For a moment, Cedar was so captured by her that he forgot what he needed to do. When he remembered, he hurried to take a deep breath. What should he wish for? He didn''t have anything he could ask for. Maybe it would be better for this wish to go to someone who believed in it at least a little. He glanced at Lucille. Wanting her wish to come true wasn''t so bad, right? He had thought that he made his decision, but as soon as he blew out the candles, he had another thought. Was wishing to be able to spend more time with her too much to ask? It was already too late, but he still wondered.

    Lucille watched how all of the candles were extinguished in a second, and a smile formed on her lips. ¡°Belated happy birthday. I wish you the best for the following years. May you be healthy, happy and successful in your endeavors. And may your wish be granted.¡±

    He had never liked the shallow congratulations the guests had told him years ago. But now Cedar had to smile at her words. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Lucille sounded so genuine when she said all of that. Should she really wish for him, a well-known traitor, to be successful in what he wanted to do? That wasn''t a good idea, but she smiled at him so innocently that it was clear that she trusted him completely.

    And he just met her gaze and stared into her soft gray eyes. For a few seconds, he couldn''t think about anything else. When he noticed that, he hurried to pick up the knife again. ¡°Then we will eat now.¡± He was extremely careful while cutting into the cake. Then he picked up two slices with the same care and placed them onto the plates Lucille had brought along as well. He gave her a fork and then took one for himself to begin eating.

    Cedar didn''t miss how she stared at him while he lifted the first bite and put it in his mouth. He hadn''t eaten a cake in a while, so he was happy to have one again.

    And this certainly had to be the best one Cedar had ever tasted. He rationally knew that there was no way that this was better than what the royal chefs created and that only the fact that it was Lucille''s made it so special. But he refused to admit that since it would inevitably force him to come to peace with what he was feeling.

    This wasn''t what he should do. He had to get away from her. His brain told him that, but he just threw that thought out of an imaginary window.

    Instead of worrying, Cedar focused on Lucille, who looked at him with visible tension and desperately waited for his response. He considered teasing her for a moment, but a grin had already formed on his lips. ¡°It''s delicious. You are quite talented. I will have to think about employing you to be my personal chef.¡±

    Lucille''s face flushed at that, even though he hadn''t said anything special. ¡°Thank you. It''s good to hear that. If you are happy, this cake fulfilled its goal.¡± She still didn''t look up at him though. Seemingly, she was a bit too embarrassed for that.

    Cedar couldn''t stop watching her as he ate a second bite too. She was so happy even though he had been the one to receive a present. It was a bit odd, but at the same time, it was extremely adorable. He would need to compliment her more often if that was the reaction he got. Maybe he should just begin praising her every time he noticed something he liked. That seemed like a good idea. He wasn''t sure why he felt this way, but he was sure that voicing what was so great about her might help her confidence a bit too. In that case, it was good for the both of them.

    Much like her visit now had been wonderful for both too. Cedar would have to ask her to join him to eat the rest of the cake during the next few days as well. He definitely wouldn''t be able to finish this on his own, but giving a piece to someone else was unacceptable as well. So, he would have to find a way to offer it to Lucille while also paying her back for this gift.

    While they ate and chatted, he was already thinking about what he should get her while ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that questioned whether he had forgotten what he should do. Being so close to Lucille wasn''t good.

    And he was close to her. He couldn''t deny it much longer. Today had only confirmed that worry once again.

    After all, he hated his birthday, and still, he had to admit it. If Lucille was the one to accompany him every year, he might come to like his birthday a little bit more.

 Chapter 41: A Picnic

¡°

    that woman to notice.¡± He didn''t even say anything else and just spun around to leave.

    ¡°

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 42: Dinner

¡°

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

 Chapter 43: Allergy

¡°

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    <hr>

 Chapter 44: Regrets

¡°

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    <hr>

 Chapter 45: Its Not You

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    you could never stand by his side. You should have noticed the difference in your positions already. His Royal Highness is always so confident, so he needs someone of the same standing to be by his side. You are only a viscount''s daughter. You do understand that, correct?¡± Jenna didn''t even give the other woman a chance to respond and just beamed while she continued. ¡°I am not saying this to hurt you. It''s because I want to make sure that you keep that in mind so that your first experience in this matter does not hurt you too much when it ends badly. Please remember my words. I would like to talk to you a bit longer, but I will need to return home now. We will meet at the ball in a week. Maybe I will finally be able to see His Royal Highness again then. Relay my kindest wishes to him if you meet him any time before that. Please have a nice evening, Lady Valerian.¡±

    ¡°

 Chapter 46: Returning to Noble Society (1)

    ¡°

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°

    your mother try to kill us? You didn''t do anything. In fact, you even prevented our family from collapsing entirely. You were the one that

    ¡°

    Great. At least that witch''s husband was there too. That meant that she had to hold back a bit.

 Chapter 47: Returning to Noble Society (2)

    Unless the other person had a more powerful protector. That Lucille would be the empress'' lady-in-waiting was good. But Cedar wasn''t sure whether that was enough. He wouldn''t take any risks with Lucille. If he immediately took her side, he could nip the problems in the bud and prevent Jenna from beginning her mind games. The thought that this might end up with his mother finding out about everything was bad, but the odds that the dowager empress already knew were high. After all, Lady Peril had known too.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°

 Chapter 48: Helpless

    The evening had seemed like it would be fine at first.

    Lucille had been as nervous as always, but things had been calm. So, she had thought that she could act like she always did. She stayed in the background and answered when she was spoken to. Her only job was being polite and holding back as a quiet observe

    It had worked well in the beginning. Lucille had mostly stood next to her father while listening to his conversations. Then she had glanced to the side once.

    And as soon as she saw Cedar, her eyes were stuck on him. How could someone move around with such elegance even though so many people were watching him? Cedar seemed as if he was completely calm nonetheless. He was beaming the whole time and joined every conversation with confidence without fail. His smile didn''t falter for a single second. Lucille was a bit concerned when Lady Peril had talked to him, but he dealt with that without any issues. Lucille tensed anyway, but then Lord Astame came to help the prince, and she relaxed again.

    Still, she wasn''t able to keep herself from watching Cedar, even if she knew that it was impolite. She just couldn''t help but admire how dignified he was the whole time. Cedar was polite and friendly but still had some aura of authority. He seemed so different in public. Seeing that was odd, but she was impressed.

    At the same time, a bitter feeling formed in Lucille''s stomach though. Cedar greeted everyone and seemed unaware of how closely some people were watching him. Lucille wasn''t experienced with matters like this, but even she could see that some women looked at Cedar with a little too much interest.

    And even though she had no right to judge, she hated seeing that. She felt more self-conscious with every beautiful woman who greeted Cedar with a smile that was a little too bright. No matter how often she scolded herself for that, she couldn''t bring herself to stop. She tried to look away, but that didn''t help too much.

    At some point, even her father seemed to notice what she was thinking and looked at her with skepticism. She tried her best to hide it more after that but failed.

    Lucille couldn''t stop glancing over at the prince and only forced herself to lower her gaze to the floor when Cedar caught her the second time. After that, she didn''t dare to lift her head anymore and just quietly stood there.

    Viscount Valerian chatted with some random men for a while until they invited him to the balcony for a drink. He seemed indecisive and glanced at his daughter multiple times before agreeing. He still stayed after the others had left already though. Her father told her that she needed to be careful about her wound and that she should spend the time that he was away with Fiona.

    When he eventually disappeared, Lucille was ready to follow his advice. She looked around and forced herself to stop searching for Cedar in favor of finding her friend. She was successful, but it seemed like the Lamonts were chatting with the Duremont family now. That meant that she, as a viscount''s daughter, had no chance to go there for now. So, she decided to wait in the most secluded corner until the others were done.

    Normally, no one approached her, so she expected to be fine. But barely five minutes had passed before a man appeared in front of her. She had hidden herself away in the corner on purpose, so he had to have been searching for her specifically.

    That man seemed to be about her father''s age and greeted her with a patronizing smile, which immediately made her uncomfortable. ¡°Good evening, Lady Valerian. I apologize for chiming in like this. I do hope that you remember me.¡± She did. But unfortunately, she didn''t remember his name.

    Lucille balled her hands to fists and inwardly panicked. How was she supposed to greet him? She was pretty sure that he was one of the questionable men her father had worked with at some point, but she couldn''t quite put her finger on it. She only recognized him when she blinked at him a few times. Lucille still didn''t know his name, but she did remember that he had been one of the most unpleasant people she had been forced to encounter. She was pretty sure that her father had made her flatter that marquess a few times in the past.

    His name was still a mystery, but Lucille remembered one thing. She hated him. She had always disliked that glint in his eyes, and now that she was alone, she felt even more uncertain than before. He rarely was in the capital, so she hadn''t had a reason to interact with him often, which only fueled her worry. Would she offend him because she didn''t know his name?

    ¡°I...uhm...¡±

    Seemingly, that man hadn''t even wanted a response. He didn''t care about whether she greeted him back or knew his name. ¡°It has been a few years since we met. You have grown up to be a fine young lady. You are quite beautiful, if I may say so.¡± That was odd. Cedar''s compliments made her feel validated, but this only made her want to shiver. Nothing about this man seemed sincere. He didn''t even wait for her reply.

    Lucille began fiddling her fingers in front of her body and could barely keep herself calm. ¡°I...thank you... That-¡±

    Again, she had barely managed to bring out a few words before the marquess already took over. ¡°Would you mind accompanying me into the garden? I heard that the winter garden is beautiful. The stars are supposed to be stunning as well, but since it''s chilly, I could use some company.¡± The tone of his voice was even worse than what he said. It wasn''t even playful, more so hurried. This wasn''t normal, and his intentions surely weren''t kind either. No one offered a stranger a walk like that in the middle of a ball. Especially a young lady shouldn''t go out with a man she didn''t even know. That was logical, so refuting shouldn''t be an issue.

    ¡°Uhm...I...apologize but-¡± Once again, Lucille''s stuttering didn''t help her much.

    The man replied already. ¡°Don''t be like that. I helped out your father a while ago. You owe me. It''s just a little walk. Please accompany me.¡± He only sounded more rushed now and glanced to the side as if he was searching for something. He held his hand toward her nonetheless.

    Rejecting a marquess when she was only a viscount''s daughter was only possible if she had a good reason. But in this case, she actually had one.

    Lucille could easily list all of the conventions that forbid her from accepting, and yet, she wasn''t able to say even a single thing. She stared at the man''s hand and took a little step backward, which pressed her against the wall. ¡°I really...can''t. My father-¡± Her voice was so weak and shaky that it wasn''t surprising that she was interrupted for the fourth time in a row.

    ¡°It won''t take long. We''ll be right back after enjoying a nice walk outside.¡± The marquess didn''t seem to care about her obvious discomfort, or he was truly blind. It was probably the first option since he just grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the corner. His grip was like iron, far too tight to be meant gently.

    Lucille was speechless. She could only stare at the man while a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. What was he doing? Did he truly just want to take a walk? Probably not. What would happen if she ended up being dragged out? Why wasn''t she lucky enough for someone to intervene?

    This had to be a misunderstanding.

    Maybe she hadn''t been open enough about being uncomfortable. Surely, he would leave her alone if he noticed. She only needed to speak up once.

    Lucille could barely swallow, but she forced herself and opened her mouth. She put in her all, but only a whisper came out. ¡°Please...wait... I don''t...¡± She wasn''t sure whether the marquess had heard her.

    In any case, he just continued pulling her toward the balcony.

    If Lucille was lucky, her father was still there, and she could call out for help, but what if he wasn''t? She didn''t want to go out to find out. Lucille looked around in a panic. Was no one noticing what was going on? Should she call for help? She wanted to scream and struggle. But wouldn''t that cause a scene? What if she had just misunderstood? Then she would have caused issues for no reason. Her mind was in a whirl, and she couldn''t think clearly as the blood drained from her face.

    Then, almost like a sign from the heavens, a glint of light blue hair appeared in the corner of her eyes.

    Cedar. He was just a few steps away from her.

    Lucille knew that she couldn''t place all her bets on him. She shouldn''t trouble the prince during a ball, but her body acted on its own. Cedar could protect her, like he always did. She instinctively knew that. She used her last remaining strength to wrestle her arm away and dashed forward. Approaching royalty while they were in the middle of a conversation was insolent, but she couldn''t stop herself. She stumbled past two or three people before she came into Cedar''s view.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    She almost wanted to call out the prince''s name, but all the words got stuck in her throat when they made eye contact. She was so relieved. That marquess couldn''t drag her away in front of royalty.

    Only at that moment, Lucille noticed how confused her body was. Her knees shook, and she felt like she would collapse if she took even another step. Her heart was beating so quickly that it hurt, and her breathing had quickened. She had to have painted quite a pitiful picture.

    It wouldn''t be a wonder if Cedar just wanted to ignore her because she would cause problems for him. He was in the middle of the conversation with the emperor, the empress and a marquess after all. But Cedar even came the last step toward her and greeted her with his fake polite smile. ¡°Lady Valerian, good evening. Did you have any troubles on your way to the palace?¡±

    She was so thankful that she could have kissed him. Lucille could barely keep herself from shivering as she curtsied despite her legs almost giving in. ¡°Good...¡± Her voice sounded rough, and she was so quiet that she could barely hear herself. So, she forced herself to clear her throat before speaking a bit louder. Still, her voice was trembling. ¡°Good evening, Your Royal Highness. There...haven''t been any problems. During our journey here, I mean. But...¡± Now she had a huge problem. She didn''t even dare to turn around to face the other man.

    Cedar kept his smile upright as he continued in a tone that made it obvious that he was used to small talk. ¡°That is good to hear. You haven''t had the chance to greet His and Her Majesty or Lord Astame yet, correct? Maybe you should do that now while they are all together.¡± Then he lowered his voice so that only she could hear him. ¡°Is there something bothering you? Or rather someone?¡± His eyes locked onto something behind her, and she could swear that the temperature around them had dropped.

    Lucille hurriedly nodded. ¡°He...¡± Her voice broke, and she just lowered her gaze while pressing my eyes shut. She spoke so quietly that she was worried about whether Cedar even understood her. ¡°I''m sorry for causing trouble during a ball. But he...just came and...wouldn''t leave.¡± She barely dared to glance up again.

    Cedar gave her a smile, but his eyes held some darker emotion. He had probably understood what she was referring to in general. ¡°I see. Then would it not be even better to use this chance?¡± He slowly took a step back and gestured to the small group. ¡°Please join the conversation.¡±

    Once a member of royalty invited you, it was fine for anyone to join. Thank the gods.

    Lucille would have liked to hug Cedar to tell him how he was her hero. But she just came toward him with shaky steps. She walked to the group and did her best to keep calm despite the stressful situation she was in. She made another curtsy, and when she looked up this time, she was met with serious expressions. Apparently, she hadn''t been good at hiding her emotions.

    Blanche was the first one to speak up. ¡°I wish a wonderful evening to you, Lady Valerian. I hope that the ball has been pleasant for you until now. It is good that we have the chance to speak to each other. How have you been?¡±

    Lucille tried to steady her voice, but that was easier said than done. ¡°Good evening, Your Majesty. It is an honor to attend one of the royal balls again. I...have been well. Nothing special...happened.¡± That didn''t sound very convincing when she was still shivering.

    Blanche seemed to notice immediately and slowly scanned the area around them. ¡°I see. That is good to hear. But if there are any issues, please feel free to speak up. The royal family is always happy to support anyone around us. We will do our best to help you.¡±

    Lucille weakly nodded before turning to the emperor.

    Theodore seemed as grim as his wife, so he had probably noticed what was going on too. But he forced himself to put on a small grin. ¡°Good evening, Lady Valerian. It is a great pleasure to see you here. Say, where could your father be?¡±

    Lucille wanted to turn around but shivered at the thought of making eye contact with that marquess. So, she just spoke without checking. ¡°I wish you a wonderful evening, Your Majesty. I am pleased to meet you. My father is on the balcony and is currently discussing some things with his business partners.¡±

    Cedar chimed in at that. ¡°I see. He will probably take a little while longer, correct? Would you like to honor us with your presence until then?¡±

    Lucille hurriedly nodded. She didn''t want to go alone. Otherwise, that man might come again. ¡°It would be very kind of you to allow me to do that.¡± She didn''t know what else to say, but luckily, she didn''t have to.

    Leonard already greeted her. ¡°I would like to wish you a good evening too, Lady Valerian. I hope that you have been doing well for the past weeks.¡±

    Lucille almost breathed out in relief when she could be sure that no one was angry with her. She hinted at another curtsy before replying in a still weak voice. ¡°I cannot complain. Good evening, Lord Astame. It''s an honor to be able to speak with you. Nothing happened, so I fear that I have nothing much to tell you.¡± She truly didn''t have anything. So, she shut her mouth while trying to come up with something. Even after a few seconds, she wasn''t able to find something she could say. But thankfully, that wasn''t an issue.

    The people around her were efficient at making small talk. Lucille was quickly forced to accommodate to a long conversation about some matters that probably weren''t that important. But she was glad. She dreaded the moment the others might be done. After all, she would have to leave and allow the royal family to move on then.

    As the conversation went on, a couple of minutes passed, and she slowly managed to calm down, which probably only happened because Cedar stood a few steps next to her. Her heartbeat slowed, and she could trust her legs again at some point.

    Yet, she didn''t calm down as much as she would have liked to. She almost could hear how her blood rushed through her body as it rang in her ears even now. She felt like that marquess was still standing behind them and worried about him following her as soon as she went away. But maybe she was lucky. Maybe he had lost interest.

    Lucille glanced over her back and immediately whipped her head back again when she made eye contact. Why was that man still there? Why would he be so persistent? Now he should know that she didn''t want to go with him. That was so painfully obvious, and still, it seemed like he didn''t care. She tensed and balled her hands into fists as the last remaining bit of her hope died.

    This hadn''t been a misunderstanding.

    She lowered her gaze to the floor. Her father would need to come back soon, or she would end up standing there without anyone to protect her. Why couldn''t she have a bit more confidence? If she had dared to speak up loudly, that man would probably leave her alone. But she couldn''t even bring out more than a whispered ¡®no¡¯.

    ¡°Are you truly alright?¡± Cedar''s whispering made her flinch.

    Lucille lifted her head and met his gaze. ¡°Huh? I...I mean it''s fine. Thank you. I''m just a bit...tired.¡± That lie was so obvious that even she had to grimace.

    Cedar didn''t seem to let that bother him though. He smiled at her before continuing in a low voice. ¡°So, it was bad. I''m sorry to hear that. I may have a small idea about how to ensure that nothing happens again. How about the two of us act as the other''s shield for the rest of the evening? You don''t want to see that man. I don''t want to see Lady Peril. We can compromise here. Allow me to escort you for today.¡±

    Lucille blinked at that. She could barely believe that she had received such an offer. ¡°Really?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Of course. I wouldn''t joke about something like that.¡±

    Lucille was silent for a moment as hundreds of thoughts rushed through her head. Why would a prince want to accompany her? There were so many other women he could pick from. If he escorted her, there would definitely be rumors. Those could cause problems for the both of them, and he was still risking it because he wanted to make her feel safer. Her heart felt warm all of a sudden, but she couldn''t hold back her doubts. ¡°But the difference in rank is a bit too big, is it not? What if...¡±

    Cedar just continued to smile. ¡°You will be Her Majesty''s lady-in-waiting soon. If the people around us know that, they will assume that the two third wheels just have to go around together. Of course, I will not force you if you are uncomfortable with it. I can also bring you to your father without attracting as much attention. That is your choice. But I think it may be helpful for both of us. Especially since I have to warn you about Lady Peril. She somehow heard about us using our first names, and she didn''t like that at all.¡±

    Lucille could only stare at him. ¡°Lady Peril?¡± She was quiet for a moment before the realization set in. ¡°I''m...sorry. I ran into her after her audience. I used your name, and she asked, and I just admitted it. Do you think she''ll confront me about that being insolent?¡±

    The prince glanced to the side before meeting her gaze again. ¡°That wasn''t what I was referring to. I meant to say that she may try to cause problems for you in secret. She won''t attempt to hurt you, but she will try to ruin your reputation. That''s why we have to be careful, alright? I''m hoping that me escorting you is enough to make her understand that she won''t be able to do anything to you.¡± That didn''t sound good at all.

    Lucille only needed to remember Jenna''s expression after she had uttered Cedar''s name. She truly believed that the other woman could cause trouble, but she hadn''t thought that Lady Peril would be provoked so easily. ¡°Really?¡± Lucille pressed her mouth into a line before she replied. ¡°Then...we can do it. I mean, you can escort me. You know better about what is fine and what is not. But please don''t...¡± Blood rushed to her cheeks as she averted her eyes. Saying that embarrassed her way too much. ¡°Don''t do it just because you feel like you have to. You aren''t indebted to me.¡±

    When she carefully lifted her gaze, she was met with a soft smile that was much more subtle than what Cedar usually showed. At the same time, it was a hundred times more genuine and comforting too. The prince responded in a soft voice. ¡°I would not propose this if I was uncertain. I''m not the type to sacrifice myself. I want to escort you. If that is fine with you, would you grant me the honor?¡± He slowly brought his hand forward to offer it to her in a subtle motion.

    That was already enough to make the rest of the group, much like almost the entire ballroom, halt their conversations to stare at the couple.

    Lucille felt even more flustered but hurried to push that into the back of her mind. ¡°I...would be honored to accept your offer.¡± She quickly put her hand on Cedar''s. Once again, it felt so wonderful to hold his hand. Their fingers were just touching slightly, but it felt like everything around her got warm while her fingertips tingled. She could just look into Cedar''s eyes.

    For a few seconds, all the surrounding noise drowned out. It was completely quiet, and it felt like only the two of them were there. Obviously, they were still in the ballroom, but to Lucille, only they mattered.

    However, she quickly shook her head to wake herself up again. She couldn''t dream about things like that, or she would get even more embarrassed.

    Cedar met her gaze for a moment while he carefully held her hand. Then he turned to his brother and spoke up. ¡°I believe that it would be time to move on to the next person. Should we see Lord Bellfaux?¡±

    The emperor scanned his brother and Lucille for a moment before a smile spread on his lips. ¡°Naturally. We will go there quickly.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Cedar glanced at Lucille again. ¡°I will need to bother you with greeting a lot of people today. I hope that you are alright with that.¡±

    Lucille weakly nodded. She would agree to almost everything he said. So, she followed his lead as soon as he steered toward their destination. She didn''t want to greet other nobles. But if she went with him, it might be fine.

    It almost felt like Cedar was her knight in shining armor, who came to protect her from any danger. And for the first time in her life, she felt like a princess while holding his hand.

 Chapter 49: I Like You

you be so kind to leave us alone?¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°

 Chapter 50: Past and Future

    pretty sure that she was fine by now again since it had been over a month, but she didn''t say that. ¡°Thank you for your concern. I hope that you will reach home quickly without any inconveniences. I wish you a restful night as well, Father.¡±

    ¡°

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

 Chapter 51: A Resolution on a Calm Morning

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 52: A Small Gift

    ¡°

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    marrying her. After all, she would never just become a married man''s mistress. She wouldn''t be able to share the person she loved with someone. Thinking about that made her a bit dejected, and she looked down at her hands.

    Of course, she had been unlucky as soon as she wanted to give him a gift. Now she would have to think about everything a hundred more times before she finally came to a conviction. Then she would have to gather her courage again. Great.

 Chapter 53: The Dowager Empress (1)

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

 Chapter 54: The Dowager Empress (2)

    ¡°I don''t want to be emperor.¡± Cedar''s words changed everything in an instant.

    The blood drained from Camille''s face after just a moment of silence. She blinked at him and forced herself to smile, but she had understood him. ¡°What...what are you saying? We''ve always wanted to make you emperor.¡± Her voice was trembling slightly as she spoke. ¡°Why would you...suddenly change your mind about that matter? Are you worried about how it will go when you need to rule? Don''t think about that. I will help you. I have enough experience to deal with everything. And we prepared you from the very beginning. You are more intelligent and considerate than your brother ever was. You will be a wonderful emperor.¡± She only praised him and said that he was better than his brother when she wanted to bind him to her.

    Cedar almost wanted to point that out, but he forced himself to stay quiet for a moment while meeting his mother''s gaze. He would have liked to stop smiling, but right now, he couldn''t help it. On the outside, he seemed calm, but in reality, his stomach was churning.

    What was he doing?

    Camille was still his mother. She had raised him, and he was in the middle of ruining everything she had lived for during the last two decades. But a single thought of Lucille quickly reminded him what they were doing again. He didn''t want to live as a tool and watch how people he cared about got killed anymore. He couldn''t give in now.

    So, Cedar forced himself to speak again. ¡°I don''t worry about whether I would be good at reigning. I also don''t think I would mind ruling if it became necessary. But right now, Theodore is the emperor, and he is doing a good job. There is no need for me to interfere and undermine the emperor''s position. Aside from that, my personal feelings also don''t give me a reason to commit treason. I don''t want to harm Theodore or Her Majesty, who never did anything to you, by the way. And I won''t use Lucille either. After all, I like her a lot.¡± His mother already knew about the ball. Then he might as well be honest. He quickly realized that mentioning Lucille would only distract his mother though.

    If there was one thing that Camille hated even more than her eldest son, it was the fact that her second child might care for other people. Her face scrunched up, and a familiar glint of insanity flickered in her eyes. She dug her fingers into his arm and raised her voice. ¡°I knew it! That filthy whore tried to seduce you, didn''t she? She''s confusing you. She-¡±

    Cedar considered listening first, but he got annoyed after a few seconds and corrected her. ¡°There is something wrong with your opinion of the women around you. Did you notice that? I can like a person without them needing to use manipulation. Just because you are so dependent on that strategy, that doesn''t mean that every other woman does the same. You always insult the ones that get close to our family without questioning whether that woman might not just have been nice. Althea was nice, Blanche is nice too. And they never did anything that would harm you. It would be good if you refrained from accusing them of random things. I would also ask you to stop insulting Lucille, specifically. Right now, she is the person I care about most.¡± He only understood that saying that may have been a bad decision when the words left his lips.

    It was odd. Until now, he had never truly come to that conclusion. Then he had said it out loud all of a sudden. Seemingly, he was convinced and finally accepted it.

    As expected, his mother didn''t react too kindly to that. Her eyes widened, and she scanned his face for traces of this being a joke. ¡°Cedar, what are you saying? You''re....you''re acting strange. Do you have a fever?¡± She brought her hand to his forehead and pressed against it. ¡°You...feel warm. Definitely. You have a fever.¡± It seemed like she had convinced herself of that now. ¡°I will ask someone to bring you medicine. For now, you should stay here until you get better. I can hold your hand and take care of you, so-¡±

    Cedar cut her off there. ¡°I am perfectly fine. To be honest, I am feeling better than I have for a long time.¡± That wasn''t true. His mind was in turmoil, and everything inside him told him to finally stop acting like this. He had been conditioned to follow his mother, so it felt odd to do the opposite. It felt awful, almost like the bad memories of the fireplace burned into his mind again. Cedar considered rethinking this thrice, but then the image of Lucille lying in his arms with blood pooling out of her wound showed up in his head.

    That was enough to remind him of the important fact.

    Camille couldn''t stand him being happy. She would crush whatever he liked to keep him dependent on her. That was dangerous. There was no way that he could stay still while something like this was happening. He had to finally get rid of this issue, or there would be even more problems later.

    Cedar only needed to think about what he could have when he didn''t need to fear his mother intervening in his life. Lucille could become an important person to him without him having to expect that she would be killed. He wouldn''t need to plot to overthrow a competent ruler. He would finally have peace. Maybe he could even stop being Theodore''s enemy and finally leave this mess behind him. If he imagined that future, it was much more pleasant than assassinating the emperor to take the crown sounded.

    So, Cedar spoke again. ¡°Mother. I can see why this is a shock to you. But you need to understand. I''m old enough to think by myself now. And I can tell you that Theodore never did anything wrong. We can leave him alone and just focus on doing something else. For the past years, you have only lived for revenge against someone who never wronged you. Aren''t you tired of that? Let''s move forward.¡± That was his last pathetic attempt to find a solution that wouldn''t make him his mother''s enemy. But just as he didn''t expect her to agree, she didn''t think about changing her mind.

    Camille looked at him as if he had lost his mind. ¡°Cedar, what''s wrong with you? You''ve never acted like this. Theodore is the bad one! He is the person that abandoned me. He threw us, his own family, out of the palace to treat us like lowlifes in confinement. He looked down on us and humiliated us in front of every single noble in Artias! He killed your father!¡± By now, she was almost ripping off his arm, and slowly but surely, her composure slipped away.

    The prince let out a low sigh when he noticed how the circulation in his arm was being cut off but replied without moving away. ¡°I never acted like this because I never considered this option. But now I think that this may be better. I would have liked it if you managed to think about that once. Theodore isn''t the bad one, and deep inside, you know that. We were the villains the whole time. I will stray from this path now. A person once told me that even a carved riverbed can be changed with some effort. I am doing that right now. Maybe you could try it too. If you ever succeed, we could meet again.¡± That wouldn''t happen, as much as he hated that. ¡°But if not, I think our ways have to part here.¡±

    Camille stared at him while her face only showed pure desperation. She held onto him as if he would slip away. But the fact that she wasn''t yelling already proved that she still hadn''t accepted it. It took her a minute before she opened her mouth and spoke with a shaky voice. ¡°I think we should end this here. It''s dangerous for you to stay in the palace if they fill your head with such lies. You can come back to me, and we''ll find a different way.¡± It was surprising that she put keeping Cedar above the chance to harm Theodore. Seemingly, she was getting scared of being alone. ¡°Cedar, let''s go home now. We will sit down and have a nice cup of apple tea and strawberry tart. You love that, right? We can relax in front of the bookshelf and forget that all of this ever happened. Did I tell you how proud of you I am? It''s been a while since I did, hasn''t it? I will tell you more often. Cedar, I love you. You know that, right? You''re my only son and-¡±

    Cedar felt sick to the stomach. Even now, hearing what he had longed to hear ever since he had been a child made him want to return to her embrace.

    But this wasn''t what love or affection was. This woman might be his mother, but she had never seen him as more than a tool, even if there had been nice moments.

    The prince closed his eyes for a moment and reminded himself of that. Just thinking about how she had proposed using Blanche being drugged as a way to harm Theodore was enough to make him understand once more. Even after he had refused, his mother had never even understood why he would object to abusing a young woman when she had ordered it. But there had been countless more moments as well, including the fireplace incident. He didn''t need to think about all the vases that he had been hit with and all the times she had slapped him.

    Camille had never cared for anything but her own hatred. Cedar hadn''t ever witnessed something else during his childhood or his adulthood. Whenever he thought that his mother was getting better, she had another breakdown or got lost in her wrath again.

    The prince had hoped that there was a cure. But there wasn''t one. For his mother, it was too late. He had thought that he wouldn''t be saved either, but he might still have the capacity to let go of this resentment that he had been raised with. And if he wanted to be saved, he needed to cut off the influence that threatened to turn him into nothing but a wrath-filled puppet. He needed to make that cut now, or he would succumb to the fury that clouded his mother''s mind too.

    Cedar took a deep breath. He needed one little push. The thought that gave him the most strength was the mental image of Lucille smiling at him. She liked him for real. She didn''t see him as a possession like his mother did. And he wanted to keep her safe. If he planned on doing that, he needed to remove the greatest threat from his life. To do that, he would need to be strong for now.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Just for a few more minutes.

    Cedar opened his eyes and met his mother''s gaze. She was still babbling on, but he just cut her off. ¡°I fear that I won''t come home with you again. I also don''t think that we will have much contact in the future. The reason should be obvious. I apologize for doing this so suddenly, but I have to leave now.¡± He rose to his feet, and her surprise allowed him to get her arm off. He only took a few steps before he noticed that he was basically running away. But that didn''t matter much.

    Camille''s shrill cry already sounded behind him. ¡°Cedar!¡± She jumped up, and her footsteps came closer. She grabbed his arms, and her fingernails threatened to dig into his skin again as she shook him and stood way too close. ¡°Cedar, what do you mean by that?¡±

    The prince slowly turned his head to her. He didn''t like seeing her this upset. He was used to consoling her, so being the one to trouble her was odd. But at the same time, he noticed another difference that helped him. He might not really be sane either since it seemed like he didn''t care about his mother as much as he should. After all, he had felt a tug at his heart whenever Lucille cried. But now he only cared because he worried about Camille snapping. Cedar waited for a short moment before finding the best words. ¡°I don''t want to make you misunderstand. I will phrase it differently so that you will get it. Our act isn''t an act anymore. I''m really on Theodore''s side now. I support him both as the ruler and as my brother. When you talk to him instead of sending assassins, he is actually nice. How surprising.¡±

    He could see the exact moment that Camille''s world broke into two. If he didn''t know what kind of person she was, he would have felt horrible. The dowager empress tightened her hold on his arm even more so that it hurt. When her panic set in, she looked at him with widened eyes and shook her head before raising her voice. ¡°What? Cedar, no! You''re my son! You can''t leave me! You don''t want to leave me all alone, do you? You don''t want me to hate you! You want to make me proud! If you leave now, you will disappoint me. If you go, no one will be-¡±

    Cedar interrupted her before she could begin. ¡°You really don''t get it. If you threaten me by using my triggers, you will only emphasize why I''m leaving. You don''t care about me. I would like it if you at least admitted that to yourself. Stop acting like you care. You are the one who doesn''t want to be left alone. You always wanted all of my attention on you and hated it when I even glanced at others. Now I know why. Because you were scared that I would meet a person who shows me what affection and respect look like. Now that I witnessed that, I know that whatever you give me isn''t anything close to that.¡±

    Camille tugged at his arm as her voice raised another octave. ¡°What? No, Cedar, I love you! You know that. Was I too strict? I can give you some time to play. You can do whatever you want for a few months. You can even do what you want with that girl. I won''t touch her if you come back to me after that. Cedar, stay with me!¡± It was unusual for her to bargain. Did she wonder whether he was serious?

    This meant that Cedar had to be direct once again. He made eye contact with her and replied in a calm voice. ¡°This isn''t a problem of strictness. The problem is you. Even you must have noticed how hateful you are by now. There is nothing but envy and hatred for Althea in your heart. Because she died, you direct it at Theodore and his wife. If there was a way for you to change, I would have moved heaven and earth to help you. But there is no way you will get over that grudge, is there? You''ve always thought of people around you as possessions. That''s why Father loving someone bothered you. That''s why Theodore loving his wife and finding friends fills you with wrath. That''s why you couldn''t forgive your sister for caring more about her children than about you.¡± The prince tried to keep himself from sounding bitter, but his voice became filled with more disappointment with every word until he reached the end. He couldn''t deny how empty he felt as anger bubbled up inside him. Despite his attempts to hold back his smile, it grew. He was too upset now. So, he couldn''t hold back when the words flowed out of his mouth. ¡°And this is also why you can''t forgive Lucille for becoming important to me. That''s why you tried to kill her right in front of my eyes. Didn''t you know that I wasn''t too happy about that decision? I think you really messed up when you did that.¡± That day had been the first time he had seriously thought about changing his strategy, all because Lucille had been hurt

    Because Camille didn''t mind trying to murder innocent bystanders if they bothered her in some way. And maybe a part of Cedar had hoped for her to at least acknowledge how messed up that was. But he didn''t truly expect it because he knew her too well. He wasn''t surprised either.

    Camille''s mouth fell open. She stared at her son for a few more seconds before she reached her breaking point. Her face flashed with anger, and it seemed like wrath was the only thing in her mind. Cedar was sure that she would lash out at him. But it seemed like she decided to blame someone else. ¡°She is the problem, isn''t she? She messed your head up. She manipulated you, and your useless brother did the same. They made you hate me, didn''t they? They are at fault! They''ll pay for this! You won''t leave me too. Cedar, we''ll go home now.¡± She pulled at his arm, to no avail. But she continued to try to move him to her. ¡°Cedar, we will get all of that out of your head again. I promise that I''ll kill that whore and-¡±

    He withdrew his arm, which made his mother stumble back. ¡°I told you not to insult her.¡± He glanced over his shoulder and met Camille''s disbelieving expression. ¡°You really need help. You noticed that you keep blaming others for everything, right? Even Lucille, whose only mistake was daring to talk to me. You tried to kill her just for that. That''s not normal.¡± He didn''t know what else to say when his head felt like it would burst soon.

    The dowager empress only took a few seconds before she rushed to his side again. ¡°Cedar, you can''t leave me.¡± That was the one sentence that she seemed to repeat a dozen times while she held onto his arm.

    A small voice in the back of Cedar''s mind told him that she was right. That he would never manage to escape his mother''s clutches. But then he remembered where he was right now. He had taken the first step. He only needed to keep moving forward now. It wouldn''t do him any good if he suddenly tried to go back. His mother was already furious, so it would never be the same.

    Cedar quickly re-found his determination. He cut off Camille''s monologue. ¡°I thought that too. But it seems like I will have to do this now. I really wish that this could end differently, but I don''t want to live with this hatred for the rest of my life. So, I will leave now. Goodbye, Mother.¡± He took a little more energy to wrench away his arm. He strode toward the door and quickly realized that there would be one little issue.

    Camille kept running after him, and this time, she threw her arms around his whole body. ¡°No! You can''t leave! Cedar!¡± She didn''t seem like she would let go or give up, even if he forced her off.

    Cedar sighed at that. How would he get to the secret passageway now? He didn''t want to show it to her. He would definitely need to have it closed off tomorrow, but he couldn''t risk his mother finding it anyway. It wasn''t clear whether she knew about it after all. He tried the kindest option first. ¡°Please let go of me. I will leave no matter what you say or do.¡±

    That didn''t help. Camille only tightened her hold, which made it seem like she was using all of her strength. ¡°Cedar, don''t go! Don''t leave me alone!¡±

    The prince stared at her for a moment while thinking about how to get out of here. What was he supposed to do when she didn''t let go? Surely, he could use force, but that would be a bit harsh. To some extent, he enjoyed the fact that his mother cared enough to want him to stay since she had never really admitted that she cared that much. But since he knew that this was just her selfish desire to have someone''s world revolve around her, it didn''t do much for him. Still, he didn''t want to hurt her. So, he would have to close the door behind him and run away before she could follow him. That would be difficult unless he locked the door.

    Cedar glanced down to try to see whether Camille was wearing shoes that would make it hard for her to walk, but due to her dress, he didn''t see anything. He could probably run faster, but she would still see what rooms he entered. He would need a few seconds alone in the cellar if he wanted to refrain from showing her where the secret passage was. Cedar almost let out a sigh and did his best to ignore his mother''s babbling before he spoke up. ¡°I would recommend you let go of me. If you truly wished to keep me close to you, you would try to work on your issues. Then I wouldn''t have a problem staying with you.¡± He was more hopeful than he had wanted to be while saying that.

    But Camille''s reaction only fueled his frustration. She lifted her head and stared at him with fury showing on her face. ¡°Work on my issues? I am! I am in the middle of destroying Theodore! And now, you want to leave me. You can''t do that! You need me!¡±

    Maybe that had been Camille''s big mistake. She had reminded him that she saw their relationship like this. She didn''t admit that she needed him by her side. Instead, she just insisted that he was dependent on her, and that was exactly what she had always wanted him to be. She had said too much in an attempt to get him to stay and was now encouraging him to leave.

    Cedar couldn''t stop the bitter chuckle from escaping his throat. ¡°Maybe. But right now, I don''t dislike the thought of being without you that much. I have Lucille. So, we''ll see whether I still need your fake affection.¡± He hadn''t meant to be so provoking, but in the end, it had done what he needed.

    Camille abruptly let go of her son. ¡°Then go!¡± She was yelling at him now, and her wrath had taken over completely. ¡°Go, and in a few weeks, you will beg to come back to me and kneel! I won''t forgive you for this unless you ask for my forgiveness a hundred times! You will beg for a punishment again and again and cling to me!¡±

    Finally, she had given him a chance to leave.

    Cedar showed her a bright smile. ¡°That won''t happen.¡± At least he hoped so. With that, he turned around and walked to the door. He only heard his mother speak again when he closed the door behind him.

    ¡°Cedar?¡± She had called out his name in a soft tone, as if she hadn''t expected him to leave for real.

    But he didn''t let that stop him and moved forward. He only took a second to notice that he was shaking. Great. Hopefully, this conversation had been worth it. He should remove himself from this situation before it got worse.

    Cedar already heard how his mother called his name again and that she moved around in the room. This was his cue to run away. He hurried toward the staircase to the cellar and made sure to close the door. After that, he continued to run until he found the bathroom and opened the basket. At least it seemed to be possible to enter from here. If he had been locked in here, he probably would have laughed at his own stupidity.

    He quickly climbed down the ladder and shut the basket again. Then he forced himself to go slowly to avoid falling off the ladder and breaking his bones. His legs felt like they would give in any moment. It took an eternity until he reached the floor, and now he would have to move on like this for at least half an hour.

    Wonderful.

    Cedar let out a shaky breath before forcing himself to walk. He would just distract himself for the time being. He needed to keep himself from breaking down until he got back. After that, he would immediately go to the one person who could probably calm him now.

    Lucille.

    He wanted to see her so badly. Even in the darkness of the underground tunnel, he couldn''t stop imagining her face and thinking about how he could get closer to her in just a few minutes. He had already consoled her a few times. It was fine if he asked her to take care of him for once, right?

 Chapter 55: Comfort

¡°

    ¡°

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 56: Cute Couple

    way too early, and you are twenty-two. You aren''t married yet, and I would suggest waiting a bit longer since you''ve only known one another for a little over three months now.¡± He had looked at the floor before and now finally dared to make eye contact with his younger brother. He did that just in time to meet his brother''s anger.

    did not spend the night with her in the way that you imagined. We lay next to each other and held hands.¡± Admittedly, they had been closer than that, but he surely hadn''t done anything that would require him to think about contraceptives.

    ¡°

    <hr>

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 57: Dancing Lessons

    Lucille had often felt conflicting emotions, so this wasn''t new. But still, it was like a completely different experience now. Maybe it would be better to refrain from thinking about it so that she wouldn''t confuse herself even more.

    But she couldn''t help herself when she lay in her bed and stared into the dark. Even cuddling with her pillow didn''t help. No matter how often she buried her face in her cushion or sighed, she didn''t come up with a clear answer.

    What was Cedar to her?

    And more importantly, what was she to him? He complimented her regularly, and she could swear that he enjoyed making her blush. He liked her, right? Why else would he purposefully do things that made him come so close to her? And why else would he visit to cuddle whenever he was feeling unwell?

    To be honest, she would like it if he saw her as more than a friend because she felt that way too. Then she wouldn''t have to feel guilty for thinking that marrying Cedar wouldn''t be that bad at all.

    Of course, Lucille had pushed that thought away quickly but more because Cedar was the prince and not because she would dislike getting married to him. She couldn''t be royalty, but being with a man like him sounded really nice. Even now, she caught herself thinking about that.

    Lucille quickly tightened her hold on the pillow and forced herself to stay calm. There was no way that she would be able to marry Cedar. He was too good for her. So many others were interested in him, and what qualities that would make her a fitting partner did she have?

    None.

    And aside from that, she couldn''t even be sure whether Cedar truly liked her. Surely, he had spent the whole visit at the tailor''s room complimenting her and had made her blush quite a few times. But did that mean that he was ready to see her as more than a temporary friend? It didn''t.

    It would be good if telling herself this would be enough, but it wasn''t. Lucille could try to convince herself as often as she wanted, in the end, it didn''t seem like she would be able to ban those thoughts. That was once again proven the very next day.

    Lucille had expected that practicing dancing with Cedar would be problematic, but she hadn''t expected that it would knock the air out of her lungs so quickly.

    The two of them had chosen to waltz in one of the smaller seating rooms. There, they should have their peace without anyone interfering. Cedar had already waited there when she had come. They had greeted one another, and after that, things had gone downhill.

    Lucille stood in the middle of the room and felt a bit lost. After all, it had been a while since she had danced, and now the prince of Artias, who had probably perfected ballroom dancing, wanted to do it with her. She would need to do well. Unfortunately, she had already frustrated a few teachers with her clumsiness when it came to dancing, so she wasn''t sure whether it would work even after multiple attempts. Lucille was determined not to step onto his feet, but she was worried about it happening again. So, she was quite nervous.

    That her dance partner was the most handsome man in this world didn''t help much.

    Cedar followed her into the center of the room. He looked around to confirm that there was enough space for them to twirl around before he met her gaze. Then he stopped directly in front of her and bowed to her while offering her his hand. ¡°My Lady, would you give me this dance?¡±

    Lucille''s legs already felt like pudding now. Because she was worried and because Cedar was too charming. ¡°I would be honored.¡± She hesitantly put her hand onto his and tried to ignore how her stomach churned when he gave her a little kiss on the backside of her hand. Why did her skin have to feel so warm already? If Cedar started like this, she would look red like a tomato by the time this ended.

    Slowly, Cedar straightened his posture and made eye contact with her. He came closer to her and carefully put an arm around her waist while she rested a hand on his shoulder. Then Cedar pulled her closer to him before slowly counting in pace with the imaginary music.

    She had no idea how to react to this. He was way too close. How was she supposed to focus on dancing? That was just ridiculous.

    Lucille still did her best to join his pace, but there were multiple problems.

    Firstly, Cedar was touching her. His hand held hers, and his eyes captivated her even though he was just looking at her. She couldn''t keep herself from staring at him and scanning his face and his soft hair, nor could she stop thinking about how she would only have to lean forward to hug him.

    Secondly, he was too good at dancing. He didn''t make a single mistake nor did he have problems leading her. The only issue was her lacking ability to dance.

    Thirdly, there was no music, so she couldn''t even begin to imagine how she should waltz.

    All of those problems quickly became noticeable. Lucille wasn''t able to match Cedar''s pace nor could she imitate his movements well. It was horrible. The first steps were a catastrophe, and after that, she felt like crying. How was she supposed to dance at a ball with him when she did things like this? Nothing worked out the way that it was supposed to.

    Whenever she thought that she was following the correct steps, Cedar''s movements reminded her that she had messed up the order. When she ended up performing the right steps, her legs didn''t play along. She either tripped or obstructed Cedar before losing the orientation the tact had given her.

    They had probably just danced for a minute, but to Lucille, it felt like an eternity. When they stopped, she was devastated. ¡°I''m sorry. I''m...really not good. I understand if you don''t want to do this again.¡± She actually hoped that they would stop. She hadn''t stepped onto his foot by now, but that could still happen.

    Thankfully, Cedar didn''t give her a judgmental gaze but simply continued in his calm voice. ¡°There is no need to apologize. We''re here because you said that you weren''t certain of your abilities. Why would you need to apologize for being inexperienced? I said that I''ll teach you, and I intend to keep that promise. We''ll do it again, more slowly. And this time, I want you to relax from the very beginning. You were tense the whole time, which can only make it harder for you. I don''t think that you are bad at dancing. I believe that you may just be overthinking everything. You hesitate before you take each step. This will pass if we dance a bit more often, but for now, it may be better for you to rely on the tact more. It''s a bit unfitting that we don''t have music, but we can try it again anyway. How about you close your eyes for the next attempt?¡±

    Lucille panicked a little when she imagined that. ¡°What? Then I will only be worse! I don''t want to hurt you because I accidentally kick you.¡±

    Cedar gave her a little smile. ¡°No, you will be better. You don''t need to focus on your environment right now. I want you to think about your movements only. I will lead you, so you don''t need to worry about bumping into anything. You also don''t have to worry about hurting me. Even if you kick me, I will be fine. Just stay calm and follow the steps. Is that fine?¡± He held his hands toward her again.

    Lucille stared at his palm for a moment before she hesitantly moved toward him. ¡°Alright.¡± She took his hand and allowed him to bring them in position again.

    The prince carefully adjusted her posture before smiling at her again. ¡°Good. Now you don''t have to think about anything. Focus on me. It would be best if you came a bit closer.¡± He brought his hand to her back and slowly pulled her toward him.

    She hesitantly followed his guidance and then tried her best to ignore how her heart beat a bit faster just because of this little gesture. A few seconds passed, and then Cedar began humming the melody of a much slower waltz.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Lucille almost panicked when she closed her eyes and felt how he moved. How was she supposed to go along with this now when she couldn''t even look down to see her feet? She inwardly cursed herself but tried to focus on nothing but Cedar''s steps.

    He repeated them multiple times without turning so that she had enough time to get used to it, still while humming a melody.

    Lucille tried to mirror his steps and slowly got into the rhythm. They repeated this for another minute or so until Cedar began spinning at the same time.

    Lucille expected another catastrophe, but to her surprise, nothing like that happened. It actually seemed like she wouldn''t mess up too badly now. She didn''t dare to hope and just forced herself to focus on her steps the whole time. Spinning with closed eyes felt strange since she had no way to orient herself, but Cedar led her without any problems, so she managed to ignore her worries after a moment.

    It seemed like she got better with each repetition. Slowly, Lucille allowed herself to relax and tried to perform the steps as elegantly as possible. She would have liked to stay quiet for much longer to focus, but at some point, Cedar spoke up.

    ¡°See? It''s working much better. You just needed some time to get back into it. Now everything is perfect. Who told you that you were bad at dancing?¡±

    That had sounded like a joke, but Lucille already replied before she realized that. ¡°Every single teacher I had. I stepped onto their feet so often that they told me not to dance at balls at all. This is the first time that I managed to make it through everything without making a mistake.¡±

    Cedar was quiet for a moment before speaking in a serious voice. ¡°Then every single teacher of yours lied. You aren''t bad. You just worry about making a mistake, and that causes you to become distracted. It would be better if we danced more often so that you can understand that you are actually quite capable. I mean, look at how we are dancing now. Try opening your eyes.¡±

    Lucille was hesitant to do that. After all, she was just barely able to perform now, so it might be better to avoid interfering with something that worked. But in the end, she listened and made eye contact with Cedar. That was a mistake.

    This time, the issue wasn''t her forgetting how to dance but his face being so close in front of hers.

    Cedar would just have to lean forward, and their noses would touch. The soft smile on his face made it seem like he was an angel who was sent by the gods to steal her heart. He was too perfect.

    Lucille''s heart clenched in a strange way, and her mouth opened without her attempting to say anything. What was she doing? She couldn''t just stare at him like this. That was disrespectful and made the situation strange. But she couldn''t help herself.

    Cedar was just too similar to a beautiful painting an artist had painstakingly created with deliberate strokes of their brush. Every part of him seemed flawless, soft and welcoming but also strong. Along with the fact that he was just too kind and considerate, this formed the most perfect partner anyone could imagine.

    Lucille had understood it before already, but now that she saw him up close, she was reminded that she might be in love. After all, her gaze had immediately been drawn to him and was now stuck on him as well. She didn''t want to look away, and she couldn''t. She took in all of his features.

    His eyes that seemed to scan her face at the same time. His lips that had to be as soft as the rest of his skin. His hair, which she wanted to run her fingers through. How could a person be so captivating?

    Lucille couldn''t tear her eyes away, and it felt like time froze.

    Cedar met her gaze without looking away too. He almost seemed to stare right into her soul, but it wasn''t uncomfortable. Instead, it felt good to allow him to see what she was thinking. Even if she might have blushed a bit at the thought of him noticing what kind of insolent thoughts she really had. But she didn''t even have the energy to cover her cheeks or avert her eyes. She just stared at Cedar.

    For an eternity, neither of them did anything.

    Then Cedar came closer. He moved so slowly that one barely noticed it, but he brought his face to hers. Was he thinking the same thing? There was no way.

    Lucille''s heart began thumping even louder. She didn''t dare to say anything but stopped fighting the urge to come closer to him as well. Was this it? Would they seriously kiss?

    Just at that moment, a loud noise punished her for that thought.

    The both of them jumped away from each other so that Lucille almost tripped over her dress. That made Cedar come toward her again while he did his best to stabilize her.

    She held onto his arm for a moment and tried to ignore that she felt like she had just had a heart attack.

    Cedar whipped his head around to the side, and his tone was much more icy than normal. ¡°If I remember correctly, you knock before you enter. What was so important that you barge in like this?¡±

    Leonard entered with a strange expression on his face. He scanned the two others for a moment. ¡°Didn''t you say that you weren''t a couple? You know what, I will not even ask. If you want to do this...¡± He gestured to the two of them. ¡°Do it in your room.¡±

    The prince showed the other man a bright smile. ¡°You didn''t answer my question, but it seems like I have my response. Is someone jealous? Because you don''t have anyone to hug? Are you so jealous that you''d run in like this when others are trying to practice dancing?¡±

    Leon let out a snort and gazed at Lucille, who averted her eyes in shame. ¡°You were dancing? That''s not what I would call this.¡± He met Cedar''s gaze again. ¡°You and Theodore really are brothers. He gets upset when I interrupt him and Her Majesty too. There are too many parallels, and you even add the same comments when I complain. Anyway, I apologize for rushing in. I am in a bad mood thanks to your beloved mother. She sent Theodore a letter saying that he is poisoning your mind. And she also accused Lady Valerian of a few unkind things. Maybe you should reply.¡±

    Lucille had been in the middle hanging her head in shame and was pulled out of her thoughts now. She slowly lifted her gaze and scanned the secretary''s expression. Leonard was upset, so the matter had to be serious. Great.

    It looked like Cedar was rather unhappy about this too. The prince crossed his arms, and his smile widened. ¡°You are free to ignore that. If you respond once, she won''t stop bothering you with letters. Or if you want to reply, you can just write back that I have no interest in her contacting me. I also won''t visit because she asked, which I assume she did.¡±

    Leonard''s expression showed even more annoyance before he responded. ¡°She did indeed ask you to visit her. You shouldn''t do that, as you said. But you still should read her letter. She wrote some...rather concerning things. A few threats, insults, some things that underline her poor mental health. You really tipped her over the edge. That is good, but it''s also worrisome. Theodore wants to see you now.¡± He turned to Lucille and forced himself to neutralize his expression. ¡°I apologize for coming in all of a sudden before stealing your dance teacher, Lady Valerian. But it''s urgent.¡±

    Lucille could only give him a weak nod. ¡°I understand. I...don''t mind.¡± She did. She would have liked to dance with Cedar a bit more. And she might be a little curious about what would have happened if he had gotten closer too. But of course, this matter was more important. She slowly let her gaze wander to the prince, who had turned to her as well.

    Cedar smiled at her, which looked much more genuine than when he smiled at others. ¡°I apologize. It seems that I will have to leave for now. We can continue our lessons later again. I just need to see Theodore for a bit.¡±

    Lucille nodded again. ¡°I don''t mind. But take care of yourself. Have a pleasant afternoon despite the news.¡± It was actually good that the meeting would end here. She shouldn''t be so disappointed.

    Cedar replied after letting out a little huff of air. ¡°I hope that my afternoon will be pleasant. But I know my mother. She won''t have written nice things. If my brother wants me to read it, it''s probably bad. Not that I expected anything else, but well.¡± He seemed a bit exhausted for a split second before his smile grew again. ¡°I will see you when this is over. Until then.¡± He waved to her, which she hesitantly returned, when he left the room with Leon, who bid her a curt goodbye.

    The door shut, and Lucille immediately plopped down on the sofa. She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. What had that just now been? Had she really thought about kissing Cedar? And had he thought about kissing her?

    If so, this would have been a big dilemma. She certainly wouldn''t have minded if he had kissed her, and that was the issue. If they went that far, it would define their relationship. And then it would be hard to go back. If they moved on like that, it would certainly mean that she wouldn''t ever want to marry anyone else. But wouldn''t that only disappoint her in the end?

    And that would also pull her much closer to the unstable psychopath who was currently terrorizing the entire royal family.

    Lucille quickly shook her head and patted her cheeks while trying to calm herself down. Thinking like this was stupid. She had probably just misunderstood.

    After all, there was no way that Cedar would seriously want to kiss her. He had just looked at her because she had stared at him with wide eyes. He probably just wondered why she had acted so strangely.

    Great.

    Lucille jumped up and began walking around a bit. She wanted to distract herself, so she would have to go out. A walk in the garden sounded good right now. After all, she could just run around a little and visit some beautiful places. Maybe she could even ask one of the empress'' maids to come with her.

    Or no. On second thought, she would rather be alone.

    Lucille hurried to her room to change into a slightly warmer attire and then left the palace to visit the winter garden. No one should be there. So, she could sigh out her annoyance and frustration until she finally got better, all while telling herself that her feelings were the biggest problem here.

    Deep inside, she might have guessed that a much more dangerous threat was rising though. Lucille had a bad feeling about this.

 Chapter 58: Weakness or Strength?

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    didn''t just want his mother gone. Cedar wasn''t judging this emotionally. He was just choosing the most logical approach. ¡°Of course, stripping her of her title is good. But is that really all you want to do? While she is such a great threat? This time, you might find enough evidence to execute her. Isn''t that what you always wanted to do?¡±

    ¡°

 Chapter 59: Flaming Emotions

    For the past week, they had practiced waltzing as much as possible.

    Lucille had hoped that learning to dance would be as relaxing as it had been last time. At first, that had been the case too. But as soon as Leonard had inserted himself into the lessons, she became much more tense. After all, they were being watched the whole time now.

    The secretary always added comments about how they could improve their posture, but it quickly became obvious that Cedar was more or less perfect.

    Lucille, however, got more embarrassed with every little mistake, and being reminded of what had happened last time wasn''t pleasant either. She felt how her cheeks burned whenever she came too close to Cedar. It was ridiculous, and the fact that they weren''t ever alone made it even worse.

    Whenever they began a conversation or smiled at each other for too long, Leonard commented on it, seemingly because he found it funny to annoy Cedar. The prince always had a snarky reply, so the conversation was pretty sarcastic at some points.

    Lucille just calmly listened most of the time. She had nothing to add and was just happy when she didn''t mess up once. Practicing did help her, which made her wish that she had started earlier. Right now, she had managed to go through the steps five times without stumbling. That painted a beam onto her face.

    Cedar noticed it immediately and grinned back at her. ¡°See? You are doing well. Maybe your previous teachers were just useless. That would explain why you immediately do well after practicing a few times.¡±

    Lucille had to admit that being praised by him was a treat. So, she couldn''t help but feel how her stomach churned as she replied happily. ¡°Thank you very much. I hope I will manage to perform acceptably during the ball because of this. I don''t want to embarrass you just because I can''t dance like a normal person.¡±

    Cedar gave her an encouraging smile as they spun around again. ¡°Well, normal people also make mistakes. It''s just that no one watches them so closely. But believe me. If you fall, I will catch you. Nothing you do could ever embarrass me.¡±

    Apparently, that had been too sweet for Leon again. He didn''t look up from the book he was reading and just snorted. ¡°No couple, huh? Not like your brother, huh?¡±

    Cedar glared over at him for a moment without ever stopping his movements. ¡°It seems like the third wheel doesn''t notice when it''s not needed.¡± He left it at that and returned his attention to Lucille. ¡°In any case, you don''t have to worry in the slightest. I will make sure that everything goes well. No one will pay attention to us as long as Theodore dresses up his wife like he always does. She will glitter in the candlelight and make everyone look at her. We will blend into the background and join for a single music piece, preferably a slow one.¡±

    Lucille was calmed to hear that. ¡°That''s a good idea. I don''t want too much attention. Since I''m not confident that I can dance well enough and...¡± She stopped herself when she realized one issue. Everyone would see them even if they were inconspicuous. Her father didn''t know about her attending the ball with Cedar yet. She should tell him first, or there might be a problem when Raymond found out. ¡°I still have to inform Father.¡±

    Cedar beamed at her before he looked at their feet for a short moment. ¡°That''s not an issue. Even if he dislikes it, say that I invited you. That isn''t even a lie. And you obviously couldn''t refuse the invitation of the prince. So, you had to join. We will naturally be careful to stay at the normal distance, and we won''t hint at anything that troubles you either. We just need to make sure that people see that we are accompanying each other. I won''t leave your side during the ball.¡±

    That didn''t sound so bad. Actually, that sounded wonderful. Lucille was about to respond when someone knocked on the door.

    Leonard took care of it before he was even asked. ¡°A moment, please.¡± He stood up and walked to the entrance to open the door. ¡°Yes?¡±

    A male servant, whom Lucille only dared to scan from the corner of her eyes, stood in front of the room and bowed for a moment. ¡°I sincerely apologize for disturbing you. I merely-¡± He didn''t get farther than that. He made eye contact with the prince, and his expression showed that he was holding back a smirk.

    Cedar glanced over at him. ¡°Harris? What are you doing here?¡±

    Harris almost seemed a bit amused when he watched the couple as he replied. ¡°Good day, Your Royal Highness and Lady Valerian. Good day, Lord Astame. His Majesty wishes to speak to you, Your Royal Highness. He did not say what it was about, but it seemed to be of great importance.¡±

    Cedar continued to spin around with Lucille, who watched them while trying to keep herself from tripping, before he responded with slight annoyance in his voice. ¡°Really? Can''t that wait? I''m in the middle of a waltz, as you can see.¡±

    Harris scanned them again. ¡°I can. A waltz with the woman you aren''t in a relationship with yet. I doubt that. But it''s none of my business. I am just bringing the message to you. Whether you come or not is not my problem. His Majesty wants to see you though.¡±

    Leonard looked back at the dancing couple before sighing. ¡°I will go and tell you whether it''s important. When I come back, you two better not be kissing again.¡±

    Cedar turned his head to him and beamed. ¡°We never kissed, Leon. Thanks to your interruption. But if you hurry up and give us five minutes, it may happen. Or you could just stay away completely. That would be nice.¡±

    Lucille barely had the time to get embarrassed about that comment. When she got red, the two other men were already gone.

    Cedar directed his attention at her again. ¡°Finally.¡± He smiled and carefully guided them away from the sofa before speaking up again. ¡°I have no idea what Theodore wants now. Maybe he wants me to read strange letters again. Or he''ll just hand me a stack of documents immediately. That would be unpleasant, but well. Ah, by the way. Why are you so red?¡±

    Lucille wanted to narrow her eyes at him but only averted her gaze. Ever since they had had that long eye contact, she felt like meeting his gaze made her body react strangely. She was way too sensitive, and that was obvious to everyone else. The observant Cedar wouldn''t be ignorant either. ¡°I almost...can''t imagine that you...don''t know what you are doing.¡± Her voice was weak, and when she was done, she pressed her lips together.

    Cedar laughed quietly. ¡°You may or may not be right. Let''s find out.¡± He slowly loosened his hold on her and allowed her to spin around while he held her hand above her head. She was pretty sure that this wasn''t part of a normal waltz, but she went along with it. When he pulled her toward him again, Lucille quickly regretted looking into his eyes though.

    She was used to seeing Cedar smiling since he almost always did that. But when he showed her a genuine smile, her heart still skipped a beat each time. That surely wasn''t good.

    Lucille quickly averted her gaze and tried to hide how that was enough to make her want to tell him that he was beautiful. She truly was too sensitive when it came to him. That would be fine if no one could notice, but she was up against a person who always paid close attention to the facial features of others.

    Cedar seemed to be able to read every single thing that was going on inside her head. And the worst part was that he kept staring at her as if he was waiting for her to react to his attempts at teasing her. Unfortunately, he was quite successful. He just needed to slow down the dance a bit and bring his face closer to her while his hand rested on her waist. ¡°You know...dancing is much more fun with you. I always used to get bored quickly, so I never bothered to do it outside the lessons. But now I might start to like it a little. Especially when Leon isn''t here. After all, he keeps interrupting us just because we look at each other. Does that seem so intimate to him that he needs to complain?¡±

    Lucille tried not to panic despite being worried that he would notice how tense she had gotten as soon as his hand had moved a little. When he smiled at her like this while he was so close, she might get the wrong idea. ¡°I...don''t know. I mean, I''m glad that you like dancing now. But I don''t know why Lord Astame is so...¡±

    ¡°Nosy? Don''t worry. Theodore said that he is always like this. Apparently, Leon doesn''t like couples very much and keeps making fun of them.¡± Cedar paused for a moment to spin her around again. ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± He grinned at her while she turned and stopped her to pull her close.

    Lucille had probably miscalculated since she took one step too much so that she fell against his chest with a bit too much momentum.

    Maybe it had just been his fault too though. After all, Cedar smirked down at her as if he was rather unsurprised by this movement. ¡°It means that Leon thinks that we are a couple. It seems like we act a bit too affectionately in front of others. There are more people who think that we are together than ones who believe us when we tell them the truth.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Lucille''s heart was still beating quicker because of the sudden collision, so she could only look up at him with wide eyes. ¡°Cedar, you scared me! You can''t do that all of a sudden. I could have tripped.¡±

    The prince just continued to smile at her. ¡°I don''t know what you mean. I didn''t do anything. And if you had fallen, I would have just caught you. We''re used to body contact by now, so that shouldn''t be an issue.¡±

    Lucille cleared her throat. She wanted to reply, but all thoughts were wiped from her mind when she looked up at his grin. Cedar would definitely add something to make her even more flustered now. It would probably be worse than before, so she hurried to speak before he could. ¡°You put in quite the effort. Today, you''re awfully focused on making me embarrassed.¡±

    Cedar laughed at that and brought them away from the sofa table to avoid bumping into it. ¡°You caught me. But to be honest, I don''t have to do too much. You blush easily.¡±

    Lucille knew that. She hated herself for it, but it couldn''t be helped. Especially not when the infuriating and way too charming prince was here to hold her hand and pull her close. She averted her eyes and replied in a low voice. ¡°And still, it seems like you like seeing it. Recently, you started teasing me more often.¡±

    Cedar didn''t even try to deny it. ¡°Maybe. It''s cute to see how quickly your mood changes. Sometimes, I just have to look at you, and your legs get weak. And then on a different day, you even invite me to stay the night in your bed. It''s interesting to see what mood you are in daily.¡±

    He was the one to say that. Cedar was the one who was a bit odd today. He had started to tease her more and more for the past weeks, but today, he had done much more than usual. Whenever they were quiet for longer than a few minutes, he began a conversation or did things like staring into her eyes for a long time. It almost seemed like there was something else on his mind, which he pushed away by distracting her.

    Lucille had no specific reason to believe that, but for some reason, this explanation seemed logical. Should she address this? She was quiet for a moment while thinking about that, but she wasn''t forced to make a choice at all.

    The door opened, and the secretary came back. He stood in the doorway and stared at the couple with an expression Lucille didn''t like. His careless attitude was fully gone. Leonard made no snarky comment despite them being so close, which already told them everything.

    Cedar stopped their dance and turned to the other man. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Leonard stared at them for a moment while letting out some strange noise. A deep frown was etched into his features when he replied. ¡°Your mother happened. What a sneaky, little...¡± He cut himself off, and it seemed like he barely avoided saying an insult. He took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°The confinement mansion burned down. Right to the ground. The people inside barely survived because they fled in time.¡±

    Lucille''s heart felt like it stopped for a moment before continuing with much more vigor. If this was about the dowager empress, then only her mansion could be the one that Leonard referred to. So, that woman had almost been burned?

    Cedar next to her tensed. His smile automatically got a bit wider, but freezing anger glittered in his eyes. ¡°How did the fire start?¡±

    Leonard let out an unamused chuckle. ¡°An assassination attempt. Allegedly. A candle was tipped over.¡±

    Even without looking at him much more, Lucille could see that Cedar''s mood rapidly deteriorated. He gritted his teeth for a moment and seemed like he had to hold back from showing his anger openly. ¡°Nonsense. She probably started it herself. What does she want now?¡± It shouldn''t be a surprise that he expected his mother to have done this on purpose. To be honest, that was more likely than it being an assassination attempt.

    Leon looked grimmer than ever before as he replied. ¡°She claims that someone wanted to kill her. So, she believes that she deserves the same protection her son receives here. That psychopath wants to move into the royal palace.¡±

    Lucille''s brain stopped working at that. How arrogant could someone be? The dowager empress had tried to kill both of her sons by now and expected to be taken in despite that? How ridiculous that was. There was no way that the emperor would agree.

    Cedar narrowed his eyes for a moment before he quickly covered his expression with a brighter smile. ¡°I presume that Theodore will not agree. Will he?¡± He asked that with much more emphasis to make it seem like a question.

    Leonard''s reply should have come directly. He should just have said no. But instead, he gave a response that didn''t consist of a direct answer. ¡°That''s what he wants to talk about with us. You need to come to his office now. Lady Valerian is supposed to accompany us too.¡±

    Lucille was rather uncertain when she pointed at herself. Why was she supposed to be here? She hadn''t done anything special, so there was no need for her to get involved in such decisions.

    But Leonard formed the word ¡®please¡¯ with his lips, so she hurried to nod.

    When they left the room, she scanned Cedar from the corner of her eyes, and immediately, a wave of worry crashed down upon her. Cedar looked like he was completely lost in thoughts as he stared straight ahead with an almost unsettling smile. There was no way that he was doing well right now. He was in a horrible mood.

    Was there something Lucille could do to help him? She wasn''t sure. After all, this matter wasn''t closely related to her. She couldn''t do anything about his mother nor could she change the situation by giving advice. So, she chose to stay quiet while they walked toward the emperor''s office.

    Lucille only noticed how tense Cedar was when the door closed behind them.

    The prince immediately addressed his brother without giving him a chance to speak up. ¡°Theodore. There is no way that you want to do that, right?¡± His voice almost sounded like a threat. He seemed like he was convinced that his brother would agree with the dowager empress and that he needed to prevent it.

    Theodore sat on the sofa and gestured to the other coach across from him. ¡°Sit down, and let me explain first. I won''t let her enter the palace but put her in the mansion in the royal estate again. I have my reasons, and you will understand if you listen.¡±

    Cedar''s expression didn''t necessarily make it seem like he was willing to change his mind. He walked over and sat down without letting his smile falter.

    Lucille hurriedly followed him. She didn''t know what to do, so she just stood there until Leon gestured for her to sit down next to Cedar. She complied and immediately felt uncomfortable. The atmosphere in the room right now was horrible. This was the case because Cedar was fuming. The prince rarely got very angry, and when he did, it seemed to be rather intimidating despite his radiant smile.

    Still, the emperor was as calm and composed as always. ¡°Please relax before you listen to me. I will not endanger Lady Valerian or you with this decision. If the dowager empress is here, I can control her through simple methods. I can find out what she plots, and I can also steer her in a favorable direction. We already talked about my strategy.¡±

    Cedar truly didn''t seem very relaxed when he responded. ¡°Theodore, you''re naive. You won''t be able to control a hysteric narcissist that is ready to set herself on fire to drag you down. By now, you should have noticed. You are much too clueless, and that will be your downfall if you mess up. You don''t even know that there are some people who work for her here. She has more allies than you think.¡±

    Theodore didn''t seem upset about any of those comments. Instead, he was rather composed and seemed to see this much more logically than his younger brother did. ¡°Likewise, she doesn''t know that some of her people are actually mine. There are enough people around her who value money more than loyalty. She uses them, but that doesn''t mean that I can''t use them as well. You underestimate me, Cedar. I have used much harsher tactics to get information from my enemies in the past. I would have no issues dealing with a war, so this will also not trouble us. This is my honest promise to you. I will take full responsibility for this decision. I will protect as many people as possible. It will be better for her to be here.¡±

    Cedar let out a snort. ¡°It will? I don''t think so. I think you just want to drag her here to make her miserable seeing you be happy and then send her off to the execution. Is that really necessary? I understand that you harbor a grudge against her. But if you want to protect others, it may be necessary to ignore your own emotions. Isn''t it better to kill her now?¡± He did his best to seem composed, but he wasn''t calm. He was actually very upset. So much that Lucille wouldn''t have been surprised if his fingers, which were digging into the sofa, would rip the fabric soon.

    Theodore was the one who stayed completely calm despite his brother''s rage. ¡°No. If her death now was safer, she would be dead already. But there is something that makes it impossible to solve all of this now.¡±

    Cedar responded immediately. ¡°What is it?¡±

    For a moment, it was silent. Lucille looked from one of the men to the other until the response finally came.

    The emperor had leaned against his backrest and spoke with utmost seriousness. ¡°Your faction still exists, Cedar. There are enough people who want to use the problems of the royal family to gain power. They don''t necessarily care about who rules, they just want to grasp a bit of power for themselves by being the ones who helped the future ruler. If we cut off the head of the snake without preparations, they will recover and put someone else on top. They will continue their schemes and try to use us against each other. If they can''t begin a war between us, they will use our descendants. I won''t let that happen. So, we need to crush all limbs first and then end it. This time, I won''t leave a single traitor in a position of power. And if we make it seem like the dowager empress'' schemes work to some extent, we will lure out those who believe in her.¡±

    In some way, that made sense. But to be honest, Lucille was still worried. It was risky to give the most dangerous person in the nation more power in hopes of luring out those that supported the dowager empress. And the political issues that could arise weren''t the only problem.

    Right now, Cedar was much too tense for Lucille''s liking. She wanted to calm him down, but she had no idea how to do that.

    Cedar pressed his lips into a thin line while watching his brother. ¡°You''re bringing a person that is just waiting for a chance to slaughter you into your home.¡±

    Theodore nodded. ¡°I know. I already did that once. Last year, she came here too and couldn''t do much. She was here during our whole childhood too, and we endured her. It will be the same, but we will be even more on guard. There will be people protecting you and Lady Valerian at all times. Don''t worry about what could happen. I will make sure that everything is alright.¡± He scanned his brother for a moment before his expression softened. ¡°You will win, Cedar. I know that you worry about her influencing you, but I know that you are stronger than that. You already shook her off and drew the line. You just have to stay on the side you chose now. I think it will be easy to do that when you remember whom you really care about.¡± He glanced to the side.

    For a moment, it was completely silent again. No one uttered a single word, but it was enough to know what everyone was thinking.

    Lucille turned to Cedar, and his expression made her want to hug him immediately. She had rarely seen him so vulnerable.

    Cedar was smiling, but it looked so bright that the true nature of his feelings was revealed quickly. He was trying to distract himself from being upset, but it didn''t work.

    That sight made Lucille desperate enough to dare to try something. She moved slowly as she brought her palm onto the couch and carefully pushed it toward him. Their fingers barely brushed each other''s, but that was enough.

    Cedar reacted so quickly that she almost had a heart attack. He caught her hand and interlinked their fingers before holding her in an iron-like grip. He was clutching her as if she would pull away otherwise and used so much force that it hurt.

    But despite that, Lucille didn''t consider moving away. She tried to hold onto him with a similar amount of force but wasn''t sure if she succeeded. She only knew that she wouldn''t let go. She wanted to give Cedar as much support as she could. Even if the most she could give was holding his hand right now.

 Chapter 60: Run to You

    It had taken exactly two hours. Cedar hadn''t expected anything else, but it was still frustrating.

    He had discussed it with his brother for a while but quickly realized that the decision had been made. Camille would be allowed to come to the royal estate again. Cedar could be as upset as he wanted to be. He could fume and worry while panicking about what his mother would do. It didn''t matter.

    The preparations were made, and the dowager empress arrived two days after the confinement mansion had burned down.

    Obviously, Cedar hadn''t gone to the entrance to greet her. He also hadn''t visited the residence in which his mother would live now. He had told himself that it would be fine. He probably wouldn''t see her at all. Camille wouldn''t be able to roam inside the palace freely, so he should feel safe here. For some reason, he hadn''t been able to relax though, and that feeling proved to have been accurate.

    Cedar''s day had been bad enough, so it was almost expected that it would get even worse. He had been in the middle of visiting the library to read up on some strange things his brother had said when he spotted that one annoying guard again. The one that had provoked him twice already.

    The prince considered avoiding him completely but just decided to go straight toward the entrance. That had been a mistake.

    As soon as the guards saw him, they stopped their conversation. A smug grin appeared on the annoying man''s face. ¡°Look who it is. His Royal Highness. Have you come to pick out romance novels again?¡±

    Cedar didn''t have the nerve to deal with him now. He was pretty sure that he wouldn''t lose his temper, but his patience was hanging by a thread, and he didn''t want to risk it. ¡°I wish I had time to do that. My brother makes me read about Artias'' economy. So, would you please refrain from causing a commotion this time again? I don''t have the motivation to deal with you.¡±

    The prince hadn''t intended to upset the others with his words, but the guard seemed to be taken aback by that. ¡°His Majesty? There is no way. What would he gain by making you read about that? He certainly doesn''t need your assistance to govern the nation.¡± Someone seemed to be on edge today too. There was no other reason for the guard to glare at the prince otherwise.

    Cedar sighed and tried to ignore the urge to put on a more intimidating smile while he replied. ¡°Look. I don''t have the desire to do this again. I had a duel with my brother and was told that you would stop acting like brats afterward. If that doesn''t help, I don''t mind taking away your weapon again. I don''t need you to be distracted to win. So, stop-¡± He was cut off.

    At first, he thought that this might have been good since he had been in the middle of threatening the other man. But then he recognized that voice.

    ¡°Cedar!¡±

    He should have known it. It had only been two hours since his mother had arrived, and she had already found a way to get to him. The dowager empress had always been persistent, so this wasn''t a surprise.

    Judging by the guards'' expressions when they looked behind the prince, they truly hadn''t expected to see her though.

    Cedar gnashed his teeth for a moment before he looked at the knights while still beaming at them. ¡°By the gods. How did she get in here? I am rather sure that Theodore didn''t tell you to let her in. Do you even know about her being here?¡±

    The guards seemed rather shocked, which only proved that they weren''t prepared to drag out the dowager empress. The second man barely dared to raise his voice when he responded. ¡°We were informed about her presence, but...she shouldn''t be here today already.¡±

    Cedar could imagine what had suddenly sped up her arrival. His mother had probably nagged the coachman until they had left a bit earlier. So, she had arrived at noon instead of in the evening and had won a day here. How perfect. Now the prince would have to face her despite wishing to avoid that more than anything.

    Cedar kept staring at the guards and showed them a wide grin. ¡°Well, now you know that she is here. Is she supposed to come into the palace? I don''t think so. How come you keep me from entering a library and can''t even keep her out? She never lifted a weapon in her life and is in her fifties. And you pick a fight with me while not daring to arrest her? Sometimes, I think this whole palace is only filled with morons.¡± He hadn''t meant to be so harsh, but he was rather annoyed now.

    Especially since a pair of footsteps sped up, only to slow down behind him. ¡°Cedar!¡± His mother called his name a few more times.

    Cedar gave himself a moment to take a deep breath before he turned around with a blinding smile. ¡°Mother. What a surprise to see you here.¡±

    Camille had truly appeared in the palace, being accompanied by a young maid she barely paid attention to. She had dressed up in a fancy dress in the royal colors while styling her hair in the usual stern up-do, with two strands framing her face. It was clear that she tried to keep up appearances with the expensive necklace around her neck and the neat attire, but she couldn''t hide it.

    Camille didn''t look too good right now. It seemed like she had aged overnight, which still allowed her to seem rather young for her age, but the difference was visible. She hadn''t slept well for the past few days, but that didn''t make the intimidating aura around her nor the coldness in her light brown eyes disappear. She immediately came much too close to her son when she spoke up. ¡°Cedar, you were here! I was so worried about you. You didn''t write me a single letter. I didn''t even know how your injury was! Please don''t tell me that you are still in pain.¡± Did she act like she cared now? That was rather useless when she hadn''t asked him last time.

    Cedar just smiled at her. ¡°I am not in pain anymore. So, there isn''t much to talk about in regard to me. I am more curious about why you decided to come here. Did you ask for permission? Theodore-¡±

    Camille acted like he hadn''t said that just now. She kept rambling without giving him a break. ¡°But you can''t just stop writing! I had no idea how you were doing. I couldn''t have known whether your brother did something bad to you or whether you were lured into some sort of trap. And you didn''t give me a chance to properly speak last time! I wanted to apologize for the fight we had before you ran away. That was why you are so upset now, right?¡± What was she talking about?

    The two of them had fought, but that had been an act. They had pretended to yell at each other so that this could be seen as the moment that Cedar decided to run away. To prepare everything until Theodore accepted his brother into the palace again.

    But obviously, the prince didn''t care much about that fake fight. ¡°You are mistaken. I am upset, but that is not because of that meaningless conflict. There are several reasons, including your ignorance of rules. As I tried to tell you kindly, you have no right to be here. So, would you please-¡±

    The dowager empress didn''t let him finish. She just continued blabbering. ¡°Cedar, what are you saying? This is the royal palace! This is our home. Of course, we can be here.¡± She took a step toward him, most likely to hug him but was stopped by the guards, who she only seemed to notice now.

    The knights had finally reacted to seeing a person who shouldn''t be here in the royal palace. They didn''t dare to touch her, but they held their swords toward her. Obviously, that didn''t have the desired effect on a woman who was as prideful as Camille.

    Instead of being scared, the dowager empress just straightened her posture, and rage overcame her features. She raised her voice without even hesitating for a second. ¡°Lower your weapons, you insolent imbeciles. I am the dowager empress of Artias. How can you dare to aim your swords at me?¡± If she continued like this, which she certainly would, this would end with the guards carrying her out of the palace.

    Cedar didn''t need to see that. He also didn''t have the desire to mediate, but he still added one little comment. ¡°You entered the royal palace without permission, Mother. That''s enough of a reason, isn''t it? Maybe raising your voice also doesn''t make it seem like your intentions are good. You should just calmly follow them and get an appointment with Theodore if you want to come here.¡±

    Camille''s gaze snapped to him, and she almost looked revolted. ¡°So, I am supposed to ask my own son about whether I''m allowed to come into my home? That is ridiculous. I was promised protection in the royal palace, so I have the right to live here. Every staff member has to obey the royal family, so these guards had no reason to threaten me.¡±

    For a moment, Cedar just considered turning around and leaving. He didn''t want to deal with all of this and would rather lock himself in his room. But in the end, he gave in and replied. ¡°Those are the royal guards though. They listen to the emperor only. And they are supposed to keep unwanted visitors away. Since Theodore certainly did not invite you for tea, they have every right to guide you out. After our last appearance here, you can''t blame them for being overly cautious either. So, how about we make it easy for everyone here, and you just go out with them?¡± He didn''t expect that to work. Unsurprisingly, he was correct in his assumption.

    Camille was fuming by now and made an exaggerated gesture, which almost made her hit the maid beside her. ¡°I won''t go just like that! I came here to talk to you. I won''t leave until you listen.¡± That was the worst threat she could have come up with.

    ¡°I see. I don''t want to talk to you though.¡± Cedar turned around and prepared to leave. As expected, hysteric yelling kept him from doing so unless he wanted the whole palace to be woken up by this.

    ¡°Cedar! You can''t leave like that! Come back here immediately! You-¡±

    He spun around again and replied with more annoyance than he had wanted to show. ¡°What?¡±

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Camille raised her chin and spoke in a tone that made it seem like she expected him to listen. ¡°You will stay here and talk to me. If you obey for five minutes, I will quietly leave afterward.¡± The prince doubted it. His mother''s memory was often selective when it came to things she did and didn''t want to remember.

    But it was worth a try. At least this would probably be over faster than the lecture about how Cedar couldn''t dare to ignore his mother would be.

    Cedar scanned the woman in front of him and the guards, which seemed rather indecisive, between them. ¡°Fine. But make it quick. After all, I don''t have much to tell you anymore, and I don''t want to listen to lies either. I heard that the mansion coincidentally burned down. How horrible.¡±

    Camille hurriedly nodded. ¡°I know. Some servant seemed to have accepted bribes for setting that house on fire. I almost would have burned to death.¡± Which would have been rather ironic since she had often hired others to set houses on fire in the past. ¡°Someone wishes to end my life, so I have to move into the palace so that I will be safe here, do you understand? The fire was traumatic.¡± She began explaining how horrible that event had been and how scared she had been upon seeing the fire. She certainly did her best to make herself seem like the victim.

    Cedar listened with half an ear while scanning their surroundings. If his mother got really hysteric, he would need to warn the servants around them. The guards could defend themselves, but whether the rest could was questionable. While he looked around, his eyes fell on a maid who was standing behind the dowager empress.

    That woman seemed to be Camille''s new attendant for the time being. Cedar recognized that girl. She was friends with Harris. It had been clever of Theodore to choose her. She probably hated the dowager empress for how Harris had been blackmailed and was loyal to the emperor while also knowing how to act well enough to fool Camille.

    The prince quickly averted his gaze and made eye contact with his mother again.

    Maybe Camille had seen how bored he was since she immediately changed the topic. ¡°Now that I''m finally here, we can fix everything. We can find the vile people that wished to kill us, and we''ll pay them back. And we can finally reconcile. Cedar, come meet me for a cup of tea. That''s the least you could do for your poor mother. You have to visit me at least once a week. We need to talk about what happened after all.¡± Definitely not. Talking to her once was exhausting enough.

    Cedar wouldn''t rush into a meeting when he knew that all that would happen would be her showering him with fake affection to lure him back. He wouldn''t fall for that. He couldn''t. Cedar put on a little smile as he responded. ¡°I feel like our definitions of ¡®I don''t want to have any contact with you in the future¡¯ differ a bit. I was referring to the literal sense. I do not have any desire to support you from now on. You should have understood that after I wrote you ten letters saying the same thing. So, please do try to keep your distance.¡±

    Saying that was much harder than it should be. The voice in the back of his mind yelled at him and told him to agree so that his mother would smile at him and be content. He quickly silenced that by reminding himself of another vase that had hit his head at some point.

    Camille hadn''t expected that response despite it being obvious. As her eyes widened, she raised her trembling voice again. ¡°You... You...can''t be serious. You must notice that something is wrong with you too. Who told you to act like this? Was it your brother or that whore?¡±

    Cedar sighed without holding back now and glanced down the hallway. He had just checked whether there was enough space for him to run away at any moment but found a group of people.

    They were at the end of the corridor and easy to recognize. Such a huge entourage could only belong to the emperor and the empress of Artias. Cedar recognized his brother quickly. Theodore watched the scene with a cold expression while holding his wife''s arm. He didn''t seem shocked though, so it seemed like this whole endeavor was planned. The emperor had known that his mother would rush in, which was a bit calming. It was easy to see what he wanted to do. For once, Cedar was willing to oblige.

    There was only one issue.

    Lucille was with them too. Her red hair was basically glowing, so she stood out much more than the others. While her presence would usually fill Cedar with joy, it made his heart skip a beat for another reason now. Suddenly, he felt much tenser, dreading what would happen in just a few moments as the worst options came to his mind.

    Cedar didn''t want Lucille to meet his mother at all. But at the same time, he didn''t want to run off already. He had said that he would give Camille five minutes. Even though that would be horrible, he would endure it. So, he lifted three fingers to show Theodore, who nodded at him, that he would take three more minutes. In return, he hoped that the emperor would keep Lucille close to him and his guards to avoid any accidents.

    That gesture was enough to make the dowager empress turn around. Of course, she recognized her hated son instantly. She clenched her jaw and fumed when she spun back around to glare at Cedar. ¡°How can you even sleep knowing that that person is here? He killed your father and wants to get rid of us by accusing us of treason. He is the vile one, the monster, the person we need to destroy. Theodore is-¡±

    Cedar could see how the guards next to them got more upset with each word, so he spoke up before she could insult the emperor. ¡°Theodore is the person who took you in to protect you from the alleged assassination attempt. You should show a little respect. Father died because of a long sickness, and you know that very well.¡± To be honest, the former emperor had suffered for months and had begged Theodore to end his life until his son had obeyed. So, one couldn''t really make Theodore the bad one here. ¡°And regarding the assassination attempts, I don''t have anything to say.¡± His mother had truly planned to kill Theodore multiple times, and it had always failed. When she was accused of this, she always denied it, but everyone knew the truth anyway.

    Camille didn''t seem to like being corrected very much. She narrowed her eyes at Cedar before turning around again. She scanned the group at the other end of the hallway for a moment before speaking up again. This time, her expression was even more grim. ¡°Is that red-haired woman Lucille Valerian?¡±

    Cedar''s first instinct was to lash out. He wanted to say that this wasn''t his mother''s business and tell her to leave Lucille alone. But that would only make everything Camille already knew more obvious. So, Cedar forced himself to reply in a calm voice, even when he was almost a bit nauseous as he tried to sound unaffected. ¡°Indeed. She is Her Majesty''s lady-in-waiting, so she lives in the palace. Is there an issue with that?¡± Seemingly, that was an even bigger one than he had expected.

    Camille''s whole face was overcome with nothing but burning fury. She gritted her teeth but didn''t explain why she was so upset. The fact that her son cared for Lucille might have been enough to ensure that she would get so angry, but he wasn''t quite sure.

    Cedar stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking again, attempting to end this conversation. ¡°Is that all you wanted to say?¡±

    Seemingly not, since Camille found her voice again. She spoke in a tone that was filled with nothing but layered resentment that had been in her heart for so long that she was slowly going insane. ¡°You will see that you are making a mistake. You are just dependent on her because she acts like a saint while using you for her own dirty schemes.¡± So, her problem was Lucille. That was surprising. Normally, she would rather complain about Theodore, but it seemed like losing her second son wasn''t pleasant to her either.

    Cedar didn''t like that at all. When his mother hated someone, she would do her best to ruin that person. Lucille didn''t deserve anything like that happening to her. Even so, he didn''t dare to use a harsher tone and hoped to cover up his worries with a smile. ¡°I doubt it. If that''s her goal, tell me what she wants. Power, money, a position in the palace? You can''t answer because you don''t even know her. It would be hard for you to judge her personality. Besides, it''s called liking someone, not being dependent on them. Your definition of those two seems to blur.¡±

    Camille balled her hands next to her hips and narrowed her eyes at Cedar. ¡°You shouldn''t defend her when you are condemning me. What''s the difference between me and her? I heard about the last ball. She calls, and you run to her to tend to her every need. Why is it suddenly not alright for me to call for you anymore? I always gave you all of my love and affection. Suddenly, you get close to such a person and forget all of that?¡±

    The prince shouldn''t have the desire to discuss this when his relationship with his mother clearly wasn''t the same as the one he had with Lucille, but for some reason, it felt like it was important for him to defend Lucille here. So, he immediately responded. ¡°There is a huge difference between you and Lucille. Have you noticed that? Because you always call for help and expect everyone to drop what they are doing to join your side and take care of the problems you caused. You never offer anyone else help. The love you claim to give is only supposed to manipulate others into following your every word. It''s different for Lucille. She also answers when I call for her and gives me support. So, I obviously don''t mind helping her out when she is bothered by the schemes of a woman who may or may not be your ally.¡±

    It felt weird to say that out loud. Surely, Cedar had always known that his mother was purposefully making him dependent on her and that she manipulated him with all she had. But he had never told her this to her face nor had he dared to express his dismay about that. Now the words had just flowed out as he couldn''t stop them.

    His mother completely ignored that accusation though and just replied with a grim expression and deep wrinkles on her forehead. ¡°She doesn''t care about you.¡± That was her issue?

    Cedar didn''t have to think long before refuting that. ¡°Seemingly, she cares more than you do. She never tried to use my triggers against me.¡± To be honest, Lucille also didn''t know about most of them. But she had also never tried to make him feel bad on purpose, so he knew that she wouldn''t try to use them even if she found out about them. That was more than what he could expect from his mother or anyone else in his life.

    Camille''s face flashed with realization, and she averted her gaze for a second. ¡°That was...just... You made me upset.¡± What kind of excuse was that?

    ¡°You made me upset too. Did I purposefully mention Althea? No. I also never threw vases at you.¡±

    The dowager empress met his gaze this time and raised her chin while responding. ¡°You could have caught those. I made sure that you would be able to react to such things.¡± What an excuse.

    The prince''s patience was slowly slipping away. So, he would wrap it up quickly. ¡°I caught one once. You were even more upset afterward. Do you see the pattern here? You don''t care.¡± And again, saying that felt odd even when he knew the truth. He forced himself to continue anyway. ¡°You have problems, Mother. I would help you get over them, but frankly, I have enough issues I need to deal with myself thanks to you. That is why I asked you to stay out of my life. If you act like this, it will not raise my desire to return to you.¡± By the gods, he hated himself for saying that. It felt like he was driving an ice pick into his own heart while every fiber of his body screamed at him to stop.

    But he couldn''t stop here. He reminded himself of the many dead servants in the Valerian''s estate. All those people had died for nothing, just because his mother had been jealous. He couldn''t let that continue. Having ignored all other dead before wasn''t an excuse for him to do it now.

    Camille didn''t snap at him like he had expected. Instead of her typical violent outbursts, silence followed. She slowly turned her back to the people at the end of the hallway. When she directed her eyes at her son again, her expression was cold. ¡°If that girl is gone, will you come back to me? She is the one that fed you lies, isn''t she?¡± It seemed like she still blamed everything on another person, preferably a random woman who had gotten closer to a member of the Estien family.

    She had just made the mistake of threatening Lucille. And her threats were serious.

    Cedar felt that his smile turned into a wider one too. He probably looked angry right now, even though he tried to hide it. ¡°If you try to hurt her, I will use everything you taught me against you. Don''t make me do that. That wouldn''t be pretty. I just got over my anger issues, I don''t want them back.¡± That had been too honest, which immediately made Cedar upset with himself, but he didn''t get the expected response.

    Camille met his gaze for a few more seconds before gazing to the side. She took her time scanning someone before a faint smile spread on her lips, which wasn''t a good sign. She turned back to her son and took a step forward. For some reason, none of the guards intervened as she reached up to cup his cheek while whispering to him. ¡°You would never hurt me. We both know that. I will make you come back. You need me, much like I need you. No one can pester your mind enough to make you forget that.¡± She gave him a sickening smile as she stroked over his cheek.

    Cedar''s instinct told him to lean into her touch, to relish in this little sign of affection since he wouldn''t get much more soon. The only thing that saved him was knowing that Lucille was watching. He didn''t want to show her how weak he was, so he would force himself to be a bit stronger. ¡°We''ll see.¡± He pushed his mother''s hand off and turned around to walk toward his brother. ¡°Five minutes are over. Go home now, and don''t cause a scene. You''re not allowed to be here, so you should leave. The guards are just doing their job without wanting to insult you. Goodbye, Mother. Have a nice life.¡± He didn''t dare to hope that he would never see her again, but he wanted to be honest about his intentions.

    He didn''t get far before Camille raised her voice to speak to him again. ¡°Cedar. You won''t become happy like this. You know that.¡±

    He ignored that. Cedar hadn''t been happy before, so it couldn''t get much worse. Unless something happened to Lucille. In that case, he might be even more unstable than before. But he wouldn''t just quietly sit at the side while something like that happened either.

    Cedar would do everything in his power to protect Lucille. And while doing that would be exhausting and wear him down due to his mother''s meddling, he would be happy to do it. Lucille might be the person that gave him the most strength right now.

    And he needed all the strength he could get if he dreamed about defying his mother from now on.

 Chapter 61: A Horrible Woman

that again. Shouldn''t we chime in and remind her of where she is?¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    <hr>

    she will attend?¡±

 Chapter 62: Forgotten Gifts (1)

¡°

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    really well.

    ¡°

 Chapter 63: Forgotten Gifts (2)

    far away from you. That was all I can say about that. I suspected that you were going to be careful nonetheless, but I just wanted to make sure. And I wanted to ask something. Will you give us permission to leave? Lucille and I should move on for now. It would be a bit more relaxing that way.¡±

    ¡°

    Luciano didn''t hesitate to be honest now. ¡°Can you tell us why His Majesty decided to bring her here?¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Everyone around him didn''t seem to focus on that though. They still seemed to be rather discontent with Camille being here, and the fact that Lady Peril had come made it worse. Luciano, who despised both, scanned the women for a moment before speaking up. ¡°I did not know that Lady Peril and Her Majesty got along well.¡± Even now, his voice was still dripping with barely veiled fury.

 Chapter 64: Fall for Me

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°

 Chapter 65: What Do You Want From My Daughter?

    Luciano played with Rebecca for a moment before he lifted his gaze, and his eyes fell onto something behind Cedar. A grin formed on his lips as he whispered something. ¡°Your father-in-law is here. It seems that he wants to scold you.¡±

    ¡°

    ¡°

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    It was silent for a moment. The prince almost expected that he would be yelled at, but the opposite happened.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    If Camille had coincidentally disappeared while Lucille had vanished into thin air, his mother had done something. Certainly, the dowager couldn''t harm anyone while guards were watching them, but she was a master at intimidating others and didn''t hold back any vile words.

    Lady Peril didn''t seem to care much about lying though. ¡°In any case, your mother told me to stay here. And since she has a higher rank than you, at least she still has it, I cannot listen to you without disobeying her. But maybe you could sweeten the deal for me. If you say my name, I might let you pass.¡± Jenna reached up, most likely to cup Cedar''s face.

 Chapter 66: Why He Likes You

    my Cedar too? I have suffered under those lying women for long enough. I won''t let you play your dirty games. I will not let you abuse my son just so that you can rise to a position of power. I will make sure that you fall back into the mud you came from.¡± That was terrifying.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    What? You are close to committing a lese majesty by voicing such lies. Watch your words.¡±

    you would even be remotely interesting to him.¡± She stopped faking a smile, and her expression became icy as she spoke. ¡°He is using you, little girl. My Cedar would never care for anyone unless they bring him a bit closer to his goal.¡±

    You moron.¡± She said that with so much fury in her voice that Lucille flinched. ¡°That is all an act. Cedar is always nice to everyone. He was nice to Theodore and his whore, just to fool them into trusting us, even though he looks down on them with every fiber of his being. He is only nice when he has a goal. I raised him to be loyal to me. He can only be loyal to me and no one else. Everyone else will only get cruelty from him. You saw what he did to the men in your manor, didn''t you? He must have slaughtered them right in front of you. Isn''t that enough to show you that he is a monster? He will always be a monster to everyone but me.¡±

    you damned moron! He fooled you completely! Don''t you get it? He is playing with you until he gets bored and discards you like a broken toy. He''ll have fun and then crush you to let you fall into the dirt where you belong!¡± What was wrong with that woman? Why was she so angry when someone claimed that her son was kind?

    ¡°

    at me?¡± When she was the one yelling, it was much more intimidating.

    Mother. May I ask what you are doing here?¡±

    ¡°

 Chapter 67: What He Has (1)

¡°

    ¡°

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 68: What He Has (2)

all of them inside. If you have something you can''t say here, I don''t want to hear it.¡±

    that girl.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

 Chapter 69: What the Future Holds

    ¡°You are young, Lucille. Young and inexperienced. You have never dealt with relationships, have you?¡±

    ¡°Then you should understand that this is moving too fast. You may just be over-interpreting things. You''ve always been immersed in romance novels, so it wouldn''t be strange for you to see romance when there isn''t one to be found. I won''t forbid you from...doing this. But I want you to think about what is happening before you just go along with what he tells you.¡±

    ¡°His Royal Highness isn''t...the type of person you can trust. I wouldn''t rely on him being honest. He might as well just be playing with you for his own amusement. Or he wants to gain something from this, even though I''m not sure what our family can offer him. I want you to be careful. You need to keep in mind that this all might just be a game to him.¡± It seemed like both Raymond and the dowager empress questioned why Cedar was with a viscount''s daughter.

    ¡°And if you are certain about all of this, you still need to think about the future. I won''t rush you, but you need to marry at some point. I know that... No. I hope that you aren''t content being someone''s mistress. So, you would need to marry him if you are serious about this. Do you think that he is willing to wed you? You need to be sure of that if you want to continue like this.¡±

    And thankfully, her father had understood that too. ¡°As I said, I will not keep you away from him, even if I would favor doing so. I''m only asking you to think about this for a bit longer. Especially if you consider...doing something that might not be reversible.¡± Raymond had looked so serious while saying that.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°

    that kind of personality. Camille seemed to think that her son belonged to her and wouldn''t give up on him for as long as she was alive. But now that he was trying to get away from her, she wouldn''t sit there quietly.

    ¡°

 Chapter 70: A Gift Reawakens Memories

    In all honesty, Cedar should have expected it. He knew his mother better than anyone else, so he should have known that something would happen during the next few days. Unfortunately, he had felt too safe in the palace to think about that.

    At first, the whole day had been calm. Cedar had woken up normally and trained for a few hours. Then he had been called to his brother to have tea, which had annoyed him. This annoyance had quickly died down when he had noticed Lucille there. So, the meeting had merely been a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, but it got better quickly.

    Blanche happily chatted about random topics, including that her baby would probably be born in two weeks. She seemed to love talking about her preparations and what she planned on doing as soon as her little angel was there.

    Lucille listened to that in awe and was intrigued by that topic.

    Normally, Cedar would have loved watching her face and seeing her little reactions, but he was focused on the chess board. Theodore and Cedar had been in the middle of a game for the past two hours, and it quickly became clear that both had studied strategic battles for years. Nothing seemed to move forward, even though they both did their best.

    Theodore stared at the game and seemed to note that almost all options for him to attack would hurt him more. He slowly shook his head and then looked up to Cedar. ¡°You know, maybe this was really a bad idea. I should have known that playing a board game with you wouldn''t end with a quick round.¡±

    Cedar shrugged. ¡°Well, it''s chess. That was to be expected. I just didn''t think that we would begin to shuffle around all the figurines and still not move forward. We''ve played a while now, and neither of us runs out of moves. This will take a bit if you insist on finishing.¡±

    Blanche chimed in at that. ¡°I''m not going to let you discuss that. It''s boring if you keep focusing on that game as if your life depended on it. We''re trying to drink tea here. I''m saying that you should end it now and say that you both won. That''s a fair result, isn''t it?¡±

    As expected, Theodore immediately listened to his wife. ¡°Definitely. I don''t want to spend the next weeks continuing this same game. That would drive me mad. No matter what I try, Cedar always seems to have three different ways to avoid me.¡±

    The prince showed his brother the arrogant smile that Theodore hated so much. ¡°Three? I would say I prepared even more than that. But, yes, we can call it a tie here.¡± After all, it was obvious that Theodore was just as good at saving his troupes as his brother. That was a bit frustrating since the perfect emperor was skilled at yet another thing, but that should have been expected.

    At least Cedar hadn''t been crushed and lost miserably, but he was too cautious to be happy about that. He was a bit worried about his brother holding back on purpose. Even though it looked like Theodore had given his best, the little voice in Cedar''s head asked him whether he could really compare to what his brother was doing, which was rather frustrating.

    Blanche seemed relieved upon hearing that they agreed and hurried to pull the board away, most likely to keep them from continuing in secret. Then she leaned against the backrest again and continued from where she had left off. ¡°In any case, I would like to make sure that no one aside from our closest acquaintances interacts with our baby unless one of us is there. No maids except for mine will be allowed to touch our angel, and I won''t hire any nursemaid, especially not that woman.¡± For a moment, her expression darkened before her bright smile returned.

    Theodore nodded. ¡°Definitely. I will make sure that the most promising guards stand by the door at all times. And no one without our trust will get anywhere close to our child. Naturally, no nursemaid is needed.¡±

    Lucille seemed a bit relieved at that. She continued to sip her tea and stayed as quiet as always. She just scanned the conversation in front of her without adding her own comments.

    Cedar glanced at her, which he seemed to be doing much too often at the current time, while grabbing his own cup as well. His head was still full of chess strategies, and he would need a moment to get them out again. So, listening to this calm conversation was the best thing imaginable thing. Even if he had to admit that the royal couple acted so novelettish that one could choke on it. It was no wonder that Leon kept joking about them being sickeningly sweet.

    Cedar had only looked away for one second, and when he turned back, he already saw how Theodore pressed kisses all over his wife''s face. He averted his eyes again and glanced to the side to find Lucille lowering her gaze with slight embarrassment. If that much was enough to make her feel like she was disturbing them, then she probably hadn''t been there while the royal couple started eating each other''s faces. Cedar had made the mistake of entering Theodore''s office while Blanche had been there once and had immediately excused himself again, which had caused Leonard to follow him out a second later.

    The prince drank his tea and was silent for a moment longer until he decided that it was enough. He put his cup away and turned to Lucille to give her a bright smile. ¡°How about we talk about something while those two are...busy. How do you feel about being Her Majesty''s lady-in-waiting? You officially have the title now, right?¡±

    Lucille lowered her cup and looked to the side. ¡°Well... To be honest I didn''t do much. I just sit here and drink tea. I haven''t done even one thing that would help Her Majesty with anything. I only made her maids carry more dishware.¡± She seemed a bit dejected at that.

    Blanche actually stopped kissing her husband and hurried to correct the other woman. ¡°No, no. It''s perfectly fine. You are a guest of the palace, so it''s only natural for them to bring food for you. And it''s quite obvious that you will stay here for a while, so they can get used to that already. After all, even a blind person can see that-¡±

    Theodore cut her off. ¡°Don''t be like that. Not everyone is as fast as we were. You will make them feel uncomfortable.¡± He said that, but his comment in itself made the intention even more obvious.

    Cedar just hoped that he wouldn''t get any tips about how to use contraceptives again. He smiled back at the other man. ¡°I am a bit uncertain as to why you are voicing such ominous comments. After all, there is absolutely no need for you to think about whether Lucille will stay here at the moment. The situation won''t be resolved within the next weeks anyway. That means that she has to stay until you finally get it over with.¡±

    The emperor shrugged this time. ¡°I told you. It will take a year at most. But until then, this will have developed much further, so I doubt that we need to prepare for Lady Valerian to move out at all.¡±

    Lucille''s mouth fell open, but she didn''t get to speak.

    Blanche chimed in before anyone could say anything. ¡°I agree. Taking her in as my lady-in-waiting already made it rather obvious, and by now, all of noble society should understand. In any case, that makes it clearer that we need to change one crucial thing.¡± She resumed before Cedar could address what she had said. ¡°I don''t want us to sit here in a year with two people calling me by my title. It''s bad enough that my maids do it, and I can assure you that I''m in the middle of convincing them to drop it. So, I will have to ask the same of you once more.¡± She glanced at Lucille, who seemed worried, and at Cedar while narrowing her eyes. She scanned the prince''s smile and added something. ¡°I feel like you are using my title on purpose just to upset me. When I want you to use it, you ignore that, and when I tell you to refrain from using it, you say it as often as possible.¡±

    Cedar continued to beam. ¡°I have no idea what you could be referring to, Your Majesty.¡± Maybe she hadn''t noticed, but he had only ever called her by her first name because it had upset her and provoking her had been his goal back then. Now he didn''t need to simulate closeness when there wasn''t anything there. Both Theodore and Blanche should hate him, so it would be strange to suddenly assume the opposite. But he quickly changed the subject before complaints came. ¡°I would like to return to the original topic though. Why exactly is it special if Lucille is a lady-in-waiting for the empress? That is a normal position, and it''s mostly temporary, is it not? Usually, young ladies take that spot before they marry, and then they leave. There shouldn''t be an issue with Lucille becoming one.¡±

    But maybe there was an issue. After all, Camille had reacted rather sensitively when Cedar had told her that Lucille was the empress lady-in-waiting for the first time. Surely, there was something more to this.

    Cedar pondered this for another moment while trying to remember the history of that position. He was rather certain that there hadn''t been anything special during the past century at least. Unless someone would seriously focus on that little custom from multiple generations ago, which unfortunately just came to his mind now. ¡°Please don''t tell me it''s because of what used to be done two hundred years ago.¡±

    Lucille clearly wouldn''t know about such old customs of the royal family, but she heard Cedar''s tone and assumed the worst. ¡°What used to be done then? Did we do something wrong?¡±

    Theodore and Blanche exchanged a short look, which only proved Cedar''s assumption to be true. The emperor began in a voice that already betrayed that he was slowly approaching the topic with care. ¡°We didn''t. You don''t need to worry about anything. But Cedar is right about the indication. Currently, that position holds no special meaning since few ladies-in-waiting have been appointed for a while now. But in the past, I mean about four or five generations ago, that position was often...held by people who would stay in the palace anyway. People who wouldn''t leave since they had another reason to be here and could quickly become friends with the empress that way. They were usually the partners of members of royalty. For example, the wives...or fianc¨¦es. And sometimes, that position might have been used to carefully introduce someone''s-¡± Theodore was cut off in the middle of his sentence.

    The sound of glass shattering sounded through the air. It sounded like a vase or something similar had been broken.

    Cedar immediately tensed. He was already in the middle of jumping up and wanted to search for what had caused this noise but was stopped.

    Theodore lifted his hand and showed his brother his palm. ¡°There they are. We already expected them, so it''s fine. Those were our men, and they probably just arrested whoever was sent here.¡±

    Cedar relaxed a bit, but annoyance grew inside him at the same time. ¡°You should have told me so that I could prepare. I was already worried.¡± He plopped down on his armchair again. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Theodore was completely calm as he responded. ¡°Your mother planned something for Lady Valerian and you. We caught the men while they were preparing their attack. The dowager empress, unfortunately, must have used some people to convey the message, so she didn''t voice it directly. In fact, it seems like she never met with anyone to discuss what she planned.¡±

    That was to be expected. After all, Camille had known that she would be under observation within the palace. It was just questionable how she had managed to send this message then. It was annoying that no one had a clue.

    But Cedar was much more annoyed with himself for not expecting anything. He had thought that his mother would wait a month before acting, like she always did to avoid raising suspicion. But it seemed like her patience was running thin when her personal pacifier wasn''t there to calm her. Cedar should have known that. Damn it. He wanted to ask about the specifics, but he was already stopped.

    Theodore addressed Lucille first. ¡°To be honest, she has to have been pretty upset to move so quickly. Since your conversation happened just four days ago, I would assume that this was the reason. It seems like you made the dowager empress rather angry. What did you say?¡±

    Lucille shrank in herself. She averted her eyes while she stammered her response. ¡°She...she repeatedly told me that Cedar was a bad person and that I was just using him. I then told her that-¡±

    Cedar interrupted her in a calm voice. ¡°You don''t need to answer that. Theodore already heard the whole conversation from the present guards. He knows every word you said. There is no need for you to repeat it.¡± He glanced at his brother, who just gave him a little smile.

    Lucille seemed less comfortable with that thought though. She lowered her gaze and barely dared to lift it again when she voiced something in a barely audible volume. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±

    Cedar replied before anyone else could. ¡°What for? She bothered you, and you were forced to talk to her. If someone has to apologize, it''s me for not stepping in first.¡±

    Lucille shook her head. She fiddled with her hands and then made eye contact with him. ¡°I insulted her. I said that she was insane.¡± She sounded so meek while saying that, as if she truly felt bad.

    Cedar was immediately relieved and also a bit uncertain as to why she thought that this was a problem. ¡°That wasn''t an insult though. That was the truth. She said much worse things to you, so she can''t complain. And I doubt that the emperor will put you on trial for slandering royalty. You can get away with everything when it comes to Mother.¡±

    Lucille seemed to be a bit less tense after hearing that. But before she could speak up, a knock sounded from the door.

    Theodore immediately turned to the entrance. ¡°You may enter and bring them in.¡±

    The door opened, and a group of royal guards came in. They dragged three men with tied-up hands behind them and let them fall to the floor in front of the fireplace.

    Leonard seemed to lead this group and immediately began his report after Theodore nodded. ¡°They were found near the expected spot. They assumed that the hole in the wall was still present and were shocked to find it closed. They climbed up a tree, and we quickly arrested them. I already interrogated them. Their goal was harming or possibly abducting Lady Valerian, depending on whoever you ask. So, we can assume that the dowager empress wasn''t really explicit in her instructions. She did, however, ask them to put this box in His Royal Highness'' room. It doesn''t seem to be dangerous, and we cannot determine whether this item has some sort of special meaning. It might be used as a weapon, but it would be rather impractical for that.¡± He gestured to the guard next to him who held a small wooden box in his hands and carefully placed it on the table in front of the emperor.

    Theodore scanned it for a moment before reaching for it to open the top. He stared at the contents before making eye contact with his brother.

    Cedar smiled at him while nausea bubbled in his stomach. He was ready to throw up because he knew that this wouldn''t be good. ¡°I can assume that I don''t necessarily wish to receive this gift.¡±

    Theodore weakly nodded. ¡°I assume that too. The only problem is that I cannot see any correlation with this item. I have no idea why she would send you this. So...maybe it would be good for you to look at this for a moment. Maybe when everyone is gone.¡±

    Cedar declined that by shaking his head. He stood up. ¡°It can''t be that bad.¡± He said that, but every fiber of his being told him not to look. Still, he walked the few steps over and picked up the box. He scanned it for a while, definitely not to stall for time, and then finally gathered the courage. It couldn''t be anything dangerous since Leonard would never have brought that, so it should be fine, right?

    He opened the box knowing that he wouldn''t be happy about the result. But in the end, he found something that was much worse than he could have imagined. The drops of honey candy inside the box didn''t bother him much, but his gaze was drawn to the second item inside.

    He was greeted by something that resembled a little skewer with a golden handle, a fireplace poker. The one that had lain in Cedar''s room next to the fireplace and was normally used to clean it. At least that had been what it was supposed to be used for. Another purpose had been much more important in this case.

    To others, this little piece of metal probably didn''t mean much. How could it when it was just a little utensil to them? They hadn''t seen it glow in the fireplace while the dowager empress stood there to watch her son with more insanity glittering in her eyes than ever before. They hadn''t been the ones to feel how it burned one''s skin while being reminded that leaving would only cause pain.

    Just a second passed, but the memories of when Cedar had been fourteen flooded his mind. The prince had just been stupid enough to go out once. He immediately remembered how excited he had been to sneak away without being caught. He remembered how that excitement had died down as soon as he had come home to see Camille in his room. Her face had been so full of wrath that it had been easy to see that she had lost her mind. He should have run away at that moment. But of course, he had just stayed and accepted that she wished to punish him for trying to leave.

    That had been the worst day of his life.

    Cedar hadn''t been hit with her hand or a vase, which would have been much more pleasant. Instead, he had lived through the most pain he had ever felt. It had hurt more than when his arm had been broken.

    And while it had happened, Cedar had held still despite knowing that he could easily push away his mother, who was much weaker than him. But she had asked him whether he would leave her, and that had made him think that he needed to prove that he wouldn''t ever do that. That he wouldn''t ever leave her behind and turn away like his brother had.

    So, he had done what she had asked. He had fallen to his knees and sworn that he would never leave on his life while telling her that he deserved a punishment. And then, he had endured it all, only to be reminded that his mother would pamper him with affection if she thought that his whole life revolved around her.

    The two weeks after that day had been wonderful since Camille had hugged her son so often and had told him that she loved him countless times. But had that made up for the punishment?

    No.

    Cedar still felt the burning stinging of that metal on his skin. And now, his mother was sending him this? Did she want to promise him affection when he came back? Did she want to threaten him with pain if he didn''t come? Did she want to remind him that he would do anything for her? He didn''t know what it was. And he didn''t care either.

    It had been years since he lost his composure completely, but recently, it seemed like he was getting closer to the edge again. It felt like a switch was flipped.

    Cedar let the box fall to the floor, where it landed with a loud crash, and turned to one of the men on the ground. He had lost his smile completely in that moment. For just a second, his expression was blank, and then the most terrifying version of his bright grin came back with full force. He probably looked like he was in the middle of snapping right now.

    It was no wonder that the assassin cowered and tried to get away despite the prince only taking a few steps toward him.

    Oh, how much Cedar would have liked to use that man to vent his frustration now. Training a bit during a more serious fight would be perfect, but he would definitely kill the other man. That wasn''t good. Not when everyone here was watching him. It had been a while since he had been this close to hitting someone outside a fight, and he needed to hold back. But that didn''t stop him from raising his voice. ¡°And this is supposed to make me come back? I don''t think she understands what this means at all. Maybe she will have to try it herself to know how it felt.¡± He hadn''t yelled, but his cold, wrathful tone had been enough to make the people in front of him flinch.

    The assassin managed to bring himself backward a bit, probably because the royal guards had loosened their hold on him for a moment upon being surprised by the prince.

    Cedar considered stepping forward to interrogate that assassin himself, but he knew that he had no restraint now. So, he turned away and went to the other side of the room before he committed a murder right here.

    Theodore scanned the whole scene while instructing the guard who had held the box. ¡°Bring that away immediately, and put those men in a cell.¡± He waited for the guards, who still seemed a bit shaken, to leave before turning around. ¡°Cedar, are you alright?¡±

    Cedar almost would have laughed and described what he felt before asking whether that sounded like it would be alright. But he didn''t do that and just met his brother''s gaze while forcing his smile to be a bit less scary. ¡°You sound awfully worried, Theodore. Don''t bother. It''s...fine. I won''t break down. I won''t hurt anyone, so you don''t have to be on edge.¡± He might hurt the people who attacked him if he got really angry, but his self-control wasn''t so small that he would injure anyone innocent.

    Theodore didn''t seem calmed by that. ¡°I know. That''s not what this is about at all. You should sit down and drink a bit of the water.¡± Then he turned to Lucille. ¡°Lady Valerian. We will leave you alone now, and it would be good if you can...offer him some company.¡±

    Cedar would have liked to decline. After all, he would admit how much this stupid piece of metal upset him otherwise. But he could only grit his teeth and stare at one of the flower pots with so much hatred that it wouldn''t have been surprising if the rose suddenly withered. He only turned around when the people behind him moved.

    Theodore led his wife out of the room.

    Blanche''s expression was horrible. She looked at Cedar with so much pity that it almost looked like she had a general idea of how much pain he was in. She couldn''t know that.

    There was no way that anyone but his mother, who had stroked over his head while he cried, and maybe a few servants who had heard his yells could know. The prince had never talked about this after all.

    Cedar looked away again and heard how the door closed. He didn''t know what to do. He wanted to go hug Lucille. And at the same time, he almost wanted her to leave. She shouldn''t see him when he was this close to losing his dignity. He didn''t want to show her what he looked like when he forgot himself. That part of him was so ugly that she shouldn''t ever be forced to meet it. So, he kept his back turned to her and stared at the wall.

    Then he heard footsteps.

    Lucille was walking slowly and barely dared to move. But she came closer every few seconds and carefully approached him. He expected her to stop with some distance to offer him help so that she could be sure that he wouldn''t lash out at her.

    But Lucille came closer than that. She only stopped when she was directly behind him. She stopped there, and for a moment, they were just quiet. Then she moved ever so slowly and wrapped her arms around him while leaning her forehand against his back.

    It was a meaningless gesture in itself. It was something that everyone could do in an instant, and still, it had more of an effect on Cedar than he wanted to admit. He felt like crying for the first time in a while. Maybe that was because that horrible memory reminded him of the important part.

    The only reason his mother hadn''t snapped yet was because she was certain that he would return to her. If she became sure that he wouldn''t, she would lose the last remaining bit of her sanity. Then she would drag him down to her grave, even if it was the last thing she did.

    And he couldn''t guarantee that anyone around him would stay safe in the meantime.

 Chapter 71: What Did I Do Wrong?

    ¡°

    not worry when people are trying to hurt you like that.¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°

    never tell others what you told me now. You can be certain that I won''t tell anyone else either. Because I''m on your side. You can stop trying to push me away like this.¡± Her voice had been weaker than intended. To be honest, she was emotionally strained as well, and that didn''t make convincing another person that everything was alright easier.

 Chapter 72: Nightmares and Revenge

    and he praised me. And I finished the book you gave me.¡± He almost expected his mother to continue reading with indifference.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    much worse than that, even if you still won''t lose your self-restraint. I understand that you don''t want to tell me, but at least admit that it''s bad. I can''t help you otherwise. I know that I still can''t do much, but I want to make sure that she gets what she deserves.¡± That almost sounded like he knew that Camille had been the one doing it.

    Sure. That didn''t make sense.

    really don''t get it. Blanche and I aren''t acting. We worry. You should know that I''m not generous at all. Even now, I''m planning to crush the people that tried to hurt Blanche in the most painful way imaginable. But I won''t hurt the people that didn''t do anything. I may have acted harshly when we met again. But that was because I had a lot of different things in my mind and you did your best to infuriate me. That doesn''t mean that we have to continue like that though. We already get along better, and I want to improve our relationship. That won''t work if you automatically assume that no one cares about you. I know that this is one of the things that bother you most, but please try to understand that I''m not lying. Blanche isn''t doing that either. Didn''t she tell you to start changing your life in the first place?¡± She had done that.

    ¡°

 Chapter 73: New Locations

    Lucille had felt like she was dying of embarrassment upon finding Cedar sleeping next to her. And when she had slowly woken up, only to find him tangling his hand in her hair, it had only gotten worse.

    He had been so gentle while kissing a strand of her hair that it was obvious that this wasn''t just a small mistake.

    She was actually relieved to have Cedar leave as soon as she opened her eyes because she ended up staying in bed for the next few minutes. She just stared straight ahead while waiting for her heart to calm down. Unfortunately, that didn''t happen. She could just lie here while counting the seconds and hoping that she wouldn''t have a heart attack.

    Lucille was close to three hundred when she finally dared to sit up. Still, the blood didn''t flow out of her cheeks. In general, it felt like her nervousness hadn''t ebbed away. So, she did something to get it out of her system. She jumped up and moved around a little. At first, she just paced to the sides and walked around her sofa in circles. Then she recounted what had happened, and it got even worse. She could barely keep herself from dancing around and gave in to the urge after a short while.

    Cedar had opened up to her. His past was so horrible that it made her cry, so it was understandable that he wouldn''t just tell anyone. And yet, he had given her a hint about what he felt. It wasn''t much, but it was enough for her to come to the conclusion that he had been honest about a part of his feelings.

    And for Cedar, even this little, these few words, were a huge burden. Because he had told her about the core of his problems. About his conflicting emotions when it came to his mother, the very person who had hurt him so much from the very beginning. He had done his best to give Lucille all he could share at the moment.

    That was enough to make her ecstatic because it meant that he trusted her. And not just that, he also did something like kissing her hair while thinking that she was asleep. That definitely could not have been an act. He did like her a lot. Maybe they were even more than friends.

    That thought stopped Lucille while she was in the middle of twirling around. What were they? The more she thought about this, the more she worried. After all, she was pretty sure that she had fallen in love by now. So, it wouldn''t be strange for her to try to define her relationship with Cedar at some point.

    But did she have the courage to ask? Definitely not.

    If anything was supposed to move forward here, Cedar would have to be the one to steer them in the right direction. But did he even have an interest in doing that? Going any further than this would have consequences. There was no way that spending the night lying in each other''s bed was fine if others found out, but at least they hadn''t crossed any lines. If they did continue, they would quickly step over the border though.

    That worsened her mood quickly, so she stopped pacing around. More bad thoughts came.

    Even if Lucille was happy about him opening up to her, Cedar''s childhood had still been a nightmare. Just thinking about it was enough to make her want to gag. She couldn''t imagine growing up with someone like Camille by her side. Luckily, she didn''t have to do that, but Cedar had suffered due to that woman. No one could change that in hindsight, no matter how regrettable it was.

    Lucille would need to do her best to help as much as she could now. She had to talk to Cedar and comfort him when he felt bad. She wasn''t sure whether she could do that though. Even the thought of him living through all of those horrible things was enough to make Lucille dejected. She sat down on her bed and waited there while being unsure about what to do.

    For a while, she tried to come up with ways to cheer Cedar up and remained unsuccessful. She was lost in thoughts while cycling between joy about being able to get closer to Cedar and dejection whenever she remembered his childhood. That didn''t last for long though.

    Cedar came back for breakfast. His smile was even brighter than before, and a mix of irritation and fury oozed out of the way that he desperately tried to seem happy. He looked like he had seen a spirit and refused to utter a single thing about what had happened. That would have been fine, but he also refused to ask for a hug afterward. It seemed like he didn''t even want to admit that something had happened.

    So, Lucille had to be the one to initiate the embrace this time.

    As expected, Cedar didn''t push her away but clung to her instead. In the end, they spent at least two hours while lying on the sofa in each other''s arms and talking about some random things. After that, they went out to eat lunch together and looked around the royal library. Even in the evening, Cedar hadn''t left her side but still refused to say what had upset him this time.

    Lucille never found out about what exactly had transpired that day, but she knew that it hadn''t been nice.

    <hr>

    Two weeks passed by, and Cedar spent time with Lucille every single day. They took walks around the royal estate and looked at the winter garden. They didn''t do much but inspect the area around the palace together, even if Cedar probably knew everything here already.

    There was no room for conversations about sensitive matters since it seemed like Cedar was trying to make up for that one weak day by being much stronger. But they talked about everything else, and Lucille used that chance to hear as much about Artias and the royal family as she could. She quickly noticed that Cedar was knowledgeable when it came to politics and the economy. When she asked him, he just explained that it was the task of every prince to know as much about the nation as possible. She suspected that it might be connected to Camille assuming that he would become emperor at some point, but of course, Cedar didn''t say that.

    Their conversations focused on pleasant or neutral matters while they tried to ignore the problems around them for a short while.

    But even then, Cedar wasn''t completely relaxed. It seemed like he expected an attack at any moment. Even if nothing came, he was on edge constantly. The days passed, and the palace stayed calm for the most part, but it didn''t seem to lift Cedar''s mood. No matter where they were, he always managed to find something that caused him to ponder as he refused to talk about it. When he felt that Lucille was looking at him, he just smiled at her and immediately continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.

    Today, he had done it again. Cedar just jumped back to the original conversation despite having stared at the rose in front of him with a vacant stare for a while. ¡°We''ve already seen everything within the royal garden, so it would be interesting to visit the part outside the walls. I feel like that might be a bit dangerous though. I would rather avoid that for the time being.¡±

    Lucille nodded at him. It was a wonder how he could think about one thing while speaking about the other. She already needed to hold back from asking him what was going on, and that took all of her self-control. To her, it was almost unimaginable how he could concentrate on two things at the same time while still keeping his face unreadable with a bright smile. But of course, she didn''t say that and just replied normally. ¡°There is one other spot that I didn''t see. We never entered the labyrinth.¡±

    Cedar glanced over at the hedges and scanned them for a moment. ¡°Well, I didn''t go inside often in the past either. The layout is pretty simple. All you can see inside are hedges, and there is a fountain in the center. If you want to look around there, we can go in.¡±

    Lucille wanted to decline at first. After all, it seemed like Cedar wasn''t really interested in the labyrinth. But he probably wasn''t interested in any other location here either. He had grown up in the palace, so he knew everything and still liked to show her around. Visiting a new but boring location was still better than seeing an old one, right? ¡°Why not? I would like to see the center, and then we can go out again. After all, the hedges surely won''t be very different from the ones around here.¡±

    Cedar nodded. ¡°Alright then.¡± They walked the few steps to the entrance of the labyrinth, and Cedar went inside without much hesitation.

    Lucille followed him and quickly had some questions. Cedar had said that the layout was rather simple, but to be honest, Lucille couldn''t see that. It was quite complex so that she would probably get lost if she left Cedar''s side. She wouldn''t risk that. She just hurried to avoid losing track of him.

    For the first minute, that worked out well. But then, it almost seemed like Cedar suddenly moved faster. That might have been the case because he stared straight ahead again and was lost in thoughts.

    Lucille tried to let him be for a while, but when he rounded the corner and she barely managed to see how he disappeared behind the next one already, she spoke up. ¡°Wait! If you go so fast, I won''t catch up to you.¡±

    Cedar finally stopped at that. He turned around to find her hurrying toward him.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Lucille was a bit ashamed to get lost so quickly. ¡°I''m sorry. I''m a bit slow. I will get lost, so you can''t go away too far.¡±

    Cedar smiled at her. ¡°No, no. It''s fine. I walked a bit too fast, didn''t I? I will go slower now. But we still can''t take the risk. We don''t want you to get lost. So, it would be better if we make sure that you can''t run away.¡± He offered his hand to her.

    Lucille should theoretically have noted that this wasn''t necessary at all, but that thought didn''t even cross her mind, and her hand was in his in an instant. Her breath hitched once more when Cedar showed her another one of his beautiful smiles before he guided her forward.

    They reached the center of the labyrinth, and as Cedar had said, there was nothing special here. The fountain was beautiful but not as much as the bigger one near the palace was. Still, the inside had a calming aura.

    Despite this, Lucille didn''t feel the need to stay here longer. She wouldn''t run out immediately either but decided to leave the choice to Cedar. After all, they could sit here and talk in peace, for which this place would be perfect.

    It didn''t seem like Cedar was interested in staying here though. He looked around while being much more attentive than a person who was just taking in the scenery. He seemed to feel unwell and spoke up after a few seconds. ¡°It''s quiet here, but...maybe it would be better to go elsewhere.¡±

    Lucille was a bit taken aback by that. ¡°Why?¡±

    The prince turned to her and explained in a calm tone. ¡°There are no guards in the labyrinth. So, it would be better for us to get out of here for the time being. I would rather be somewhere where the knights can see and reach us. We can''t know whether some unpleasant gifts are hiding here.¡± He still worried about his mother trying something again.

    Lucille quickly nodded. She wouldn''t insist on staying here and unnecessarily worrying him. So, they left.

    Of course, nothing happened on the way out, but Lucille was still a bit more uncertain until they finally reached the exit.

    As soon as they stepped out of the hedges again, Cedar spoke up. ¡°As expected, the labyrinth is nothing special. There is another interesting spot that I can show you though. I''m sure that you will love it. But we need to be careful while going there, or we will get in trouble.¡± That didn''t sound too good.

    ¡°Are you sure that we should go there then?¡±

    Cedar beamed at her. ¡°Definitely. I feel like this might become one of your favorite spots quickly.¡± He seemed to be convinced, so she trusted him.

    He led Lucille through the garden, and they followed the broader main path for a while. Then they took the smaller path that branched off from there. After a few steps, they came to the part of the pathway that was hidden behind countless hedges that almost formed a spiral to hide their destination.

    Lucille quickly became more curious. She could only stare at the path in front of them while following the spiral, and when they rounded the last corner, she froze in place. ¡°This is...¡±

    Cedar showed her a bright smile as he finished for her. ¡°Where my brother and his wife met. Obviously, he took care of it and made it look even prettier than it was when we were little, but it was always impressive. To the royal couple, this place is sacred, so you can''t ever mention that we were here.¡± He lifted his index finger to his lips before looking back to the area around them. ¡°It''s beautiful, isn''t it? Like it came right out of a fairy tale.¡± He was right.

    In front of them, a white pavilion stood. The pillars and the roof were covered in ivy and some lilac flowers with blue ones being mixed in between. There was a white curved bench, on which one could sit to take in the scenery, which was just breathtaking. The whole pavilion was circled by the most colorful and stunning flowers and bushes that seemed to be in full bloom.

    Lucille stared at the image in front of her for a while before turning to him. ¡°It''s...really pretty. I understand why Her Majesty felt like it was a fairy tale when they met here. Can we...go inside?¡± She knew that entering it when Blanche and Theodore would dislike it was mean, but she wanted to see the view from the inside at least once.

    Cedar didn''t seem to care about what the others were thinking anyway. ¡°Naturally. Let''s go.¡± He slowly walked forward and pulled her behind him.

    Lucille followed him and only noticed that he was still holding her hand in a gentle grasp now. She felt a bit embarrassed, but as long as Cedar didn''t turn around, this was fine. As soon as he turned around and saw her expression, she would have a problem though.

    Cedar brought her to the center of the pavilion, and of course, she was unlucky. He turned around as soon as they stopped there. ¡°The last time I was here, I didn''t really have a chance to enjoy the view, but I have to...¡± He paused and smirked at her before continuing with a playful tone in his voice. ¡°I have to say that it is quite a pretty sight. So, enjoying this with such a wonderful companion is perfect. But, say, are you perhaps feeling a bit unwell? After all-¡±

    Lucille cut him off. ¡°I know I''m red. You don''t have to tell me. That''s because of...¡± She almost wanted to tell him that it was his fault and stopped to rephrase that just in time. ¡°It''s because we''re still...¡± Despite her new word choice, she didn''t dare to voice it.

    Cedar didn''t seem to need her response though. ¡°We''re still holding hands. Is that what you were referring to?¡±

    She gave up on trying to hide it. Lucille looked to the side and weakly nodded. She would need to work on not letting Cedar affect her this much, or she might have a heart attack soon.

    That risk actually didn''t seem to be too unlikely. After all, Cedar kept teasing her for the rest of the walk, and she only got more embarrassed with each comment.

    <hr>

    Thus, Lucille wasn''t too happy when she arrived at the emperor''s room, only to be reminded of her obvious behavior again. She had barely entered the room and sat down across from the empress when the comments already followed.

    Darlene, who seemed to be the most brazen one, addressed it first. ¡°You do seem like you might be sick. Have you visited the royal doctor already?¡± A wide smirk spread on her lips. ¡°Or did you perhaps meet with His Royal Highness just now?¡±

    Lucille''s missing response was enough. This only made everyone around her grin.

    Stella was the next one to comment on this. ¡°You know, you should have expected it, Darlene. She is always with him when she isn''t here. I would argue that she spends more time with His Royal Highness than with Her Majesty. She might as well be his lady-in-waiting. But then she could also get a more intimate position immediately.¡±

    Lucille quickly averted her eyes and drank from her teacup. She didn''t want to say anything about that. The women here already knew that she was more interested in Cedar than she should be, but she wouldn''t give them more ammunition to tease her with.

    Blanche sat on the sofa on the other side and gently stroked over her rounded stomach while responding. ¡°It almost seems like they are moving similarly to us but at a slower, possibly more logical, pace. That was to be expected.¡± She showed the other women a bright smile. ¡°What did Cedar do today to make you as red as a tomato? I assume him just talking to you wasn''t the reason.¡±

    Lucille would have liked to avoid replying. But the other woman was the empress, and she still felt a little guilty upon entering the pavilion when it was a special place for Blanche. So, Lucille forced herself to speak and immediately said more than she wanted to. ¡°Cedar was mean today.¡± That sounded like he had done something bad. She hurried to correct that. ¡°I... Not in a way that hurt me or something like that. He just...teased me.¡±

    The empress grinned at that. ¡°He is good at infuriating others. But he obviously does it differently with his friends. He will always do something to evoke the reaction he wants to see. Apparently, he enjoys seeing that you like him. What did he do?¡±

    Lucille couldn''t even list everything. ¡°Well, he...held my hand. And then my heart beat quickly, and I got red. After that, he just asked about why I was blushing too.¡± And he might have done something else too. They might have danced a short waltz in the pavilion that ended with their faces being way too close to each other''s. But there was no way that Lucille would admit that.

    Blanche gave her a bright smile. ¡°I would say holding his hand and then feeling like your heart will explode is a pretty unambiguous sign. I can assure you that there is no way that Cedar would hold someone''s hand when he doesn''t like them. He usually dislikes such gestures, so you can believe that you''re his favorite.¡±

    That comment only served to make Lucille even more worried. She lowered her gaze and dug her fingers into the cup while trying to hide her embarrassment. Why was she so sensitive? The others would definitely tease her now. She only needed to glance up once and immediately realized that she had been right.

    Blanche''s smile didn''t hold any traces of mockery, but she still addressed the expected topic. ¡°Ah, how wonderful it is to see young love. I have to say that others are exaggerating when they say that watching lovebirds together is stressful. I find it adorable. You only need to promise me one thing. Don''t go as fast as Theo and me. We were...really a bit impatient.¡± She smiled to herself as if she got lost in her own memories. Then she snapped out of it and met the other woman''s gaze again. ¡°But I would argue that it''s fine for you. You''ve been together for almost five months now. That''s longer than what Theodore and I held on for. We already lost our cool two weeks after we met and had our first kiss in the pavilion where we met.¡±

    Lucille almost flinched when the other woman mentioned the pavilion. She averted her eyes. ¡°Ah. Yes. But... Cedar and I aren''t like that. We''re just-¡±

    Stella cut her off there. ¡°I don''t want to make you feel uncomfortable, but you are understating it.¡± She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. ¡°If you heard what the servants already caught you doing, it quickly becomes obvious.¡± She let out a huff. ¡°I still can''t believe that man is in the middle of falling in love.¡±

    Lucille felt how her face became even hotter. There is no way that Cedar would fall in love quickly. He needed time to open up, and even then, it wasn''t certain whether he even cared for something like romance. Surely, a prince would marry at some point, but usually, those arrangements mostly served to increase his political influence. There was no place for a viscount''s daughter at his side. ¡°You...can''t be sure about that at all. I think we''re just...¡± Close? That would make it sound like they were a couple again.

    Blanche beamed at the other woman while she leaned forward in her seat. ¡°Don''t be so shy. As I already told you, Cedar is a good actor, but you notice the difference. You would be able to determine if he didn''t like you. And since he keeps on doing things like this, you can assume that he has more than just friendship in mind. Or rather, in his heart. It''s good to see that he''s finally on the right track. I would even argue that-¡± She froze in the middle of her movement. For a moment, she looked straight ahead without budging even a tiny bit.

    Immediately, the empress'' maids rushed to her side. Stella seemed to be the most panicked one since she forgot to use the right title. ¡°My Lady, is everything alright?¡±

    Blanche stayed silent for a few more seconds while her face paled, and she finally seemed to wake up. ¡°It''s happening. Call Theo and the royal doctor.¡±

    Chaos filled the room after that. Darlene ran out to inform the concerned people while Stella and Angelica panically tried to help Blanche to the bed.

    In the meantime, Lucille could only sit there and stare at the scene in front of her with wide eyes.

    It seemed like the royal heir would be born now.

 Chapter 74: Utter Chaos

    ¡°

    You want to put me in a position that could easily allow me to wage war just because I tell you that someone aims to harm us?¡± That was ridiculous. Cedar had thought that his brother would leave this topic alone after the last conversation, but seemingly, the emperor was stubborn.

    ¡°

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    <hr>

    ¡°All of you.¡± It almost seemed like she stared at the prince specifically while saying that.

 Chapter 75: What It Means To Be A Mother

¡°

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°

 Chapter 76: The Villain

    So, Cedar had refused to sit at the desk, which was Theodore''s spot, and had chosen to work at the table. He still felt bad, but after seeing that Leonard did a lot for the nation too, he didn''t try to argue anymore. When he was done with his documents, he received a comment about reading as quickly as his brother before he left.

    ¡°

    Luciano was quiet for a short moment before continuing. ¡°Father said that the most important part was us moving on. And to do that, we would have to prove that we were innocent. And what is the easiest way to seem innocent? To be a victim. That meant that there was only one other role needed. So, my father became the villain. He didn''t manage to explain everything to me, but he told me where a letter for us was hidden. There he had written that he loved all of us and only wanted to make sure that His Majesty would see him as the psychopathic, evil man, who used his family. So that we could get out of this without many issues.¡± He finished and stayed silent after that.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    No. You won''t see her.¡± He hadn''t meant to interrupt her so harshly, but he hadn''t been able to hold himself back. He only needed to remember what kind of things had suddenly happened to Theodore as a child after Camille had spoken to strange people, and he only had to remind himself of how he had been raised. There was no way that Camille would get anywhere close to that innocent child.

 Chapter 77: FiancÃ©e?

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    <hr>

 Chapter 78: Second Chance (1)

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

 Chapter 79: Second Chance (2)

¡°

    ¡°

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

 Chapter 80: Broken Pot (1)

¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°

 Chapter 81: Broken Pot (2)

    ¡°I think it''s more than that.¡±

    ¡°More than...friendship?¡±

    It was more than friendship. That was obvious, so it shouldn''t have been surprising for Lucille to say it. Still, it created a tenser atmosphere than before.

    After an eternity of silence, Cedar spoke again. ¡°Isn''t this a bit sudden?¡± His words might have sounded harsh, but his uncertain tone said everything. He knew better.

    Lucille forced herself to give the reply, even though she was already at her limit. ¡°Is it?¡± Not at all. They had been close often enough. Most friends didn''t look so deep into each other''s eyes while dancing. They didn''t spend the night in each other''s arms. They probably didn''t feel like their hearts would explode when they were holding hands either. And they didn''t tease each other in a way that Cedar teased her until she was a blushing mess.

    This time, the silence lasted a bit longer than before.

    Then Cedar responded. ¡°No, you are right. We should have seen this coming. There were enough hints. I should just have...¡± He didn''t finish that sentence. She had no idea what his expression could look like, but she heard that he walked around a bit. ¡°Damn it. This isn''t...¡± Cedar sounded so unsure, so vulnerable. That wasn''t like him at all. Wasn''t he the person who always smiled and talked back without skipping a beat? But now, he wasn''t talking as much as he could have.

    Steps sounded again, and this time, they came closer. Lucille didn''t want to, but she forced herself to open her eyes to see what he looked like.

    Cedar showed her a little smile again, but she could see that some strange emotion was in his eyes as he scanned her. ¡°I don''t think I am anything like you imagine me to be. A broken pot can''t hold any water, can it? So, how is a broken person supposed to make anyone happy?¡± He truly seemed like he believed that he wasn''t someone others should be with. Knowing that hurt.

    Lucille hadn''t realized how much force she was clutching the flowers with before, but now she noticed. She was holding on so tightly that it wouldn''t be surprising if her palms were white as sheets when she opened her fists. But even if she was on edge and could barely compose herself, she had something important to say. ¡°That''s not the same.¡±

    Cedar didn''t seem convinced. ¡°What''s the difference?¡±

    Lucille met his gaze, even though she wanted to avoid looking at him. She would have liked to speak with more conviction in her voice, but she could barely reach an audible volume. She sounded so quiet, but that might have been because the blood that rushed through her veins seemed to drown out everything else. ¡°A pot...is an object. A utensil that is supposed to be used. A human is completely different.¡± She knew that people had always treated Cedar as some sort of tool, but there was no way that she could accept comparing him to an object. He was so much more than that. ¡°And even if you want to stick to that comparison, even then you would be wrong. Because two broken pots can still hold water together. Or you could fix them. There are always ways to make things work.¡± She wasn''t sure, but she wanted to believe it.

    Cedar''s expression was hard to read. He smiled, but he didn''t seem to put in as much effort as usual. He was serious about this too. ¡°I''m not sure if you really want to say things like that. You shouldn''t be that...gullible. Just being close to me is enough to make some people target you. You almost died once already when you were hit with an arrow that was meant for me. There is no guarantee that nothing will happen in the future. It''d be so much easier for you just to turn around to return to your old life.¡±

    Lucille clutched the flowers with even more force. ¡°That''s not possible.¡±

    Cedar''s eyes wandered to the side as he let out a low huff. ¡°You''re right. She already knows about you, so she won''t take any risks.¡± That was the second big problem for him, wasn''t it? He didn''t just think that he wasn''t a good person. He also knew that his mother would never watch how he was happy without doing her best to ruin it.

    Both of those problems were the dowager empress'' fault. That was enough of a reason to despise that woman.

    Lucille''s voice trembled, but she forced herself to speak. ¡°That too. But it''s also...because I don''t want to leave.¡± She could swear that her heart pounded so loudly that he had to hear it too. She could barely bring herself to say this, but she had to. It was important for him to know that. ¡°Because I like you a lot. I don''t want to stop seeing you.¡± She averted her eyes in embarrassment but quickly looked back at him to see what kind of reaction she would receive.

    It seemed like Cedar wasn''t going to make fun of her. He still stood in front of her and slowly brought his hand to her head again. He gently brushed his fingertips over her forehead while pushing back a few stands of her hair. ¡°You shouldn''t say things like that with such an expression, or I might misunderstand.¡± He was the one to say that. He always made her feel like there was so much more between them than just friendship. And maybe, just maybe, that assumption wasn''t false.

    In Lucille''s case, she couldn''t deny that she had imagined Cedar to be more than a fleeting acquaintance. She tried to ignore that the trail he had drawn onto her skin still prickled even after he had withdrawn his hand and gave the reply in a slight whisper. ¡°There is nothing to misunderstand.¡± She did see Cedar in a romantic way. Maybe lying would make it easier to continue this conversation, but she didn''t want to stay quiet. Not when they were already opening up to some extent. By now, she had noticed that being honest was the most important thing when she was with Cedar. He would pick up on any lie, and refusing to tell the truth could only hurt the both of them in the end. So, Lucille spoke, even though her cheeks were flaming red with embarrassment. ¡°I like you a lot. I don''t know what else to say.¡± She closed her eyes.

    For a moment, they were silent. Once again, Lucille feared that she might have pushed Cedar away.

    But he neither ran away nor did he criticize her for saying things like that to a prince. Instead, he stayed next to her and didn''t move. She could still hear his quiet breathing.

    A few seconds passed before Lucille dared to open her eyes. She met Cedar''s gaze immediately. She couldn''t help but be silent while it felt like he read all of her emotions just by watching her.

    Cedar just stared at her before he whispered to her. ¡°What should I do with you? You are making me discard all my plans. I didn''t keep my distance very well, did I? It''s a bit too late to notice that now. The both of us seem to be very foolish.¡± Even after he said that, he kept his eyes on her.

    Lucille still held on to her flowers, and by now, she was sure that being able to grasp them kept her from being even more nervous. She spoke up in a soft voice, which was even quieter than Cedar''s, ¡°Maybe. But is that bad? I mean...it''s...¡± It was too embarrassing to say that, but she needed to underline why she was fighting here. ¡°I...like spending time with you, and...you...like...¡± She couldn''t say it. She was pretty sure that Cedar enjoyed being with her too, but she couldn''t bring herself to voice that when he hadn''t affirmed it. Her words had been enough to reveal what she wanted to say though.

    ¡°I like spending time with you too. It seems that this was enough to...cause this...situation. I...¡± It was rare for Cedar to be this uncertain, but even now, he didn''t avert his eyes and just took in her reaction. ¡°I didn''t help you much until now, did I? After you protected me, your home got invaded, and you were hit with an arrow. Now you are being forced to hide here because my hysterical mother sees you as a threat. And yet, I''m selfish enough to want you to stay with me. It''s no wonder I''m so careless. But you should know better. Around you, I may be a good person, but...¡± He still didn''t believe that he was actually a good friend.

    Lucille was more than displeased with that. ¡°You are a good person. You don''t just change into a different person when you are with me. You may have...problems with other people. But that doesn''t make you bad.¡± She knew that he had shown his worst side to his brother, and even Theodore seemed to be ready to get along with the prince. That itself was proof that Cedar was way less awful than he saw himself as. He might not be the simplest person, but he definitely was not someone who wished to harm others nor was he as cruel as others claimed him to be.

    Cedar was silent again. Then he moved. At first, she thought that he would leave, but he walked around the table and sat down across from her. It only took a few seconds for him to restore his blinding smile, and then he began talking about some random lighthearted topic. It might seem like he was distracting her at first glance, but in the end, that was his way of dealing with things. Cedar was currently rather unsure about what to do.

    But the fact that he had stayed here to speak to her said everything. He didn''t want to run away. He had chosen to stay, even after they had admitted that this might be more than what they had previously thought.

    Slowly, a smile grew on Lucille''s lips. She was still embarrassed and much too emotional, but she couldn''t help being overjoyed.

    <hr>

    They spent at least two hours in the winter garden before they had finished their cake. They sat there a little bit longer before they returned to the palace.

    As they left the winter garden, Cedar didn''t say anything while offering his hands to Lucille. She immediately took it. She couldn''t deny how excited that made her, but she wouldn''t allow her rapid heartbeat or her nervousness to destroy this. She just allowed Cedar to lead her and looked forward to placing the flowers he had given her in a vase. But they didn''t reach the palace as fast as she would have liked.

    At one point, Cedar glanced to the side, only to look away immediately. He let out a huff and spoke with a voice that held much more annoyance than before. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Lucille slowed her pace and looked up at him. ¡°What?¡±

    Cedar refused to turn his head while he pulled her after him with a bit more vigor than before. ¡°Every good day has to end with her showing up. Let''s ignore her. Don''t look and pretend that you don''t know that she''s here.¡±

    Lucille stiffened at that. She could only imagine one person causing such a reaction, and this guess was only proven to be true when a voice, which was already connected to bad memories for Lucille, spoke up in a loud volume.

    ¡°Cedar.¡± There was probably only one person in this world who could say his name in such an unpleasant way.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    It was no surprise that Cedar had no desire to listen. He pulled Lucille after him without looking to the side. ¡°Just keep walking.¡±

    Lucille wouldn''t argue about this. She sped up as well and hoped that they would just reach the palace quickly.

    But obviously, that person didn''t allow them this. Camille raised her voice again. This time, she was even more upset than before. ¡°Cedar, you will not ignore me again!¡±

    Her son remained unaffected.

    The dowager empress wouldn''t give up that easily though. She only stayed silent for a few seconds before addressing a different target in a much colder voice, which was dripping with bitter resentment. ¡°Lady Valerian. I am ordering you to come here this instant.¡±

    Cedar slowed his steps for a moment but quickly doubled his efforts to bring Lucille away. ¡°You don''t have to listen. I can just order you to stay away from her, and everything will be fine.¡±

    Lucille agreed. But she glanced over her shoulder anyway, just to check.

    The dowager empress was surrounded by at least a dozen servants who kept her close to one of the gates toward the backside of the royal property, but no one dared to touch her, most likely because she expressed pure rage that made it questionable whether she was sane. It was obvious that she wouldn''t give up now. And she might actually cause problems if she was ignored now.

    Lucille turned back to Cedar. ¡°I don''t think... Her rank is higher than everyone''s here, isn''t it? How will people stop her?¡±

    Cedar didn''t seem to care. ¡°Theodore is the most powerful man in the nation. We will tell him that she annoyed us, and he will give us an excuse to avoid her. The only thing he might do is come here and throw her out by himself. But we don''t have to speak to her.¡± Just as he said that, the decision was taken away from them.

    A servant tried her best to keep the dowager empress from rushing forward. ¡°Your Majesty, you cannot-¡± She didn''t get farther.

    Camille yelled at her with a much too loud volume. ¡°Let me go! If that brat chooses to ignore me, I will go there myself. Move out of the way, you lowly imbecile!¡± She pushed the servant aside with so much force that the poor woman stumbled backward and almost fell onto the floor. Then she stomped toward the couple without anyone else daring to get between her and her target. And that the servants didn''t do anything was understandable. The dowager empress only glared at the couple and lifted the hem of her dress to rush over, but that was enough to make her seem terrifying. She acted like she wouldn''t mind using violence, and thanks to her temper, that wasn''t so unlikely.

    Lucille would have liked to say that she hadn''t been intimidated, but that was a lie. So, her companion had been a god-sent.

    Cedar acted within a single second, too quickly for it to have been a second thought. He pulled Lucille behind him and stood in front of her so that he faced his mother. He was much tenser now, almost as if he expected a physical threat. Yet, he clung to Lucille''s hand, which had barely been noticeable, but apparently, that caused a big issue.

    Camille glanced at their interlocked hands, and her expression became even sourer, even though that shouldn''t have been possible. ¡°You!¡± She didn''t add an insult this time, but the way that she glared at Lucille said everything.

    Cedar seemed to notice that his companion behind him cowered since he squeezed her hands and spoke to his mother in a cold tone. ¡°It seems like you can walk well again. I thought you were limping because of your foot.¡±

    The dowager empress gritted her teeth and hissed her response. ¡°It still hurts, but at the moment, there are much more serious issues. I am shocked to see that you are parading around with her so openly. Did having so many bad examples right in front of you cloud your judgment? This is humiliating! How can a member of royalty care so little to touch someone like her in public?¡± She gestured to Lucille with a quick motion.

    Her son didn''t take that too well. ¡°What is that supposed to mean? We are taking a stroll, and you are the one interrupting us. Is there something wrong with taking a walk?¡± Cedar was definitely fuming. Normally, he wouldn''t reply in such a sharp tone. Of course, he was still smiling, but he seemed to be pretty angry. ¡°Lucille is a charming young lady and the only daughter of Viscount Valerian. Encountering her with so much insolence is problematic, even for you. After all, the Estien family owes Artias and is supposed to lead noble society. You will have to respect your followers instead of treating them with arrogance. You are the one who is humiliating our family. And in addition, you are embarrassing yourself. Go home.¡± That might be harsher than anything he had ever told his mother before. And yet, he had said nothing that could be interpreted as a direct insult.

    Camille seemed to feel personally offended though. Her eyes widened as she came a step toward them. ¡°This is the royal palace. This is my home. I have the right to be here, and that whore definitely doesn''t have it.¡± She glared at Lucille, who wanted nothing else but to grab Cedar and rush off. This conversation was useless anyway. But Camille wasn''t finished yet. ¡°You have no reason to defend her when all she is doing is harming our family and dirtying you by daring to touch you. We won''t repeat this history of some wench manipulating you. Your father and brother may be gone, but I won''t allow her to use you.¡± She directed her gaze at Lucille and suddenly seemed much more terrifying than before. ¡°It seems like you are not only insolent but also the most stupid person in this whole nation. Do you still not see what he is doing? He is toying with your head until you are on your knees, and then he will throw you away. Do you think that he would ever marry a viscount''s daughter? You are nothing-¡±

    Cedar cut her off there. ¡°I would like to interrupt because I feel like you will only embarrass yourself more. Theodore is married to a commoner. Get over it. Besides, I can assure you that the problem is not her rank. You complained about Althea, who was a count''s daughter too. You just hate the fact that someone in your life cares for someone else. But that''s not the important part here. I don''t understand how you think that you can come here without permission and then complain about whom I spent my time with. I do not believe that you have the right to decide that for me. If I remember it correctly, I am twenty-two and thus an adult by Artias'' laws. If I want to see Lucille, who is nothing like what you see her as, I will go meet her as often as I can. This has nothing to do with you.¡±

    Of course, Camille hated hearing that. She gritted her teeth and glared at her son for a while. After a few seconds passed, she slowly turned her head to Lucille again. ¡°You filthy-¡±

    Cedar interrupted her earlier. ¡°Mother, if you keep insulting her, we might really put you on trial for slandering nobility.¡±

    The dowager empress almost would have seemed a bit calmer at that, but the glint of insanity in her eyes made it impossible to see her as anything but a wrathful maniac. ¡°Me? Have you forgotten who I am? My rank is much higher than the one of anyone here. You need to listen to my orders. No one can complain when I rightfully remind insects like her of her place.¡± Her head snapped to Lucille, and she spoke in a much more aggressive tone than before. ¡°This won''t do you any good, little girl. I won''t let you sink your greedy fingers into the royal family. I will personally make sure to crush you first and-¡± It was good that she was interrupted because Lucille wasn''t happy to hear any of this.

    A fourth voice chimed in from behind the couple. ¡°Your Majesty.¡±

    Immediately, Camille''s attention was torn away to the insolent person who had dared to address her first. ¡°Who dares-¡± She cut herself off, and her rage grew even more. ¡°You!¡±

    Leonard came into view as he walked around the couple to face the dowager empress. He showed a fake smile that didn''t reach his eyes when he spoke up. ¡°I sincerely apologize for interrupting. It just happened to come to my attention that we have an uninvited guest here. As one of the inhabitants of the palace, I decided that it would be good to chime in.¡± He turned to the dowager empress. ¡°I apologize, Your Majesty, but do you have permission to be here?¡±

    Camille pressed her lips into a thin line. She was quiet for a few seconds before hissing her response. ¡°I''m the dowager empress. I don''t have to justify anything. Especially not when I face the person who dared to attack me with such force that I still cannot walk properly.¡±

    Leon only beamed at that. ¡°You mean, the former Duke of Vasquez did. He was the one attacking you, do you not remember? I would also like to point out that you were lucky. That man held himself back, or you wouldn''t be able to walk at all anymore. But that''s beside the point. Do you have permission to be here, Your Majesty? I would doubt that His or Her Majesty invited you.¡± He glanced at Cedar. ¡°His Royal Highness also seemed confused, so he didn''t invite you either, did he?¡±

    Cedar took over at that point. ¡°I did not. I fear that Mother is a bit upset at the moment, so it would be better for her to return home. Leon, please escort her back to her mansion. Only if you have enough free time, of course. I would like to allow the servants here to spare the effort.¡± Which meant that he was worried about Camille lashing out at the staff members.

    Lucille could only lean out from behind the prince''s back while she did her best to stay calm. The atmosphere was so tense that she would have liked to run away, but she would only have to endure it for a few more seconds. Then she could try to calm Cedar down and rest assured that they were safe from that awful woman.

    As expected, the dowager empress didn''t take this suggestion well. ¡°What? There is no way that I will let you send me back with that man! The last time you ran away, he almost broke my bones. Cedar!¡± She balled her fists while glaring daggers at her son.

    Cedar''s smile only became brighter, which seemed to be a mechanism that protected him from getting upset. ¡°I don''t think reminding me of that evening will do you any good. Mother, you do remember what happened, yes? Then one thing should be clear. Don''t pick a fight with Leon, or you will regret it. Goodbye.¡± He squeezed Lucille''s hand before slowly taking a step back with her.

    That was good since Camille took a step toward them a second later. ¡°What? How can you ignore me like that?¡± She raised her hands and made a rapid gesture before pointing at Cedar''s side. ¡°That''s all because of her, isn''t it?¡± In an instant, she turned her attention to Lucille. ¡°Don''t act so pitiful, you wench! I will tear down your innocent facade, you filthy wh-¡±

    By the gods, this woman had issues. The first few insults had still left an impression, but by now, the surge of words coming out of her mouth seemed to mush together. Lucille barely registered anything anymore as the sentences seemed to lose meaning and logic.

    Leonard cut the dowager empress off anyway. ¡°That''s enough, Your Majesty. We will leave now.¡± He reached forward to hold his arm between the two parties. Maybe he waited for Camille to push him away so that he had an excuse to defend himself.

    But Camille didn''t do that. She just glared at her son and the woman who clung to him while still mumbling more insults.

    Cedar saw that as his cue to leave. He turned around and left with Lucille. Every step that came between them and that hysteric woman was relieving, but of course, they weren''t granted the right to disappear just like that.

    Camille called out to her son again. ¡°Cedar!¡± He ignored her, so she called again. ¡°Cedar, did you get my gift?¡±

    Cedar stopped in his tracks. He turned around at a painstakingly slow pace and made eye contact with his mother. ¡°I did.¡± He did his best to seem nonchalant, but he had tensed for a moment.

    That was all it took for Lucille''s uncertainty to be washed away as she unconsciously fell behind a bit to stand between Cedar and his mother. The image of that box and the metal skewer appeared in her mind, and she became angry instead of worried. The dowager empress had probably hurt him with that thing and now she acted like it would make Cedar come back? How ridiculous.

    But Camille didn''t seem to think like that. She didn''t feel any shame or worry about what she was doing. Instead, she raised her chin and narrowed her eyes at her son. ¡°Did you not understand the meaning of that?¡±

    Cedar beamed back at her. ¡°I did. I just don''t think that that day meant the same thing to the both of us. The decision has been made. Don''t cling to the thought of me changing my mind because that won''t happen. Give it up, and make this easier for us.¡±

    Apparently, Camille didn''t get the meaning of those words. She yelled even louder than before. ¡°I''m giving you one last chance-¡±

    Cedar cut her off, but he spoke in a much quieter voice. ¡°I was the one who gave you a chance. I told you to stop targeting Theodore and to live quietly. Everything could have been fine then, but you just won''t listen. It''s too late now. Go home. And don''t come again unless Theodore invites you.¡± He spun around after that and dragged Lucille after him without looking back once, no matter how often his mother called for him.

    But still, he couldn''t hide how he got more tense each time his name sounded. As always, Cedar''s expression revealed nothing but a radiant smile. And yet, the way that his grip on Lucille had tightened significantly as soon as he had seen his mother told her everything she needed to know. He wasn''t half as strong as he pretended to be when it came to Camille.

    Lucille was pretty sure that her presence here had been good, even if she had only stood there while being yelled at. At least she could try to cheer Cedar up now. After all, a long time of hugging was what the both of them could need after meeting such a horrible person. She wished that she would be able to do more though.

    She already despised Camille more than anyone else despite only meeting her a few times. It would be nice if she could act as some sort of protective wall for Cedar to keep him from being forced to face that woman too often.

    After all, he might have been the one being physically strong, but his bright smile told them both the truth.

 Chapter 82: Thinking About Her

    ¡°

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°

    very curious to see what you can do.¡± So, that was what this was. He was acting all kind and then chose the target that was the furthest away.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    Unfortunately, I cannot go to the office now because I promised Lucille to take a walk with her.¡±

 Chapter 83: Weak Spot

    Lucille adored spending time with Cedar. She loved being close to him and chatting about all kinds of things. Especially since she could continue being close to him without the atmosphere being strange between them despite the somewhat life-changing conversation they had had.

    After all, she had almost confessed her feelings, and Cedar was still close to her. He didn''t feel offended because of what she had said, which was the greatest gift.

    Aside from spending time with Cedar, Lucille didn''t do much else. When he was busy because his brother had condemned him to take over some of his duties, as Cedar called it, she usually busied herself otherwise. Then she either embroidered something or visited the empress, who had told her to come daily.

    Today, Lucille had entered the emperor''s chambers again, only to find that Blanche was alone. It seemed like Theodore wasn''t here, which was rare.

    It was easy to spot Blanche, who was standing next to the cradle and looked down at her baby before returning to the main table. She didn''t reach her destination and turned around when she heard her maid announcing the visitor. Immediately, a bright grin formed on her lips. ¡°Lucille, there you are. You came just in time. I''m almost done with the dough, so you can steal some if you want to.¡±

    Lucille still found it a bit strange to be addressed by her first name when the empress was the one doing it. But using the other''s first name was a much bigger issue. So, she refused to use any title while replying. ¡°Good afternoon. So, you are baking a cake again?¡±

    Blanche nodded and returned to the bowl that she had placed in the middle of all of the ingredients that stood around there. ¡°I can''t help it. Theodore even helps me most of the time. We both refuse to leave the chambers much while our angel is sleeping. And since I''ve always loved baking, I am happy with this way to pass the time. This is perfect since I can hear Aurora when she wakes up. When she opens her eyes, I will immediately be there to cuddle her for hours at a time.¡± She had ended up making a cake every day of the past week already, so it wasn''t surprising.

    Lucille scanned the ingredients for a moment. ¡°It''s good if you can do something you enjoy inside your room. Are those blueberries?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. This will be a citrus-blueberry cake. My mother used to love that recipe, and I will make sure that everyone here also adores it from now on. Angelica and Stella already love it. Darlene would eat the whole cake if she could, and Theodore devours everything I give him. So, you and Cedar will have to like it too. I would like to make it our family dish.¡±

    Lucille felt the warmth rushing to her face at that statement. Was it good to address her as part of the royal family? Probably not. But would she complain? No. She quickly averted her eyes as she stepped closer to the table. She stared at the dough in the bowl before looking at the empress.

    Blanche already grinned at the other woman. ¡°You can help me if you want to. I could need assistance.¡± The fact that her maids didn''t help her just meant that she didn''t need that at all, but she seemed to be eager to involve the other woman.

    Lucille was still more than skeptical when it came to baking something, but she wouldn''t refuse that offer. ¡°If you wish for it, I will gladly help.¡± Even if she doubted that she would do more than kneading whatever dough the empress prepared.

    Blanche had expected that answer. She already lifted some sort of big spoon and held it toward Lucille. ¡°Thank you very much. Will you stir the cream I prepared? It will take a little while, so I can take over when you get tired. It would be good if we could alternate between the two of us stirring it.¡±

    Lucille nodded and accepted the bowl. She began stirring the cream while glancing at the empress.

    Blanche hummed to herself while she cut some smaller pieces of a lemon to squeeze it above the dough in front of her. It seemed like she truly enjoyed baking. Somehow, it was nice to see how much effort she put into this. It had something calming about it.

    The women worked like this for a little while until Lucille remembered something she needed to ask. She spoke up after clearing her throat. ¡°I don''t know if asking this is...fine. But I am lost, so I would like your advice. Is there anything you would like to have for your birthday? Unfortunately, I am unsure whether my father will bring a gift for the household or whether I should get something too.¡±

    Blanche licked some dough off her finger while she sat down on the only empty space on the table. ¡°Won''t you attend with Cedar again? It''s fine if you and him get something together. He''ll probably bring some piece of jewelry again, and that will be fine. And to be honest, it''s just to keep up appearances. You can give me an empty box, and I will pretend to like it.¡±

    Lucille quickly shook her head. ¡°There is no way that I could do that.¡± She lowered her gaze after that. ¡°And...he...didn''t ask me this time. Cedar, I mean. He didn''t ask me whether we would go together again.¡± She didn''t want to admit it, but she had been a bit disappointed at that. Even if it was probably good to go separate ways when the rumors thanks to the last balls still hadn''t disappeared. She was dejected anyway. Balls at Cedar''s side were much more pleasant.

    Blanche crossed her arms and gave the other woman a bright grin. ¡°I''ll deal with that. I told you to trust him, right? He probably has a good reason why he didn''t ask you. If Cedar and I have one thing in common, it''s overthinking unimportant matters. So, don''t worry about that. He probably misinterpreted something, but we''ll get him on the right track in just a little while. He should come here in a few minutes after Theo stops bothering him. My husband is trying to get Cedar into politics, you know? Cedar worries about what others will say, and that''s why he needs a little push. It''s probably the same with this ball here.¡±

    Lucille nodded, but she wasn''t sure.

    The empress immediately seemed to notice that the other woman was dejected. She took care of that by offering Lucille countless bites of the dough and handing her blueberries before busying her with preparing the rest of the cake. When that only had a minimal effect, Blanche used her most powerful weapon. She had Lucille sit down on the sofa and handed over the sleeping Aurora.

    Of course, the baby managed to raise everyone''s mood just by being there.

    A few minutes passed, and then it seemed like the empress'' premonition came true. Someone knocked on the door.

    Blanche immediately raised her voice. ¡°It''s Cedar, right? He can come in.¡±

    Seconds later, the door opened. Somehow, it wasn''t surprising that Cedar entered the room. He made eye contact with Lucille and showed her a smile before turning to the empress.

    Blanche greeted him by gesturing to her dough and cream mix, which had already significantly become less than before. ¡°There you are. Will you taste-test this to make sure that it''s good?¡±

    Cedar only needed one glance at the half-empty bowl to conclude where the rest had gone. ¡°Did you not taste-test enough already? I can assure you that there is no need for me to steal the remaining pieces. If you want to make a cake, you should leave at least some dough to put into the oven.¡±

    Blanche glanced at her bowl and shrugged as if she just noted that she had nibbled on the dough a little too often. ¡°It''ll be fine. I think. If not, I will just make a second portion. Aurora sleeps the whole time and my documents for today are finished, so there is no need to rush.¡± She quickly finished the remaining steps and filled the dough into the baking form before handing it to Stella, who would bring it to the oven. Then she turned to the sofa and beamed at Cedar. ¡°Since Theo isn''t back yet, I assume that he annoyed you, didn''t he? Did he make you write the contract?¡±

    Cedar didn''t deny that. ¡°He did. Despite me repeatedly telling him that he has enough time to do it himself if he keeps nagging me. I may have been forced to write a few pages already. But he effectively lost all right to complain if someone notices that his handwriting suddenly changed.¡± He plopped down next to Lucille before leaning over to catch a glimpse of Aurora. ¡°It''s been a month now, and she is still so tiny.¡±

    Lucille grinned at that and moved her arm away so that he could see her better. ¡°I know, right? She is so small. You should see how sweet it is when she grasps your little finger with her whole hand. I still can''t believe that she''ll be the most powerful woman in the nation in a few years despite being so tiny now.¡± She slowly moved her free hand to stroke over Aurora''s hand.

    Blanche cleaned up some of the ingredients on the table before her maids took that work away from her. She glanced at them with annoyance before focusing her attention on the two on the sofa. ¡°What did you expect? That she will turn into an adult overnight? She will stay this small for a long time. When she is five, you may stop calling her tiny. But even then, she will still be so little and run around here. She will have so much energy that no one will be able to keep up with her. It''s good that Aurora has an uncle and an aunt who will help us.¡± She glanced at the couple to underline her comment.

    Lucille averted her eyes and looked at the baby in her arms again. Aurora stirred a bit before going back to a motionless sleep while her chest slowly lifted and sank again.

    For a change, Cedar didn''t say too much about that comment either. He only clarified one thing. ¡°You won''t give all your responsibility for your child to others. I won''t clean up her diapers.¡±

    Blanche hummed in approval. ¡°We''ll do that ourselves. You are the uncle, so that isn''t your task. But I can assure you that we will bother you to some extent. After all, Aurora will grow up with you, so she will probably demand your attention too. I''m sure that she will adore you, and I''m convinced that you will quickly begin pampering her too. Aurora might end up as a brat if all of us do everything for her like this.¡± She glanced down at her daughter with a soft smile before walking closer to the sofa. There, she crossed her arms and beamed at the couple. She stayed quiet for a short moment before speaking up again. ¡°My birthday is in ten days. Have you thought about what to do for then?¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Cedar raised his eyebrows at her. He glanced at Lucille, who didn''t reply, before meeting the empress'' gaze. ¡°You changed the topic quite suddenly. I don''t really have a plan. I have bought a small present, but I doubt that I am involved in much more planning. Does Your Majesty-¡±

    Blanche''s tone became a bit more authoritarian as she cut him off. ¡°No title.¡±

    Cedar met her gaze for a moment before he continued. ¡°Alright. Do you have anything special in mind? You surely have a reason to address this.¡±

    Blanche nodded. She showed the prince a bright smile before adding a short sentence that made the reason for her inquiry rather obvious. ¡°Will you escort someone that day?¡± How could she say this so directly? That made it obvious why she was asking.

    Lucille felt like her expression already revealed how unwell she was. She would have liked to vanish into thin air, but she couldn''t run away. She just stared at Aurora while hoping that Cedar wouldn''t get why Blanche was this tactless. This was more than embarrassing. Her heartbeat was already speeding up, and she risked getting red. Great.

    A few seconds passed in silence. Then Cedar replied in a voice that hinted a small bit of amusement. ¡°Well, I would have liked to ask Lady Valerian here to join me. I wasn''t sure whether her father would like it, but I was ready to ignore that. I planned on asking during the next few days.¡±

    Lucille lifted her gaze and made eye contact with Cedar. She could only stare at him before she opened her mouth without saying anything. She quickly closed it again while inwardly scolding herself. So, she had expected the worst when Cedar had intended to ask her? Wonderful.

    Cedar seemed to have noticed too. He just grinned at her while taking in her reaction.

    Blanche was content too, even if this didn''t have much to do with her. ¡°See? There your answer is. I told you he was just a bit slow. There is no way that he wouldn''t invite you. After all, you are certainly his favorite out of everyone here.¡±

    Cedar didn''t show any consideration even after Lucille blushed because of that comment. He just leaned closer to her and added his own words. ¡°Did you worry? I apologize for keeping you waiting then. Next time, I will ask earlier. You could just have asked me too, you know? I wouldn''t refuse your invitation. I would like to reaffirm the empress'' words, but that would only make her tell her husband. I don''t want to deal with the doctor handing me strange medicine again.¡± He surely was reminding her on purpose.

    Lucille averted her eyes and did her best to hold still to avoid waking up Aurora while she whispered her response. ¡°That''s...¡± She stopped herself and chose not to comment on those rumors arising because they had cuddled with each other the whole night. ¡°Thank you for inviting me. It will be an honor to go to the ball with you.¡±

    Cedar let out a small huff of air. ¡°Give me a chance to ask in a more...impressive way next time. This was a bit anticlimactic. I didn''t have a chance to use that as an excuse to give you flowers either.¡± He ignored how that made Lucille look up at him and turned to the empress. ¡°How exactly will the ball progress? After all, you and Theodore won''t stay there for too long, right? You can''t leave your daughter alone for the whole evening.¡±

    Blanche nodded. ¡°We decided against showing Aurora because she is too young, which means that we will need to disappear earlier. I will receive my gifts, and then we will immediately leave. But we don''t want to end the ball after two or three hours. We will let it continue. Normally, Leon was the host while we were gone, but we thought that someone else could take on that role now.¡± She was hinting at the most obvious thing. After all, another member of royalty should take over when the royal couple disappeared.

    But the response should have been to be expected. Cedar met Blanche''s gaze with a bright smile. ¡°Don''t look at me like that. I surely won''t be hosting a ball in the royal palace.¡±

    The empress remained unimpressed. ¡°Well, it''s not like you have much of a choice. When we are gone, another inhabitant of the palace will have to deal with it. If Leon runs away, you could do it or leave it to Lady Valerian. Otherwise, the dowager empress will take over, and I doubt that will be more fun.¡±

    Cedar was quiet for a moment before he looked at Lucille. ¡°Then Leon has to deal with it, right? Because we surely won''t go around to talk to all the unpleasant guests.¡± He truly didn''t seem like he had the motivation to do so.

    Obviously, Lucille didn''t have it either. She quickly nodded to underline that. ¡°Lord Astame has much more experience when it comes to that. He should do it again. After all-¡±

    A small noise cut her off. It was just a little wail, but it only took a few seconds until it got louder. One gaze down quickly revealed that someone had woken up. Aurora was balling her tiny fists while crying and slowly but surely became more upset with each second.

    Blanche reacted within seconds. She immediately rushed to her baby''s side and picked her up to hold her in her arms. ¡°Don''t cry, my sweet angel. You are hungry, aren''t you? It''s been a while since you ate. We will have to take care of that now.¡±

    It almost seemed like Aurora had understood her mother since she slowly calmed down a bit.

    Blanche lifted her gaze and gave the others an apologetic smile. ¡°I''m sorry, but would you give me a chance to feed her? We can talk later again.¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded and jumped up. ¡°Of course, Your-¡±

    Blanche was pretty distracted, but she still noticed. ¡°No title. I will remind the both of you as often as necessary. Have a wonderful afternoon.¡±

    Cedar showed her a bright smile. ¡°Thank you very much. We hope that you will have a nice afternoon too.¡± He met the other''s gaze and seemed like he would add something. The empress narrowed her eyes at him, so he stopped himself. ¡°Will I get thrown out of the palace if I use the title now?¡±

    Blanche let out a low sigh. ¡°You will drive me insane with that at some point. I''m glad that you returned to teasing those around you more kindly, but I will stay unmoved in that regard. No title, or I will ignore you.¡± She turned to Lucille. ¡°Good afternoon. Please have some fun with this idiot here.¡±

    Lucille was a little taken aback by that, but she nodded. ¡°Goodbye. We hope that you and Aurora will have a wonderful afternoon too.¡± She quickly turned to leave and opened the door. When she looked over her shoulder, Cedar was too close to her, so she almost stumbled out of the room.

    That earned her a little laugh. Cedar beamed at her when he closed the door behind them. ¡°Did I scare you? I apologize for that.¡± He came in her direction and didn''t stop grinning even while he continued. ¡°It seems like you are a bit squeamish when it comes to me.¡±

    Lucille couldn''t deny that. She had always been a sensitive person, but Cedar being close to her always kept her brain from working properly. ¡°I...apologize. I just...didn''t expect you to be there so quickly.¡± She averted her eyes and quickly focused on walking forward without paying attention to the hallway at all. It shouldn''t have been surprising that she wouldn''t notice that someone came toward her. She only realized what was going on when an arm was wrapped around her waist to pull her back.

    A servant carried some big vase in front of their face and had almost run into Lucille, who hadn''t seen anything either, with full speed. They didn''t even notice that now and just walked forward in a hurry to get rid of that heavy thing.

    Lucille didn''t have the energy to do anything about that. She just stood there, or rather hung, in Cedar''s arms while trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. When she looked up, she was greeted with a blinding smile.

    ¡°You need to be more careful than that.¡± Cedar slowly pulled her up a bit so that she could focus on keeping her own weight steady again before he loosened his hold on her. He didn''t let go though and only whispered into her ear. ¡°I really can''t let you move around on your own, or you will get into an accident. It seems like I have to accompany you when you go out.¡±

    Lucille felt the familiar heat rushing to her face and quickly took a step forward before spinning around. ¡°I...I...sorry. I mean, thank you. But...you scared me first so...so...¡± She was stammering again. She forced herself to take a deep breath before continuing. ¡°You scared me, and that''s why I ran without looking.¡±

    Cedar let out a quiet snort. ¡°So, it seems like I throw you off balance just with my appearance? Then I will need to be more careful. When we go down the stairs, please be a little more attentive. I don''t want you to trip.¡±

    Lucille hurriedly nodded. She quickly used that chance to make them move forward. ¡°Let''s visit the garden while the sun is still out. It may rain later.¡± Her attempt to distract was obvious, but she didn''t care. She would be fine as long as they could walk in silence for a bit until she had calmed down enough to hide her blush.

    Thankfully, Cedar agreed. They used the shortest way to leave the building and walked around a bit. They took the main path, as always, and moved around in silence until they passed by the training square.

    Lucille saw the knights there and quickly used that chance to address a topic that wasn''t connected to her visible embarrassment. ¡°You trained a lot during the past few days, didn''t you?¡±

    Cedar smiled at her as if he knew what she was doing but responded anyway. ¡°Yes. I''ve always trained a lot. Right now, I''m doing less than during my confinement, but I think I''m content with the current amount. Did you want to ask something about that?¡±

    Actually, she had just wanted to distract him. But now that she remembered a bit more about what she had seen, she did have a question. It might be a bit unfitting to ask this. So, Lucille carefully addressed the issue without really touching on the most important part. ¡°Well, when you trained, I sometimes caught a glimpse of what you were doing. You are really good, you know. And when you fight, you always look so concentrated.¡± Cedar''s expression was extremely different when he was immersed in a duel. He looked so cold that it was enough to scare people. ¡°But as soon as...¡± She stopped herself while she glanced at Cedar. This was a sensitive issue, so she shouldn''t address it in public.

    But of course, Cedar had already noticed. He slowed his pace a bit to watch her while they walked. ¡°Lucille. By now, you should have realized that I have a soft spot for you. If you don''t insult me to my face, I won''t be angry. Even then, I would probably just accept it. So, ask your question. Is it about my expression?¡±

    He knew. Then she might as well just be honest. But she wanted to be careful still.

    Lucille walked a bit closer to him and looked around to make sure that they were alone. Then she lowered her voice and spoke to him. ¡°If you don''t want to answer, it''s fine. Just tell me then, and I won''t address it again. I''m not sure if I ever really asked you this so directly. Isn''t it exhausting to act so unaffected and happy all the time? In public, you are doing it constantly, but that''s only logical. Other nobles do that too. But the reason is different for you, right?¡± She wasn''t sure why she had suddenly felt the urge to ask this. She could only hope that Cedar wouldn''t mind the question.

    The prince stayed quiet for a little moment before he glanced at her. ¡°You did ask me once.¡± That was unfavorable. ¡°Apparently, you were too drugged to remember what we talked about though. To be honest, it''s a reflex. It only stops when I am acting out another role or when I''m truly upset for a moment. But the worse my mood gets, the more I smile, so I am covering it up most of the time.¡±

    Lucille remained silent for a few seconds. She knew that. She had seen it often enough. But there was more to this. She was hesitant, but she slowly asked him. ¡°I suspected that. But...it didn''t appear just like that, right?¡± She didn''t need to say more.

    As if to prove her point, Cedar grinned at her as he spoke. ¡°Of course not. In my childhood, I was used to doing anything in my power to please those around me. Showing strangers a polite smile was the norm. When I met my family, the same was appropriate. Mother also wanted me to act how she liked it. That meant I was supposed to be a perfect ruler and, more importantly, that I was supposed to be utterly devoted to her while being happy just with that. After my whining as a child wasn''t well received, I quickly stopped complaining. And when I smiled at her, as well as at others, I received the best results. Especially since not showing your weaknesses is crucial. And the more you smile, the easier you can deal with things that bother you.¡± He had probably taught himself to smile to process all the horrible things he had experienced in his childhood.

    Lucille didn''t ask for more than that. She knew that he wouldn''t admit more. And if he did say more, he would act like his pain back then hadn''t been that bad. She didn''t want to hear that. So, she stopped for now. If she was allowed to stay close to Cedar for longer, she would slowly unveil more about him and get to know him. She hoped that he would allow her to do that.

    Because she slowly wanted to learn more about him. In return, she might even admit more about herself too. Her story wasn''t even remotely as tragic as his, but she felt like sharing how she had been feeling might be good for the both of them.

    After all, two broken pots were able to hold water together.

 Chapter 84: Why It Has To Be Lucille

    Cedar had already been a bit confused about Theodore insisting on buying more clothes for him and Lucille for Blanche''s birthday ball. Yet, he had understood that to some extent. But now, he was a bit taken aback. He leaned against the door frame and stared at the two servants who stood in front of him. ¡°So, he sent you two to help me? That''s ironic. Doesn''t he know the whole story of what happened?¡±

    Harris shrugged. ¡°He does. Maybe he knows that I''m the only one here who will endure your presence without hitting you. Will you let us enter now, or are we supposed to stand here with these boxes for the next hour?¡±

    Cedar was a bit skeptical when he scanned the servant and his colleague, Clark, who looked so grim that he might as well be planning a murder. Harris was fine, but that other man was a bit problematic. Especially since Cedar had repeatedly told Theodore to refrain from sending servants. ¡°You may enter and put the boxes there before leaving. I do not wish for help while getting ready.¡± He had never allowed others to assist him, so he wouldn''t do it this time either. He stepped aside and made way for the other men. Then he waited by the door to close it behind them again.

    But apparently, the servants didn''t seem to want to leave. Harris just plopped down onto the chair by the table while his colleague stayed close to him. He relaxed a bit before replying. ¡°I won''t do anything if you don''t want our help. But you also won''t send us away. We''ll just pretend to have listened to His Majesty and trail behind you for a bit. This allows us to have some free time for a few minutes, so let us be.¡± Great.

    Cedar let out a low sigh. ¡°So, you will sit in my room and make me change elsewhere now? Thank you for your kindness. That surely helps instead of complicating matters.¡± He inwardly prepared to scold his brother later but focused on getting ready now. He moved over to the table and unceremoniously opened the box.

    Of course, it was the attire for today. He wasn''t surprised to find a lot of light blue again. Most likely, Lucille would be gorgeous in her matching dress. Madame Charture seemed to love that color on her.

    Cedar was content seeing Lucille in pretty dresses, so he wouldn''t complain. He glanced at the clock and quickly realized that he had more than enough time to change slowly before picking up Lucille. He would rather get it over with quickly to greet her early instead of sitting here with those servants awkwardly standing in the middle of his room. Cedar didn''t give them an explanation before taking the box and entering the dressing room.

    He got changed within a minute and returned after looking into a mirror once. As long as his hair wasn''t ruffled, he didn''t need any more preparation, but apparently, that was surprising. When he came back, it was obvious that the servants hadn''t expected him.

    The two men were whispering to each other. Harris was as relaxed as before while Clark was visibly frustrated. The latter one complained about something while the former one denied that. In the end, this only led to the both of them quarreling until Harris reached up to pull his lover down to kiss him.

    Cedar still stood in the doorway and considered retreating into his dressing room. It was frustrating enough to have those two stick to him, and now they wanted to kiss in his room too? That didn''t make him too happy. He was patient for many seconds, but when the others got more passionate instead of stopping, he didn''t hold back anymore. ¡°You know, you could have done that in your own room. I won''t tattle on you if you leave now.¡±

    That made the servants jump apart. They whipped their heads around to the other man, and Clark spoke up in an aggressive tone that was probably supposed to cover his growing embarrassment. ¡°When did you come in?¡±

    Cedar didn''t spare him more than an indifferent glance. ¡°A minute ago. I didn''t want to disturb you. Feel free to continue, but tell me first so that I can run away. I saw more than enough cuddling in front of me when I visited my brother.¡±

    Obviously, the servants didn''t continue. Harris stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°By the gods, you''re insufferable. You''re still so quiet that it''s unsettling. Tell people before you chime in like that. You gave us a heart attack.¡±

    Cedar replied in a dry tone. ¡°I was the one being mentally scarred because I had to witness things like this in my own room. You should be the one warning others.¡± He glanced at the clock and noted that he still had over an hour. Maybe it would be better to go now so that he could make the most out of the few minutes with Lucille before the ball began. He already prepared to go to the door but was stopped.

    Harris had crossed his arms and scanned the other man with skepticism. ¡°Why do you want to leave already? You have an hour left.¡±

    Cedar slowed his steps and turned around. ¡°I will either sit here or stand around outside. It won''t matter much. I will just take a short walk before I pick up Lucille.¡± And he might stop by in the winter garden to get some flowers.

    Harris seemed a bit annoyed at that. ¡°So, you will make us run around just because you are bored?¡±

    The prince''s response came immediately. ¡°I told you to leave me alone. If you can''t do that, I don''t care. Just go to your rooms, and continue your fun evening. I will find the way to the ballroom by myself.¡±

    Harris still didn''t give up. ¡°You''re oddly selective when it comes to using servants. Sometimes, you send them around to do random things just to annoy them, which you might have done with me too. And sometimes, you act like you don''t want the slightest bit of help at all. Maybe I should still offer you something. Should I make you some coffee before the party begins?¡± Now he was being petty. He knew that the prince disliked coffee.

    Cedar beamed at that. ¡°So, we''re going to play that game again? That would be kind of you, but I do prefer tea. Could you bring me some biscuits to go along with it as well? I''m not sure whether that was the exact word choice, but I think we used to banter like this. Well then, if you will excuse me.¡± He spun around and opened the door to leave.

    As expected, footsteps sounded behind him, which probably meant that those two would really follow him. That certainly wouldn''t be annoying at all.

    Cedar held back a sigh and let the door fall shut behind him.

    It only took seconds for it to open again before Harris and Clark came out. The latter one looked pretty annoyed, but the former one didn''t care much. Harris just stated a fact. ¡°You aren''t supposed to pick up Lady Valerian at her room, by the way. She will come downstairs. His and Her Majesty wanted to see your reaction upon seeing her.¡±

    So, the prince couldn''t even see Lucille early? ¡°Since when are these two so nosy? It seems like the servants here are influencing their masters.¡± He didn''t say more about that and just prepared to leave. ¡°Then it may be better to go early. I know that my brother and his wife will delay their entrance again, so it would be good to remind them to do their part. Also, I need to wish Her Majesty a happy birthday.¡± He actually just wanted to go to the winter garden, but this excuse was a better reason.

    In reality, he wanted to pick flowers. He would probably just take one and put it into Lucille''s hair again. He couldn''t bring a bouquet without people assuming that it was for the birthday child after all.

    Cedar had only walked down the first staircase and already got annoyed at the thought of being followed. But he forced himself to keep his pace steady instead of running away. He waited until the two caught up to him before speaking up in a quiet voice. ¡°So, you will follow me to the ballroom? It seems like privacy isn''t a known word here. And Theodore ordered you to do that?¡± That was a bit odd. Cedar was pretty sure that those servants had something else in mind aside from just accompanying him. The emperor didn''t have any servants with him either, so he would never insist on his brother taking some. ¡°Say. Did Theodore perhaps give you a specific task? Are you supposed to keep me from doing something stupid? Or are you supposed to be witnesses?¡±

    Harris was a good actor, so he didn''t even flinch. But Clark tensed. Bullseye. They were supposed to stand at the side while some unpleasant person showed up.

    Cedar''s mood quickly deteriorated. He directed his gaze onto the hallway in front of them. ¡°We will meet someone we dislike soon? Then it''s either my mother or Lady Peril. Since Theodore didn''t give me any guards, it''s probably the latter one. Great.¡± Jenna had waited outside the ballroom during events to corner Cedar a few times already. He had always managed to get away after a moment thanks to his mother, but it had still been unpleasant.

    And now it seemed like Lady Peril would have a lot of time since Camille wasn''t here to get jealous. Oh, how Cedar looked forward to that.

    For a few seconds, it was quiet until Harris spoke up. He wasn''t very loud, but he was unusually serious, which already proved that this conversation wouldn''t be pleasant. ¡°His Majesty didn''t tell us much. He only said that she molested you at some point despite you never showing interest in her. It seems like you are rather famous with the ladies. I didn''t even notice that you managed to get someone to fall for you last year.¡±

    Cedar considered whether he should just stay quiet about this. But then he saw how the other man opened his mouth again and spoke up first. ¡°That wasn''t last year. That was seven years ago.¡± He didn''t even wait for the reaction and just walked forward. He didn''t need a comment about why he hadn''t agreed to Jenna''s advances.

    Harris froze in his tracks. He took a moment before he quickened his steps again. Then he spoke up with some strange emotions in his voice. ¡°No way. How old were you then?¡±

    Cedar glanced to the side. He almost expected Jenna to run into him at full speed because she had hidden somewhere. This was the easiest way to make skin contact with him after all. He replied without meeting Harris'' gaze. ¡°Fourteen. As you can hear, Lady Peril is an old acquaintance. We occasionally met during all kinds of events.¡± He didn''t say more. After all, Theodore had probably explained the rest. And Cedar was right with his assumption. He only needed to check the others'' expressions for a moment and quickly found that they were displeased.

    It was surprising to see that Clark even commented on that. ¡°That''s disgusting.¡±

    Cedar wasn''t sure whether that was referring to him, Jenna, or the situation in general. He didn''t care much either. He knew that he was disgusted with that woman, but actually admitting it was something completely different. So, he just kept walking and scanned his surroundings.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    If that woman chose to approach him from behind, they would have a problem. After all, Cedar couldn''t get rid of his instinct to attack anything that surprised him. If she came closer slowly, it would be fine, but if she tried to catch him by surprise, he might accidentally throw her onto the floor. That wouldn''t be good with any nobles around them in general and even less pleasant with her. After all, Jenna probably wouldn''t be scared or upset like normal people would be.

    The prince came down the second staircase. It was more likely for Lady Peril to be around here somewhere. She probably stood in one of the hallways close to the ballroom so that she could see him pass by. If he took a small detour to the end of the palace, he might be able to avoid her and go to the winter garden without any issues. But Cedar doubted that he would be so lucky.

    Just a second later, he was reminded of why he shouldn''t trust his luck too.

    Jenna was in the neighboring hallway. No one would be able to overlook her presence. Not when she had done her best to stick out. Her lips were colored in a dark red, which matched the fabric of her dress and the fan, which she naturally had with her. In the past, she had worn much bolder things, but this was still more pushy than anything she had put on in a while. At least she had held back a little by choosing a normal neckline instead of a very low one. She had probably just done that because this was still the birthday of a member of royalty.

    This was already enough to make Cedar annoyed though. When they made eye contact, he seriously considered smiling at her before ignoring her completely. But of course, he couldn''t do that. If he did that, he would admit that she had affected him negatively, and he would be more impolite than a prince should be when it came to Artias'' citizens. Cedar almost sighed at that and walked forward.

    Jenna moved away from the wall she had leaned against when she saw him. A soft smile formed on her lips as she approached. Her dress rustled a bit, and that noise was enough to make Cedar want to run away.

    Naturally, he didn''t do that. He waited for her to arrive in front of him and greeted her with a polite smile. ¡°Good afternoon, Lady Peril. What a pleasant surprise it is to see you here. Would you mind me asking about why you are not in the ballroom, where the main event is supposed to be held? Is there an issue?¡±

    Jenna continued to smile at him while she held her fan in front of her right cheek. She did her best to look bashful when she averted her eyes. ¡°Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness. The evening has to be wonderful now that I have seen you.¡± She stayed quiet for a short moment and acted like she was shy while she drew her fan across her cheek. ¡°I...have to admit that I came out here to meet you. It''s been a while since we last talked, and I was getting worried because of...¡± She let her voice trail off. Then she lifted her gaze to meet Cedar''s. ¡°I wished to ask something, Your Royal Highness. Could you perhaps tell me if I did anything wrong? If something I did displeased you, I am willing to do anything to make up for that. Anything.¡± Of course, she had to phrase it like that.

    Cedar only continued to smile at her. ¡°Pardon me, but I am not sure what are you referring to. If I was upset with you...¡± Which he certainly was. ¡°You would know the reason. What makes you believe that I was displeased?¡± Maybe the fact that he hated her and had problems hiding that.

    Jenna pretended to be a bit uncertain about whether she should mention it. But of course, she quickly spoke up when he opened his mouth. ¡°Last time, you left me alone without a warning and even told a royal guard to bring me away. That wasn''t nice at all.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°I was deeply wounded and thought that I might have upset you because you were in the middle of doing something important. I sincerely apologize for bothering you in that unfitting moment. I was too desperate to think clearly, so I would like to ask for your forgiveness.¡±

    Cedar hated her so much that it physically hurt to talk to her. His smile had to be as radiant as ever. ¡°I can calm you then. I will not hold it against you. As long as you remember to listen when people ask you to step aside, there will not be an issue. You may return to the other guests now. It would be a shame to let your husband wait.¡± He knew that it wasn''t done with this. That would have been too easy.

    Jenna walked a bit closer to him. She looked up at him with that disgusting spark of playfulness in her eyes. ¡°Oh, I do not think that everything is resolved just like this. There is another big issue we need to discuss.¡±

    Cedar refused to ask.

    She didn''t let that stop her. She just came closer to him. Then she started using her revolting tricks again. She stroked the tip of the fan over his arm while whispering to him in a voice that was probably supposed to sound inviting. ¡°You never pay attention to me anymore. Is that because of Lady Valerian? I have to say I''m disappointed. When it comes to looks and status, I am certainly superior.¡± Definitely not. Lucille was much more beautiful.

    But Cedar didn''t say that and just calmly met Jenna''s gaze. ¡°I am uncertain what this conversation is supposed to lead to. It is true that I deeply care for Lucille. There is no denying it.¡± Not when everyone had already seen how he had defended her from his mother.

    Lady Peril''s face showed a small bit of dismay for a moment, but then she quickly smiled at him again. She leaned a bit closer and whispered to him.¡°But as I said, it''s not because of her appearance or her family''s influence. Do you like her for her personality then? Because she is so submissive and meek and shy? Because she needs you to protect her?¡±

    Cedar had expected some comment about Lucille being boring, but that was an odd statement. He beamed at Jenna while responding. ¡°I would not describe her personality like that. And I am not sure what you mean by me liking her for this. I like Lucille because she is herself.¡± He liked every aspect of Lucille, so it was hard to describe.

    Jenna slowly opened her fan and closed it again while moving even closer leisurely, as if she hoped that Cedar wouldn''t notice it. ¡°Sure. I saw how she acts around you. She looks at you like you are her knight in shining armor. She hides behind you and completely relies on you. I can understand the appeal. I just wanted to remind you that she isn''t the only one that can act like that. Crying and playing the poor, little, innocent damsel in distress isn''t hard.¡±

    Cedar was about to back away now. He hated showing that he disliked Jenna being close because he wanted to make it seem like he didn''t care at all, but he had no interest in letting her hands roam across him again. Pushing her away was the worst thing he could do though. ¡°Lady Peril, I am uncertain what you are talking about. I would like to pass now.¡±

    Obviously, Jenna ignored him. ¡°I will be completely honest, Your Royal Highness. By now, everyone should know that I clearly favor you. I can be everything you want me to be. I can act out everything that you find attractive. I can be brazen and arrogant. I could be a brat that needs to be put into place or a dignified, cold lady. But I can also be like her. I can be shy and submissive. I can bow down to your will and cling to you while being a bit desperate and begging for your attention. I will learn about all of your preferences and be the perfect lover. I am not as wimpy as she is, so I can actually fulfill your desires and allow you to act on all of your urges. You only need to grant me one night to prove it.¡±

    If Cedar acted on any urges right now, he would throw up. How could someone be so revolting? Even his mother didn''t manage to make him so nauseous. Maybe he just hated Jenna''s perfume too. She had started using a more subtle one, but it was still too much for his nose. Today she was exceptionally pushy, so it wouldn''t be a wonder if he just felt like throwing up because of her presence though. ¡°That is an awfully direct invitation. Did you give up on being subtle?¡±

    Jenna let out a small chuckle as she closed the remaining distance between them. ¡°I was never subtle. Everyone knows that I like you the most. This is why I am giving you this advice. You can replace her with me and gain much more from it. My family can give you more influence, and I will be less exhausting than she is. Don''t you understand? You aren''t in love with her. You like seeing how dependent she is on you. It''s easy to see. Especially because this is similar to what your brother has. His wife is completely dependent on his whims too, you know?¡± So, she had spoken to Camille about this. She wanted to use Cedar''s biggest weakness against him.

    But she had made a little miscalculation.

    For a second, the well-known fear welled up in Cedar again. What if all of his feelings for Lucille were just an illusion that his brain had come up with to compensate for the lack of love he had received? What if he was jealous of Theodore''s fairy tale romance and wanted the same?

    But then a crucial little mistake made everything clear. He might imagine something false to be true because of his messed up brain, but his body couldn''t make up what it felt like. Without wanting it, Jenna might have helped him.

    Cedar''s smile became an honest one as relief washed through him. ¡°If that was really it, it would make sense to some extent.¡±

    Lady Peril seemed to misunderstand his reaction. She quickly nodded as her smile grew. ¡°Yes, you see-¡±

    Cedar cut her off there. ¡°To some extent. But that wouldn''t explain why it has to be Lucille.¡±

    In an instant, Jenna''s smile disappeared again. ¡°What?¡±

    He was glad to respond to her for once in his life. ¡°I''m pretty sure that you ran to my mother and copied your words from her. So, I will tell you the same thing that I told her. If I wanted to imitate my brother, I would want to get closer to his wife. If that isn''t the case, it would hint that the woman doesn''t matter much as long as my brain can pretend to like her, right? That is what you are saying. If so, then why don''t I feel anything?¡±

    By now, Jenna was perplexed. ¡°Pardon. I am not quite sure what you...¡± She had been lenient for a moment, and he used that for his sake.

    Cedar happily explained that with a bright smile. ¡°If any woman was fine, you should be fine too. And yet, my heart never skipped a beat. My breath didn''t hitch, and I didn''t get red. I didn''t feel the urge to hug you, even though you came much closer to me than most people here. It''s because you''re not Lucille. I don''t just want any woman. I want her. So, this can''t be some mind game.¡± He did like Lucille. His heart couldn''t imitate being in love after all. And only him being in love could explain why he didn''t mind opening up to Lucille.

    He stepped to the side and began walking down the corridor without stopping to check on Lady Peril. He should have expected that she would do something, but he didn''t care. Right now, Cedar''s mood had suddenly become much better. His feelings weren''t a joke. That was much more relieving than it should have been. He could finally get rid of the doubts that his mother had implanted into his brain. That was satisfying.

    Moments later, Jenna''s voice cut through the air. She was upset, and that much was obvious because of her colder tone. ¡°You should know that Lady Valerian wished to impress your brother at some point. She favored the very person that you hate so much. I was always loyal to you. Why would-¡±

    Cedar knew about what had happened then. Lucille had already told him, so he didn''t care. He was much too happy right now. He didn''t even glance over his shoulder while responding. ¡°Give it up. The game is already lost. She already has the position you strove for. It''s much too late for me and Lucille to stop now. You don''t need to keep on acting.¡± Of course, he wasn''t able to leave just like that though.

    Jenna''s dress rustled, and her footsteps quickened. She appeared next to the prince with a wide smile that made it seem like he wouldn''t want to hear her words. She quickly proved that he had been right with that assumption as she spoke with mockery. ¡°So, she was with you already? Then she will quickly lose her appeal. After all, she is just a little inexperienced girl. You will get tired of her. And when that time comes, I will be here waiting for you. I can please you instead of being a temporary liaison.¡±

    Cedar didn''t want to listen to her, but he didn''t even get angry. Maybe because he had understood that he might be in the middle of falling in love. So, he wasn''t unable to feel affection at all. His mother hadn''t messed him up completely. This thought was the only reason that he managed to reply while still being in a good mood. ¡°Remember that you are married. If anyone heard this, your reputation would quickly decrease.¡±

    Jenna was a bit too convinced when she replied. ¡°Oh, not at all. Everyone knows that I have always been very interested in you. My husband would be happy if you finally accepted me just so that he doesn''t have to put up with me gushing about you anymore.¡± Her tone was so sultry that it was disgusting to listen to, and yet, there was some bitter hint hidden behind it.

    Cedar ignored all of that. Maybe he was still getting a bit annoyed despite his good mood, so he quickly sent her away. ¡°Return to the ballroom, Lady Peril. I''m not interested. Goodbye.¡± He didn''t wait for a response and just rounded the next corner. He was relieved when he noticed that the pair of footsteps had stopped. Cedar didn''t slow his pace even when Jenna yelled after him once more.

    ¡°Don''t forget what I told you.¡± It seemed like she had given up for now. Thank the gods.

    Cedar would like to keep a spark of this small happiness when he went to meet Lucille. He wanted to beam at her with this honest smile for once.

    Seconds passed, and two pairs of footsteps came closer. These had to be the two servants. That thought was quickly proven to be true as Cedar turned around. Both Harris'' and Clark''s expressions were full of disgust when they appeared next to the prince.

    It was satisfying to see that others thought the same thing about Jenna that Cedar thought as well. ¡°See? That''s why I never really liked her much.¡± But even her presence couldn''t ruin his mood when he thought about Lucille.

    He truly did like Lucille. This wasn''t an illusion.

    Harris took a moment to calm down after that encounter before he turned to the prince. He only needed to scan the other''s expression for a while before he came to the conclusion that the prince was genuinely content at the moment. And seemingly, that only left one obvious reason. ¡°Now you will go pick up Lady Valerian?¡±

    Others could see that Cedar was only this happy when he went to see Lucille? Maybe. At the moment, that conclusion held true. For a change, his radiant smile wasn''t fake. ¡°Yes. After getting a few flowers for her, we will go there.¡± White or golden flowers might be nice. They would fit with any outfit and only underline how sweet Lucille was.

    Maybe he should bring her a bouquet after all. He was the one escorting her, so this should be fine, should it not? And even if that didn''t justify it, he liked her a lot. That surely gave him a good reason to give her flowers.

 Chapter 85: Fireworks

¡°

    <hr>

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 86: Consequences

¡°

    ¡°

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    she saw you. Hopefully, your mother won''t cause a commotion again like last time.¡±

    ¡°

    very upset.

 Chapter 87: Princess Consort

    <hr>

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    everything he likes. I know that I can take it, but can you?¡± It felt like a sacrilege when she spoke about Cedar. Especially when she did it with that look in her eyes.

    desire you.¡± She sounded much too satisfied while mouthing the last part.

    for the time being.¡± She stressed the last words with a lot of emphasis. ¡°So, you have his favor. That qualifies you to become his mistress. Congratulations. That doesn''t mean that his lawful wife will quietly accept your presence though. If she manages to win him over and proves that he doesn''t need anyone else, a mistress wouldn''t be required to stay here either, correct? Your position is unstable. It is obvious that he will marry some influential woman at some point, right? You can''t take that spot since you don''t possess some of the most important qualifications. But at least you could become his concubine for a few years. He is the prince of Artias, so that is an honor.¡±

    really think he would leave all of his skills to decay?¡± Was she proposing that Cedar would still try to overthrow his brother? That was dangerous for him and for her. But in the end, her words had missed the intended goal.

    ¡°

 Chapter 88: Wonderful and Vile Plans (1)

    Cedar had thought that his mood could only become better after leaving the office. For a moment, he had been happy upon seeing Lucille, but then the other woman had appeared in the corner of his eyes.

    Jenna Peril seemed to do her best to make him angry at the moment. Her embarrassing comments yesterday hadn''t been enough. Now she also bothered Lucille. It was easy to guess what kind of mind games she would begin to play with the poor woman who had attracted her jealousy.

    Cedar felt his smile widen and couldn''t stop himself from rushing in as soon as he reached the hallway. ¡°Lucille?¡± He made eye contact with her, and his anger flamed up even more.

    Lucille looked like she was scared. Of course, she didn''t fear for her life, but she was affected by whatever Jenna had told her.

    It seemed like Cedar would need to make one thing clear here. He didn''t hesitate to pull Lucille into his arms.

    For a moment, Lucille tensed, but then she relaxed and returned the hug.

    Cedar didn''t miss the shadow of wrath that seemed to appear on Jenna''s face for a moment. He also didn''t hide his anger. Even if he was still smiling, his eyes had to have been cold. ¡°Good day, Lady Peril. How have you been? Was the guest room satisfactory?¡±

    Jenna quickly returned to her typical expression in front of the prince. She showed that sickening smile and made a small curtsy. ¡°I wish you a wonderful day, Your Royal Highness. It is a great pleasure to meet you here. Of course, the room was beautiful, and there weren''t any problems, as usual. My day was rather nice, and it only got better with your appearance. It is wonderful to see you first thing in the morning.¡± It was almost noon. She surely had met others before.

    But Cedar didn''t even have enough energy left to point that out. He just smiled at Jenna while thinking about leaving without another word. He considered that option for a few seconds before he decided to say something else. ¡°It seems that you met Lucille first though. What did you talk about?¡±

    Lady Peril couldn''t even hide that it had been about him, but she neutralized her expression quickly. ¡°Nothing special, Your Royal Highness. Lady Valerian and I spoke about make-up and about how the ball yesterday was.¡± That probably wasn''t a lie, but it also wasn''t the whole truth.

    Cedar let out a little huff before he looked down. He made eye contact with Lucille before speaking at a volume that was loud enough for Jenna to hear. ¡°That sounds like you had a nice conversation. It''s good if you had fun, but you don''t have to worry if something sounded odd. Lady Peril often says...careless things. It would be best if you confirm it first before believing her.¡± That was the kind way of saying that Jenna was probably spouting lies the whole time. Surely, that woman wanted to implant some fake stories that were even worse than reality into Lucille''s head so that she wouldn''t come too close to him anymore. Cedar wasn''t happy about that at all.

    Jenna already annoyed him just with her presence, and the fact that she acted like she was hurt by that statement made it even worse. She pouted and lifted her fan higher. ¡°That makes it sound like I''m a liar, which I''m certainly not, Your Royal Highness. I may gossip a bit, but nothing I said wasn''t true. I merely wished to talk to Lady Valerian about the fireworks. How could I lie about that?¡±

    Cedar didn''t look at her while responding. ¡°It wasn''t my intention to make it sound like this. I only meant that there were cases of people being misinformed after you gossiped with them. So, don''t take it to heart. My words are only based on experience.¡± He focused his intention on Lucille again and smiled at her.

    Lucille was already as red as a tomato again. It was adorable, but he barely had time to think about that.

    Cedar quickly stroked over her head once before speaking up. ¡°I hope that the conversation was pleasant. I apologize for interrupting. I just saw you and thought that you were alone. Did you come to visit Aurora? If so, that is a good coincidence. I need to see my niece too. Let''s go there together.¡±

    Lucille could only stare at him before she slowly nodded. ¡°Yes... I am on my way to her.¡± Good. Then they could use that chance to disappear without needing to talk to Jenna longer.

    Cedar was already prepared to voice that excuse, but he didn''t manage to speak up in time.

    Lady Peril already looked at him with a strange expression. She took a few steps forward before opening her mouth. ¡°I sincerely apologize. But would you please give me a moment to say one thing? I would like to tell you this because I feel like it is important for you to keep this in mind. I hope that you will not feel offended and that it doesn''t seem like I am intruding in matters that aren''t my business.¡± If she had to clarify this, Cedar didn''t want to hear it.

    But the prince only showed her a bright smile. ¡°If you feel like it is important to say this, go ahead. Of course, I will not be too harsh, as always. But remember that I will not be silent when I believe that you are being too insolent. Good intentions don''t justify everything. I am still a member of the royal family, so I will have to draw the line at some point, even if it pains me to be strict.¡± It didn''t pain him at all. He would like to throw that woman out of the palace, and any justification would be wonderful.

    Jenna hurriedly nodded. ¡°Of course, Your Royal Highness. How could I forget that? I will do my best to be careful.¡± She put on a concerned expression before she slowly began. ¡°I am well aware that this is a sensitive matter and that you know what you are doing. But I couldn''t help but worry. I only wish to remind you that you should be patient in some cases. Some infatuations only last for a short time, and one should make sure whether they will go on longer before making a decision. You shouldn''t make a misstep here, especially since you are a member of the royal family. It would be problematic if you were forced to take responsibility because of a careless mistake.¡± So, she was referring to Lucille.

    Cedar had to admit that someone calling the woman he cared about a mistake made him more upset than it should have. By now, he did understand why Theodore''s temper was so dependent on whether people dared to offend his beloved Blanche. Cedar considered pointing that out but chose not to. That he was still holding Lucille in his arms should have said everything. ¡°I thank you for your concern, but it is unnecessary. As you said, I am well aware of what I am doing. And I don''t mind taking responsibility if I do something that requires it. I told you that yesterday, didn''t I?¡± He would like to inform Jenna that he had already spent the night in Lucille''s room, but Lucille would probably faint if he did that. So, he held back and just showed Lady Peril his smile while waiting for a response.

    Jenna didn''t show any dismay this time. She just nodded in approval before replying. ¡°Of course, Your Royal Highness. It''s just that I, as a long-time friend, can''t help but watch with worry.¡± She wasn''t his friend at all, but she didn''t seem to care about that. ¡°I merely wished to remind you of the fact that you need to keep that in mind. After all, you should not decide who will be the woman by your side carelessly.¡±

    Lucille seemed to have understood the whole meaning of this by now as well. She didn''t seem to notice it, but her hold on Cedar tightened. Apparently, she liked Jenna as little as he did.

    Lady Peril didn''t get that message though. She just continued to talk without taking a break. ¡°I do trust you from the bottom of my heart. But I fear that you may be swayed by temporary factors and that-¡± She cut herself off. Her eyes fell onto something behind the prince, and for a second, annoyance flashed across her features.

    Cedar had seen that expression a few times now and knew that someone who would drag Jenna away had come. He turned around to face the other man.

    Lord Peril looked like he was so tired that he might as well be three decades older than he actually was. Normally, a man in his thirties wasn''t this fed up with his life, but the reason was easy to discern. Eugene had probably never cared about Jenna, much like she had never cared for him. They both had only married because a union between their families had been convenient. In the end, he had probably regretted that decision though. He was the person who suffered most under his wife''s horrible personality. He wasn''t even strong-willed enough to keep her from openly pursuing another man. To be honest, Eugene probably hoped that Cedar would give in at some point, just because he could justify a divorce then. That was a bit cowardly, but no one could blame him.

    Cedar was glad he was here because he could use that man now. He didn''t waste a moment before ending the conversation. ¡°There your husband is. We just talked about him. What a coincidence. Well, then. Since Lucille and I have to go, it would be good for him to leave with you now.¡±

    That was an indirect order, and Lord Peril understood it as such. He had barely arrived but didn''t complain about not being greeted. He probably knew that Jenna had ruined the prince''s mood already and tried to pick up the broken shards of his family''s honor. ¡°Of course, Your Royal Highness. We will leave immediately. May you and Lady Valerian have a wonderful afternoon.¡± He hurried to grab his wife''s arm and pulled her away despite her pouting.

    Jenna brushed off his hand once before making an exaggerated curtsy. ¡°Goodbye, Your Royal Highness. I sincerely hope that we will meet each other soon again.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Cedar hoped the opposite. ¡°Good day, Lord and Lady Peril. May your carriage not be damaged today.¡± If it was, he didn''t care. Jenna had been at fault for that anyway, so she should figure out how she would get home now. ¡°We will meet each other during the next event.¡± Even if he hoped that Jenna would be sick then.

    Lord Peril quickly bowed again before he dragged his wife away. Maybe he was so careful because he had seen the kiss yesterday too and knew that it could get problematic if Jenna caused a scene now.

    In any case, Cedar was thankful. He waited until the couple was gone and then looked down at Lucille. She was still so red and almost looked like she had a fever. But she didn''t seem to have one and just reacted like this because she was still in his arms and leaned against him. That almost made him tease her again, but he was too worried at the moment. He had no idea what Lady Peril had told her, so he needed to deal with that first. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Lucille hesitantly looked up at him while still being visibly uncertain about whether this was ¡®alright¡¯. ¡°Yes.¡± That was a lie.

    Cedar gave his best to show the most encouraging smile he could offer. ¡°That''s good. She probably said strange things, didn''t she? You can forget all of that. She likes to lie and spout nonsense, so don''t think about what she tried to convince you of. That woman is used to poking at other''s worries.¡±

    Lucille gave him a fake smile in return. ¡°It wasn''t anything...special. I will forget it.¡± She was much more uncertain than she admitted to being, and that stung in his heart.

    Jenna always liked to ruin others'' confidence. She rarely did it, but sometimes, she had picked out someone who had fought with her and had ruined their reputation completely. This had only met rather unpleasant people in the past, and surely, she couldn''t do that when the prince, the emperor and the empress supported Lucille, but Jenna probably wanted to get rid of the other woman anyway. The easiest way to do that would be to plant little seeds of doubt into Lucille''s head. Jenna had enough things to say to ensure that this was successful too.

    Cedar felt something unpleasant tingling in his stomach. He hated this feeling. The thought of Lucille choosing to turn away because she found out about something in his past was bad enough. No one else had to interfere. So, he made another attempt. ¡°Are you sure that it''s fine? You can tell me what she said, and we can talk about it.¡±

    Lucille tried her best to show a convincing smile, but she failed miserably. ¡°It''s fine. Really. She just said strange things. I don''t think you even need to hear that.¡± She averted her eyes immediately after saying that. The fact that she hadn''t thought about letting go of him yet and just remained in his arms despite them being in the middle of a corridor only proved that it wasn''t fine. She was scared of something.

    Cedar knew that he should hold back and let her tell him everything at her own pace, but he was too nosy. He knew that Jenna had said something unfavorable about him, so he needed to limit the damages by addressing it. He was good at getting information out of people anyway.

    So, he was rather tactless about it and relentlessly asked about what was wrong during the next few days.

    <hr>

    As usual, Cedar''s stubbornness paid off. After a few days of casually mentioning the issue, he finally received the answer while they sat in the pavilion.

    Lucille sat next to him and looked like she was as unwell as she could be in a relaxed environment. She fiddled with her hands in her lap and barely dared to meet his gaze. ¡°The thing is...that we didn''t... That ball wasn''t...¡± She had attempted to voice it around five times now and still didn''t manage to say it.

    Cedar had told himself that he would stay quiet, but at this point, he wanted to help her. ¡°Do you mean it''s because of the kiss?¡±

    Apparently, Lucille hadn''t expected him to say it so outright. She immediately lowered her head and covered her face with her hands. Then she weakly nodded without letting him see her face. She was obviously red again, and her voice was much too quiet, but she finally spoke. ¡°Others...saw. The rumors that...could surface might be very problematic.¡±

    Cedar understood exactly what she meant, but he would be mean today. He needed her to voice her worry directly, or she would always avoid it. ¡°Why?¡±

    Lucille tensed and let her upper body fall forward even more. She shook her head to herself and probably wished that she could disappear into thin air. But of course, she just held still and gave herself a moment in silence. Then she admitted it in such a weak and shaky voice that he had to lean over to understand her. ¡°For you, it probably won''t be an issue. You will always have enough chances to marry. But...I...¡± She didn''t seem to get that he already knew what the problem was.

    Cedar felt a bit bad, but he forced himself to reply in the most cheerful voice imaginable. If she was worried, he needed to seem like he had absolutely no issue with whatever came toward them. ¡°You know, you are being rather mean.¡±

    Lucille froze. She struggled with herself but then finally lowered her hands and looked up at him with obvious confusion being painted onto her face. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    He smiled at her before replying in a soft whisper. ¡°First, you tell me that you like me a lot, and a few days later, you think about how to marry someone else. That is pretty mean.¡±

    Lucille didn''t seem to find that funny at all. Her expression revealed that she was worried about hurting him now. But she still didn''t give up. She clutched her dress while meeting his gaze with something like despair in her eyes. ¡°But...I will need to marry at some point.¡± Of course.

    Cedar knew that. And of course, he should also know that Lucille shouldn''t ever consider marrying him. That was a horrible idea and would only bring bad things to her. But the thought of her marrying someone else was too unpleasant. He knew that it was selfish, but the words slipped out before he could stop them. ¡°If you will marry someone anyway, it should be someone you like. It would be good to choose a person you get along with, right? Someone you could imagine spending your life with. Should I be hurt by you not even considering me as a partner, or should I double my efforts to win you over?¡± By the gods, this was a terrible idea.

    What was he thinking? Nothing, apparently.

    If he had the slightest bit of human decency, he would try to keep her from a life with a person who had been raised by Camille.

    And if Lucille had the slightest bit of an understanding of how horrible Cedar really was, she wouldn''t look at him like that after he said it. Something like hope appeared on her face. Then a few seconds passed, and immediately, this emotion was washed away by worry. She looked at him with so much disbelief that it almost hurt. ¡°Really? So...you mean...¡± She didn''t dare to finish that sentence, even though he had clearly hinted at that.

    Cedar just watched her while trying to phrase his response properly. He didn''t want to hurt her, but this was a stupid idea. Once she began to hope, there was no way for him to crush her dreams. She shouldn''t even want to marry him. Why did she look at him like this? It didn''t make sense. And what made even less sense was that Cedar was almost relieved that she had that expression on her face.

    If all of this happened because Lucille wanted it, he could tell himself that he didn''t selfishly ruin her life. Then he could remind himself that she had wanted this too and that it made the both of them happy.

    Apparently, Cedar still hadn''t regained his mind when he replied because he forgot everything about phrasing it carefully as soon as he opened his mouth. ¡°There is nothing that would make that impossible. Of course, we shouldn''t decide something like this so early.¡± Lucille was eighteen, so she wasn''t even an adult yet. He would like to give her time until then at least. He didn''t want to trap her in a marriage with a member of the royal family just because she had accidentally fallen for the wrong person in her youth. ¡°We''ve known each other for about half a year now, so deciding anything at the moment would be too quick. But the option is definitely there.¡± Honestly, he would rather marry Lucille than anyone else. He couldn''t imagine that Theodore would complain, so they were actually free to do that as soon as Lucille was an adult and could sign the legal contract.

    Lucille looked at him for a few seconds, and he could see how her brain cycled through multiple phases of realization. At first, there was joy, then skepticism, and in the end, she grasped the full extent of what he had said. She was probably as shocked about his careless comment as he was, but she was the one who hid her face in her hands again and refused to look at him.

    Cedar tried to ignore how loudly his heart was pounding as he smiled at her. ¡°That''s a strange response. Can I hope now, or was I rejected without a second thought?¡±

    Lucille let out some quiet noise before forcing herself to reply despite her obvious discomfort. ¡°Not...a rejection... I''m just...¡± She paused and still refused to look up. ¡°Too quick.¡± Definitely.

    Cedar already asked himself whether he was an idiot. He forced himself to swallow that irritation completely while he replied. ¡°I know. That''s why I said that it isn''t necessary to decide anytime soon. We don''t have to tell anyone. Nor do we have to prepare rings or something like that. It''s just a valid option. So, you don''t have to think about whether you want that or not. You can simply focus on living your life for the time being. You just don''t have to worry about what will happen if people talk about what happened.¡±

    People would talk about that. There was no other option. If just one person had seen, that was enough to cause an uproar. In just a few days, everyone would know that the prince had kissed Lucille during the ball. Viscount Valerian might come to complain, but no one else would dare to say anything. Aside from Camille and Jenna, of course.

    Lucille probably knew that as well. She weakly nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± She didn''t even manage to say that one word without stuttering. But it sealed the deal. Why would she agree to Cedar telling her that they might marry? That was a horrible idea.

    And yet, Cedar couldn''t help but beam upon seeing that she had agreed. Now he had an excuse and could claim that this wasn''t so bad at all. ¡°Good. Then it seems like you can stop worrying about that for now.¡±

    Lucille nodded again and lowered her hands. When he leaned down to look at her, she quickly lifted her hands again, which resulted in her hiding her face for the next five minutes. For a while, they just sat there in silence before Lucille suddenly jumped up. She blabbered something about going to the bathroom and rushed off.

    Cedar let out a little laugh as he saw her running away. As soon as she was gone, he noticed how much he had messed up though. He wouldn''t get out of this one anymore. He had already fallen in love with the thought of marrying Lucille. No one else would make him feel so happy with just their presence. But clinging to her was stupid when he wanted her to be happy too. He had been so careful to keep his distance in the beginning, but apparently, he had given up on that months ago.

    And now he sat here and proposed to her. That was a bit pathetic. Especially since he always explained that being with him would be bad for her. How could he say that and offer marriage a few weeks later? Had he completely lost his mind now?

    Cedar groaned with frustration, but something else quickly attracted his attention.

    It had been a small noise. Some plants had cracked. Normally, a person moving around the bushes wasn''t an issue at all, but this one had been too quiet. This person here was used to sneaking around. And only one idiot would be stupid enough to sneak into the royal palace during the day.

 Chapter 89: Wonderful and Vile Plans (2)

    ¡°

    Right?¡± He had sounded much harsher than he had originally intended to be. But it did what it was supposed to do.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    if she managed to hurt Lucille, don''t you think I would get revenge? She raised me to be cruel. She should be careful with what she is planning. Tell her that. And I also have something to tell you. Stay away from this. If you attack me or Lucille, I won''t care whether I have to slit your throat.¡±

 Chapter 90: Of Carriages and Stories of The Past

    Lucille had guessed that Cedar would be cautious now that he expected an attack. But she hadn''t believed that he would seriously insist on having the servants treat her meals like the ones of the royal family. Now her food had to be tested by someone else before she even received it.

    In addition, the royal doctor suddenly brought up examining her every two weeks, which was usually only done for the members of the royal family too. She suspected that Cedar might have talked the man into doing that. Seemingly, no one was bothered by that decision though, so she just accepted it. She would rather be safe than sorry.

    Due to these changes, it was surprising that Cedar even proposed going out for a picnic.

    Of course, Lucille immediately agreed, even after he warned her about something possibly happening. Inwardly, she prayed that everything would go right despite this defeating the original purpose of finding out whether the servants were loyal, as Cedar called it. It seemed like Lucille was lucky though.

    They had already arrived at their destination in the forest again and sat down at the glade on a big blanket. The servants had taken a seat a few steps away, so Lucille and Cedar had their privacy to some extent. The couple chatted about different things for a while until there was a short pause.

    At that moment, Lucille considered beginning a discussion that was a bit more serious. She would like to find out more about Cedar. After all, they had spent half a year together now, and he still wasn''t as open as most would be, even if she was sure that she knew much more than others. She wanted to know more, and if he even proposed marriage at some point, he shouldn''t mind sharing.

    That thought was enough to color Lucille''s cheeks red again, and she averted her eyes. When she had regained her composure, she already found Cedar grinning at her. He would tease her again if she didn''t manage to change the topic now. So, she hurried to speak up. ¡°Would it be fine if I ask you a few personal questions? If you dislike them, you can just tell me.¡±

    Cedar let out a little snort. ¡°I thought we had this conversation already. Go ahead and ask. I won''t be offended. Unless you make fun of me on purpose. But I can assure you that many have said much worse things, and I never cared.¡±

    Lucille didn''t like hearing that he first expected an insult at all, but she didn''t comment on it. Instead, she was already lost in thoughts and tried to determine what she wanted to know about Cedar. Maybe finding out what the foundation for his current circumstances was would be interesting. At that thought, Lucille unwillingly remembered the conversation with Lady Peril.

    Jenna loved talking about what Cedar had experienced during his childhood. Of course, it was questionable whether she was always telling the truth, but she had a general idea of what the prince had lived like.

    Lucille, however, knew little. That was because she hadn''t appeared much in public back then, so she had only interacted with Cedar four or five times before he had first been put in confinement. She knew that this had probably been the most difficult time for Cedar, but it had also been the most important one. So, she needed to hear about it if she wanted to stay close to him in the future. She scanned his expression for a while before he opened his mouth, most likely to tell her that it was fine. Then she finally forced herself to ask. ¡°Can you tell me a bit more about your childhood? If it isn''t a bother.¡±

    Cedar stayed as calm as always as he showed her his typical bright smile. ¡°There isn''t much to tell you. I had a rather boring childhood.¡± She was pretty sure that their definitions differed here. ¡°But I can go into detail if you ask me about specific things.¡±

    Lucille took a few seconds before she remembered something. ¡°Did you learn a lot? You said that you practiced waltzing when you were young.¡± She had heard a lot about how much princes usually studied, so the same would apply to him.

    Cedar thankfully didn''t seem to be sensitive to this topic and just replied in a neutral tone. ¡°Indeed. As one would expect, the children of the royal family are required to excel at everything they touch. Whether it may be ballroom dancing, speaking freely, manners and etiquette or any political subject you can imagine. Learning filled the biggest part of my free time. I studied by reading all kinds of books from the royal library, writing essays and executing whatever I could in reality. We had teachers who taught us about dancing, table manners and things like that. That was probably the most boring part. When you are as good as your instructors, they usually begin picking at your smallest flaws and correcting you until you are perfect. Even then, they criticize you until you are done with the subject. I''m pretty sure that Theodore''s teachers weren''t like that, but well.¡±

    That sounded rather rough. If Lucille had to guess, she would say that Cedar''s mother had probably forced him to work much harder than a normal child should work too. He had mentioned being supposed to be better than his brother multiple times. It wouldn''t be surprising if he had been forced to discard playing in favor of studying.

    Lucille balled her fists while hiding them behind her body. She tried to force her voice to sound calm, but in reality, she doubted that she was able to hide her dismay. ¡°And you learned sword-fighting at a young age too?¡±

    Cedar nodded. ¡°Yes. I began with muscle training when I was three. Of course, I was useless back then. I only started to run and began with the smallest tasks. Then I picked up a sword with four or so. I had many different instructors. All of them were very strict but had varying levels of how harsh and skillful they were. The first one wasn''t really good. I defeated him just a year after I started training for real. Then the second instructor came and so on. I won against the last one a little after Theodore''s coronation. That served as proof that I was good enough, and I stopped training with others. When I do it alone, it''s much more efficient anyway.¡± She had already seen the fruits of his labor. Cedar was a phenomenal fighter. Many knights here wouldn''t be able to reach his level even if they did their best.

    ¡°I know that I don''t have much of a clue when it comes to duels and such. But I did see you fight once. You are very good. You react to movements so quickly and never fail to avoid an attack.¡±

    Cedar still beamed at her after she said that. ¡°Thank you. But to be honest, that isn''t really my reaction. It''s more of an instinct. My instructors told me one thing again and again. If fighting is ingrained into your very being, you will not lose in case of a life-or-death situation. So, we practiced that a lot. I was supposed to pick up on the smallest movement and hear the slightest of sounds so that I could prepare. And I quickly learned how to react if someone suddenly attacked me. Not reacting ended up with some rather...harsh repercussions. So, I became used to that early. It might also have made me much more aggressive, and this instinct can still be a problem. If people suddenly approach me from behind, I''m already prepared to knock them out.¡±

    That sounded horrible. If Cedar, who had gone through so much pain without grimacing, deemed it a harsh repercussion, it would probably have crushed normal people. And he had been forced to experience that while he had been a child? Every second, Lucille felt even more unwell and cursed Camille even more. That woman was a monster.

    Lucille grasped the blanket behind her and forced herself to fake a slightly happy tone. ¡°And what did you do for fun? When you were young, I mean.¡±

    Cedar finished the small strawberry he had just put into his mouth and shrugged before he replied. ¡°To be honest, training was the most fun. If I did well, I was praised and could go study afterward. But sometimes, I even practiced for longer than necessary. Training makes it easy to clear your mind. You focus on your movements and can forget everything else. Or you can use it to think more efficiently. I don''t know whether everyone feels that way, but for me, it is a very pleasant experience.¡± Surely, this couldn''t be it. How could a child just do all of that without having a pause to play?

    Lucille was still trying to act like she wasn''t upset, but she couldn''t hold back the bitter undertone in her voice. ¡°You surely must have done something else during your free time too, right? You didn''t just train and learn, did you?¡±

    Cedar still beamed at her. It wasn''t his forced smile and not one that covered up his annoyance either. He truly didn''t care about what had happened. ¡°No, I did not. Most of my time was spent like that, but I did have free time. Like I said, I often used it to train. When I didn''t do that, I usually did something with Mother. Occasionally, she read something with me, or we took walks around the palace. We were sometimes visited by my aunt and cousin too. Then I and Luciano could bother each other a bit, but that barely happened. In rare cases, I also secretly met with Theodore and played with him and Althea. That only happened when I was certain that Mother wouldn''t notice, so it wasn''t that relaxing since I was always on edge. But it was funny to see that these two were different from what my mother had told me about them.¡±

    So, he had noticed that Camille was way too opinionated at some point. And then, he had tried to build a relationship with his brother and Althea, but the dowager empress had come between them often. That was just wonderful. How could a mother be so horrible toward her own son? Hadn''t anyone noticed what Camille had been doing to Cedar and interfered? Surely, not many people could criticize the dowager empress, but the emperor should have helped his son.

    That thought made Lucille pause. She knew a lot about Cedar''s mother and how cruel that woman was. But she actually didn''t know a thing about his father. She had very vague memories of the former emperor. She had barely seen him since she hadn''t gone to events when she had been around ten. Lucille only remembered that he had been even colder than her own father and that she hadn''t even dared to make eye contact. But she had heard rumors about the former emperor not caring about his second son. That had reminded her of her mother being out of the picture while her father used her for his games. But to be honest, she couldn''t be certain of how Cedar''s father had been at all.

    For a moment, Lucille was silent before she met the prince''s gaze. ¡°Say... If you don''t mind, would you tell me...a little bit about your father?¡± She already regretted voicing that question a moment later.

    Surely, Cedar wouldn''t like talking about him. Especially not since they were sitting around outside. When Lucille spoke about her lost mother, she always cried, so she couldn''t expect him to talk about a deceased parent without a care.

    But Cedar defied that logic. He seemed completely unaffected as he replied. ¡°He was a good emperor. He gave his all to rule the nation and lived for his work and not for himself. That is what I can tell you about him as the ruler. But in person, he was a bit different. Father was...distant. That has to be the word that describes him best. He didn''t let anyone close to him. Not even Althea, whom he loved. She was probably the person who saw most of him, but he wasn''t always as kind to her as he should have been. I''m pretty sure that he also never treated Theodore with fatherly love but more as if he was teaching a student without really feeling a personal connection.¡± Cedar stopped here as if he was done.

    Lucille hadn''t heard the important part yet, so she just stared at him.

    Cedar quickly understood and resumed, still without caring much. ¡°Father mostly disregarded my mother. He ate with her occasionally and spoke to her when they met or brought her to events. But he didn''t care about her, even though she...claimed to love him. The person he ignored most has to be me though. He only greeted me when we saw each other and then left again. I can count the real conversations we had on one hand.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    That was enough for Lucille to conclude that the previous emperor wasn''t as wonderful as people said that he had been. No child should be treated like this by their parents. If Theodore had been seen as an heir and nothing else, that was bad enough. But as always, Cedar had gotten the short end of the stick and had been completely ignored. That wasn''t just unpleasant, that was cruel.

    Lucille pressed her teeth together before she tried to respond. ¡°That''s-¡±

    Cedar cut her off a moment later. ¡°Don''t pity me. I don''t mind what happened. I have to admit that I was very discontent seeing Theodore with Father the whole time while I was just ignored. But only in the beginning. I quickly gave up on impressing Father. By now, I''m happy that I didn''t bother to see him more often. After all, Father only saw me as a way to keep Mother from annoying him because she wanted Theodore back. And in the end, I only saw him as the man my mother wanted to impress too. It would be a lie if I said that I cared about Father. Even his death...didn''t interest me, as harsh as that sounds. Mother had a complete breakdown, so it was good that I was calm, but...it''s still not normal.¡±

    Certainly, most people would be a little dejected to have a family member die, even if they hadn''t had much contact with them. But Lucille wouldn''t blame him for anything. Not only because his mother was at fault for most of his problems. ¡°Of course, that''s normal. Why would you care about someone who never spent time with you? No one can blame you for that. I also wouldn''t care much about a person whom I only talked to a few times.¡±

    Surely, Lucille would miss her mother less if Emily had just disappeared right after her daughter''s birth. But her mother had spent six years at her daughter''s side, only to disappear overnight. So, it was obvious that Lucille would be much more affected. Cedar had never had a father, so losing the person who was supposed to fill that role wasn''t really important to him. That only made sense.

    Still, Cedar seemed rather taken aback by her words. He looked at her while just smiling for a while. Then he spoke up. ¡°Are you sure? I would say I''m not very normal.¡±

    Lucille couldn''t help the way her heart skipped a beat while he met her gaze. Her throat felt dry. What she said now would probably mean more to him than she could imagine. She had to be careful. She was scared of messing up, so she forced herself to just speak calmly. ¡°I...don''t think that matters. You probably find those around you strange as well. It''s normal for us to feel like everyone else is odd. Because everyone''s normal is a bit different. And it doesn''t mean a thing if you are called abnormal. I like you a lot, and that is why I want to spend as much time with you as possible. I saw you more often than others did, right? If I say that you''re wonderful, it has to be true.¡±

    She was a bit embarrassed to say that. Lucille usually didn''t trust her judgment very much, but in this case, she believed that she was right. She wouldn''t claim to know everything about the prince, but she knew enough to be sure.

    Cedar scanned her expression as if he wanted to pick up on all the traces of her differing emotions. She could swear that his smile was much softer when he replied. ¡°You truly are the person who saw most of me. I guess you have to be right then. After all, you are the best example of a wonderful person. Maybe I took some inspiration.¡± And in the end, he had turned it around and complimented her again.

    Lucille could only look at him for a moment before she averted her eyes.

    Afterward, Cedar used her obvious embarrassment to tease her for a bit. But he held back when she started to get red, because he wouldn''t let anyone else see her like this, which he named as the reason. She had the suspicion that Cedar had changed the topic after she told him that he wasn''t a bad person on purpose, but she didn''t address that.

    <hr>

    For the rest of the meal, they stuck to more lighthearted topics again. That was good because Lucille already pondered what she had found out the whole time. She did her best to refrain from showing that on her face, but she couldn''t stop thinking about what Cedar had experienced as a young boy. She was even lost in thoughts when they sat back in the carriage and began moving toward the palace again. As expected, her expression showed it very openly.

    Cedar only waited a minute or so before he addressed it. ¡°Are you still thinking about what we talked about earlier?¡±

    Lucille would have liked to deny it, but she knew that it wouldn''t work with her missing acting skills. So, she looked to the side and spoke up. ¡°Yes... I can''t...really forget what you told me. It''s just...¡± He might have said that it was fine, but his mother had done enough to ruin his childhood. No child should be forced to learn day and night while also being confronted with sword-fighting and harsh punishments.

    Cedar was quiet for a moment before he opened his mouth. He didn''t get to respond.

    The carriage suddenly stopped. It didn''t come to a halt slowly but so abruptly that Lucille flew forward.

    It shouldn''t have been a surprise that Cedar caught her and immediately pulled her against him while he crouched down. ¡°Don''t move.¡± He had whispered that to her in a calm tone, but it was enough to make her hair stand on end. He was too tense for this to be an accident. Cedar held still for a few seconds that felt like an eternity before he slowly loosened his hold on her. He looked out the window and listened to the servants'' chattering outside before he sighed. ¡°It''s nothing dangerous. Just a petty attempt to scare us. It''s fine.¡± He said that, but the smile on his face told her that he was more than a little annoyed. He opened the door of the carriage without waiting for help and jumped out.

    Immediately, the chattering died down.

    Cedar''s presence was enough to make the servants freeze in place, which should have been a sign of him being in a terrible mood. No one dared to move even while he offered his hand to Lucille and helped her climb out of the carriage. She could practically feel how tense the situation had gotten and barely allowed herself to look at the other people.

    The servants were only standing there in silence while waiting for the prince to speak.

    Cedar let them wait for a while. He slowly walked toward them and stopped to show them a bright smile. A few seconds passed, in which he scanned the face of every single person, before he spoke up. ¡°So. What exactly happened?¡±

    No one wanted to respond. But a moment later, one of the servants, a young man, hurried to speak up when he realized that no one else would. ¡°We sincerely apologize. There seems to have been a problem with one of the wheels. The carriage must have ridden over a bump. We will probably not be able to fix it until we arrive at the palace.¡±

    Cedar didn''t seem to be happy about that, even if he continued to smile. Lucille felt like he was boiling but hid it as well as always. He scanned the other man until the servant cowered and then spoke up. ¡°I see. Please show me what part has been damaged.¡± He didn''t need more than a few seconds until his order was followed.

    The second servant, an elderly man with white hair and a full beard, was the one who stepped to the wheel at the front left of the vehicle. His voice trembled a bit while he explained. ¡°It seems that this wheel is broken. There are small cracks, and one of the axles seems to have been destroyed. Unfortunately, we could not have predicted something like this. We would have liked to prevent it, but since no one has gotten hurt, we should just walk home and make sure that it doesn''t happen again.¡±

    Cedar took a moment to crouch down and ran his fingers across the wheel. His smile widened a bit, which was enough to make Lucille guess that something was wrong. He stood up again and walked back to the servants before giving them the response they were waiting for. ¡°Naturally. Such an accident is horrible. No one could have expected that. We obviously will not punish anyone for the carriage''s failure.¡±

    One of the women quickly bowed her head. ¡°Thank you, Your Royal Highness.¡± Apparently, she had been happy a bit too early though.

    Cedar''s expression revealed that much.

    Even Lucille was a bit worried by now. She stood directly next to him and only felt safe this way. But she stayed quiet the whole time. It seemed like Cedar would deal with this. She didn''t want to interfere with what he planned.

    The prince crossed his arms and scanned the servants for a moment before speaking. ¡°Usually, I get rather upset because of things like this. But...I have to admit that I''m impressed by your audacity.¡± His words carried a certain tone with them, which revealed that this wouldn''t be fun for the servants at all.

    The two men and two women in front of them quickly noticed that. The smaller and way more shy maid was the one that replied in a weak voice. ¡°Your Royal Highness, what do...you mean?¡±

    Cedar showed them his blinding smile. ¡°The fact that you are lying to my face. Haven''t you heard about me being able to figure out something like this easily? There wasn''t an accident. The wheel doesn''t crack like that when it rolls over a stone, and we didn''t feel the alleged bump either. Someone purposefully removed a few crucial parts of this frame, and then the wheel surprisingly didn''t stay intact. That certainly doesn''t sound like an incident.¡±

    The younger man opened his mouth in shock. He looked to the side for a moment before replying. ¡°What...are you hinting at? There is no way that we would-¡±

    Cedar cut him off immediately. ¡°You should know who my mother is, right? Don''t you think she already used strategies like this often enough? I know when a person tempered with a carriage when I see it. So. Now that we have come to a conclusion here, I deserve a response. Who was it? One of you can surely tell me who happened to be the one playing around with a royal carriage. If I don''t get a response by the end of the next minute, all of you will leave the palace as soon as we get home. You will lose your job, your retirement pay and your shelter. Think twice about whether you truly want that.¡±

    Lucille was a bit shocked upon hearing that. Could Cedar really throw out those people just like this? If he even thought about that, the situation had to be more serious than a broken wheel. Whatever this was, it wasn''t a mere joke. And so, Lucille already expected the worst

    As expected, the more vocal female servant immediately raised her voice. ¡°You cannot punish innocent people!¡±

    Cedar didn''t care much about her. ¡°I''m not planning on doing that. But I will have to punish the people who protect a criminal if no one here speaks up. You are aware that people could have gotten hurt during this little act here, aren''t you? Not only I, a member of the royal family, was endangered, but also Lady Valerian, who happens to be Her Majesty''s lady-in-waiting. If you want Her Majesty to take care of this incident, you can call her.¡±

    The younger man hurried to chime in with fury painted onto his expression. ¡°Maybe that would be better. She wouldn''t accuse us of being traitors without having any evidence.¡±

    Lucille got a bit upset when she heard that. Cedar wouldn''t lie or accuse anyone while being uncertain. Surely, that meant that there was evidence too. They just needed some more time. She opened her mouth to weakly propose getting the royal knights to help, but she wasn''t quick enough.

    Cedar let out a quiet laugh, which only served to make the people in front of him freeze. That wasn''t surprising when he smiled at them as if he looked at people he could get rid of within a single second. ¡°I don''t need evidence when I''m met with such horrible actors. I already know that two of you did it. One might have guessed it by now, and the fourth person is unknowing but should also realize what happened since the others were alone in the carriage. Is that about right? I can tell you who had which role here without listening to your excuses.¡±

    Lucille didn''t doubt that Cedar was right.

    After all, the servants completely froze in place when they heard that. They exchanged a few gazes, which almost looked like they were in a panic, before looking at the prince again.

    Cedar was still as confident as before and spoke without caring for the other''s dismay. ¡°And to be honest, involving my brother wouldn''t be a good idea. After all, I would guess that the person who hired you to do this could be related to my mother. Helping her surely won''t make Theodore happy. You can guess that, right? Obviously, I will be a more lenient judge than he would in this case. I''m giving you one last chance to confess. If you don''t use it, you will have to search for a new job tomorrow.¡±

    It took a handful of seconds.

    At first, it seemed like no one would say anything. The younger man only paled while one maid refused to move even a little bit.

    But then the smaller maid reacted. She took half a step back before her legs suddenly gave in. It only became clear that this had been on purpose when she fell to her knees and pressed her forehead onto the ground. ¡°Please forgive us, Your Royal Highness! We didn''t know!¡±

    Lucille felt something unpleasant churn in her stomach. She should have sympathy with that woman, who looked like she was mortified. Cedar could be terrifying if he wanted to intimidate people, and he certainly did now. Lucille should have felt bad and asked him to stop, but she didn''t. She didn''t want to either.

    The maid had just admitted to being related to some strange plot, one by Camille nonetheless. Lucille didn''t trust that person anymore, and she surely trusted Cedar. So, she would leave that to him.

    Cedar was truly good at acting out the role of the villain. He almost looked at the woman on the floor as if she was nothing but an insect that needed to be crushed below his heel. But even that wasn''t enough to make a chill run down Lucille''s spine.

    It seemed like her favor was too strong in this regard.

 Chapter 91: Trust in Our Staff

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    <hr>

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 92: Festival

¡°

    ¡°

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°

 Chapter 93: Joy and Disappointing Meetings

    Cedar had seen his chance as soon as Lucille had looked at something for longer than a few seconds. He had hoped that he would be able to buy her even a single item, and it seemed like he wouldn''t need to ask her what she wanted a hundred times now. He pulled her toward the stall and greeted the vendor with a smile.

    The vendor was a pale, middle-aged man who seemed rather content upon having visitors. ¡°I wish the both of you a wonderful evening. What brought you here to this wonderful stall? Has something caught your eye? I can assure you that all of my items are of great quality.¡±

    Cedar could tell. Most of those weren''t on the level of what nobles would deem appropriate, but it was certainly good craftsmanship. The clasp Lucille had picked out seemed to be of a good quality too, for which he was thankful. ¡°Yes, we found something. I would like to buy that clasp for the young lady here.¡± He gestured to the mentioned item before making eye contact with Lucille.

    She looked like she was embarrassed already. She opened her mouth and closed it again while thinking about how to tell him that he didn''t need to buy her anything.

    But obviously, he knew that. Cedar didn''t have to buy this clasp. He wanted to do it. As the second prince of Artias, he didn''t need to complain about having too little money, so he didn''t mind paying a price that might seem exaggerated to the people here. So, he would pay the twenty silver coins the man demanded without bargaining. He didn''t have enough time to talk to that person after all.

    The vendor was visibly confused but pleased and happily handed over the clasp.

    Cedar didn''t waste a second before turning to Lucille and positioning it in her hair. She looked beautiful, as always. The way that she gazed up at him and seemed to lean into him when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear was too adorable. For a single second, Cedar considered kissing her again, but the timing might be a bit unfitting. Maybe he would do that when they were alone instead.

    Yet, Cedar was rather tempted to do it now, so he quickly turned to the vendor again. ¡°It is indeed a beautiful clasp. I thank you for selling this to us.¡±

    The vendor hid how he had stared at the coins in his hand and showed the other man a bright smile. ¡°No, I thank you for buying it. I wish you the best for you and your girl here. If you continue to treat her so well, you won''t have to worry about anything.¡±

    Cedar just smiled back. ¡°Thank you very much. I will make sure to pamper her. I wish you a wonderful evening. I hope that you will sell many more items today.¡± With that, he turned around and pulled Lucille away again.

    Lucille was still stiff and looked at him with wide eyes while that familiar blush came onto her face. She probably didn''t want to say anything, but she forced herself. ¡°Thank you...very much. I...like it a lot.¡± That was good to hear.

    Cedar glanced at her and had to smirk at her adorable expression. He could make that even more cute with just a few words. ¡°Well, I like you a lot. So, I want to see you smile. If you want to repay me, you will need to show me that beautiful grin a few more times. Alright?¡±

    Lucille weakly nodded while the bashfulness was written onto her features.

    Cedar would have loved to stay here longer to talk, but he would rather do that when they were safe inside the palace. First, he needed to do what he came here for though. So, he steered toward the pharmacy. He slowed his steps a bit while he looked over his shoulder.

    No one was following them, so they should be fine.

    The prince rounded the corner so that they entered the smaller, and much emptier, street on the left. He checked whether people were near them thrice before whispering to Lucille. ¡°Please don''t react too sensitively to that house. There may be some loud and brazen people inside. If something happens, I will gladly knock them out, but I doubt that someone will attack us. The vendor will talk to me and possibly make some odd comments about you, but you can ignore that. He may be pretty...unpleasant, but I will deal with everything. We will only go in, buy what I need and leave again. Is that fine?¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded. He could see how she tensed a bit, but she gave her best to cover it up.

    So, he added something else he needed her to know. ¡°Those people inside are not trustworthy at all. That is why this will be the last time that I will see them. I may have to act like I''m still on their side, so please don''t misunderstand.¡±

    This time, Lucille nodded with more vigor. ¡°I trust you. I know that you wouldn''t do something bad. I will be quiet and let you deal with the talking.¡±

    Normally, Cedar would assure her that she could open her mouth at her own accord. But right now, it was better for those people not to interact with her. So, Cedar didn''t address that.

    Lucille was much too trusting, maybe because she had no idea that he had originally come to the palace intending to use a vile plot to attack Theodore from behind his back. Since he had discarded that, he felt slightly less bad, but he still didn''t want to face her expression if she ever found out. So, he just stayed silent in general.

    Cedar climbed up the last steps and showed Lucille a soft smile before he turned to the door. He knocked seven times while imitating the pattern that announced that someone with a special interest had come. Then he opened the door.

    It was empty inside with only a single vendor standing behind the wooden counter. Thank the gods. Even if that man was one of the most annoying people one could meet, there were worse ones, and those weren''t here.

    Cedar closed the door behind him and tried to ignore how he would like to shield Lucille from the other''s prying gaze. ¡°Good evening.¡± He didn''t get further.

    The vendor already let out a loud laugh as he leaned forward to rest his palms on the counter. ¡°I didn''t expect that when I complained about today being boring. What a surprise! The prince himself came over.¡± How subtle he was.

    Cedar showed him the typical expression he had always shown the assassins who worked for his mother. He was smiling at them, but he made sure to hold something much colder in his eyes to remind them of who he was. ¡°Naturally. I will have to get my fingers dirty myself if I want to reach my goal. I''m glad that you remember me though. Do I need to give the code, or do you believe that I am allowed to buy what I need?¡±

    The vendor let out another laugh that was so loud that it hurt to listen to. He raised his hand to make a rejecting movement. ¡°It''s fine. How could I not serve our future emperor? Everything is ready as always. So, you just have to say the word. Drinks, people, work. We can provide you with everything.¡± The man showed no traces of doubt.

    As expected, Camille had been too prideful to tell her lackeys that her son had changed sides. After all, she would have been forced to admit that her goal of making Cedar the emperor had failed. If she did that, she might lose all of her current supporters, who only stayed by her side because they waited for the prince to ascend to the throne and expected benefits. That was perfect. Once again, the dowager empress'' pride made it much easier to deal with her.

    Cedar still wouldn''t risk it. He would not drink any of the antidotes here before allowing someone to test them. He opened his mouth to place his order, only to be cut off.

    The vendor smirked at him while he turned his head to Lucille. ¡°It''s unusual for you to come here yourself. And you even have company. Is that the future empress then? Or is she just a-¡±

    Cedar stopped him there. ¡°I would ask you not to voice that second thought. It''s closer to the first option. Even if it''s not quite what you think it is.¡± Cedar didn''t want to be emperor anymore after all. But he also wouldn''t let someone insult Lucille now. ¡°I would like to order my items. I don''t have much time.¡±

    Luckily, the vendor accepted that. ¡°Of course. What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°I would like to buy a full stack of our favorites along with the matching antidotes.¡± Cedar had usually sent people to pick up a mix of different poisons and drugs. Or rather, Camille had done that, and he had sometimes examined those vials. Normally, they had gotten what they needed at the moment, but now he wanted all of them. He knew that Leon was good with poison, so he would only need some samples to allow the other man to recreate them along with the antidotes.

    Fortunately, it still seemed like the vendor didn''t question why the prince had come here himself. ¡°Of course. Give me a moment, and you''ll have it.¡± He turned around and disappeared into the room behind the counter.

    Cedar used the silence to look around. It was truly quiet here, so they might be alone But he didn''t quite relax yet. He would only do that when he was home and had handed over the poison to Leon without Theodore noticing it.

    Lucille next to him was as tense as he was, but she made no attempt to ask him what this establishment was nor did she want to let go of his hand. Instead, she looked around with a mix of curiosity and concern. She spoke up after a few seconds of silence. ¡°So, you will buy something now, and then we can leave immediately?¡± Apparently, she felt unwell.

    Cedar would have liked to hug her, but holding her hand was probably awful enough when he faced those people. He gave her an encouraging smile in return. ¡°Immediately. I only need those flasks, and then we will go. Give it another minute.¡± At least if no strange people suddenly showed up and caused trouble. Cedar hoped that his thinking about that didn''t evoke anything. He forced himself to stay calm while just waiting there.

    A moment later, the vendor came back. He had prepared a sack that looked like it was full of food items. But actually, the different poisons and vials inside were just stored between some cloth bundles. ¡°There you go, Your Majesty. The payment will be taken care of as usual, right?¡±

    Cedar had hoped that he would ask that. ¡°No, not this time. Right now, my mother is back in the royal estate, and we won''t take risks. So, it would be good if you avoided contacting her directly. The usual other ways are fine, but I feel like bringing money somewhere will be noticed.¡± He pulled up a small pouch and let it fall to the table. ¡°That should be enough to cover the expenses and for you not to have seen me. After all, I was never here.¡±

    The vendor grasped the pouch before it had even met the wooden surface below it. ¡°Naturally. No one saw the future emperor here. No one saw a redheaded lady either. Our inn was empty the whole evening. I wish you a good night. Return to your home, which you never left, safely. I look forward to our next interaction.¡± He probably wouldn''t if he knew that the prince had changed sides.

    Cedar might end up killing him if that person was sent to hurt Lucille. ¡°Don''t worry about us. Focus on your business. Goodbye.¡± It felt a bit odd to say that when he clearly planned on informing Leon, who would crush those assassins within just a few months, about this group here as soon as he got back.

    Cedar gave his best to seem as carefree as always when he steered toward the door again. He almost expected people to move now, but nothing happened. He left the building without any problems. Lucille was unharmed as well, so he could relax a little bit.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Still, Cedar hurried away as soon as the door closed behind them. ¡°We will return home immediately now. I''m sorry, but I don''t want to risk anything.¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded. ¡°That would be better. We can just take the horse back, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I left it at the stable so that we can pick it up again.¡± If that horse was gone, he would have to prepare for a fight immediately. After all, that would mean that someone had noticed that this was their only way to get back, if one didn''t count running for an hour.

    Cedar let his eyes roam across the festival ground once again. No one seemed to watch him nor did anyone look away too obviously. No one moved with too much grace to be a normal worker either. It should be fine. He moved down the stairs while holding Lucille with one hand and clenching his fist around the top of the bag with his other hand.

    He began walking without ever stopping to look around. Still, he forced himself to keep his pace leisure so that it looked like they were a couple that would return home now.

    They had reached the middle of the street when Lucille abruptly stopped.

    Cedar had been so focused that he expected danger immediately. But as soon as he made eye contact with her, he was calmed a bit. Lucille wasn''t scared, just worried. It couldn''t be that bad. At least he thought that before he turned his head and made eye contact with the second least pleasant woman in noble society. This time, he didn''t hold back his annoyed comment. ¡°What is that woman doing here? I feel like the gods don''t like me avoiding her to the best of my ability.¡± He squeezed Lucille''s hand. ¡°Let''s leave. We are in the middle of a city, so the rules of etiquette don''t apply. We don''t need to greet her.¡± He didn''t believe that it would be this easy for a second.

    Lady Peril wouldn''t be kind enough to let them leave. And unfortunately, that premonition proved to be true a moment later.

    Jenna only needed to see Cedar, and immediately, her face lit up. She came toward them so quickly that there was no way to run away with all of the people blocking the street in front of them. Apparently, Jenna wasn''t alone here either. She had held onto a man''s arm before seeing the prince and then immediately let go of that poor person to rush toward her goal.

    Cedar barely managed to sigh before she had already reached them.

    Today, Lady Peril hadn''t even forced herself to pay attention to the standards of nobility. That dress would ruin her reputation completely if anyone saw that, partly because it made her appear like a commoner and partly because revealing her legs like this wasn''t seen often in current fashion trends.

    But Cedar didn''t care much. He refused to even acknowledge the fact that Jenna was running around here with a man who looked like he was a decade younger than her. Lord Peril probably knew and didn''t care. So, the prince wouldn''t comment on that. He would favor not commenting on Jenna in general, but since she was already standing right in front of him, he couldn''t just ignore her. If he did that, she would start touching him again, and he didn''t need that. The option of staying quiet while Lady Peril looked up at him with such an expectant gaze was tempting, but he gave in. ¡°Good evening, Lady Peril. It''s a surprise to see you here.¡±

    Jenna hurriedly nodded as a bright smile formed on her lips. Then she hinted a curtsy. Her dress wasn''t as puffy as a ballgown, so she barely managed to lift the skirt on both sides, but she still made it seem elegant in some way. ¡°I wish you a wonderful evening, Your-¡± She cut herself off and looked around. ¡°Or should I rather not say it here?¡±

    Cedar would have liked to wipe that smirk off her face, but he couldn''t do that. If she started yelling about who he was now, he would be in trouble. ¡°I would appreciate it if you did me the favor of staying quiet about it today.¡± That was all he needed to say.

    Jenna folded her hands and beamed up at him. ¡°Naturally. I told you that I would do anything you ask of me, did I not? I will be glad to assist you with this.¡± After that, she remained silent and just stared at him without ever looking toward Lucille. How petty.

    Cedar had no desire to deal with that today. ¡°Thank you very much. Unfortunately, I believe that we will not be able to stay with you for much longer. Your companion should not be left alone for too long.¡± He turned his head to make eye contact with the man who had just been forced to endure Jenna for the past minutes.

    That person was not in a good mood.

    Lady Peril began her whole act once again. She looked to the side while putting on that infuriating sultry smile. ¡°Well, I just happened to meet someone that is much more dear to me. He will not mind waiting, right?¡± She glanced at the man, who hurriedly nodded without daring to run away, even though he looked like he wanted to do it.

    Cedar considered holding back, but right now, he didn''t need to care much about Lady Peril causing a problem. He could just run away and claim to have never been outside afterward. So, he just let the comment out. ¡°Poor boy.¡±

    Jenna acted like she was shocked at that, which she probably only did to avoid speaking to Lucille once more. She lifted her hand and brought her index finger to her lips, which were colored in a vibrant red. ¡°What do you mean by that, Your Royal Highness? I can assure you that I am a good companion. I will make sure to reward him at the end if he behaves. He won''t be able to complain.¡± Either because that man would be dead or so intimidated that he wouldn''t dare to open his mouth. Since Jenna wasn''t really that cruel, it was probably the second option.

    At first glance, it looked like Jenna was cheating on her husband here, but in reality, Lady Peril had never been in any relationship outside of her marriage. She was probably only doing business right now. Getting together with such a young man who wasn''t an influential noble would gain her too little. So, one could assume that she was currently taking a walk while threatening one of her employees. Either she secured their loyalty with that, or she wanted to remind him not to make a mistake again.

    One look at the man''s face proved that he would listen to her either way. He was probably being blackmailed anyway.

    And even though Jenna''s strategy was cruel, Cedar couldn''t complain about it. Not when he had used that same manner of handling things, only with him being much more ruthless in some cases. Either way, this wasn''t his problem. So, he just beamed at Jenna while he replied. ¡°I just worried because you invited him here and then left him alone to talk to us. He will feel abandoned if you do that.¡± That poor man was probably thankful to have a chance to catch his breath right now. ¡°But that doesn''t matter much. Lucille and I need to leave now.¡±

    Jenna finally turned her head to blink at the other woman. ¡°Oh, my. Lady Valerian. I sincerely apologize for not addressing you. I momentarily forgot because I was so excited because of the festival. How are you?¡±

    Lucille had unwillingly taken a step closer to Cedar. It seemed like she was good at judging people since she had guessed that Jenna was more than just persistent and annoying. That was for the better. ¡°It is alright. Good night, Lady Peril. It is a pleasure to meet you here. I hope that you enjoyed the festival until now.¡± She couldn''t help but scan the other''s attire and quickly lifted her eyes again to avoid staring too long.

    Jenna only seemed to laugh at that. She still held her hand to her lips and smirked before she spoke up again. ¡°I did enjoy it a lot. I hope it was the same for you. After all, you have a companion that is even more wonderful than mine. I just hope that your circumstances are a bit...less expensive.¡± She chuckled to herself again before fake shock came onto her features. ¡°Ah. I just noticed that one could easily misunderstand the situation. This man here is not my lover nor is he a personal acquaintance. He is part of the business my husband is leading.¡±

    This wasn''t surprising, so Lucille didn''t say anything. She just frowned at the other woman.

    Lady Peril paused for a moment before she acted like she was almost hurt by the fact that others could think that she was having an affair. Then she spoke up with something like indignation in her voice. ¡°Please do believe me. I would never cheat on my husband. I have to admit that he is quite...wimpy, which might result in me divorcing him when the time a real man acknowledges me comes. If the person I favor picked me up, I would vow to never even look at another person to avoid misunderstandings. I would never be unfaithful.¡± She slowly let her fingers trail down the side of her neck until she reached her collarbone.

    Cedar had already expected that and refused to follow her movement with his eyes. Instead, he just stared at Jenna''s face. ¡°It is unfortunate to hear that you get along so little with Lord Peril that you are considering a divorce.¡± It wouldn''t be surprising if those two separated because Jenna found someone more powerful she could use. But that person wouldn''t be the prince. Cedar only allowed a short pause before he spoke to Lucille. ¡°But that is none of our business. We have to return to the royal palace soon. It''s already later than expected. The guards are waiting for us.¡±

    Lucille met his gaze and nodded at him before squeezing his hand. ¡°We have to be back before...two, so...¡± She spoke with uncertainty in her voice, but she still couldn''t help but underline his words. ¡°We don''t have any time now.¡±

    Cedar beamed at her and squeezed her hand back. ¡°Exactly. That''s why I fear that we need to leave you alone with your companion, Lady Peril.¡±

    Jenna put on a dejected expression at that. ¡°I see. That is unfortunate. But there is nothing we can do about this. It almost seems like the gods are against us meeting. Whenever we see each other, something strange happens, and you need to leave immediately. I can''t help but be sad about that. Maybe we really need to steer against fate at some point.¡± Her face lit up with a little smile again, and that was all she needed to show to reveal that she had a horrible idea. ¡°I would like to invite you to our mansion once again. I wished to offer that to you last time too, but...back then, we were interrupted as well, and now we could quickly discuss that matter.¡±

    Thankfully, Cedar had a valid excuse to deny that, even if he wouldn''t have minded making something up either. ¡°I sincerely apologize. While I am certainly honored by such an invitation, the situation is currently too unpleasant for me to consider moving around freely. Today has merely been a...somewhat problematic meeting. This outing is only possible thanks to the royal guards who are accompanying us. So, I fear that this exception will not allow us to leave the palace any time in the near future either. I apologize.¡±

    Jenna looked even more saddened than before. She looked to the ground and hugged herself. ¡°I see. I sincerely apologize for asking for something unfitting then. Maybe it will be possible for you to visit me again if the situation calms down.¡± That made it sound like he had visited her specifically in the past.

    Cedar normally wouldn''t bother to correct that statement, but Lucille was standing next to him. ¡°I cannot recall visiting your mansion recently, Lady Peril. If I forgot, I apologize, but I am rather certain that I never attended an event in your home for the past few years either.¡± He had been in confinement for the last seven years, so he had missed many events. Thankfully, the ones of the Peril family as well.

    Jenna pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. ¡°I am aware. That is why I wished to invite you. I have longed to finally show you our wonderful, new library for a few years now. Maybe we will finally find a way in a few months.¡±

    If Cedar had any say in this, they wouldn''t. ¡°We will see what we can do. But right now, I cannot promise anything. And...¡± He turned to Lucille. ¡°We have to go now, unfortunately.¡±

    Lucille nodded again and stared at Jenna. She tried her best to hide that she was angry, but she basically glared at the other woman. It wasn''t noticeable or impressive since she was still much too meek, but it was cute.

    Cedar squeezed her hand before deciding to end this useless conversation. He wouldn''t allow Jenna to blabber on while Lucille stood next to them in silence. ¡°Good night, Lady Peril.¡±

    Jenna opened her mouth to complain immediately. ¡°If it isn''t a bother, maybe we could join-¡±

    ¡°No. I apologize, but due to the circumstances that brought us here, Lucille and I will leave alone. Goodbye.¡± Cedar had been a bit harsher than before, but that should be fine. He had been trapped in that conversation for too long already. He showed Jenna a bright smile before turning around. Not waiting for a reply was petty, but putting his arm around Lucille and pulling her against him was much pettier. He didn''t care much. After all, he was just happy to finally get away from this conversation.

    He should have expected something to happen though.

    Jenna was an ambitious woman. She saw profit and power as the most important part of her life. She would act and lie and do everything to get to the top. And once she had decided on a goal, she wouldn''t give up until the very end. Now her goal had been taken away from her since another woman had gained the spot she had wanted. That might make her consider dirty options. She had used those before too, but today, she was harsher than normal.

    Lady Peril had only waited a few seconds and then raised her voice to speak in a tone that was much too cheerful. ¡°Cedar. You don''t want to disappoint me, do you?¡±

    That was it.

    That was one of Cedar''s triggers.

    That was the one exact sentence that Camille had taught her son to hate so much that he would break down when she said it. It would make him hurry to her side and immediately do what she asked of him afterward, just so that she''d tell him that she was proud. Until six years ago, at least.

    Now Cedar could control his temper, and still, he had to admit that hearing something like this from Camille stung. More because it reminded him of his own mother''s manipulation, but it was still painful. When someone else said it, it didn''t hurt him though. It made him furious.

    Cedar gave his best to hide that completely as he showed the brightest smile he could muster and turned around to Jenna, ever so slowly. ¡°You have quite the confidence, Lady Peril. What makes you think that addressing a member of royal by their first name is a good idea?¡±

    The worst part wasn''t even that Jenna had known about his trigger. That wasn''t surprising when Camille wanted to use her against her son. The bad part was that she looked at him with such expectation that it was easy to imagine what she had hoped for. Now that she didn''t get that, disappointment came upon her features. ¡°It didn''t work. Ah, I see. That''s unfortunate. I hoped you would get a bit rougher with me again, but I guess I didn''t research enough.¡± She purposefully said that in front of Lucille, didn''t she?

    Cedar had to keep himself from gritting his teeth. ¡°You mean that my mother lied to your face. She told you what to use against me, and you opened your mouth without thinking. It''s really considerate of you to try to provoke me. Especially since I heard that you should know what it feels like.¡±

    Jenna quickly showed a dejected expression, but the glint of uncertainty in her eyes had revealed that she wasn''t comfortable with what he had hinted at. ¡°I sincerely apologize. I did not know that you are that sensitive to such matters.¡± It was impressive how she lied with such a straight face. After all, she had said all of that in hopes of Cedar snapping at her.

    Cedar wouldn''t do her that favor though. ¡°As previously said, it is highly inappropriate of you to address members of the royal family by their first name without their consent. You will not do it again. Otherwise, I might also mention your father in return. Goodbye, Lady Peril.¡±

    Jenna''s expression went blank.

    Cedar didn''t wait for a response or some other reaction. He turned around again and pulled Lucille forward. He pushed her through the crowd and carefully navigated them back to the city gate.

    Luckily, it didn''t seem like anyone suspicious was here. That was good. After all, the meeting just now had been enough to ruin his mood.

 Chapter 94: A Goodnight Kiss?

    ¡°

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    I will get in trouble. You didn''t do anything. Just say that I dragged you along with me. Theodore won''t question it.¡±

    Cedar.¡± There was a warning edge in his voice while he spoke and tapped his fingers on his upper arms.

    Now.¡±

    Immediately.¡± He sounded like he was still furious, but at least he didn''t seem to be boiling with enough anger to hurt anyone anymore.

    ¡°

 Chapter 95: Scolding

    so logical and composed, and then I suddenly hear that you left the palace on your own without a single guard.¡±

    explicitly told you to stay here to keep you safe. But I''m not like that woman, who is obsessed with controlling anything. So, don''t act like that. There is one thing that is much worse than you ignoring my words. I''m angry because you did something extremely stupid. Do you know what that is?¡± Of course.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    quite tell you yet.¡±

    a lot. She keeps asking me to do it again after all.¡±

    <hr>

 Chapter 96: A Big Issue

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

 Chapter 97: Blazing Fury and Cold Affection (1)

    Cedar had planned on sleeping next to Lucille. He really had. But there was no way that he would fall asleep. Not when it felt like there was acid running through his veins.

    This was the fourth time.

    At first, his mother had sent assassins to the Valerian estate. Then people had broken into the palace. After that, someone planned to attack them while they were walking through the forest. And now poison.

    He should have expected it, but that didn''t keep him from fuming. He waited until he was sure that Lucille wouldn''t wake up anymore and then stood up as slowly as possible. He sat next to her for a moment longer before leaving her room. Cedar was well aware that his bright smile already proved how angry he was, but he didn''t bother hiding it when he stepped into the hallway.

    As expected, he was already greeted by a guard. ¡°His Majesty wishes to see you.¡±

    Cedar beamed at the other man. ¡°Good. That''s fitting.¡± He had to tell Theodore something after all. Actually, he had to tell his brother much more than just this one thing, but he would have to limit himself. He wasn''t just angry with his mother after. He was also angry with himself and Theodore, so it would be good if he finally managed to say this out loud.

    When Cedar reached the office, he knocked and came in immediately after that. He closed the door behind him and then turned around to face his brother.

    Theodore sat at his desk with a strange expression. He was furious, but he lacked the normal burning rage. Instead, he just sat there calmly while it seemed like he was already coming up with a plan on how to get revenge. But that wouldn''t undo what had happened today.

    Cedar walked to the desk and then stopped. He smiled at his brother, who had to have noticed that the prince was in a horrible mood already, for a moment before speaking up. ¡°Do you get why I told you to kill her now? Mother won''t ever stop hurting us unless she is dead. What would we have done if that maid had died now? You said that you have everything under control. And look what happened. Lucille could have eaten that too.¡± He knew that there was no way to prevent Camille from attacking them, so this was useless. But he wanted his brother to understand that baseless confidence wouldn''t help him here.

    Theodore still stared straight ahead as he replied. ¡°We already have the perpetrator. There was only one person who had the chance to mess with the food. I know what to look out for now. Give me half a year. I''m not just doing this for fun. Believe me. I need to kill her supporters before she dies, or they will gather their forces under another person. I promise you that she will suffer for this as well.¡±

    And still, the question of who had brought the poison inside remained. The most logical suspect was Reeve. It seemed like they would have to arrest that man as soon as he came back. The prince would be prepared for that now.

    Cedar gritted his teeth. He almost wanted to speak in a much more provoking tone to prove that this was absolutely stupid, but he held back. He needed to reason with his brother here. ¡°That is logical. But you need to be more careful. You are too reckless. You act like you know what will happen and rely on your luck. But that won''t always help you. You are way too trusting. I''m just one example. I could have stabbed you in the back at least four times by now. Don''t you get that this won''t just hurt you? Your family is affected too.¡± And Lucille could suffer. ¡°This is the second time people did something you couldn''t predict.¡±

    Theodore finally lifted his gaze and made eye contact. ¡°I know, Cedar. That''s why I''m hurrying. If I could kill her without consequences now, I would do you the favor. But I need to get rid of the tail, or they will simply replace the head. I''m going to take care of this as soon as possible. You will see results in just a few months, I promise. Don''t think that I will give up. I don''t want to slaughter all the families that are backing her, but if it becomes necessary...¡±

    Cedar forced himself to hold back another comment before replying in an exaggerated calm voice. ¡°I didn''t give you the names yet, did I? I don''t know all of her supporters, but I can list everyone who contacted us at least once and everyone who tried to flatter me. That won''t help you much, but at least we can check whether your list is the same as mine. But this isn''t the priority.¡± If they couldn''t kill Camille yet because of her entourage, safety was most important. ¡°The servants need to be examined. We need to make sure that every single person that would bring poison here is taken care of.¡±

    Theodore nodded at that. ¡°We have the person who did it today. But we clearly have to make sure that no one else tries anything. I will take care of it.¡± He always said that. He had said that before the poisoning and the attack last time.

    Cedar felt the need to stop smiling, and that was when he knew that it was really bad. ¡°You will need to take care of it. Because if you don''t, people are going to get hurt. You are always so perfect, so come up with something good now too. I want you to use Harris. He has enough connections to find out whether someone is traitorous. We need to weed out all the people that are being bribed here. You have to use vile strategies if you want to make sure that they won''t betray you. I don''t care what you need to do. Get fake assassins, and see whether your servants will take bribes.¡±

    Unexpectedly, Theodore didn''t refute that. ¡°I will. I have a list of people who are more likely to do something. I will keep a close eye on them. We need someone to confirm whether the servants in the confinement mansion are still loyal too. It will take a week to prepare this. In the meantime, I will ensure that Camille won''t be able to plot anything.¡± While he said that, he almost looked like he was completely emotionless. That usually meant that he was lost in thoughts and planned out his ideas. That was good. He needed to have great ideas after all.

    Cedar gave him a minute before he spoke up. ¡°What happens in that mansion is our greatest worry in general. Mother keeps ordering assassins to target us without moving out of that house. We need to deal with that at some point. We have to know what she is doing and how we can manipulate it. Did the assassins that you captured after that first incident say anything?¡±

    Theodore shook his head. ¡°They only got their orders from their superiors. But those people weren''t the most skilled ones either, much like the ones in the forest weren''t. Your mother doesn''t want to kill you or Lady Valerian yet. She wants to show you that the option is there. That means that her pride might help us again. She will show us what exactly she can do, and we can prepare.¡± But that wouldn''t grant them the knowledge about why Camille managed to steer her puppets without moving.

    Cedar stared straight at the table while he went through all the possible options. Maybe Camille had allowed someone else to plan for her. That would be the easiest option but also the most unlikely one. She was much too focused on controlling everything around her. She wouldn''t share her power. Then this meant that the dowager empress had to have some other way to contact the people she wished to order around. ¡°Right now, her strength seems to be sending information outside without leaving the house or alerting the maid you placed by her side, right? We need to find out how she does that under any circumstances. Then we can find out who her people are and deal with them. We will need to send someone she trusts inside so that they can steal a few clues from her.¡±

    And there was probably only one person that could do that. Damn it.

    Theodore nodded again. ¡°I will find someone fitting. We only need a person who can slowly flatter her and get closer to her, and then-¡±

    Cedar cut him off there. ¡°That will take too long, and you know how she deals with her pawns. There is only one person that might be close enough to her. I will visit her.¡±

    Theodore furrowed his brows. ¡°What?¡±

    Even Cedar knew how ridiculous that was. This idea was stupid, but right now, it was their best bet. ¡°Leon can just give Mother something that makes her sickness worse. Then I act like I''m worried about her. If I let her believe that she lured me in again, she will talk with me for a while. And when I am taking care of her, I can freely move in her room and the house. Then I can find out whether she has something there that allows her to send people. If we give her something that makes her feverish, she may even tell me some secrets.¡±

    The emperor couldn''t deny that this was a logical plan. But he had the same concerns his brother had. ¡°But that''s... You would need to let her get close for that. For much longer than just a few minutes. And you would actually have to be nice to her. You know that this will only give her a chance to attack you with her usual mind games, right?¡± Then they would need to give Camille an even stronger drug.

    Cedar held back a sigh as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Normally, I would agree that this is a stupid decision. Believe me, I hate myself for proposing this.¡± Going back to his mother when he had barely managed to cut his ties with her was more than ridiculous. However, he still had the one thing that gave him strength. If he wanted to protect that, he would have to move. ¡°But right now, I''m really upset. This is the fourth time she tried to attack Lucille. I''m annoyed enough to know that I won''t fall for her tricks.¡± His triggers didn''t work on him, and he knew that her affection was fake. So, it should be fine.

    Hopefully.

    Theodore didn''t seem convinced. He frowned at his brother and didn''t say anything.

    Cedar forced himself to keep his hands still to avoid running his fingers through his hair and showing that he hated this plan much more than anyone else. He didn''t want to see Camille. ¡°You used that trick too, remember? After the assassination attempt seven years ago. You were kind to her for a month or so, and she immediately thought that she might be able to forgive you because you clung to her. That must have been revolting to you. I can deal with this for a few hours or days too, if necessary. And right now, it looks like this could be necessary.¡±

    Theodore narrowed his eyes. ¡°Not days. I''m not sending you to that woman more than once. I''m not even happy about letting you go see her in private at all. For me, it was much different. After all, she killed my mother, so of course, I wouldn''t forget my hatred for her. But you...¡±

    Cedar might just forget why he had changed sides. But he knew that he could be stronger than that. He had to. ¡°Right now, I hate her more than ever before. It will be fine.¡± He only needed to keep in mind what was most important.

    His mother wanted to hurt Lucille. His mother wanted to kill an innocent person because they made her son happy. Camille had never cared about Cedar, even if she claimed the opposite. His emotions didn''t matter to her unless he showed affection for her and hatred for those she despised.

    So, Cedar didn''t owe her any kindness. He wouldn''t fall back into her trap. He forced himself to meet his brother''s gaze.

    Theodore had interlocked his fingers in front of his mouth and stared at Cedar as if he was trying to figure out what was going on in his younger brother''s head. A few seconds of silence followed before he continued. ¡°Owen will go with you.¡±

    Cedar hadn''t expected that. ¡°Your guard? You would take him away from your wife''s side? Why?¡± He already had the answer when he thought about it a bit longer. ¡°Ah. That''s understandable. You don''t trust-¡±

    Theodore interrupted him there in a sharp voice. ¡°No. I trust you. I don''t trust her. I would like to spare you the fate of needing to hit her while you defend yourself if she loses her temper. So, Owen will join you. At the same time, it will show everyone that I am aware of your visit and that you won''t betray me because you saw her once. We don''t need unfavorable rumors. You will take Owen with you. No arguing.¡±

    Cedar hadn''t intended on arguing. After all, he knew that his brother was stubborn, and he would be more comfortable if he knew that someone close to Theodore stood behind him. That could keep him from doing something stupid. ¡°I understand. Then I will drive there in five days or so. Just so that we can hide the fact that this is because of the poisoning. It would be good if Leon prepared something for her in the meantime.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Theodore weakly nodded.

    Then it seemed like the plan had been made. Cedar hated it with every fiber of his being. But he had proposed it, and he would be the one pulling through with it now.

    <hr>

    For the next five days, Cedar tried to distract himself. That worked out rather well when he had to take care of Lucille the whole time. After what had happened, she still blamed herself, and seeing someone being poisoned right in front of her shocked her. She was in dire need of some cuddling and calming words.

    Cedar knew that he wasn''t the most compassionate person in this world, but he gave his best. It seemed to work somehow. Even though it was an issue that he hated seeing Lucille dejected so much that he would have liked to stay with her twenty-four hours a day. In the end, he was even reluctant to leave for once despite doing this to keep her safe.

    So, Cedar sat in the carriage along with Owen, who looked as expressionless and intimidating as always, while smiling so brightly that everyone should know that he was annoyed. He couldn''t even refrain from asking himself whether he was stupid. Why would he go back to see his mother when he knew what would happen?

    Camille would be overjoyed to see him, and he would feel bad for leaving her Then he would have to force himself to ignore that and remember all the horrible things she had done, including the fireplace incident. This would be an endless cycle until he came back to the palace. It might even be better if she just yelled at him, even if that defeated the original goal of finding out some secret information now.

    Cedar rested his chin on his hand and only took his elbow off the window sill when they reached the mansion. He glanced at Owen, who was unmistakably supposed to watch the prince as well as the dowager empress, before speaking up. ¡°I sincerely apologize for the fact that my brother made you come along. You probably do not wish to spend your whole day watching me pacify a hysteric traitor. I can promise that you won''t be bothered though. You will only need to stand by the door and wait until we''re done. You can even eat something in the meantime.¡±

    Owen''s expression didn''t change even while he replied. ¡°His Majesty ordered me to follow you, so I will not complain. I will ensure that nothing goes wrong.¡± He didn''t say more than that. Apparently, he still hated the prince for the revolt last year. That was understandable.

    Cedar ignored that and prepared to enter the lion''s den. He jumped out of the carriage without waiting for someone to open the door for him and walked toward the building. He almost wanted to swallow, but he forced himself to stay still. There was no reason for him to worry. He only needed to keep Lucille in mind. He had to imagine how she smiled at him and how she blushed when her soft lips met his.

    And he had to remember how often she had been threatened by now.

    He needed to protect Lucille. So, he would fight against his mother once again. Even that thought didn''t keep him from being tense, but he forced himself to walk forward.

    The servants of the mansion didn''t see that he was in a bad mood, but all of them should hate that the prince came here. At least one would expect that. In reality, about half of them glared at Cedar while the rest were just curious. When Owen reached his side, more of the people around them relaxed, most likely because they were sure that the emperor''s guard would keep an eye on the criminal here.

    Cedar nodded at them and walked to the door, where a middle-aged man was waiting. That person seemed to manage the house at the moment. Cedar showed him a bright grin and handed over Theodore''s letter. ¡°His Majesty sent me to deal with her for a while. I believe he already informed you though.¡±

    The man, who looked rather strict, nodded at that. ¡°Indeed. Her Majesty is currently in her chambers on the second floor. You are free to visit her and leave on your own accord. The servants are at your service. If you wish, you can order tea for the time that you are here.¡±

    Cedar certainly didn''t want to get cozy here, so he wouldn''t ask anyone for anything. ¡°I thank you for your offer. I do not need anything though. I will just go in and leave when I have heard what we need to know. If a commotion arises, I will do my best to take care of it.¡± Even though he didn''t have the motivation to deal with his mother at all.

    Thankfully, he wasn''t stopped for long. The doors were opened, and he could enter despite the countless people staring at him. He let his gaze roam around the building and soon noted that it was rather modest.

    Camille probably hated it here. She had already felt that way while they had lived here last year, but now even fewer decorations were to be seen. Instead, countless flowers adorned the entrance hall. Cedar was pretty sure that all of those were the ones that his mother disliked. Theodore was rather petty.

    Cedar didn''t care much. He immediately steered toward the master bedroom. He climbed up the staircase, only to be forced to catch a maid, who almost jumped downstairs, because she would have fallen down otherwise.

    The maid seemed to be prepared to thank him before she saw his face. Then she jumped back and got tense. This was certainly the woman who currently took care of Camille. The one who was friends with Harris and probably troubled the dowager empress at any chance. Obviously, she would dislike the prince.

    Cedar showed her a bright smile. ¡°There is no need to worry. His Majesty knows I''m here. I will just have a short talk with my mother and leave again.¡± Only after a few hours, if he was unlucky. ¡°You will not notice me being here at all.¡± With that, he wanted to move forward again.

    But the maid seemed to snap out of her paralysis here. She shook her head, and her face lit up. ¡°No, it''s good that you are here now, Your Royal Highness. Right now, Her Majesty is-¡± She didn''t need to finish the sentence.

    The yelling from upstairs said everything. Cedar only needed to listen for a moment to hear a vase shattering on the floor. Then his mother began insulting someone so loudly that everyone in the entrance hall had understood her.

    He almost let out a sigh. Though, this was beneficial for him. He could lull his mother into trusting him by calming her down a bit too. But of course, it still was far from pleasant. ¡°I will deal with it.¡± Cedar continued to walk up the stairs and reached the second floor quickly.

    Another crash sounded. Most likely, a second vase had been forced to join the first one and was now lying on the floor in small pieces. The prince wasn''t even sure why Theodore had allowed servants to keep something like this here. Everyone knew how explosive Camille was.

    Cedar was already unwilling to continue, but he forced himself. He walked to the middle of the hallway and then knocked on the wide door.

    Unsurprisingly, the yelling didn''t quieten. No one had heard him. Then no one could complain about him opening the door.

    Cedar did just that, and immediately, a motion caught his eye. Something came flying to him at full speed. Great. Camille was throwing cups again. Cedar tilted his head to the side to avoid the cup, which met the floor in the hallway behind him, and scanned the scene inside the room.

    The dowager empress was definitely sick. She was in her nightgown and wore her hair open, even though she normally put it up in a bun no matter what. She was much paler than normal too, and it looked like her footing wasn''t too steady. And despite her obvious discomfort, she was already terrorizing the servants again.

    Right now, Camille had buried her fingers in the hair of some unfortunate maid and pulled the other''s face to hers before she yelled. ¡°You filthy piece of garbage dare to lecture me? I can treat my servants as I see fit! You will regret trying to interfere. Your punishment will be so harsh that you will remember whom not to provoke!¡± She used more force, which made the maid cry out in pain. ¡°Understood?¡± She was in the middle of having another fit.

    Cedar''s timing couldn''t have been better. He would have liked to avoid chiming in like this, but he wouldn''t let his mother hurt any servant again. This was rather similar to what he had always done in the past. ¡°Mother.¡±

    Camille froze. She released the poor maid, who panically stumbled backwards, and turned to the door. ¡°Cedar?¡± She took a second to process that, and when she did, the prince regretted his decision already. ¡°Cedar!¡± She came running toward him at full speed.

    Hopefully, Owen wouldn''t see that as dangerous and knock her out.

    Cedar fought the urge to back off and had to accept how his mother slammed into him. He just focused on keeping them stable and hoped that the dowager empress was too ecstatic to notice that he wasn''t hugging her back. ¡°Good day, Mother.¡± He had been rather cold, but that didn''t seem to bother her.

    Camille already clung to him and leaned her head against him. When Lucille did that, it was fine, but right now, it felt like his mother was much too close. Luckily, she lifted her head quickly and beamed at him. ¡°Cedar, you''re finally back! I knew you wouldn''t leave me behind.¡± So, she was still in denial. It was frustrating to know that his efforts were ignored, but at least she would be open with her plans if she believed him. That was good.

    So, Cedar just smiled back at her. ¡°I heard that you were extremely sick. Of course, I needed to check on you. It seems like you can stand though.¡±

    Camille immediately shifted her weight so that she leaned more against him. ¡°Barely. Cedar, it''s so good that you are here. I''m so proud of you.¡± She was using that strategy now. She was clinging to him and began showering him with affection to bind him to her. Apparently, this was what he needed to deal with now. So, it wasn''t surprising for her to suddenly remove one arm from his body to reach up. She stroked over his head, which immediately made Cedar want to run away again.

    This gesture was the one he hated most. It had always been something she did to remind him of her so-called love. That meant that he couldn''t avoid it now, or she would guess that this was a trick.

    Unfortunately, the fact that he held still only made Camille happier. Her eyes seemed slightly glassy as she focused on him, but she was smiling so brightly. She was convinced that she would win here. ¡°Cedar. Your mother loves you very much. I almost went insane without you.¡± She had probably crossed that line long ago.

    Cedar forced himself to reply at that point. ¡°That''s why I''m here again. I want to help you get better. You are really sick, right? I heard that you have been ill for the past two weeks or so.¡± Thanks to Leonard ordering for something odd to be put in her meal. ¡°Do you have a fever?¡± Even though every single part of him hated it, he lifted his hand and carefully put his palm on Camille''s forehead. This definitely was a fever. So, this was why she was much more emotional than normal. This was good and bad at the same time. She would be more open about her plans, but at the same time, she would also be more clingy.

    Camille didn''t stop beaming, maybe because she thought that allowing her to touch and hug him made Cedar her obedient tool again. ¡°Now that you''re here, I''m fine again. But I am a bit nauseous. And I have a headache. And my body hurts and my throat too. You will have to help me, Cedar. I''ve been sick for so long, but nothing made it better. That must be because I missed you so much that I got ill.¡± She began early with her guilt-tripping today.

    Cedar would have liked to push her away just for that but quickly reminded himself that he needed to endure it. By now, his stomach was already churning, and he felt like he was about to turn around and run away to avoid losing here. So, he told himself what mattered most. Lucille, the one person who truly cared about him. Not Camille, who would burn his skin when he did something she disliked. Not Camille, who didn''t seem to understand when he told her why he wouldn''t hurt a drugged woman to upset Theodore just because his mother had ordered it.

    Those thoughts were enough to remind him of whom he was dealing with. His mother had used him for his whole life. That had been over two decades.

    So, Cedar could use her to gain information in return.

    The prince showed his mother a bright smile as he forced himself to see the image of Lucille bleeding out in his arms in front of his inner eye. He wouldn''t let Lucille get hurt again, so he could be strong for a while. ¡°Of course, Mother. I came here to take care of you. Let''s get you back to your bed so that you can lie down.¡± Cedar didn''t face any resistance when he led her around the room while gesturing for the maid to leave.

    The young woman was still crying and looked at him as if he was her savior before she darted out. That lucky person could just run away.

    The prince, unfortunately, couldn''t.

    Cedar glanced over his shoulder to confirm that Owen had positioned himself in a corner to have an overview of the room. Seemingly, Camille really didn''t feel too well, or she would have thrown the knight out already. This meant that she would cave in easily if Cedar managed to keep his cool for a day. Good. He carefully helped her into the bed before pulling the blanket over her. That was enough to remind him that it wasn''t that easy at all.

    Normally, he might have kissed his mother on her forehead, but he certainly wouldn''t do that now. So, he only sat on the side of the bed.

    Camille quickly grabbed his hand and held onto it as if she wanted to keep him from running away. Now that Cedar was directly next to her and could see her face in the daylight from the window, he saw that his mother was truly unwell. She had dark circles under her eyes, and the rest of her skin was paler than it should be so that he could see her veins. Even her normally straight hair had been tangled by now, which probably meant that she had stirred in bed for a long time.

    If Cedar didn''t remember what she had always told him when he had been sick, he might have felt bad. But now, he only held back a comment about how he had felt much worse after the fireplace incident.

    For a minute, which was the most calming part about all of this, the both of them were quiet. Then Camille began speaking again. ¡°Cedar, my head hurts. Will you get a servant to bring me cold cloths?¡± She could have asked for that before, but she hadn''t. Now she suddenly needed them? She only wanted him to sit next to her while being forced to exchange the wet cloths on her head the whole time.

    For now, Cedar had to play along though. ¡°Of course, Mother.¡± He gave her a soft smile before letting go of her hand and going to the door. The desire to leave was so big that it took all of his self-control not to just walk down the corridor. Instead, he addressed the first servant there and ordered what he needed, including some specific medicine for later. Then he returned to the room despite letting out a sigh, which earned him the sympathetic gazes of all the people who stood in the hallway.

    Even they seemed to know how horrible it was to deal with Camille.

    Cedar sat down on the bed again and focused on suppressing the emotions he had had while being close to his mother in the past. At some point not so long ago, he would have been overjoyed to see her smiling at him like this, which she only had done rarely. But by now, she had destroyed all chances of him ever coming to terms with her again. She had burned the bridge to him the very moment that she had targeted Lucille just because she had found out that he cared for that woman.

    Camille didn''t want him to be happy unless he was completely dependent on her and her alone. So, there was no way that he could stay close to his mother.

 Chapter 98: Blazing Fury and Cold Affection (2)

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    like her. It may be more than that.¡± Those words seemed to trigger something.

    gift.¡± His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he spoke.

 Chapter 99: Guilt and Happiness

and it isn''t your fault. You can forget that incident.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    <hr>

 Chapter 100: Marriages and Mistresses

    obviously a lie. For you, it would be believable since she raised you. Everyone knows I stuck to mother.¡± Which had more or less been rather unhealthy and unpleasant.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    surely the only reason he said this. ¡°If you look at it objectively, marriage wouldn''t be too bad. We get along well, right? And we don''t need to worry about how we are going to sustain ourselves either. I can easily take care of the both of us, even if we had to run away into another nation. I haven''t touched my personal funds in years, so they should have an impressive size by now.¡± After all, having supported businesses years ago and now earning money with everything they sold was profitable. ¡°And since I assume that marriage can''t get much more pleasant than the spouses liking each other, I don''t think that we need to worry so much. Of course, that still isn''t binding. It''s an option though.¡±

 Chapter 101: Blessing

    Lucille felt like her skin was melting. It was so warm that pouring a bucket of cold water over her head would have been good.

    Hadn''t Cedar just said that he liked her again? He had said that he didn''t need a mistress because he could just marry the woman he cared for. And he said that after reminding her that he wouldn''t be averse to marrying her. By now, Cedar had told her that he liked her multiple times, and still, it felt like her body wasn''t working correctly whenever he said that.

    Lucille''s knees felt weak, and she fought the urge to tell him that she liked him a lot too. But the longer she stared into his wonderful light brown eyes, the more she wanted him to know. ¡°I''m...happy that you say that. I like you too. A lot.¡± She would have liked to say that she loved him, but that was a bit much. Surely, they had known each other for a while, but she wasn''t sure if she could confess her feelings in such direct words. At least not right now. She had told him this in another phrasing multiple times, and despite that, she was embarrassed, so she should hold back for now.

    Cedar just smiled, as always. His voice was soft and made her insides tingle while he spoke. ¡°That''s good to hear. After all, I don''t want to be rejected.¡± He slowly lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a small kiss onto the backside of her hand.

    It was almost over at that point. Lucille wouldn''t be surprised if she suddenly fainted and he would have to catch her. That she would never reject Cedar was obvious, and yet, hearing him say that he thought about that only made her like him even more. If he worried, he truly had to care in a romantic sense.

    As their kisses should have proven.

    Lucille opened her mouth to respond when she heard the entrance door open. She barely turned her head in time to see the visitor. The timing was perfect once again. She was in the middle of trying to calm down after Cedar had reduced her to nothing but a blushing mess, and now her father came.

    As expected, Raymond only needed a glimpse of the scene in front of him to determine what was happening. He quickly saw that his daughter was holding hands with the prince he had warned her about. His mood soured in an instant. This probably meant that dinner would be even tenser.

    Lucille felt her confidence wavering and almost wanted to hide. She had no idea how her father would address the kiss, and that was bad enough. The fact that she and the prince were holding hands in public would only make it worse.

    Cedar next to her was much calmer. He just calmly smiled at the visitor and waited until Viscount Valerian reached them. Then he spoke up. ¡°I wish you a wonderful evening, Lord Valerian. We hope that your trip here wasn''t too exhausting.¡±

    Raymond''s expression was as cold as it hadn''t been in a few months. ¡°There have been no issues, Your Royal Highness. I hope that you have been in good health.¡± He didn''t bother saying anything else and turned to his daughter. ¡°Lucille. Have you been well?¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded while trying to move her hand away from Cedar''s inconspicuously and gracefully. ¡°Indeed. There...have been some small problems, but nothing directly troubled me.¡± The assassins hadn''t been able to reach her, and the poison had been ingested by another person. ¡°Good afternoon, Father.¡±

    For a moment, it was silent. The tension was so thick that one could have cut it with a knife.

    Cedar was the only one who didn''t care. ¡°It would be better for us to go to the dining room. I assume that talking there would be much more pleasant for multiple reasons. Please follow us.¡± He led the way toward their destination.

    Lucille used the minute she had while walking to ponder whether she seriously wanted to talk to her father about this topic now. She felt unprepared, mostly because she wasn''t even sure what she wanted to say. Could she tell Raymond that she loved Cedar without being scared of the reaction? Her father had made it clear that he didn''t like the prince very much.

    But by now, it might be impossible to avoid that discussion. After all, Lucille lived in the palace, attended events along with Cedar and had even kissed him. She probably didn''t need to deny it anymore. Especially not since her father thought that they had been together for half a year already.

    When they reached the dining room, they entered and sat down. Dinner began without anyone daring to speak. At least Lucille didn''t dare to. Her father didn''t seem scared and just angry, but Cedar smiled as brightly as ever. A few minutes passed, and everyone just ate.

    That was interrupted as Raymond set his utensils down on the table though. He seemed to fight the urge to speak in a sharper tone and forced himself to be somewhat calm even though his anger was oozing out. ¡°I want to address the most important part first. Can you confirm whether the rumors about the last ball are true?¡±

    Lucille stopped eating as well and hid her balled fists under the table. She wasn''t scared since Cedar was with her, but she was still a bit intimidated when it came to her father. So, she hoped that the prince would deal with this for her. She glanced at him and immediately regretted that when Raymond looked even more upset. She almost shrank in herself and lowered her gaze. Didn''t that look like she was shameful? That would only make it seem like she was guilty of something. But she couldn''t help it.

    Luckily, Cedar next to her spoke up. ¡°It depends on what rumors you are referring to, Lord Valerian. A few things were mentioned after the ball. But I can guess which one you mean. Is it related to the incident on the balcony?¡±

    Raymond''s expression only darkened. ¡°Indeed. People claimed that Your Royal Highness got rather close to my daughter then.¡±

    Lucille barely managed to look up. She hated how her father scanned her expression, so she looked at Cedar. Would he deny it? It would be easier to deal with all of this then. But at the same time, the rumors were probably widespread already. Lying wouldn''t help.

    Cedar met her gaze to smile at her for a moment before he faced her father again. ¡°I would like to refrain from speaking about such matters since Lucille is a bit bashful when it comes to that. But I can''t deny that we kissed that day.¡±

    Lucille''s heart skipped a beat just because she heard that. She hurried to pick up her fork and almost dropped it accidentally. She barely managed to catch it before eating a bit. That didn''t make the situation better, but at least she didn''t have to speak.

    A few seconds passed in silence before Viscount Valerian replied in a cold voice. ¡°I don''t believe I must explain what this means to you. Enough people saw, and by now, the whole capital is talking about this. You need to give me a response now. It should be obvious that the chances of Lucille getting married to someone else are pretty low due to your meddling.¡±

    Cedar only smiled at that. ¡°I am aware. But there is no need for you to worry about Lucille''s future. I told you that when we met, right? I will take responsibility for my actions. In any case, I will ensure that she can live calmly without needing to worry about money.¡±

    Raymond narrowed his eyes. ¡°I hope you are not talking about what I think you may be referring to. I know that both His Majesty and the former esteemed emperor did something like this. There is no way that you-¡±

    Cedar cut him off there. ¡°No, no. You misunderstood. I would not simply take her into the palace as my mistress.¡± He stopped for a moment and moved his chair back a little. Then he turned to the woman next to him and smiled at her. ¡°Lucille and I already discussed this topic. I''m not certain whether she is ready to tell you already though.¡± So, he was leaving this to her now?

    Raymond''s gaze immediately wandered to his daughter. ¡°What did you discuss?¡±

    Lucille felt like all confidence had been drained from her. She tensed even more until she felt Cedar''s hand on her leg. She quickly took his hand and squeezed it tightly while forcing herself to look at her father. ¡°This is...¡± She spoke while averting her eyes slightly. ¡°We...talked about the rumors...and about what we can do.¡± Could she say more than that? Could she say that Cedar had offered to marry her in a few years? She wasn''t sure. ¡°We...just spoke about...¡± They had confirmed that he wouldn''t take in any mistress if he married her too. This made it seem like they were pretty serious about all of this. If she said that, her father would be even more angry.

    But by now, Raymond had already understood in what direction this was moving. ¡°What did you discuss? I have the right to know.¡±

    Cedar glanced at Lucille. He wanted to give her a chance to speak, but she just squeezed his hand. It was better if he said it, and thankfully, he listened. ¡°We spoke about the option of marriage. We said that it wouldn''t be a problem if Lucille and I married, under the condition that we are still fond of one another in a few years. Of course, Lucille''s opinion matters most here. She isn''t forced to agree to anything she doesn''t like, so I wish to give her time. However, if she is truly unable to marry, I will naturally take care of her for the rest of my life. Either by marriage, if she agrees, or by gifting her an estate and sending her money regularly.¡±

    Lucille looked up at the prince while admiring how confident he was while saying that. He was the one who had to explain all of this, but still, he held her hand and consoled her.

    Raymond had given up on eating. He had pushed his plate away and was burying his face in his hands while resting his elbows on the table. If he was in such a position despite his typical dignified facade, he had to be in a bad mood. He spoke up in a voice that was a bit too weak for such a strong man with an explosive temper. ¡°You are considering marriage?¡±

    Lucille had to admit that she was as unbelieving as her father. Her voice was shaky when she tried to affirm that. ¡°We...said that it was an option.¡±

    Cedar stayed silent for a moment before he added something. ¡°And I can promise you that I don''t intend to change my mind. I am serious. And you know your daughter well enough to know that she is serious too. I know that this is sudden. But nothing has been decided yet, so we thought about informing you when we already have the chance.¡± That sounded awfully like he was asking for Raymond''s blessing.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Lucille hid her face by looking down. She doubted that it would help much, but it was better than nothing.

    Her father took a few seconds to process this. Then he spoke while slowly lifting his head to look at his daughter. ¡°Last time we met, you told me that the rumors about him making you his fianc¨¦e were misunderstandings. And now you suddenly tell me this. Did something happen that makes you feel like you need to agree now? Even if those rumors are widespread, that doesn''t mean that you have to marry him.¡± He completely ignored that Cedar was right next to them while saying that.

    Lucille squeezed the prince''s hand more tightly and tried to calm herself down while replying. ¡°Well... I only addressed that after you warned me about those rumors. And...Cedar said that he wouldn''t...mind marrying me when I asked, so...¡± She felt even more uncertain while saying that.

    Cedar squeezed her hand back as if he wanted to reassure her, but she didn''t dare to speak anymore.

    A few seconds passed until Raymond replied. This time, he was even more serious than before. ¡°Lucille, you don''t have to do this. If he forces you or if you feel pressured because of his rank, you can tell me that. I will find a way to deal with this.¡±

    Lucille was taken aback by that. Shouldn''t Raymond be happy about her having an influential husband? When he didn''t think about it that way, he truly had to be completely against this arrangement. Lucille couldn''t have that. The thought made her lift her head even though she would have liked to avoid eye contact. She needed to say this now, or she would feel like she was accusing Cedar of something. ¡°But...I want to do this.¡± That sounded like she had openly said that she wanted to marry Cedar. Wonderful. This made her even more embarrassed, but she forced herself to meet her father''s gaze.

    Raymond scanned her as if he expected her to say something else. When nothing followed, he stayed quiet as well. Then he looked down and stared at the table. He was upset. He couldn''t hide how he glared at the plate, but he didn''t yell and was silent. At least a minute passed before he replied. ¡°I see. But this isn''t official yet, is it?¡±

    Cedar shook his head. ¡°No. As I said, I do not wish to pressure her nor do I want to coax her into making a rash decision. We merely said that we like each other and that a relationship like this would be good for spouses. Of course, we have to wait a few years to confirm that since Lucille is rather young. But we are considering it, which means that you do not need to worry about Lucille finding a marriage partner.¡±

    Raymond didn''t like that much better. But he nodded and stared at his plate without making eye contact with anyone.

    The rest of the meal was silent. Lucille didn''t dare to address the assassination attempts of the past weeks and just went along with any topic Cedar addressed. In the end, they didn''t discuss much more.

    Dinner was over soon, and Viscount Valerian insisted on leaving even though he had only been here for two hours. Lucille and Cedar, who had offered her his arm to Raymond''s dismay, accompanied him to the door and even stepped into the garden to bid farewell to him. They quickly regretted that though.

    Lucille barely recognized the silhouette of the person that they saw, and maybe that was because it was someone that shouldn''t have been here.

    But the fact that Cedar was sighing said everything. ¡°What does she want here?¡±

    To be honest, Lady Peril looked like she was in a bad mood. She had come out of a secondary entrance and glared into the distance while being lost in thoughts. For a moment, that made it seem like they could hope to avoid her. But then her eyes fell onto Cedar, and immediately, a bright smile covered her true feelings. Everyone else here got annoyed in an instant, but that didn''t keep her from approaching the group and making an overly exaggerated curtsy.

    Cedar''s smile told Lucille that he disliked the other woman, but he replied politely. ¡°I wish you a wonderful evening, Lady Peril. I hope that your past few weeks have been quite calm. What led you to the royal palace?¡±

    Jenna only beamed at him while she lifted her head again. ¡°I wish you a just as wonderful evening, Your Royal Highness. I happened to have an audience with His Majesty. He wished to talk about my husband''s business despite only inviting me. It was odd.¡±

    Lucille would have liked to say that she had at least the slightest idea about this matter, but that wasn''t the case. She did know that Jenna was very much active in her family''s businesses though, so that had been a lie.

    Cedar didn''t seem surprised either. ¡°I see. Then it seems like he must have guessed that you were more involved than you publicly claimed to be. Since your family''s business is quite influential, it is obvious that he would be interested.¡±

    Jenna completely ignored the other present people to reply. ¡°I hoped so too.¡± She put her hand on her cheek and showed a dejected reaction. ¡°But then he explained his story to me. Say...¡± She looked directly at Cedar. ¡°Could you perhaps talk to your brother and ask him why he needs to be so harsh with our business? I always paid my taxes and never did anything illegal. And yet, he suddenly claims that I should sell at least half of my stores because I might be accused of cartelization. I worry about someone some mistakes my employees could have made, but His Majesty refused to tell me what crime has been the reason for his caution.¡±

    Cedar smiled at her while glancing at Lucille for a moment. He didn''t do much but tap her arm once, which was enough to make her remember that she still held on to his arm. He replied in a calm voice, but he was unmistakably contemptuous. ¡°That sounds horrible. But he did tell you what crime he accuses your family of. Cartelization isn''t just a triviality. It could destroy our fragile economy if the wrong people sink their fingers into the market. That is why he is so careful and wants to ensure that can''t happen. Right now, your business is quite strong. You own a big portion of the smaller businesses that sell the most famous flowers and herbs, correct? At the same time, you made sure to lower your prices so much that most less wealthy clients will buy from you. If your business grows, you might successfully drive out all others in the same niche.¡±

    Jenna put her hand in front of her mouth. ¡°But that was never my intention. I only wished to sell perfume of good quality to the ladies around me. I will do my best to prevent any damage if I am told where the problems lie. I will take care of everything, I promise. I am not sure whether I am able to convey that to your brother though. So, I wished to ask you whether you could perhaps help me out here. Of course, I will compensate you in return. You can ask for anything you wish for.¡±

    Lucille hated how the other woman said that. She was standing right here and held Cedar''s arm and was still being ignored. That was annoying. Lucille would have liked to do something that would draw attention to her, but she didn''t. Instead, she just looked away until Cedar squeezed her arm again. She still wasn''t sure what he wanted to tell her with that, so she stayed still.

    That was enough for Cedar to take it into his own hands. He was careful, but he made it more obvious by pulling his arm toward him and moving her with him.

    Lucille was forced to take a step closer to him. She controlled half of her motions, and the rest was her stumbling toward him because she had been surprised. In any case, she ended up leaning against Cedar''s side. She felt the embarrassment rush to her face immediately.

    It only got worse when Cedar looked down at her and showed her a radiant smile before carefully stroking his fingertips over the side of her face. Then he pushed a strand of her hair aside before facing the other woman again.

    Jenna was still smiling, but it almost looked like she was holding onto her fan with more force than before. ¡°Oh. I sincerely apologize. I almost forget due to all this stress. Good evening, Lord Valerian.¡± She smiled and nodded at Raymond''s reply while ignoring how upset the other man seemed. She immediately turned to Lucille after that. ¡°Good evening, Lady Valerian. How have you been?¡±

    Lucille felt like this was only common courtesy and that Lady Peril would have liked to avoid speaking to the other woman. But in the end, she felt similarly. ¡°I wish you a wonderful evening, Lady Peril. I cannot complain about anything unpleasant happening. I am sorry to hear about the problems you mentioned.¡±

    Jenna still refused to give up on her grin. ¡°Thank you for your concern, but there is no need for you to worry about me and my family. I am more concerned about you and your reputation.¡± She scanned the couple without hiding it well. ¡°Of course, I will not pry into your matters. But it''s no wonder that rumors arise when you act like this.¡±

    But Cedar wasn''t intimidated by that. ¡°Well, my brother wasn''t a good example when it came to holding back. I am not sure why he even tried.¡±

    Lady Peril let out a little laugh as she unfolded her fan and hid her mouth. ¡°Well. He had a fianc¨¦e at the time that he met Her Majesty. So, it is obvious that he would need to be a bit more discreet about it. And one day, you will need to keep that in mind too. Now that I mention it, it is a bit odd that Your Royal Highness doesn''t have a fianc¨¦e yet, isn''t it?¡±

    Lucille was already complaining inwardly. The other woman was still ignoring her. Normally, she should be happy about not needing to talk, but still, anger bubbled in her stomach when she heard Jenna speak. She certainly didn''t like that woman, and it felt like it was even worse today. Maybe because Lady Peril hinted at the fact that the prince should be with a different woman once again. In any case, it was annoying.

    The fact that Cedar didn''t care about that person and held Lucille in his arms instead was satisfying though.

    Cedar grinned at Jenna while he responded. ¡°Father didn''t care enough since he already had a future wife for his eldest son, and Mother didn''t like the thought of me leaving her, as she called it. So, they didn''t arrange an engagement for me. But I am very thankful for that. After all, I wish to choose my fianc¨¦e myself. And since the woman I will spend the rest of my life with has to be wonderful, I can only imagine few people taking that spot.¡± He finished as he smiled down at Lucille.

    Lucille felt even more blood rush to her face. She leaned forward to rest her forehead against Cedar''s arm to hide that, but she doubted that it made her look more dignified.

    It served to underline the point though, so Lucille didn''t even try to keep her distance and just hugged Cedar as obviously as she could.

    For a moment, it was silent. Then Jenna spoke in her sickeningly sweet voice again. ¡°It is good to hear that Your Royal Highness knows what he is doing. It would be best for you to follow that plan. But of course, you will need to think about such an important decision carefully.¡± Then it seemed like she turned her attention to someone else. ¡°Lord Valerian, regarding the business contract we were discussing-¡±

    Raymond''s voice was icy when he cut her off. ¡°Unfortunately, I doubt that I will be able to trade with anyone in the near future. Some serious issues came up, and I need to deal with them before focusing on this. I apologize.¡± That was unusual for him. He never threw chances to gain money away like this. But it seemed like he was too annoyed with Lady Peril.

    Apparently, even Jenna was speechless at that. When Lucille lifted her head, the other woman had returned to smiling though. ¡°I see. I will keep that in mind. Maybe we will be able to trade in the future though. Then I do not wish to bother you any longer.¡± It was almost surprising, but she simply left after giving everyone a short goodbye.

    But all the people here were rather content with that.

    As soon as Lady Peril had left, Cedar let out a quiet comment. ¡°Finally. That woman isn''t good at taking a hint. I apologize that we had to have that short conversation just now. Lord Valerian, it seems like your carriage has been prepared. I wish you a quick and safe return to your home without any issues. Until we meet again.¡±

    Raymond narrowed his eyes at that but replied anyway. ¡°Thank you, Your Royal Highness. I wish you a calming evening. But would it be possible for me to speak to Lucille before I leave?¡±

    Lucille immediately felt panic rise in her stomach. For a moment, she was scared before she realized that her father wasn''t that upset and that they were in the middle of the royal estate. Raymond wouldn''t do anything bad.

    Cedar didn''t reply immediately but turned to Lucille. He only spoke when she nodded. ¡°Of course. I will not disturb you and wait by the door.¡± Then he slowly let go of Lucille and walked the few steps to the entrance of the palace.

    Raymond waited for the prince to distance himself before he focused his attention on Lucille. He still looked grim, but there wasn''t any anger in his voice when he spoke quietly. ¡°If you are in trouble, any kind of trouble, send a letter. I won''t let anyone hurt you, no matter how powerful they are.¡±

    Lucille was taken aback by that. She wasn''t used to hearing something this protective from her father''s mouth. Hadn''t he always been the one to tell her that she needed to do things herself? She had to collect her thoughts before replying. ¡°Thank you. But you don''t have to worry about me. Cedar is good to me, and I like him a lot.¡±

    Her father didn''t seem like he was too happy about that, but he didn''t seem upset either. Just concerned, which was a strange expression on his face. ¡°That is good. But if that ever changes or if you are scared of him or anything like that, contact me. I will find a solution. No one can force you into a marriage, remember that. If you are happy, I won''t interfere. But if you dislike it, tell me.¡± Was this really her father? The man that had used to yell at her after she had made the smallest mistake?

    Lucille couldn''t stop staring at him even while he left. Apparently, her father had changed too along with the world around them. Right now, it truly seemed like everything was so very different in contrast to just a few months ago.

    But she had to admit that she liked this much more than she had liked her life before meeting Cedar. In the past, she had always been scared of change, but currently, it only seemed to bring her benefits.

 Chapter 102: Inside

    Great. Then he would use something else. He reached the table quickly and stopped in front of it. He purposefully turned his back to those people while sorting some items on the table. ¡°Let me ask again. You came here to clean, even though I told the servants to stay out of my room unless I grant them explicit permission to enter?¡±

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Great. That would be a hassle to clean up. The poor servants deserved a raise for this.

    wonderful. Now the room would be unusable for a while.

    alone.¡± He became a bit more angry again when he said that.

    ¡°

 Chapter 103: Confidence

    Lucille had to admit that she had acted before she could think about it. After all, Cedar had been in danger, and she had wanted to confirm that he would be safe for the rest of the night. So, she had invited him in. She only realized what she was doing when she saw the maids'' aghast expression.

    After that, Lucille retreated into her room hurriedly to avoid facing the judgmental people around her. She was glad that Cedar followed her quickly, even if she was still embarrassed. She stopped in the middle of her room and played around with her fingers. ¡°Uhm... Do you want to wait...for the servants? Or should we prepare something already?¡±

    To her surprise, Cedar didn''t stay in the center of her room. Instead, he steered toward the bathroom immediately. He answered her question by gesturing to his red hand. ¡°I will have to retreat already to prevent this from dripping. I apologize for that. We will see each other when I''m done washing.¡±

    Lucille weakly nodded as she watched him disappear into the bathroom. Then she walked to her bed and plopped down onto the mattress. She could only sit there and wait.

    A few servants came with water, brought it into the bathroom and disappeared immediately.

    Lucille thanked them absentmindedly while she began to sway her feet forward and backward. She had announced that she wanted Cedar to sleep in her room in front of so many witnesses. Maybe she should worry a bit more. But then again, she had already hugged him in public and had slept in his chambers, much like he had been in hers. By now, the rumors didn''t matter much. Especially since spreading those might make it necessary for Lucille to marry the person that was mentioned in them as well.

    That thought made her fall back onto the bed. Lucille grabbed her pillow and hugged it to distract herself. She couldn''t think like that. Marrying Cedar would be nice but only if he wanted it to. Not just because he wanted to take responsibility. But it seemed as if he liked Lucille enough to marry her. Cedar had told her that on multiple occasions. He was so kind to her and even claimed that this was closer to love than a normal friendship.

    Lucille was in the middle of rolling around and overthinking when she heard a noise. She jumped up and scanned the prince.

    Cedar had come out of the bath. He was already dressed and only used a towel to dry his hair. He didn''t do much, but it made him look like a personified god.

    Lucille couldn''t keep herself from staring at him. It was truly unfair. Someone like him only needed a single second to captivate everyone in the room. He was so different from her, who always hid to the best of her abilities. She surely didn''t seem like someone who could stand next to him in public.

    And yet, Cedar showed her a radiant smile as soon as he saw her. ¡°I hope I didn''t make you wait for too long. I wanted to make sure that I''m clean before coming back.¡±

    Lucille almost forgot how to speak for a moment. Her mouth opened, and then she closed it again. She took a few seconds before bringing herself to reply. ¡°You didn''t make me wait. I...was just sitting here. You...¡± She stopped herself before the compliment slipped out. But then she questioned herself. Was it bad to tell him how wonderful he was? Probably not. She was just embarrassed. But it was only fair that she should tell him that when he always surprised her with a compliment. So, she forced herself to do the same even if she had to avert her eyes. ¡°You look...wonderful when you smile like that. I mean... Normally, you look wonderful too, but when you show me a genuine smile, it''s overwhelming.¡± She felt how her cheeks were beginning to turn a dark red. It was almost ridiculous how quickly she reacted when it came to him. She had been so quiet, and yet, it felt like she had already said too much.

    Cedar probably barely heard her words, but his bright smile remained as he replied. ¡°Really? Thank you very much. At least someone likes it when I smile.¡± He ruffled through his hair again before putting the towel away. Then he came toward the bed and grinned at her in a manner that made her grateful that she was sitting. ¡°Then I can demand a reward for showing you a smile? How about you give me a genuine smile back soon?¡± It was easy to guess what her reaction would be, and his chuckle affirmed that. ¡°But that bashful expression is rather cute too.¡±

    It wasn''t good if Lucille got so excited before sleeping. She would probably lay awake for hours. She didn''t even manage to give a reply. She just stubbornly looked to the side.

    Cedar took the remaining steps and stopped right in front of her.

    She wasn''t sure what she expected or hoped for, but when she made the mistake of looking up, her heart almost stopped.

    Cedar had only lifted his hand to push a strand of her hair away, and that was enough to make her body refuse to work. The prince gave her such a captivating smile that she didn''t even think about looking away anymore. Cedar used that to make her even more embarrassed. He kept meeting her gaze while carefully twirling her hair around his finger. Then he lifted the strand to his mouth and leaned down to press a small kiss onto it. When he pulled back, he slowly released her hair but added another thing that made her heart weak. ¡°You are beautiful enough to enchant me just with one little glimpse. If you find me pleasing to look at, I''m happy because it gives me a chance to admire you too.¡±

    Lucille would have stumbled by now if she wasn''t sitting. Her chest felt like she had drunk something warm, and her stomach bubbled as if she was nauseous. But it was a pleasant feeling. She stared up at the prince while being unsure of what to say. Should she compliment him again? She didn''t know what to compliment him for. There were too many kind things this man had to offer. ¡°I...¡± She ended up saying what she really thought at that moment. ¡°I like you a lot. So... seeing each other often is good.¡± What kind of comment was that? This was ridiculous.

    Cedar let out a little laugh. ¡°Right now, we are living together, so you don''t have to worry about anything. And I can assure you that I''m not good at giving up something I like either.¡± He finished while lifting his hand to gently run his knuckles down the side of her face. That was enough to make her freeze. His grin almost seemed to prove that something else would follow, but he didn''t do that. Instead, he just lowered his hand and took a step back. ¡°And I suppose that I will sleep on the sofa?¡± Something in his voice made him sound amused.

    Lucille blinked at him. She took a moment to collect herself before she replied. ¡°That...¡± She barely managed to say that and then stopped. She hadn''t intended to force him to stay on the sofa. Normally, he had always cuddled with her while they slept. Would it be strange if she told him that she would favor that?

    Cedar''s gaze pierced hers as if he had only been waiting for her to hesitate. ¡°Or are you going to invite a man into your bed instead of just pulling him into your room?¡±

    Lucille looked down. ¡°It''s not like we...never did this. So...¡± If someone heard this, she would probably need to deal with rumors he wouldn''t like to hear at all. Not because it bothered her but because she would get so embarrassed that she might get red and run away if someone told her.

    Cedar let out a snort at that. ¡°You are too careless. But as long as you only do this with me, it''s fine.¡± He walked the few steps around the bed and sat down on the other side. He glanced at the clock and then at her. ¡°Do you want to sleep already? I mean, you are wearing your nightgown. It''s late, but I don''t know whether you wish to lay down now.¡±

    She wasn''t sure either. After all, she was rather excited at the moment. But she knew that Cedar had had a stressful fight, so she would like to let him rest. ¡°Yes. I''m tired.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Cedar took off his shoes and moved more to the middle of the bed to lie down and pulled the covers over him. Like this, he didn''t seem intimidating at all. More like a kind man who was waiting for his wife to join him in bed. Almost as if they were in a domestic setting as spouses who had been married for a long time.

    Lucille pushed that thought away as quickly as she could. She lay down as well and pulled the other side of the blanket over her. Unsurprisingly, it was too short, so she didn''t get much of the blanket. That only meant one thing though.

    An excuse for her to come a bit closer.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    She had barely begun to shuffle around when Cedar already put an arm around her and pulled her against him. ¡°You need to cover your body overnight, or you will get sick. We can''t risk that. We need all the warmth we can get.¡±

    Lucille shouldn''t need to worry about warmth. Her whole body was burning when she was so close to him. But she didn''t say that. ¡°Of course.¡± She didn''t suggest getting another blanket either and just cuddled herself against him. Being in Cedar''s embrace made it feel like all of her worries were ebbing away despite nothing happening. She felt so safe here that she almost couldn''t believe that all of this was just because of him. But it didn''t take her long to remember how exactly she felt about him. She had fallen in love.

    That night, they fell asleep in each other''s arms. And once again, Lucille felt like she was the luckiest girl in this world.

    <hr>

    A few days passed, but Lucille barely heard anything about the attack. Cedar had explained what had happened and how they would prevent such attempts in the future, but that had been it. She had been worried about him despite that. The fact that he treated an assassination attempt like nothing had happened only made her assume the worst.

    But aside from a few people, none of the staff members had noticed anything, so the atmosphere in the palace was as chipper as always. Merely the guards'' increased caution revealed that someone was going on.

    But even so, Blanche and her maids were chattering as happily as always.

    The empress was currently in the middle of making another cake. She was in a good mood today, so she didn''t even care that all the knives had been taken away from her because she had cut her finger. ¡°The contract is finally finished. Even the supreme judge agreed to place his signature on it. This means that Theo officially put his mother''s name into the register of the royal family. Althea is now known as the former emperor''s second wife. Theo will change that title once more in the near future, but this is satisfying already.¡± She happily stirred her cream while explaining that.

    Lucille vaguely remembered hearing about that. She didn''t say anything and just focused on creating the small decorations for the cake. She was currently building roses out of marzipan and food coloring. She was doing a good job, at least she would say that, and didn''t want to mess up. So, she didn''t dare to look away even when the others happily talked.

    Darlene was the one who added the next comment. ¡°We''re all happy that she finally got that position. It''s also good to hear that His Majesty sometimes concerns himself with pleasant matters instead of interrogating criminals or destroying our enemies'' businesses. It''s important that he does all that, but he should also focus on the pleasant sides of life.¡±

    Blanche laughed at that. ¡°He spends most of his time with Aurora and me. I would claim that we are very pleasant. I wish I could help him more though.¡±

    Stella chimed in while trying to cut some strawberries in the form of a flower. ¡°You are helping him. You let the servants bring you some contracts and deal with them. Aside from that, His Royal Highness helps as well, so the little work the ministers don''t take care of is being managed by four people now. Of course, it would be much faster like this. What you need to deal with is something completely different. My Lady, you will have to start planning the tea party. It''s supposed to happen in two weeks.¡±

    The empress let out an exaggerated sigh. ¡°I know. But I don''t want to do it. It will be boring. Of course, it might be a bit more pleasant if I bring my angel with me since Sophia and Duchess Vasquez will bring their daughters too. Still, they will all talk about the gossip in the capital.¡± This was the main reason why that tea party was held.

    Once a year, the empress would invite the noble ladies of the capital for a meeting in the afternoon. Then everyone would exchange their past experiences and talk about a lot of unnecessary things. Lucille had always hated that party too. She had bad memories of sitting there in silence while trying to ignore how everyone gossiped about other people without holding back. Two years ago, she had even troubled Blanche during one of these parties, just because her father had told her to do it. Now things were much different, but that event still wouldn''t be pleasant. At least no one here looked forward to it.

    Blanche was busy putting the cream onto the first part of the cake, but she still complained. ¡°I don''t want to listen to how someone saw someone else in an unpleasant part of the city. Nor do I need to hear what someone''s husband gifted his wife. I will gladly talk about my daughter, listen to stories about other people''s children and say that all engagements and marriages are good matches. But everything else is so boring that it will make me fall asleep. I will just play with Aurora when it gets too bad. But I won''t let anyone touch her. Unless it''s Sophia. However, that woman will not put her dirty hands anywhere near my child.¡± She had looked like she was slightly annoyed in the beginning, and in the end, she glared into the distance. This was obviously about Camille, which Lucille could very much understand.

    No sane person would give the dowager empress a child. That woman had traumatized her own sons enough, so she would only be more cruel to people who weren''t related to her. It seemed like everyone here agreed.

    The maids began complaining about the dowager empress so loudly that Blanche had to silence them. She didn''t succeed completely, so the empress decided to change the topic. She turned around and made eye contact with Lucille. ¡°I might be forced to feed Aurora during the tea party. I need someone to host it in the meantime. Naturally, I will not ask the dowager empress. Would you mind taking care of that?¡±

    Hosting the tea party was the responsibility of the empress. If she left for a short moment, another member of the royal family should deal with it. Unfortunately, there was no female relative of the Estiens here, unless one counted the insufferable Camille. Then the most important ally of the emperor should do it. That was Duchess Duremont and certainly not a viscount''s daughter.

    Lucille froze in place. She almost dropped the marzipan rose she had been working on and barely dared to lift her head. ¡°What? Me? But that''s not...¡±

    Blanche showed her a bright smile. ¡°I will not force you. The other option would be to ask Sophia or Duchess Duremont. But you are currently living in the palace, so you are technically not a guest anymore and could be a host. Besides, you and Cedar managed to host the last ball. During the tea party, you don''t even need to walk around to talk. You merely need to sit and wait for the others to gossip. If it''s quiet, you only need to ask someone to tell you something new. That''s it. If a problem arises, you can just tell them to wait for ten minutes until I''m back.¡±

    This wasn''t comparable to the ball. Back then, Lucille had hosted the party indirectly because she had accompanied Cedar, who had been the one that was responsible for the guests. Now she was supposed to do this alone with no legitimization of any sort. Horror rose inside her and made her stomach churn as she hurried to explain her reasoning. ¡°But I don''t have the necessary confidence. I can''t begin conversations or make people listen to me. Cedar is always so...strong in front of others. But I''m just standing there while trying to blend into the background.¡±

    Blanche nodded at that while putting down her utensils. ¡°I understand. Do you know that I tried that too? I did my best to be invisible for at least ten months. It didn''t really work with Theodore putting me onto a pedestal. It won''t work with you and Cedar being together either. If you consider becoming a member of the royal family, you will have to get used to others staring at you. You can be confident. No one can trouble you without beginning a fight with the royal family.¡±

    It felt like all air was pushed out of Lucille''s lungs. She didn''t dare to move while she stared at the empress in disbelief. Did it seem like she would marry Cedar soon? Surely, they had discussed that option, but this moved a bit quickly. After all, announcing an engagement with the royal family was pretty much binding. Lucille''s mouth fell open, and she stammered around a little. Then she shut it again.

    Blanche took a few seconds to see that she had messed up. She began grinning and focused on her cake again. ¡°Really? You are still in that phase? You met seven...almost eight months ago. And you have lived here for over half a year now. You do realize that, right? If Cedar was with you for so long, he is absolutely enamored. He would have lost interest otherwise. It''s a miracle he didn''t propose yet.¡±

    Indirectly, Cedar might already have proposed.

    Lucille didn''t dare to say that and quickly averted her eyes. ¡°We''re...in an odd relationship right now. We''re friends and maybe something else too, but we didn''t...¡± They hadn''t specified anything yet. After all, Cedar had wanted to give them time since they were rather young.

    Blanche paused for a moment before giving her response. ¡°I''m rather useless in that regard. Theodore and I were a couple after two weeks. That day, he gave me my first kiss, and we both lost all rational thought.¡±

    Lucille had heard about that a few times. That still sounded like it had happened awfully quickly. Cedar had first kissed her after they had known each other for half a year. There was a big difference between that and two weeks. Lucille had still been completely overwhelmed, even though she had known Cedar for so long at that point. But she had to admit that she might have allowed him to kiss her after two weeks already if he had tried it. She quickly pushed that thought away and focused on the conversation again. She lifted her head to look at the empress and carefully voiced her question. ¡°How did the two of you confirm that you are a couple?¡± That was what she wanted to know. Because her relationship with Cedar had a strange label right now. They hadn''t said that they were a couple, but they weren''t solely friends anymore either. They even considered marriage.

    Blanche beamed when she remembered that and replied in a chirpy tone. ¡°Like I said, we kissed. Twice. That was in the pavilion, and after that, we were officially a couple. We told each other that we liked one another before too, but that was the point at which we could be sure that we were together. Afterward, everything went slower, but we skipped the first parts and went from holding hands to being in a relationship.¡±

    Lucille swallowed at that. She had told Cedar that she liked him too. He had said it back. They had kissed twice already as well. Did this mean that she could seriously consider him her lover? They had discussed an engagement, so this wouldn''t be that surprising. It only took two seconds before she noticed that her reaction had been too obvious.

    The other women grinned at her. Darlene was the one who commented first. ¡°Let me guess. If you apply that rule, you and His Royal Highness are already together too, right?¡±

    Lucille cast her gaze downwards. She couldn''t just assume that this was the case. She would need to ask Cedar to be sure. But she would die out of embarrassment if she did that. After all, even the maids'' remarks already made her want to become invisible.

    Stella made it even worse by humming in acknowledgment. ¡°I heard that he spent the night in her room already too. How brazen such couples are. Young love is so cute.¡± She sighed. ¡°It reminds me of His and Her Majesty. I''m glad that we are finally seeing romances here in the palace. It was getting boring before My Lady came here.¡± After that, the conversation seemed to move along.

    But still, the maids and the empress seemed to like reminding Lucille of the fact that she was blushing and probably thinking about Cedar. She didn''t even deny it and just averted her eyes. After all, they were right. They were right about almost everything they said, even about Cedar already sleeping in her bed.

    So, maybe it would be better to keep quiet about the fact that Cedar would spend the night in her room today again.

 Chapter 104: Swear

<hr>

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    <hr>

    <hr>

 Chapter 105: Official

    Lucille could tell that something was wrong as soon as she opened her eyes.

    It wasn''t new that Cedar was lying next to her. But it was very different from usual when he pressed his face against her neck and held onto her as if she would disappear. He normally lay there and accepted how she clung to him while carefully putting his arms around her to avoid waking her up. Today, it seemed like he hadn''t paid attention to that. This could only mean that he was very upset and needed to be close to her.

    Lucille stiffened without wanting to. It would be better if she pretended to be asleep. She knew that Cedar hated showing weakness after all. But her small movement had already alerted him.

    Cedar lifted his head and made eye contact with her. The sun was barely rising, so the light that came into the room was reddish and very dim, but that was enough to see that he wasn''t smiling. He had a completely neutral expression. And yet, he still looked like an angel sent to save her in every imaginable way. Even his voice sounded enchanting when he spoke. ¡°Good morning. It''s rather early. How about you sleep a little longer?¡±

    It was too late for that. Lucille had already woken up, and now she doubted that she would fall asleep again. Especially since she knew that he wasn''t feeling well. She let her head lie on the pillow while looking up at him. ¡°It''s fine. Since when have you been up?¡±

    Cedar was quiet for a bit too long. ¡°I don''t know. Maybe for an hour or so. It''s fine though. I''m used to rising early. I only started to sleep longer when I first showed up in your estate.¡± He stopped and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. ¡°It''s been eight months since we met, you know? That''s a long time. I barely noticed how those months passed.¡± That was true.

    They had been in the palace for seven months now. So much had changed, but nothing indicated how much time had truly passed.

    Only now, Lucille noticed that she felt comfortable in the palace, as if she already considered this her home. She didn''t even think about the fact that she had planned to leave at some point. That thought made her a bit dejected, and she allowed her eyes to fall shut. ¡°It''s been a while since then. I still remember how I picked you up in my garden. I was so scared when I saw all of that blood. I hadn''t expected to find the prince of Artias bleeding out behind our house.¡± She opened her eyes again to look at him.

    Cedar let out a low chuckle and gave her one of those rare, genuine, soft smiles. ¡°I didn''t expect that you would help me after that failed meeting. I was convinced that you would either inform my brother or demand something in return for your protection. And then you spent more time with me. Now this happened. I don''t think I regret choosing your garden to collapse in.¡±

    Lucille''s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She nodded as well as she could without lifting her head. ¡°I''m glad too.¡± She paused a moment before quickly correcting her statement. ¡°Not about you collapsing. But about the fact that we met because of that. I could have never thought that I would...win such an important person like that. You suddenly appeared in my life, and I almost regret not talking to you much earlier.¡±

    Cedar met her gaze and lifted one of his arms to stroke his fingertips over the side of her face. That sent pleasant shivers down her spine, but he didn''t seem to notice what he was doing with such a little motion. ¡°Me too. I have to admit that getting hurt might not have been as unfavorable as I thought it to be. I would have never opened up to anyone if I hadn''t ended up in your house. So, I might have needed to get hurt that day just so that I could be close to you now. In that case, I will gladly accept what happened and say that it was for the best. I''m happy to be here now. And for the first time in my life, that is an honest truth and not just an empty excuse.¡± It meant a lot to hear this from him.

    Lucille wanted to see him be happy. If she was part of why he felt good, it was even better. She showed him a soft smile and then tried to respond with something that he would like to hear too. ¡°It''s wonderful that you can finally say that. My life...has been much more pleasant since you''ve been here too. So much changed, but I don''t want to go without any of this. I''m really happy about our meeting.¡±

    Cedar smiled back at her. He still hadn''t withdrawn his hand and began carefully playing with her hair. He absentmindedly lifted a strand before letting it sink down again. Then he twirled her hair around his fingers while he spoke. ¡°It''s calming to hear that the sentiment is returned. All of this came pretty suddenly, but in the end, it feels like it was meant to be. I''ve never really opened up to someone. And then you waltzed into my life. Or rather, I crashed into yours after falling out of a tree and landing in a pool of my own blood. You asked me about some things, and I just replied. And within a few months, I couldn''t think about ever going on without this anymore. You laid out bait and caught me as soon as I got a little curious.¡±

    Lucille already felt the familiar blush on her face. She moved her hand up to hide her cheeks at least a little before she replied. ¡°But you caught me. I didn''t...I mean... I was interested in you as soon as we met. And when you spoke with me, I was drawn in. I always knew that you were full of charisma, but this is... You are much more than I ever saw from the distance, which isn''t surprising. You are such a wonderful person, and I''m extremely happy that you are in my life.¡± She wanted to underline her words with a movement as well, so she lifted her hand. She barely dared to do it, but she brought it closer to Cedar.

    Then she left him enough time to say something to reject her. When he didn''t do that, she carefully put her hand on his head. She gently ran her fingers through his hair. His hair was so soft, as expected of someone growing up in luxury. Lucille paused her stroking, but Cedar relaxed under her touch. He didn''t move for a while and closed his eyes.

    Lucille couldn''t stop letting her fingertips roam around. She wanted to make him feel good, and at the same time, she was a bit selfish. Cedar''s hair felt pleasant, and his expression was the most rewarding thing someone could have offered. For a while, she just continued to stroke over his head while the both of them were silent. It seemed like they were simply content with this calm scene.

    Some minutes passed like that. But at some point, Cedar opened his eyes again and whispered to her. ¡°My head tingles. I think this is the first time.¡±

    Lucille hated hearing that. This was enough to make her heart clench as if it had been pierced by a dagger that was made out of ice. ¡°No one massaged your head yet?¡± She was much more dejected about this than he was.

    Cedar didn''t seem to care much and just gave her a slight smile. ¡°Well, you can guess who did it. But she only sacrificed a few seconds when she needed to remind me that she cares about me. Anything that went on for more than a minute was dangerous. Because she either demanded something in return, needed to show that she loves me despite being the one that hurt me or was happy about something. And when she was happy, it was mostly because she had hurt Althea or Theodore. As you can imagine, those times weren''t pleasant.¡± He paused for a short moment before focusing on the present again. ¡°Now it''s my turn. I will massage your head too.¡±

    Lucille considered accepting that option for a moment. After all, being touched by Cedar sounded nice. But she quickly threw that idea away. He saw this as his duty, didn''t he? She had given him something, and now he wanted to give it back. But this wasn''t what he was supposed to do. He shouldn''t think that affection was something he only got if he worked for it. So, Lucille rejected him. ¡°No, thank you. I was very much content massaging you. I gave that to you without demanding anything in return.¡±

    Cedar gave her a little smile. ¡°I know. You''re not like that. And I don''t plan on doing this to pay you back. I will do it because I want to. If you don''t want a massage, will you allow me to offer something else?¡±

    Lucille felt her heart skip a beat when she saw his expression. He was obviously planning something. That usually meant that she would enjoy it very much too. So, maybe she should trust him, even if she felt like he might overwhelm her if he teased her a little too much. She nodded and waited for him to do what he had in mind.

    Cedar''s smile widened and made him look even more playful than before. ¡°Thank you. I am pretty sure that it will be nice for the both of us.¡± He slowly moved, and she quickly noticed that he might really cause her brain to stop working soon. Cedar didn''t need to worry about her moving away, but he still gave her a chance to stop him. When she didn''t do that, he carefully climbed on top of her. Somehow, he managed to not rest his weight on her and was still so close that she could feel his breath on her face.

    Lucille''s throat felt dry. She could only look up and wait for what would happen. She almost held her breath, but she was too excited for that, much like she was too excited to calm her rapidly beating heart.

    Cedar seemed to be in a much better state. He smiled down at her while he put his hand on the side of her face and stroked over her cheek. ¡°If you look at me like that, it only makes me more content with my choice.¡± He leaned down even more and guided her head so that they perfectly fit together.

    At first, their kiss began like every other had begun. Their lips met, and Cedar was so careful that she felt like he saw her as porcelain. But then, it slowly changed. It felt like he left her more than enough chances to pull away when he became slightly more assertive.

    But obviously, Lucille didn''t think about stopping now. Her blood felt like it was rushing through her body with doubled speed. She didn''t know what to do with her hands, so she wrapped her arms around his neck to show him that she was absolutely alright with this. This whirlwind of emotions probably overwhelmed her poor body, but inwardly, she could only scream in joy.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    This was new. It was so different from what they had done before, and it was just as wonderful.

    Lucille lifted her hand and caressed the back of Cedar''s head again. She had no idea how to kiss, so she just did her best to return the passion she was offered. Her heart hammered in her chest and told her that she was overdoing it, and yet, every fiber of her being craved more.

    Luckily, Cedar didn''t pull away yet. He allowed himself to come a bit closer to her and still had his lips on hers while stroking over the side of her head with his free hand.

    By now, the air seemed to be lacking, but Lucille still couldn''t bring herself to let go. Instead, she tangled her fingers in his hair and allowed him to kiss her with even more passion. If this went on for much longer, her heart might not take it. Much like her lungs might give in too

    That he needed air was probably the only reason Cedar lifted his head at some point again.

    This should have ended the fireworks of emotions inside Lucille, but that wasn''t the case. She finally got oxygen again, so she was panting. Her stomach still tingled, and the area around her chest felt weird. Her lips felt strange too, and yet, the most distracting thing had to be the eye contact with Cedar. She could have sworn that his face was red too. Just a little bit. Her cheeks were definitely burning up though. She forced herself to let go of his hair and tried to catch her breath while looking up at him.

    Cedar was quiet for a minute and just breathed slowly before he smiled at her. ¡°That was a bit sudden. I apologize for overwhelming you. But I have to admit that it was nice.¡± He cupped her chin again and gave her such an affectionate gaze that she felt like she could barely concentrate anymore.

    Lucille still took a little moment before she forced herself to speak. ¡°I...found it nice too.¡± That was an understatement. Her whole body had reacted so strongly. If anyone found out that they were doing such things, they would be called shameless and much worse. But she couldn''t bring herself to care. She was even a bit disappointed that it was over.

    Cedar carefully moved to the side to lie down next to her. He still kept his eyes on her and watched how she slowly turned to him to maintain eye contact. For a moment, it was silent until he showed her a smirk that made her feel much weaker than before. ¡°I seem to have an overwhelming effect on you. You still haven''t regained your composure.¡±

    Lucille would have liked to deny the second statement, but that would be a lie. The fact that she hadn''t been able to breathe for a while might not be the only thing that kept her panting. Maybe Cedar''s smile was just too breathtaking when she knew that he was only looking at her like that. So, she just admitted the truth. ¡°You''re right.¡±

    Cedar chuckled at that and rested his head on the pillow again. ¡°That''s good to hear. I already thought that I was the only one who lost their self-control. I did feel a bit bad. But if you enjoyed it, that''s good.¡± He grinned at her and probably relished in seeing how red she was.

    Lucille would have liked her embarrassment to be her greatest worry, but that wasn''t it. Right now, something odd was rising inside her.

    She wanted to speak about this. She had talked about this matter with Blanche and her maids a week ago, and ever since the conversation, she hadn''t been able to stop thinking about it.

    Lucille pressed her lips together and averted her eyes. She didn''t want to ruin the moment, but this was important. She had already given Cedar her first kiss, countless hugs, an unrivaled amount of trust and most likely her heart too. So, she needed to know one thing. ¡°Cedar, what are we?¡± Her question was followed by silence, so she quickly resumed. ¡°How exactly would you define our relationship? I know we said that this might develop into something more...meaningful in the future, which would mean that we are somewhat certain. But...¡±

    Cedar spoke in a soft voice before she could force herself to finish. ¡°It''s already meaningful to me. Very much so.¡± He was completely serious at this moment, and even his smile had disappeared.

    Lucille didn''t want to make him misunderstand. She needed to tell him how she felt about this even if she felt like her head was as red as a tomato. ¡°To me too. That''s why I want to know this. Are we...¡± Saying this out loud felt so odd. ¡°Are we a couple now? I know that the title is not really important, but... I would like to be certain. I want to be able to...think about this with some clarity. Of course, I won''t pressure you. But this is important to me, so I want to hear your thoughts. We have time, so you don''t have to answer now, but...¡± She would like an answer.

    Cedar scanned her expression, and it seemed like he took in every bit of her expression. Then he met her gaze and stared right into her eyes. He hadn''t put up his guard right now. He didn''t act or force himself to smile. For once, he let his uncertainty show. ¡°I care about you more than about anything else. I can''t give you a guarantee because I never felt anything like this. And as you know, I''m not the most trustworthy person when it comes to...affection and things like that. So, I''m worried.¡± He had said that often enough.

    Even if they had obviously been close for a long time, it had taken Cedar a bit to accept that this would get more serious in a romantic sense. He was the one who had said that it would be a horrible idea for anyone to be with him. Just because he couldn''t believe that he was a good person despite his past.

    Lucille met his gaze without ever averting her eyes. She couldn''t tell him much about his feelings, but she knew a few things about him too. ¡°I think you can tell the difference between truly caring and just imagining it. And you showed me more kindness and affection than you may notice. I don''t need much more than that.¡± Except for maybe a future with the man she had fallen in love with and him saying that he loved her.

    Cedar was as serious as before with slight traces of dejection. ¡°I can be sure that I care for you. Because it''s only you that makes me feel like this. But I don''t think that...this feeling can magically solve problems. I want you to know something. If you choose to be with me, it won''t just be a small decision that you can make and take back again. We both know that I''m not completely sane. I doubt that I will be able to grant you the life that you wished for nor the one that you deserve. After all, I can''t just flip a switch and become normal overnight. I can do my best to make you happy, and I can be as kind as possible. But that won''t undo the damage my childhood left. I know that you don''t see me as a bad person because I never showed that to you. But I''m unstable. I''ve hurt people, and I even killed some.¡±

    She knew that. He had even killed someone to save her life. How could she blame him for that? The fact that he regretted that now said everything, didn''t it? He felt guilty even though his mother certainly hadn''t raised him to feel sympathy for other people. He was already much more than Camille had ever made him out to be, and this was only the beginning.

    Lucille trusted him fully. Cedar would be able to cut the threads that were binding him to that horrible woman.

    He would never completely forget what had happened.

    But he could become happy.

    And Lucille would like it if she could stand by his side while he did that. She slowly moved her hand toward Cedar''s and grasped him to interlock their fingers. ¡°You never lashed out at me or yelled at me. You can control everything that makes you angry, and you are kind to me. You are kind to others too, even if you don''t notice it. That is all I need to know to be sure. I...want to be with you.¡± Her heart was beating with so much vigor that it felt like her rib cage vibrated, and she could hear the pounding in her ears.

    Cedar looked at their hands for a moment before making eye contact again. ¡°Please be a bit more careful. You can''t say that if you don''t really mean it. If you say yes to me, I won''t let go. I''ve...always been attached to the few things that mattered to me. Of course, we''ve already crossed that border long ago, but...¡± His voice trailed off, and he only began again because he wanted to make sure that she heard what he was worrying about. ¡°Once I find something I adore, I won''t ever let it get away.¡± That made it sound like he expected her to run away.

    Lucille was pretty sure that he didn''t need to worry about that. She averted her eyes while replying, only for him to gently grasp her chin. ¡°You said-¡± She stopped herself. Cedar wanted her to look at him. If she made such an important promise, there was no way that she could avoid eye contact. So, Lucille forced herself to meet his gaze and used all the courage she had left. ¡°You said that you considered marrying me. You don''t need to think about how I could take it back at all. I don''t plan on giving my all to someone, only to change my mind later. If I tell you that I like you...I''m serious. As long as you don''t treat me badly...¡± Like her father had treated her mother. ¡°I won''t have the desire to leave.¡±

    Cedar seemed to understand what she had been thinking about while saying that last sentence. He reached for her and stroked over her cheek. ¡°I wouldn''t ever hurt you. Not intentionally at least. I know that I''m not always good at reacting to others'' emotions, so I might say the wrong thing when-¡±

    Lucille stopped him there. ¡°That''s fine. You don''t have to feel bad because of that. Most people don''t know how to console others. I meant...purposefully. If you don''t do that, I would like to stay with you. Because you''re...the most wonderful person I ever met.¡±

    Cedar almost seemed like he would make some derogatory comment about himself. But he stopped just in time when he saw her expression. She had to be so red that he would worry by now, but she was full of determination. He held still for a few seconds before he whispered to her. ¡°So, you want to be with me? In an... official romantic sense?¡±

    She nodded as much as she could. She needed an affirmation now. She was still unsure even if she was rather certain that this whole discussion could only lead to one ending.

    Cedar took her hand in between his. He gently stroked over the back of her hand before leading her to him and pressing a small kiss onto her fingers. ¡°It seems like I might have used up my luck for the rest of my life, huh? I almost can''t believe that I managed to impress such a wonderful young lady.¡± He muttered that to himself before staring into the distance for a moment. Then he focused his attention on her again. A little smile formed on his lips. ¡°And you gave me permission to be selfish. So... I can officially call you my lover now?¡±

    Lucille had known that this would be the case. Still, hearing it so suddenly overwhelmed her. She weakly nodded while tightening her hold on his hand. ¡°Yes. And then you''re...¡±

    ¡°Your lover.¡± Cedar almost seemed like he had as much trouble grasping this as she had. He stared at her for a moment before his smile became brighter. It wasn''t his fake one though. She had really managed to make him happy. ¡°Then do we need a nickname too? I''m not sure if shortening my name is possible, but I could do it with yours. I could call you ¡®Luci¡¯ or something similar to that. But that might be a bit too boring. I will come up with something nice.¡± His grin already proved that he would use this chance to make her blush at some point.

    Lucille was pretty sure that she would faint if he ever addressed her with something too overwhelming.

    And Cedar immediately proved that to her. He leaned over to her to whisper into her ear. ¡°I could call you my ¡®princess¡¯, but that might be confusing because we have Aurora. Then maybe something more direct would be fun. Like ¡®my beloved¡¯. What do you think?¡± He had surely done this on purpose. There was no way that he hadn''t said this to her in such a sweet tone without noticing what he was doing to her. And then he made it worse by leaning down and gently putting his lips onto her right shoulder, which immediately made her skin tingle.

    Lucille felt like her head was about to stop working at that moment. She could feel how he grinned into the kiss and quickly noticed that her poor heart might just be forced to work much more from now on.

 Chapter 106: Lovers, Worries and the Future (1)

    Cedar had to admit that he was shameless when it came to using his newly gained title as Lucille''s lover. It was easy to tease her simply by saying it, and her expression made it hard to resist that temptation. He noticed that he might slowly get even closer to her than before, but that didn''t matter when they had sealed the deal already. He wouldn''t be able to go back from this.

    From now on, he would simply have to do his best to keep his past from troubling her. He would do all he could to make Lucille happy so that she wouldn''t have any disadvantages just because she had chosen him.

    But that didn''t mean that he couldn''t have his fun either.

    A small part of him questioned whether having slept in her room for the whole week was clever, but he couldn''t bring himself to care. Even if it would be more logical to share a room officially instead of changing clothes and walking over each day, which they also spent together, they wouldn''t move that fast.

    Cedar had to admit that he didn''t hold himself back though. He loved teasing Lucille too much. So, he just happily sat next to her while she was gathering her clothes for the day. He had only waited for her to complain, and she granted him that favor quickly.

    Lucille had pulled out a corset from her wardrobe and looked at it for a few seconds. Then she sighed and stared at the strings she would have to tie behind her back.

    Cedar grinned at her and commented on her daily struggle. ¡°You could ask for a maid. You know that, right? Binding a corset without help is a little difficult.¡±

    Lucille didn''t even notice that she would normally be embarrassed while showing him something she wore under her clothes. She lifted her gaze to his. ¡°Well... I may cheat a bit sometimes. I don''t pull it as tightly as it could be when we don''t go to events. I don''t need to be so focused on how I look when I don''t see any nobles from outside.¡± She was right about that. But she probably wouldn''t need to worry otherwise either. After all, she was beautiful.

    Cedar considered telling her that just to see how she would turn into a blushing mess once again. It was tempting. He couldn''t help but grin at her when he imagined what he could do with just a few words. Maybe he would try something else though. Just to see what she would say. They had nothing to do today, so he might as well overdo it. Cedar watched her for a moment longer and was glad that his expression hadn''t revealed it already. ¡°It''s still a hassle. I have an idea that might make this easier. Should I help you dress?¡± He had been right about what would happen.

    Lucille looked at him. For a moment, she seriously considered the offer before she fully grasped what that would mean. She got red in an instant and stared at Cedar with something like panic in her eyes. Her voice was an octave higher than normal. ¡°What? You...you can''t just...¡± She acted like that would be impossible.

    Cedar almost considered giving up because she was already so worried, but it was tempting to see how far he could go when she got embarrassed. So, he just showed her a blinding smile and spoke as if nothing was wrong. ¡°What''s with that response? I''m your lover now, aren''t I? Shouldn''t I, of all people, be able to help you?¡± Acting as if he wasn''t sure what the problem was made it only better.

    Lucille''s face became even redder. She averted her eyes and stared at the floor. ¡°Well... You...can''t see me like that.¡± So, she had thought even further than just putting on the corset and then presenting him her back. That would have only allowed Cedar to see her shoulders and not much more. Apparently, she already worried about the rest though.

    Cedar showed her a bright smile that lacked his previous playfulness. ¡°I didn''t mean it like that either. I thought that you could change and that I would merely tie everything behind your back. But...¡± He couldn''t resist adding another joke. ¡°I wouldn''t mind doing the rest either.¡±

    This effectively rendered Lucille speechless. Her mouth opened, and she closed it again, which made her look like she was a fish outside of water. She could barely keep herself from staring at him with wide eyes. ¡°You...¡± She didn''t say anything but that.

    Cedar had wanted to stifle his laugh, but he just allowed himself to chuckle a bit. ¡°You are impressed easily, aren''t you?¡± It would be odd for him not to manage to make her blush with every comment he made. He was very much content with that. Cedar slowly stood up from the bed to face her from up close. ¡°You know, it was just a suggestion. But if you are this-¡±

    Lucille cut him off. ¡°It would be nice of you to help me!¡± She had probably just said that to keep him from adding another comment. But a few seconds passed, and she didn''t revise her statement nor did her embarrassment make her close her eyes. She stared at the floor, but she seemed to be serious about this.

    That surprised Cedar more than it should have. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He had probably heard it wrong.

    Lucille just weakly nodded. She still didn''t meet his gaze, but she didn''t use this change to say that she had gone too fast. For a few seconds, they were silent until she cleared her throat. ¡°I will...go change...and then come back. Please wait for a moment.¡± She didn''t waste a second to run away into the bathroom. She closed the door behind herself with a bit too much force, and then she let out some strange noise, which had probably not been meant for his ears.

    Cedar could only stand there and ask himself whether this had been a good idea. He would need to help Lucille tie a corset now. How was he supposed to do that without making her uncomfortable? He hadn''t ever helped his mother with this, had he? He wasn''t even sure right now. Maybe because he could only think about the fact that Lucille trusted him enough to let him do this. That was a great honor, and yet, he was also much more nervous than he should be.

    There wouldn''t be anything strange about this. He would merely help her while doing his best not to use too much force while pulling on the strings. She had said that she liked it a bit more loose too, so it should be fine if he was just careful.

    A minute or so passed until Lucille returned. Her face was as red as her hair was. She had already put on the corset and the underskirt, so most of her skin was covered, and still, she was so embarrassed that she couldn''t meet his gaze. She was a bit worried about this after all. Good.

    Since Cedar was worried too, even if there was nothing problematic here.

    Lucille hugged herself to keep the corset in place and slowly walked over to him. ¡°I... You don''t need to...do it if...¡± She didn''t even dare to finish that sentence.

    Cedar wasn''t sure what he should say about this. He wanted to help her. At the same time, he felt so weird about this that he wasn''t sure whether this was a good idea. ¡°If you need help, I will do my best. If you are uncomfortable with this, you obviously don''t need to let me do it though. We can get you a maid, or you can try it alone.¡± Even if they officially were in a relationship now.

    Lucille didn''t reply immediately. She glanced at him and then down again. She took a few seconds before she closed the distance between them and turned her back to him. ¡°It should be fine.¡± Her voice was shaking slightly while she said this. It seemed like the both of them truly couldn''t deal with this.

    Cedar didn''t know what to say when he reached for the strings. It seemed to be easy to do as long as one stood behind the person wearing the corset. He probably wouldn''t mess up too badly. Hopefully. Still, he wanted to make sure. ¡°Keep in mind that I never did this. I have no idea how to help you tie these.¡± He gently moved the strings a bit before pulling them slowly and with very little force. ¡°Please tell me when you feel like it''s pleasant.¡±

    Lucille nodded. After that, she just held still. Apparently, he was going rather slow since she didn''t say anything for a while. Still, he didn''t dare use much more force, so it probably took longer than it should have. But at some point, when he was already getting worried about it being too tight, she finally spoke. ¡°This is fine.¡±

    Cedar was relieved at that and focused on tying a somewhat practical bow. He managed to do it in an aesthetically pleasing way and was content with it. He didn''t let go of Lucille immediately though. In the end, this had embarrassed him as much as it had embarrassed her. So, he needed to do something to keep her from noticing it. Her bare neck gave him the best chance of teasing her. He slowly leaned forward and carefully pressed a kiss onto her skin.

    Lucille jolted at that. She took a few seconds before realizing what he was doing. Then she relaxed a little, but her shoulders were still tense.

    Cedar used that as an excuse to begin massaging her a little. He enjoyed the feeling of her slowly becoming more relaxed and quickly used that to his advantage again. He brought his mouth to her ear and whispered to her. ¡°You are beautiful, you know. Every part of you. Not just what you showed me until now. You don''t have to be so bashful, Luci.¡± Of course, his words only had the opposite effect.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Lucille turned around to look at him with wide eyes. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

    Cedar put his hand onto her flushed cheek and came closer to kiss her forehead. ¡°You''re too adorable.¡± Then he stepped back while letting go of her. He would do this much for today. If he tried more, both he and Lucille would be a bit too embarrassed in the end. So, he gave her some distance.

    The damage had already been done though. Lucille looked at him as if he had grown wings. Then she forced herself to reply. ¡°You''re...adorable in some way too.¡± Her eyes widened when she noticed what she had said, and she hurried to correct herself. ¡°I mean, not like... But when you smile, you glow like an angel and...and...¡± She gave up and buried her face in her hands.

    Cedar had heard many things being said about him. He had heard quite a few compliments too. But he hadn''t witnessed anyone comparing him to an angel. He knew how horrible he really was, so calling him the opposite might be more accurate. Still, it was not unpleasant to know that Lucille thought of him like this. It meant that he had been good to her until now and that he hadn''t carelessly scared or hurt her. And he would need to continue like this for the following years too. ¡°I''m honored to hear that you believe me to be impressive enough to catch your eyes. After all, I will have to keep your heart for a long time.¡±

    Apparently, being overly romantic helped too. Lucille seemed even more bashful than before. She fiddled with her fingers a bit before giving a weak response. ¡°You...don''t have to worry about that.¡± She quickly regretted admitting that and probably decided to hide for a bit. ¡°I will go change now.¡± She hurried to the other side of the room and picked up her dress. Then she disappeared into the bathroom and left him alone with his whirlwind of feelings.

    Cedar barely knew what he was supposed to say, so the break was good. He plopped down on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. For someone who had never fallen in love and wished to take it slow, his feelings overwhelmed him quickly. He was used to a huge amount of bitterness, rage and fear, so he could deal with that. But feeling so happy and nervous at the same time always made him react in a way he couldn''t predict.

    Lucille came back out of the bathroom when she was fully dressed. She played with her hair a bit, which proved that she was still thinking about what had happened now. She didn''t address it though and just changed the topic. ¡°You have to go to the office now, right?¡±

    Cedar would have liked to disagree, but unfortunately, Theodore was relentless. ¡°Yes. I will work a bit. Just so that my brother can''t scold me for being lazy. But it shouldn''t take more than an hour. You know, because he needs to see his wife every two hours, or he will have withdrawal symptoms. I guess that I will pick you up at the empress'' room after that?¡± That had been the schedule for the last two days.

    Lucille nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± She looked to the side and spoke while almost sounding like she was sulking. ¡°And thanks to you, all of them will ask me what happened. They asked me why I was so red a few days ago too.¡± So, the empress and her maids probably had a very clear picture of what was going on between the lovers here.

    Cedar chuckled at that and stepped a bit closer to his lover. ¡°Is that a problem? I would guess that the rumors about us existed ever since we arrived here. There is no need to worry about them, right? The empress can know. Even if that will end up with everyone around us hearing the truth as well.¡±

    Blanche talked a lot when it came to her close acquaintances, so she would chat about her friend Lucille as well. But she wouldn''t tell the other servants, who were the far greater threat when it came to rumors. When the whole palace heard about the prince being in a relationship with Lucille, that wasn''t pleasant, but it wasn''t the main issue. The problems would surface if the nobles found out. That would trouble Lucille if she ever decided that she wanted a more normal life and wished to marry another man.

    Cedar doubted that she still had that choice and he didn''t plan on letting go of her either, but he tried to be considerate. After all, he would feel bad if he just assumed that she would become his wife. Even if that sounded very tempting.

    Lucille hugged herself. ¡°Well... She already believed it when we first came here. So, I doubt that it matters much. But...¡± She forced herself to meet his gaze. ¡°She''ll still make jokes if she sees me blushing.¡±

    Cedar couldn''t complain about that. He liked teasing her too. ¡°I certainly understand the appeal. But you can easily do the same. When Theodore is with her, she turns into a blushing mess. They don''t look like it, but if they are together, they can get flustered easily. I haven''t witnessed that often in person.¡± After all, the royal couple had used to be on edge around him. ¡°But I heard it from some less and some more reliable sources. I would give it a try if she doesn''t leave you alone. Or just act like you aren''t embarrassed at all. Then she will quickly stop.¡±

    Lucille let out a small sigh. ¡°I can''t act like you. I don''t think it will be very convincing.¡± That was all she said before looking up at him. She was still a little red, but it was getting better. Which meant that he would have to step in again.

    Cedar grinned at her. ¡°It seems like you need to practice then. Or you can just ask me to help you. I won''t let anyone bully my beloved. Only I can tease you.¡± He put his hands on her cheeks before she could react and kissed the tip of her nose. ¡°So... I need to go now, or Theodore will complain. I wish you a wonderful noon and hope that the empress will take it slow. Greet Aurora if you can.¡± He acted like he would pull back, only to lean down to kiss her lips. Then he let go and beamed at her. ¡°That was the missing good morning kiss. Until later.¡± He waved and left the room while watching her face from the corner of his eyes.

    Lucille''s bashful smile might be a bit too adorable. He might not be able to get over that too quickly.

    But Cedar trusted his acting skills, so he stepped out into the hallway without waiting. He was lucky enough to immediately disturb the knights'' conversation.

    One of the guards had been in the middle of explaining something to his colleagues. ¡°I don''t believe you. It''s the prince we''re talking about. You know. The emotionless man that easily defeated almost all royal guards here? The one that almost killed me a few months ago? I doubt that he would simply fall in love and-¡± He stopped himself when he heard the door close and made eye contact with the person he had just mentioned. He wordlessly reached into his pocket and handed his colleague a small pouch, which most likely contained money.

    Seemingly, Cedar coming out of Lucille''s room had allowed that second guard to win a bet.

    But the prince didn''t care much. He noted that this guard here had been the one who had slit his stomach open when they had met, but by now, he wasn''t angry anymore. After all, he had gotten together with Lucille because of that idiot. So, he turned around and walked down the corridor. He didn''t get far.

    A few seconds later, the guard called out. ¡°Please wait, Your Royal Highness!¡± What did that man want? Did he want to complain about almost being murdered by the prince? If so, that would be hypocritical.

    Cedar had no desire to talk to him, but he stopped and turned around. ¡°Yes? Is this about what happened eight months ago? I sincerely apologize. It was not my intention to hit such a sensitive spot.¡± But he had actually just defended himself, so there wasn''t much to say about this.

    The guard reached the other man and shook his head. ¡°No, that''s not what this is about. I have to thank you.¡± That certainly was a surprise.

    Cedar scanned the knight, and a part of him expected to be hit all of a sudden. ¡°You mean for slitting open your shoulder?¡±

    The guard looked too sincere while he replied. ¡°For saving my life. You hurt me, but you didn''t kill me. You could have ended my life to make it easier for you instead of holding back to keep me alive. And you didn''t stop just at that. You even put bandages on me and left a trail so that my colleagues could find me. You did that despite us following you. You sacrificed time for me, and that is the only reason I''m still standing here.¡±

    Cedar had done all of that. But since he hadn''t wanted to kill the other man, these had been the logical steps. He didn''t need any gratitude for that. Still, it was satisfying to know that at least one person had found the trail he had purposefully left. ¡°I see. I was glad to help, even though I caused the problem in the first place. But remember a piece of advice that applies if you want to live on for longer too. You need to refrain from attacking people who don''t want a fight. You will not do yourself a favor if you get into a serious battle with someone stronger than you. Especially not when they remind you that there is no need to begin a fight multiple times.¡± He still remembered discussing with that idiot for a minute, only to end up with a sword in his side. That hadn''t been fun. He had cursed the man who had attacked him without reason the whole time his wound had still been there.

    Since the other man was rather explosive, it wouldn''t be surprising if he got angry about this comment despite Cedar being right. But it seemed like the guard had some sort of self-awareness. He nodded with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness. I will do my best to avoid fighting from now on. I wish you a wonderful day.¡± Somehow, he was a bit odd, wasn''t he? Why was the one person who had almost been killed by the prince the kindest one here? It wouldn''t have been surprising if this had been some joke or an attempt to provoke the other man.

    Cedar was relieved that this didn''t seem to be it. Still, he wouldn''t risk it by waiting here. He showed the guard his typical smile. ¡°I wish all of you a pleasant day as well. Goodbye.¡± He turned around and steered toward the office.

    He already knew that he wouldn''t be busy for long, but he was pretty sure that the conversation would still be exhausting. Either Leonard and Theodore would joke about him spending so much time with Lucille, or his brother would try to make him get involved in politics even more. Cedar would have to discuss one way or another.

    <hr>

    When Cedar arrived at the office, everything was like usual. A stack of documents was waiting for him once again. Apparently, the other two men had uniformly decided that he would need to take care of the things that were closely related to new laws. Officially, that was because he didn''t need to read the constitution again to confirm what had been written there. Unofficially, this was probably because Theodore didn''t want to work more than he absolutely had to. That was understandable when Aurora was waiting for him along with his loving wife.

    Cedar unwillingly told himself that he would like to be with Lucille instead of sitting here too. But obviously, he didn''t admit that out loud. He just skimmed through the documents and took notes when he found something strange. He had already made eye contact with Theodore a few times, so he was sure that he would need to listen to something he didn''t want to hear afterward. But he would focus on his task before getting annoyed first.

    Cedar finished another document before putting it to the others. He had sorted them into categories and now noted that one of the stacks was still growing much faster than the rest. He had already gone through ten of these kinds of orders, which slowly made him believe that the emperor had put some work into getting rid of unpleasant people. When the next document had the same layout, he spoke up. ¡°Say, Theodore. Is it a coincidence that all the people who secretly still support Mother have to give up their businesses because of some crime?¡±

    Theodore continued to write without looking up. ¡°Partly. Most of her followers are idiots, so their crimes are easy to find if you search for them. And you know that I will take care of everything that threatens to hurt my family.¡± So, he might even come up with some crimes if the rest wasn''t enough.

    Cedar glanced at his paper again and went through the points. ¡°It''s always tax evasion. It seems like most nobles do that.¡± It might be petty to only attack the enemies because of this instead of the emperor''s supporters, but right now, that was necessary. If Theodore wanted to clean the capital, as he called it, then he would need to get rid of many families. Of course, the rest would need to stay stable at the same time, or Artias'' economy might have a problem in the future.

    By now, Cedar trusted that his brother would manage to find the perfect balance, and he didn''t mind helping here. He knew which families had still tried to curry favor with him despite officially backing the emperor. So, seeing their names here was calming.

    He didn''t need his mother to stay stronger than what Theodore could deal with. Every of his mother''s losses was their victory.

 Chapter 107: Lovers, Worries and the Future (2)

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Leon was silent for a moment before he let his head fall back. His voice was dripping with a mix of irritation and amusement now. ¡°You mean you went ahead and proposed, received her approval and got her father''s blessing without really intending to do it? What is wrong with your family? How can you all progress a romance so quickly?¡±

    Theodore let out a low chuckle, which almost sounded like he found what his brother did funny. There even was an obvious amount of playfulness in his voice when he responded. ¡°In other words, you want to marry her because you like her. Just be honest, Cedar. I can decode what you are trying to say, but she might not notice it. If you love her, you will need to tell her at some point.¡±

 Chapter 108: Self Doubt and Tea (1)

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°

 Chapter 109: Self Doubt and Tea (2)

    The conversation went on for a while with nothing special happening. It almost seemed too good to be true.

    At some point, Jenna was able to speak though. She showed the group a friendly expression but still seemed more than unpleasant to Lucille. She clapped her hands while beginning. ¡°I wish to tell all of you something now that I am able to speak without disturbing anyone. Me and my husband are in the middle of preparing a small event at our mansion. Naturally, the formal invitations will arrive soon. I merely wished to inform you of this beforehand. We organized a little ball that will be held in two weeks. I would be happy if all of you could attend if you happen to find the time. If not, that would be a shame, but we understand that our short notice may have been at fault.¡±

    After that, almost everyone agreed to join.

    Lucille had a bad feeling about this though. She didn''t want to make Cedar go to that woman. She could already imagine what Lady Peril would try, and she hated it. Even if she couldn''t tell Cedar not to go. She focused on drinking her tea to push those thoughts away.

    Blanche had quickly noticed what Lucille was feeling though. She leaned over to whisper to her. ¡°It''s pretty boring, isn''t it? I feel like the people here always tell us the same things. As expected, only the stories about the new engagements and children are interesting. I don''t feel like running away at the moment, but I fear that I will have to. Did you know that Theodore was watching us for a few minutes after he officially left? He wanted to know how the people would react to our princess. He also confirmed what that woman would do. But he isn''t the only one that is here to protect us. Our two most skilled guards are waiting directly next to the table. And the ladies here all support us, so there is no need to worry.¡±

    Lucille''s stomach began churning when she heard that. She had a vague idea of why this was important now. She barely dared to ask, but she had to. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±

    Blanche gave her a gentle smile. ¡°I apologize. Aurora is hungry, so I will have to go away for five minutes. I will hurry as much as I can, but a baby has to take its time. When I''m back, I will immediately take over. There is no need for you to worry about anything at all. You don''t have to do anything special. Just sit here and drink your tea. Alright?¡± That wasn''t very calming.

    Lucille balled her fists on her lap and forced herself to nod, just because she didn''t want to reject the empress. It would be fine if she just stayed silent for a bit.

    Blanche reached over to pat the other''s knee for a moment. ¡°Really, you don''t have to worry. Everyone here will support you. I will come to your rescue, no matter what. And Stella will stand next to the table, so she can fetch me if it gets bad too.¡± She waited for any objection to follow, and when nothing came, she directed her attention to the guests again. She cleared her throat before speaking up. ¡°I do not wish to interrupt your lively conversations, but I will have to retreat for a short moment. I will return quickly. In the meantime, you are free to enjoy this event as before. Lady Valerian will assist me with hosting the tea party until I come back, so there is no need to worry. Please excuse me.¡± And thus, the empress took her daughter out of the cradle that had been right next to her chair and disappeared into the building.

    Lucille was left behind with an overwhelming amount of anxiety. She quickly lowered her gaze to the table and did her best to calm down while focusing on her breathing. Nothing bad would happen. She would just sit here, drink tea and wait for Blanche to come back.

    But unfortunately, other people had different ideas.

    Mere seconds passed, and then Camille spoke up. ¡°It seems that Lady Valerian is the host for the time being.¡± She waited until the other woman lifted her head and made eye contact. ¡°I am unsure what you know about the etiquette of the royal family. Thus, I felt the need to ask this. What exactly gives you the qualifications to host the royal tea party while Her Majesty is gone? Should another member of the Estien family not take over?¡±

    Lucille had no idea how to refute that. There was absolutely no reason for her to host the tea party now. She wasn''t even able to find a logical reply and just stared at the dowager empress in fear. What should she say? She was horrible at speaking in front of many people. But ignoring Camille was impossible. ¡°I...¡± Nothing but a pathetic stutter came out of her mouth.

    It looked like the dowager empress would immediately comment on that, but Duchess Duremont spoke first. ¡°Certainly, one could argue that Lady Valerian may not be acquainted with the most conservative rules of the royal family. Why would she when even His Majesty does not care for most of them? However, there is no need to remind her of this. After all, she is not the person who made the decision to host this party. Her Majesty asked her to do it, so no one here should complain, correct?¡±

    Camille met the other''s gaze with cold indifference. ¡°I did not mean to criticize her decision. I merely cannot fathom what Her Majesty was thinking. That is why I asked for a reason, did I not? There should not be a need for anyone to defend Her Majesty when Lady Valerian could simply respond to the question.¡±

    Lucille cowered a bit under the dowager empress'' hateful gaze. She forced herself to fiddle with her fingers to vent her worry in some way. But even now, she had no idea what to say.

    It was surprising, but another person chimed in like an angel that could save the day. This was Duchess Vasquez, Camille''s sister and former ally, who apparently now backed the emperor. She had a cold expression on her face when she faced the woman who was rumored to have killed her husband. ¡°Well, how could people read others'' minds? We will not make wild guesses about who would be thinking what. What matters is that Her Majesty decided that this was the best choice. Unsurprisingly. We will accept it without asking questions.¡±

    Fiona, who gave her friend an encouraging smile, added the rest after that. ¡°Besides, Lady Valerian is Her Majesty''s lady-in-waiting. There is a strong bond of trust between them. We will rely on that. Since the tea party will hopefully progress as before, this does not create much of a change. How about we continue the previous conversations? I believe that Lady Bellfaux was in the middle of speaking about her family''s vacation. Please do continue. All of us were intrigued.¡±

    It seemed like everyone but Lucille was able to speak freely without feeling pressured. Thanks to all of them, the conversation moved on again. Lucille could relax a little, even though she still felt like Camille was glaring at her. But at least the dowager empress stayed quiet.

    A few minutes passed, and nothing much happened except for boring small talk. Lucille hadn''t even been forced to join and just sat there while listening quietly. Of course, she didn''t stay this lucky for long though.

    Lady Peril showed her a bright smile at some point, and it was obvious that it would go downhill from here. Surprisingly, Jenna didn''t say anything offending though. She merely spoke up in a polite tone. ¡°Could I appeal to the host?¡±

    Lucille felt panic surging through her veins, but she forced herself to speak. ¡°Yes?¡± Her voice had definitely been too quiet and too high-pitched.

    Lady Peril was as calm as always, which served as a great contrast. ¡°Pardon me for interrupting the conversation. I merely wished to ask something. We have been here for a while now, and I fear that many of us would need to stretch our legs a bit. Is there a chance of us taking a short break? Just so that we can walk around for a while?¡±

    Lucille didn''t know. This was typical for tea parties, but they couldn''t leave the empress here alone. She looked over her shoulder in hopes of seeing Blanche, but she was disappointed. She would have to make this decision alone. She forced herself to reply. ¡°I believe that... it should be fine. If you stay close to the table so that Her Majesty can see us.¡±

    Jenna clapped her hands together and beamed at that. ¡°Of course. We would not leave and let Her Majesty sit here alone. Thank you very much, Lady Valerian.¡± For some reason, it almost seemed like she had some ulterior motive and didn''t just want to walk around. But she truly rose along with some other ladies.

    Lucille almost relaxed, but the relief had come too quickly. She hadn''t intended to stand up, but someone approached her after just a few seconds.

    It shouldn''t have been surprising that this was Lady Peril. She showed the other woman the same sickening smile as before. Then she lowered her head for a moment. ¡°I wish you a wonderful day, Lady Valerian. It has been a while since we managed to speak to one another. Would you mind honoring me with a short walk? Just around that flowerbed over there.¡± She gestured to a patch of roses in the distance.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Lucille followed the other''s gaze before trying to estimate how far away this was from the terrace. ¡°I...sincerely apologize, Lady Peril. But I cannot go so far away from the other guests, and...¡± She didn''t want to be alone with the other woman either.

    But Jenna didn''t notice the other''s reluctance, or she just didn''t care. She let out an unpleasant laugh before making eye contact and scanning the other woman with her stinging, green eyes again. ¡°I apologize. I momentarily forgot. But you would at least honor me with a short walk around the terrace, right? I wished to speak to you for so long, so it would be harsh of you to reject me.¡±

    Lucille still didn''t want to go with her. She already thought about how to avoid all of this when she made eye contact with Camille. It looked like the dowager empress was watching her. In that case, being busy with a conversation wasn''t so bad at all. Lucille pressed her mouth into a thin line but quickly chose the lesser evil. ¡°I understand. Then I will join you for a short moment, Lady Peril.¡± She had sounded a bit dejected while saying that.

    Jenna put on a bright smile nonetheless. ¡°How kind of you, Lady Valerian. It is a pleasure. Now then.¡± She didn''t waste any time grabbing the other''s arm and linking it with hers. ¡°Let us move to the side to not disturb the others.¡± She didn''t wait for a response before turning around and pulling Lucille with her.

    The women arrived at the farthest end of the terrace, where few people were in audible reach.

    Only then, Lady Peril spoke up. ¡°You see, I was almost reluctant to address this. But I felt like it would be important for you to hear it. After all, you have become famous in the capital over the course of a few weeks. Especially after the last ball, the one during Her Majesty''s birthday. There have been some rumors about you. Did you hear that? Most are based on lies and misconceptions. Some are very insulting and others tasteless. But there are also some kind ones. Some people call you magical.¡±

    Lucille didn''t even want to ask. She knew that she wouldn''t like whatever could follow. And yet, she spoke up despite hating all of this. ¡°Why would they? I never did anything special. I''m not a very interesting person in general, so...I believe that there are more important things to talk about.¡±

    Jenna patted the other''s hand with a bit too much force. She laughed again, and it was the same as before. To most people, it probably sounded genuine, and the woman in front of them would look even more beautiful to them when she laughed. But this was Lady Peril, so it just sounded like she had ill intentions. ¡°Of course, you did something special. Please allow me to remind you. His Royal Highness and His Majesty have been enemies ever since their father''s death. And as soon as you showed up, they started to get along again. Just what is your mysterious relationship with His Royal Highness?¡± As soon as she mentioned Cedar, it was clear that the conversation would become less pleasant than it already had been.

    It seemed like Jenna truly disliked Lucille and Cedar together. After all, she addressed the prince each time they saw each other while ignoring the other woman. She didn''t even seem to feel the need to speak about other matters. Maybe because she only saw Lucille as her rival and didn''t think much about the other''s life apart from that.

    Lucille did her best to hide her frustration, but in the end, her face had probably revealed that she was unhappy. ¡°Lady Peril, there isn''t much I can tell you. Cedar ran away from bad people and helped me since I had gotten hurt. Ever since then, we have been in the palace together and had a lot of chances to spend time together.¡± She had still been quiet this time, but she had said more than she had intended to. Maybe because she unconsciously wanted to prove that she was closer to Cedar than the other woman would ever be. That Jenna should take her bony fingers away from the prince.

    But Lady Peril didn''t seem to understand it that way, maybe because of the lack of a threatening undertone. ¡°I see. It is wonderful to hear that he made a new acquaintance. But I am still a bit concerned. Those rumors will not harm him, but...¡± She put her hand on her cheek while carefully adjusting her closed fan. She glanced at Lucille while continuing. ¡°But you, Lady Valerian. It might be unpleasant for you. An unmarried woman shouldn''t be seen with a man this often.¡±

    A married woman probably shouldn''t try to impress a man ten years younger than her.

    Lucille would have liked to say that, but she lacked the courage. She would also like to point out that Cedar had said that he could marry her, but embarrassment took over before she could begin.

    It was almost scary how quickly Jenna noticed that slight change in the other''s expression. She merely needed a second to determine what was going on and replied immediately. ¡°Oh, please do not feel embarrassed. I did not mean to accuse you of any type of...inappropriate behavior. So, please do not worry about this too much. But others are less understanding. Some have said rather unkind things.¡± Her expression mimicked sympathy as she continued. ¡°It would be best for you to distance yourself from Your Royal Highness. Just for the sake of your reputation.¡±

    Lucille would have liked to push the other woman away for this, but she didn''t dare to do it. Instead, she just averted her eyes and stared at the floor while speaking. ¡°I won''t. I like spending time with Cedar. That''s why-¡±

    Lady Peril didn''t let her finish. ¡°It is wonderful if you get along well. But can you seriously endanger your future because of this? You not being able to marry will not only cause problems for you, correct? Your family needs an heir. What will you do if you don''t manage to recover your reputation after this short amusement is over? I do not want to pry, but...¡± Jenna showed the other woman a little smile, but there was something more vile glittering in her eyes. ¡°You are aware that a woman cannot be in a relationship before she enters a marriage? In particular, more...passionate connections are unacceptable. I worry about you forgetting that. Of course, I doubt that His Royal Highness would be cruel enough to refrain from reminding you of that. But in the end, it is not his responsibility but yours.¡± She was saying so many strange things.

    Lucille gritted her teeth and tried to ignore that. She didn''t care what the other woman thought about this. She hadn''t slept with Cedar, but she had become his lover. And she didn''t want to go without that. In any case, she would be fine. He had promised to marry her or to support her financially, depending on what decision she made. And even her father had said that she didn''t have to marry Cedar. He had said that it would be fine for her to back out of this at any time. Lucille didn''t need to worry about any of this. She would have liked to speak with as much conviction as she was feeling, but she failed. ¡°My relationships do not trouble me. You do not have to get involved.¡± Not at all. ¡°I am perfectly content with how everything is at the moment.¡±

    Jenna slowed her pace at that. She tapped her fan onto the other''s arm and spoke up with a bright smile. ¡°Oh, I fear that this is exactly why I have to give you a piece of advice.¡± She turned to the other woman and put on a serious expression. ¡°This will not last for much longer. I do not know whether you are aware, but there is one little problem. You may be fond of romance and fairy tale stories, but this is the real world. His Royal Highness will not magically fall for you when he has never been in a relationship. He does not want you. He is merely spending his time in a way that doesn''t bore him for the moment. It''s easy to see what he really wants. He was raised to challenge his brother. He wants everything His Majesty has.¡±

    Lucille clenched her free hand into a fist. Why was Jenna so keen on making her believe that Cedar didn''t care? If he didn''t, there would be no need for Lady Peril to be so insistent. That woman saw Lucille as an enemy, which proved that Cedar had paid more attention to her than to anyone else. And Lucille had spent enough time with him to be certain that this between them wasn''t a lie. So, she spoke up despite still refusing to make eye contact. ¡°Why do you think that you know what he wants? Pardon me, but I don''t think that you paid much attention to his wishes until now.¡± After all, that woman had bothered Cedar for years despite his refusal.

    Jenna replied in a sickeningly worried tone. ¡°Oh, my. Please do not get so upset. I did not wish to hurt you. I merely wanted to make sure that you know how this will end. His Royal Highness will not be content, no matter how wonderful you could be. Because he is naturally jealous of everything his brother has. That means His Royal Highness wants Her Majesty too. And not just a random viscount''s daughter.¡±

    Nonsense.

    In that case, Cedar would already have tried to get closer to Blanche. But he hadn''t done that. He had even stayed close to Lucille in front of the royal couple many times.

    Lucille''s expression had probably shown her disbelief.

    Jenna stopped in her tracks and gazed at the other woman. ¡°Do you not believe me? Then please think back. Do you remember the time after His Royal Highness came back from confinement for the first time? There was a welcome ball for him and Her Majesty, the dowager empress. As soon as he met Her Majesty, who was still Lady Blanche then, he kissed the backside of her hand. He complimented her multiple times and showed interest in a private meeting with her. Then he asked for a dance and was rejected. And a few weeks later, he even addressed her by her first name by accident. Those are a bit too many coincidences, aren''t they?¡±

    Lucille might remember talking about that too. There had been a few speculations about Blanche supporting Cedar behind closed doors, but the empress had never really liked him at that point in time. Whether Cedar had liked her remained uncertain. Lucille was almost completely sure that he didn''t like Blanche anymore at least.

    The empress had needed to force him to stop using her title after all. And she had also needed to make him hold Aurora with some insistence. Cedar hadn''t immediately done this for her when she had asked. So, it was obvious that he wasn''t in love with her. But that didn''t mean that he couldn''t have liked Blanche in the past.

    Cedar''s actions last year might have been read that year. He had complimented Blanche so often while addressing her without her title and asking her to dance even in public. And while he had claimed that he had never had any romantic experience, there was no way to know whether he hadn''t liked Blanche at some point.

    Lucille disliked that thought, even if it didn''t mean much to her at the moment. But what she disliked more than that was the fact that Jenna still tried to put obstacles between Lucille and Cedar. She didn''t want to let that woman succeed. She didn''t dare to meet the other''s gaze, but she spoke up with every bit of confidence she could muster. ¡°If you still remember that, it must have been unpleasant for you to see that. But that was over one and a half years ago. I know what holds true at the moment though.¡± She stubbornly kept her eyes on the floor, even when some unpleasant feeling came over her and made her heart clench. She didn''t want to show Lady Peril that a few words were enough to make her so weak. So, she forced herself to lift her gaze when she pulled her arm away from Jenna.

    It was the perfect moment for Blanche to come back. The empress held her baby in her arms and walked the remaining few steps to the table before sitting down. In an instant, all other noble women joined her.

    Lucille took that as her sign to rush toward the table too. In the meantime, she tried to sort the whirl of thoughts in her mind to no avail. Most likely, she would ponder this for the next few hours. That was unpleasant.

    Especially since she could guess what this stinging and unreasonable feeling in her chest was.

    Jealousy.

    Unjustified and exaggerated jealousy, which she hated herself for.

 Chapter 110: Laws and Titles

    Cedar should have expected as much.

    When Lucille returned from the tea party, she was in a horrible mood. She wordlessly pulled him in for a hug and indirectly asked him to stay the night like this again. Of course, he complied. He tried to ask what was going on, but she just claimed that it was stupid and refused to say anything.

    Cedar had to admit that this worried him more than it should, mostly because he suspected that his mother had something to do with it. That was why he wanted to talk about this matter with Lucille, but she never gave him a chance. Surely, he could be persistent again and make her say it, but that would make him feel guilty. After all, she never pried into his feelings either.

    So, he stayed quiet even though he hated it. He hoped that it would just pass by after a few days. He quickly noticed that Lucille didn''t get over it though.

    Still, forcing someone to speak about their worries when he held back everything seemed stupid to him, even if Cedar had to admit that he hadn''t paid much attention to this in the past. So, he used a chance to talk to the one person who could know what to do now. He couldn''t believe that he would ask his brother for relationship advice, but it seemed like he was desperate enough. That didn''t mean that getting over his pride was easy though.

    Cedar had walked behind his brother for a few minutes already while they were on their way to the office. But he was still reluctant. With every step, this annoyed him even more until he finally forced himself. ¡°Theodore, say. What would you do if your wife was constantly pondering something but refused to tell you what it was about?¡± He needed to jump a step back as soon as he finished.

    Theodore had stopped so abruptly that Cedar had almost run into him, but he didn''t seem to notice that. His expression was so serious that it was almost unfitting. ¡°Talk to her immediately. As soon as possible. Misunderstandings and unresolved problems are the worst poison to relationships. Never let any outsider tell you what your relationship is like, but please listen to me in this regard. Speak to her.¡±

    Cedar was a bit taken aback by so much worry in Theodore''s voice. Certainly, this wasn''t just about Cedar. His brother had recognized something. ¡°That sounds like you are talking from experience.¡±

    Theodore looked a bit too grim while replying. ¡°I am. There were a few times I seriously messed up and hurt Blanche because I was too stupid to address what I was thinking. At the same time, she held back because she didn''t want to bother me with things she deemed to be unimportant, but I could see that they burdened her. And yet, I only forced her to talk to me after she broke down completely. Fears may seem ridiculous to yourself, but they can still be huge issues. You shouldn''t let your lover collect too many worries before finally speaking to her. It would be best if you go see her right after this meeting.¡±

    Cedar considered commenting on how the fairy tale romance of the nation could have such stories behind it, but then he heard how upset Theodore sounded and let it be. He didn''t admit to accepting the other''s advice either. He just changed the topic. ¡°I see. Thank you for answering my question. What kind of meeting were you referring to?¡±

    ¡°Meeting? Just our normal one. We always sit together and discuss the daily topics with Leon. Doesn''t that qualify as a meeting?¡±

    Cedar didn''t believe that for one second. He went slower than he had to while they approached the office. ¡°Theodore.¡± His voice had a warning edge now.

    His brother ignored that completely. He just walked to his office and opened the door without waiting. He didn''t enter and instead stood in front of the room to make eye contact with the prince.

    It was too obvious.

    It wasn''t surprising that seven men, the ministers and Leon, were already inside the room. They all sat at the table and stood up to greet the emperor with a bow. The fact that there was someone else coming surprised them though. They stared at the prince with differing emotions. Some were worried, some annoyed, and Duke Duremont even looked furious.

    Cedar had expected that. He couldn''t complain since he felt the same things at the moment. His grin was as bright as ever as he felt frustration bubbling inside him. He turned to his brother and wordlessly made eye contact. For a few seconds, they had a staring contest before he finally spoke in a volume that would allow the ministers to hear him. ¡°It seems that I came at the wrong time. We can continue the conversation later. I will take my leave now.¡± His voice sounded cheerful enough to be a warning.

    Theodore understood that best. He just didn''t care. He gestured to the room. ¡°You will not. Go inside.¡±

    Cedar kept smiling at his brother. He knew that he had lost, but that didn''t mean that he would stop complaining, in a quieter volume this time. ¡°Even though I repeatedly told you that I wouldn''t take part in a minister meeting under any circumstances? You have the tact of a sledgehammer. Did you know that?¡±

    Theodore shrugged. ¡°It runs in the family. You gave me a hard time last year, so I will repay you now. The emperor told you to do it, so you will have to obey. You can write a complaint later. Go sit down.¡±

    Cedar glanced at the chairs next to the table, and his mood soured even more. ¡°Next to you? What made you think that this is a good idea?¡± The most powerful or most trusted people sat the closest to the emperor. The empress and the royal advisor. Not the traitorous prince who had tried to kill his brother.

    Theodore didn''t care about common sense though, as always. ¡°Your political knowledge tells me that this is a wonderful idea. I know that you used to secretly give tips to the ministers because Father was too stupid to listen to you. Now you can do that in front of all of us. For Artias. You want our nation to do well too.¡±

    Cedar already prepared to take the first step inside, but he couldn''t help voicing another comment. ¡°You always said that you expected me to ruin the nation if I ruled.¡±

    Theodore replied too quickly for it to be fake. ¡°Not you. The dowager empress would. But obviously, I couldn''t say that my enemy would be a good choice for the throne too. Now hurry up and get inside.¡±

    Cedar held back a sigh. ¡°When you compliment me, it feels odd.¡± Especially since he had always lived while knowing that his brother was so much better than him at everything. ¡°It makes it seem like you are playing some strange mind game, but it''s not like I can discuss with the emperor.¡± That was the only reason why he entered the office.

    Immediately, the people inside the room bowed to greet the members of the royal family.

    Theodore closed the door behind him and then showed the group a slight polite smile. ¡°I wish all of you a wonderful day. It is good to see that you arrived here without too many issues. I hope that you have been well and are healthy, much like I wish the same to your families. Now, then. You may already have noticed, but my brother is here as well. He will join us from now on.¡± How kind it was to ask for the prince''s opinion before announcing this to all ministers so that it was decided already.

    Cedar would have liked to make some snarky comment so badly, but he just smiled and greeted the group. ¡°It is an honor and a pleasure alike to meet the people who shoulder the burden of guiding the nation along with the emperor. I hope that you are currently in the midst of peaceful times and that there aren''t too many issues burdening you.¡± After all, Cedar was currently going through stressful times, and he didn''t need anyone else to be in a bad mood too.

    The ministers were visibly confused because of the sudden visitor, but they needed to accept the emperor''s decision. Even if a few of them only did it while gritting their teeth. One couldn''t blame them for worrying about why a convicted criminal sat here. They all gave their greetings in the order of their ranks and then watched the other men with worry.

    Theodore ignored all of that though. He just walked over to his seat and accepted the documents Leon gave him. He flipped through them once before speaking. ¡°Please take a seat.¡±

    The men complied, and each person sat down at their usual place. Like this, the emperor was at the short end of the oval table, and the place next to him was free since Blanche would usually sit there. Leon took a seat directly next to that empty chair, but the emperor''s other side was vacant too.

    Cedar made eye contact with his brother and mentally noted to forget about making his own decisions when it came to this matter. Why had he even expected Theodore to show enough consideration to let him stay out of this? He just walked over and sat down. He wouldn''t say as much as his brother expected him to. After all, he needed to let the others get used to his presence first. He used the short pause to scan the men.

    Theodore had created quite a useful group here. These people were intelligent and worked hard for the nation. And all of them were incredibly simple. They weren''t foolish, but their goals were easy to summarize.

    Duke Duremont, the most powerful man in Artias outside the royal family, would always support the emperor. As long as Theodore didn''t harm the nation, this man would follow him. Likewise, Marquess Bellfaux, who was rather close to Duke Duremont, would share the same opinion. Duke Lamont, who came third in terms of power within the ducal families, disliked conflict and was happy as long as he could do something to help Artias. He wouldn''t begin any discussion, much like the other three marquesses. Those were rather meek and mostly did what one told them to do. So, no backlash would come from them either.

    In addition, all the men here had at least one daughter or a wife they adored and might want to hand over their family name to. That made them much more likely to agree to the emperor''s plan to let his daughter reign and to allow women to take over noble households.

    That meant that Cedar''s persuasion skills wouldn''t be needed here at all. Why was he even part of this group? His brother had everything under control. Hopefully, he would be left alone if he explained that kindly. But he doubted it. He couldn''t even trust that the minister''s worries would help here.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Only one minister would even dare to question this decision. Duke Duremont had lifted his hand as soon as everyone sat. He began when the emperor gave him a sign. ¡°Your Majesty, I do not wish to question your judgment.¡± Which would be appropriate here. ¡°But I am uncertain whether a person convicted of treason should attend a meeting with the most powerful men in the nation.¡±

    Some others whispered words of approval after that.

    Theodore didn''t seem to care about that though. ¡°Oh, he was never convicted. If you cared to look at his criminal record, you would see that it''s blank.¡± No way.

    Cedar turned to his brother. ¡°Surely, that''s a joke. There is no way that you didn''t make that official. You voiced a punishment, remember?¡± One had to formally write down severe crimes like treason in a person''s criminal record. Theodore wasn''t enough of a fool to forget that.

    But even if everyone here questioned whether he was sane at the moment, the emperor remained calm and explained his decision to his brother. ¡°Yes, I did formally announce a punishment. I said that you would be put in confinement with the dowager empress for an unspecified amount of time. That is enough of a punishment, so I didn''t add anything else. But I said that you could come out again when you prove that you can be trusted. You did that, so I withdrew my order.¡± He was even more naive than the prince could have imagined. Why would anyone be so stupid?

    This would allow Cedar to continue all of his scheming without consequences. He would even be able to take over the throne without any issues if the emperor and empress disappeared. Why was Theodore so damned sure that his brother wouldn''t stab him in the back?

    Cedar had a vague idea of some of the possible reasons. One of them, which might or might not be related to Lucille, made sense. The other one was probably connected to the conversation Cedar had had with his mother. But both weren''t guaranteed. After all, this could just have been an act too.

    Cedar didn''t say any of that and just met his brother''s gaze. ¡°That''s awfully...¡± Stupid. ¡°Forgiving of you.¡±

    Theodore shrugged. ¡°You were the one purposefully losing so that I could arrest that horrible woman. All in all, what happened just damaged your reputation despite it not being your fault. Obviously, I wouldn''t just add some entry in a criminal record for that.¡± He wasn''t completely wrong about that first part. But phrasing it like that sounded like the revolt had been planned by the both of them to harm Camille.

    Cedar didn''t correct him though.

    Theodore saw that as a sign to continue his play and focused on the ministers again. ¡°Besides, you should know that my judgment is always correct, right? Cedar was the one who drafted the contract for our trade with Southern Ocrea. The one that suddenly had another person''s handwriting. Do you remember? You said that it was exceptionally good. And I could also go on about how he is the one responsible for some of the most clever developments in the past because he gave Father''s ministers tips over ten years ago. He was nine then. So, I would guess that he is much better now, and even then, he had more beneficial ideas than some officials.¡±

    Cedar just sat there and watched his brother''s show. Inwardly, he asked himself why no one noticed what game was being played here.

    Theodore used the same scheme he had employed to make people accept Blanche. He had simply let her work and then presented some of her ideas without naming her. Afterward, he had revealed that she had been the one to create those contracts. That helped people accept those they disliked by getting rid of their biases for a while. The only question was why the emperor had thought that his brother needed to gain the minister''s trust.

    Unfortunately, it worked though. None of the ministers argued back. Instead, most of them just nodded and prepared to move on with the meeting. Duke Duremont seemed a bit annoyed, but he just glared at the prince for a second before continuing as well. It was no surprise that Theodore was so brazen when no one here controlled him.

    The emperor looked around, and when he saw no raised hands, he showed the group a smile. ¡°Good. Then we can move on to the topics we need to talk about today. Blanche felt bad about not attending again, so she prepared the documents for us. Please read through this once before we continue.¡±

    As expected, all of the ministers complied. It took a moment, and after that, the questions quickly came back. Especially the first topic seemed to concern the people here. After all, the emperor had declared that it would be possible for the two most powerful dictatorships of the continent to work together in the future.

    One of the ministers voiced what everyone had been thinking. ¡°With all due respect, Your Majesty. Why would we assume that Travuan and Clatos could become allies? They have been enemies for decades. Those two nations are the biggest threats to one another and have always been in a power struggle.¡±

    Theodore remained as calm as always. He spoke about this as if he knew exactly what would happen. ¡°Maybe. Depending on which of the rulers'' children take over the nations. Travuan''s royal family is quite large, so it''s not unrealistic for them to create connections through marriages even with Clatos'' rulers.¡±

    Another question followed immediately. ¡°I believe such a connection to be unrealistic. The borders of their countries are closed off, so how would members of the royal family secretly meet and even decide on a marriage despite their nation''s rivalry?¡±

    Theodore grinned at that. ¡°I have an important reason to believe that it is possible.¡± He glanced at his brother. ¡°Do you want to tell them?¡± Why was Theodore like this? Why did he need to involve a person who would rather be quiet and watch how this developed first?

    Cedar held back another sigh. He would have liked to act stupid, but he had to say what he knew now. Still, he couldn''t help adding a small bit of sarcasm to his first words. ¡°Of course, I could never dare to assume that I know what you, the esteemed emperor, would think. After all, we never discussed this matter before. But I would see a chance for members of the ruling families to meet and form connections in Batra. Both nations claim that they own the land there and already sent parts of their armies. Officially, no important people are stationed there, but one can assume that each country has at least sent one extremely powerful representative. They would probably stay there for over a year, most likely with a fake name. If those people met, they could get closer to each other, purposefully or accidentally. Such a union would cause problems but could eventually lead to the involved families'' attempt at gaining power together.¡±

    Theodore seemed content with that response. ¡°Exactly. Do you understand why we need to ensure that Northern and Southern Ocrea work together now? If we stand along with them and oppose Clatos and Travuan, there will be no war. Is that all, or do we need to explain more?¡±

    Duke Duremont replied for everyone. ¡°No objections, Your Majesty.¡±

    This conversation ended up being an example of how most of the meeting progressed. Whenever questions arose, Theodore made Cedar answer. He also liked to show off that his brother had memorized the constitution and used him as his personal handbook whenever it came to laws.

    Cedar talked much more than he had wanted to. So, he was rather happy when the meeting was over.

    By then, Theodore needed to introduce two more important topics. The first one seemed to be unproblematic. ¡°We might have some new ministers soon. I plan on appointing His Grace, the Duke of Vasquez as a minister this year. He already deals with countless business matters for me, and I want to give him more freedom.¡±

    Luciano was indebted to Theodore since the emperor had allowed the family to continue to exist despite them having been the strongest supporters of Camille in the past. Now he would follow the emperor for as long as possible to protect his mother and sister and show his gratitude.

    As expected, no one complained.

    So, Theodore added another decision that might be a bit more controversial. ¡°And by the end of the year, we might be able to push forward some of my new laws. When that time arrives, I would like to introduce a female minister too. I know that the daughter of a specific duke is very much interested, and I believe that she would be fitting for this role.¡±

    Fiona Lamont would be overly thankful for such a chance as well. After all, she might be allowed to take over her household if she could prove her accomplishments by becoming a minister. She might be ambitious and have her own will, but she wouldn''t cause problems for the emperor either. She would probably try to improve the standing of women in Artias, which was Theodore''s goal as well. He could only win by appointing her. He would have to work even less with more ministers, and he would influence the public''s opinion by introducing female geniuses.

    And like before, no one complained.

    Theodore even confirmed that once more. ¡°Are there any objections?¡±

    Of course, the ministers, who coincidentally all had intelligent women whom they wanted to strengthen in their families, wouldn''t reject involving capable people or risk going against the emperor''s will. So, everyone shook their heads.

    Theodore watched that with satisfaction. He didn''t leave it at that though. Instead, he became more serious after a few seconds. ¡°I thank you for my trust. Then I would like to give you a short explanation before we end today''s meeting. You may have noticed that odd things are happening to some noble families in the capital right now. I can assure you that no one innocent will be harmed. You do not need to worry about that.¡± In other words, he was telling the ministers to ignore that he was ruining the people who still helped Camille, but he didn''t say that directly.

    The ministers knew what this hinted at. They, who all supported the emperor, didn''t need to worry about this.

    Theodore took that as his cue to change the topic. ¡°Good. One of those changes will happen in the near future. It will take half a year at most from now on. You may have already heard some rumors. I haven''t revealed it yet, but I will soon. I wished to inform you first.¡± He left a meaningful pause before resuming. ¡°We have hidden it for the past years due to the tension in our family, and now I believe that I am able to say it finally. The person I call my mother is the woman who raised me and not the current dowager empress, as many of you know. But we never admitted that my mother was my lawful adoptive mother. In addition, she is also Father''s wife and thus a member of the royal family.¡± He might or might not have falsified those two things.

    Everyone here knew that, and yet, no one reminded him. Instead, they just clapped quietly and gave their late congratulations.

    Theodore stayed silent for a moment before showing them a smile. ¡°I thank you very much for your support. Naturally, I would like to ask you to keep quiet about this since I want to keep a specific person...¡± Camille. ¡°From creating a ruckus. Please remain silent until we inform her personally. But that isn''t all I wished to tell you about my mother. I would like to recognize her efforts in raising me and the fact that she sacrificed her life for me. It would be much more fitting to reward her instead of a hysteric woman who tried to kill both of her sons and murdered countless people.¡± He casually mentioned that, and immediately, the ministers understood how the sides of the power struggle had changed and why Cedar had become his brother''s ally. But Theodore just continued to shock them into forgetting the first surprise. ¡°I plan on making my mother the dowager empress.¡±

    That caused the ministers to focus on something else quickly. A few seconds passed before Duke Duremont spoke up. ¡°I believe that you know that we would support you in that regard, Your Majesty. However, we do have a dowager empress at the moment. And since you decided to spare her life after the last...incident, the public believed that you would be adverse to...eliminating her.¡±

    Theodore let out a little laugh. ¡°No, that''s not it. I''m currently in the middle of weeding out her supporters. Since Cedar is here now, you can imagine that this suddenly got much easier, right? I only need a bit more time. I can promise you this. The current holder of that title will not be here for much longer. She lost the only reason she was ever worthy of being supported.¡± He gestured to his brother. ¡°Her puppets will need to act in one way or another soon. As always, I have enough plans to deal with everything. She will lose her title and then her life.¡± He said that with a bit too much satisfaction in his voice.

    Cedar couldn''t blame him though. He still hated himself for wishing an execution upon his mother, but he knew that things would never calm down until Camille was gone. So, he needed to wait for her death, which was a cruel thing considering that he had lived for her for two decades.

    The ministers didn''t protest despite Theodore''s decision. They just skeptically scanned Cedar as if they expected him to complain. They had to be confused since the prince simply accepted hearing about Camille''s future demise like this. But no one said anything.

    The meeting ended soon after that, and the ministers left after bidding farewell to the others there. It didn''t take long, and the office was as quiet as before again.

    Theodore didn''t waste any time before grinning at his brother. ¡°See? The meeting wasn''t too bad. You impressed everyone even without preparation. You will get used to it quickly. It will work out perfectly.¡±

    That meant that Cedar had no say in this matter anymore. He would help his brother from now on and join him during minister meetings. He would have liked to talk about this for longer despite knowing that he had lost. But he didn''t have time to discuss that now.

    He needed to follow Theodore''s advice after all. It was time to address Lucille''s concern.

 Chapter 111: Jealousy

    Lucille had to admit that she felt a bit out of place. She wasn''t used to running around in such a big group. Right now, she was accompanying the empress in the garden, and it felt odd.

    After all, Blanche was adorned in the most lavish dress and accessories imaginable while beaming like the sun. Even as she held Aurora, who slept calmly while being cuddled into her fancy blanket, she looked breathtaking. Though, that wasn''t the issue. Joining her alone would have been fine.

    But the empress'' three maids were directly next to them, along with two guards who protected the people here from any imaginable danger.

    Lucille couldn''t help but admit that she was the least striking person of all of those individuals After all, she didn''t even have the confidence or gentleness that they exhibited. She wasn''t intimidating either. She was just herself. Lucille was in the midst of all of those special people, and that almost made her stand out again because she was so boring.

    This was only enforced by the fact that the empress kept arguing about one specific thing. ¡°I really don''t get why you don''t want to order dresses from the tailor. They are so pretty.¡± She had said that about five times already.

    Lucille averted her eyes as she replied. ¡°Yes. Exactly. Someone like you can wear them, but for me, it''s...¡±

    Blanche cut her off. ¡°Don''t be like that. You are beautiful.¡± Coming from her, this was odd. She was the one glowing in the sun, and her radiant smile made it even more breathtaking. It wouldn''t be a miracle if people fell in love with her just because of that sight. Maybe she didn''t notice it, but she was so happy that her presence was just pleasant enough to make people like her immediately, and her kindness could do the rest.

    It wouldn''t have been odd for even Cedar to find her pretty upon meeting her.

    Lucille gritted her teeth when she thought about that. Was she stupid? She shouldn''t trust anything Jenna said. She also shouldn''t be dejected because of something so unimportant. Instead of indulging in her strange worries about a past that didn''t matter much anymore, she should have focused on being happy with Cedar liking her at the moment. She couldn''t demand more than that, and even this was a luxury when an emotionless marriage could also be possible.

    Still, she couldn''t bring herself to forget those words. Maybe because a glowing woman like Blanche fit together with a wonderful person like Cedar. And the worst part was that Lucille had managed to make him worry about this matter since she apparently hadn''t been able to hide her concern at all.

    The empress stopped in her tracks and turned around. ¡°Lucille?¡±

    Lucille snapped out of her thoughts. ¡°I sincerely apologize. I was mentally absent for a moment.¡± She tried to forget her bitterness about having allowed Jenna to mess with her and focused on the original conversation. ¡°I meant to say that I do not wish to receive any dresses because it would feel...odd to wear them. As you know, I do not like being too striking in public, so...¡± She forced herself to meet the empress'' gaze.

    Blanche pursed her lips before replying. ¡°But that would be a shame. You wore Madame Charture''s dresses already. Why would you not do it again? You need to dress in her attires in the future anyway. Do you think the princess consort of our nation could simply go without dressing up prettily? That won''t do. And you said that you need to gain confidence before you marry Cedar too. Doing it like this is good, right? People will already look at you because he escorts you, so you might as well look even more breathtaking than you usually do. I don''t mean to change your taste completely, of course. You can tell Madam Charture what kinds of dresses you like. And you don''t have to buy many either. Getting some every few months would be a good idea so that you don''t have to order a whole bunch at once.¡±

    Lucille had listened to all of that, and still, only one thing had stuck to her. She watched the other woman with skepticism and hugged herself while trying to voice her doubts in a way that wasn''t too obvious. ¡°I...understand what you mean. But...at the same time, I don''t... We don''t know for how long...this will go on. Theoretically, I would have to go back to Father as soon as the matter with the dowager empress is solved.¡±

    Blanche scanned the other''s expression for a moment before she turned to Stella. She handed over her sleeping baby, gave her daughter a small kiss and then focused her attention on Lucille. ¡°I think you are too worried about nothing. I can tell you one thing about Cedar. It takes long to get to know him and even longer for him to open up to you. But when he does it, he will not give up on you for the rest of his life. And you captured him. I''m pretty sure that he would already die for you, and your bond will only get stronger from now on. Don''t believe that he would allow another person to even hold your hand. He will get really upset if you try something like that. So, marrying someone else is almost impossible now. Do you even have the desire to search for another person?¡±

    If Lucille was completely honest, she didn''t have that desire. She slowly shook her head without really being sure what to say. Cedar was by far her favorite person. She liked no one else more than him, and she was sure that her first love was the real deal. So, marrying him, who liked her too, seemed like it would be the perfect solution. But... ¡°What if he changes his mind? Because...he finds someone that is much more admirable than me?¡±

    Blanche put one of her hands onto her hip before lifting her index finger. ¡°First of all, don''t compare yourself to others. You don''t need to change anything or feel like you are inferior. You are perfect in each and every way. Now. Why would he change his mind when he is clearly enamored with you? Does Cedar seem like someone who runs around and has countless relationships? He doesn''t make friends easily and only opens up after a lot of time. And even then, he certainly doesn''t hug them or spend the night in their room. This is romantic, you hear me? And when he loves, he will be absolutely devoted and loyal.¡± She had sounded so convinced and serious while saying that. She only lowered the volume of her voice and spoke in a softer tone when she finished. ¡°But why did you ask that in the first place?¡±

    Lucille stood there and tugged at her fingers while averting her eyes. She would like to hear advice, but at the same time, she didn''t dare admit that she was seriously worrying about what Lady Peril had said. Her heart clenched, and it felt like she was getting overwhelmed by worry. More than about Cedar liking Blanche, this might be about Lucille being worried about her overwhelming jealousy. Maybe it was stupid, but she needed help with this. She couldn''t ask Cedar, so she had to address this now. Her voice barely worked as she tried to speak. ¡°Could we...talk about this alone?¡±

    Blanche only took a second to gesture to the people around her. In an instant, her entourage stepped aside a little to give the women enough space so that they could talk quietly. She came closer to Lucille and then spoke up. ¡°Go ahead. I will listen.¡±

    Lucille averted her eyes. She was probably blushing already, but she had to speak now despite her voice being shaky. ¡°Did...you ever feel...jealous?¡± Probably not. After all, Theodore and Blanche had always been completely and utterly in love.

    But the empress replied without hesitation. ¡°Yes. A million times. Not anymore because I know that there is only me for Theo, like there is only him for me.¡± She sounded dreamy while saying that part but quickly became serious again. ¡°But in the past, I was scared of not being good enough. And then there was the former empress. That woman seemed so perfect, and she was Theodore''s wife. I hated her. I thought she would take my Theo away from me. But as you can see, that didn''t happen. Because Theo and I love each other. After I told him about my worries, he finally paid more attention to what he was doing and reminded me of our devotion countless times. And over time, it got much better.¡±

    After hearing that, Lucille almost apologized. It was understandable that Blanche hadn''t been happy about her lover being married to another woman. It seemed like even that wonderful couple wasn''t at ease with the chance of the other partner seeing someone else. Maybe Lucille being jealous wasn''t so bad then. ¡°I see.¡±

    Blanche paused for a few seconds, and when nothing came, she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Cedar didn''t show interest in someone else, did he? He isn''t like that. I would almost bet Artias'' well-being on him never betraying the one he loves. He would rather set the world on fire to prevent anyone from hurting you, so he wouldn''t be the one to make you feel bad.¡±

    Lucille would like to say so much that she didn''t know where to begin. ¡°No... He...¡±

    The empress crossed her arms and resumed without taking a break. ¡°I would have guessed that he might rather do the opposite of showing interest in others. He is only open with you, right? He needs trust to fall in love, and you are the only one who shares that bond with him. Cedar should be the type who treasures what he cares about. If there is an issue, it would rather be him being jealous, right? Did he get upset after you talked to a man? He might not have admitted it, but I would assume that he gets jealous extremely easily. You will probably need to remind him that you love him over and over again.¡±

    Lucille''s head stopped working for a moment. She lifted her hands to shake them a bit while trying to explain. ¡°No, that''s...I...¡±

    Luckily, that was enough to make Blanche guess what had happened to some extent. ¡°You got jealous?¡± She paused for a moment as if she was confused and then resumed. ¡°Tell me what happened. Or no. Better yet, tell him. I can assure you that it is only a misunderstanding. Cedar is too... What do I call it? He is too devoted to ever hurt you like that. He treasures friends deeply, and if you are even closer than that, I would assume that he will get even more focused on making you happy. If you have to worry about something, it will be him smothering you with affection. At least that is what I would assume. I never saw how he acted when he was in love, really in love. He likes you more than he ever liked anyone else.¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Lucille felt her heart skip a beat when she heard that. For some reason, it was calming to hear this from another person. She herself was sure that Cedar cared for her, and if others said the same, she couldn''t help but be even more certain. She knew that he liked her. Even if he had liked the empress at some point, that was over. Which meant that she had been stupid enough to get upset because of something Lady Peril had told her to anger her. It was a bit pathetic to fall for such easy tricks.

    Lucille fiddled with her hands and quickly averted her eyes. ¡°Well... I...¡± She wasn''t sure what to say now that she had admitted to being jealous.

    Blanche came another step toward her and scanned the other woman''s expression. ¡°You really got jealous. Was it because of something he did? If so, I can assure you that he didn''t mean to get close to whoever bothered him. He dislikes physical contact. He might ignore that if he wants to annoy others, but he wouldn''t let women like Lady Peril touch him without telling them to stay away. And if even that is too close for your taste, he will change it. You only need to tell him what the problem is, and he will move heaven and earth to avoid upsetting you. Please believe me when it comes to this.¡±

    Lucille already felt the traitorous heat of her cheeks and looked to the side. She didn''t want to admit it. Why had she been so incredibly stupid? She had been talking to Lady Peril. No one should believe a single word about Cedar that came out of that woman''s mouth. ¡°I...definitely misunderstood.¡± Even if Cedar possibly having fallen in love once before wasn''t a problem at all, she was rather relieved now.

    Blanche didn''t give her time to think about that though. ¡°Good. But you should still talk to him about it. Cedar always hides his feelings, so there can''t be a wall of lies between you. You need to steer him a bit. You have to ask what he feels like and show him that he should never hide his worries because he doesn''t want to burden you. In return, you have to open up to him too. Talking about your hopes and worries is the most important part of any relationship.¡± She spoke with so much emphasis that her stance was clear. Her serious expression made that even more obvious.

    Lucille could already guess how embarrassed she would be if she was forced to tell Cedar about this. So, she couldn''t promise anything. She just nodded at the empress without making eye contact. ¡°I...will try to-¡±

    Blanche interrupted her. ¡°Indeed. You will.¡± Her expression softened as she spoke with a bit more regret than determination. ¡°You have to. Cedar probably noticed that you are feeling unwell. You know how he is. He will blame himself, and that isn''t what he needs. He needs affirmations of love until he can''t hear it anymore. If he thinks that you are unhappy in a relationship with him, he will feel horrible. So, you need to be open about which problems you see. And aside from that, there is another important reason to talk about this. Because this burdens you. Don''t swallow your uncertainty. You need to be happy too. Alright?¡± All of that sounded logical.

    Lucille weakly nodded while tugging at the skin next to her fingernails. It would be uncomfortable if she told Cedar that she worried about what Jenna had told her. But it would be better to do it. ¡°I understand.¡±

    Blanche remained silent for a moment. She scanned the other woman before a slight smile came back onto her lips. ¡°Good. I apologize for being so strict. It''s just that I know what keeping quiet about misunderstandings can do. Please don''t let that get in your way. We will have a nice picnic now, and after that, you can go talk to him. Does that sound good?¡±

    Lucille nodded again. The empress took that as her cue to start walking toward their destination, and Lucille, who was already lost in thoughts, followed her. What she had promised to talk about would probably cause a strange conversation. She didn''t even know how to address this topic. She couldn''t just run to Cedar and ask him whether he had lied about not falling in love before.

    Lucille barely took two dozen steps before she was stopped by someone playing with her hair. She froze in the middle of her movement. She felt a light touch on her head, and then someone put her hair over her shoulder.

    And a second later, someone whispered into her ear. ¡°I knew I saw that familiar shade of red. Hello.¡± That was unmistakably Cedar, who seemed to like overwhelming her.

    Lucille''s legs almost gave in. The fact that he had surprised her was bad enough, and now she even had to deal with him whispering into her ear. ¡°Cedar...¡± Her voice shook a little despite her not wanting to lose her composure at all.

    Cedar finally stepped out from behind her and showed her an enchanting smile. ¡°I wish you a wonderful day. How have you been? Are you in the group of Aurora''s admirers again?¡±

    Lucille nodded at him while trying to get over her initial shock. He hadn''t heard the conversation, right? ¡°I...had a nice day. Nothing special happened. And we are really going out with Aurora.¡±

    Cedar let out a small huff. ¡°Unsurprisingly. I feel like that little girl will become a brat if everyone spoils her like this.¡± He turned his head, and his gaze fell onto the empress. He bowed his head, which earned him an annoyed glare.

    Blanche, who had noticed Cedar as well and stopped to watch the couple, crossed her arms. ¡°Really? Didn''t I tell you to stop bowing? You are just doing that to annoy me, aren''t you? Theo said that you also did it with him. You little troublemaker.¡± She lifted her hand to push a strand of her hair over her shoulder before a smile came onto her lips. ¡°But I will forgive you since the both of you are adorable together. I''m glad that we finally have another couple. The royal family should be a bit bigger than this.¡±

    Lucille averted her eyes at that innuendo. But it didn''t help much when Cedar just saw that as a sign to take her hand. She had to admit that it felt good for him to do that so naturally even though people were watching. She didn''t dare to gaze anywhere in his direction, but she interlocked their fingers.

    Cedar sounded like he was smiling when he responded to the empress. ¡°I wish you a beautiful day full of peace too.¡± He was silent for a moment, probably to indicate that he might end up saying the title. But Blanche glared at him, so he went without it. ¡°I apologize if I interrupted your conversation. I just saw Lucille from behind and wasn''t sure whether she was talking to anyone. I came here to steal her away. Is that unfitting right now?¡±

    Blanche showed him a bright smile. ¡°Oh, I see. We wanted to have a picnic, but I will let you two love birds get away. Provided that you take a cupcake each. We will have too much otherwise.¡± She didn''t wait for an affirmation from the couple and just waved to her maid.

    Darlene rushed over with the basket and opened it to present the full plate to both of them. She seemed to be drooling over the sweets already and didn''t even feel the need to hide that. ¡°I can assure you that all of them are wonderful. But chocolate has to be the best flavor.¡±

    Lucille gazed inside and went through all the different kinds of sweets she found. She suspected she wouldn''t be able to leave without taking anything, so she gazed in and picked a chocolate cupcake.

    Cedar seemed like he would just randomly take the first one that lay the closest to him.

    But Blanche chimed in here. ¡°Wait. You will get your favorite flavor.¡± She gestured toward the basket, as if one would be able to guess what she meant to show among the dozen cupcakes.

    Cedar seemed to understand it though. ¡°You are odd, Your-¡±

    Blanche cut him off. ¡°No title.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Cedar took out a strawberry cupcake, but it almost looked like he just did it so that the empress would leave him alone. ¡°Are you happy now? I am not sure why you would need to control my diet.¡±

    Blanche beamed at him and ignored that comment. ¡°I''m happy if you eat what you like. Anyway. Lucille is worried about something. You need to talk about that. As soon as possible.¡±

    Lucille had already bitten into the cupcake and almost choked on that when she heard the empress'' comment. As always, it seemed like she didn''t have much of a chance here. Now she would need to talk about this.

    To her surprise, Cedar didn''t seem to be taken aback. He just smiled down at her and replied. ¡°I planned on doing that now. That''s why I''m abducting her. I hope that the timing wasn''t too bad.¡±

    Lucille weakly shook her head as her panic already rose inside her. They would do this now? What was she supposed to say? She couldn''t just delay the conversation anymore. She would have to tell Cedar. That would be embarrassing. She averted her eyes and quickly swallowed the bite of cupcake in her mouth. ¡°I...am free to come with you. Since Her-¡± She corrected herself. ¡°Since I was given permission.¡±

    Blanche chimed in at that. ¡°Good. Then hurry up. I don''t want you to drag out the conversation until something else forces you to delay it. There is only one thing I need to remind you of before you leave. Lady Peril''s party. The invitations arrived yesterday. Cedar, it would be good if you escorted Lucille that day. I don''t want that woman to try anything.¡±

    Lucille froze at that. She had almost forgotten that. Surely, going to Jenna''s party wouldn''t be pleasant, but with Cedar, it would be fine. There was only one problem. ¡°I didn''t receive an invitation.¡±

    Cedar turned to her again. He was silent for a second before speaking. ¡°She has to send you one though. I wouldn''t be surprised if she was petty enough to send it to your father. We will contact him tomorrow. We still have a week, so your invitation will arrive on time. If not, I will stay home too.¡± That was understandable. He would probably end up in an unpleasant situation if he came there without a partner while Lady Peril was roaming around.

    Blanche glared into the distance for a moment before she shook her head. ¡°What a horrible person. We''ll make sure that nothing happens. But as you said, we have some time until then. Please sort out your feelings first. I will return to my angel now.¡± Her expression softened. ¡°It is probably good that you leave now, Lucille. Theo will come in a minute, and I doubt that you want to watch us cuddle. Goodbye then. Don''t forget to talk about your feelings.¡± She didn''t accept any criticism and left while waving.

    Lucille looked after her for a moment. Her nervousness came back with full force. She wasn''t sure what to act like now that she knew that she would have to address her worry soon. So, she stared at the empress'' back while holding onto Cedar''s hand. ¡°Her Majesty knows a lot about you. She always makes assumptions about your feelings.¡± It was almost surprising to hear that Blanche spoke as if she understood what the prince needed to some extent.

    Cedar looked at his lover. ¡°I know. I find it odd too.¡± He lifted his hand and gazed at the cupcake he had taken. ¡°I certainly never told her. Or anyone else for that matter. Maybe she thinks she is a mind-reader or something like that.¡± For some reason, that wouldn''t be too surprising.

    But at the same time, that comment made Lucille''s heart skip a beat. She barely dared to make eye contact with her lover, but she forced herself to do it. ¡°So...you were never close to her?¡±

    Cedar replied without hesitation. ¡°What is that supposed to mean? Her Majesty hated me ever since we first met. I''m not sure why she changed her mind. But like I said, she is odd. I can''t understand her at all. If you want to know what she is thinking, you have to ask her directly. But right now is not the time for that.¡± His smile became a bit brighter. ¡°We should go to your room for a bit. For the past few days, something bothered you, right? And I feel like it would be good to talk about that now.¡±

    Lucille gave a weak affirmation before letting Cedar guide her toward the third floor. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she could hear how blood rushing through her veins. She hated how nervous she was, but she couldn''t just flip a switch. She had to go along with everything and accompany her lover. She would need to tell him that she was jealous because Lady Peril had told her something odd about last year. That could only be humiliating.

 Chapter 112: Only You

    Cedar could already tell that this would take a while. He had brought Lucille into her room five minutes ago. Ever since then, she had danced around the issue. She refused to say it outright and became more red with each passing moment. He had to reassure her that he would listen to her multiple times.

    By now, he was already getting worried to some extent. After all, this was about their relationship. He could just hope that she wouldn''t ask him to break up or something like that. He wouldn''t take that well.

    But, luckily, that didn''t seem to be it.

    Lucille still held onto his hand after all. She just avoided eye contact and shrank in herself with each passing second. ¡°I... It''s really stupid.¡± She had said that four times already.

    Cedar carefully stroked over her head and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. ¡°We all do strange things or think about something we regret. But if it worries you, it isn''t stupid. Tell me. I want to help you if someone caused you trouble. Especially if it was someone like my mother.¡± Cedar already spoke with much more determination than before. He had given his best to go slowly to let her open up, and even then, she had still not been confident enough. So, he would need to be a little more pushy.

    Lucille swallowed and shook her head. ¡°No, she didn''t do anything.¡± She was quiet for a long time, even if she had already revealed who could be responsible. There was only one other person aside from Camille who would cause such trouble here. ¡°It was...Lady Peril.¡± She barely seemed to dare to say that.

    Cedar felt anger rising inside him. Jenna truly seemed to have a death wish. Before, she had only antagonized him, but now she even attacked the person he cared about. If she continued like that, she would only dig her own grave. ¡°As expected. She just can''t stop bothering you. What did she tell you? Was it something unfavorable about my past?¡± As unpleasant as it was, Jenna probably knew a lot about his childhood because of his mother. She might talk about his breakdowns, his triggers or how he had hurt people after getting angry. That would be enough to make any normal person dislike him. And to be honest, Cedar was a bit scared of Lucille waking up from the nice dream and finding out who he really was.

    Even now, it didn''t seem like Lucille feared him though. She still sat in front of him and held both of his hands while talking about her worries. When he asked her, she lifted her head and finally looked at him. ¡°No. I mean, it was about you and the past, but not about you doing anything bad. In fact, I have no justification to even think about that for long. You don''t have to explain it to me nor do I have the right to ask or-¡±

    Cedar cut her off by putting his hand against her cheek. ¡°Just tell me.¡± She had every right to ask about him, especially since it was important for their relationship.

    Lucille averted her eyes again. She shrank in herself and seemed like she was so uncomfortable that she would rather vanish into thin air. But then, she finally managed to bring herself to voice what was so horrible to her. Lucille took a deep breath and forced herself to speak. ¡°Did...you perhaps at some point in time have...romantic feelings for Her Majesty?¡±

    To be honest, Cedar didn''t know how to feel about that question. At first, he was dumbfounded by that strange topic, but then relief came. He had worried about something unpleasant happening to Lucille, and in the end, it had just been such a small thing. He could answer that easily. ¡°I didn''t. I told you that I have absolutely no experience when it comes to romantic matters, right? I never felt anything like when I am with you. Did I phrase something strangely that made it sound different?¡±

    Lucille froze in place. It only took a second before even more blood rushed to her face. She averted her eyes and then slowly shook her head. She looked down at their interlinked hand and seemed unsure what to feel. But a little smile came onto her lips without her wanting to show it. ¡°Really?¡± Why was she so uncertain in that regard?

    ¡°I know I''m a good liar, but I wouldn''t lie to you. I never wanted to be in a relationship with anyone. Especially not with my brother''s wife.¡± He would have noticed that immediately. After all, something like that would have strengthened his envy for Theodore by a hundredfold. Losing the woman he loved to his brother was the one thing that he hadn''t experienced yet, and he was rather relieved about that. Lucille didn''t favor his brother like everyone else did, and that was wonderful. ¡°I am pretty sure that Blanche and I never got along well, even in public. Even saying her name feels weird. I would stick to Her Majesty, but then she will scold us again.¡±

    Lucille looked at him with round eyes. She seemed a bit relieved now, but she still wasn''t sure. She scanned his face for signs of him lying, which he could have easily hidden even if he was.

    Cedar was rather sure that there was more to this than her just repeating what Lady Peril had said. He stayed silent to think about it for a minute, and quickly, memories of the past two years filled his head. ¡°Ah. I know what could have looked like I was interested in her. When my mother and I came out of confinement, I did my best to annoy Theodore in each and every way. From acting overly kind and welcoming to pointing out things that I knew would upset him, I tried everything. And the easiest way to make him angry was by far to bother his lover a bit. The main goal was to make him jealous so that he would be upset, and at the same time, I could antagonize the most important person on his side. It worked out quite well. I only had to voice some compliments and act like I wanted to speak to her more often. That was enough to make Theodore and Blanche glare at me at every chance they got.¡±

    Lucille still kept her eyes on his face without ever looking away. Apparently, she had forgotten her embarrassment and needed to sate her curiosity now. ¡°So, the hand kiss when you met her...¡±

    Cedar had no issue explaining that too, even if he wasn''t sure if telling her how confrontational he had been was a good idea. ¡°That was to upset Theodore and her. And to pull attention to her hand. After all, Blanche was wearing the same ring my brother did. I assumed that they were engaged or planned on getting engaged soon, and pointing that out would have caused some issues for my brother. Since the former empress and her family, the Duremonts, who happen to be Theodore''s most important supporters, wouldn''t have liked that.¡±

    Lucille looked like a huge burden lifted off her shoulders at that point. She finally straightened her posture again, but even then, she couldn''t stop asking more. ¡°And you called her by her first name because of that too, right?¡±

    Obviously. No person who had known Cedar for real would have expected him to fall for someone at first glance. That was why he had always been confused about his brother being so sensitive about this matter. They both should have known that romance wasn''t for him. At least he had thought that. Now it looked different, and he wouldn''t let the person he cared about misunderstand.

    Cedar tried to convey that as well as he could. ¡°Indeed. Blanche always got rather angry just because of one little word. If I left out the title, she would fume within a single second. So, I couldn''t miss out on that when I planned to annoy her and my brother. She even complained about that in public, right?¡±

    Lucille was lost in thoughts for a moment and then quickly remembered what he was referring to. She nodded. ¡°I remember.¡± She seemed to be more convinced with every second.

    It should be fine to leave it at that, but for some reason, Cedar would rather give her the full story. With the exception of his most ugly moments, of course. ¡°As you can hear, all of that was me being focused on troubling Theodore, as always. Mother had the same in mind. I have to admit that Mother might have liked it if Blanche had broken up with Theodore because of this. But that would never have happened. Everyone knew that those two loved each other too much. Mother would just have been happy with that scenario because she knew that Theodore would suffer if his lover disappeared. But she quickly gave up on trying to make Blanche betray Theodore and wished to harm her in a different way instead.¡± Unpleasant memories came to Cedar''s mind. He did his best to suppress them, but he couldn''t quite do it. His smile widened as he resumed. ¡°And to be honest, Mother would only have accepted Blanche anywhere near us to hurt Theodore. Because she is a bit...hateful when it comes to women that are close to our family. She probably would have liked Blanche as a tool to cause damage to the person she hates most, and if Theodore had lost, she would immediately have gotten rid of his lover too.¡±

    Lucille''s expression darkened a bit. She looked down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. She only seemed to remember that his hand was on her cheek now and slowly leaned against him while speaking in a whisper. ¡°So, you only were nice because you knew that Blanche would dislike it?¡±

    Cedar thought back to his actions back then. He would have to revise that statement. ¡°I wouldn''t call myself nice. In public, I always kept up my polite facade. But I can assure you that the whole picture looked rather different at that time. Behind closed doors, I wasn''t really nice to Blanche. I did whatever I could to make her fume and bothered her whenever I saw her. I addressed her weak spots and pointed out everything I knew would make her insecure. I even made her cry once or twice because I overdid it. And twice, I scared her pretty badly as well. I didn''t feel too good about that afterward, but in the end, I still upset her a lot on purpose despite that. That was the reason why I told her to join our side, I mean...Mother''s side, back then too. I knew that Blanche would refuse because she cared for Theodore, and yet, doubting her loyalty was an easy way to make her boil within a few seconds.¡±

    He still remembered exactly how uncertain he had been after Blanche had begun sobbing after just a few mean comments about her relationship with Theodore. He had never expected her to be so vulnerable in that regard when it had been obvious that she and Theodore were more than loyal toward each other. And when she had cried, he had just attempted to distract her by acting like an even bigger idiot. After all, her being angry had been better than her being sad. In the end, that had proven to be pretty unfavorable though.

    Once, Blanche had lost her composure so much that she had just begun listing the triggers Theodore had warned her about. To be honest, Cedar had been more annoyed about her and his brother''s stupidity than about those comments. Of course, his triggers had still upset him, but he hadn''t actually lost his composure. He had just scared Blanche a bit to remind her to shut up about matters she knew would hurt people that were known to be unstable. He hadn''t even done much but glare at her and squeeze her face for a moment. And after that, she had looked like she expected him to kill her. Theodore''s expression had said the same thing, even after his brother had warned him not to rely on his enemies being unwilling to hurt them.

    But Cedar surely wouldn''t tell Lucille much about that scene. After all, he had been awful back then, and he didn''t plan on showing her this side of him. ¡°You should really forget whatever I said or did back then. In that year, I was constantly in a bad mood, and annoying my brother distracted me for a minute.¡± But that had never stopped him from making nothing but snarky comments in his mind while the world around him seemed to be made out of idiots. And every time his mother hadn''t listened to him because she knew so much better or because she had caused trouble in public and refused to apologize, it had gotten worse. In the end, he had been so annoyed that he had even given up on intervening while his mother had angered the wrong people.

    That year had truly been awful.

    Lucille finally seemed to understand that fully. A smile formed on her lips, and she averted her eyes. ¡°That''s good...¡± She only noticed what she had said after that. She snapped out of it and lifted her head so that his hand hovered in the air. ¡°I mean...¡± She didn''t seem to know what to say, and her face flushed red while she tripped over her own words. ¡°I shouldn''t be happy about that. As long as you like me now, I''m happy. And I don''t...have the right to complain nor would I have complained if you had liked her. That is your life. We didn''t know each other well then, so there wouldn''t have been an issue. But knowing that she is...she isn''t-¡± She seemed like she might continue like this for five minutes.

    So, Cedar cut his off in a soft tone. He fully understood that she was happy about her lover not being close to someone he might have liked before. He squeezed her hand while he began. ¡°You can be happy about me not lying. You''re my first. You are my first lover, you had my first kiss, and this is the first time that I was ever interested in someone like this. I''m your first too, right?¡±

    Lucille slowly got more red and helplessly nodded. She only looked at him when he brought his hand to her chin. Then she acted like she was paralyzed and stared at him without moving.

    Cedar couldn''t help but grin at that. If she was acting this cutely, he had the right to tease her a bit. He slowly moved a bit closer and leaned forward. He stroked his thumb over her bottom lip and maintained eye contact the whole time.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    He wasn''t sure how others couldn''t see the most obvious thing.

    Lucille was exceptionally beautiful. Not just her appearance, which was the most enchanting one he had ever seen too. It was also the whole atmosphere around her. Her personality and how sweet she was when it came to their relationship. She was as shy and inexperienced when it came to romance as he was. And yet, she was direct enough to voice boundaries already. She had told him not to have a mistress, and she admitted to being jealous. Even if it hadn''t been necessary for her to feel threatened at all, she wanted him to herself. And that was extremely satisfying.

    After all, Cedar knew well that he wouldn''t share either. Now that he had finally been blessed enough to experience something so wonderful, letting go would be close to impossible for him. He surely wouldn''t turn to others either. Once he cared, he would be absolutely loyal. He had served his mother for two decades despite her treating him horribly, and he had only left because he had found someone he wanted to protect more. Since Lucille would never be as cold and cruel as Camille, Cedar was pretty sure that he would end up doing whatever she wanted until the end of his life. Right now, this made him much happier than he had ever been.

    Just looking at Lucille and seeing how she gazed at him with expectation was enough to make his self-control fade away. He hadn''t planned on doing it, but now there was no other way anymore.

    Cedar slowly moved forward and pressed his lips onto Lucille''s. She felt as soft as always, and he could melt just because of such a quick peck. But of course, he dragged it out and refused to pull back. Instead, he carefully climbed toward her and tipped them over so that they were lying on the bed. Like this, he had to take his hand off her, but he could kiss her for longer without needing to lean forward the whole time.

    Either way, Lucille didn''t complain. She relaxed in his hold and tried her best to return the kiss despite the both of them not being sure what to do. At the same time, she wrapped her arms around him and held him in place. It seemed like she enjoyed this as much as he did.

    Yet, Cedar couldn''t be sure whether she had the same overwhelming emotions inside her since he had trouble thinking clearly right now. He felt like his heart was about to give in, and he could swear that he was feeling much warmer than before too. But he didn''t let that stop him. He continued to kiss Lucille until she let out some small noise that made his heart skip a beat. He lifted his head at that and looked down at her.

    Lucille''s face was redder than normal, and she had trouble breathing, but she didn''t take her arms off his back. Instead, she just pulled him down to her again.

    Cedar allowed her to do that and turned to the side so that he wouldn''t rest his weight on top of her. Then he hugged her back and gave her some time to catch her breath. He was generous with that, only because he wanted to be considerate and definitely not because he worried about getting red too.

    Five minutes or so passed until Cedar finally spoke. He used the teasing undertone of his voice to distract from his own senses being overwhelmed, but he should be acting well enough to hide that. ¡°As you may have guessed, I never did this with anyone else. I also never had the desire to do this before I met you. I only feel that way about you. Do I need to prove that again, or is it fine now?¡±

    Lucille was silent for a few seconds. She covered her face with her hands and only responded when he already wanted to remind her of his question. ¡°I...wouldn''t mind doing it again. But please...give me a break first.¡± She didn''t know how inviting that sounded.

    Cedar scanned the few parts of Lucille''s face that she hadn''t been able to hide. Her traitorous blush was still there. She was embarrassed, much like before. That only gave him a chance to get even more of a reaction. He slowly raised one of his arms to reach for her hair. He lifted a strand of her hair and played with it a little.

    That made Lucille look at him from behind her fingers. She knew what would follow, and he did too.

    Cedar smirked at her as he began whispering. ¡°So, you were jealous, weren''t you? We''ve only been together for a little over two weeks. And yet, you already worry about me.¡±

    Lucille closed her eyes again. She still hid her face and made no move to lower her hands. Thus, it was surprising that she even brought herself to speak despite her quiet and uncertain voice. ¡°Yes. I want you to be here for me only. In a romantic sense, I mean.¡± She was way too adorable. It was good that she had closed her eyes right now.

    Cedar stayed quiet for a few seconds to compose himself before he replied while running his fingertips over her scalp. ¡°You are too cute. Did you know that? And you get jealous easily. I will need to be careful. I don''t mind doing you that favor, even if I can assure you that I am not some sort of idiot that would shower multiple women with affection. I''m only doing that for you. But...I''m not selfless.¡± When it came to her, he would probably do everything she wanted despite his own wishes. But he wanted to be selfish when he was with her. ¡°I want the same in return. I want you to be with me and only me.¡± For once, he wanted to be good enough for someone. Especially since he could guess what kind of bitterness and fear would rise inside him if another person approached Lucille romantically.

    She was silent but left that pause to remove her hands from her face. She barely dared to make eye contact and was still as red as before. But Lucille forced herself to speak. ¡°I...wouldn''t get close to another person. I''m not unfaithful.¡±

    Cedar shouldn''t have been this content with that response, but this felt like the biggest victory he could reach at the time. ¡°Good.¡± He twisted the strand of her hair around his finger and brought it to his face to kiss it. For some reason, that gesture felt extremely pleasant, and her reaction made it even more wonderful.

    Lucille watched him with great care and met his eyes despite her obvious bashfulness. She stared at him for a while, and the both of them were quiet as they took in the other''s expression.

    A few minutes had probably passed by the time that they moved again.

    Lucille''s gray eyes were full of all kinds of soft and affectionate feelings while she lifted her hand. She put her palm on the backside of his head for a moment and stroked over his hair. That felt good enough, but then she cupped his cheek. She didn''t dig her fingernails into his skin or try to get him to do something for her. She just wanted to do it because she felt like caressing him.

    Cedar could have closed his eyes and relaxed like this easily. But he kept his eyes open and watched her the whole time. And she looked back at him with those beautiful eyes and offered him the most enchanting display imaginable while touching him so sweetly.

    Another few seconds of silence followed.

    Lucille opened her mouth and closed it again. Then she looked like she tried to read his emotions. Of course, that didn''t give her much more courage. Her skin still was as red as her hair, and it seemed like it would stay like this for a while. She took a while to do what she had planned, but she didn''t give up. She rested her one hand on Cedar''s cheek and brought her other hand to his to interlink their fingers. Lucille drew in a deep breath before focusing on him completely. She didn''t take her eyes off him while she spoke. She was quiet and didn''t say much, but it changed everything within a single second.

    ¡°Cedar, I love you.¡±

    Those words were enough to knock all air out of his lungs, much like a punch in his stomach would.

    Cedar''s smile faded.

    It was rare that he was so surprised that this happened. Right now, Cedar could only stare at Lucille with something strange churning in his stomach. ¡°What?¡± He was so quiet that he didn''t even hear himself well.

    But Lucille had understood him. She squeezed his hand with a bit more energy. ¡°I...know that we are young, but...¡± Her voice gave in near the end. Still, she forced herself to continue. ¡°But I''m sure about what I''m feeling. And that is why we are a couple, right? I...love you.¡± She looked so vulnerable while saying that.

    Cedar wanted to reply. But he could only stare at that while a lump formed in his throat and his blood rushed in his ears. Memories threatened to overcome his senses, but the wave of nauseating emotion was much worse. This sentence was so much more than he deserved to ask for. And it meant more than anyone else could imagine too. He took a few seconds before he managed to choke out some words in a hoarse voice. ¡°Are you... Are you sure?¡±

    Lucille nodded. Her expression showed both her uncertainty and how emotionally invested she was. She waited for his reply. She would be hurt if he didn''t say it back.

    But saying that was impossible. At least at this point in time. And he needed to tell her that.

    This was the only reason that Cedar managed to force himself to speak. ¡°It will take a little while until I can say this back. That word...¡± He sounded so weak that it upset him even more. ¡°That phrase. For me, it wasn''t...meaningful until now.¡±

    Love had always been an argument in his past. A horrifying one. An argument his mother had used to justify what she did.

    When she needed him to do something and treated him like her tool once again, she said that he had to do it because he loved her or because no one in this whole world would love him if he didn''t obey. When she had hurt him, she claimed to have done it because she loved him. When she had left another trail of blood and hatred behind, she explained that she had only wanted to hurt Althea and Theodore because she loved her husband.

    The phrase ¡®I love you¡¯ had only ever led to two things. Pain for Cedar or others, or him needing to obey without any questions.

    That sentence had only even been used by his mother. No one else had said this to him. He had spent years connecting it to those horrible things that his mother did.

    By now, Cedar had seen how wonderful love could be. He had seen families like the Vasquez household and couples like Theodore and Blanche. He knew that love meant much more than an empty promise and that it was a pleasant emotion. And maybe he was on the right track to feeling real love soon too. He knew that this was the most affection and compassion he had ever felt for someone. He had no trouble admitting that.

    But saying that one sentence. I love you. That would be much harder.

    Cedar kept his eyes on Lucille, even though all of him wanted to hide his face. He always wanted to show a perfect facade, and when emotional cracks appeared, he ran away until it got better or he covered it up with everything he had. But this wasn''t what he could do now. This between him and Lucille was supposed to be more than a meaningless affair. If he dared to dream about being in her future, he had to be like a normal person around her at least.

    For some reason, it felt much harder to breathe right now, and something pricked in Cedar''s eyes. But he managed to speak while meeting her gaze. ¡°I...can tell you that this is the closest that I''ve ever gotten to real love. And I care about you more than I ever cared about anyone. But that sentence is... To me, it was...¡± He couldn''t finish that sentence. He couldn''t explain how something so wonderful had been the most painful manipulation for him in the past few years. When had Cedar last been unable to find the words to say what he meant? It had been a while. It had also been a while since a single sentence had been enough to push away his smile and all of his self-control. But he had to say more. If he didn''t say it, how was Lucille supposed to understand? She would see this as a rejection, wouldn''t she? ¡°Until now...only she...¡± He tried to force himself even though his voice wouldn''t come out, but he was stopped.

    Lucille stroked her thumb over his skin. Her expression still revealed how emotional she was, but she didn''t look hurt. She spoke despite her voice shaking as if she had cried for hours. ¡°I can guess what you mean. You don''t have to...say it now. I understand. So, you can''t say that sentence. But you...feel like that too?¡±

    He nodded without thinking. ¡°Yes. More than I can put into words.¡± He needed to take a deep breath before continuing. ¡°This is...new, and I don''t know how to deal with it. But...it''s...affection. It''s real love, I think.¡± It wasn''t how one should phrase a confession. But Cedar already did his best to refrain from covering up his expression with that damned fake smile. Normally, it was fine for him to grin, but he didn''t want to show Lucille joy now when he needed to be honest about his feelings for once in his life.

    It didn''t feel like it was enough. He hadn''t said those wonderful words after all.

    But it seemed like Lucille didn''t feel disappointed. She gave him a weak smile while some tears formed in the corner of her eyes. ¡°Then I''m happy. Because what matters is how you feel. If you like me back, that is all we need.¡± She truly had to be a gift from the gods. She had come into Cedar''s life from one day to the other and changed everything.

    This whole world had seemed so pointless. So dull and loveless. It had been like this for the past twenty-two years of his life. And then he had almost bled out and nearly died. Lucille had been the one to drag him back, and she had, quite literally, given him a chance to be truly alive.

    Cedar''s heart thumped in his chest with so much vigor that it felt like it could jump out. He couldn''t tell her all of this. Not yet. But he wanted to tell her this and so much more.

    And he would do it.

    He was a stubborn idiot, so he wouldn''t let go of her anymore, and he wouldn''t hold back after he finally got over some of his old problems. If he wanted to tell her about his feelings, he would gather the courage to do it at some point. He would give her the words she truly deserved too. But for now, he couldn''t say it. So, he would show it.

    He kissed Lucille again. This time, he was so much more gentle than before and hoped that this was enough of an answer to satisfy her for now.

    And it felt like Lucille understood. She hugged him again and pulled him closer to her. How warm her embrace felt only underlined what he knew already.

    Cedar had been aware of the fact that Lucille''s love was different from Camille''s. The difference wasn''t just that one was romantic while the other one was so-called motherly love. Lucille''s love held truth to it, and even a broken man like Cedar noticed that. In the past, he had always been happy to hear that his mother cared. But it hadn''t been like when Lucille said it.

    I love you.

    Until now, he had never been so happy that he wanted to cry after hearing those words. This was a first.

 Chapter 113: A Slimy Host (1)

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

 Chapter 114: A Slimy Host (2)

    Barely a few seconds passed after Jenna had disappeared. Then Blanche spoke up. ¡°That woman is insufferable. How can someone so disgusting even exist here? I want to throw her out of the nation.¡± It was calming that someone here shared that sentiment.

    Lucille pressed her lips into a line and watched how Lady Peril vanished into the crowd. Slowly, her annoyance ebbed away and left resignation behind. She couldn''t get so upset when nothing had happened until now. That woman hadn''t even touched Cedar yet, and still, this much was already enough to upset her. It wasn''t good that she was this sensitive.

    But there was something else that made this much worse. Now that Jenna wasn''t here to make her angry, Lucille''s mind had time to focus on the fact that the people around them all kept their eyes on her while she shamelessly leaned against Cedar. She could barely bring herself to look around once before she lowered her gaze again. Why were so many people watching them? Surely, the royal family was interesting, but right now, they were only standing here.

    Lucille felt a shiver run down her spine and unwillingly tensed as worries about how she could mess up flooded her mind. So many things could go wrong. It was absolutely horrible. Lucille tried to force herself to stand upright without looking like she was terrified of others making fun of her, but it was hard.

    Of course, Cedar, whose arm she still hadn''t let go of, noticed that soon. He turned to her and gave her a bright smile. ¡°I''m glad that she finally left us alone. At least as alone as we can be with all the guests watching us here. But it feels much more relaxed when that woman isn''t there, right?¡± He didn''t wait for an answer and just brought his lips to her ear to whisper. ¡°You got really angry upon seeing her. What was that about?¡±

    Lucille had a feeling that she knew. She had admitted to getting jealous because of a stupid story from the past, so she obviously would be envious now as well. She didn''t expect Cedar to return the other''s feelings, but she did feel like ignoring someone''s lover like this was offending. Lucille averted her eyes but didn''t try to move away from Cedar. ¡°She...is unpleasant. She acts like she can just win you over by constantly bothering you. You told her to leave you alone, and she still doesn''t get it. Even when I stand here and hug you. That is upsetting.¡± She hoped that she could leave it at that, but obviously, she wasn''t so lucky.

    Cedar grinned at her and lifted his hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. ¡°Really? I''m glad that you dislike her too. But I can assure you that I have no intention of letting her get close to me.¡± He held still for a bit and just looked at her. He stubbornly waited until she met his gaze and then added another bit to provoke her. ¡°Of course, I can''t guess what is going on inside your head. But I feel like I may have an idea.¡± He whispered the next words in a tone that almost made her knees give in. ¡°Are you jealous?¡±

    Lucille felt blood rushing to her face. After almost nine months with Cedar, one should assume that she had gotten used to this, but that wasn''t the case. She still reacted so sensitively that he could easily evoke this kind of expression with just a few words. The problem was that not only he could see her right now. Lucille closed her eyes and turned to Cedar in hopes of hiding her face. But then she felt his hand on her cheek and had to open her eyes again.

    Cedar''s smile was breathtaking. It was the rare soft kind that only Lucille got to see. The fact that he looked at her like that was overwhelming enough, but that wasn''t even everything he offered her. He even had to add another comment. ¡°You are adorable when you get jealous. I already told you that, but it seems like it''s getting even cuter each time that you look at me like that. You are quick to get upset when it comes to things like that. That is good. After all, it gives me a reason to monopolize you completely.¡± That didn''t sound too bad.

    Lucille weakly nodded, which earned her a little laugh. She had wanted to say something about his face being a bit too close to hers, but now that desire had disappeared completely. She would even like to ask for a kiss, but they wouldn''t have had the chance to do it anymore.

    Blanche already chimed. She beamed at the couple but still used a scolding tone. ¡°Stop teasing her, Cedar. She''s had enough for now. We are in public.¡±

    Cedar lifted his head with the same playful grin on his face. ¡°That never stopped you and Theodore.¡±

    Blanche glanced up at her husband and smiled at him before she turned to the prince again. ¡°I admit it. But we are married. Theo and I are allowed to show each other this much affection. You have to finalize it too before you begin cuddling in public. Or rather, since you are already cuddling, finalize it before you begin kissing in public. After all, you are still only friends officially. Not that anyone with working eyes would believe that.¡± She let out a dreamy sigh. ¡°Ah. It reminds me of how Theo and I started.¡±

    Theodore pulled his wife a bit closer and glared into the distance before replying. ¡°Hiding my love for you was absolutely stupid, and no one else should attempt it. If those two care for one another, they should let the whole world know. Some people haven''t understood yet after all.¡± It was unusual to see the emperor like this. Normally, he was always grinning when he was with his wife. But right now, he looked angry.

    It wasn''t surprising that Cedar immediately pointed that out. ¡°Say, Theodore. You seem extremely upset today. Is that really just because of Aurora?¡±

    Theodore narrowed his eyes as he let his gaze roam across the ballroom. ¡°No, unfortunately, there is something else. I have a bad feeling about this. If we assume that this woman here is working together with the dowager empress, I presume she has prepared something unfavorable. Especially since that damned witch sent a letter here a short while ago. It didn''t contain much but did hint at the fact that Lady Peril should invite you to a drink. Be careful. It would be best if you don''t drink anything anyone offers you. And you shouldn''t be alone with Lady Peril.¡±

    Cedar didn''t seem to be averse to that idea. ¡°Naturally. And if you order me to obey, I can''t go against it, right? That is the perfect excuse. You will just have to explain how you are justifying not allowing her to meet me. I will keep in mind what you said, so you don''t have to be so on edge.¡±

    Theodore looked around again. ¡°Good. But I still don''t trust it. It''s unfavorable that Leon isn''t here, but he has to make sure that nothing happens to Aurora.¡± He scanned the people around them with caution. ¡°It would be best if the both of you stick to our side so that Owen can at least protect you a little.¡±

    Lucille doubted that they needed that with all the knights around them and the huge amount of witnesses, but she felt calmer nonetheless. After all, she couldn''t fight, and no matter how strong Cedar was, he couldn''t defeat everyone. It was always good to have more help.

    <hr>

    Despite the emperor''s worry, the evening progressed with few occurrences. That didn''t mean that it was relaxed though.

    The first greeting of the day had been horrible already. Duke Duremont had been rather cautious of Cedar, and that much had been obvious. The biggest problem had been his son though.

    Almost two years had passed since Lucille had caused trouble for Lord Duremont during the hunting festival. She had been extremely mean due to her father''s order and had offended him and his fianc¨¦e, but why was that man still glaring at her with so much hatred? She was pretty sure that he wanted to kill her, even if Cedar reassured her that Lord Duremont always looked like that in a whisper.

    Since that hadn''t helped her relax, Cedar had begun distracting her. He had used some dirty schemes to make her look at him, and in the end, that only embarrassed her more. After all, Lucille was pretty sure that someone had to have seen the secret peck he had given her at some point. She could swear that this caused the Duremont family to watch them with skepticism, but that was much better than hatred.

    The second household they had to greet was the Vasquez family. As always, Selena was there with Luciano and Rebecca, who stared at the strangers with round eyes. The meeting was relatively relaxed and full of interactions that one would assume to take place during a normal conversation within a family. Selena was simply kind and smiled at her children the whole time while Rebecca was visibly unhappy seeing so many new faces. The baby only accepted Cedar, whose hand she happily grabbed when he was close enough. Cedar didn''t know how to deal with that, even if Lucille doubted that anyone else noticed. She didn''t point it out either.

    Not when she had been forced to greet Rebecca soon after. This time, the baby had been a bit more skeptical, but she had accepted the red-haired stranger too. Lucille had the suspicion that this was only the case because of the mother''s and brother''s presence though. She was content with that much, but her bashfulness quickly took over.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Luciano had watched his sister with a bright smile, but that didn''t stop him from commenting on how Cedar might have children soon as well. This earned him a remark about finding a fianc¨¦e before speaking about such matters. The two of them teased each other for a moment, and Luciano managed to indicate that Lucille was a good choice for his cousin quite a few times. It didn''t feel as unpleasant as it could have been, but Lucille had still been embarrassed in the end. Especially since Cedar never refuted any of the comments his cousin had made.

    After that, they met the Lamont family. It was easy to talk to the elderly kind duke and Fiona. The main topic here was the chance of Fiona taking over her family as the first reigning duchess. She would be very happy about that, and her father supported her too. The mountain of work she had finished in the past few months proved that she was more than capable of leading her household, even if her cousin, who had been the heir before her, protested.

    Still, Fiona wanted to do more and lay the foundation for her political influence. The chance of possibly becoming a minister overjoyed her, even if she didn''t admit it. But that didn''t make her doubts about Cedar being this close to Lucille less obvious. She eyed the couple the whole time, and her fake polite smile was much more forced than normal. But she never said anything and just showed her friend that smile whenever they made eye contact. So, the conversation ended without much trouble.

    As soon as they were a few steps away from Duke Lamont, Theodore spoke up, his voice sounding a bit strained. ¡°Those were the three dukes. We can leave now, right? I don''t see the need to waste time exchanging pleasantries with others.¡±

    Lucille was almost surprised at how quickly this had gone by. She let her gaze roam across the room and made eye contact with Raymond. That reminded her that she hadn''t spoken to him for the whole evening. She couldn''t just leave like that. She slowly turned her head to the royal couple. ¡°Could we...perhaps greet my father too?¡±

    Theodore glanced at her and then at her father. His expression was still grim, so it didn''t seem like he would affirm this. ¡°I am not sure whether that is a good idea. We were lucky to avoid Lady Peril the whole time. I don''t want to risk it. It would be best if we just leave.¡±

    Blanche interrupted before he could finish. ¡°Let Lucille talk to her father. One minute won''t change anything. We will just say hello and leave after that. Is that fine?¡± She asked that, but the answer was already clear. After all, Blanche had been the one to ask her husband. Of course, the emperor would agree.

    So, the group walked toward Viscount Valerian. But they didn''t get there in time.

    Lucille had barely taken a few steps when Cedar gave her a heart attack. He suddenly pulled her backward so that she collided with him with full force. That knocked all air out of her lungs, and she let out a yelp in surprise. She almost fell, and only leaning against him allowed her to stand. Her heart was thumping so loudly that she feared that he had to hear it. She lifted her head and wanted to complain already, but then she saw what the issue might have been.

    Right in front of them, a maid knelt on the floor. A tray was lying on the tiles next to her, and a few glasses were broken on the ground. She had tripped and let that tray fall down.

    Cedar seemed a bit too angry at such an accident. His smile was as radiant as the sun as he met Lucille''s gaze. ¡°I apologize for that. Are you alright? You didn''t get hit by anything, did you?¡±

    Lucille weakly shook her head. ¡°It''s fine. I didn''t...¡± She turned her head and made eye contact with that maid.

    The poor woman looked like she was terrified. She just sat there on the floor and trembled while watching the couple with panic in her eyes. Nothing bad had happened. Why was she so scared?

    Lucille could guess why, but Cedar wasn''t that horrifying. He just stood there with an arm wrapped around her waist and stared at the maid. His smile wasn''t even the most terrifying one he could give.

    Only a few seconds passed, and then the maid almost lunged forward to press her head onto the floor. ¡°I sincerely apologize, Your Royal Highness! There almost was a big problem because of my incompetence. I swear that it will never happen again!¡± Why did she act like she would be executed soon?

    Cedar was definitely upset, but his murderous aura looked different. Right now, he only looked at the servant with an expression that probably seemed like his normal smile to everyone else. ¡°Why are you apologizing to me? Say that to the person you almost poured the drinks over.¡±

    Immediately, the maid lifted her head and hurried to repeat her words. ¡°I sincerely apologize, Lady Valerian!¡±

    That surprised Lucille more than the actual incident. Why did some maid from a noble house know her name? There was no logical reason for that unless that servant was coincidentally able to name every noble in the capital, which was unlikely. The only other reason would be someone telling the maid who Lucille was. But why would anyone do that?

    Lucille had a bad premonition. She glanced at Cedar, who still watched the maid as if he expected her to move, before she decided to resolve the conflict. She didn''t notice how she tightened her hold on Cedar''s attire while she spoke up in a quiet voice. ¡°It is fine. You didn''t do it on purpose. But please be more careful from now on. And please clean this up so that no one trips.¡±

    The maid''s face lit up as if she had reached salvation. She hurriedly nodded and jumped to her feet before rushing off.

    Seconds later, some other servants appeared to begin cleaning the mess on the floor.

    Cedar kept an eye on them while he pulled Lucille to the side. He leaned closer to her and whispered. ¡°That was on purpose. That maid was supposed to dirty your dress so that you would have to go change and would leave my side for a while. Then the host would have offered to join me to make up for your absence. Since Lady Peril is currently rushing toward us, I assume that that was her plan.¡±

    Lucille''s eyes widened as she turned her head.

    Indeed, it looked like Jenna was coming toward them. She had lifted the hem of her dress to be able to move quicker and walked around the other guests to reach the couple. She had put on a fake expression of worry and immediately spoke up when she came to a halt. ¡°Is everything alright, Your Royal Highness? Did something happen? I could only see that one of my servants caused some trouble and that it looked like Lady Valerian-¡± She scanned them both and stopped. Then she breathed out in relief. Still, she kept that concerned expression. ¡°I sincerely apologize for failing to educate my staff. I am relieved to see that nothing happened, but that maid still made a grave mistake. I will punish her accordingly. Please forgive me for allowing something like that to happen during my party. I will take full responsibility.¡±

    Lucille could only stand there and fume about the other''s audacity. If Cedar was right about this, which he usually was, it would mean that Lady Peril had arranged this. And coming to apologize and punish someone innocent after giving that order took some nerve. Lucille almost wanted to narrow her eyes, but she was still too shy to do that.

    Cedar, however, didn''t care much about what others thought at all. He ignored Jenna in favor of turning Lucille to him. He scanned her from head to toe and even put his hand on her chin to lift her head. She felt oddly warm under his gaze, and by the time he stopped, her anger had ebbed away a bit. Then Cedar replied without even looking at the other woman. ¡°Luckily, nothing happened. But not out of pure luck but because we stepped aside in time. I can assure you that the royal family would have expected you to take responsibility otherwise. There is no need to punish someone for a mere accident, but make sure that things like this never happen again.¡± He slowly lifted his gaze to show Lady Peril a faint smile. ¡°One accident can happen. Two can be a coincidence as well. But the third one shows a pattern.¡±

    Jenna quickly bowed again. ¡°Of course, Your Royal Highness. I will personally make sure to educate our staff better in the future. I sincerely apologize. Please allow me to make it up to you. Maybe I could invite you for a drink as some sort of apology.¡± She looked up, and her face actually showed some trace of desperation, even if that was most likely fake.

    Cedar gazed at her with something unusually cold in his eyes. ¡°I doubt that it will help us much. Especially since you offered it to me instead of the person who was troubled by your maid. Surely, you didn''t mean to suggest that I leave my partner behind. I would be a horrible escort if I did that.¡±

    Jenna interlocked her fingers as she folded her hands. She averted her eyes and stared at the floor. She looked so uncertain and almost scared that it didn''t match her usual personality at all. Even her voice sounded less convinced now. ¡°However, as Her Majesty''s lady-in-waiting, she is responsible for Her Majesty first and foremost. That was why... That was the only reason I...¡± She acted like a kicked puppy now.

    That almost made Lucille have some sympathy. Almost. Knowing that Lady Peril had approached a fourteen-year-old boy in an attempt to use him for power made her forget all sympathy she could ever have had. And to be honest, seeing this act only upset Lucille even more. It was infuriating that Jenna kept changing her strategy to impress a man who was taken and cuddled with his lover in front of her.

    Cedar replied without caring about the other''s pretense. ¡°Naturally, that was your only reason. I can assure you that I will not leave her side though. After all, I am escorting her, so all of my attention belongs to her.¡±

    Jenna kept averting her gaze while she responded. ¡°I see. Then it appears that we will have to delay our tea party. I will always be able to make some time for you.¡± Normally, she would say that with her usual sultry voice and a soft smile. But right, now she only acted like she was dejected.

    For a moment, it was silent before a voice chimed in from the side. Lucille hadn''t even noticed Theodore having returned to the scene until he spoke. ¡°Why do we have to delay it? We can just all drink something together. Or is there something that would make that unfitting? From the very beginning, you acted like it would be impossible for us to join. But obviously, the royal family will not split in public when there is no apparent reason.¡± His voice was a bit too strained to make it seem like this was about a simple tea meeting and nothing more.

    In fact, Theodore looked like he was absolutely disgusted as he stared at Jenna right now.

    By now, Lucille was extremely sure that this wasn''t just a small misunderstanding or an accident. Lady Peril had prepared something, and the royal family didn''t like it at all. Otherwise, Theodore wouldn''t glare like that. To be honest, it was a bit satisfying to watch that. Mostly, because Lucille knew what Lady Peril had tried in the past. And maybe because it was pleasant to stand at Cedar''s side while that woman failed to get his attention too.

    Surely, Lucille might be a bit too resentful when it came to this. But she had every right to feel like that. As a normal human being with common sense and as Cedar''s lover.

 Chapter 115: A Drink in Private (1)

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    weren''t the one trying to drug my brother. So, I would suggest you quickly come up with another solution that makes more sense than you doing it yourself.¡±

 Chapter 116: A Drink in Private (2)

    ¡°

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    wanted to say it back. But his past connection with that sentence and his uncertainty about someone like him even being able to love made it hard. Not yet. He couldn''t quite do it yet. But he could say it back in his way. ¡°You are the most important person in my life. I will do everything I can to protect you. Everything.¡±

 Chapter 117: Invitation and Talking about the Past (1)

    Lucille had trouble sleeping that night. It might have been because of the whirlwind of thoughts in her head or because she knew that Cedar wasn''t as unaffected as he pretended to be. Her lover''s bright smile and how tightly he had held her as soon as they went to bed had betrayed him.

    And she knew that his main fear hadn''t been possibly being drugged. It had been worrying about hurting her or making her hate him because he lost his temper. That had made her upset in return. She had only been able to sleep at all because her lover had been next to her.

    That didn''t mean that Lucille wasn''t exhausted the next morning though. She felt like she had only slept for an hour, so she refused to stand up. She just stayed in that position and held still while hoping that she would fall asleep again. But of course, she wasn''t that blessed. The light fell onto her face, and she quickly got less tired. At some point, she opened her eyes and gazed at Cedar.

    Her lover''s eyes were closed, so it looked like he was still asleep. Lucille couldn''t move too much, or she might wake him up. That gave her a good chance to admire him.

    While Cedar was sleeping, his smile wasn''t visible. For once, his face was completely relaxed. Even now, he looked like an angel without doing anything special. He was just beautiful. There was no way to deny it. He was the most attractive person in this whole world and acted like he was used to seducing others whenever he began teasing his lover. And at the same time, he looked so ethereal that no one would believe he could have ulterior motives.

    Lucille loved both sides of him. Whether he was an angel or the opposite didn''t matter when he was with her. She truly loved him, and confessing that had been the best idea she had ever had. Now she could enjoy all of this for as long as possible.

    She tried to stay still, but it got uncomfortable with time. But she couldn''t even think about whether to move before the choice was taken from her.

    Cedar just opened his eyes at some point. He was a bit drowsy for a moment before a soft and genuine smile appeared on his face. He lifted his head, and then their daily routine followed. He leaned over to her and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. ¡°Good morning, Lucille.¡±

    When he acted so soft around her, her heart only melted more. ¡°Good morning.¡± Lucille extended her arm toward him and carefully stroked over his head. She relished in the way that he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She should really do this more often.

    Cedar let his head sink onto the pillow again and opened his eyes a moment later. ¡°You seem a bit tired. Did you sleep, or did you lie awake until the middle of the night?¡± He knew that well. He had been awake until then too.

    ¡°I fear that I didn''t sleep as much as I would have liked to. But it''s fine.¡± Lucille might go to bed a bit earlier today so that she could at least make up for the hours that she had lost because of her constant worrying.

    Cedar hummed while she still drew circles into his scalp and kept his eyes on her face. ¡°We should make sure not to do anything too exciting today then. You need to preserve energy. But I am not sure whether staying in bed is an option. We will have to stand up at some point, no matter how nice it is to lie around here.¡± As if someone wanted to underline that statement, a knock sounded from the door. Cedar let out a low sigh and sat up. He glanced at the clock before looking at Lucille. ¡°Should I go hide? If we let a servant in now, everyone will know tomorrow.¡±

    Lucille quickly shook her head. ¡°It''s fine.¡± There were rumors already, and more than enough people had seen how the prince spent his time in her room too. Everyone knew that he came in the evening to sleep here and only left in the morning when they went out to eat breakfast. He didn''t need to hide now for no reason. ¡°We will...just get dressed quickly.¡± She turned her head to the door and replied more loudly. ¡°Please wait a moment!¡±

    Cedar already put his feet on the floor. ¡°Dressing now takes too long. I will give you your coat. If you put that on, it should be fine, and my clothes are acceptable as well.¡± He reached the clothing rack and took off the coat he had mentioned before bringing it to her.

    Lucille shot up and allowed her lover to help her put it on. He used that chance to press a kiss on her neck, and immediately, a jolt ran down her skin from the spot his lips had touched. Her reaction earned her a little chuckle, which made her happy and embarrassed at the same time. She would have liked to calm down or to get a real kiss before greeting the servant, but she shouldn''t let that person wait. So, she turned to the door. ¡°You may enter.¡±

    The door opened, and Darlene came in with a wide grin, which only became more radiant when her eyes fell on Cedar. She smirked at Lucille before bowing to them.

    Lucille tried to ignore what kinds of thoughts that maid had to have and quickly spoke. ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Cedar recognized the empress'' maid and gave up on protecting his lover''s reputation in that regard. Darlene knew, so he didn''t need to hide that he had in fact shared the bed with Lucille. He sat down on the mattress again. ¡°Good morning. It looks like Her Majesty felt the need to send us some news early in the morning.¡±

    Darlene lifted her head and beamed at them. ¡°Good morning. What a surprise to see you here, Your Royal Highness. Her Majesty told me that you would be hiding here, but I was skeptical. It seems like she was right though. In any case, Her Majesty wants to see you. She wishes for you to eat breakfast with her.¡±

    Cedar ignored the comment about him being here and just focused on the later part. ¡°How surprising. It seems like she wants us to go admire Aurora again.¡±

    Darlene quickly nodded. ¡°Naturally. Not doing that would be a crime. You are aware of how cute that little angel is. Anyway. You have half an hour to get ready before coming to His Majesty''s chambers.¡± That was enough time.

    Lucille still would have liked to have some minutes extra, but it should be fine if they hurried. ¡°I see. We will be there.¡± Even if she was sure that she would be a bit tense upon eating with the royal couple again.

    Darlene looked like she was content with that, but her mood quickly deteriorated again. ¡°Ah. There was something else I needed to bring you.¡± Her expression darkened as she pulled out two envelopes from behind her back. She walked over to the couple and handed each of them an envelope. ¡°These arrived yesterday evening. His and Her Majesty received one too.¡±

    Lucille looked down at the envelope and scanned it. The paper was white, and the only line that was written on it was her full name. She turned it around and froze when she saw the seal on the other side. ¡°An invitation? We just had an event yesterday.¡± The fact that this event happened wasn''t even the worst part. The seal was dark blue with a golden outline, which were the royal colors. It was broken, so it had been opened already. Only the letters of one person would be deemed dangerous enough to justify opening them before the addressee received them.

    Cedar had noticed that already too. ¡°Just because Lady Peril''s party ended badly, that doesn''t keep others from having an event. Unfortunately, it doesn''t seem to be a pleasant one. I heard Mother wants to have a birthday banquet soon to celebrate her late birthday.¡± He pulled the letter out and skimmed through it. It only took a few seconds before he could affirm his guess. ¡°That''s what this is. An invitation for her birthday banquet in a week. That will be fun.¡± He eyed a specific line on the letter before putting it on the nightstand.

    Lucille opened her letter too. There was nothing special. It was just the typical phrasing for an invitation to someone''s event. She lifted her head again and gave her lover a questioning look. ¡°Why did she invite me? She hates me.¡± She had a bad feeling about this.

    Cedar''s bright smile revealed that he wasn''t too happy either. ¡°She probably invited every single noble within the capital. After all, she can''t just leave out a family that always attends. She might try to use this to harm your reputation in some way too. She could act like you brought her a bad gift or something like that. It would be better if I escort you and present a gift for both of us. Just to be safe.¡±

    Lucille couldn''t admit how much pressure that took off her. She would have been extremely stressed if she had been forced to find a present for the dowager empress. She quickly nodded and lowered her gaze again. It felt strange to know that she would have to congratulate the woman she hated so much. She stared at the paper for a moment before making eye contact with Darlene. ¡°Thank you for bringing this to us.¡±

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    The maid showed her a forced smile. ¡°I wish that I didn''t have to send anyone there, but it seems like His and Her Majesty will go too. They weren''t too happy, but they will attend to keep an eye on everything. His Majesty said that it won''t take long anymore.¡± That was probably referring to him wanting to get rid of Camille.

    Lucille swallowed and glanced to the side.

    Cedar wasn''t very affected. In fact, he seemed like that wasn''t new to him.

    Darlene bowed for a moment before she spoke. ¡°In any case, there won''t be much of a choice but to go. His Majesty said that he won''t force you but that it might be good to face that woman. I will take my leave now, and we will see each other for breakfast.¡± When no complaints came, she left.

    For a moment, it was silent until Cedar let out a deep breath. ¡°My brother still wants me to confront her, huh? That''s why he added the hint out about us needing to face her.¡±

    Lucille was happy to put the letter to the side and sat down on the bed as well. She scanned Cedar''s face for a couple of seconds before speaking. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Cedar responded without meeting her gaze. ¡°I hoped that avoiding my mother would be the most helpful thing when it comes to dealing with her. Theodore is convinced that I need to get close to her occasionally though. He wants me to say no to her and to push her away with my own force. He isn''t wrong. But I still hate seeing her. It will be especially strange because this here is...¡± Cedar''s voice trailed off. He stared straight ahead for a moment before shaking his head to himself.

    Lucille kept his eyes on him and waited for something to come, but he didn''t say anything. So, she spoke a moment later. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Cedar remained silent for a few more seconds before he replied. ¡°This is the first time I wasn''t with my mother during her birthday. It feels weird. I completely forgot to congratulate her, even though I was used to doing it every year.¡± His smile was a bit more uncertain than normal.

    Lucille felt her heart skip a beat when she saw that. He didn''t hide behind that facade right now, and he addressed a topic that he was unsure about. This was an important moment. She pulled her legs onto the bed and turned her whole body to him. She waited a bit to give him a chance to speak and only opened her mouth when he didn''t say anything. ¡°You don''t have to congratulate her. She''s...¡± She wasn''t sure how to phrase this. Camille was still his mother and the person he had cared about most for the last two decades. So, Lucille had to show some tact here instead of cursing that woman. ¡°She doesn''t necessarily deserve it.¡± She almost expected to have overdone it with that.

    But Cedar just showed her a bright smile. ¡°You''re right. I know that she doesn''t deserve most of the things I did for her. But I never questioned that when I was younger. I just did what I was told to do. And she justified me doing all of that because she claimed that I...cared for her and needed to prove it. Because she said that she loved me and had given me so much. I was always supposed to show my gratitude for that.¡±

    Lucille felt a pang of anger and resignation when she heard that. Camille had manipulated a small child ever since his birth, and now that he freed himself from her chains, she refused to let him be happy. Lucille didn''t even have a hint of sympathy for that woman left. ¡°You don''t have to show gratitude for your mother when she treats you like this. Loving your children should be normal.¡± Even if her own mother didn''t seem to be of that conviction either. ¡°And you don''t have to do everything for someone you love either. Your own life is still most important. It''s your own decisions that matter.¡±

    Cedar was silent and just looked at her for a moment. His smile was so warm that it immediately made her want to hug him. But of course, she couldn''t do that when he was in the middle of pondering something. He turned his gaze away after a few seconds and stared at the ground in front of him. ¡°It''s nice to hear that. Until a few months ago, I never saw it that way though. My whole life revolved around her. I was supposed to do what my mother wanted, and seeing her happy would have made me happy too. So, I might not have been thinking about such a matter as many others would have done it.¡±

    Lucille came a little closer while trying to make sure that she didn''t move too suddenly. ¡°But you understand that now, right?¡±

    Cedar let out a little noise that sounded like a mix of a huff and a chuckle. ¡°Maybe. I still hate upsetting her. But I can endure it now because I felt what real satisfaction feels like. When she praised me after I did something for her, it was just a temporary reward. It didn''t really make me happy. I found other things that are much more worthwhile.¡± He turned his head to his lover and smiled at her.

    Lucille''s heart clenched at that thought. She still reacted to him way too sensitively. Even now, it felt like she could just faint because he had smiled at her. ¡°I... Hearing that makes me happy.¡±

    Cedar chuckled again. He moved his hand to hers and carefully interlocked their fingers. Then he focused his gaze on her face and scanned her for a moment. He whispered the next part. ¡°It''s still weird to know that she spent her birthday all alone. I was so used to doing everything for her that day. It was the same each year.¡±

    Lucille stroked her thumb over the backside of his hand. It almost sounded like he wanted to talk about this despite those times not being the most joyful ones of his life. So, she wanted to give him a chance. ¡°What did you do for her birthday?¡±

    Cedar still looked at her, but it seemed like his eyes were fixated on something behind her. He got lost in memories while he explained. ¡°As I said, my priority was always Mother. So, obviously, her birthday would consist of me clinging to her the whole time, whether that had been in the palace or in confinement. I would wake her up in the morning with a tray of her favorite food. Then I would wish her the best for the next year and bring her a mountain of gifts. The servants all had to congratulate her too, so I had to ensure that everyone remembered it. We would usually visit the kitchen so that I could order a cake for the afternoon while she waited outside. I had to come up with a new flavor each year, but she still had extremely specific ideas for what she wanted, so it was a bit hard. During the years in which Father was still alive, we visited his office before noon. If Father decided to acknowledge her, she was in a good mood after that. If not, she would be upset until the ball began, and it would be my task to console her.¡±

    Lucille still found it strange how different the dowager empress had looked in public. Hadn''t Camille always seemed like a cold and much too perfect empress? Lucille had probably just seen her while that woman had still been empress four times or so. And yet, she remembered being as scared of Camille as she had been of the previous emperor. It was horrible for a child to grow up with two such cold people as parents. And it was even worse if the mother was actually a controlling monster behind closed doors.

    Cedar still seemed to remember the past in front of his inner eye while he spoke to her. ¡°Of course, I also had to help her with preparing for the ball. Mother had maids to dress her and brush her hair, but as you know, her temper is pretty explosive. If she didn''t like something, I had to be there to keep the situation from getting unfavorable. That often ended in me needing to brush her hair because the maids allegedly hurt her, which I don''t believe for one second since they were always so careful. The evening usually was a bit more relaxed then. You saw how the balls for the empress usually are. Nobles visit and bring their gifts. Then they present their presents to the thrones and talk about how wonderful the birthday child is. I had to stand there most of the time while trying to ignore how my mother glared at Theodore or Althea when they spoke. The rest was usually rather calm. Unless Mother began causing trouble for Althea in public or fumed because of that poor woman afterward.¡± He let out a little huff before he focused on reality again. ¡°To be honest, I don''t know why Althea even came there anymore when she only got insulted. But I assume she wanted to be polite. As you can hear, that didn''t keep Mother from hating her.¡±

    Lucille didn''t know how complicated the relationships between the different members of the royal family had been, but even she understood that Camille had resented Althea. Apparently, the dowager empress hadn''t let go of the grudge even after the other woman''s death. ¡°I see. It''s...unpleasant that you had to go through such stressful times.¡±

    Cedar''s smile was already the typical one he showed at all times again. His moment of confusion about his own feelings was over. ¡°Oh, you don''t have to worry about that. Her birthdays usually raised her mood. Those were some of the best days.¡± That didn''t sound very calming. After all, Camille had still caused trouble on those days. What had her bad days looked like? Cedar didn''t talk about that anymore though. ¡°In any case, we should get up now, shouldn''t we? We can''t sit in bed all day.¡± He stood up and walked the few steps to the nightstand. He pulled the hairbrush out of the drawer before he returned to her side and plopped down next to her. ¡°Should I brush your hair?¡±

    Lucille blinked at him when she heard that. She hadn''t expected that offer. Her hair was straight and rather easy to brush, so she didn''t really need help. But that wasn''t why she was reluctant to accept. She was a bit worried about Cedar feeling like he needed to do something for her so that she would like him, and that wasn''t what she wanted him to think. ¡°You don''t have to do that. Especially not because...you know.¡± Because he had brushed his mother''s hair in the past.

    Cedar just grinned at her. ¡°No, that''s not it, Silly. For you, I would like to do it. I mean, I even asked on my own. To be honest, it''s just an excuse for me to touch your hair a bit. Will you let me abuse that excuse for a bit? Please?¡± If he wanted to do it, she had no problem giving him permission.

    Lucille scanned his face for a moment to make sure before she turned her back to him.

    This shouldn''t be a very special moment, but to Lucille, it felt weird. Only her mother and Mathilda had ever done this for her. One had left her behind and one was dead. The empress'' maids had helped her a few times as well, but that had never been quite the same.

    So, it felt a bit strange when Cedar began touching her hair. He was very careful while he tried to estimate how sensitive she was. He quickly noticed how easily the few knots disappeared thanks to her straight hair, but he still took his time brushing her. Cedar made slow and deliberate movements while going from the top to the bottom. He probably planned on combing every single strand, so this would take much longer than doing it alone would have.

    But Lucille didn''t complain. She just held still. After a few seconds of silence, she decided to continue the conversation though. ¡°What do you think will happen during her banquet?¡±

    ¡°This will be worse than the party yesterday. Mother will come up with some kind of plot to cause trouble for us. I''d rather not eat anything close to her, but I doubt that we will have a choice. Theodore will probably exchange the food for us anyway. He wouldn''t let her put her fingers near anything his wife will consume. So, my mother can either just start yelling, or she can throw things at us and insult us. I don''t know. Or she will accuse Theodore of killing our father again.¡±

    Lucille closed her eyes while enjoying the soft motion of the bush, which felt a little like a massage at the same time. ¡°Well, it won''t be pretty. But your brother is there, right? And even without him, she can''t do whatever she wants. The guests will keep an eye on her.¡±

    Cedar began speaking but changed his mind a moment later. ¡°I wanted to calm you, but I would rather have you be prepared. I wouldn''t be so sure about others helping us much. Mother has always done whatever she wanted. If people opposed her, she got rid of them, so no one else dared to voice their dismay. That was the case while she was empress, and it''s still the same. Of course, that applied to servants, who she threw out of the palace as she saw it fit, and to nobles, who she could ruin in illegal ways. Even now, no one will want to make her their enemy. They just hope that Theodore will finish her off soon.¡±

    It was a bit odd to hear how someone spoke about his mother like this. But Cedar was well aware of the fact that the dowager empress wouldn''t last. Since he knew her vilest plots, he was able to judge whether his mother deserved another chance. His verdict was ¡®no¡¯ here. Of course, he understood the consequences of that.

 Chapter 118: Invitation and Talking about the Past (2)

    ¡°

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    will stay here for the next years. Did you think I''d throw you out after this mess is resolved? No. You can stay for as long as you want to, and I will even argue until you choose to stay. There is no way the prince and the princess consort have to buy a mansion somewhere far away when the palace is empty. It would be nice if our family could slowly grow here.¡±

 Chapter 119: Office Talks

    Cedar wasn''t surprised to hear about this at all. ¡°So, you found the servant who put the drug into the drink, and that man coincidentally died before he could be questioned? That sounds like someone didn''t want him to talk. Mother seems to be as active as always.¡± Which was terrifying since she shouldn''t be able to walk around at all.

    How come Camille still managed to control everything around her to some extent? In this case, she had probably given the orders to get rid of all people who could say anything a while ago, but that only meant that Camille had even more servants under her control than Lady Peril had believed. And now, a witness had been eliminated before anyone could get information from him.

    Theodore didn''t seem to care too much for that traitor''s life. ¡°It wasn''t a big loss. One testimony wouldn''t have helped anyway. Besides, I don''t need evidence anymore. I just need time to get rid of the last stubborn rats that are hiding in between our loyal subjects. If a person who agreed to drug someone falls flat onto their nose, I don''t care. The dowager empress won''t help herself by killing everyone around her though. She will only make her demise even more painful.¡±

    Leon fiddled around with something on his tray before bringing it over to the table. He set it down and then took a seat as well. He promptly entered the conversation while pulling out some documents. ¡°Indeed. She makes herself more and more enemies. Those people will be eager to get revenge by the end of this. She is risking everything because she can''t control her temper. It''s odd. If that woman was thinking clearly, she could have used all kinds of gaps in our security to harm us. But she is so thoughtless that she only causes trouble for herself and lessens her own power. I don''t understand that.¡±

    Cedar couldn''t hold back his comment this time. ¡°Now you know how I felt for the past twenty-two years. It was pretty frustrating to see her gamble away good chances left and right. I never knew why she messed up so badly. She would be a terrifying enemy if her hysteria wasn''t what controls her actions.¡± By now, Camille was already on a one-way trip to being executed, and even then, she didn''t understand. It was almost pathetic.

    Cedar had to admit that he was glad that his mother wasn''t thinking clearly though. If she did, she would have found a way to kill Lucille by now instead of trying that strange route to make Lucille abandon her lover. Maybe she did that because she wanted to prove that she was the only one who would stay by Cedar''s side and that he needed her. But she didn''t see that she made him dislike her more every time she targeted Lucille.

    Theodore took a cookie from Leon''s tray and bit into it while listening. He chewed and swallowed before responding. ¡°That''s why I''m glad you are here now. I feel like all the plots that worked were actually your ideas. Everything that went wrong was because of her own stupidity and because she didn''t listen to you. If you were the one to have planned the assassination attempts, you would have been successful already.¡±

    Cedar would feel a bit arrogant if he affirmed that, but he agreed. ¡°Maybe. But as you said, Mother doesn''t like listening to others. I was the one who managed to get us out of confinement the first time by just writing some letters and going through the old case. She should have trusted me after that, but she only made it worse each time she acted on her own. She wasn''t patient, she hurt our allies, and she caused trouble in public. She didn''t even believe me when I said that Claude Vasquez, the former duke, was trying to betray us and destroy both factions. She refused to admit that someone might have played her, and in the end, I was still right.¡± He turned his attention to the tray.

    The prince''s eyes were automatically drawn to the cookie on the far left, so he took it and let it disappear in his mouth. As expected, he still didn''t like the taste.

    Theodore had opened his mouth to reply, but he stopped. He scanned his brother for a moment before speaking up. ¡°Say. You used to dislike poppy-seed cake a lot. Just now, you swallowed a cookie with it without even noticing it. Did your taste change?¡±

    Cedar would have liked to deny it, but his brother had seen him as a child. Back then, he hadn''t managed to hide his dislikes, so he couldn''t lie about that now. That didn''t mean that he wouldn''t twist the truth a little though. ¡°Well, it''s still not my favorite, but I don''t dislike it either. I already touched the cookie, so I didn''t want to put it back.¡± To be honest, there was more to this.

    His mother had always demanded that Cedar didn''t show his preferences and his weaknesses. So, she had forced him to eat what he disliked when it was offered to him, just because that would show that he didn''t mind it. Now Cedar had seen the poppy-seed cookie and unconsciously believed that he would have to eat it. Thanks to his mother''s strange methods, that was ingrained so deeply into his brain that he hadn''t even noticed it anymore. Even admitting that he didn''t like poppy-seed cake much made him feel like he had lost in some way. Great.

    Theodore watched his brother with skepticism. Then he glanced down at the plate before focusing on Cedar again. ¡°But you don''t have to eat what you don''t like. You know that, right? Especially since you used to hate those cakes so much that you pushed the plate far away from you when it was put onto the table. The only thing you liked less was coffee. You used to gag when you smelled that. But...¡± He seemed to be a bit distracted as he thought back to the past. ¡°If I remember correctly, you drank coffee when you came out of confinement.¡± Oh no. Now that would be addressed.

    Cedar showed him a grin that would certainly infuriate his brother a bit. ¡°You mean back when you kept offering me things I disliked as a child? Yes, I remember. I drank coffee then. I still favor tea, but coffee is fine too.¡± It wasn''t. He still despised coffee. It was much too bitter, and he couldn''t stand the taste or the smell. But his mother had been strict with her policy of not being able to show preferences and dislikes. At some point, she had forced him to drink coffee until he managed to act well enough to cover up his urge to shudder and throw up.

    By now, Cedar could probably eat anything without showing the slightest bit of a reaction even when it tasted horrible. The only one who might know about his dislike for coffee now was Harris because they had quarreled about that a few times, and even he didn''t know that Cedar absolutely despised it. But the prince wouldn''t tell Theodore that.

    Apparently, his brother didn''t need to hear that either. Theodore looked at him with a deep frown, which revealed that he was already piecing together the story. Hopefully, he hadn''t noticed anything odd during their childhood and wouldn''t suddenly address that. ¡°Cedar... Are you sure that you aren''t just drinking it despite disliking it? Back then, I offered that to you because I wanted to annoy you. I didn''t expect you to drink something that used to make you gag. I was taken aback when I saw you suddenly gulping down a whole cup as if it was nothing.¡±

    Cedar remembered that. Back then, he had known that his brother would provoke him like this and admitting defeat would make him feel like he lost. So, he had just swallowed that revolting drink while beaming at his brother. Seeing the other''s shock had granted him a small victory. ¡°It''s really not that bad. I still don''t particularly like it, but I will drink it if the servants go out of their way to make it. But I don''t think that my preferences are helpful when it comes to our situation at hand. We finished the documents for today, so we only need to discuss how to deal with the mess Mother caused.¡±

    Theodore didn''t seem to like giving up on the topic, but he complied. He focused his attention on the sheet of paper in front of him. He scribbled something down before pushing it to the side and looking up at his brother again. ¡°There isn''t much to discuss. Harris wants to talk to you. He is pretty sure that he found a traitor. There are three women, who happen to be friends, and one of them seems to be bribed by someone. We only need to find out which one it is now. He claims that one of them acts like she is interested in you, which he found a bit suspicious since she never interacted with you.¡± That sounded annoying enough to be one of Camille''s plots.

    Cedar almost sighed and rested his chin on his palm as he spoke with sarcasm in his voice. ¡°That sounds fun. I''ll look into it. There shouldn''t be an issue if I go see him right after we are done, right?¡±

    Theodore glanced at the clock before looking back at the prince. ¡°I would suggest waiting a bit longer. They are probably in the middle of their break, so I''d understand if he got annoyed if you came now.¡±

    That meant that Cedar indeed had to delay his visit and pass his time differently. He couldn''t see his lover though. Lucille was currently with the empress. If he entered that room, Blanche would trap him in a conversation and make him hold Aurora for at least an hour. He didn''t have that much time if he wanted to talk to Harris as soon as possible. ¡°I see. Then I will sit here and bother you for five more minutes.¡± He took another cookie off the tray and made sure to pick one that wasn''t a poppy-seed one nor one of the sweeter ones he would favor. ¡°That gives us time to address a topic that confused me for a while already.¡± He leaned his chin onto his palm and watched his brother carefully.

    Theodore didn''t get defensive. He just leaned against his backrest and met the other''s gaze. ¡°Tell me then. I will gladly listen and answer your questions.¡±

    Cedar was pretty sure that he wouldn''t receive a direct response. But he still addressed it in hopes of the reaction helping him. ¡°You know, ever since I came out of confinement, you have been odd. You are planning with many more hidden intentions than most people around you know. You are doing well crushing Mother''s enemies, but I noticed something. You always keep your guard up so that your family can never be harmed, but there is one topic that you seem to treat a bit more carelessly. That doesn''t match your normal personality. That''s why I would guess that you are doing that on purpose.¡± He stopped here and waited for a reaction.

    Theodore''s expression was serious, so it seemed like the prince was onto something. ¡°And what topic would you be referring to?¡±

    Cedar smiled at him while addressing him. ¡°Mother. I feel like you may have another reason to keep Mother close to us and alive. Normally, you would never have considered allowing her to live here. Letting her attend events and host her own banquet is strange too. I would almost guess that you purposefully gave her the chance to attack us for some reason as well. Maybe to let her feel like she is in control. Or maybe because you really have another reason you don''t want to tell me directly.¡±

    Theodore was silent. That was enough of a response. The emperor paused for a minute or so before he finally spoke. ¡°You always notice it when people hide something. But I do too. We need to talk about that at some point. And about the other part. About...you know. The details of you coming here.¡± Of course.

    Cedar had guessed that a while ago. One thing hadn''t matched up when he had arrived here, and when he had broken off the contact with his mother for real, that had been even more obvious. He wasn''t stupid, and the same held true for Theodore. So, there was no reason to address that. Cedar bit into his cookie and took his time eating it before he replied. ¡°You mean the details you know already? I''m not hiding anything anymore. But you should know that. If we both know, there is no need to talk about it, right?¡±

    Theodore let out a low sigh as he crossed his arms. ¡°Not really. Just because we both know, that doesn''t mean we should ignore that topic. But we can discuss that later. When this is over. Just a few more months, and we will get rid of that horrible woman.¡±

    Cedar would feel a little relieved if he didn''t believe that his brother was dragging this out unnecessarily. ¡°Hurry up then. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can live without expecting assassins to kill us every second. It will be oddly calm when that happens, won''t it?¡± He would be oddly relieved if he knew that his mother was dead. That was the worst part.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    He didn''t just see this logically. He seriously hoped that Camille would disappear so that she couldn''t try to lure him in again. Because no matter how many defenses he put up, Cedar was still scared of her getting into his head again. He had been her tool for two decades. Now he had finally been freed and found someone he wanted to live with. And that woman was in danger because of his mother. Of course, he hoped for Camille to finally leave so that he could finally push his past out of his mind and work on his problems. So that he could finally receive and give real affection. So that he would be able to talk to his brother without worrying about his mother using them against each other. So that he could tell Lucille that he loved her at some point.

    Theodore just gave his brother a soft smile. ¡°It will be over this year. Don''t worry. We will be the winners.¡±

    Cedar could only hope that. He didn''t want to end up being knocked out after a failed battle again like during the revolt.

    <hr>

    Cedar didn''t have to get involved in the matter of the traitors much, not when Harris had seemingly had everything under control. The prince had merely allowed himself to add some pressure by making some vague statements toward the suspects. In the end, two of the three maids had seemingly failed Harris'' test.

    They had both sold information to Camille without truly believing that it would help her, merely thinking about their own gain without any vile intentions. That Camille had merely picked two red-haired women did annoy Cedar a bit though. It was like his foolish mother thought that it would be enough for a lady to resemble Lucille in hair color for him to change his mind.

    Nonsense.

    Theodore found a way to resolve the situation with the servants in just two days. Apparently, both traitors had been rather chatty. They had been happy to admit what they had done, how they had been paid and what they had told Camille. Of course, all of their conversations had happened through external messengers, which they had met while visiting the city. All in all, it seemed like they hadn''t given away important information. Thus, the maids would continue to work in the palace. They would try to gain more insights about Camille''s plans while acting like they were working for her.

    Cedar wasn''t sure whether those maids would stay after this was resolved, but he left that choice to his brother.

    Other topics, including the banquet his mother planned, troubled him a bit more. That could wait though.

    Something else couldn''t.

    Surely, Cedar had been the one writing the contract for the trade with Southern Ocrea, but he hadn''t expected that he would do anything more important than this. After all, a trade with one of Artias'' most powerful supporters was something he could do in secret. Working on a contract that proposed an alliance between Southern Ocrea, Artias and Northern Ocrea was something completely different.

    Cedar had listened to the reason why this alliance was important twice now, and still, he hadn''t received his answer. ¡°Yes, Theodore. I know that making our allies end their cold war is crucial to maintaining peace among the whole continent. I know. But I don''t know why I would be involved here. I can read through your texts once you have written them. I can help you research complicated matters and find traitors. I can also secretly take part in the discussions that would follow when allied rulers come here in a few years. But actually putting in my name as one of the most important witnesses is a bit problematic when you know what my role in this nation is. What made you think that the person who tried to assassinate the emperor and take over the throne through a violent revolt should be a prominent figure during a diplomatic discussion?¡±

    Theodore made a rejecting motion with his hand. ¡°When we are done with these negotiations, that matter will be long forgotten. The emperor trusts you, so no one else can complain. Aside from you losing on purpose, that revolt wasn''t even supposed to kill me. Stop using that as a reason to avoid work. We both know that you are a good talker, so having you with us during those discussions will be crucial. Those two nations have huge problems with each other. We need you to chew off their ears until they forget their grudges.¡±

    Cedar could probably do that if he had enough time to prepare, figure out what everyone''s goals were and what kind of personalities they had. He would just need to watch them for a bit. Then he could possibly direct the conversation in a pleasant direction and win their trust. There was only one little issue. ¡°Maybe that would have worked if they didn''t know me as a lying traitor with vile intentions. The queen and king of Southern Ocrea are fine since they don''t know me. But the prince of Northern Ocrea hates me. Thanks to your rather understandable warnings, he wouldn''t even talk to me while he was here. Why would he suddenly allow me to discuss politics with him?¡±

    Theodore was silent for a moment. ¡°You have to admit that you acted pretty-¡±

    Cedar cut him off there. ¡°I don''t want an excuse for why you did it, I know. I''m not trying to make you feel bad. But why would he believe me now?¡± He leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. ¡°Is he supposed to suddenly like me just because I smile at him? If he isn''t stupid, he will remember your words from back then.¡±

    Theodore pulled out his mysterious book, which no one was allowed to look at, from the drawer and checked his notes again. ¡°Well... I mainly told him that you are similar to his sister. I should revise that statement. You wouldn''t wage war just because you could gain a few territories.¡± He read through the things there twice before he looked up again. ¡°I''m the one who warned him, so it should be all alright if I revoke those statements. And to be honest, Prince Linden is basically indebted to me. I saved his father from certain death because I gave him the necessary medicine. Their king had Father''s illness, so you can imagine that it would have gotten rather bad otherwise. He will listen to me if I propose this alliance. He even agreed to join when I asked him for a favor. If we move slowly, it will work.¡±

    Cedar froze when he heard that comment about their father''s illness. There wasn''t a cure for that. Most likely, Theodore had meant to say that it was a similar sickness, which could be cured. Cedar chose not to point that out and focused on the topic at hand again. He suspected that his brother had some ideas that would help all three nations that would be included in that alliance. It would be foolish for either participant to disagree. And yet, there was another issue. ¡°What do you expect us to do when that time comes? Should we travel to Northern Ocrea? Because you surely won''t let their future queen come here, right?¡±

    Theodore''s expression immediately became more resentful than it had been during the whole conversation. Apparently, he still hated his ex-wife. ¡°Exactly. That woman will never take a single step into Artias. I will send knights to kill her if she tries that.¡± He almost acted like he hated the former empress as much as he hated Camille. That was surprising. And it was also a bit scary.

    Cedar had never really liked the former empress. He hadn''t been able to put his finger on it, but something about her had bothered him a lot. So, he had been content when she had been sent away. But he had no idea what made his brother hate her with so much passion. He only knew that they couldn''t risk Theodore losing his self-control because he despised that woman so much. ¡°Calm down a bit. I understand if you don''t want to see her, but that is too much. We don''t want war with Ocrea, so don''t try to kill her. Or if you have to do it, choose an indirect way. There are enough ways to do it secretly, so don''t use our knights. And for now, it would be better to just leave her be. She will be a good queen, I think. You said that she has to deal with Linden''s sister, whom you compared to me. I assume that woman is quite horrible.¡±

    Theodore almost seemed to take that as a personal insult. ¡°As I told you, that was stupid of me to say. I just said that to keep Linden from supporting you. You aren''t anywhere close to that woman''s level. You aren''t throwing away a hundred thousand lives just because you can. So, don''t compare yourself to her. We will make sure that she won''t ever get close to the throne. That person I sent there should be enough to keep her in check for now. She should do that at least. That she is dealing with that is the only reason she is still alive.¡± His expression had become even grimmer than before.

    Cedar watched that with slight worry while he drank his chocolate milk, which Leon had once again brought without being asked for it. Since when was Theodore so aggressive? Cedar wasn''t used to seeing his brother like this except for when it came to Camille.

    It seemed like the emperor snapped out of it a moment later. He shut his book and put it back into the drawer while his expression neutralized. ¡°We were talking about the alliance. I want you to help me when the time comes. But for now, we will only begin to draft the outline of the alliance contract and slowly prepare. You will still have enough time to worry about that later. I won''t invite guests until the end of this year when the dowager empress and her faction are nothing but dust.¡±

    Cedar glanced at the clock to confirm that he was still on time before he replied. ¡°Aren''t they close to finished already? I heard what you did to some businesses. If I see it correctly, you annihilated almost all families from the list I gave you.¡±

    Theodore rested his elbow on the table and leaned his chin on his hand. ¡°I didn''t crush all of them. Only about half. The others changed their minds before or shortly after the revolt. Some didn''t need too much conviction before they joined my side. I just had to get rid of their debt for some, and they weren''t dependent on the dowager empress anymore. That quickly made most run away from her. Every intelligent person found out that she will lose soon after all. You will see how much progress I made at her banquet in two days. Most of the seats will be empty. It won''t take long anymore. I think I only need three months, and it''s done.¡± That sounded good. Surely, he wouldn''t be able to defeat all disloyal people in Artias, but he might be able to clean out the capital enough to get rid of the members of the prince''s former faction.

    Cedar scanned his brother''s face and couldn''t hold back the comment. ¡°Are you finally going to be done with your secret goal by then too?¡±

    Theodore looked to the side for a single second before he met his brother''s gaze again. ¡°I think we will have finished it quite well then. But as I said, we should talk about that when it''s over. Is there anything else we need to discuss now?¡±

    Cedar glanced at the clock again. He still had twenty minutes. He only needed five minutes to walk to the tailor even if he dragged it out. So, he could talk for a little while longer. ¡°How is the investigation in the Peril estate going? Any news after the dead servant?¡±

    Theodore half-hardheartedly sorted the documents in front of him while he replied. ¡°As expected, Lady Peril is upset that that woman wanted her to take the fall. And as petty as she is, she made herself out to be the victim. She sticks to the story of trying to contact a mentally unstable person to help. But now, she gave up on trusting that person at least. Lady Peril handed over all of the letters she received from the dowager empress. You were right about the flower pots being some strange way to communicate with the outside world. Some letters mentioned what kind of order was a signal for her to do something. And we also have a more decisive clue too. We kept an eye on the corner in front of the house by the dowager empress'' window. We really found some men going there to check the window. When they saw it, they immediately left again. I sent someone to follow them. Those assassins gave away their hideout, so they won''t last much longer either.¡± None of that was surprising.

    Jenna was fuming now. Camille had risked her death. Obviously, she wouldn''t be too thrilled about that and might use some quite harsh methods to get herself out of harm''s way. It would be interesting to see how long she would last.

    Cedar smiled at his brother before drinking the rest of his milk. He pushed the cup away and replied with the same grin that Theodore had always hated. ¡°When I look at your expression, I feel like you plan to do everything necessary to get rid of those people. It''s almost laughable. You used to tell me that I am much too cruel, but now you act like being direct is the best option.¡±

    Theodore shrugged. ¡°Because it is. I might not have understood it in the past, but now I know. You can''t try to reason with people that crossed a specific line. I have to make sure that they can''t hurt anyone else around me, so I will have to get rid of them. And to be honest, your methods weren''t that bad. You never slaughtered anyone in cold blood. You do have good ideas at times and just ensured that your staff would stay loyal. I used to say that being too cruel is bad, but being too lax is dangerous too.¡± That was another point in which Theodore had changed completely.

    Cedar remembered how different their opinions on cruelty and kind guidance had been in the past. He had been sure that scaring your puppets once in a while secured their loyalty. Theodore had hated that, but now he seemed to consider that option too, at least when it came to some specific people. It really was strange. But Cedar wouldn''t question it anymore. He was getting used to those rapid changes by now. He looked at the clock and decided that he would rather leave earlier instead of letting Lucille wait. ¡°I will take my leave now. Lucille will be at the tailor''s in a moment. I need to be there when she tries on her new dress.¡±

    Theodore''s lips formed a grin at that. ¡°Of course, you do. You need to tell her how beautiful she is as soon as you see her. I hope that the two of you will have a nice afternoon.¡±

    Cedar stood up and put the empty cup onto the tray again. ¡°Thank you. I hope the same for you and your family. Don''t over-exhaust yourself by cuddling with them the whole day.¡±

    Theodore already seemed happy when he thought about that. ¡°I will have to risk that. I miss them, even though I''ve only been here for an hour. Well.¡± He put aside his pen and stood up too. ¡°Will you and Lucille come to visit later? You haven''t been there for a few days.¡±

    Cedar hadn''t seen Aurora for exactly two days, and the royal couple already complained. Something was wrong with this family if they wanted him to visit their baby despite knowing how difficult their relationship was. Or at least how difficult their relationship had been. By now, Cedar didn''t get annoyed upon seeing Theodore anymore. Talking to the other man wasn''t anger-inducing anymore either. Maybe they were truly getting along a bit better. One couldn''t demand too much, but it was a positive look-out for the future. After all, Cedar didn''t begin arguing about his visit anymore either. ¡°Sure. We will take a while thanks to Madame Charture''s chattering, but after that, we should be free to come.¡±

 Chapter 120: Seating Order

¡°

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

 Chapter 121: Family Chat

    ¡°

    her for much longer, and she didn''t get that. But Camille wouldn''t know. She continued without a pause and added sentence after sentence.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Surely, she didn''t. ¡°These are against the ailments that I suffered from. I may have been able to cover up most things with powder, but the past months left their mark on me. I could barely sleep and have been suffering from colds and more serious sicknesses for weeks.¡± Thanks to Leon. ¡°Ever since Cedar left me, it has been this bad. I have not been able to sleep for five hours at a time, and this may influence my emotional stability. I have become much more sensitive and weak in general. I have countless ups and downs full of dejection or anger.¡±

 Chapter 122: Closer Than You Ever Were

    As soon as Cedar left her side, Lucille lost all her confidence. The kiss on her forehead still seemed to accompany her, and she was in a daze, but she was definitely embarrassed as well. Lucille''s ears were ringing, and her heart pounded in her chest while her face was colored in a dark shade of red. Why had he needed to kiss her like this? She could barely pull herself together when she reached for her forehead. Cedar still managed to knock her out with just one single motion.

    And everyone here had seen that. By the gods.

    ¡°Luci?¡± Fiona''s voice made the other woman look up. Fiona showed her a concerned expression and scanned her friend with great care. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Lucille felt even more nervousness bubble in her stomach. She hurried to nod. ¡°Yes... I''m just...¡± She put her hands onto her cheeks. She was much too warm to just insist on everything being fine. How stupid she was. She would have to admit the truth now, but that might not even be necessary at all.

    Fiona already looked like she had guessed it. She stared at her friend with a conflicting expression. Then she sighed and spoke up in a whisper. ¡°You really did fall in love. I still can barely believe that you would seriously...¡± She shook her head to herself before she turned to gaze at Cedar. ¡°At least he seems to treat you well. Did he ever do something unpleasant until now?¡±

    Lucille shook her head. She was still overcome with bashfulness, but she wanted to defend her lover. ¡°He never hurt me. He never said anything mean either. He is kind to me no matter what happens, and he helps me whenever he can. Cedar is everything I could only dream about.¡± She forced herself to lift her head enough to make eye contact with Fiona to show that she was serious.

    Fiona gave her friend a little smile. ¡°That''s good. But remember that you aren''t forced to do anything. Enough people support you, so take it slow. And don''t forget that we could help you leave if it ever becomes necessary.¡± She paused for a moment and just stared at the other woman. Then it seemed like some of her tension left her. ¡°But I trust you in this regard. I know that you can figure out whether people have good intentions or not. Just keep your eyes open, and tell me if you ever need help.¡± She still whispered that and even leaned a bit closer now. ¡°Any news I need to hear about? During the past few weeks, you moved so fast. I can''t trust that nothing happened. What did you do?¡±

    Lucille wanted to say that nothing much happened. But then she remembered that she hadn''t told her friend a lot. To be honest, she was reluctant to discuss this in the middle of a banquet, but she should be fine if she whispered. So, she leaned to her friend and said the most important thing first. Voicing this out loud made her heart beat faster, and her whole body felt warm and cold at the same time. Why did this make her so nervous? ¡°Cedar is now officially my lover.¡±

    Fiona was surprised for a short moment before she smiled at her friend and replied in a soft voice. ¡°Then I have to congratulate you. I''m happy if you found someone you like.¡± Saying that was probably hard for her when she didn''t trust Cedar at all. But she still said it just so that Lucille would be content.

    That made Lucille''s heart melt. She smiled back at her friend. There were two more things that she could tell her. She leaned a bit closer and whispered again. ¡°And we told my father about us possibly marrying.¡±

    Fiona immediately perked up at that. ¡°What did he say?¡± She had unwillingly raised her voice a bit while asking that.

    Lucille couldn''t remember her father''s exact words, but what he had told her had ingrained itself into her brain. A beam lit up her face when she thought about that scene. ¡°He said that he would always help me if there was an issue. And that he wouldn''t interfere if I''m happy with this arrangement.¡± That meant that Raymond would agree to whatever she had chosen. At least if he didn''t change his mind. She could just hope that he wouldn''t. She was very content with the option of marrying Cedar.

    Fiona almost seemed to read that off her friend''s face. She showed her a soft smile. ¡°That''s wonderful. I''m glad he finally understood that you have to decide for yourself if you want to be happy. And...¡± Her smile faded a bit. ¡°Of course, I''m here to support you too. But I can''t forget my worries overnight. His Royal Highness is... Please be careful. I would advise you to hire a lawyer to check your engagement contract when you finally sign it. We don''t want you to accidentally agree to something you don''t like. And he definitely can''t just add something about throwing you out without giving you a single copper coin. You need to make sure that he is required to pay you back in case of a divorce. Did you speak to him about the topic of mistresses?¡±

    Lucille beamed at her and nodded. ¡°I did. He said that he won''t have any. He immediately promised it to me. His brother and father only had one because they didn''t marry the woman they like. But he can marry the person he cares about, so he doesn''t need anyone else.¡±

    Fiona scanned the other woman''s face. ¡°Really? He said that?¡± She was quiet for a moment and turned her head. She gazed at Cedar for a moment before looking back at her friend. ¡°If he is serious about that, it would be very good. You could even try to include that promise in the engagement contract.¡± She seemed to be rather serious about this topic.

    Lucille opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment, the dowager empress spoke. The people around them all lifted their glasses, and Lucille did the same. She waited for a bit until the emperor took a sip of his wine and then drank along with everyone else.

    After that, the first course, a salad, was served. That didn''t stop the chattering though. The royal family was busy whispering to each other while the guests tried not to disturb them from afar.

    Lucille turned to Fiona again to continue the conversation. ¡°I think it would be exaggerated to try to put something like that into the contract. You can''t force someone to stay faithful. I doubt that a lawyer will agree to that. And I trust Cedar. If he promises me something, he is serious about it.¡± She wanted to continue, but she didn''t get the chance.

    Someone cleared their throat, and then a sugary voice sounded from the other side, which Lucille had avoided looking at before. ¡°You seemed like you were in quite a good mood. Well, that is not surprising since you had such a wonderful partner escorting you.¡±

    Lucille froze and unwillingly tensed. She hadn''t seen Lady Peril since that incident and had been rather content with it. After all, she was still fuming whenever she thought about it. She turned her head, and only catching a single glimpse of the other''s face was enough to make her grit her teeth.

    Jenna had the nerve to show her a bright smile while she spoke again. ¡°It is wonderful to see that you are in high spirits. Both Lady Lamont and you, Lady Valerian. Would you mind allowing me to join the conversation?¡± Lucille did mind it. Surely, Fiona did too, but there was no way that they could say that outright. They sat at the table together, so they wouldn''t be able to avoid a conversation completely.

    Fiona was much better at controlling her expression than her friend while she put on her soft, fake smile. ¡°I wish you a wonderful evening, Lady Peril. We were a bit surprised by your sudden appearance. Please forgive us. Of course, you are free to join our conversation, but I must warn you. The topics we are discussing are probably not of great interest to you.¡±

    Jenna let out a little laugh and grinned at the women. ¡°I would enjoy any type of conversation with you two esteemed ladies. But I would even claim that we have a few similarities that make it easy to find a common topic. I am not sure whether I misheard that, but you seemed to be discussing something about His Royal Highness. I am very much interested in that topic.¡± How could someone be so arrogant? After that incident in her house, it should be obvious that she had no chance. Why didn''t she give up?

    Lucille balled her fists on her lap while trying to keep herself from glaring at the other woman. She was getting angrier than she should in public. A viscount''s daughter couldn''t just offend a marchioness. She needed to hold back and be polite. Even if it just was for a little while. That didn''t mean that she had to speak to her though. She could also ignore Jenna while Fiona managed the conversation. So, she leaned back to allow the other women to see each other better.

    Indeed, it seemed like Fiona had no issue replying to that infuriating woman. ¡°I see. Perhaps we have mentioned him at some point, but I doubt that we should have a longer conversation about him. After all, gossiping while the person is in the same room would be rather impolite, would it not?¡±

    Lady Peril tilted her head to the side to make eye contact with Fiona while also glancing at Lucille. ¡°Oh, I would never dare gossip about a member of the royal family. By now, you should be aware of the fact that I admire His Royal Highness. If there is a problem, it would rather be me gushing about him too much. That isn''t surprising since he is an extraordinary person, but I am sure that some people might be taken aback when I speak about him for so long.¡± The expression on her face was disgusting. Such a soft smile shouldn''t be revolting, but it was. When she talked about Cedar, everything about her seemed to be horrible.

    Lucille cast her gaze downward and stared at the plate in front of her. She should focus on that instead of getting angry now, or she would risk doing something bad. She knew that only one thing was enough to make her ignore her shyness in public, and that was anger. She had made the mistake of talking back to her father thrice or so while being extremely angry, and it had never ended well. Surely, Lady Peril wouldn''t lash out, but that woman wouldn''t like being insulted. So, Lucille pressed her lips into a thin line while trying to stay quiet.

    But Jenna didn''t seem to get that. She continued to smile in that infuriating manner before directing her gaze at Lucille. ¡°I hope that I am not making you feel uncomfortable when I address this topic, but I have a question. Earlier, you came here with His Royal Highness. I saw that there was a small discussion with Her Majesty, the dowager empress. What you said made it sound like you were planning on sitting with His Royal Highness more often in the future. Can we expect you to attend balls together regularly now?¡±

    Lucille barely remembered what she had said back then. She only knew that she had told Cedar that he wouldn''t have to sit next to Camille often anymore. Had that sounded like she expected him to be next to her at all times from now on? Lucille wasn''t sure. Slowly, embarrassment welled up inside her, but it wasn''t as bad as when Cedar teased her. She could manage. After all, she didn''t mind making Lady Peril think that there was no chance for that woman to get closer to Cedar. ¡°Well... I presume.¡± She lowered her gaze while fiddling her hands on her lap. ¡°At least it would be nice if that was possible for us.¡± If they were truly getting engaged, they would certainly attend all events together. And that would be wonderful since she could serve as some sort of shield that stood between her lover and Lady Peril.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Jenna seemed to have seen something in the other''s gaze that betrayed that. She gave the other woman a smile that looked much faker than before with something more sinister glittering in her eyes. ¡°I see. How kind he is. However, you need to be careful. After all, this could cause serious damage to your reputation and his as well. If you attend balls together often, people will assume that you are going to get engaged. Of course, that wouldn''t happen due to your difference in status. But that misunderstanding could prevent you from actually getting married. If that happened, His Royal Highness would probably feel guilty, and that sould be avoided.¡± It was more than frustrating. She acted like there was absolutely no way for Cedar to like Lucille enough to consider marrying her.

    Lucille lifted her gaze to look in her lover''s direction. He was talking to the dowager empress and, apparently, said something that woman didn''t like very much. He only smiled radiantly in return while eating some of his salad. Lucille would have liked to look at him longer, but she didn''t have the time.

    Jenna already bothered her again. ¡°Are you alright, Lady Valerian? I sincerely apologize in case I offended you. I merely wished to remind you that problems could arise if you continue to be so careless. A young woman like you should not dream about the impossible when it is obvious that it is out of your reach.¡±

    Fiona already opened her mouth to help her friend. It was kind of her to do that, but she was too slow.

    Lucille was too annoyed to let her concern stop her, so she talked back even if she was quiet. ¡°You should keep that in mind too. I''m surprised to see you here. After all, the incident during the last ball was rather unpleasant.¡± She wanted to stop herself, but she probably glared at the other woman anyway.

    Lady Peril changed her strategy in an instant. Her smile disappeared, and she looked down while acting like she was about to cry. ¡°I...am aware. I only attended because Her Majesty invited me. Sadly, I could not refuse her without making me feel like I was a coward. But I can assure you that I will not forget that event. I can barely remember it without being covered in shame. His Royal Highness must think so badly of me now, even though I never planned on doing something so vile.¡± Maybe she hadn''t tried to drug him, and Camille had really been behind it. But the fact that she was working together with that person was bad enough. And now, she acted like the victim.

    It was good that someone else here could act too. Fiona''s lips formed a little smile before she put on a concerned expression. She made eye contact with Lucille while speaking. ¡°Oh, my. That sounds horrifying. What happened? I only heard that there was a huge investigation in the Peril mansion. The royal guards got involved, so it had to have been quite the scandal.¡±

    Lucille inwardly thanked her for that chance and hurried to add what would embarrass Jenna. ¡°It seems like someone put a drug into the drink Lady Peril wanted to offer Cedar after she invited him to a private meeting. His Majesty noticed what was going on just in time.¡± The fact that Jenna had intended to meet a man in private was bad enough, but that she might have tried to drug him was so bad that it could ruin her reputation completely.

    Despite this, Lady Peril didn''t pale or get angry. She just put her hand to her cheek and looked dejected. ¡°It is horrible, is it not? If this was revealed carelessly, our family might lose everything because someone tried to frame me. I still cannot believe that my own servant would betray me like this. The person who put the drug into the wine was found dead, but I am still in shock.¡± She wiped away an invisible tear and quietly sniffled.

    Fiona glanced at Lucille before gazing at the other woman again. ¡°I see. It is truly upsetting to hear about that. We will not discuss this any longer if it makes you uncomfortable. It would be better to stay quiet, it seems. Then we will end this conversation here.¡± It seemed like she used that scene to their advantage. She focused all of her attention on her friend and spoke again. ¡°Lucille, you mentioned that the winter garden in the palace is beautiful. Do you want to tell me more about that?¡±

    Lucille thanked her inwardly and quickly began talking about the palace. She could distract herself a bit with this, but her anger didn''t disappear for as long as she knew that Lady Peril was next to her. Yet, talking without a pause was easy when Fiona quickly responded to everything by bringing up her own experiences.

    Like this, a few minutes passed while Lucille could talk in a relaxed manner and occasionally glance at her lover. Cedar was in the middle of talking to his family, and he was pretty annoyed. Lucille would have liked to help him, but she couldn''t just walk over to him.

    Once again, someone unpleasant pulled her out of her thoughts. Lady Peril''s smile was as infuriating as before as she leaned to Lucille. ¡°You seem to admire him too. He is quite a pretty sight, is he not? He is the most wonderful man in the nation.¡±

    Lucille felt the same, but when she heard this from Jenna, it was upsetting.

    Fiona gazed at the other woman with skepticism before putting on her little smile. ¡°Lady Peril, you surely are fond of talking about His Royal Highness. Whenever you are speaking, you always seem to mention him.¡± She hinted at that being annoying but was ignored completely.

    Jenna looked like she was almost bashful, which was certainly an act since that woman was absolutely shameless, when she replied. ¡°I sincerely apologize. I cannot help it. After all, my thoughts accompany him at all times.¡± She even got a bit red while saying that. ¡°He truly is all one could wish for.¡± She let out a dreamy sigh before turning to Lucille and showing her an expression that mirrored concern. ¡°Naturally, I think about you often as well. I worry about you, Lady Valerian. I feel like I am annoying you by repeating this so often, but you need to know this. His Royal Highness isn''t the type of person to fall in love. He might spend time with you to busy himself, but he will lose interest sooner or later. So I, as an adult and experienced woman, would like to warn you. He will definitely not marry you. You will need to find a fianc¨¦ at some point, and by then, this...phase here...may trouble you.¡±

    Lucille seriously considered it for the first time here. She was pretty useless when it came to talking back to people, but there was a limit. Cedar had told her that he would protect her. And she didn''t need to go too far. Just far enough so that the other woman would stop telling her that her relationship wouldn''t last.

    But Lucille wasn''t willing to talk to Jenna in the first place. She tried to avoid any further exchange. ¡°I feel like you are intruding in private matters, Lady Peril. What do you know about Cedar''s and my relationship?¡±

    Jenna''s smile became more smug. That wasn''t a good sign. She grinned to herself while speaking with that complacent tone. ¡°I know little about you. But I do know a lot about His Royal Highness. I was closer to him than you ever were.¡± Surely not. She hadn''t slept in Cedar''s arms or kissed him until the air was sucked out of her lungs.

    Lucille felt annoyance bubbling in her stomach. Her response came out before she could stop it this time. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±

    Jenna still grinned, so it seemed like she was sure that she would win. She leaned forward and whispered something that only Lucille could hear. ¡°Yes. We got as close as humanely possible. I assume that you understand what I mean without me needing to explain it in more detail.¡± That witch. Last time, she had noticed that jealously worked out when it came to upsetting Lucille. So, she wanted to do the same again.

    The only problem was that Lucille knew that Cedar would never have allowed that woman to touch him. And if Lady Peril had had the chance to sleep with him, that woman would have divorced her husband already. So, it was plainly impossible that that had happened.

    Yet, Jenna had the nerve to voice such a drastic lie.

    That was enough to make Lucille boil. It was rare that her anger was bigger than her uncertainty in public, but Lady Peril was good at infuriating her. Now it was enough for Lucille to forget her worries for a moment. She narrowed her eyes at the other woman. ¡°I wonder. Does Cedar remember that too? Or is this drug incident not the first time you tried something like this?¡±

    Lady Peril''s expression morphed into a picture of shock. She was still acting, but she faked her panic well. ¡°Lady Valerian! How can you say something like that? I would never harm a member of the royal family. Especially not His Royal Highness. It is true that he allowed me to be with him once. He won''t admit it because he doesn''t want to make you feel uncomfortable. He found out how jealous you are already, right? So, it''s obvious that he would try to hide it. After all, you are quite inexperienced, and knowing that he was already...with very capable women could be problematic for your confidence.¡± She still believed that she would be able to convince the other woman of her lie.

    Lucille had to hold back a more direct insult and settled for saying what she believed. ¡°Possibly. Or you are just lying to my face. That is much more likely.¡±

    Lady Peril put a hand on her heart and acted like she was offended by that. ¡°I understand your unwillingness to accept it, but please do not treat me unkindly because of that. Why would I lie to you?¡±

    Lucille''s response came immediately. ¡°Because you hate the fact that Cedar likes me. You are scared of losing the chance to impress him, which you, by the way, never had since he dislikes you. I am convinced that you are lying now because you aren''t trustworthy. You lied to me multiple times already. You act as if you know something about Cedar when you''re actually just an unknowing woman who has no relation to him.¡± Surely, the fact that she spoke without stuttering or averting her eyes had to be surprising. That always happened when she got emotional, but Lady Peril couldn''t have known that.

    Jenna seemed genuinely taken aback for a moment before she replied. ¡°I understand if you are unhappy with this, but you are quite harsh. After all, I am not telling you this to upset you. I merely wished to inform you of the fact that His Royal Highness will not simply decide to stay with you. Ever since he was a child, he would-¡±

    Lucille didn''t want to hear that. She dug her fingers into her own skin under the table and cut the other woman off. ¡°Don''t talk about him as if you know him. I''m his lover, and I have been at his side for nine months now. I know more about him than you do, so stop trying to lecture me. I got closer to him than you ever were. And in my case, he even agreed to hold me and wasn''t forced by a woman a decade older than him.¡±

    Jenna was speechless. Of course, that only lasted for a few seconds, and then she quickly caught herself again. ¡°I have to admit that His Royal Highness is a bit younger than I am. However, this age difference gives you no reason to insult me like this. Lady Valerian, I do not wish to offend you by claiming that I am closer to him. It is merely-¡±

    Lucille interrupted her again. ¡°I told you to stop lying. How would you know him when he hates talking to you? He runs away whenever you come close. But when it comes to me, things are completely different. Cedar sleeps in my room each night, and we spend as much time together as we possibly can each day.¡± She only realized that saying that out loud was a bit problematic now, but she couldn''t take it back. She just hoped that no one but Lady Peril and Fiona had heard that.

    The result was worth it either way though.

    Jenna dropped her facade for a single second, and anger appeared on her face. Then her fake smile came back as she hurried to speak. ¡°Oh, Lady Valerian. You still don''t seem to understand what type of person His Royal Highness is. He enjoys playing with things and then throws them away. You just-¡± She repeated the same things again and again. There was no need to listen to these lies.

    Lucille glared at the other woman, and her wrath fueled her enough for her to be able to speak. ¡°So, you are accusing him of lying.¡±

    Jenna was a bit taken aback by that. ¡°What?¡±

    Lucille''s hands were sweaty, and she almost trembled. She hated conflict like this. And yet, the words came out of her mouth without hesitation. ¡°Cedar told me that he liked me. And he told me that he would marry me. If you tell me the opposite, you claim that he is lying. Accusing the second prince of Artias of being dishonest isn''t just a small issue, Lady Peril. If you have any questions, we can ask him to answer them for you. Let''s see what he says about you accusing him of lying to me then. After all, I would be curious about whether what you claimed is actually true.¡±

    After that, silence followed.

    Without a doubt, Lady Peril would argue back in just a few seconds, and her satisfying aghast expression would disappear.

    In just a moment, Lucille would lose her confidence again too and sit there while stuttering and hiding her red face. She would feel horrible for speaking for Cedar and worry about the future once more. But right now, seeing the reaction her strong words had created was extremely pleasant.

 Chapter 123: Love, Hatred and Friendship (1)

    Cedar bit into his food while trying to ignore how his mother stared at him. Announcing that he hadn''t had a breakdown in the past eight years had shocked her quite a bit. She had been silent for at least a minute by now. He wouldn''t continue the conversation if she didn''t do it, but he didn''t need to start hoping at all. His mother wouldn''t be kind enough to stay quiet.

    As if he had predicted it, Camille spoke a moment later with narrowed eyes. ¡°Your breakdowns can''t be gone. You know how bad they were. You broke someone''s arm when you were eight. It''s much worse now, isn''t it? You just don''t want to admit it because you know that I''m the only one who can console you when you lose your temper.¡± She was still deluding herself. Probably because she desperately wanted to feel needed.

    Cedar showed her a bright smile while explaining the obvious. ¡°But they really are gone. You, of all people, should know. To be honest, you never really consoled me but purposefully made it worse so that I''d cling to you and scare off others. But that doesn''t work anymore. You tried to make me break down a few times already. Did you forget that? It never even made me flinch. That should tell you enough. But it seems like using my weaknesses against me directly isn''t sufficient for you. You even told Lady Peril about my triggers, didn''t you? Just so you know, she failed to upset me too. So, I would appreciate it if you refrained from sending others to try the impossible.¡±

    Camille clenched her fists. Her knuckles were white by now, so it wouldn''t be surprising if she left crescent-shaped marks on her palms afterward. Her long fingernails always had left deep wounds when she had lashed out at her son too. ¡°I don''t remember something like that. Why would I tell anyone about what triggers you?¡±

    Cedar could list a hundred reasons in an instant. His mother assumed that the following things would happen if he had a breakdown. He would get scared and search for her guidance again. He would return to being the little boy who desperately longed for little scraps of her affection and was utterly devoted to her. And he would hurt Lady Peril, whom Camille saw as a rival for her son''s attention, and possibly scare Lucille in the process.

    But none of that had happened. Thankfully.

    Cedar beamed at his mother while replying. ¡°Of course, you don''t remember. When it comes to things like this, you forget quite easily. Especially since you risked killing that woman anyway. You don''t care about what she knows when you want her dead, right?¡±

    The dowager empress opened her mouth immediately, and it was obvious that she already felt offended again. ¡°Cedar, how can you say something like this? Even if I deeply dislike that loose woman, I would never harm any noble. That should be obvious!¡±

    Cedar shrugged. Theodore let out a little laugh, and Blanche just whispered a small ¡°Actually...¡± Those reactions should be enough to make anyone understand that hiding their true intentions was useless.

    But Camille just glared at the people around her before she turned to Cedar again. ¡°As soon as I address your breakdowns, you distract. You don''t like talking about that, and I understand that. But you can''t just accuse me of bad things either. Don''t forget who always calmed you down when you attacked random servants again.¡± That made it sound like the Cedar had actually been a huge danger to those around him. Maybe that was partly true, but he had hurt fewer people than his mother had. His breakdowns might have been violent, but they hadn''t been triggered by nothing. So, in general, only people who had wished to provoke Cedar, some of his stupid instructors and in rare cases Theodore, and Camille had seen the result of those tantrums.

    Still, Cedar was embarrassed when he remembered that. He was more than glad that he could control himself now, but that didn''t mean that talking to his mother was any more pleasant. He was pretty annoyed with her ignoring what he had tried to tell her for the past five minutes. So, he did it in a more obvious way. ¡°Believe me when I say that I don''t care about those triggers anymore. You could list all of them right now and provoke me for hours, and I wouldn''t snap at you. You can tell me how useless I am and that you are disappointed in me. You can say that you never loved me and that you are disgusted to even look at me. You can tell me all about how I shouldn''t have been born and that I''m a monster. Or that Theodore is so much better and that I should just-¡± He had prepared to say a bit more, but he didn''t get that far.

    Blanche cut him off with a strange expression. ¡°Don''t say that. Don''t say any of that. We know that you dealt with your mental health by yourself and are perfectly in control at all times. You don''t need to prove anything to that woman. Don''t hurt yourself by spouting such nonsense.¡± She pressed her lips into a thin line while saying that and looked at him with something that resembled pity. But that wasn''t quite it. It was something similar though, and it was strange to meet her gaze like this.

    For a single second, some weird emotion formed in Cedar''s stomach. He didn''t remember what exactly had caused this, but he could vaguely guess it. He found it odd that someone defended him like this. Surely, he still hated his triggers since they addressed everything that had made him insecure as a child, but he had made sure to hide that. No one should see that he cared even a little bit.

    Blanche shouldn''t be interested in this in the slightest. In fact, she should be the person who cared the least here since she had never seen how destructive his breakdowns could get. And yet, she was glaring at Camille with so much hatred while not showing anything like that to him. It was odd.

    It became even stranger when Theodore inserted himself into the conversation. He met his mother''s gaze and spoke in a voice that sounded calm but hid much more hatred than many people would notice. ¡°I don''t know what gave you the impression that Cedar was a bad person. Because he isn''t. Despite the horrible person who raised him, he managed to grow up into someone who thinks by himself and refuses to harm anyone if it isn''t absolutely necessary. I have to admit that he was aggressive as a child. But that was after someone sent assassins to attack him in his free time. He isn''t to blame for any of his issues when you purposefully implanted them into his brain to chain him to you. And even after he was forced to live with you for so long, he knew that hurting others was wrong and did something against his anger issues.¡±

    Cedar didn''t like hearing that. It felt wrong to be told this by someone who had seen his worst side. Hadn''t he threatened his brother during some of his breakdowns? Theodore should hate him for that and should agree with Camille. And yet...

    Theodore didn''t even stop there. He kept defending his brother while attacking Camille. ¡°I''m pretty sure that Cedar didn''t have any bad breakdowns for the past decade. And aside from that, he only raised his voice at people who deserved it. His self-control is flawless, and he reached that level despite having been a child while he learned that. You, however, have been hysteric for all of your life and never bothered to hold back so comparing you two is stupid. Cedar is a sane person who can have nice conversations with others and build relationships while you are just a walking block of bitterness and unjust hatred. I wish Father hadn''t left him in your care. Then Cedar would feel much better now. All of his problems stem from you. Every single one does.¡±

    Cedar wasn''t sure what to say about that. He just scanned his brother with slight skepticism. He had expected a little help to show that they were on the same side, but the emperor had delivered more than necessary. Especially the fact that Theodore had praised his brother''s self-control despite being met with some rather unkind breakdowns when they had been children. Granted, that had mostly happened when Theodore had said something stupid, but still.

    Camille was just as taken aback upon hearing that. But of course, she didn''t do anyone the favor of staying silent for a bit longer. She only took a moment to process this before she woke up from her paralysis. She looked from one person to the other before glaring at Theodore. ¡°Why are you saying that, you unknowing brat? I raised Cedar to be the person that he is now. He is much stronger than you ever were and gathered much more knowledge to rule the nation.¡±

    Theodore stayed calm, but there was anger bubbling underneath his facade when he replied. ¡°I never said that that wasn''t true. That''s why I want him to act as my advisor too. But that Cedar learned so much is his accomplishment and not yours. You only hurt him, so don''t you dare to pat yourself on the back for that.¡±

    Camille only got more angry at that. She had given up on veiling her fury on her face but still spoke in a whisper to keep others from hearing her. ¡°Why are you defending him? You should know best what he can really do. He threatened you often enough, didn''t he?¡±

    Theodore leaned forward and gazed at the dowager empress with nothing but pure fury. ¡°But he never acted on it. Did you not notice? He had a dozen chances to kill me by now. During our childhood, after my coronation and now too. But he never did that. Because he doesn''t wish for my death. That is only your goal and not his. So, take your filthy hands off Cedar and finally let him live his own life.¡±

    Cedar normally wouldn''t stay silent during such a discussion, but right now, he was actually too shocked to know what to say. He just beamed at the group while trying to understand what his brother was thinking. That was rather hard.

    Guessing what Camille was thinking was easy though. Her face was scrunched up while she stared at the emperor. ¡°His own life? Cedar lives for me. I''m his mother, and in contrast to you, he didn''t leave me and go to some whore that-¡±

    Theodore cut her off a second later. ¡°Insulting my mother will not help you, so shut your mouth. Likewise, I will not allow you to slander Cedar either. Think about what you are saying before opening your foul mouth, you damned hypocrite.¡± He seemed to be upset, or he wouldn''t voice such direct insults. Why? He hadn''t been attacked. Was he this angry because Althea had been insulted?

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    In any case, it only provoked Camille more. ¡°I can say whatever I want! I''m the dowager empress. I never lied. Cedar always did what I told him to. What makes you think that he will suddenly stop to play family with you? Don''t make me laugh.¡± She sounded so bitter while saying that. ¡°He hates you, and he will always resent you with every fiber of his being until it tears him apart from the inside.¡± That wasn''t true, but she said it with so much conviction. Arguing with her wouldn''t do anything. ¡°You saw what Cedar can do! He is a monster. He is ready to kill and injure anyone around him just because they said one little thing he didn''t like. He isn''t capable of-¡±

    Cedar prepared for the whole lecture about how he wasn''t able to feel a connection to anyone but his mother. But that didn''t come.

    Blanche interrupted the other woman with an unusually cold tone. ¡°Shut your mouth. We know more about Cedar than you do because you never bothered to care for others'' opinions. You''ve always been like that. Both me and Theodore care for Cedar, so stop saying hurtful things about him. He isn''t a monster nor is he cruel in any way. In fact, he even watched out for people he disliked because they kept telling him stupid things. I once made the mistake of saying almost all of his triggers to his face, and yet, he didn''t attack me. He only told me to think before I speak because he worried about me upsetting you at some point. That serves as proof that he fully controls himself. You may not recognize his efforts, but we do.¡±

    That was true. Cedar hadn''t hurt Blanche. But he had threatened her because he wanted her to remember not to provoke him or Camille, who would lash out if she felt offended. He had been pretty mean while doing that. Afterward, Blanche had cried and panically hidden behind her guard, and Theodore had looked terrified upon finding out what had happened too. Why weren''t they angry about that but claimed to care about the prince?

    By now, Cedar had begun eating to cover up his uncertainty about what to say. He glanced at his lover to distract himself, and immediately, his mood deteriorated even more.

    Lucille''s expression was odd. She frowned at Jenna while the other woman spoke about something. What was Lady Peril doing again?

    Cedar considered walking over to ask what was going on but decided against it. He focused on the conversation in front of him and quickly found out that it was pretty bad. It looked like Theodore was ready to split open Camille''s head, and the dowager empress would probably throw her utensils at her son in a moment.

    So, Cedar did what he had always done. He changed the topic to keep his mother from exploding. ¡°It seems like our opinions differ here. How about we discuss something else then? We talked about health issues ever since you received your medicine, but before that-¡± He didn''t even manage to come up with a fake topic in the meantime.

    Camille already saw her chance and grasped it immediately. ¡°Yes, we talked about how sick I was.¡± She put on an expression that made it seem like she was suffering, and deep wrinkles formed on her forehead. ¡°Cedar, ever since you visited me and coldly left me alone, it has gotten much worse.¡± It almost looked like Theodore mouthed an ¡®Apparently, not bad enough¡¯, but Camille didn''t notice that and kept on babbling. ¡°I was lying in bed with a fever for days at a time. I was hot and cold, and I felt so alone that I thought I would die at times. Cedar, you need to promise to be with me in my last moments when my weak heart finally gives in after so much suffering. That is the least you can do after abandoning me like this.¡±

    In the past, something like this would have given her the desired result. Cedar would have apologized a hundred times before promising not to leave her. Now it was very different though. Cedar had to admit that keeping upright the wall between him and his mother was much easier when she was angry and unable to lull him into returning to her side. So, he would provoke her as much as he could. He just needed to remember what she had told him when he had been sick and she hadn''t been in the mood to deal with him.

    ¡°What are you whining about? I had it much worse.¡±

    Camille hadn''t expected that. She looked at him with wide eyes and could barely believe that he had just said that. ¡°What?¡±

    Cedar beamed at her while deciding to add something else. He would be more specific. ¡°You used to tell me that when I was sick. You said that you had been through worse and that I shouldn''t complain. Now I''m telling you the same. I can assure you that I felt much more pain in my childhood than you did. If I remember correctly, your arm wasn''t broken because you...¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Fell down the stairs. Your mother didn''t smash a mirror onto your head because you talked to your brother. And you surely didn''t need to swallow all of your complaints while eating things that almost made you suffocate.¡± He only noticed that Theodore hadn''t known about the mirror incident when the emperor narrowed his eyes at Camille. It seemed like he would have to talk about that later now. Great. Cedar would rather not mention this. But it was too late now.

    Camille barely seemed to register his words. Still, she hated the fact that he even dared to use her words against him and tried to justify her actions. ¡°Your training only helped you. You are the best fighter around here now, aren''t you? That broken arm was good for you. You learned to finish off attackers easily without even batting an eye. That saved you from the assassin a bit later too. You always used to say that that training was great, so why are you lying now?¡±

    Cedar forced himself to eat a bit so that his plate wouldn''t remain full until the very end. It was unfavorable that he needed to chew now while his mother was glaring at him, but he took his time before replying. ¡°I never said that it was bad, even if I would argue that there would have been kinder methods. But you can''t deny that I went through a lot more than you did. If you complain about pain, it''s like me complaining about how hard it is to be empress. I never experienced that, and you never experienced real pain.¡± She had never been forced to hold still while someone pressed blazing hot metal onto her back.

    But Camille seemed to have forgotten about that. ¡°What? Your brother''s stupid advisor broke my leg on purpose! Can you-¡±

    Cedar cut her off. ¡°Your leg wasn''t broken. It was only sprained. But my teacher broke my arm on purpose because you ordered him to do it if I lost. I can still remember how the breaking bone sounded. After that, you told me that it was my own fault. Isn''t provoking Theodore and Lord Astame your fault too? After the scene you caused there, which might have involved you planning to hurt the empress as well, it''s a wonder that he didn''t have you executed immediately. Be grateful.¡±

    The named event had been the day that Blanche had been drugged, and Cedar''s mother had had no better idea than to tell him to use that to hurt her. He had refused and run away when his brother had taken over, only to have Camille come back with a sprained leg later. He couldn''t say that he had felt any sympathy regarding that day.

    Cedar calmly put another portion of his food onto his fork and ate it. Seemingly, he had been frustrated enough to gulp down the whole salad without noticing it. Blanche and Theodore were done as well despite seeming much too angry to eat.

    Camille didn''t look like she would finish her plate. She just waved to the servants and glared. Seemingly, she had noticed that reminding her sons of that day wouldn''t do her any good. Theodore was already plotting her death, and Cedar had stopped unconditionally listening to her after that incident. That day wasn''t a good memory for either of them.

    A few servants came and exchanged the plates to put down the main course while being careful not to get too close to the fuming dowager empress.

    Cedar kept an eye on those people from the corner of his eyes, and it proved to be beneficial. He froze in place while he showed the other man a bright smile. It was nice to see him here after such a long time.

    Reeve was wearing servant clothing and just walked around as if he belonged there and wasn''t an assassin from the outside. But how quietly he walked and how he set down the plate without shaking proved that he was too focused. As soon as he made eye contact with the prince, he stopped in place, and they stared at each other.

    What was Reeve doing here? That he had sneaked in couldn''t mean anything good.

    Cedar immediately glanced at Lucille. She was currently glaring at Lady Peril, who looked oddly shocked. No suspicious servant was over there. Still, he had to keep an eye on her. But first, he would deal with this. He eyed Reeve while speaking up to inform his brother and Blanche. ¡°I feel like there is a person you need to meet.¡± He gestured to Reeve. ¡°May I introduce him to you? That is Reeve. My former personal guard. If you see that man in the royal estate, arrest him. He is the one who brought in some letters and secret messages.¡±

    Camille actually looked shocked for a moment. ¡°Cedar, what are you...¡± Had she seriously not expected her son to reveal this? Did she think that Cedar would be neutral and not against her? That was stupid.

    It only annoyed Cedar more. So, he made eye contact with his brother. ¡°He''s an assassin too. Not as much of a sadist as the previous guard, but he is very cowardly. So, scaring him off is easy enough. I trained with him often, so I can tell you all about his fighting style.¡± He ended by grinning at his mother before looking at Reeve again.

    Reeve showed him a strange expression. For a moment, it looked like he would try to say something or stay in the room, but then he turned around and left. Apparently, he had seen the emperor''s gaze and could imagine that this wouldn''t end well.

    Theodore raised his hand to gesture to a small group of guards, who immediately ran after Reeve. After that, he took away the plate that Reeve had set on the table and gave it to a servant to replace it. He didn''t care whether that upset the dowager empress in any way.

    Camille didn''t seem to get that though. She glared at her son while grabbing her teacup with way too much force. ¡°You have some nerve. Arresting a random servant just because Cedar lied to your face. You-¡±

    Theodore cut her off with an emotionless expression. ¡°I can investigate each person in this nation as I see fit. That I know every person in this house but don''t recognize him should justify that even more. Besides, I trust Cedar much more than I trust you. If that servant isn''t special, you shouldn''t feel the need to complain at all.¡±

    Cedar would like to point out that trusting him was stupid, but since he had told the truth, it was good that Theodore did that. He just focused on his plate and ate some potato pieces while he looked at his mother''s ugly expression.

    Apparently, Camille was really upset with him now. She even glared at him while he was just chewing his food. ¡°Cedar, you truly don''t know boundaries. That man supported you for two years ever since your brother murdered your former guard. How can you forsake him like this?¡± She didn''t treat her pawns any better. Who was she to complain?

    Cedar ignored that in favor of eating another bite. He chewed and swallowed slowly until he was sure that his mother was about to blow up and then replied. ¡°If Reeve didn''t do anything illegal, nothing will happen to him. So, there isn''t an issue here. The reason why Theodore killed that other man was probably self-defense since you know how arrogant that idiot was. Let it be.¡±

    Camille opened her mouth again, but he didn''t let her talk.

    Cedar set down his fork and continued. ¡°I don''t like repeating myself. But I feel like you haven''t grasped it fully, so I will have to say it again. Mother, I''m not on your side anymore.¡± Not that saying this would make the situation better, but Cedar at least wanted to try.

 Chapter 124: Love, Hatred and Friendship (2)

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    <hr>

 Chapter 125: Love, Hatred and Friendship (3)

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°

 Chapter 126: Planning For the Future (1)

    Lucille had been taken aback when the empress had handed her a small handbook about etiquette. She had immediately worried about her manners being so unsightly that Blanche would feel the need to intervene. But then, she had been told that this was just to read up on something if there was an issue. She had accepted that while being a bit scared that she might have messed up completely, and yet, the empress had reassured her that it was fine.

    So, Lucille had forgotten about it. Until now at least. Now that she sat here and received a handbook about the royal family by Leonard Astame, the emperor''s personal advisor, she became a bit worried again. She sat there on the sofa and fiddled with her fingers while averting her eyes. That had probably been very obvious.

    After all, Leon scanned her for a while before he spoke up. ¡°You seem oddly unwell, Lady Valerian. I sincerely apologize if I made you feel displeased in some way.¡±

    Lucille forced herself to reply despite her confusion. ¡°No, that''s not it. You did not do anything unsettling. It is merely that...¡± She didn''t even know what to say about this.

    Leon grinned at her, which almost made it seem like he was teasing her on purpose. ¡°So, I did nothing, and you are still worried? Am I that scary? I can assure you that I will not do you any harm.¡± Now he was putting words into her mouth.

    Lucille quickly refuted that as well. ¡°No, no! You are not the issue, Lord Astame. I was merely...merely worried about suddenly...being called here.¡±

    Leonard almost seemed like he could read all emotions off his face. He was content with her response. ¡°I see. I already thought that our prince told you. Apparently, he didn''t. He is much more considerate than he pretends to be. Well, I will have to thank him later. And I can calm you.¡± He reached for the book on the table and slowly opened it to show her the first few pages. ¡°There haven''t been any issues. I merely wished to start preparing, so to say.¡± He moved the book over to her. ¡°Can you tell me whether you''ve read something like this already?¡±

    Lucille was a bit reluctant, but she leaned forward to pick the book up. Apparently, this was about the history of the royal family with some notes about etiquette being put into it as well. Of course, she had never read this. She slowly lifted her gaze. Would Leon be mad if she admitted that? But he couldn''t expect a viscount''s daughter to learn a lot about the royal family, right? ¡°I... I...haven''t read it. I only read normal etiquette books. I''m sorry.¡±

    Leonard looked like he was a bit concerned because of her reaction, but he didn''t get angry. ¡°That''s perfectly fine. I never expected you to have read it. I merely asked since it wouldn''t be necessary for you to read it twice. In fact, you don''t need to read it at all. I just thought that this would be good preparation. After all, it may be practical to slowly begin now so that we don''t have to go too quickly when you finally announce it.¡±

    Oh. This wasn''t just about her position as the empress'' lady-in-waiting.

    Lucille brought the book closer to her and read a bit. This certainly went into a lot of detail, so she assumed that it wasn''t just for someone who would accompany the empress. A small idea came to Lucille. She lifted her head and scanned the secretary''s expression. Then she looked down at the book again. He had specifically shown her the chapter about princes and princesses as well as their consorts. And that was enough to make her heart speed up its pace. Lucille could only sit there and stare at the lines in front of her while the blood rushed to her face.

    This was supposed to prepare her in case she married Cedar. As the princess consort, she would have to show appropriate behavior at all times and had to act like a dignified and calm lady. No one could embarrass the royal family by letting the second prince''s wife be uneducated.

    Theoretically, she and Cedar had already talked about getting engaged. But suddenly seeing this and knowing that the emperor''s advisor believed them to get married was something completely different.

    Lucille put the book back onto the table and lifted her hands to cover her cheeks. Why did she have to get so red now? That was ridiculous.

    Leon showed her a soft smile while he spoke up. ¡°It seems like you understood it. At least you are quicker to catch on than Blanche. Well, this can only help us. You are rather young, so we have at least two years until the wedding will happen. After all, our prince will insist on giving you that much time so that you can be sure. If you tell me that you do not want to marry him now, we don''t have to continue this. But if you consider the option, it would be nice to prepare a bit. We can just have a lesson every few days and talk about etiquette and a bit of politics if you care about that. It wouldn''t be exhausting and a very reliable method to avoid overwhelming you because you suddenly need to learn so many things. Would that be fine, or are you against it?¡±

    Lucille had no idea what to say. Her mouth opened, and then she closed it again. Of course, it had been obvious that being with Cedar could make her a part of the royal family. But for some reason, she had never thought about this part of her responsibilities. She seriously considered marrying Cedar, so she would need to prepare for things like this too. She hated being in the center of attention, but being with Cedar would definitely make up for this. Lucille couldn''t imagine having another husband. Anyone else would never be able to make her heart beat so quickly, and they would never win her over with just a smile either.

    Still, she couldn''t make this decision on her own. If someone found out that she was taking lessons to prepare for being the princess consort, that could cause huge rumors. She really needed to discuss this with Cedar.

    Lucille opened her mouth to explain that. She took a moment until the words came back to her. ¡°I...have to ask...¡± That wasn''t the right word. ¡°I want to talk to Cedar first.¡± They needed to be on the same page regarding an engagement if someone offered her lessons like this.

    Leonard thankfully didn''t seem to be upset. He just smiled at her. ¡°That''s fine. You can talk to him as soon as he is done with his work. But as I said, we have enough time. Don''t pressure yourself. You can change your mind in the middle too if you feel like you would rather have lessons or not. That was all I wanted to tell you.¡± He leaned forward to rustle with the papers in his hand and sorted them before moving back again. He flipped through the pages before glancing at the clock. ¡°Your lover should be done in about ten minutes. How about we go pick him up from the office? I was going to bring chocolate milk there anyway.¡±

    The fact that others openly addressed Cedar as her lover still made Lucille''s stomach tingle. She wasn''t sure what to tell the secretary about any of this, so she just nodded.

    Leonard glanced toward the door. ¡°I don''t mind bringing you there. You can take your time before that though. Someone else is here to speak to you. I will read in the meantime, and you can just come back when you are done.¡± With that, he focused on his documents.

    Lucille still had no idea what Leonard was thinking. But taking lessons with the person who was rumored to be a genius advisor who had the emperor''s unconditional trust wasn''t a bad option. But for now, she couldn''t think about that. She stood up and walked to the door, to which Leon had gestured. She opened it and was surprised to find another woman standing right in front of her.

    That woman was a bit older than her and wore a white coat. She quickly bowed to Lucille before speaking. ¡°I sincerely apologize for disturbing you, Lady Valerian. I am uncertain whether you still remember who I am. I am one of the royal doctor''s assistants.¡±

    Lucille had spent enough time in that office after being hit with an arrow. She wouldn''t forget so quickly. ¡°I remember. It is a...pleasure to meet you again.¡± If someone from the doctor''s office had come here, it had to be about something serious. Lucille almost swallowed as she turned around to the other side of the room.

    Leonard was reading some letters with a frown on his face. He wouldn''t need any help and rather wanted his privacy.

    So, Lucille quickly spoke again. ¡°Is there...perhaps something you need to discuss with me?¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The woman nodded. ¡°There is. However, it is no concerning matter, so please do not be worried. It would just be...¡± She was silent for a moment before glancing to the side. ¡°Better to enter a private room to talk about this.¡±

    That actually worried Lucille a little. Would she have to listen to some explanation about how her arrow wound could cause more trouble in the future? She looked at Leon for a moment before gazing back at the woman and nodding. ¡°I understand. Then we could use this side room.¡± She let the doctor''s assistant enter and walked over to another door to a smaller room with only a little table inside. She was pretty sure that she had never been in there, and that proved how big the palace was. But she didn''t point that out and entered.

    The other woman followed her. She closed the door behind them and then stood there in silence for a moment. It only took a few seconds before she lost some of her confidence. She cleared her throat and hugged herself while shifting her weight from one leg to the other. She was quiet for a bit longer after that before she finally spoke up. ¡°I sincerely apologize if this...topic makes you uncomfortable, Lady Valerian. I...will only address it because we, the doctor, the other assistants and me, believe that it is important to talk about this. I am the only woman there, so they thought that it might be more pleasant for me to deal with this instead.¡±

    Lucille could guess in which direction this would go from that alone. But she didn''t like that very much. She already knew that she would only get more embarrassed from now on. Her voice was an octave higher than it should be when she replied. ¡°They did?¡±

    The other woman nodded. She averted her eyes for a moment before forcing herself to meet the other''s gaze. ¡°You can probably imagine what this is about. By now...many people have seen it already, so...it''s undeniable. His Royal Highness regularly sleeps in your room. And...and...¡± She stuttered a bit while saying that. ¡°The doctor asked him whether you needed contraceptives multiple times, only to be rejected. So, we thought that...¡± Her face got red near the end. That was good in some way.

    After all, Lucille''s face was red too. She was probably much more embarrassed than the other woman. She looked down and hid herself behind her hands while trying to calm down. How often had Cedar dealt with these things for her? He had tried to keep her out of this, and yet, it hadn''t worked.

    The doctor''s assistant seemed to have misunderstood her silence though. She became a bit more hectic and apologized. ¡°I truly did not mean to offend you in any way. Please do not take it like that! I, I mean we, merely wanted to help you because...because you are very young. I am sorry. We will...¡±

    Lucille only got even more bashful with each spoken word, so she hurried to stop the other woman. ¡°It''s not...I''m not angry. I just...¡± She didn''t know how to explain that she didn''t need contraceptives at the moment. Maybe she would need it at some point, but she couldn''t think about that without making herself even more embarrassed. She wouldn''t be able to face Cedar if she seriously had that in mind. ¡°I...don''t... We don''t...need that.¡± She hoped that that was enough to tell the other woman the truth, but she couldn''t look up to check. She was much too scared of the expression she would see if she made eye contact.

    The other woman was silent for a moment before she let out a shaky ¡°Oh...¡± After that, she was silent again. Why was she suddenly so unwell? It would be much more logical for her if she just said something quickly, but she drew it out a little. A few seconds passed before she replied. ¡°I apologize for bothering you then. But...well... If you change your mind...just come to us. You don''t need to...say anything. You can just send a servant as well. Just so that we can make sure that you will only have a child when you want one. But if you do want one already, that is naturally fine too...¡± She got quieter with each word.

    Lucille had no idea what to say about this anymore. She just nodded weakly while still covering her face.

    For a moment, it was quiet until the other woman moved. ¡°Then I will take my leave now. I hope that I did not disturb you too much. I will...go.¡± It sounded like the door was opened and closed again. Then it was silent.

    Lucille waited for a handful of seconds before she lifted her head. She was alone, and yet, her embarrassment still made her want to hide. Now that that woman had mentioned it, she felt like she seriously needed to think about it more. If she married Cedar, she would not only need to attend lessons and give her best to become a member of the royal family who was able to speak in public. She probably would have an heir at some point too. Surely, they didn''t need one since Aurora would take over the family, but still, having a child at some point would be nice.

    She had always wanted to have children, and Cedar might as well. If they married, they would most likely sleep with each other, at least if they both wanted it. That thought was as logical as it was overwhelming.

    Lucille pressed her hands onto her cheeks and tapped onto her skin in an attempt to calm down. She wouldn''t think about that now. She couldn''t, or she would end up being red even while she went out to greet Leon. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

    At least five minutes passed before she dared to leave the smaller room. That attempt to ease her nervousness had been to no avail though.

    Leonard lifted his head and immediately grinned at her. ¡°I presume it was the same topic they bothered Cedar with?¡± This was ridiculous. Leon acted like he knew what this had been about. Did he find this funny? Possibly. His expression made it seem like this was the case.

    Lucille pressed her lips together and nodded while hiding her cheeks again. Apparently, that didn''t do much.

    Leonard just laughed and stood up. He sorted the papers in his hands before folding them. ¡°I see. Of course, they couldn''t drop it. Theodore was rather worried, so he probably told the doctor to be stubborn. Maybe he is also doing that because he finds his brother''s reaction funny. Our prince is rather insensitive when it comes to jokes normally, and he only gets more annoyed when you are involved. So, I must apologize, but we like using his weak spot.¡± He checked whether he had put everything into his folder before walking over to the main door. ¡°So. Can we go to the office now? Your lover is probably waiting there for you.¡± He opened the door and stepped out.

    Lucille quickly followed him and tried to hide how bashful this whole topic made her. She once again hated the fact that she got so red all of a sudden and that everyone could read her face when she was like this. She hated it so much that she just wanted to hide in her room until it was over. It almost felt like everyone they passed knew exactly what was going on inside her head, and that was terrifying. So, she forced herself to stay quiet and calm.

    She followed Leon while doing her best to hide the fact that she had just thought about her future with Cedar in a very intimate sense. Apparently, Leonard found it funny that she was so shy.

    Lucille became even more worried about keeping her expression straight. She averted her eyes whenever a person walked past and just hoped that Cedar wouldn''t see what was going in inside her head. But that was probably not a wish that could be fulfilled. Her lover was good at reading people. So, she was reluctant to walk faster than she had to.

    But Leon quickly noticed that she had slowed her pace and stopped for a moment to walk next to her again. Lucille was almost sure that he would say something about the doctor, but he left her alone with her thoughts. He didn''t say anything and just smiled at her before looking straight ahead again.

    Lucille scanned him with skepticism before she directed her eyes at what she had noticed the whole time. Leonard was carrying some documents in his hand. It didn''t look like those were official ones but letters. Normally, everything that was related to the emperor would be read in the office, but Leon had taken it with him to go through it in private. That made Lucille a bit curious. She doubted that she would be courageous enough to ask, but at the moment that Leon opened his mouth, she only wanted to keep him from addressing her insecurity. She hurried to speak. ¡°Uhm...those letters...¡± She paused to give him a chance to complain and only continued when he didn''t do that. ¡°Are those for His Majesty?¡±

    Leon lifted the papers and glanced down at them. ¡°I wish.¡± His smile disappeared, and when it came back, it was forced, and he didn''t even hide the annoyance that he felt. ¡°Unfortunately, those aren''t for our emperor. Those are for Cedar. And sadly, they aren''t connected to politics and are rather unpleasant. They''re from his mother. Ever since the banquet, she has been sending an abundance of letters each day. I would love to stop wasting my time with this since she only writes stupid things and insults with so many pages that I wonder whether she has been doing something aside from writing all day. But I will have to go through them for as long as she sends them.¡±

    Lucille scanned the papers. It truly seemed like those were quite a few pages. She looked up at Leon and took a few seconds before asking. ¡°I do not wish to be impolite, but... Why do you read them?¡±

    Leonard''s expression became serious at that. He stared into the distance while replying. ¡°Theodore told me to check the letters for any kind of threats or insults. If that woman didn''t write anything special, we don''t need to make our prince read that. Surely, he would act strong, but he doesn''t have to see how his mother addresses him here. You can imagine what a hysteric narcissist writes when she feels like Cedar is the one who left her behind to die. She keeps insulting him in the most vile ways, and then she writes that she loves him and needs him to stay with her. It''s horrible. He shouldn''t be confronted with that. Theodore shouldn''t read this either, or he might run over to the mansion and cut off her head because he gets too angry. I''m the best option.¡± He said that, but his expression told a different story. There was fury bubbling below his facade. He disliked Camille as much as everyone else here.

    Lucille didn''t need to interact with that woman often to know that she was disgusting. She had seen Cedar after he had talked to his mother, and that already showed her how horrible Camille was. Few people could completely exhaust the chatty prince in just a few minutes. So, Cedar should avoid those letters. He didn''t need to be insulted by Camille, who had no right to judge in any way.

    Once again, Lucille prayed for the future. She desperately hoped that Cedar would finally be able to push Camille out of his life without that woman constantly looming in the back of his mind.

    Of course, Cedar would never forget what had happened. He had already been scarred too much, and some of those wounds would never heal. But Lucille wanted to do everything she could to make it better. She would like to help him move forward. She wanted her lover to finally step out of the dark shadow that his mother had left in his life. Lucille wanted him to smile genuinely more often. She wanted him to be relaxed without needing to worry about attacks from behind. She wanted him to stop comparing himself to his brother, and she wanted him to stop looking down on himself.

    Cedar was a wonderful person, and he should know that at some point. And it would be nice if he accepted that being vulnerable wasn''t a weakness, that small mistakes and flaws were only human.

    Maybe it was a selfish desire, but she wanted to stand at his side when that happened. And more than that, Lucille wanted him to know one thing. She wanted Cedar to know that she loved him. That was what he needed to hear and be shown many more times in the future. Lucille was more than ready to give that to him.

 Chapter 127: Planning For the Future (2)

    By the time Lucille and Leonard arrived at the office, she was still lost in thoughts. There was so much she would like to do for Cedar and even more she wanted to help him with. She wasn''t sure whether it was possible, but she would like to become a safe haven for him. She wanted him to be vulnerable around her and to open up to her completely. That might still take a few years, but she would be happy to stand by his side until Cedar finally felt fully safe with her.

    Leon had been rather serious for the rest of their walk until they stopped. Then he scanned Lucille''s expression and almost acted like he knew what she had told herself in her mind. He grinned at her before he took it upon himself to knock.

    The emperor''s voice sounded a moment later. ¡°Come in, Leon.¡±

    Leonard did as he was told and held open the door for Lucille.

    She slipped inside hesitantly and stopped to look around. The emperor''s office was truly a sight to behold. Lucille had been here a long time ago, but she still remembered how impressive it had been, and now it seemed to be even grander than before. She barely dared to step forward, but then her eyes fell onto a familiar shade of light blue.

    Cedar lifted his head and pushed aside the paper he had written on a moment ago to show her a blinding smile. ¡°Thank the gods. You are finally here. That means that I can retreat.¡±

    Lucille opened her mouth to reply, but she was too slow.

    Leonard just chimed in without caring for the fact that the emperor and the empress hadn''t spoken yet. ¡°It''s not surprising that you feel that way. Did the insufferable couple coat the room in sugary words again?¡± He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a folder, from which he took some documents before hiding the letters somewhere in there, probably to get rid of them later without Cedar knowing it.

    Cedar glanced at Lucille to show that he actually had been referring to her but replied to Leon nonetheless. ¡°Indeed. As far as I heard, Blanche only wanted to visit Theodore for five minutes. This was the result. He hasn''t worked for the past ten minutes, and I can listen to them swearing their eternal love for each other every two seconds. One almost can''t believe that they are able to spend a second apart from one another.¡±

    Now a complaint from the desk followed. Blanche was sitting on her husband''s lap and showed the group a bright smile while cuddling against Theodore, who looked rather content as well. ¡°We apologize, but we aren''t really sorry. After all, this is Theo''s office. It''s fine for us to be here like this. We already held back for you, believe me. And I really did want to leave after five minutes, but it''s too comfortable here.¡± She turned her head to press a kiss onto her husband''s cheek.

    Theodore hummed in satisfaction at that and added a comment as well. ¡°You will have to do with my angel and me being like this. Nothing will ever stop us from proclaiming our love for each other. But it''s funny for you to complain now.¡± He lifted his head after whispering something to his wife and then made eye contact with Leon. ¡°You know. Cedar is much better at being quiet instead of disturbing the couples around him. He just ignores it and continues his work. Maybe you should use him as some sort of role model.¡±

    Lucille followed his gaze to make eye contact with her amused lover for a moment before she looked at the secretary as well.

    Leonard crossed his arms and let out a huff that was probably supposed to sound offended. ¡°That''s ridiculous. I''ve been here for almost eight years, and your brother has been on your side for less than a year. How come I''m supposed to be like him now?¡±

    Cedar chimed in at that point. ¡°You are absolutely right. Being like me is a horrible idea. My brother doesn''t need another person to cause trouble here. And to be honest, Theodore, I''m only working so quickly because I can leave earlier when I finish all this. I''m done with the stack you gave me, so it should be fine now.¡± He picked up the papers and carefully sorted them before putting them back into a folder. Then he stood up and handed it over to Leon without caring for the other man''s fake indignation.

    Theodore glanced at the table his brother had worked on and sighed while resting his chin on his wife''s shoulder. ¡°You certainly are quick. I thought I was special for moving so fast, but well. It''s good that you can use that for Artias now. You are free to leave if you can''t endure seeing Blanche and me cuddle here.¡±

    Blanche spoke up before Cedar could reply. ¡°That would be better. Leon will lose his mind if two couples sit here together.¡± She grinned at the secretary before turning her eyes to Lucille. ¡°So, it seems like you will have to drag your lover away to save us from some discussions.¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded, trying not to show how much she wanted to hug and kiss Cedar already. ¡°I... We will leave soon.¡± That earned her a few grins, and she had no idea how to deal with that.

    Thankfully, Cedar moved before she had to. He took her hand in his. ¡°It''s nice to see you. I''ve already missed you in the one and a half hours that we didn''t meet. It truly was unbearable.¡± He showed her one of those breathtaking smiles and then lifted her hand to his face and gently placed a kiss on the backside of her hand.

    Lucille had already lost the game here. She knew that she would blush in just a short while and could only stare at her lover. Cedar was so gorgeous that it was unfair, and when he looked at her like that, it only got worse. She opened her mouth to respond, but she didn''t get far.

    A second later, Theodore let out a small laugh. ¡°Look. I won our bet. They held hands first.¡±

    Blanche puffed out her cheeks while her leaning head back and resting it on her husband''s shoulder. ¡°I should have known that you would win. I was sure that they would hug. Well. It''s cute either way, but I presume that I will have to pay the consequence for being wrong now.¡±

    Theodore ran his fingers through his hair before adding another bit. ¡°You should have guessed it, my angel. You know how Cedar is. He will take a while before he admits to having the desire to show everyone how much he cares about his lover. For now, he will take it slow, but he will probably end up teasing her more than anyone else.¡±

    Cedar scanned the couple for a moment before he turned his attention to his lover again. He beamed at Lucille before whispering to her. ¡°Ignore them. They have nothing else to talk about. This is the first time you entered this office in a while, right? I think you didn''t have a chance to look around at all the last time we came here. Especially the book collection is great, right?¡± He just said that because he knew that his lover adored reading.

    Lucille looked around again and quickly agreed. Every wall in the room was covered with bookshelves, and all of them were full. The one spot that wasn''t covered with books was rather easy to find. Lucille''s eyes were automatically drawn to the painting that hung above one of the smaller dressers.

    It was a stunning portrait of the royal couple. Blanche was sitting on a chair with Theodore standing behind her, and the both of them looked so content that it seemed to make the whole painting glow.

    Lucille couldn''t help but stare at it in awe. The words left her mouth without her wanting to say it. ¡°The picture is beautiful.¡±

    Cedar chuckled before standing next to her to gaze at the painting too. ¡°It is. The man who created this is famous all across the continent for his beautiful portraits, but this is without a doubt his most stunning work. I believe that the painting of the royal couple for the ancestral gallery to extremely pleasing to look at too though. That means that he hasn''t just created one masterpiece but simply is an amazing artist.¡±

    Theodore chimed in here. ¡°His name is Erneis, and he truly is a genius. We could invite him if you want to meet him in person.¡±

    Blanche seemed to be excited about that idea. ¡°That would be wonderful. We would like to ask for a painting of Aurora, so he will have to visit anyway. He might as well paint one for you too. Erneis said that he loves painting couples. He says that it could bring them luck. We hope that you don''t need to rely on luck alone, but it would be nice to have as much as we can get.¡±

    Lucille wasn''t sure what the traditions in the royal family said, but normally, painting someone at the side of a member of the Estien family hinted that they would become part of that household soon. If one puts in the time and effort to order a picture of specific people, it indicated that they would stay with them for many years to come after all. That equated to an unofficial statement that Lucille would marry Cedar.

    Cedar easily seemed to notice what she had realized. He showed her a playful grin before he was kind enough to change the topic for her. ¡°The painting is great. But I found something more interesting. Father''s sword is back in its original place. I''m surprised you kept it.¡±

    Lucille quickly turned her head. Her eyes fell onto the sword that was now hanging in a small glass display to the left of the emperor''s desk. She couldn''t see any details from here, but she could make out that the blade was basically glowing in the light and the handle was golden with some implemented gems. It didn''t look practical and more like expensive decoration. Apparently, it was a family heirloom too.

    Theodore turned his head to gaze at the sword. ¡°Well, it looks good here. I actually thought about having someone sharpen it too. No one would expect us to use a decorative sword to defend ourselves. I know it used to be sharp on one side, but by now, both have gotten extremely dull. It will take a skilled smith to take care of it.¡±

    Cedar was silent for a moment before he replied while still grinning at his brother. ¡°I''m not even going to say that you are extremely trusting. You are lucky that I don''t intend on starting another revolt with that thing any time soon. But be careful that no one that you trust suddenly grabs that thing and uses it against you. I doubt that your docile ministers would, but you never know.¡±

    Lucille blinked. Hadn''t her lover just indirectly admitted that he had used that sword during the revolt? At least she would interpret that as the underlying meaning, but she didn''t dare ask.

    Theodore laughed at his brother''s words. ¡°None of the ministers can even fight. And if they could, I would still win against them. I can assure you that only three people in this nation that can rival me in terms of fighting. Those are Owen and Noah, our personal guards, and you. Since all of those people are on my side, I am quite confident that it will work out.¡± He grinned at his brother with so much confidence that no one would doubt his words.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Cedar didn''t seem impressed though. ¡°Don''t let down your guard because of that. But I can''t really tell you what to do. Lucille...¡± He gazed at his lover with a smile that made her heart feel oddly warm before continuing. ¡°And I will take our leave now if you grant us permission. We do not need to watch the royal couple cuddling when Leon is already here to suffer for us.¡±

    Lucille immediately nodded to agree with that. She would be happy about leaving too, just so that she could hold Cedar''s hand without being so embarrassed.

    Blanche had a content smile on her face while she replied. ¡°Of course, you can leave. Please do enjoy your time together. We will see each other after lunch, right? Or wait. Come eat with us for lunch. Then you can see Aurora again too.¡± It truly seemed like Cedar and Lucille would act as uncle and aunt from now on.

    It was obvious that the prince would make some snarky comment about that again, so Lucille responded first. ¡°That would be nice. We will visit you at the usual time then.¡±

    Blanche happily nodded at that while still being busy hugging her lover, who waved to the others.

    Cedar took that as his cue to pull Lucille away. ¡°It seems like the decision was made then. We will come for a family lunch in a while. Enjoy your time until then. Don''t complain too much, Leon. Your frown might ingrain itself into your forehead otherwise.¡± He didn''t listen to the response but left the room and closed the door behind them. Then he focused his attention on Lucille and beamed at her.

    Lucille still felt like her heart acted out of turn whenever he did something like that. She should have gotten used to seeing the constantly smiling prince grinning at her, but her loving heart didn''t care. The fact that they were holding hands only made that worse. Lucille made the mistake of thinking back to the doctor''s request, and immediately, her embarrassment came back. She averted her eyes and stuttered around a bit. ¡°Where...should we go now?¡±

    Cedar immediately noticed that she was thinking about something odd. At least his knowing smile made it seem like that. ¡°I''m not sure. We have many options. I would suggest taking a walk, but I feel like doing that after lunch might be more pleasant. How about we sit in your room for a bit? I could use some relaxation after dealing with Theodore''s contracts for a while.¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded at that. She would almost claim that her lover''s voice had hidden some sort of ulterior motive, but she wouldn''t complain about that. So, she walked to her room while holding Cedar''s hand. That still earned them a lot of stares, but by now, many people had gotten used to the couple being like that. Lucille didn''t have to be as embarrassed as in the beginning, and yet, she was a bit bashful.

    She was relieved when they reached her room and opened the door to step inside. She barely entered the room and heard how the door was closed behind her when she was already whirled around. The sudden motion made her yelp but of course, she had never been in any danger.

    Cedar turned her around and pulled her into his arms before trapping her between the door and his body. Somehow, he had managed to do that in a sudden and yet gentle way so that only her shock made her freeze. He shamelessly used that to tease her again though. He leaned down to her to bring his face right in front of hers before whispering in a tone that made her knees get weak. ¡°You avoided eye contact the whole time we talked with each other and were even quieter than usual. Say. Did something happen?¡± Indeed.

    Lucille had unwillingly remembered the conversation about contraceptives. And that had led to her thinking too far into the future since she hoped to be by her lover''s side forever, which had ended with her being a blushing mess. Even now, she couldn''t look into Cedar''s eyes without being embarrassed.

    He didn''t let her get away like this though. Cedar brought his hand to her chin and tilted her head so that she had to look at him. Then he moved his mouth directly next to her ear and whispered to her so that his warm breath brushed over her skin. ¡°Will you tell me just like this, or do I have to convince you to tell me? I don''t mind being a bit persuasive if it becomes necessary.¡±

    Lucille tensed a little. There was no way that she could simply tell him that. If she was forced to tell him that she wondered about being with him in a bit more intimate sense, she would die of embarrassment. ¡°That... I...¡± Her voice was way more high-pitched than before, and she could barely talk without stammering.

    Cedar obviously noticed that. So, he did the one thing that made it even worse. He slowly lowered his head, and then his lips suddenly reached her neck.

    Lucille let out a soft breath before she could even understand what was going on. Her lover pressed countless small kisses onto her skin, and slowly but surely, it felt like the world around her was spinning. She held onto him to keep herself upright despite her legs feeling like pudding. A strange tingling sensation formed in her stomach. Such a small gesture shouldn''t make her feel like her brain had stopped working, but it did. She couldn''t even say anything or do more but hold still while Cedar kissed her. Her head was so hot that she was probably glowing bright red by now, but that wasn''t surprising with how much this affected her.

    It wasn''t clear how long Cedar had continued, but when he lifted his head, it felt like an eternity and only a few seconds had passed at the same time. If he was uncertain or embarrassed about this, he didn''t show it. He just beamed at her. ¡°I fully expected you to push me away when I tried that. But it seems like you don''t dislike it. You are too adorable.¡±

    Lucille opened her mouth to say something, but she didn''t manage to press out even a single word. So, she just tripped over her own tongue and let out a small breath while trying to speak. How was she supposed to think clearly when her lover showed her such a beautiful expression after doing this?

    Cedar''s soft chuckle only made her even more enchanted. His eyes met hers, and they just stared at each other for a moment. Her lover was so perfect. It wasn''t necessarily his appearance that made her feel like this, even if he was without a doubt the most handsome man in this world. It was rather what he meant to her. Just the fact that Cedar was here and looked at her was enough to fill her with bliss.

    Lucille gazed at him, and with each second she maintained eye contact, she wanted to kiss him more. At first, she fought the urge, but then she remembered that she had no reason to hold back. Cedar had initiated a kiss a few times already, so it would be fine for her to do it too. As always, her embarrassment was the only hurdle here. So, she put her arms around him and carefully pulled him toward her.

    Cedar went along with it and came so close that he was almost leaning against her. But he didn''t quite understand what she wanted until she tangled her hands into his hair and guided him down. For a single second, a new emotion flickered in his gaze, and then he finally fulfilled her wish. He closed the distance between them, and their lips met.

    Of course, Cedar still didn''t hurt her, but he was much more passionate today. Lucille quickly noticed that she could live with that pretty well. Her breath was taken away, and by now, Cedar had wrapped his arms around her waist. She was very content with that. Even if she had to admit that this kind of kiss was new and even more overwhelming than she had expected it to be. Her whole body felt like she was on edge, and at the same time, she relished in every second of such contact.

    It was almost disappointing when they stopped, but both needed to breathe.

    Surprisingly, Cedar was out of breath as well. His hair was completely tangled thanks to her, and he looked at her with an emotion she liked a lot. She could have sworn that his face was a bit more red than it had been before, but she didn''t get to see that for long. Cedar leaned forward and rested his forehead on her shoulder without letting go of her.

    Maybe it was better like this. Lucille didn''t want to know what she looked like at the moment. If the collected Cedar was this affected, she probably wouldn''t manage to keep any dignity.

    For a while, they just stood there, and Lucille used the silence to brush over her lover''s head. She attempted to straighten his hair a bit again, but in the end, her real goal was patting him, so she continued even after his hair looked perfectly normal again.

    At some point, Cedar almost gave her another heart attack. He lifted his head again and then bowed down so quickly that she couldn''t even follow him with her eyes. The next second, Cedar had picked her up and carried her toward the bed.

    Lucille could only hold onto him while trying to ignore how she could feel her heartbeat in her whole rib cage. She couldn''t keep herself from thinking about strange things when her lover kissed her like that and then gently put her onto the bed. That thought increased her embarrassment even more, and she barely dared to lift her gaze.

    But of course, Cedar didn''t think what she had imagined. He just lowered her onto the mattress before sitting down next to her. He was silent for a moment before speaking. ¡°I thought that it would be better for you to sit with your weak legs. Your stance was a bit too uncertain for my liking.¡± He was right about that. But he had certainly riled her up unnecessarily with something like this.

    Lucille would have liked to hide her face, but it would feel odd to do that. She let herself fall backward so that she could lie on the bed.

    Cedar grinned when he saw that. He quickly changed his position to sit next to her head. He reached for her and carefully pushed aside the loose strands of hair that had ended up on her face. That he allowed his fingertips to dance around her skin and made her whole head tingle with that probably hadn''t been supposed to knock all air out of her lungs, but he was successful in doing so.

    For a few minutes, they just stayed in that position and enjoyed each other''s company. It almost seemed like they both needed to regain their composure after what had happened, but maybe Lucille just imagined Cedar being as uncertain as she was. But it was truly odd that he didn''t say anything at the moment. He normally always had something to tell her.

    It took a while until Lucille finally regained her ability to speak. She wanted to interrupt the silence, but she was unsure what would be fitting. Nonetheless, when she looked up at Cedar, who was still combing through her hair with gentle motions while watching her, she knew exactly what she wanted him to know. ¡°I love you.¡±

    For a single second, Cedar froze. That was enough to remind her that this sentence had never been too pleasant for him.

    Lucille opened her mouth and hurried to reply, but the words were stuck in her throat. She didn''t want to apologize for telling him that she loved him, but she didn''t want to use these words if they hurt him either. ¡°Are...you... I mean...¡± She stammered around a bit before she managed to say what she meant. ¡°Are you fine with me saying it? Because you...don''t like that sentence.¡±

    Cedar moved before she even finished. He lay down next to her and brought his face directly in front of hers. He was smiling at her, but it wasn''t as fake as it was most of the time. He used a gentle tone while correcting her. ¡°I don''t dislike that sentence. I dislike the meaning my mother connected with it. When you tell me, it''s completely different. I like hearing you say that. Very much so.¡±

    That was enough to make Lucille''s heart skip a beat. It certainly seemed like she would have to tell him more often. ¡°I see... That is good.¡± Because she liked saying that she loved him. And if she made him happy with that, it was only even more wonderful for the both of them.

    Cedar watched her face, and it felt like he was able to read every single bit of emotion in her features. He hesitated for a little bit before he replied. ¡°If you''re a little patient, I will tell you those words too. I promise you that.¡±

    Lucille was torn as her heart skipped a beat. On the one hand, she would adore hearing those special words from him. But she also remembered his expression when she had first told him that she loved him. She wouldn''t force him to say things that reminded him of bad times. It was perfect as long as he liked her back and treated her well. She didn''t need those words as proof. ¡°You don''t necessarily need to say that one sentence. I know that you care about me. You show me that you care often enough, so it''s fine.¡±

    Cedar moved his hand from her hair to her face and tapped on her nose while his smile became a bit wider. ¡°But I want to say it. I wouldn''t promise you this if I didn''t plan on fulfilling that promise. Because you are the person I truly feel affection for. In a few weeks or months, I will have gathered the courage to close this chapter and tell you that sentence. We will see how stubborn I can be.¡±

    Lucille felt a lump form in her throat at that. This was so important to Cedar that he would even go against his own unwillingness to remember anything that was connected to his mother. This was another proof that he truly cared. Lucille lifted her hand to stroke over the side of his face. She couldn''t help but smile when he nuzzled into her touch. She would need to show him much more affection like this from now on. They both enjoyed it, and Cedar absolutely needed it. ¡°You really don''t have to. But if you want to say it, I will wait until the day that you are able to tell me without hurting yourself. I don''t need you to do that though. I know how much you care.¡±

    Cedar beamed at her while he slowly moved a bit closer to her. ¡°That''s good. It means that I didn''t fail to show my emotions in this regard. But I want to make it even more clear. I can''t say those words yet, but I will say something else. For now, I will settle for something that shows you that I haven''t become your lover for nothing.¡± He carefully took both of her hands in his and stroked over her skin while meeting her gaze. His voice was soft when he whispered to her. ¡°To me, you are the most wonderful person in this world. When I look at you, I immediately feel warm, and I want to smile for real when you make eye contact with me. When you smile at me, it''s like a dark rain cloud is pushed aside to let the radiant sun shine upon me. When you hug me, my heart skips a beat, and I want to pull you into my arms to protect you from everything that could harm you. And...when I kiss you, it feels like I can''t breathe, and my mind becomes blank. No matter where I am, I keep thinking about you. I want to stay by your side for as long as humanly possible and offer you my devotion. Is that fine for now?¡±

    It was more than fine. Lucille felt tears pricking in her eyes. It seemed like she would need to do more than just tell Cedar that she loved him in the future. She lifted her arms to hug him despite her position making it hard to do that and leaned her head against him. She squeezed her lover tightly while trying to sort the feelings inside her mind.

    There was so much joy and affection here. It was like a whirlwind of those feelings danced around in her head to form the most wonderful emotion of all.

    Love.

 Chapter 128: Painful Truth (1)

    Cedar was pretty sure that true happiness couldn''t feel much different. He was filled with bliss even when nothing special had happened. But it seemed like hearing Lucille say that she loved him and holding onto her was enough to make him the happiest man on earth. He couldn''t stop his heart from beating with vigor nor could he cover up all of his excitement. He might be able to control his expression without any issues, but he certainly couldn''t keep himself from blushing. So, he hid his face when he could.

    Surely, kissing Lucille with that much vigor hadn''t been a good idea when he couldn''t even compose himself after that anymore. It was just relieving that she had enjoyed it and hadn''t pushed him back. That kiss, the hug, her kind words and her reactions to his words about his feelings made the day perfect.

    Cedar had been in a good mood ever since then and couldn''t stop beaming until the evening. He had been sure that no one would notice since he always smiled in general, but the royal couple commented on it multiple times. He accepted that without discussing with them. He held Aurora without complaining and even had admitted that it was cute how she giggled when her mother pretended to hide before revealing herself again.

    That made him think about having his own children at one point, but he quickly dismissed that. He would need to get over his problems before raising a child. He certainly wouldn''t risk letting any of Camille''s methods of taking care of her son reach his child if he ever had one. So, he had to fully ban his mother from his mind before he could even dream of the future. And then, after that, he might ask himself whether having a family would be fine.

    But Cedar would need to move slowly with that. After all, he had planned on offering Lucille the best he had to give, and naturally, the same would apply to any children they might have.

    Cedar''s thoughts were quickly brushed away when Blanche forced them to play a board game together. Of course, she had chosen something that required them to work together and thus avoided any rivalry between Theodore and his brother. In the end, that game was fun for the others, so they had played until the late evening.

    When Cedar and Lucille bid the royal couple farewell, they immediately went back to her room and slipped into the bed to sleep. By now, they seemed to have gotten used to falling asleep in each other''s arms, so no one even questioned it.

    Cedar had to admit that he wasn''t discontented with this development. Especially not since it granted him a reward every morning. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the gorgeous red of Lucille''s hair.

    The morning sun fell right into the window and made the scarlet of her hair glow in a way that was much too tempting.

    Cedar had intended to hold back, but he once again gave in. He carefully picked up a strand of her hair that didn''t touch her face and played with it for a moment. He only let go when he feared that he might accidentally wake her if he didn''t stop now.

    But Lucille was still sleeping without any signs of moving around. So, he risked a bit more this time. He leaned to her while pushing himself up on his hand. He scanned her expression and chuckled upon seeing her.

    Lucille was cute when she was awake, and when she was asleep, she was just as sweet. Especially when she was lying in bed like this while quietly snoring and cuddling into the blanket. She had completely let down her guard as she was sleeping with a slightly opened mouth and a completely relaxed expression. Even now, her soft skin was so inviting that he would have liked to caress her cheek or kiss her sweet lips. But he didn''t do that to avoid waking her.

    Cedar moved as slowly as he could while picking up the few hair strands that were covering her face and putting them to the side. He scanned her expression for a bit longer before carefully lying down again. He didn''t want to risk getting too close and scaring her when she woke up from her sleep. So, he stayed unmoving for a while and gave her a chance to wake up by herself before he had to step in.

    Thankfully, it seemed like the morning sun was enough to do the job. Lucille began stirring after a short while. At first, she opened her eyes a bit, and it appeared to be time for her to wake up. But then, she just turned around and hid her face from the sun by moving closer to Cedar. He had been sure that she was conscious, but she continued to sleep in that position.

    Cedar glanced at the clock. If they wanted to eat breakfast on time, he would need to wake her. But when she was so cute, he might as well give her five minutes more. So, he held back a bit and just rested his head on the pillow again.

    A few minutes passed, and Lucille still didn''t show signs of wanting to stand up soon. Cedar planned on waking her, but he ended up giving her just a bit more time twice. Then he finally spoke up. ¡°Lucille?¡± It had just been a whisper, so it wasn''t surprising that she hadn''t heard it. He planted a kiss on her head and waited for a reaction then.

    Lucille only moved her head a bit while leaning into the pillow. She didn''t do more than that.

    Cedar almost had to laugh. He kissed her again. This time, it earned him a small murmur that almost sounded indignant. So, he gave her another kiss. He played this game for a while until she slowly began to wake up.

    Lucille opened her eyes only a dozen kisses later. She looked at him through her half-lidded eyes and whispered his name in a drowsy voice. ¡°Cedar?¡± That was enough to make her even cuter than she had been before.

    He couldn''t hold back and kissed her cheek again. ¡°Good morning. It is about time for breakfast, so I wanted to wake you slowly. I hope I didn''t go too fast.¡±

    Lucille lifted her head to glance at the clock. She saw that they were much too late, but she let her head fall onto the pillow again. She groaned quietly and then forced herself to open her eyes completely. She still looked like she was half asleep, but she slowly got a bit more energized as she showed her lover a little smile. ¡°Good morning.¡± She opened her mouth, and a small yawn came out.

    It could only be a wonderful day when it began like that. ¡°Good morning again, Sleepyhead.¡± Cedar leaned forward to kiss Lucille''s forehead.

    Her reaction immediately made him feel even greater. She just smiled at him while still being a bit tired. ¡°I love you.¡± There it was again. If she planned on saying this more often from now on, he might become addicted.

    Even three little words were enough to make a wave of happiness crash over him. Cedar considered showering his lover with a hundred little kisses, but he stopped himself. He just settled for kissing her on her lips. Then he stroked over her hair while gently reminding her of the time. ¡°I would favor staying like this too, but I fear that we have to stand up if we want to eat breakfast. Otherwise, we will have to skip it.¡±

    Lucille yawned again, and that made the second option seem tempting. But she didn''t keep sleeping and forced herself to sit up. ¡°Alright.¡± She closed her eyes for a moment and almost looked like she nodded off again.

    Cedar laughed at that, but at the same time, he was a bit worried. She was awfully tired. It wasn''t a good idea to chase her out of bed when she was like this. He could simply help her a bit by granting her more time. ¡°You know, maybe-¡± A knock cut him off. He immediately expected the worst.

    If people knocked at this time, they either wanted to invite them to eat with the royal couple, or unpleasant news would follow. It was a bit too late for Blanche and Theodore to eat, so this was probably the latter.

    Cedar slowly sat up and climbed off the bed. He waited for Lucille to cover herself with her blanket before he went to the door. Still, he made sure not to open the door too much and hid her behind it while he spoke to the servant in front of the room. ¡°Good morning. Is there anything my brother requires my presence for?¡±

    The elderly man nodded before bowing. ¡°I sincerely apologize for disturbing you, Your Royal Highness. But His Majesty wished to see you under any circumstances. It seems to be an important matter.¡± Wonderful.

    Cedar still wanted to cling to the hope of this being something nice, but he already knew that he was wrong. Theodore wouldn''t call for him like this for nothing when they would see each other in a few hours anyway. ¡°I understand. I will come to his office in a moment. Is that alright?¡±

    The servant nodded again. ¡°Yes. I will inform His Majesty of your response.¡± With that, he left immediately and rushed toward the emperor''s office.

    Cedar closed the door and hurried to return to the bed. Lucille already gave him a questioning gaze, which made him speak up. ¡°Theodore asked for me. I assume it''s urgent, so I will have to leave you alone for now. I will be back in just a few minutes. At least if I can run away. But this topic might be rather serious.¡± He leaned down to her to kiss her forehead again.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Lucille kept him from doing that by lifting her head and wrapping his arms around him to pull him down. She stole a kiss on the lips from him. She looked like she was very embarrassed because of that, but her concern right now was greater. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Cedar felt the urge to give her an honest smile again, and he gave in. ¡°Of course. I doubt that there will be immediate danger.¡± But Camille might have planned something that would cause a lot of trouble in the future. He wouldn''t tell his lover that though. Not before he was sure.

    The prince quickly gathered his clothes and got dressed in the bathroom before he said goodbye with a long hug. Then he left the room, his mood already being ruined. He truly couldn''t even enjoy two relaxed days in succession. Cedar walked to the office and knocked, only to be let in immediately. He stepped into the office and closed the door behind him.

    The scene inside only made him even more dejected.

    Theodore and Leon were here, but that was normal. The fact that the royal doctor and another servant were present was less normal. That indicated that the issue was related to them or that they had bad news. Everyone looked much too grim for this to be about a pleasant topic. Damn it. Of course, every wonderful week had to be followed by something bad happening.

    Cedar should get used to it. The gods had never liked him, and they seemed to enjoy proving this to him too. He knew well that only one person could upset the emperor so much despite not even being here. He waited for a moment to give his brother a chance to greet him. When nothing followed, he spoke up. ¡°Good morning. I sincerely apologize for arriving this late. I hope that this didn''t cause an issue. Did Mother do something?¡±

    Theodore sat at his desk, with his chin resting on his hand. He tapped the fingers of the other hand on the table as if he wanted to distract himself from his anger. He showed conflicting emotions on his face, but in the end, he gave in. ¡°The dowager empress thinks that blackmailing us is a good option now. She hasn''t felt too well during the past few days, which might have been connected to the rather harsh truth we said to her face. Now she is wallowing in self-pity and refuses to leave her room. And it gets even more annoying.¡± He gestured to the servant to speak.

    The man quickly bowed before he hurried to explain in a weak voice. ¡°It seems that Her Majesty has decided to...protest. After she has been denied access to the royal palace and did not receive any response letters to the ones she had written you, she claims to be heartbroken.¡±

    Cedar didn''t care about that. He didn''t even care about the fact that he hadn''t gotten any of those letters Camille had supposedly sent him. He didn''t need to confirm how often she had insulted him in those texts. ¡°So, I assume that she is sick now?¡± That was what Camille always did when she was in dire need of attention. She acted like she was the most pitiful woman in this whole world.

    The servant nodded and then continued his story. ¡°She has stayed in bed for the past week and only left it when servants forced her. She cries almost all the time, and when she stops, she only grieves quietly. For the first few days, that was fine to some extent. But for the last two days, she has refused to eat. She drank a bit when she was forced, but she claimed that she wouldn''t eat anything from now on unless Your Royal Highness agrees to meet her.¡±

    Theodore massaged his temples at that. ¡°As you can hear, she still throws her temper tantrums. She wants to blackmail you into visiting her now. Obviously, she is just putting on a show, but that is still problematic.¡± After all, he didn''t want Camille to kill herself like this. Maybe because he feared the aristocrats'' reaction, but that was unlikely. Maybe he was worried about the impact this would have on his brother''s psyche.

    Surely, Cedar would be relieved when Camille finally wasn''t a threat anymore. But if she ended her own life because he didn''t see her, he would unwillingly blame himself for all eternity.

    That was ridiculous. Cedar should be able to coldly reject this without even thinking about the options. And a part of him wanted to do that. But the other half worried about what Camille could do if he kept on refusing. Something odd churned in his stomach, and he felt more and more unwell with each passing second. He couldn''t help it, and that was truly idiotic.

    The servant seemed a bit concerned because of the emperor''s cool response and carefully spoke up again. ¡°Please pardon me for interrupting, Your Majesty. I''m pretty sure that she is serious about this. She truly hasn''t eaten during those two days. Today, countless people tried to coax her into consuming some of her favorite dishes, and she still refused. She said that she will not ever eat again unless her son visits her.¡±

    Leonard crossed his arms in front of his chest while he narrowed his eyes. ¡°And? Let her starve then. That''s not our problem.¡± His voice was dripping with annoyance when he said that. To be honest, he was right. But he didn''t have an emotional connection to Camille that had been built through two decades of manipulation and absolute dependency. He couldn''t understand why Cedar was even thinking about this.

    The servant appeared to be rather shocked upon hearing that. ¡°Lord Astame. I fear that that would be...¡± He stammered around a bit before finally speaking. ¡°She merely asked for His Royal Highness to see her once. She only wants a single meeting. Maybe it would be fine for him to just give in once. He is still her son and-¡±

    Theodore''s expression had gotten more icy with each word. Anyone who had looked at him would have stopped, but the servant didn''t gaze at the emperor. So, Theodore cut him off after a few seconds. ¡°Be silent.¡± He hadn''t even said that with aggression in his voice but only coldness, and it still silenced the servant completely. He turned to the other man, and slowly, his rage came while he resumed. ¡°Do you have any idea what that woman did to him in the past? How she tortured him while having people break his arm and sending people after him to kill him? She has no right to call herself his mother. If you don''t know anything, don''t say things like that carelessly. Cedar is under no obligation to do anything for her. He doesn''t owe her a meeting. He doesn''t owe her anything. He cut her out of his life because he doesn''t want to meet her. Why would he have to let such a bad influence closer to him just because she can''t deal with the consequences of her choices? It''s his right to refrain from seeing that monster.¡±

    The servant almost took a step back at that. He quickly bowed and replied in a shaky voice. ¡°I sincerely apologize, Your Majesty. I did not think that far.¡± Apparently not. No sane person would take Camille''s side in front of the emperor.

    But that meant that Cedar wasn''t sane either. He hated the fact that he even considered this. After all, he was happy avoiding Camille as much as his brother allowed him to do it. But he couldn''t let his mother starve. He actually doubted that she would go that far, but after hearing about Althea marrying her husband, she might consider it. Still, he tried to come up with as many arguments not to visit her as possible. ¡°So, I should come if she purposefully hurts herself? I''m pretty sure that I shouldn''t reward her childish tantrums like this. I have no desire to see her. And this will only make it more likely for her to hurt herself just to make me visit, right? Isn''t it a stupid idea?¡±

    The servant fiddled with his hands. He probably knew that the prince was right, but he had also seen Camille''s state of mind and might take her seriously. He carefully opened his mouth to refute that.

    But Cedar interrupted him and spoke first. ¡°Don''t misunderstand. I don''t want her to starve herself either. But if I give in now, she will demand more and more. Then she will just refrain from eating and can demand anything of me. That would be a problem for both her health and the servants by her side. She isn''t pleasant when she is sick, is she? Remembering how she has been in the past only makes me think that it will be extremely annoying if I end up going there. She will use the whole time to either insult me and remind me of how horrible I am for leaving her, or she will try to hug me and lure me in with fake promises. I am rather reluctant.¡±

    Theodore immediately spoke up. ¡°That''s fine. You don''t have to see her. She isn''t your responsibility, so you don''t need to deal with her problems.¡±

    Cedar let out a low huff and grinned at his brother. ¡°It''s odd for you to say that. You always wanted me to face her so that I would confront my fears or something like that. Isn''t that right? And now you suddenly want me to avoid her?¡±

    The emperor pressed his lips into a line. For a moment, he was quiet until he responded. ¡°I want you to do what you believe to be best for you. I''ve seen that you are finally getting away a few times now. I don''t need you to prove anything. Nor do I need you to go talk to her just because she feels unhappy with her life. She is only in this position because she pushed everyone away in her quest to harm innocent people. You know that best. You don''t have to get involved with that no matter what she asks for.¡±

    Cedar knew that. Theoretically, he should just say no. He should turn away and insist on being unaffected when it came to his mother. But both he and his brother knew that it wasn''t that easy.

    Cedar was well aware that Camille''s final days would approach soon. Most likely, she wouldn''t survive to see the end of this year. He didn''t need to fight for her. Even if she did harm herself with this for real, it wasn''t his fault, and it would only spare her a lot of pain, which might follow if Theodore pulled through with his long-term plan.

    But Cedar couldn''t just decline. If he did that, he would probably feel guilty for the rest of his life. He couldn''t risk something happening. He would have liked to ball his fists, but he refused to show even that much weakness. So, he forced himself to stay completely still while he thought about this.

    He wasn''t so weak that he would fall into Camille''s traps, even if she did her best. At least he told himself that. He cared too much for Lucille to forgive the one who had hurt her. If he needed to forsake one to protect the other, his choice was obvious. He would do everything he could to protect Lucille from all harm.

    Cedar knew that he might feel horrible and that he would want to lock himself away after a conversation. But he wouldn''t change sides ever again. He had made his choice without wanting to the night he had killed Camille''s assassins to protect Lucille, and he had never regretted that.

    He would stick to this.

    Cedar showed his brother the faintest smile he could muster while being upset and feeling the urge to grin. ¡°I know that I''m not responsible for her. But I will go see her. She won''t have long left anymore either way, right? So, I can just see this as one of the last few meetings I will ever have with her. Would you agree to me inviting her to the royal palace? I will take a walk around the garden with her. You can give us a few guards, and that should be fine, right?¡± Then his brother could keep his eyes on him and didn''t need to distrust him just because of this.

    Theodore was silent for a moment. He glanced at the servant again. ¡°You said that she is serious about this? If it''s just another one of her temper tantrums, there is no way that we will get involved. But if she actually refuses to eat tomorrow too, she has permission to come here exactly one time with a predetermined date for half an hour at most. And the only reason this is happening is that she should enjoy the last few months of her life.¡± He said that with so much resentment in his voice that it didn''t sound like he wanted Camille to have fun in any way.

    Even the servant was intimidated despite not being the one Theodore was angry with. Since he was shaking a little, one could have pitied him a little.

    Cedar was already busy being annoyed with himself though. He couldn''t believe that he had seriously agreed to this. The only reason Theodore allowed this was because he probably hoped that Camille would antagonize her son more each time they met. This was supposed to ensure that Cedar wouldn''t consider helping her again.

    Granted, that strategy had been rather successful until now. Whenever Cedar had seen his mother, she had threatened him or Lucille, which only caused him to dislike her more. Each insult and dismissive comment had made the small bit of hatred that he had felt for his mother grow a little bit. Over the years, this had always happened whenever Camille had hurt him, but now it was much worse. Each time she opened her mouth and told Cedar that she owned him, that no one loved him or that she would hurt Lucille, he hated her more.

    That was great since it made it easier to turn away for good. But it also made him feel more and more conflicted to the point at which he wondered whether he had ever shown his mother true affection.

    But Cedar wouldn''t have time to wonder when he saw Camille. As soon as she was here, he would have to deal with whatever she would throw at him. He could deal with insults if they were aimed at him, but he refused to listen to her slandering Lucille. If he had to hear that, he might be a bit harsher than he would usually be. It would be good if they could avoid escalation by keeping Lucille out of the conversation completely. But it was questionable whether Camille would allow that.

 Chapter 129: Painful Truth (2)

    someone, fell toward him. Cedar had to take a step back and catch the whole weight that had been thrown at him to avoid tripping or letting this person smash onto the floor. In an instant, his annoyance came back with full force.

    ¡°

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    was wrong. Objectively, it was too strange for Camille to act like this. And as if that wasn''t enough, Cedar''s intuition also told him that something was wrong. He knew that something bad would happen soon, and he hated the fact that he couldn''t predict it.

    No.

    She curtsied.

    That was wrong.

 Chapter 130: Monster? (1)

    Lucille might have been a bit surprised when that servant had told her to follow him. But she hadn''t thought much about it.

    After all, Cedar could ask for her presence. There was nothing strange about him inviting her out, even if he usually picked her up himself. But when she had made eye contact with her lover, the doubts had come back with full force.

    Cedar didn''t show her the genuine smile that was reserved for her. He was beaming too brightly while scanning Camille, whose appearance surprised Lucille too. Something was wrong. Why would he have called for her while being with his mother? Cedar certainly wouldn''t want her to meet Camille.

    For a moment, Lucille considered walking away, but the servant reminded her that her lover had asked for her presence. She had been stupid enough to believe that Cedar might want her to distract him instead of him being alone with Camille here. So, she had gone along with what the servant had told her. She had been prepared to be met with countless insults.

    That Camille had actually greeted her normally had been a surprise, even if it had been a very disturbing one.

    But Lucille still hadn''t understood it completely. She only understood when Camille grabbed her by her hair. A yell escaped her throat, but no matter how much she struggled, even as she hit Camille''s hand, she was pulled toward the other woman, with her neck being exposed in an unpleasant manner.

    And then Camille had suddenly lifted something, and metal had glittered in the sun. Then she had jolted her hand toward the other woman.

    For a moment, Lucille thought that she would die. If she was hit in her neck, she wouldn''t recover from this. It was almost like when she had been hit with the arrow, and time around her seemed to slow down. It was so similar that she could swear that she felt the impact of the arrow in her stomach. Would the knife feel the same? She didn''t find out.

    Like last time, Cedar had saved her after, but today, he was a bit faster. He jumped between her and his mother. He moved so quickly that Lucille couldn''t even see what he was doing. She only knew that Camille let go of her while letting out a shrill scream.

    Cedar didn''t waste a second and dove forward to wrap his arms around Lucille to shove her away from his mother. They stumbled forward a few steps before Cedar stopped and whirled around to push his lover behind him. He focused his attention on Camille again while shielding Lucille with his body.

    The dowager empress was currently sitting on the floor and squirming around while pure pain seemed to be painted upon her features. Her left hand covered her right arm as she twitched a bit while letting out choked sobs. The most important thing was probably that her arm didn''t look like it had the right angle anymore.

    Lucille barely took that in before time finally seemed to move forward again. The other people woke up from their paralysis. The guards who had previously been a few steps away surrounded Camille while aiming their swords at her. Some even positioned themselves between the dowager empress and the couple to keep them apart.

    But that didn''t matter to Lucille. She only whipped her head around to look at her lover.

    Cedar wasn''t smiling. Instead, unveiled terror was showing on his face. He stared right at Lucille while his eyes darted across her whole body. ¡°Are...you...hurt?¡± He sounded like he could barely speak, and his grip on her was less steady than normal. He was shaking.

    Lucille quickly nodded. Nothing hurt, and the biggest problem was her heart beating so quickly that she thought she would die. But Cedar was much more important. ¡°I''m fine. Are you alright?¡± She tried to look at him too, but she barely managed to catch a glimpse of more than his face.

    Cedar refused to let go of her and held onto her arms as if he thought that she would slip away from his grasp. He still didn''t seem to realize that the danger was over, and his tense posture proved that. He let his eyes wander over her torso again as if he wasn''t relieved despite her being unharmed. He was still much too panicked. For a few seconds, he just looked at her while opening his mouth and closing it again. Then he glanced to the side, where his mother was still kneeling on the floor while letting out strained cries of pain. It seemed like that only scared him even more. He tightened his hold on his lover so that it almost hurt a bit. ¡°I...didn''t...mean to...¡± His voice was so weak that it hurt.

    Lucille forgot all of her fear at that moment. She lifted her arms and threw them around him to pull him into a hug. ¡°It''s fine. We''re both alright. Nothing happened.¡± It seemed like Camille was hurt, but Lucille couldn''t care less. That was the dowager empress'' own fault for attacking someone.

    Cedar clung to her, and his embrace felt desperate, which only made her want to console him even more. He just held her close to him while he muttered something under his breath. ¡°I didn''t...want that. I only... She had a knife, and... I''m sorry. I shouldn''t... Too slow, but she was...¡±

    Lucille quickly put an arm around his head in an attempt to make him feel safer and whispered to him. ¡°Cedar, I''m right here. Everything is fine. The guards will deal with this now.¡±

    Her lover buried his face in her shoulder and still kept on saying the same thing. ¡°I''m sorry. I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean to do it. I''m sorry. Please don''t...¡± He didn''t finish that sentence, but she could imagine what it was about.

    Lucille tried to tighten her hold as much as she could without hurting him. ¡°Cedar, please listen to me. I''m right here. Everything is alright. She didn''t hurt us. We''re safe now. I love you.¡± Those words finally seemed to do the trick.

    Cedar relaxed a little in her arms, but he still refused to let go. He was tense and wouldn''t calm down completely any time soon. It didn''t sound like he was crying though. He was just breathing in and out shakily while holding her.

    Lucille stroked over his head while giving her best to soothe him. Maybe that would have worked better if Camille wasn''t crying in the background. Lucille didn''t want to pay any attention to that woman, but at one point, she needed to look.

    Unfortunately, that also caused Cedar to lift his head. He still wasn''t smiling, and his face just showed fear. Not the kind of fear that people that were in danger had. He didn''t worry about himself. What he feared wasn''t being hurt but being judged. He looked so uncertain and helpless that it almost made him seem like a completely different person. He was so shameful, even though he had done nothing wrong.

    Lucille lifted her hand to cup his face and stroked over his cheek while looking up at him. ¡°Cedar, look. I''m here. You saved my life. Again. I''m so glad that you are here. Focus on me, and don''t think about anything else.¡± That was easier said than done. As soon as she said that, she heard noises that made it seem like they would have to look behind her.

    The previous crying became a bit louder, and in between, something else mixed. It almost sounded like laughter. Was the dowager empress seriously laughing at the situation?

    Lucille whipped her head around and glared at the other woman with more fury than she believed to have possessed.

    The guards had already circled Camille completely. Apparently, no one had seen the need to take a look at her arm, or she hadn''t let them close enough. Either way, she didn''t make any attempts to stand up and attack again. Camille just sat on the floor and kept her eyes on the couple. A few seconds passed, and a mocking smile formed on Camille''s lips. She looked like she was absolutely insane while holding her injured arm and grinning despite her pain. ¡°Did...you see that? I''m the only person in this world he cares about. I''m the only one he loves. And yet, he had no issues hurting me like this. He will...do much worse to you. If he gets angry just once...you will regret being anywhere close to him.¡± Nonsense. She was twisting the facts and blaming someone for defending themselves.

    Yet, it was enough to make Cedar tense more again. He probably did it unwillingly, but he dug his fingers into his lover''s clothes while trying to keep her close to him. He was scared of Lucille being upset with him. He was really so scared of being judged that he thought that his lover might hate him because he had protected her. And that wasn''t even the worst part.

    Cedar wasn''t scared because he had made assumptions himself. He was scared because Camille had taught him that he could lose her affection within a few seconds and that everyone around him would hate him.

    Lucille had never felt as much resentment for Camille as at that second. Her voice was shaking, but she spoke to the woman she despised so much. ¡°You... You''re...¡± Maybe she understood where her father had gotten his confidence from now. If someone made her this angry, she had no issue yelling at them until they retreated. ¡°You lying monster!¡± She surprised herself with how loud she could get. But in the end, that didn''t stop her from yelling any more. ¡°This is your fault! You attacked us! Even after everything you did to him, he still hates hurting you! And you force him to do that and then celebrate yourself? You are sick! Why don''t you finally disappear and let everyone live their life without you?¡± She almost wanted to tell that woman to die too, but she held that back at the last moment.

    Camille let out another shrill laugh. Her eyes showed nothing but pure madness while she grinned at them. ¡°Maybe I''m a monster. But then my son...is too. Don''t let him get too close to you, or he will mess you up. Maybe a few broken bones won''t be enough when...he decides that hurting you is fun.¡± She let out a shaky breath and a half-loud sob before continuing. ¡°You should run far away if you want to get out of this unharmed. Cedar was raised to...choose a goal before crushing it. He will become emperor...no matter how bloody it will be. And he takes joy in seeing you bleed. Just...ask the people that saw him as a child. A simple...trial will be enough to prove that he...is vile enough to harm his own mother just like this.¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Lucille was ready to yell at her again. This time, she would definitely have used quite a few insults, but she didn''t have enough time.

    One of the guards, who seemed to act as their leader, spoke before she could while he put away his sword. ¡°Why would His Royal Highness be charged for defending Lady Valerian from your attack? There are enough witnesses that will attest to this. You were the one who came into the royal estate and suddenly drew a weapon. Your punishment will be rather harsh, but there will not be a charge against His Royal Highness. It would be best for us to remove you from this estate immediately, but for now, we will wait for His Majesty.¡±

    Camille''s face scrunched up when she heard that. It was unclear whether the pain made her do this or whether it was anger. But in any case, she suddenly raised her voice again. ¡°You have no idea. Don''t get involved, you useless scum. What kind of authority do you have? I''m the dowager empress. I-¡±

    The guard cut her off. ¡°You are currently the dowager empress, but if you keep this up, you will certainly lose that position soon. Attacking His Royal Highness and Lady Valerian justifies stripping of your position in the royal family. I may not have the authority to decide on the punishment, but I was instructed to keep you in check. My name is Noah Aldis, and I am Her Majesty''s personal guard. Thus, I believe that I can predict what Her and His Majesty''s decision will be in this matter.¡±

    Camille gritted her teeth for a moment, but she ignored the other''s words completely. She directed her attention at her son again and spoke up in that smug tone again. ¡°Maybe looking at...my arm will help you.¡± She lifted her hand to reveal her wound. ¡°See? How bad it is? That''s all because of Cedar.¡±

    Lucille refused to look. She just stared at the dowager empress'' face while holding onto her lover. Thankfully, it seemed like she wouldn''t need to respond.

    Camille already continued without thinking about whether anyone even wanted to hear her voice. ¡°Cedar, you did this, you know? So...you will have to help me now. Come here, Cedar.¡± She said that in such a cheerful tone that it made her seem even more like a maniac than before. She lifted her unhurt arm as if she reached for her son. It truly seemed like she was convinced that he would listen to her call.

    Cedar tensed and slowly lifted his head. He probably fought the urge to look, but he didn''t need to make this decision.

    Footsteps sounded in the distance and came closer quickly. A few seconds later, a loud voice inquired the most important thing. ¡°Cedar, Lucille. Are you alright?¡± Theodore arrived next to the couple and immediately scanned them from head to toe.

    Lucille''s lover still didn''t respond and just clung to her, so she replied. ¡°Yes, we are. We aren''t injured. But...the dowager empress is.¡± She glanced at the woman on the floor.

    Theodore followed her gaze, and fury overcame his features. He didn''t show any pity even while staring straight at the odd angle at which the dowager empress'' arm was now resting. ¡°Don''t worry. She deserves this and much worse.¡± He turned to the couple again. ¡°What happened here?¡±

    Apparently, Camille didn''t notice that her opinion wasn''t needed. She added her comment too, even though no one wanted to listen to her. She sounded so determined and satisfied that it was disgusting. ¡°Cedar...broke my arm. As you can see, he isn''t nearly as sane as you believe him to be. He just waits for the right moment, and then he will-¡±

    Theodore cut her off without even looking toward her. ¡°Any sane person would want to break your bones after needing to interact with you. I''m not talking to you though. Why would I ask the hysteric psychopath when I want to hear the truth?¡± He made eye contact with Lucille after seeing that his brother wouldn''t speak. ¡°What happened?¡±

    This time, the dowager empress yelled even louder. ¡°Didn''t you hear? He suddenly lost his temper and just attacked me in the most-¡±

    It took some effort, but thanks to the anger that was boiling inside Lucille, she managed to yell. ¡°That''s not true!¡± She refused to let anyone blame Cedar, so she pointed at the knife that was now lying on the floor in front of them. ¡°She attacked me with that dagger, and Cedar protected me!¡± By now, tears were running down her face. She wasn''t sad at all though. She was furious at Camille, who dared to act like she was the victim. If this caused any problems for Cedar, she would seriously start discussions with the emperor.

    Thankfully, that wasn''t necessary.

    Theodore''s voice was much softer when he spoke to the couple. ¡°It''s fine. I wouldn''t be angry even if he had done it on purpose. That woman deserves much worse. After everything she did to him, he has every right to pay her back. Of course, I believe that this was self-defense though. Cedar wouldn''t attack her without a reason.¡±

    Cedar alternated between staring at his mother and meeting Theodore''s gaze. He barely seemed to dare to look at his brother, but he was more scared of Lucille''s eyes. He refused to gaze in her general direction despite holding onto her like she was his anchor.

    Lucille already prepared to explain the full story to Theodore when the guard from before took over.

    The man, who seemed to be Blanche''s personal guard, said everything she had wanted to express. ¡°All of us can confirm that it was indeed self-defense, Your Majesty. Her Majesty suddenly grabbed Lady Valerian''s hair and pulled her close before aiming a dagger at her neck. His Royal Highness intervened to save Lady Valerian from getting seriously injured. The situation was unambiguous, so there is no doubt left.¡±

    Theodore crossed his arms. ¡°Of course. That was the only logical option. We will keep that as the official statement too. I want everyone to know that the dowager empress is insane enough to enter the royal estate before attacking the empress'' lady-in-waiting. Prepare everything.¡±

    Camille, unsurprisingly, didn''t like hearing that. She yelled again. Her satisfaction was almost gone now and replaced with fury, but she still showed that deranged smile. ¡°Go ahead! Tell them how insane their prince is! Do you think anyone will allow him to be part of noble society after that? Everyone will hate him. As always, he''ll-¡± That hadn''t been a good idea.

    Theodore turned to Camille and gazed at her with so much resentment that she stopped herself. He didn''t need to yell to be intimidating while he spoke. ¡°Would you shut up? I can ask Leon to break your leg for real this time. Or the other arm too. Let''s see if you are still as chatty then. You don''t seem to understand what your position here is. You are merely a fool waiting for your demise, and everyone knows. When you attack someone and they defend themself, you will be labeled the insane one and not the other way around. Cedar''s reputation will be flawless when you finally rot away in your grave.¡±

    Every normal person would have begun sobbing when they were met with so much fury. But Camille actually had the nerve to speak up again. This time, she didn''t look at Theodore though but right at Cedar. ¡°You can''t believe that. Don''t you get it? Everyone saw! Everyone saw how cruel you are. Everyone saw that you broke your own mother''s arm. Do you think that anyone here would still listen to you? They are going to stop pretending like they care for you. Then you will be all alone again, and you will only have me to turn to. Because I''m the only one in this whole world that would ever love a monster like you!¡± She said that with so much conviction that it hurt to hear.

    Lucille felt even more anger bubbling up in her stomach, which broke out of her with a loud yell. ¡°You are a liar! Don''t talk to him like that!¡±

    Camille gritted her teeth. ¡°You damned brat! How dare you raise your voice at me? You don''t know a thing. Cedar will never care for anyone else aside from me. He isn''t capable of feeling affection for someone else. And no one in this whole wide world aside from me ever cared for him! If I am gone, he will be left all alone. You saw what he did, right? You will hate him now too. You will leave him behind and-¡± Even though she was crying too, she was much more scary than most others would be. But while she was sitting on the floor and holding her broken arm, she suddenly didn''t look as dangerous anymore.

    Lucille wasn''t sure whether this was it or whether the sudden surge of pure hatred enabled her to do it, but she yelled back much louder than before. ¡°Shut up! I love Cedar! More than anything else in this world! I won''t leave him because he protected me from you. I won''t ever leave him!¡±

    Cedar was extremely quiet, so his lover was probably the only one who heard it, but he let out a much sharper breath as he buried his face in her hair. He was still shaking and held her as close as possible to avoid separation from her for even a moment.

    Lucille slowly stroked over his back while bringing her mouth to his ear to whisper to him. ¡°I won''t let go of you. I''m right here. I love you.¡±

    Cedar breathed out deeply, and once again, his voice shook a bit when he tried to speak. ¡°I''m so...so lucky to have met you. I...¡± He needed to pause for a moment before he continued to whisper. ¡°You saved me. I want to stay with you.¡± That was his way of saying that he loved her back.

    Lucille felt how the tears in her eyes threatened to overwhelm her once again. She could barely bring herself to stay calm but did it anyway, just for her lover. She wanted to be strong for him because he needed to be vulnerable for once. So, she would do her best to keep him from getting scared. She gently stroked over his head.

    Of course, Camille didn''t like seeing that. She suddenly began yelling again. ¡°What are you doing? Didn''t you see what he did to me? He is a monster and will-¡±

    Theodore cut her off exactly one second later. ¡°As far as I can tell, there is only one monster here, and that is you. I''ve seen the worst Cedar can offer, and I know that he never had any of the vile intentions that you seem to harbor for everyone around you. He doesn''t feel the need to crush other''s happiness just because he is eaten up with hatred from the inside. He is nothing like you. If Cedar was cruel, as you call him, you wouldn''t be able to talk to me anymore.¡±

    Camille narrowed her eyes. ¡°What are you-¡±

    The emperor silenced her again and resumed immediately. ¡°If you had aimed a dagger at Blanche and I had taken it away from you, I would have stabbed it into your throat. I would have done it in the most painful way imaginable before slowly letting you suffocate because the blood fills your mouth. You know that Cedar is able to do things like that too. He could have killed you within seconds. No one would have intervened or cared. But he didn''t do that. Cedar also could have decided that your constant whining was enough for him and ensured that you will never speak again. He also didn''t do that. You attacked them. He could have done whatever he wanted to keep you away. Why do you still believe that you have the right to complain about his actions?¡±

    Camille gritted her teeth. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn''t get the chance.

    Theodore already turned to the guards. ¡°Bring her to the worst cell we have. This time, I feel like she might need to spend a few weeks there. By the time she gets out, three days without food will be her smallest worry.¡±

    The guards immediately obeyed, and that caused the dowager empress to protest again. ¡°What? Are you blind, you stupid moron? Cedar broke my arm! I need the royal doctor to take a look at this! He has to help me, or it won''t heal properly.¡±

    Theodore gazed at her with indifference. ¡°How is that our problem? Maybe one of your followers can bring you a doctor inside. I won''t give up our precious royal doctor to take care of a mere criminal though. But you can rest assured. Even if your arm stays like that, you won''t be bothered by it for long. You won''t need to move any part of you for more than a few months anyway. Bring her away.¡± He lifted his head, and that was enough to make the knights move.

    Camille wasn''t satisfied with that solution though. Her voice was much shriller than before. ¡°What are you saying? Are you threatening me? Everyone here will see that you are a tyrant now. Do you really think that you will get away with something like this? Don''t touch me! Get your dirty hands off me! Don''t you know that I''m the dowager empress? My power is-¡± She tried to slap the first knight that came closer to her, only for him to grab her injured arm for a moment. So, she ended her words with a loud cry that sounded like it was full of pain.

    That didn''t earn her any sympathy from anyone here. Merely Cedar flinched and pressed his face against his lover''s shoulder.

    Lucille patted him again while she tried to calm him down. She needed to ignore her anger and her bitterness upon knowing that a disgusting woman like that had raised the man she loved so much. Why had Camille needed to scar Cedar like this and still didn''t see the need to stop? The dowager empress just kept on adding more pain to that wound. If that was the case, Lucille had to be extra gentle to make up for it. ¡°It''s alright, Cedar. We are perfectly fine. We will go now and sit down a bit. I''m right here with you.¡±

    Cedar didn''t respond. But he pressed a small kiss onto her forehead, and that told her enough.

 Chapter 131: Monster? (2)

    ¡°It''s alright, Cedar. We are perfectly fine. We will go now and sit down a bit. I''m right here with you.¡± Lucille gave her best to calm her lover down, but she doubted that it would work. After all, Cedar had just needed to break his mother''s arm. It didn''t help that the dowager empress kept spouting nonsense from the sidelines either.

    The guards were currently trying to bring Camille to her cell, but that was rather hard with her yelling at them. But it was quickly resolved when one of the knights lost his patience and just dragged her to her feet before shoving her forward. When Camille refused to walk, he didn''t care much and pushed her with so much force that she almost fell onto the floor.

    Camille just kept yelling about being the dowager empress, but she remained unsuccessful in convincing anyone. So, she changed her strategy after a few seconds. She whipped her head around to her son and screamed. ¡°Cedar! You have to help me! Do you see how they are treating your mother? They will hurt me if you don''t speak up. Cedar, do something! I''m going to be mistreated because of you!¡±

    It almost looked like Theodore wanted to yell at her again, and Lucille also considered doing it.

    But Cedar slowly lifted his head to look at his mother. This time, a faint smile appeared on his lips, but it only left behind exhaustion and maybe something a little colder. When he spoke, he did it without any emotion and yet it sounded bitter in some way. ¡°I''m the cruel monster that broke your arm, aren''t I? Why do you want my help?¡±

    Now Camille noticed that she had messed up. She opened her mouth, and her eyes widened. ¡°That''s not... I...¡± Now she suddenly seemed rather unsure. But as always, she quickly convinced herself that she wasn''t responsible here. ¡°Cedar, that doesn''t change the fact that I love you! You need to help me! I''m the only one on your side here. Can''t you see? That woman made you hurt me! Do you understand why I told you to stay away from her now? She is a threat to me and you. She will try to use you and lie to your face, but she never loved you. Not for one second! That is obvious, isn''t it? Why would she care for someone unlovable like-¡± She didn''t get to finish that sentence.

    The guard behind Camille stopped in his tracks and just gave her a harsh shove so that she stumbled forward. No one bothered to catch her, so she crashed onto the floor.

    It had to have been very painful since Camille had tried to cushion her fall with her arms. She let out a loud pained cry and lay on the floor while pulling her legs closer to her. The noises that left her mouth sounded horrible.

    But once again, no one seemed to care. Except for Cedar, who flinched again and tightened his hold on his lover.

    Lucille wrapped her arm around his neck again and whispered to him. ¡°It''s perfectly fine. We''ll-¡± She didn''t get far.

    Camille already spoke again. This time, she was much quieter and whimpered more than she actually talked. ¡°Cedar...¡± She almost choked on her sobs as she looked up from the floor with tears all over her face. ¡°It hurts... Help me...¡±

    Cedar tensed even more than before. For a moment, Lucille feared that he would let go of her to walk over to Camille. But then he averted his eyes and stared in the other direction while that smile grew on his lips. Apparently, his reflex had kicked in now, and he was already covering up his uncertainty again. His voice sounded much more cheerful than he was when he replied to Camille. ¡°Do you remember that I broke my arm while I was six? Back then, you told me that it wasn''t ¡®that bad at all¡¯. And yet, you are sitting here and complaining about your arm? Do you really think you have the right to do that?¡±

    Camille wasn''t very happy about that comment. She stared at her son with wide eyes and then tried to sit up while resting part of her weight on her unhurt arm. It took some effort since she was shaking the whole time, but she kept looking at him. ¡°Cedar, you can''t...leave me. Because...you need me. You can''t live without me. This...will hurt you more than it hurt me. You''ll hate yourself if you leave me to die. I love you, Cedar. And you love me. There is no one else here that will...ever take your side. Do you think that wench over there will dare to touch you...when she finds out what you did? You can''t betray me for a useless piece of garbage like that. She and Theodore and everyone else will only use your temporary weakness to hurt you. They''ll use all of your triggers against you and make sure that you''re nothing but a-¡±

    Theodore interrupted her this time. ¡°What are you doing? Bring her away already. I don''t want to hear her voice any longer, or I might really cut off her tongue.¡± He waved his hand while already focusing on Cedar. He didn''t turn to Camille, who raised her voice as soon as the guards touched her. ¡°She will sit in a cell until we deal with this. I promise you that today will have consequences for her. I think it''s fine if we take the first step toward her ending now.¡±

    The dowager empress probably hadn''t heard him, but she yelled anyway. ¡°You can''t do that! I''m the victim here! Cedar, Cedar, you have to help me! Cedar! You can''t abandon me! My sweet baby, please look at me! Cedar!¡± She did all of that for naught.

    Cedar kept his eyes on the terrace behind Lucille and refused to look at his mother again. His lover did her best to calm him, but that was hard when a hysteric woman kept yelling in the background.

    Thankfully, it seemed like the guards had enough too. They dragged the dowager empress away without caring for any complaints. Camille''s cries sounded pitiful. If one didn''t know her, one would have wanted to help her.

    But Lucille knew exactly who that woman was. She couldn''t bring herself to feel even the slightest bit of sympathy. So, she focused on stroking over Cedar''s head and pressing small kisses onto his neck whenever she could.

    At some point, the yelling in the distance got quieter and was drowned out by some guard who screamed back at the dowager empress.

    Theodore waited a few more seconds before he spoke again. ¡°She''s finally gone. I apologize for allowing her to cause such a scene. And...¡± His expression was grim while he resumed. ¡°I sincerely apologize for not ensuring that she wouldn''t have any weapons with her. I should not have expected her to be sane enough to know that attacking someone here is suicide. We''ll make sure that she can never bring anything dangerous inside anymore.¡± That sounded more like he would make sure that Camille didn''t live long enough to try it again. Theodore scanned the couple with great care before adding another sentence. ¡°Is the injury bad?¡±

    Lucille had already prepared to thank him, but the last comment surprised her. ¡°We were lucky, and no one was injured. Only-¡± Her gaze fell onto the dagger, and a pit of fear formed in her stomach.

    The blade was colored in red.

    But the dowager empress hadn''t been cut, and Lucille didn''t feel any pain. She whipped her head around to her lover and panically searched for wounds. She took a moment before she noticed that the back of her dress might feel a bit warmer and wetter than it should. She reached behind herself and carefully made Cedar let go of her.

    Her lover obeyed and immediately let his arm sink. He balled his fist, as if that would veil the fact that his hand was stained red.

    Lucille assumed that it wasn''t a dangerous wound if only his hand had been affected, but she still panicked. ¡°Your hand is bleeding.¡±

    Cedar was silent for a moment before he replied. ¡°I...didn''t pay attention to where I put it. I just wanted to...get the knife away from you.¡± He didn''t dare to make eye contact with her. Was he seriously still worrying about her reaction, even though he had grabbed a blade to protect her? ¡°I''m sorry for dirtying your dress. I will make sure the tailor takes care of it.¡±

    Lucille felt her heart clench at the dejected tone he had spoken in. ¡°I don''t care about a stupid dress. I worry about you getting hurt. It''s painful, isn''t it?¡± She reached for his hand.

    Cedar was unwilling but gave in after a few seconds and lifted his hand. ¡°It''s not bad. I barely feel it.¡±

    Lucille doubted that. She brought his hand up to her face and scanned the red slash that ran across his palm. It was pretty deep. He had probably grabbed that knife in complete panic to keep Camille from stabbing her. She pressed her lips into a thin line and cursed Camille in her mind. ¡°It looks unpleasant. We need to take care of that.¡±

    Cedar opened his mouth, without a doubt to refuse, but he didn''t get the chance.

    Theodore, who stood directly next to them, quickly chimed in. ¡°You''re going to see the royal doctor immediately. We don''t want that getting infected. He will clean it and put a bandage around it. I can and will check whether you let that man treat you, Cedar. No more lying about you not being hurt just because that damned woman couldn''t even show some compassion. From now on, you will deal with your own wounds as if Lucille had them. So, you will allow the doctor to take a look at it and will allow the following treatment as well while being careful not to reopen the injury. Understood?¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Cedar let out a quiet huff. Then he smiled at his brother with a mix of an honest smile and one that was faked to cover up his resignation. ¡°If the emperor orders that, I can''t refuse. We need to check whether Lucille is hurt as well.¡± Why was he thinking about her first? She wasn''t the one bleeding.

    Theodore spoke before Lucille had the chance to point that out. ¡°No, no. You won''t do it because I''m ordering you. You will do it because I expect you to take care of yourself from now on. I don''t want to see you get hurt, and no one else here wants that either. We need to deal with any ailments you could have quickly, so you won''t refuse to see the doctor for regular check-ups from now on. You will go to the doctor now and relax after that. I will deal with this mess, and we can discuss everything later.¡±

    Cedar nodded and did his best to seem cheerful again, but he didn''t manage to convince Lucille in the slightest. After all, he held onto his lover with way too much desperation. He probably didn''t notice it anymore, but she did.

    Lucille already pondered how she would get him to the doctor''s office without letting go of him. She quickly had an idea and put that into action. She kept her arms around Cedar and leaned against him while gently pushing him toward the building. It was unpleasant to walk like this, but there was no way that she would take her arms off him now.

    Cedar''s acting skills became much more apparent with each step they took. If one looked at him, no one would guess that something bad had happened at all. He was smiling as brightly as the sun and just held his lover while walking through the palace. But she could see past that facade. It was obvious that he kept looking around and was even more on edge than usual. It was almost like he expected an attack, but at the same time, he was still thinking about the incident. He refused to make eye contact with anyone they met and just scanned their environment.

    When they reached the doctor''s office, Cedar still put on his happy face. ¡°Good afternoon. There has been a little issue, and I ended up hurting my hand a bit. It barely hurts, but Theodore insisted on it getting checked here.¡± Why was he understating it like that? This hadn''t been a little issue.

    Lucille looked up at him and quickly turned to the doctor to add something. ¡°He didn''t cut himself. The dowager empress tried to kill me, and he stopped the dagger. Please disinfect the wound and put a bandage on him.¡± She tried to sound calm, but she had probably been unable to hide her shock.

    The doctor, who had set aside his book and jumped up when they entered, quickly rushed to their side. He was much more agitated than the injured person was. ¡°What? That insane woman really-¡± He cut himself off when he saw the wound. He lifted his gaze and glared at Cedar for a moment. ¡°Hurting your hand a bit? Your Royal Highness, you''re still as unteachable as before!¡± He ran to the other side of his office and began rummaging in one of the drawers. ¡°Sit down. I will be there in a moment.¡±

    Cedar watched that for a few seconds before he walked over to one of the beds, still without letting go of Lucille. He refused to loosen his hold on her and just sat down before carefully pulling her with him.

    Lucille was fine with that. She leaned against him and took his uninjured hand in hers. She only noticed that she was shaking now. It seemed like she was much more nervous than she admitted to being. That was probably normal when she had almost been killed, but it wasn''t helpful when Cedar needed her support now.

    The doctor came to the bed with a small suitcase. He plopped down on a chair, which he had moved directly in front of the bed, and opened the suitcase to pull out what he needed. Then he took Cedar''s injured hand and inspected the cut for a moment. He muttered some curse word under his breath and began his treatment quickly. He retrieved a small bottle with a clear liquid. ¡°Please endure the burning for a moment.¡± He carefully tilted the vial to pour a bit onto the cut. He had seemingly been ready to hold Cedar''s hand tighter to keep it in place, but that wasn''t necessary at all.

    Lucille had waited for her lover to flinch because of the burning as well, only for it not to happen.

    Cedar remained completely still. His smile remained as radiant as before. He looked like he hadn''t felt anything at all. But most likely, that wasn''t it. He was just acting once again.

    The doctor narrowed his eyes and glared at the wound before making eye contact with the prince. ¡°You can flinch if it hurts, Your Royal Highness. There is nothing wrong with showing some reaction to being wounded.¡±

    Cedar let out a small laugh and replied as if nothing was wrong. ¡°Please do not exaggerate. It is merely a small cut. This will heal in just a few weeks, and it probably won''t even scar. I got away quite well.¡± He hid it well, but his mood deteriorated when he added the next part. ¡°Mother was the one truly hurt. She...needs the treatment more than I do.¡± Nonsense.

    Lucille already prepared to tell him that that wasn''t true.

    At that moment, the doctor let out a loud huff, which might have been mixed with a dry laugh. His expression was unusually grim for someone who normally looked like an affectionate grandfather. ¡°I don''t care what happens to her. I have refused to treat her for the past ten years, and I will refuse until the end of my life. That woman attacked you, so she has to deal with the consequences now.¡±

    Cedar remained silent for a moment before asking his question. ¡°Ten years? That would be before the first assassination attempt, correct?¡±

    The doctor still stared at the wound while replying. ¡°Indeed. Due to numerous discussions, I treated her less and less often. Then I completely refused to see her at some point.¡± He took a small piece of cloth in his hand and carefully wiped away the remains of the blood around the wound. ¡°Back then, there were a few problems, but I managed to go without treating her.¡±

    Cedar scanned the other man''s expression. ¡°Why did you do that? If the assassination attempt had been the reason, I would understand. But I''m pretty sure refusing the empress without having a significant reason is difficult.¡±

    The doctor lifted his head. ¡°I had many significant reasons. Her hysteric fits and how many people she hurt during those were half of it. The other half was connected to that and even worse. I lost all respect for that woman when she kept bringing you here with wounds and acted like you were overly sensitive when you hadn''t even cried once despite the extremely painful injury. When I told her that a child had every right to cry about a broken arm, she just ignored that by saying that you would need to be strong. But that was ridiculous. I remember the broken arm, the mirror incident and all the times that you had allegedly been hit by a vase on accident. She always found a way to blame you or someone else, but the perpetrator was obvious. It got worse each time, and I was too reckless and let it go.¡±

    Hearing that was enough to make Lucille even more upset. She pressed her lips into a line while cursing Camille with all the sicknesses she could name on the spot.

    The doctor wasn''t even done though. ¡°I drew the line when she argued because I insisted on seeing you even though you didn''t want treatment anymore. I told her that I wouldn''t just stay quiet if she kept hurting her own son. Then I threatened her with going to your father, and that upset her a lot. I did talk to the esteemed previous emperor a few times, but I should have talked about this in more detail. After all, it seems like that woman was so strict that you don''t even react to pain now.¡± It seemed like the doctor was fuming. He had never spoken so much in Lucille''s presence, and now he couldn''t hide his disgust for Camille.

    Lucille was on his side here. That woman truly deserved the worst this world had to offer.

    But of course, Cedar didn''t see it that way. He just smiled at them and explained in a calm voice. ¡°I have to agree that Mother used quite harsh methods. Witnessing her lose her temper was never nice either. But there was no way for you to do anything about that. Father wouldn''t have cared either way, so don''t feel responsible. If you had discussed with Mother any more, she might have hurt you at some point. This was for the best. After all, I''m able to patch myself up in an emergency and can easily deal with most people in a fight now.¡± He was still defending his mother.

    The doctor just cursed Camille a few times after hearing that. He only whispered that part, and when he spoke loud again, he was still upset. ¡°That woman didn''t do anything good for you. I hope that His Majesty finally eliminates her.¡± He threw aside the bloody cloth with a bit too much vigor. Then he took another cloth and gently put it onto the wound. He allowed most of the blood to seep into it before throwing it away too. After that, he took one of the bandages from his suitcase and began wrapping it around Cedar''s palm. It didn''t take long for him to finish that with great skill. He fixated the bandage and then withdrew his hands.

    Cedar moved his hand around a bit until he seemed content knowing that his bandage didn''t obstruct his movements. Then he showed the doctor a bright smile. ¡°Thank you very much for the treatment. I am sure that this will heal in no time.¡±

    The doctor crossed his arms. ¡°If you let it heal, it will have disappeared completely in a few weeks. If. So, you will not do anything to reopen that wound any time soon. If you have to train, you will not use that hand. Understood? I will seriously get angry if you do the same you did with your wound before you came here. Don''t over-exhaust yourself, Your Royal Highness.¡±

    Cedar just beamed at him. ¡°Of course. I will be careful. From now on-¡±

    The doctor cut him off. ¡°And you will come here this evening so that I can exchange the bandage. I want you to let me take care of this wound for at least one week. I will look at it once a day. I won''t discuss this.¡±

    Cedar opened his mouth. He would definitely refuse.

    Lucille knew that, so she spoke up first. ¡°Cedar, you will let him treat you. This is important. He is much more skilled than we are, and it will be faster than us doing it too.¡±

    Cedar glanced at her. He remained silent for a moment and scanned her expression as if he wanted to figure out whether he could get out of this. He quickly saw that she was absolutely serious and gave up with a sigh. ¡°Fine. During the first three days, we can come here.¡± He was still reluctant to accept help. Camille had probably implanted so many strange things in his head that he would still take a while to let go of it.

    Lucille gritted her teeth while wishing death upon the dowager empress in her mind. That woman was on the spot number one of the people she hated. She didn''t dare to say that though. Right now, Cedar was worried about what had happened. She didn''t need to unsettle him even more.

    For a moment, everyone was silent before the doctor spoke up again. ¡°Then it seems like there is nothing else I can do for now. Or was some other injury sustained during the struggle?¡±

    Cedar turned his head to scan his lover before replying. ¡°Maybe it would be good to check whether Lucille is hurt. Just to be sure.¡±

    Lucille immediately refuted that. ¡°I would have noticed the wound by now. I''m not hurt. I was just a bit scared when that woman suddenly lost her mind, but I''m fine now. We should go back to your room to sit down there a bit.¡± She wanted to give Cedar a chance to calm down. She knew that he would only let down his guard when they were alone, and he needed that.

    Thankfully, no one complained. Cedar nodded, even if he would have liked her to get examined, and the doctor wished them well before they left.

    Walking through the corridors while clinging to her lover felt odd, but Lucille didn''t think about letting go even once. She held onto him until they reached his room. When the door closed behind them, she felt more relaxed, and the tension fell off her. But she knew well that Cedar wouldn''t forget what had happened so quickly, which created a completely different issue.

 Chapter 132: Regret and Luck

¡°

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

 Chapter 133: First Resistance

    ¡°

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°

    wonderful idea. I don''t know how she...¡± He hesitated for a moment. Then he spoke much faster than before. ¡°She isn''t sane, so you can''t understand what she was thinking. Well, in any case, she wanted to hurt Theodore and Blanche, whom she compared to Althea. So, she just told me to use Blanche''s state to...do what Claude Vasquez had in mind. I thought she was joking, but she wasn''t. She suggested just pretending that it had happened too, but that didn''t make anything better. That made me so upset that I yelled at her for the first time in years. I tried to bring Blanche away so that Mother wouldn''t try anything else. Then Theodore came, and everything was resolved. I left and don''t know much about what happened that evening.¡± That he had suddenly changed the pace of the narration made it obvious that he hated that event.

 Chapter 134: Reactions (1)

    Cedar wasn''t sure what that question was supposed to make him respond with. Was he fine at the moment? Definitely not. Surely, he could keep himself together, but his mind was still in a whirl. ¡°I am truly fine. I mean, I broke my mother''s arm three hours ago, so I''m a bit worried. But otherwise, it''s fine.¡±

    Camille had raised him to serve her and live for her. Now he had hurt her, ignored her cries for help and had left her all alone as she had been dragged away. Of course, that made him feel horrible. Especially since a part of him just dryly reminded him that it had been her fault. That wasn''t getting better when everyone around him told him that it was fine too. No one here had any sympathy for Camille, so they justified his hasty actions. That made him feel even more guilty for ignoring her.

    Theodore crossed his arms while he responded. ¡°That woman doesn''t deserve anyone''s pity. Cedar, she attacked you. We have at least a dozen witnesses who can affirm that she pulled out a dagger to stab Lucille. And that you intervened is clear too. No one will blame you. You needed to act quickly, and you did just that. Lucille is safe, so you fulfilled your main goal, right?¡±

    That was true. During that incident, Cedar had only been able to think about whether he had managed to save Lucille. He had been so relieved upon seeing that she wasn''t hurt that he had ignored his wailing mother for a minute or so. Only then, he had noticed Camille, and that had made the difference in what he felt for those two people even more obvious. He cared more about Lucille than about his mother. That should be logical since Lucille was always kind to him and liked spending time with him. They were a couple, and she didn''t hurt him nor did she try to use his weaknesses against him. Cedar''s own mother was much too eager to see him in pain though, just because that had made him cling to her in the past.

    Of course, he would favor the person who actually felt something like affection for him. But Camille had always expected him to see her as his priority. She had ensured that it was like this for two decades. Now that suddenly wasn''t the case anymore. Knowing that her manipulation had failed had to be so frustrating to her.

    But Cedar himself was confused too. He wasn''t sure what his emotions told him right now. Was he happy that he had saved Lucille? Was he sad about hurting his mother and seeing her suffer? Both were true. In addition, it felt like his whole life was changed because he truly understood that Camille didn''t matter to him that much anymore. So, he was quite irritated right now. Cedar showed his brother a bright smile as he responded. ¡°Of course. Lucille was my priority. I had to protect her, and that is what I did. I merely believe that it would have been more clever to do so in a calmer manner. I should have held back with my strength a bit.¡± He could have hurt his mother just a little bit so that she would drop the knife. He didn''t have to break her arm for that. But to be honest, he hadn''t thought about that while seeing how Lucille had been threatened with a dagger.

    Blanche inserted herself into the conversation again. ¡°But you can''t expect yourself to think about that when you need to act quickly. You just did what would guarantee that she wouldn''t attack Lucille. And you are used to fighting much stronger people. You probably wouldn''t have broken the arm of a trained fighter with that, right? An old noble is just much more fragile. But all in all, it''s still her fault one way or the other. She should be glad that she didn''t meet Leon or Owen while trying that. Both would have cut her hand off in a single motion.¡±

    Cedar didn''t doubt that. Maybe it was good that he had been the one to intervene. Still, he would have liked to do so more gently. But it wasn''t like he could change that now, and he didn''t need to discuss this with people who despised Camille either. ¡°Well, then it''s good that those two weren''t there. At least we managed to get out of this unharmed. What will happen now?¡±

    Theodore replied immediately. ¡°Obviously, we''re putting her on trial. Until then, she will stay in her cell, and I will finish off her last allies. I''m pretty sure that I can deal with enough to have the trial in just a few weeks. This will drag her down to her knees. After that, she will suffer a bit thanks to her hurt pride. Then it might be good to have a retrial for all of the offenses she committed. Maybe in three months or so, and then the capital will be completely clean. We will lay out all of her crimes and finally bring down the hammer of justice.¡±

    So, Theodore planned on ending it within four months. By then, he would probably have driven Camille to the brink of utter insanity, and in the end, he would crush her.

    Once again, Cedar hated himself for not thinking about stepping in. He would hold back nonetheless. After all, he knew that his mother was dangerous to everyone around her. There was no way a person like her could stay alive for long. And obviously, Theodore would get revenge for the death of his mother. ¡°I understand. I can testify about anything I witnessed and even lie if it becomes necessary. But I would-¡± He didn''t get to finish.

    Theodore already replied. ¡°I will try to keep you from having to say too much. You will mostly just affirm our theory if the nobles question some things. You won''t be the main person in the trial, believe me.¡± Either he feared that his brother would change his mind and lie to twist the facts in front of a judge, or he truly wanted to keep Cedar from needing to condemn his mother. Both would be understandable.

    To be honest, Cedar didn''t care about the reason either. He was just happy if he could go without blaming himself for causing his mother''s execution for the rest of his life. ¡°Thank you. Of course, I will help if it ever becomes necessary and will do my all to support you, but I shall let you deal with most of it. Even if I worry about your reputation a bit.¡±

    Theodore kept his eyes on his brother, but he was already in the middle of pulling his wife into his arms again. Apparently, he couldn''t even let go of her for five minutes, but at least he still talked to the prince. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Cedar smiled at him while fighting the urge to hug Lucille. ¡°That you are leading a trial involving Mother. Everyone will know that you are biased. That you even allow me to stay here despite what happened is enough to make some people worry a lot. If you do this now, it might cause even more trouble. You remember the tyrant emperor rumors, right? That is the only thing your enemies can use against you. Thanks to your new rather harsh methods, which are helpful but still problematic, that rumor might grow again. We don''t need the citizens to think that you are defending the insane prince that broke his own mother''s arm. And the fact that you are trying to get your biological mother executed will damage your reputation too.¡±

    That was a valid concern, and still, Theodore just put on a confident smile. ¡°You don''t have to worry about anything, especially not the public opinion, as long as the emperor is on your side. I could be a psychopath who clings to a ghost or a soft man who is completely dependent on his wife''s love. Either way, no one will dare to complain. Except for the dowager empress. But as I said, she won''t cause issues for much longer. Trust me.¡±

    Cedar wasn''t sure whether he could do that. He still found it strange that he was on Theodore''s side like this, and even if he accepted that, disregarding that the emperor''s reputation was important did not seem too clever. ¡°Well, even if that is the case. Don''t I need to worry about my reputation still? If I suddenly appear in a trial and want my mother to be punished, that would make it seem like I am trying to silence her so that she can''t reveal my secrets and tell you about some crimes I committed.¡± His mother truly knew about one secret that he didn''t want to be spread. But Theodore already knew, so it was fine. ¡°And this incident here will only remind them how cruel and dangerous I am. I doubt that noble society will be a pleasant place for me after this.¡±

    He hadn''t expected Lucille to reply, but she chimed in as soon as he finished. ¡°But no one here could be angry at you. You only defended yourself. Your mother''s reputation will be damaged because she came to the royal palace with a weapon. But that you pushed her away won''t harm your reputation. It was self-defense!¡± She seemed like she was a bit too upset about that.

    Cedar would have liked to clarify why his concerns were logical, but he wasn''t able to tell her about how Camille would twist the story.

    Theodore spoke first. ¡°To be honest, this event can only help your reputation. The nobles will see that as proof that you are on my side. And the staff''s opinion of you will benefit as well.¡±

    Cedar didn''t like hearing that. He knew that his brother had played some strange games to ruin the former empress'' reputation among the staff, which had led to some rather unpleasant situations for that woman. He himself had experienced the staff''s disdain too. In the first weeks after he had come here, it had been pretty bad. But with time, it had gotten better, and now most people seemed to view him as a neutral person. That made it seem like Theodore had already gotten involved and changed the rumors into more positive ones. Cedar crossed his arms. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The knights saw that you defended Lucille from your mother. They know that you are serious about taking our side since you didn''t hold back. And they also saw how hysteric the dowager empress is. From now on, no one will doubt that you are not as bad as they thought you were. You remember what she announced in front of everyone today, right? She effectively proved that she is completely insane and that you were the poor child who had to endure her tantrums and her horrible treatment for years.¡± So, Theodore wanted to bait people with pity.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Maybe that would be fine for everyone else. But Cedar hated pity. ¡°Theodore, I doubt that me breaking-¡±

    His brother cut him off there. ¡°Don''t worry. You defended Lucille, so you are in the right. I will deal with everything and make sure that it ends favorably. You don''t have to waste your time with that, alright? Everything is under my control. We will be done with this in just a little while. Then you won''t ever have to think about that woman again. But I doubt that we will be able to do much for you now at this very moment. So, how about you stay here and just relax with Lucille? I can give you a week of vacation, so you don''t have to come to the office if you don''t want to. See that as a small reward for working so earnestly. Maybe it would be good if Lucille could sleep in your room for a while.¡±

    Lucille blinked at that. She stared at the emperor for a moment before blood came rushing to her face. She averted her eyes. ¡°That... I don''t...¡± She still didn''t know how to deal with this, even if they had shared a room often enough.

    In reality, there was more to this though. The emperor wanted to make sure that Lucille was close to Cedar because he knew that his brother would have some issues forgetting this incident. He wanted to let Lucille deal with that so that the prince wouldn''t get too upset.

    Cedar was half thankful and half annoyed. He could have talked about this with Lucille alone.

    But before he could say anything, Blanche resumed. ¡°You know, if you need to change your scenery a bit, you could also move rooms for a while. Just a day ago, a room in the corridor with our room was...prepared. Coincidentally.¡± That was a lie. ¡°You could move there to make it feel like a vacation. Only if you want to, of course. Then you would have much more space and would need to walk a shorter way to our room to eat breakfast, and the way to the office from there is shorter too. You could finally have a bigger dressing room there as well.¡±

    They were trying to bind the prince here, weren''t they? Both Theodore and Blanche seemed to insist on Cedar taking a room for himself instead of staying in a guest room. And they even told him to share it with Lucille. That made him believe that they were already sure that he would live here even after Camille was gone and that he would marry Lucille. He wouldn''t complain about the second part, but the first one confused him a little. After all, Cedar had done enough to make the royal couple hate him. They should be eager to throw him out, but apparently, that wasn''t the case here.

    Cedar was irritated by that, but he obviously didn''t show that.

    Lucille''s face became completely red though. She was probably already overthinking about what a man and a woman sharing a bedroom would indicate. If others heard about that, she would never be able to marry any noble from the capital. But she might not be too averse to that decision. She was still too shy to admit that though. So, she held up her hands to her cheeks and tried to cover her blushing. Obviously, she didn''t manage to hide her reaction.

    Blanche already grinned at her. ¡°You don''t have to be so bashful. We won''t force you. But you sleep in each other''s room every night anyway, so it should be fine. Just remember that we have a room prepared for you.¡±

    Cedar watched how Lucille stammered around a bit. She was so adorable that he almost wanted to watch her get embarrassed a bit more, but he decided to save her quickly. ¡°Well, not everyone can rush it like you two did. We will take our time. Regarding the room, we will discuss that later. But for now, we won''t be able to make a decision that quickly. Please give us some time.¡±

    Theodore patted his wife, who was still beaming. ¡°Of course. The offer will remain. The room won''t disappear after all. Just tell us when you are ready. I think that is all we will say for now. Everything else is...¡± He became a bit more serious and did his best to hide that with a smile. ¡°Not important right now. I will deal with it. For now, you two probably want a calm afternoon. We asked the cooks to prepare something nice for dinner so that you don''t have to go out again. We will be in our room or the office, and if you need help or want to talk about something, you can visit or send a servant. Alright?¡± So, he was trying to give Cedar space to get over what had happened while also offering help.

    Cedar would have liked to say that everything was fine already, but that would be a lie. Whenever it was quiet, his mind returned to the moment in which he had heard that sickening crunch and felt how Camille''s arm gave in under his hands. That almost made him shudder. ¡°It''s perfectly fine. We will call for a servant if there is an issue, but I doubt that there will be one. I probably won''t go out today anymore, so I wish you a nice afternoon. I can also wish you a wonderful night already, right?¡±

    Blanche replied with a little smile on her lips. ¡°Of course. We are very thankful for that. We would like to wish you a pleasant afternoon and night too. Don''t worry about everything the whole night. And don''t forget that we are here to help in whatever way necessary.¡± Apparently, Blanche had understood that Cedar wouldn''t ask for help, so she prepared to leave. She tugged at her husband''s arm, and that slight motion was enough to make him walk to the door.

    Lucille bid them farewell too, her mind being focused on something else already. When the door fell shut, she still stared at it and refused to look toward her lover.

    Cedar considered teasing her and quickly decided to do just that. He didn''t want to think about what had happened, so he would rather busy himself a little. That was his favorite thing to do anyway. He walked over to Lucille and positioned himself in front of her.

    Lucille lifted her head to glance at him, not being sure what he would address.

    Cedar took that as his cue to step forward. He put his hand under her chin and gently tilted her head to make eye contact with her. ¡°Why are you so red? You don''t have a cold, right? You look like you might be pretty hot.¡± He brought his other hand to her forehead and leaned closer than he had to.

    Lucille''s blush actually wasn''t as dark as normal. In fact, she only seemed to be red because of the excitement of today. But the way that she looked up at him made it obvious that she was embarrassed now that he had asked. ¡°That''s...not it.¡± She alternated between staring at him and quickly glancing down. ¡°I...I''m just thinking about...¡±

    Cedar began playing with Lucille''s hair and carefully moved it around a bit while letting his hand run down the side of her face. He smiled down at her and could barely hold back from kissing her when she gave him such an expectant look. But he forced himself to stop for now to push her a bit farther. ¡°Is it about the room? Is sharing a room with me that bad? I promise that it won''t be too bothersome. I would make sure that you are in a good mood all the time. After all, falling asleep with me and waking up next to me would be nice, wouldn''t it?¡± He hadn''t expected Lucille to nod, but she did it without hesitation.

    Lucille averted her eyes again, but she even replied. ¡°I mean...it would be nice. But I''m...worried about...you know. If we really do share a room, that''s...like an official statement.¡± Regarding their future.

    To be honest, sleeping in each other''s room was bad enough. Officially doing it wouldn''t make it much worse. But even if it did, there most likely wouldn''t be much of an issue.

    Cedar stroked his thumb over Lucille''s cheek before slowly letting it roam over her bottom lip. ¡°Well, we already slept in the same bed quite a few times. The servants know, so this wouldn''t change much. It would merely...add the indication that you will stay in the royal palace longer. Assigning you a room here hints that you will not move out like a guest. And you know what that would mean.¡± Everyone would assume that Cedar would finally make her his fianc¨¦e. To him, that didn''t sound too bad.

    Lucille squirmed around a bit while looking to the side before she met his gaze. She seemed so uncertain while she swallowed. Still, she spoke up. ¡°If that is...¡± Her voice gave in. ¡°If that is...the case...then we could...actually do it. Right?¡± That response came as a surprise.

    Cedar hadn''t quite expected her to jump at the offer and had believed that they would delay it for a few more weeks. But now that she had said this... Why not? That was the first question that came to his mind. Even if it came to the point at which Lucille would not be able to marry anyone else, there wouldn''t be much of an issue. Cedar could easily take care of her, whether she would be his wife or not.

    Of course, her affirmation would be more pleasant. As long as Cedar stayed in the palace and got along with the emperor, his position would be secured. He was the prince of Artias and had an impressive amount of personal funds, so he was rather powerful. After Camille and her last supporters disappeared, few people would threaten the royal family. So, Lucille would be safe here.

    The only problems remaining were Cedar''s difficult circumstances. That meant that he just needed to make sure that his past wouldn''t trouble Lucille. As long as he tried to be a good husband, that would be fine, right? Maybe it wouldn''t be too bad for him to say that with conviction now.

    Cedar watched Lucille for a moment while he could see how tense she was. That already made him answer before he could think about his words. He leaned forward and gently covered her lips with hers.

    Lucille seemed to have expected it since she immediately relaxed and put her arms around his neck.

    He was careful not to move too fast while he took a step back and then another one. He didn''t take long before he managed to bring her to the bed and sat down there. In the process, he pulled Lucille onto his lap and still didn''t stop kissing her. Apparently, she didn''t mind the new position and just returned his kiss eagerly. She was normally so shy when it came to things like this, and yet, she was passionate now.

    Cedar had to admit that he loved both her shyness and this passion. He couldn''t even say what he favored. He probably just liked every reaction Lucille could give him. When she kissed him, it already felt like that was enough of a reward. And the fact that she felt safe enough to make herself comfortable in his lap while they did this only made it even cuter. He could seriously get used to this.

 Chapter 135: Reactions (2)

    The longer the kiss went on, the more obvious it became that he was getting warm as well. Cedar would have liked to act unaffected, but he could forget that when his ears and cheeks got red. Maybe Lucille wouldn''t see it. And even if she did see, he wouldn''t mind.

    He did love her. If he couldn''t say it, maybe his body''s reaction would prove it.

    The couple separated after a short moment, with Lucille still sitting on his lap. She looked at him with wide pupils, and her cheeks were even redder than before. She was absolutely stunning.

    Cedar had seen that often enough and still felt like he was falling in love more every time. He could never find the words to tell her how wonderful she was, no matter how many attempts he had. He scanned her face for as long as he could while taking in all the details. For a few seconds, they were silent until he just admitted it. ¡°You are beautiful. Whenever I look at you, I am captured a bit more.¡±

    Lucille opened her mouth, only to freeze in place. She stared at him while trying to process that. She became much more embarrassed than before and averted her gaze before muttering her response. ¡°Thank you. When I see you, I always get reminded of...how much I love you.¡± She held still for a moment before she forced herself to look at him. ¡°I love you. And I can be sure because it feels wonderful whenever I catch a glimpse of you. When I hug you, it is even more pleasant. Then my heart is overflowing with nothing but happiness.¡± It seemed like it took all of her confidence to say that.

    Cedar thanked her with another kiss. He was as sweet as possible while gently tangling his fingers in her hair. He enjoyed it as much as she did before slowly pulling back.

    Lucille watched him already, and quickly, her embarrassment came back. She leaned forward and hid her face by burying her nose in his shoulder.

    The prince just hugged her and allowed her to lean against him. He relaxed like that and closed his eyes. He wouldn''t mind having Lucille with him for the rest of his life. That would make him truly happy. And if she agreed to share a room with him, that was like a little yes that indicated that she would agree later too. Maybe it was foolish to hope for something so important, but still. He turned his head to his lover and whispered into her ear. ¡°We can seriously think about moving into a room together. I don''t mind. So, just tell me when you came to a conclusion or if you want to talk about it first. We have time, so don''t feel pressured.¡±

    Lucille weakly nodded before pressing a small kiss onto his neck. His skin tingled where she had touched it. She might always be overwhelmed when he teased her, but it seemed like she had an equal amount of power over him.

    Cedar almost melted. It was truly a blessing to have his beloved here right now. Without her, he would probably be in the middle of questioning whether he even deserved any kindness after hurting his mother. But at this moment, he refused to think about that and just enjoyed his lover''s presence.

    <hr>

    The couple sat on the bed together until the sun set. They talked about random things and cuddled before deciding that they should go to sleep at some point. Getting ready for bed was much more fun when Lucille was directly next to him, and it almost looked like she would collapse onto the bed as soon as they lay down. When they had slipped under the covers, Cedar expected her to fall unconscious within a few seconds. He knew that he would stay awake for a long time, so he hoped to distract his mind by focusing on how cute Lucille was when she slept next to him.

    But to his surprise, Lucille didn''t sleep immediately. Instead, she just lay there in his arms and relaxed. He thought that she would nod off after a few minutes, but then she opened her eyes again to look at him. ¡°Are you still awake?¡± Her voice sounded a bit drowsy, so she probably wanted to sleep but couldn''t.

    Cedar ran his fingers down the back of her scalp and whispered his response. ¡°I don''t think I will sleep tonight. I''ll try, but I probably won''t succeed.¡± He never did when he began overthinking. He would go through what had happened in his mind a few more times until he had convinced himself that his reaction had been wrong and had caused more damage than it did good. This would end up with him questioning every little thing he had ever done. He hated his brain for that, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He could just make it a bit better by being close to Lucille in the meantime. ¡°But that doesn''t mean that you can''t sleep. Just close your eyes, and get some rest. I will be alright in the morning.¡±

    Lucille was silent for a moment before she replied. ¡°But you need sleep. You were stressed, so you need to rest now. Is there...anything I can do to help you?¡± It was sweet that she thought about this. But there was no way.

    Cedar could usually fool himself quite well when it came to his emotions, but attacking his mother was too big of a deal for him to just ignore it. ¡°I don''t think so. I...am used to laying awake after...unpleasant events.¡± He had had some of those events in the past. And today, he hadn''t just broken his mother''s arm. Lucille could have died too. There was no way that he could calmly sleep now.

    A few seconds paused in silence before his lover replied. ¡°I see. But maybe something can help you. I could try to...sing you to sleep.¡± She spoke much quicker as soon as she had said that. ¡°I mean, that sounds a bit odd, but for me, it was good. Well, when I was a child. I don''t know how it is now. But...¡± She cut herself off and just summarized it. ¡°My mother used to sing a specific song to me. I can''t really sing, so...I could hum it. It probably won''t sound good, but maybe it will help you sleep.¡±

    Probably not. Any additional sound would just keep him awake. And at the same time, Lucille would keep herself awake too. That certainly wouldn''t help.

    But Cedar had to admit that he would like to hear Lucille''s voice. ¡°Sure. We can try it, but if it doesn''t work, you don''t have to feel bad. And you need to promise me that you will sleep in a few minutes no matter what. We don''t need to go without sleep together.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Lucille paused for a moment. She brought her hand to her lover''s scalp and began drawing small patterns there while looking into the distance. She probably tried to remember the song she had heard as a child. She took a short moment before she began. It was a slow melody and probably from some sort of nursery rhyme or lullaby.

    Cedar enjoyed watching his lover for a while before he closed his eyes. It was a nice melody, and he did his best to focus on that and nothing else. He didn''t know how much time passed, but it felt like the murmur in his head got quieter.

    It made absolutely no sense, but it seemed like Lucille''s voice truly helped him. Cedar could only focus on her hand on his scalp and her soft humming while his head was cleared of thoughts about anything else. He didn''t even notice what was happening before he drifted off to sleep.

    It wasn''t a calm or relaxing slumber, but that was better than nothing.

    <hr>

    The next morning was odd. Cedar was a bit confused by the fact that Lucille had truly managed to make him sleep despite him overthinking everything. It didn''t keep him asleep, and the many times he woke up in a cold sweat were more than enough to exhaust him, much like the vivid nightmarish scenarios his head came up with whenever he tried to fall asleep again. But any reminder of that was wiped away by the satisfaction of having his lover next to him when Cedar eventually made it through the night. He didn''t manage to enjoy that for long though.

    The doctor knocked on the door soon after that and complained about Cedar not visiting to change the bandages. He insisted on disinfecting the cut again, even if that wound was rather small and not that painful at all, before leaving after complaining for ten more minutes. Apparently, that man wondered whether Cedar was just hiding his pain from others without noticing that this wound wasn''t life-threatening. He even made the prince swear that he would visit once a day to let the doctor treat his hand. That was a bit annoying.

    Especially since Cedar had other things to do. He would need to go to the office to finish his work for the day. Then he would have to discuss the details of what would happen now with Theodore. Apparently, that was surprising though.

    Lucille acted as if she was completely shocked about him wanting to go out. She asked him whether he was sure multiple times and even offered to accompany him.

    Cedar couldn''t let her sit next to him while he took care of his documents, so he decided that he would bring her to the empress'' room, where Lucille usually spent her time until noon. He bid her farewell with a kiss and calmed her once more. He was truly fine, so she wouldn''t need to worry. As soon as the door closed behind Lucille, he prepared to walk to the office. That quickly made him realize that there was a much bigger issue than the whirlwind inside his mind.

    Many of the staff members had already found out what had been going on. In fact, it looked like all of them already knew. Every single servant stared at the prince with even more inquiring gazes than usual.

    That quickly made Cedar''s mood deteriorate. He already blamed himself, so he didn''t have to listen to others talking about how cruel he was. Even if he tried to prevent it, his thoughts wandered to Camille, who had to be in pain while sitting in a cold cell and waiting for her son to free her. But Cedar wouldn''t go to her, so she would just wait for naught and get more scared with every passing hour.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    He hated that thought. It reminded him that he was abandoning his mother. Surely, she deserved it, but he had seen it differently his whole life. He couldn''t just change his mind overnight.

    Every one of Cedar''s steps was accompanied by that strange pit of guilt in his stomach, and he could barely focus on the people around him. He didn''t want to hear what they said to their colleagues. He just hurried to the office and hoped that no one would cross his path today. And then he saw what he didn''t need now at all.

    A group of guards was walking in his direction, probably because they had to go to the other side of the palace. But when they saw the prince, their steps slowed. It seemed like they were whispering to each other before keeping their eyes on him and approaching him. One of them was the guard that had troubled Cedar by the library. That man hated him, so this wouldn''t be nice.

    Cedar seriously considered spinning around and running away in the opposite direction, but that would be like admitting that he was sensitive to this matter. His reaction after the incident had been bad enough in itself. He was pretty sure that only Lucille had seen how affected he had been, but still, everyone had seen how he had lost his smile and clung to his lover while trying to ignore Camille. That was too much of a weakness that he had already revealed. His self-control had to be flawless now. Not a single crack could destroy his perfect facade.

    So, the prince forced himself to act like he always did. He had a little smile on his lips that probably made him look confident, and even a little arrogant, while he met the guards'' gaze. He scanned all of them for a moment like he usually did to confirm whether they were dangerous and then directed his eyes onto the hallway in front of him again. If he was lucky, this would show them that he wasn''t interested in talking.

    But of course, he wasn''t lucky. He never was when Lucille wasn''t involved, so this wasn''t a surprise.

    The group stopped next to him, and one of the guards stepped forward in hopes of being addressed.

    Cedar would have liked to ignore them. But of course, he stopped and turned to them to smile at the group. ¡°Yes?¡± He didn''t need those guards to tell him how horrible he was now. He already knew that. ¡°Is there something I can assist you with?¡±

    The guard in front of him was quiet for a moment before he replied. ¡°Not directly, Your Royal Highness. We wished to tell you something and would ask you to listen for a moment. It will not take long.¡± He sounded awfully uncertain for someone who was probably about to insult the prince.

    Cedar ignored the urge to tell him that he was busy. ¡°I do not mind. Please go ahead.¡± He did mind. He just wanted to leave and hide from those people''s judgmental stares. It had been years since he had cared about others'' comments like this. Normally, he didn''t feel bothered, but when his weakness was revealed, he felt like he was just pathetic.

    A few seconds passed in silence. It almost made him hope that the guards would leave again. Of course, that didn''t happen. But for some reason, no one gazed at him with hatred or fury either. There wasn''t any disgust to be seen and not even a mocking smile. It seemed like those people here were too shy to show their dislike outright. That was weird. The man from the library was here after all, and he certainly hadn''t hidden his annoyance last time.

    Cedar was about to speak up again when the silence was finally broken.

    The guard that had stepped forward suddenly bowed to the prince. The rest of the knights did the same and stayed in that position while he spoke. ¡°We sincerely apologize. It was our mistake. We didn''t react in time and forced you to act. We should have ensured that that woman wouldn''t bring any weapons, and we were responsible for keeping her from hurting other people. But we did not keep our guard up and made such a careless error. Thanks to your quick interference, no one was hurt, but it could have ended up worse. We...know that apologies do not do much, but we wished to say that we deeply regret what happened. We promise that nothing like this will ever occur again. From now on, we will be much more careful.¡± That was surprising.

    Cedar could only stand there and smile at the men. Was this a joke, or did they want to evoke a specific reaction from him? Or had Theodore seriously managed to convince those people of the fact that they were at fault?

    Admittedly, those guards had made a fatal error. They hadn''t thought about Camille doing something suicidal and hadn''t checked a weak elderly woman, who had never once attacked anyone with her own hands, for weapons. One couldn''t blame them for that, but in retrospect, the mistake was daunting. But since Cedar, who knew Camille best, had also made a mistake, that criticism was useless. One couldn''t blame the guards for not being fast enough either. Cedar had barely reacted in time, and he had stood directly next to Camille. The guards had kept their distance to grant them some privacy. It would have been impossible for them to be there in time.

    Cedar was just thankful that he had managed to be there. He wasn''t so happy about breaking Camille''s arm, but the guards wouldn''t care about that. The prince scanned the group in front of him while trying to figure out what they wanted. They acted kind, but that certainly couldn''t be the truth. Why would they treat him with respect now when they had never had?

    Cedar hoped that his smile was as flawless as always, but he put in even more effort to seem like his normal cheerful self. ¡°Please raise your heads. No one could have guessed that Mother would be that reckless. Attacking someone within the royal estate is reckless, even for her. No sane person would have tried. And you did react quickly. It was just that she was much closer to Lucille than anyone else was. Thankfully, no one on our side was hurt.¡± But his mother wasn''t in a good state. And Cedar didn''t even know how she was right now. He almost wanted to visit her once to confirm how she was doing, but that wouldn''t help them.

    Camille would get upset, yell at him and threaten him, or she would try to lure him in by acting hurt and vulnerable. And neither of that would matter since Theodore would kill her off in just a few months anyway. So, Cedar should force himself to be more indifferent. He didn''t need to be in a bad mood just because this had happened, and he certainly didn''t want to grieve for weeks when his mother eventually lost her life.

    A few seconds passed in silence. Cedar already expected that the guards would make fun of him or call him a sadist. But that didn''t follow. Everyone just looked uncomfortable while standing there. He considered offering that he could leave, but then the knight spoke up again.

    ¡°Still, it is our task to protect the inhabitants of the palace, and we carelessly let down our guard in the presence of a person who was known to be dangerous. That is unforgivable, but we will work hard to ensure that something like that never happens again. Please accept our sincere apology.¡± That was unusually submissive for the people who always pointed out that the prince had no power here.

    Cedar braced himself for an underhanded comment and just smiled at them. ¡°It isn''t my place to do so. You serve my brother, and I am sure that he will not hold it against you though. Of course, I will not criticize you either.¡± He was much more upset with himself than with anyone else. ¡°In any case, you are not to blame and will not be held responsible. Thank you for your continuous services to the royal family and your sincerity in this regard.¡± That was it, right? Hopefully, he could retreat before it got worse again. But apparently, he wasn''t that lucky.

    The guards still didn''t let him go. The knight from before looked like he wanted to say something yet again. This time, he took even longer to speak up. ¡°We thank you for your leniency in this regard. But...we do have to apologize for something else as well.¡± Seemingly, it would get even stranger. The guard was visibly hesitant and only spoke after a few seconds had passed in silence. ¡°There have been some issues ever since you arrived here. Of course, that has...been caused by the rather unpleasant experiences that we have had in the past. And it is understandable that we were a bit skeptical, and-¡± He cut himself off. He stared at the prince for a moment before resuming. ¡°That is not an excuse though. We judged you without knowing anything about your relationship with His Majesty. We sincerely apologize for any issues that developed.¡± He paused once more before adding the rest. ¡°It''s... The dowager empress is a truly horrible person. That you had to endure her for so long is horrible. It seems that you are very strong since you managed to bring that behind you.¡±

    Cedar didn''t know how to feel about that. A part of him was taken aback because he had never expected the same arrogant guards who had troubled him in the past would apologize. But at the same time, he was a bit annoyed, as always when he received pity like this.

    And more than that, he was a bit angry at himself. He hadn''t put his past behind him. It wasn''t that easy. He wished that it was. But that wasn''t the case, or he would have forced himself to get over it already. His childhood and Camille''s presence in his life would always haunt him until the end of his days. Of course, he would move forward and do his best to forget more and more about the horrible events that had transpired, but he couldn''t erase them.

    However, it would get better.

    It had already gotten way better than Cedar could have ever imagined it to be. He had never believed that he would push away his mother to stand with someone he loved and support Theodore. But now he was here, and that future wasn''t impossible but reality. Apparently, the prince''s reputation also wasn''t as bad as it had been when he had come home first. Time really changed everything.

    Cedar wasn''t sure what exactly he should think about the words he had received though. So, he just replied as he always would. He put on a bright smile and spoke as if he wasn''t affected at all. ¡°I have to admit that we did meet in unfavorable circumstances. That was my fault. So, it is very much understandable that you reacted in the manner that you did. Since I am now on my brother''s side, it would be nice if we could try to move past that though. I thank you for your compassion. From now on, there won''t be any issues coming from my side, and it seems like Mother will not be a threat for much longer either. Please do continue to serve the royal family with all of your loyalty. In return, the Estien household promises to protect you and Artias with everything we have. I wish all of you a wonderful day and that you may not run into any problems.¡± He had successfully danced around the issue of this being rather odd, even though those people had suddenly forgotten their hatred for him. He wouldn''t complain if they really left him alone, but he wouldn''t be surprised about them suddenly insulting him again because he had seemed too arrogant for them. But that didn''t happen.

    The guards just bowed again, and one of them replied. ¡°Naturally. Our loyalty belongs to the royal family, and we will use our lives to protect the palace. Please have a pleasant day and allow yourself some rest after the stressful event yesterday. We hope that you will recover quickly.¡± What was that supposed to mean?

    The wound on Cedar''s hand was ridiculously small. There was no need to wish someone a fast recovery for that. He could probably train today already if it wasn''t for the doctor, who refused to accept that the injury wasn''t that bad. The stressful event of yesterday bothered him enough. Knowing that people thought that this was his weakness only upset him more. It seemed like he would need to act well to cover that up. ¡°I thank you for your regards, but that is not necessary. I was not hurt badly, so everything is fine. A bigger problem may be that the staff members worry about the safety of the palace, but even that should not cause too much trouble. Well, then. I fear that I need to leave now, or I will let my brother wait. Have a good day.¡±

    Cedar turned around and directly steered toward the office. He was a bit worried about people gossiping about this incident. If someone pointed out that he had stopped smiling after hurting his mother, his weak spot would be obvious. As a consequence, his smile was radiant while he walked the remaining way to the emperor''s office. He ignored everyone who stared at him and immediately knocked on the door when he arrived. Thankfully, he was allowed to enter after just a second and quickly slipped inside before closing the door behind him.

    Theodore was already sitting at his desk with documents in front of him, but he wasn''t really reading them and stared at his brother instead. ¡°I knew you would come. I told you to take a week off, didn''t I?¡±

    Cedar beamed at him and came closer to the desk. ¡°You said that I could enjoy some free time if I wanted to. But it''s simply not necessary. It was my left hand that got injured, so I can still write without any issues.¡± If he hadn''t come, he would admit that he needed a while to relax after what had happened. Showing weaknesses still seemed to be his greatest issue, so obviously, he would hide this by continuing as if nothing had happened. That had always been his strategy.

    Unfortunately, Theodore knew about his brother''s strange traits. He obviously couldn''t read Cedar perfectly, but he got much closer to the truth than others, which was rather unpleasant. Even now, he seemed to have predicted what would happen.

    The workplace in front of the seat at the round table Cedar always used was already prepared. A ridiculously small amount of documents, which only seemed to be two or three pages, lay there. Next to that, a plate with some of Cedar''s secret favorite food items stood, including strawberry tart, as well as chocolate milk. There were more sweets than actual tasks to find here.

    Apparently, the emperor didn''t leave the decision of whether Cedar wanted to work to his brother. Theodore had just decided that they would take it slow, and that was set now. Stubbornness ran in the family, so Cedar didn''t even try to discuss here.

 Chapter 136: Reactions (3)

    ¡°You said that I could enjoy some free time if I wanted to. But it''s simply not necessary. It was my left hand that got injured, so I can still write without any issues.¡±

    Theodore scanned his brother''s expression for a moment before he replied. ¡°Of course, you''d say that. Very well. You can go through those documents over there. They aren''t urgent though. It''s just connected to some laws. Since you won''t have to read up on any, you should be done quickly. I don''t want to work for long today either, so we''ll both leave early.¡± He used his brother''s current mood as a reason to return to his wife and daughter earlier. That wasn''t surprising at all.

    Cedar couldn''t even bring himself to be annoyed when it would allow him to see Lucille sooner again. So, he just walked over and plopped onto his chair. ¡°I will do my best to go through it quickly then. I won''t get between you and your family, or it will get ugly for me.¡± He picked up the pen and already wanted to focus on the text he had to read. He didn''t get that far.

    Theodore didn''t look down at his papers and just kept staring at the prince. ¡°You always exclude yourself when you say things like that, but you are my brother. You are part of my family.¡± Maybe. They were blood-related after all. But that definition wasn''t the one that mattered.

    Cedar lifted his head again to beam at the emperor. ¡°Well, you are correct. But theoretically, Mother is related to you too, and you won''t include her in your family meeting. So, you aren''t necessarily relying on the biological definition here.¡± That was understandable. Cedar had difficulties remembering that his father had been a part of his family too. He had barely spoken with that man, so it was hard to feign sympathy for his father even now.

    But even more than that, it felt odd to suddenly see Theodore as someone he got along with. It had been a while since Cedar had changed sides, and he still couldn''t get used to this completely. Maybe because his brother suddenly said strange things at times, much like he did now.

    Theodore met Cedar''s gaze with a completely serious expression while he spoke. ¡°You shouldn''t compare yourself with that woman. You know well that you never did the horrible things she did. You only followed her lead after she had manipulated you ever since you were born. You finally managed to cut off her hold on you, and now you are here. Of course, you are a part of the family. Maybe it will take a while until this works completely, but we''ll make it happen. We''re stubborn. It runs in the family, so we will find a way to leave behind the past.¡±

    Cedar would love to finally close this chapter. The first twenty-two years of his life had been spent serving his mother. He had never been happy during that time. Now he finally managed to do something that allowed him to feel some satisfaction. It was natural for him to cling to the hopes of him being able to leave his past behind. But that would only happen when the biggest fear in the back of his mind finally disappeared. ¡°That will be hard. But maybe it will work once we got rid of this mess here.¡± Cedar was referring to his mother and the remaining traitors in the capital.

    Theodore showed him a faint smile. ¡°It will work. You can be sure of that. I will do my best, and I know that you are also putting in a lot of effort. So, we will succeed. I considered delaying the trial regarding the incident yesterday a bit, but that won''t be needed. We have enough witnesses, so we''ll just have a small gathering with some important nobles, who are all on my side, of course. Would you mind appearing during that?¡± So, he would just mimic a trial and use Camille''s behavior to show everyone present that she was insane.

    Cedar didn''t want to see that. In the end, it would only be his mother yelling and insulting him and everyone around them. No one had to witness that. But at the same time, facing her would be necessary. Otherwise, Camille would know that he felt guilty and would use that against him from now on. He had to remain strong here. ¡°You always insisted on me dealing with her in person. I will come. It would be good for Lucille to be there too, right? She was the victim. I don''t want her to be involved since this won''t be pretty, but it may be better to keep up appearances. After all, this is supposed to seem like a trial, even if everyone will secretly complain about you judging this matter.¡±

    Theodore made a rejecting movement with his hand. ¡°As I said. Their opinions don''t matter when someone attempted to kill an inhabitant of the palace. I won''t allow anyone to criticize me in this regard. The people who try will only reveal themselves to be traitors. By now, few people support the dowager empress, so it is questionable whether even a single person will speak up for her.¡± Most likely, no one would do that.

    After all, Camille was known to be hated by Theodore. Anyone who took her side would risk the emperor''s anger. A dowager empress who had almost lost all of her power wouldn''t be able to protect her supporters, so they would leave her behind. Most likely, Theodore wanted to show that to Camille during this little trial as well.

    Cedar acted like he didn''t imagine how upset his mother would be that day. ¡°I understand. Then it seems like I can leave everything to you. Is there something I can help you with?¡± It would feel strange to help condemn his mother, but he had chosen his side. He couldn''t stand by but needed to show whom he would support.

    Theodore paused for a moment before he replied. ¡°I don''t think there is anything special. Your testimony is obviously important. You remember what happened, so there isn''t much to do aside from recounting the events. You could prepare your words already, but it will be fine as long as you show up and talk like you usually do. Just remember that that woman will be out of her mind when she realizes what is going on.¡±

    Cedar couldn''t hold back the sarcastic comment. ¡°Really? I would never have guessed that. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.¡± Obviously, Camille would be furious. Her reaction upon being arrested had shown that much. As always, she would convince herself that she was innocent. Then she would blame Theodore, Lucille or Cedar and act like they framed her. She wouldn''t even listen to the guards'' testimonies when it came to this. Cedar let out a sigh. ¡°She will act like the victim.¡±

    Theodore rustled with some documents as he sorted them, but he kept his eyes on his brother. He took in the other''s expression before responding. ¡°I already noticed that too. But I do have a question for you. You know her best, so maybe you know.¡± He put down the papers and rested his chin on his palm. ¡°Does she really believe that she is the victim? I was never quite sure whether she just kept denying everything because it was better for her like this. Because her being vile would damage her reputation and lessen her influence. But sometimes, it almost seemed like she truly is delusional. I remember seeing her lose her mind because of trivialities occasionally, and no matter what happened, she blamed others. I even remember her saying that you were responsible for some of her errors despite you not even being anywhere near her at that time.¡±

    Oh, that was a simple question with a less simple answer.

    Cedar had spent years pondering whether his mother truly believed that she was a good person. Whenever he had been yelled at, he had tried to find an explanation for her tantrums and wondered whether it truly had been his fault. In the end, he had never been able to understand her completely. But he had gotten the hang of calming her down, so he seemed to know the basics.

    Explaining that was hard, but Cedar gave his best. ¡°She is a very...complex person. But, yes. It seems like she just feels like the world revolves around her and that she can do no wrong. That was fueled by her parents raising her knowing that she would be empress. She was the one who introduced her sister to noble society and picked out friends for Aunt too. She had always had that prominent role in her family and our society. That is why she expects everyone else to listen to her as well and do things exactly like she imagines that they have to be done.¡±

    And why she thought that everyone belonged to her, like puppets in a dollhouse.

    Cedar paused for a moment to consider whether he wanted to mention this before he continued. ¡°Just like that, she also doesn''t love Father. She just knew that he was her husband and the most powerful man in this nation. So, if everything revolves around her, he certainly would have to become obsessed with her too. But that didn''t happen. Since Father was the first person to ignore her and not treat her like the most important thing in this world, Mother hated it. So, she focused on him more and more until she became completely obsessive. Naturally, the people who received Father''s attention became her enemies because of that. Whether that may be Althea or you. She hated you for choosing Althea over her, but I think she also hated you because Father spent time with you. That might have been why she sent assassins and such too. Because she wanted to hurt you and Althea. At least I think that that might have been it. She would never have admitted it.¡± When he was done, he just looked at his brother and waited for the reaction.

    Theodore was silent for a bit longer than normal. He seemed to consider whether he should speak up or not. Then he gave in. ¡°I think I finally realized one important part here. I never thought about it like that, but...¡± He stared into the distance before he made eye contact with his brother again. ¡°Did you hear what you just said? She hated everyone Father cared for. After you were born, she became obsessed with you too. She wanted to monopolize your affection and probably focused on you much more than on Father.¡±

    Cedar had planned on staying quiet, but he couldn''t hold back. ¡°I doubt it. She was always thinking about how to please Father. When they fought, she was extremely upset afterward, and she encouraged me to try to impress him too.¡±

    He had barely finished when Theodore already replied. ¡°I don''t think so. If she had valued Father more than anything else, she wouldn''t have fought with him. She would just have agreed and given in to avoid his anger. But she didn''t do that. Of course, I rarely noticed it, but I think most fights they had were connected to you. Everyone could see that the way that woman treated you was far from perfect, and Father addressed that a few times.¡± That wasn''t unlikely. Perhaps the former emperor had been upset because people kept annoying him with stories about what Camille had done, so he would obviously speak up at some point. ¡°And each time they discussed that, the dowager empress refused to change anything no matter whether Father yelled at her. That means that she cared about keeping you dependent on her more than about his opinion. After those fights, she was always even more explosive and much harsher with you.¡±

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Cedar remembered that. He had been the one to pay the price for each fight between his parents after all. Mostly, it hadn''t been a physical reminder of his mother''s fury, but those had been there too. Either way, Camille had always yelled after fighting with her husband. She had cried and thrown vases while insulting the servants. Then she had pulled her son into her arms and held him tightly while repeating that he wouldn''t leave her. She had been really clingy on those days. ¡°Maybe. Mother''s mood was always ruined when Father discussed with her. But that doesn''t mean much. The man she cared about was angry with her, so she''d obviously be upset.¡± He wasn''t sure about whether Camille had been more dependent on him than on his father, and he didn''t want to think about that. The conclusion might make him even more unhappy than him believing that he was a replacement for his father.

    Theodore seemed like he was rather careful when he spoke up now. He did his best to dance around the issue without putting salt into the wound. ¡°That''s true. But like I said. It proves that she wanted to keep you closer to her than Father. You were the person she seemed to have in her grasp at all times, so she would never have let go. If you cared for others and formed relationships, it would have made her unhappy, right? And you just told me that you think that she might have hated me because Father spent time with me. She never cared about me as much as she cared about you, so I might have been off pretty well despite the incidents in my childhood. It could have been worse than some servants trying to trigger my allergy or someone trying to kidnap me. If you had been involved, the dowager empress would have been much more sensitive. So, let me ask you this. What would have happened if Father had shown you affection? Wouldn''t that have caused some serious issues thanks to her mental problems? After all, the two people she claimed to have ownership over suddenly getting along without her would have insulted her in some way.¡±

    Cedar slowly noticed in which direction this conversation went. He didn''t like that one bit. He didn''t want any dirty excuse for why his father had ignored him. ¡°I doubt that you are thinking right in that regard. That doesn''t match with Father''s personality. He has always been rather cold with everyone, and Althea was merely half of an exception. He wasn''t even really nice to you, was he? So, don''t convince yourself of the opposite. To be honest, I don''t care about what he thought either. I''m happy with the way everything turned out.¡± He was content having given up on winning his father''s affection after just a few times.

    Maybe that had been around the time he had broken his arm and realized that his father hadn''t even visited him once. After that, he hadn''t cared anymore, so he didn''t need to talk himself into believing that the former emperor had seen anything but his work, his heir and Althea.

    The prince had no issues announcing that out loud too. ¡°It''s not necessary for you to try to read anything into someone else''s thoughts. We shouldn''t waste our time with that when we clearly have other matters to think about.¡± He looked down to read his documents. ¡°This is the first draft of a new law that is supposed to control the economy a bit more, right? I will read it and tell you whether there are any problems.¡±

    Theodore barely waited until his brother was done before he spoke. ¡°I know that you might not want to hear this. But maybe Father, for all of his mistakes, realized a big threat. Maybe he saw what she could do to me without being found out. There were quite a few attempts at poisoning me, throwing me down the stairs or shooting arrows at me. I had trouble dealing with that, and she wasn''t even serious. But if she had tried to target you, it would have gotten more ugly. I''m not trying to defend Father. I know how useless he was as a parent, but-¡±

    Cedar didn''t believe that for one second. He knew that his father had never cared for more than his work and the nation. The former emperor hadn''t even shown his lover, Althea, as much affection as he could, and he had treated Theodore like a student instead of a son. Alastair hadn''t been someone who valued social connections very much. So, pondering his reasons was unnecessary. Partly, because the result wouldn''t change and partly because Cedar truly didn''t care. He had already gotten over the fact that his father hadn''t liked to act like a family. He was prepared to say just that to finally make his brother stop, but he didn''t get to.

    The door of the neighboring room flew open, and Leon walked inside while balancing a huge stack of folders. He let all of that slam onto the table next to Cedar and greeted the prince with a smile. ¡°Good day. It seems like Theodore was right about you coming.¡± He just plopped down next to the prince and began spreading the folders there to sort them. As expected, Leon was fully relaxed. He had completely given up on using titles and paying attention to formalities a while ago, which was rather pleasant since it was much easier like this.

    Especially since Leon had come at the perfect moment. He had spared the prince an unpleasant conversation.

    Cedar was glad that he was here now, and he quickly used that for his sake and changed the topic. ¡°Good day, Leon. I only came a bit later than normal because some guards stopped me to talk about something. But since I''ve been here for over five minutes, I was on time anyway.¡± He showed the other man a bright smile.

    Theodore looked a bit more annoyed. ¡°You like interrupting important conversations, don''t you? That was a horrible moment.¡± He knew well that his brother would avoid that topic now, so the chance to talk about it any time soon was lost. But at least he accepted that and didn''t insist on discussing it now. He just made eye contact with Cedar, which said that this conversation wasn''t over for him.

    For the prince, it was over, so they could fight about this in the future.

    Leonard glanced at the both of them. Apparently, he noticed that the mood was sour and immediately directed the conversation toward something else. The topic wasn''t much more pleasant though. ¡°Regarding what happened yesterday, I still need to tell you something.¡± He made eye contact with the prince, and a wide grin formed on his lips. ¡°Congratulations. I''m a bit jealous that I wasn''t there.¡± Right. Of course, he would be happy to hear about this. He had been the one almost breaking Camille''s leg after Rebecca''s baby party. He hadn''t been happy about that woman proposing to hurt Blanche at all. That, along with the whole assassination attempt on Theodore, made Camille the person Leon despised most. Thanks to him being a former assassin, that might be connected to him wishing pain on the concerned person.

    Cedar couldn''t blame him. But he couldn''t bring himself to feel good about what had happened either. ¡°I wish I could have gone without breaking her arm though. That wasn''t on purpose, but it''s still my fault. I used way too much force.¡±

    Leonard just shrugged. ¡°It''s her fault for provoking you. I don''t think you have to feel bad about that. I took a look at that woman''s arm. It was a clean fracture. I don''t get why she complained about that. It could have been way messier.¡± So, he had visited Camille to relish in seeing her suffer.

    Cedar fought the urge to ask him how his mother was, but he still said it indirectly. ¡°You went to her cell? I assume you didn''t treat her.¡±

    Leon let out a small laugh and looked much more grim than normal despite his smirk. ¡°Obviously not. I just wanted to see how painful it had to be.¡± He certainly had done worse than that. He probably had added something unpleasant to vent his anger about Camille attacking someone within the palace, but at least he was kind enough to keep quiet about this. Leon made himself comfortable on the chair and pushed the documents aside to pull a mug with his chocolate milk to him. ¡°I think she is off well though. She managed to sleep without medicine, so it wasn''t harsh. Well, at least she tried to sleep. I doubt that she had much rest. She was rather...upset. She kept yelling the whole night and demanded to be let out whenever she woke up on the cold floor. Well, she has received what she had sown. I can assure you that I would have done worse if I had been there. Much worse.¡± He grinned at the prince. Was that his way of trying to make Cedar feel better?

    If so, it didn''t help much.

    Still, Cedar beamed at him. ¡°I would have appreciated it if we could have gone without this whole thing. It would have been better if we had found the weapon before Mother entered. But I guess that it was good that I was there to deal with it.¡± He had at least won without cutting off Camille''s hand or killing her.

    Leon didn''t seem to be content with that though. ¡°We could have used that incident as a justification to get back at her for some things. So, I am a bit uncertain whether it would not have been better for me to be there. But we can''t change that now. There is something else I wanted to ask though.¡± He suddenly seemed much more serious, but he didn''t give Cedar a chance to process that change. ¡°I said that I examined the fracture, right? You should know that I have experience with that kind of...injuries. You said that you used too much force, but you actually used the exact amount to break her bone without hurting her unnecessarily. It was a clean fracture, and seemingly, you did that with a single motion. I haven''t seen you do it. But from what I heard and saw when I looked at that fracture, I wondered whether you might have used a specific technique. One that some...colleagues of mine used in the past. Why I know how to do it is obvious. Why you fight like that is more of a riddle. Especially since I watched you train a few times out of curiosity and would claim that you move more than an assassin than a knight. Does that have anything to do with the people your mother made you train with?¡±

    That was an unpleasant question. Cedar could admit the truth here, or he could try to distract. Since two pairs of eyes were already piercing him, he should avoid lying though. He had the suspicion that Theodore might already have guessed what this was about, so he would risk making it even more obvious by twisting the facts. ¡°Well, there isn''t much to say about this. Mother wanted me to learn how to fight in earnest. So, she got the strongest instructors she could find.¡± Including assassins with some questionable background.

    A loud noise sounded through the room. One glance at Theodore proved that he had just set down his pen with too much force and was now glaring at his brother. ¡°What?¡± His voice carried a sharp undertone while he spoke. ¡°She invited assassins into the palace to train you? And those men were the ones that did that damned shock training with you? So, you are telling me that she sent fully grown men who are used to killing anyone they see after a child while ordering them to break your bones if you don''t defeat them?¡± That sounded pretty bad. It hadn''t been exactly like that though.

    Cedar opened his mouth to refute that immediately. ¡°Wait. It wasn''t like that. They weren''t supposed to break my bones. That was just a one-time thing. And I didn''t have to defeat them in the beginning either. At first, I was just supposed to avoid attacks and react to sounds around me. So that I would never be surprised if someone attacked me.¡± That was what had created his reflex when it came to being approached from behind.

    Seemingly, his response hadn''t made the situation much better though.

    Leonard, who seemed like he was hiding a bit too much anger beneath his barely persisting facade, narrowed his eyes. ¡°Those bastards actually attacked a child? There are countless rules against that in any group. That''s about the only sacrilege among assassins. They just disregarded that for money, didn''t they? And they are the ones that did that training Theodore found out about?¡±

    Cedar couldn''t add much to that. ¡°Yes. I had multiple instructors, and I believe that about half of them were assassins. I always ended the practice with a duel, and after I won against the last teacher, I proved that I was better than all of them. So, you don''t have to worry about that training. It was efficient.¡±

    Theodore had interlocked his fingers in front of his face and now used much more force to hold them together while looking rather grim. ¡°Efficient? You mean traumatizing. That woman always reveals even more disgusting sides of her, and each one is so ugly that it makes me hate her even more. How about we let her train with such people for a while? Let''s see whether she learns to fight, and if she reacts too slowly, someone will break her arm.¡± He glared into the distance and muttered some rather concerning things, which didn''t seem to bother Leon at all for some reason. At some point, Theodore directed his gaze to his brother again before he spoke up. ¡°Where are those people now? Do you know anything about their identities?¡±

    It felt like this might end up as a rather long discussion about Cedar''s training. Especially since Leon might recognize some names and point out that those people had been extremely dangerous. Surely, Theodore wouldn''t like hearing that his brother had defeated those around his fourteenth birthday. It wasn''t clear why he was so upset, but it certainly would take a while to distract him again.

 Chapter 137: Writing of the Past (1)

    ¡°

    <hr>

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    none of the guards managed to stop her? And no one took away her weapon? What kind of safety is this supposed to be? Where is she now?¡± His booming voice echoed through the entrance, which made all servants look at them.

 Chapter 138: Writing of the Past (2)

    ¡°

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Emily Valerian.

    ¡®My dearest Lucille,

    I wish you a happy seventh birthday and that you may enjoy this day to the fullest. Mama loves you, and I am so very proud of my little girl. You are finally seven, despite me still remembering exactly how you looked when you were a baby. Time passes by so quickly.

    I hope that you are content with the gifts you received. Did you enjoy the strawberry cake the chefs made you? I am sure that it will be just as good as the one from the previous years.

    Hopefully, this letter arrived in time. I apologize for not writing you earlier. I took a while to settle down, but now it seems that I can finally able to send you some letters. Thankfully, I will be able to write you from now on, so you can rest assured that I will congratulate you on each birthday.¡¯

    ¡®My dearest Lucille.

    Another year has passed, and now you are eight. You have been growing up splendidly, so it won''t take long until you become a beautiful young lady. You will impress everyone with your intellect and your kindness.

    I apologize for not being able to see you, but I sent a small present. I hope that it will make this wonderful day a bit nicer for you.¡¯

    ¡®My dearest Lucille,

    may the gods bless you with yet another year full of health, happiness and joy. I hope that your ninth birthday is wonderful once again.

    It seems like my sweet daughter will grow up quicker than expected. It may seem overwhelming to you sometimes, but I can assure you that everything will be fine. You have many good people on your side, so you are never alone.

    I deeply regret not being able to stand by your side during these times. But you can rest assured that your mother will always support you from afar.

    I love you with all of my heart.¡¯

 Chapter 139: To My Defense (1)

    The time right now wasn''t just unpleasant for Cedar. He was still thinking about whether it had been necessary to hurt his mother, and now Lucille received old letters that had come from her mother, who had left years ago. Cedar could understand what she was thinking to some extent.

    When his father had acted like he cared about his son while lying on his deathbed, Cedar had only been annoyed with him. But that had been because he hadn''t felt any personal connection to that man. If he had cared about him, he would have been much more bitter. He would have been as resentful as he had been as a child while seeing how favored Theodore had been. He knew that bitterness Lucille had to feel well. When a mix of fury, grief and regret burned in your veins, it wasn''t a pleasant sensation.

    Of course, Cedar didn''t say that. He didn''t like others telling him that they understood him when he felt bad, so he would let it be. He was just there for Lucille. He let her rest on his lap and carefully allowed her to lean against him.

    They sat like that for half an hour before Lucille stirred again. Her eyes were still red and puffy.

    This was truly a sight that Cedar hated. So, he tried to cheer her up. Cedar began playing with her hair and twirled some strands around his finger before dropping them again. Then he began to massage her head a bit. It was quite cute how quickly Lucille closed her eyes to enjoy his touch. He liked seeing this relaxed expression much more. He continued to stroke over her scalp as long as she allowed him to do it.

    At some point, Lucille let herself fall forward again so that she could rest her forehead on his shoulder. She stayed silent for a while before she spoke up. ¡°I''m sorry for being so emotional. I should just have ignored it, but...¡± She sounded so uncertain while saying that.

    Cedar quickly patted her head again. ¡°Don''t apologize. I''m your lover, so it''s only natural for you to let down your guard in front of me. Please don''t hide what you feel. I am here to help you and support you no matter what. You can vent, or you can have me distract you. Or we can just cuddle in silence. Whatever you prefer.¡±

    Lucille sniffled a bit and lifted her head to rub over her nose. Then she let her head hang forward and nuzzled her face into her lover''s shoulder. ¡°Thank you. I want to...sit here a bit. Do you want to talk?¡± So, she wanted to discuss her feelings now that she was a bit calmer.

    Cedar stared at the wall on the other side of the room while running his fingers through his lover''s hair. ¡°Of course. What do you want to discuss?¡± As long as he didn''t need to think about breaking his mother''s arm, he would be happy with any topic.

    Lucille stayed silent for a moment. It seemed like she was either reluctant to speak about this, or she took some time to find the right words. Either way, she relaxed while her lover continued to brush through her hair and finally spoke a few seconds later. ¡°I wish I could be a bit...more like you. I wish I could be stronger.¡± That was a horrible idea. It seemed like she truly misunderstood what the prince''s ¡®strength¡¯ really was.

    Cedar had to admit that he was a good fighter and that he was able to withstand a lot of mental and physical pressure due to his past. But at the same time, all that had happened only gave him disadvantages. Especially when it came to forming emotional connections with someone. And this was what the conversation would be about.

    Cedar quickly told her the truth about that. ¡°I''m not strong. I''m still stuck in the box my mother put me in. I can''t show others my weaknesses, or I get scared of them using those against me the next time we meet. I need to force myself to reveal even the slightest bit of discomfort with many things, or I will act like it''s fine. And that leads to me doing what I dislike. Even now, I keep eating things I hate just because my mother taught me to hide what others could use to hurt me.¡±

    Lucille tensed when she heard that. Then she lifted her head and leaned back a bit to look at him. She was still as dejected as before. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just...wanted to tell you that I admire how you can deal with so many situations that would overwhelm me. You are very strong. Even if you have a vulnerable side too. That doesn''t make you less strong for walking away from everything your mother has done.¡±

    Cedar had to admit that he was doing what he had never believed to be possible. He had turned his back on his mother. But while he might be able to physically push Camille away, she was still in his head. He couldn''t even stop himself from feeling bad about hurting her in self-defense. Obviously, he was still emotionally connected to his mother, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. ¡°I am doing my best. But, as I said, I can only do it because you showed me that there was an option. Talking to you made me realize that I could find other people I care about more than my mother. Seeing you get hurt showed me that she wouldn''t accept me liking anyone else. That is why I first took action and considered changing my future.¡± But that hadn''t been what they had been talking about in the first place. He brought his hand to her cheek and gently cupped his lover''s face while meeting her gaze. ¡°You mentioned wanting to be strong earlier. What makes you feel like you are weak?¡±

    Lucille averted her eyes for a moment before she replied. ¡°Because I reacted so sensitively to this. I mean... You don''t feel bad when you talk about your father. You said that you don''t care about him, and you don''t. But no matter how often I remember that Mama doesn''t seem to feel the need to see me, I can''t stop wanting to see her. I would like to just forget about her and move on with my life.¡±

    Cedar immediately had a response for her. ¡°You can''t compare that. You have been raised by your mother until you were six. I barely talked with my father five times until that age. Cold greetings and nothing else didn''t really cause me to see him as my father. Obviously, that means that I wouldn''t care about him as a person. And...¡± He carefully moved away her hair and kept his eyes on her face while tucking a strand behind her ear. ¡°You shouldn''t forget that I am not a normal person you can compare yourself with. My emotional stability isn''t something I can be proud of. Especially when it comes to caring about others. It wasn''t healthy for me not to bat an eye while my father died. I''m not strong for that. I merely wasn''t able to develop a normal connection to my own father.¡±

    The prince was a bit dejected when he thought about that. Someone like him wanted to become Lucille''s husband. It was almost ridiculous. She deserved much more than this.

    But Cedar still wanted to fight for this, so he refused to give in. For that, he needed to be honest though, even if it was unpleasant. ¡°I don''t allow others to get close to me. It takes an eternity for me to open up. And when I do reveal a bit of me and care deeply for someone, it might be even worse.¡± He almost didn''t want to admit it to avoid scaring her. He also didn''t want to make his lover feel pressured, but he couldn''t hold back his words. ¡°Even now, I''m scared of losing you. And I''m scared of you turning away. Because I wouldn''t let you go. Now that I care, I won''t be able to...¡± He certainly wouldn''t be able to get over her leaving him any time soon. That would scar him much more than anything during the past years had. He almost expected to be met with a skeptical gaze in return because this sounded like he wanted to ensure that Lucille wouldn''t try to break up with him.

    But his lover just looked at him with a serious expression. ¡°That''s normal though. Of course, you would be scared of losing people you care about and don''t want them to turn away from you. I also don''t want to stop seeing you, and if you told me that it was over, it would hurt me a lot. Because I love you. That is not just because of your difficult past.¡±

    Cedar still adored hearing her promises of love. His heart skipped a beat, and he could swear that his smile became much more genuine as well. But even that didn''t keep him from pondering her words.

    His past had definitely made him more clingy. There was no denying that. But Cedar wouldn''t admit that he could get rather jealous to his lover. For now, he was relieved due to her words and would leave it at that. ¡°If you feel the same, that''s good. Because there is no way that I would want to separate. I care for you more than anyone else and want to have you in my life until the very end. I fell for you, so I will stay with you now.¡±

    Lucille almost seemed to be a bit surprised to hear that. She got a bit red, this time because of her embarrassment and not because she was crying. Good. ¡°I love you too.¡± So, she had heard what he had wanted to tell her.

    Cedar lifted his hand to stroke over her head again. His lover was perfect. He couldn''t help but fall more for her each time that he saw her. He was truly lucky to have her like him. For a moment, the both of them were silent until Cedar turned his head to the side. He saw the box with the letters from the corner of his eyes and carefully put it into the nightstand so that they wouldn''t accidentally lie on it later.

    Lucille turned her head as well and quickly saw what he was moving around. She tensed a little bit before quickly burying her face in his chest. Apparently, she still tried to forget about those letters.

    Cedar would help her with that in a moment. First, he just needed to confirm what would be best for her. ¡°Do you want to keep them?¡± Depending on her answer, he could either burn this quickly or put it far away.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    A few seconds passed in silence before Lucille replied. She didn''t lift her head this time. ¡°I...I don''t know.¡± She paused for a bit before continuing. ¡°I think Father secretly gave them to me. So, it would be best to give them back to him. But...I''m not sure whether he wants them either.¡± Viscount Valerian''s relationship with his ex-wife was difficult as well, wasn''t it?

    Cedar stared at the box for a moment. ¡°I see. Then I will put it away, and you can decide later.¡± He carefully placed the box in the drawer of the nightstand, which was difficult to do with one hand. He somehow managed to do it anyway and closed the drawer.

    Now Lucille didn''t have to see it anymore and could finally calm down a little. She needed a break, so he would help her focus on something else.

    Cedar stroked over his lover''s head and back while pressing a few small kisses on whatever part of her he could reach. He did his best to keep the conversation far away from anything that could remind her of her mother. He told her all kinds of stories about his past and about what kind of rumors had circulated among noble society at some point.

    Lucille mostly listened without saying anything. But the longer they went on, the more she chimed in. By the time she seemed to focus on him completely, it was already late, so he brought her to bed.

    The next day, Lucille seemed to feel a bit better, but she still hadn''t forgotten about the letters. She still wasn''t sure whether to keep the box with the letters or throw it away. She just delayed the decision and left the box in the drawer, which she probably wouldn''t open any time soon. Her strategy seemed to be trying to forget that this entirely. If that helped her, her lover would gladly oblige.

    <hr>

    During the following days, Cedar did his best to distract his lover a bit. Maybe it was good for him to focus on this matter for now instead of simply pondering the other incident again. After all, preparing for the trial, which probably didn''t even deserve to be called such, made him much too tense. He didn''t look forward to seeing his mother again. Either she would make him feel guilty or tell him how horrible he was. He wanted to hear neither of that. But he couldn''t push away the date of the trial either.

    He wanted to get it over with, so he didn''t protest when that day arrived. Yet, Cedar did complain quite a bit when he found out that his brother planned to use a lot of symbolism to upset Camille again. Cedar was rather skeptical when it came to this.

    During balls, it was fine for the royal couple to dress up lavishly to show that they were much more powerful. During a trial, it was a bit odd. But if the emperor and the empress did it, one could ignore it since they would serve as judges.

    However, the prince was rather unhappy about him needing to put on an attire that was much too flashy. He might as well be dressed for a royal wedding, and that wasn''t a good sign in any case. Cedar actually felt a bit ridiculous as he wandered through the corridors of the palace with such a ceremonious uniform and a cape that was much longer than what he was used to. At least it seemed like he wasn''t the only one confused by this.

    Lucille was rather taken aback upon seeing him as well. But to be honest, Cedar was more shocked when he scanned her attire. Without a doubt, Blanche had told her to wear that. Lucille would never choose something so luxurious on her own, and she certainly wouldn''t pick something with the royal colors. Her dress was navy with golden and white decorations. She was dressed up like a rather influential member of the royal family, for example, the princess consort. Since her attire perfectly matched Cedar''s uniform, that hint had probably been intentional.

    Camille would certainly complain about this. Not that this was her biggest problem now.

    Cedar refused to think about that when he had no choice anyway. He bowed to his lover and offered her his hand. When she put her hand onto his, he hinted a kiss on her fingers before grinning at her. ¡°It seems like there may be a thief here. She is the most beautiful woman in this nation and, apparently, is able to claim what she desires in an instant. You only took a second to steal my heart, so you must be a natural. I fear that I will have to steal something back to make up for my loss.¡± He wasn''t sure what kind of reaction he had expected after such a stupid comment. Maybe he had hoped for his lover to laugh or to look at him with skepticism. Anything would be fine to distract him from the rising nausea in his stomach.

    But Lucille surprised him once again by giving him a smile that made him melt. She replied in a meek voice. ¡°You don''t have to steal anything back. You already have my heart.¡± She should not have looked so sweet while saying that.

    Cedar hadn''t planned on kissing her before the trial, but by now, he already felt the desire to do so. Nothing held him back, so he came a bit closer to his lover. He didn''t touch her cheek to avoid accidentally removing her powder and just brought his face closer to hers. He didn''t need to do more than that.

    Lucille already lifted herself up to kiss him back. Their lips met, and he automatically put his arms around his lover. When she wrapped hers around him too, this proved to be a bad idea. Now he didn''t want to let go, and she didn''t show the desire to do so either.

    Thus, Cedar allowed himself to enjoy the affection for a moment. He would need to face Camille in a few seconds, so he might as well do this. A kiss would raise his mood, and he needed that before the annoying trial.

    The couple slowly parted, and Lucille offered him another smile, this one slightly weaker. She was probably as nervous as he was, and she couldn''t even hide it. So, he would need to calm her down a little.

    Cedar linked their arms before he led them toward their destination while he spoke. ¡°Theodore will deal with it. We just have to stand there and serve as some sort of decoration. If we speak, we only need to repeat the truth. So, it will be fine.¡± Not for him. He would be on edge and more tense than ever. He didn''t want to face his mother. Not one bit.

    Apparently, Lucille noticed that too. She cuddled against him while they walked and gave him a bit of support despite being worried herself.

    They walked to the emperor''s office without any issues on the way. Merely the staring of the staff members was a bit annoying, but it was likely that those people knew about the trial. Hopefully, they wouldn''t misunderstand Cedar''s extravagant attire.

    When the couple arrived at their destination, the emperor and the empress were already present. Both Theodore and Blanche seemed rather serious before they noticed the other two. Then they immediately smiled and greeted them happily. Blanche even joked. ¡°Oh, my. It''s been a while since I saw you dressed up like this. You manage to seem elegant in even the most lavish attires. The both of you look wonderful.¡±

    Theodore immediately added something to that. ¡°It fits you, but... Even if I have to admit that it''s odd to see you like this, Cedar. I''m not used to that at all.¡± He turned to his wife. ¡°I bet you never saw him as dressed up as we were for my coronation though. It''s strange how different he looks from seven years ago. He really grew up. It seems like the Madame Charture did a good job.¡± He talked as if his brother wasn''t here.

    Cedar would like to be more direct about what he thought about this, but he held back. ¡°I considered ignoring the attire you picked, but I can''t go against the emperor''s order. Was this really necessary, Theodore? I mean, I like Lucille''s attire a lot, but it''s rare for us to wear things like this. I feel like we are dressed up for your second coronation or something like that.¡± And his attire was a bit too flashy for his liking too. It wasn''t good that this was on the same level as the emperor''s uniform. After all, he needed to point out the difference between his and his brother''s power. He didn''t want rumors about him still trying to gain influence.

    But Theodore didn''t care about that. He made a rejecting gesture with his hand. ¡°We need to show that the Estien family is united and as strong as ever. You don''t have to wear a crown like we do, so don''t complain.¡± He shouldn''t have the right to complain either. He had decided to wear the crown, so it was his problem if his head hurt because of that heavy thing now.

    Blanche chimed in before the prince could comment on that. ¡°I am quite content with the attires we picked. Looking at them like this is pleasant. They make a cute couple, don''t they?¡±

    The prince didn''t even need to check whether Lucille got red at that. She already averted her eyes and hid herself behind her hands. Apparently, she was even more sensitive today than usual. That might just be because the royal couple grinned at them like this. Or because she still cuddled with her lover. But at least Lucille was able to respond despite her bashfulness. ¡°Good day. I hope that we haven''t arrived too late. And...about my attire. I...am unsure whether...¡± She didn''t finish that sentence, and she didn''t have to.

    Only members of the royal family were allowed to wear the royal colors. But suddenly, Lucille showed up in that color scheme and probably expected criticism.

    Theodore quickly replied. ¡°You do not have to worry about that. Merely the woman being put on trial today will complain. But of course, you can ignore her. She won''t be a part of the royal family for long. So, you can stand next to Cedar with pride and keep your head up high. We will all welcome you into the family.¡±

    Lucille looked like she almost swallowed her tongue when she heard that but gave a nod. She looked down and refused to lift her gaze again.

    Cedar gently stroked over her hand and felt how his lover leaned against him. He would have liked to focus on teasing her too, but he needed to prepare for the trial, or he would be stressed when it began. He glanced at the door before scanning the hallway. They were completely alone here with only some guards patrolling around. So, it seemed like everyone was inside already. He looked at his brother again. ¡°Thank you for your nice words. But we can discuss that after this mess is over. For now, we need to deal with this. Will the trial begin when we arrive, or do we need to wait for someone still?¡±

    Blanche replied while shaking her head. ¡°We are the last ones. So, it would be good for us to enter now. We don''t want to waste the time of our guests after all.¡± She put on an encouraging smile. ¡°Please don''t worry about anything. We have everything under control. You can relax and watch. And most importantly, only blame the perpetrator and not the victim, alright?¡± That was directed at Cedar.

    He just beamed in return. ¡°Of course. Then let us enter now.¡± Even though he knew that he wouldn''t fool anyone here with that radiant smile. The three people around him could read his mood quite well, so they had to know. Thankfully, they didn''t point it out.

    Theodore only nodded. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± He waited for everyone to agree before he turned to the guards by the door. ¡°Announce our presence.¡±

    One of the men quickly opened the door and spoke. ¡°His and Her Majesty, the emperor and the empress of Artias. His Royal Highness and Lady Valerian.¡± He had voiced it in a manner that would make it seem like two couples had arrived. No one bothered to correct him.

    Cedar almost sighed. If they did it like this, he might as well add to that image. He pulled Lucille even closer to him. He showed her a little smile before leading her into the emperor''s office right after the royal couple had entered.

 Chapter 140: To My Defense (2)

    It seemed like the most important people were already there and ready for the trial. The guests sat at the table and stopped talking as soon as the door opened.

    Duke and Duchess Duremont were present as well as Duke Lamont, Luciano and Selena. The three dukedoms had obviously appeared during such an important trial. That wasn''t special unless one pointed out that it was new for Selena to stand up to her sister instead of staying home when that woman was involved.

    It wasn''t surprising to see Viscount Valerian here either, much like Cedar wasn''t shocked when he spotted Lady Peril''s fake expression of concern.

    Leon was there too and would act as a secondary judge, even if the emperor would be the one making the decision. He would just back Theodore''s judgment, so this was unnecessary and merely supposed to keep up the appearance of a fake trial.

    Camille''s presence here actually wasn''t needed at all either.

    But still, the dowager empress sat here as if she owned this room. She was much too confident when she met her son''s gaze and glared right at him. Apparently, her strategy would be playing the hurt mother who was upset about her child''s betrayal. After all, she had appeared with dark rings below her eyes, and her face almost seemed a bit thinner. Either she hadn''t been treated well in the cell, or she had purposefully eaten less and slept less to seem pitiful now. Or both. Either way, she seemed to use her arm as a chance to gain sympathy. She wasn''t even hiding that she was injured, even though she normally hated flaws. By now, she had been granted a bandage, but it was questionable whether the person treating her had had the necessary qualifications.

    Cedar told himself that he didn''t care and looked away. He ignored how his mother stared at him with so much hatred that it wouldn''t be surprising if she tried to stab him now. He just waited for the formal greeting. And despite the nauseating churning in his stomach, he seemed to do quite well hiding his emotions. He just smiled while keeping his head held up high. If this made him look like he was confident, his job was done.

    Others didn''t cover up their feelings that well. Lucille tightened her hold on her lover. She glared at Camille for a moment before looking away when she noticed that the other woman kept their eyes on the couple. After that, she seemed to be very content standing so close to Cedar that everyone would see that they were in a relationship.

    Barely a second passed after the emperor entered, and the guests rose to their feet. The women curtsied and the men bowed to Theodore until he allowed them to stop.

    The emperor''s expression was cold, and he gave off the same intimidating aura he always had when he faced people he despised. ¡°You may rise. I thank you for joining us during this trial against Camille Estien. I will serve as the judge since the incident took place on the palace grounds. I will not waste our time announcing more than that since Lord Astame will do it in a moment. Please take a seat.¡±

    Everyone complied.

    The royal couple strode over to the desk and sat down there on their fancy chairs. Two additional chairs had been placed next to the desk, and those were obviously for Cedar and Lucille. The prince followed his brother and guided his lover to her seat before sitting down next to her.

    Theodore truly didn''t waste a single moment. He spoke up as soon as everyone sat. ¡°Now. Please go ahead, Lord Astame. I believe that we will only need to hear a short version of the incident before we begin. The perpetrator will deny what has happened, and we will have to listen to the witnesses anyway.¡±

    It seemed like Leon would be able to begin immediately, but he had barely opened his mouth before someone lifted their hand.

    Apparently, Camille was rather confident since she spoke without waiting for a response. ¡°I object. Holding a trial outside a normal courtroom is-¡±

    Theodore glared at her with so much freezing wrath that any sane person would have run away. ¡°Be quiet. In this trial, you will only speak if I grant you permission.¡± Even his voice was dripping with resentment. He wouldn''t be so harsh with anyone but Camille, but he was in the right here. No one was allowed to interrupt the judge. ¡°The reason we aren''t in a courtroom should be obvious even to you. Officially, you are still in confinement, or have you forgotten? You shouldn''t be outside the estate I sent you to at all, so be happy that we didn''t let you sleep in that burned-down house. We surely won''t be even kinder and let you roam around freely within the capital.¡±

    Normally, this should be enough to silence anyone. But Camille just complained again. ¡°The same holds true for Cedar. But he-¡±

    As expected, Theodore cut her off in a voice that was a bit louder now. ¡°I told you to be quiet. Are you deaf? Cedar wasn''t put in confinement until the end of his life like you were. I personally ordered him to stay there until I change my mind. As you can see, I gave my permission for him to be here, so his punishment is over. Remember that your position is completely different from his when you are the only one who was convicted of treason here.¡± So, he used that chance to reveal that he hadn''t actually put a crime into Cedar''s criminal record. But he didn''t even wait for the reaction. He merely addressed Leon. ¡°Please begin.¡±

    Leonard gave Camille a freezing stare, which looked so uncharacteristically hateful for him. He didn''t address the dowager empress though and just replied to the emperor. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Six days ago, Her Majesty, the dowager empress, Camille Estien, visited the royal estate. She was allowed to enter since she had previously refused to eat, and His Royal Highness agreed to meet her to prevent her from starving herself. After they took a walk in the garden, they met Lady Valerian, who had been led there by a staff member that had been bribed by Camille Estien. Her Majesty suddenly revealed a dagger, which is also here as evidence today.¡± Leon gestured to the table, where the dagger lay on a porcelain plate.

    There was still dried blood, which had to have been Cedar''s, on it.

    Leon didn''t point that out and just continued his narration. ¡°Her Majesty raised this weapon in an attempt to stab Lady Valerian. His Royal Highness stood closest to them and intervened. He managed to take away the weapon from the attacker and thus protected Lady Valerian and saved her life. In the process, he was injured himself as the cut on his left hand proves. The alleged issue is that Her Majesty''s arm was broken during that incident. She wishes to ask for His Royal Highness to be punished because of that fracture. At the same time, His Majesty will punish her for entering the royal estate to murder one of the inhabitants. This trial today is supposed to uncover the consequences, even though most of the incident is known.¡±

    If one looked at the expressions of the people around them, it became clear that the result was already decided. Everyone knew that the emperor would never punish someone who had hurt Camille. The dowager empress would be held responsible while the prince would get away without the slightest issue.

    Theodore took over at that point again. ¡°Thank you, Lord Astame. Now. I presume that there are a few questions about this matter. Of course, I have my own opinion about the person who came into the royal estate, raised a weapon and tried to kill an inhabitant of the palace. Especially when they end up blaming my brother for nothing. So, I have to fight the urge to punish such insolence immediately with rather harsh methods. I do wish to be fair despite my personal opinion though. I want to ask whether anyone here believes that the dowager empress'' objection is justified. What do you have to say about this incident?¡± He gazed at the guests. That was only supposed to show that the nobles supported him and pretend that this mock trial was somewhat justified.

    And the guests were happy to help him with that.

    It wasn''t surprising that Raymond raised his hand first. He received permission to talk and immediately began while glaring at Camille with pure hatred. ¡°The situation is easy to discern. Her Majesty planned on murdering a young, innocent woman within the walls of the royal estate. His Royal Highness merely intervened. Her Majesty is responsible for every wound that may have been left because of that incident.¡±

    Once again, Camille didn''t seem to think before she acted. She opened her mouth directly without waiting for permission to speak. ¡°He is related to that wench. Of course, he would be biased after you twisted the story as you see it fit.¡± Her expression was a mask of fury. She truly believed that she was being treated unfairly here.

    Theodore gazed at her with something that looked like indifference, but the cold glint in his eyes betrayed him. ¡°I told you to be quiet unless I tell you to speak. But I fear that we must allow you to give your version too. Go ahead. How do you justify attempting to commit murder in the royal palace?¡±

    Camille replied immediately. ¡°I did not attempt to hurt anyone. I was merely walking around in the garden when I met that redhead. She was as insolent as always, but I didn''t even rebuke her for that.¡± She narrowed her eyes and turned her head to glare at her son. ¡°Then Cedar suddenly became angry without a reason. He lunged forward and broke my arm without the slightest bit of remorse.¡± Cedar remembered that differently, but he had no chance to speak when Camille was in her own world. ¡°That should be enough of a proof that he is unstable and nothing but-¡±

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Leonard cut her off. ¡°Please refrain from voicing things that are not required during this court. Aside from the fact that your judgment is questionable when you commit such a severe crime and just deny it afterward, you are also attempting to insult His Royal Highness, the second prince of Artias. It would be unwise to continue like this when His Majesty already penalized you for such offenses multiple times.¡±

    Camille whipped her head around. ¡°What? You-¡± She probably wanted to insult Leon now.

    But Theodore already spoke first. ¡°Naturally, I will list every single insult you ever voiced toward my brother, or anyone else for that matter. You will be punished for each point on that list. Be silent, and listen if you don''t have anything to say.¡±

    That certainly would upset the dowager empress.

    So, Leonard spoke before she could complain. ¡°It would be good not to distract.¡± His expression was still so usually cold while he resumed in a voice that lacked any emotion as he made eye contact with Camille. ¡°Currently, we need to discuss this incident without any interruptions. If we return your attention to your testimony, we will have to summarize it the following way. You are saying that His Royal Highness suddenly attacked you after he went out of his way to see you so that you wouldn''t starve yourself. That makes little sense, however, we will accept it for now. But it would be logical to hear both sides. Your Royal Highness?¡± He gazed at the prince.

    Cedar felt how everyone''s eyes landed on him. He showed the group a bright smile before he tried to voice this in a manner that wouldn''t make his mother blow up. ¡°I have nothing to add to the story Lord Astame told you. I was taking a walk with Mother until we met Lucille. Then Mother lifted a weapon. Back then, I did not recognize it, but I knew that it was some sort of blade aimed at Lucille''s neck. I attempted to step in and wished to make Mother drop the weapon to avoid anyone being hurt. Sadly, I seem to have grabbed her arm with an unfavorable angle since I ended up fracturing her bone. I do regret that and wish that it could have been different, but at that moment, I was not able to think clearly.¡± His instinct had taken over. And theoretically, his mother was at fault for that instinct. Still, Cedar turned to Camille and continued. ¡°If you had the impression that I did not show regret, I must have been too distressed to show my dissatisfaction with that event. I sincerely-¡± He didn''t get farther.

    Theodore already interrupted him. ¡°Don''t apologize for preventing a cold-blooded murder. It is quite obvious that you merely wished to help while someone else attempted to injure a third party.¡± He turned his head to Lucille. ¡°Lady Valerian, you were the person at risk. Which version of the story is the one you remember witnessing?¡±

    Lucille jolted a bit when she was addressed. Instead of getting scared, she hurriedly gave her testimony though. ¡°Cedar saved me after Her Majesty tried to stab me. She grabbed my hair and pulled me closer to her while aiming the blade at me, so her intention was obvious. If Cedar had taken a second longer, she would have...killed me. There was no way for him to act differently. He doesn''t deserve a punishment in any way.¡± She looked much too worried while saying that.

    Theodore opened his mouth, most likely to calm her down, but he wasn''t able to speak.

    Camille slammed her left hand onto the table in front of her and raised her voice. ¡°You are lying! It''s my word against yours. I''m the dowager empress, so you can''t drag me down with your lies!¡± There were so many errors in that statement.

    Cedar only bothered correcting the most obvious one before Theodore told Camille to shut up again. ¡°Mother, we have a dozen witnesses. The guards standing here in this room were the ones who were present while you attacked Lucille. Did you not notice that until now? I believe that the testimony of so many people should convince you that you may have misjudged the situation. Neither I nor Lucille are lying. Why would we do that? It was not our intention to harm you. We are only having this trial because you insisted on punishing me.¡±

    Camille gritted her teeth while she looked around the room. She probably couldn''t confirm whether those were the guards who had been present, but she was met with a lot of dislike. So, it seemed like she wouldn''t win with this strategy. She immediately changed her approach and narrowed her eyes at her son. ¡°It is more than logical that you should be punished for harming the dowager empress, your own mother! Even if I did make a careless mistake in a bad moment due to my deteriorating mental health, which is only affected because you abandoned me, you are in the wrong.¡± She looked around to make eye contact with the guests and spoke a bit louder. ¡°There is one significant detail all of you seem to forget. Harming a member of royalty is treason. No matter what his reason was, Cedar committed treason. Again. And he did it to prevent a crime that would have been much less severe. Self-defense isn''t a valid excuse.¡±

    In an instant, five hands were raised.

    Theodore acknowledged that but replied himself. ¡°That''s rich coming from you. You not only attempted to kill me multiple times, you also sent assassins after Cedar, and seven years ago, you ordered the murder of Althea Estien, my father''s wife. If we start to punish treason accordingly, the person who holds the record for the most times they hurt members of the Estien family, which happens to be you, will go first. Are you sure you really want that?¡± He didn''t wait for a response. Obviously, it would be unfavorable for Camille to snap now because she was reminded of Althea, but seemingly, he just hoped that distraction would make it better. He just allowed one of the guests to speak.

    Duke Duremont looked rather grim, which was understandable since he had always hated the dowager empress. ¡°I not only believe that calling murder a less severe crime is far from something a sane person would do, I am also of the conviction that self-defense is not treason. A title has nothing to do with the fact that a young woman''s life was saved because of this fast reaction. One cannot accuse His Royal Highness of treason because of that, and any past incident has little to do with this. There is no need to speak about the rebellion, and I believe that Her Majesty only mentions it to distract from her murder attempt.¡±

    Cedar knew that Duke Duremont disliked him, so he was rather thankful for the support. He himself wasn''t sure whether he had reacted appropriately, so hearing many people say that it was fine calmed him a bit. But of course, this wouldn''t make him feel much better. Just glancing at Camille''s broken arm almost made him want to throw up. That had to be painful. But it was questionable whether the dowager empress even felt that.

    Camille was busy fuming and glared at the people around her with a concerning amount of hatred. ¡°What? Cedar broke my arm on purpose! How is that not treason? Something so gruesome has to be punished!¡±

    Luciano quickly raised his hand and replied when he received permission from the emperor. ¡°I would argue that this would not have happened if Her Majesty had not tried to attack them.¡± His expression was freezing while he said that. It truly seemed like his carefree grin disappeared around the person he and his family despised so much. ¡°Her action directly caused a reaction that was aimed to lessen the damages. The choice between letting an innocent person die and stopping the possible murderer by physically intervening is easy to make. Since His Royal Highness is a member of the royal family himself, I doubt that this should have any consequences for him even if he did harm the dowager empress. Especially since he merely defended Lady Valerian.¡±

    Camille lifted her hand and hit the table once more. She ignored how Leon glared at her for that and just pointed at Luciano while yelling. ¡°Don''t you dare to say such garbage! Cedar did it on purpose. He-¡±

    Theodore cut her off. ¡°Could you blame him? You tried to murder his lover in front of his eyes after he was kind enough to meet you so that you wouldn''t starve yourself. I would have killed you for that. Cedar could have done much worse too. He could have grabbed a sword to cut off your hand right then. Are you aware of that?¡± He sounded so hateful while speaking that no one noticed that he had addressed Lucille as Cedar''s lover.

    No one but Lucille. But even so, she didn''t get embarrassed. She was much too upset for that and merely balled her fists on her lap.

    Cedar wanted to calm her down a bit while being silent to avoid disturbing the conversation. So, he slowly moved his hand to hers. Lucille interlocked their fingers as soon as they met. He was content with that, and it seemed like no one else had noticed. Maybe this would make him feel less guilty and stop the nauseating churning in his stomach.

    Camille took a moment to process what the emperor had said before she replied. Now she was yelling even more. ¡°Did you just threaten me?¡±

    Theodore''s voice sounded calm, but if one listened properly, there was a wrathful undertone there. ¡°I said that I would kill you if you tried to hurt Blanche, yes. If you feel threatened by that, you must plan on harming us in the future. Don''t act innocent, and close your mouth if you can only spout such nonsense.¡± He gazed at the dowager empress with a look that made it seem like he was watching an insect. But he didn''t pay attention to her for long. He quickly turned his attention to the guests.

    It was a bit surprising that Selena raised her hand and spoke up. She was usually rather quiet, especially when it came to Camille. But the icy glint in her eyes proved that she might be a bit too upset to bow down to her sister after losing her husband to that woman. Her voice, which was often weak and shaky around Camille, now only held disdain. ¡°I would like to inquire one thing. I am unsure whether I misunderstood. Is it true that His Royal Highness got injured during that conflict?¡±

    Cedar quickly replied. ¡°Indeed, Your Grace.¡± He lifted his left hand, which thankfully wasn''t the one he had offered Lucille, to show the bandage that was adorning it. ¡°I, unfortunately, received a small cut during that incident. It is not a very deep wound, and it does not hurt, but the doctor insisted on bandaging it.¡± He normally would have denied the existence of that injury, but he had understood what his aunt wanted to do.

    Selena''s expression softened a bit while she gazed at him before she turned to Camille again and glared at her sister. Then she focused on Theodore. ¡°Your Majesty, if His Royal Highness got injured too, this trial can be solved even sooner. It seems that Her Majesty did commit treason after all. She might have intended to harm Lady Valerian, but she ended up cutting His Royal Highness'' hand. He is the second prince of Artias, so an offense against him cannot be ignored. Since that injury was caused by Her Majesty, she should have no right to complain about him defending Lady Valerian and himself with his actions.¡±

    Theodore didn''t give Camille a chance to complain and just replied immediately. ¡°I agree. This situation only allows one kind of judgment. Naturally, we will wait for any objections that might follow, but I doubt that I will change my mind. Does anyone have any arguments against me convicting the dowager empress of both treason and attempted murder?¡±

    No one complained.

    Camille saw that as some sort of personal insult. Her face scrunched up, and she stared at the people around her with nothing but disgust. ¡°Is no one here thinking about this logically? Cedar broke my arm. He has to be punished. Not me, the victim. You all can''t just accept what those people are saying They want to condemn me! Theodore killed his father already, and now he wants to do the same with me!¡±

    Theodore just sat there and let out a sigh. He massaged his forehead for a moment before he voiced a half-loud reply. ¡°I should have done that a decade ago¡± He didn''t even receive backlash for that comment.

    Blanche just leaned over to cuddle against him and patted his arm in an attempt to calm him down a little. Then she spoke up while trying sounding unusually aloof. ¡°I believe that that is all we need to discuss though. Still, we will prove that this trial is fair once more.¡± She turned to the guard who was standing behind her. ¡°Sir Aldis, would you mind telling us which of the stories we heard today is closer to the truth? Did Cedar tell us what truly happened? And was his reaction justified?¡±

    Unsurprisingly, the knight nodded immediately. ¡°I vow on my position as Your Majesty''s personal guard that it did happen exactly like His Royal Highness explained it to the court. If you inquire about my personal opinion, I will agree with his actions as well. He moved instantly, which was crucial since being even a single moment too late could have caused Lady Valerian''s demise. One could not expect him to kindly ask Her Majesty to put away the dagger. He was forced to act and did so quickly and efficiently. There was no indication that he purposefully wished to harm Her Majesty, nor was he content with the result. He was as shocked as all of us were due to the sudden attack.¡±

    Hearing that calmed Cedar less than it should have. He might receive support that proved that his actions hadn''t been exaggerated, but at the same time, he had seemingly shown his panic after hurting his mother. And thanks to Camille''s ¡®gentle¡¯ care, this was enough to make him feel like he had lost.

 Chapter 141: Punishment and Blessing (1)

    Lucille was more relieved with each second the trial went on. It seemed like no one here blamed Cedar. No one accused him of committing treason either. She had expected that since Theodore supported him as well, but it was still calming.

    That didn''t make the atmosphere in the office more pleasant though.

    Camille''s yelling was painful to listen to, and her unjustified fury unsettled Lucille, even if she didn''t dare admit it. But it seemed like the dowager empress would lose anyway. No matter how angry she got, it wouldn''t change the result. Everyone was against her. Yet, she yelled as if that would suddenly make everyone pity her. Of course, no one would want to help her because of that though. She only made herself more enemies.

    Right now, the empress'' guard had affirmed that Cedar had told the truth and that the attack had been justified. So, everyone with functioning ears should understand that the trial was decided.

    But still, Camille kept arguing. She raised her head up high and acted like she was sure that she would win this debate. ¡°You are twisting the facts again. Just because you feel like Cedar didn''t do it on purpose, you can''t act like you have proof. I know him much better than you do! And I was the victim while my own son attacked me. I didn''t do anything that would require me to be punished. Why do you keep lying?¡±

    Theodore spoke up here. ¡°If you truly thought that you weren''t guilty, you wouldn''t have tried to drug my wife, my brother and me today.¡± He glanced to the side to make eye contact with Camille, who looked like she was dumbfounded. ¡°Do not act as if you are unaware. You certainly did instruct some maid to put a strange substance into our food. You do remember asking that woman to do it when she visited you in your cell, correct? Maybe you should know that we found out that she was helping you a while ago and that she always told us everything she heard from you. So, don''t try to deny it. You know that this will end with you being pronounced guilty. Why do you keep arguing?¡±

    Leonard added to that before anyone else could say something. ¡°And if you insist on punishing the person who broke your arm, you are asking for a punishment for you at the same time. You injured His Royal Highness. You said that harming a member of the royal family is treason. You clearly injured the second prince of Artias in front of witnesses, but you didn''t defend yourself like he did. So, why would you not receive a much harsher punishment?¡±

    Camille clenched her jaw and whipped her head to the side. She was much louder now. ¡°I didn''t try to attack Cedar! He jumped in between me and that wench. That''s his fault! Besides, he did much worse to me.¡±

    Leon didn''t seem to care for her words and just used them against her. ¡°But you just underlined our argument. He was hurt because he jumped in between the attacker and the victim. And you acted because you wished to murder another person. You claim that his injury was his fault because he was in the way, so to speak. Then we have to accept that you are at fault for moving toward Lady Valerian in the first place. His Royal Highness merely reacted, which happened to break your arm.¡±

    The dowager empress'' voice sounded unpleasantly shrill while she refuted that. ¡°No, that''s wrong! He came toward me!¡± She balled the fist of her unhurt arm while glaring at everyone that was in her field of view. ¡°This is the only time that I ever hurt Cedar, and that was because he grabbed the knife! That isn''t my fault at all.¡±

    Lucille almost would have liked to say something here. She felt fury bubbling in her stomach when she remembered everything that had happened to Cedar because of that horrible woman. And now Camille had the nerve to claim that she had never hurt her son? Lucille actually opened her mouth for a moment and just stopped herself because someone else spoke.

    Theodore laughed at the dowager empress.

    Just for a moment, but that was enough to make Camille freeze.

    Theodore''s expression showed that he was less than amused. He threw the documents in his hand onto the table and grinned at her while pure resentment was visible in his eyes. ¡°The only time you ever hurt him, huh? That''s odd. I, who grew up with him, remember that differently. But maybe it just lies in the eye of the beholder. Then we should try letting you experience what Cedar had to endure while he was a child. How does that sound?¡± He managed to seem ready to kill the woman in front of him with just a few words.

    Camille tensed despite doing her best to act like she was indifferent. She gritted her teeth for a moment before replying. ¡°What happened is none of your business. Cedar isn''t upset because of that, and he never complained. So, there is absolutely no need for you to get involved, Theodore.¡± She said his name with a concerning amount of malice.

    The emperor saw this differently. His expression revealed as much. This time, he didn''t even say anything and just glared at the dowager empress with pure wrath.

    Blanche was the one who spoke while watching Camille with a just as grim expression. ¡°Perhaps, the reason why Cedar never complained was connected to how you handled it when he voiced his opinion. I can assure you that none of your excuses will help you. We know more about what happened than you can imagine. And we will make sure that you feel those exact same things in the future. Prepare yourself for that. You should remember what you did, so you shouldn''t be too surprised.¡±

    Now the dowager empress fumed quietly. It seemed like she wasn''t sure what to say, so she just glared at the people in front of her. Maybe that was better.

    Lucille hated the topic since she could only be filled with hatred when she thought about her lover getting hurt, but Cedar hated that subject much more than she did. He didn''t like sharing anything about his past with people he was close with and took a long time to admit that bad things had happened. He wouldn''t be happy to discuss that in front of so many strangers. And even though he wanted to hide it, he still tensed a bit when the topic was addressed. So, Lucille knew that he wouldn''t want to continue this.

    At first, she thought that they were lucky since neither Camille nor the royal couple said anything. But then someone raised their hand. It just had to be the most unpleasant person in the room aside from the dowager empress.

    Theodore saw that and hesitated for a moment before he allowed her to speak. ¡°You may tell us what you have to add, Lady Peril. Only if it is helpful for the trial though.¡±

    Jenna didn''t let anyone tell her that twice. She immediately began while showing an expression of uncertainty and dejection that was rather convincing. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. I just wished to address this since I believe that it is important. If we assume that treason, which is connected to injuring members of the royal family, is the worst crime, it should be punished accordingly, should it not? But then all cases of treason should have consequences. You just mentioned what would count as well. My memory may be blurry, but I do remember Her Majesty losing her temper rather often in the past. During some of her...less calm times, she was rather harsh with His Royal Highness. Of course, I did not notice much, but I believe that she used violence to vent her emotions. From what I heard, she used to throw vases at His Royal Highness and hit him on some occasions. Would that not be treason? Even if that happened years ago, it still does not change the fact that she injured the prince of Artias.¡± Somehow, it wasn''t surprising that she worked against the dowager empress now.

    Lady Peril had almost been killed because of the other woman. Naturally, she would do her best to get revenge now. So, she just pointed out something she knew and could easily direct the trial in a direction that was more unpleasant for the concerned perpetrator. She was a bit hypocritical to act like she cared for Cedar after molesting him for years, but she got her revenge.

    At the same time, this was a clever strategy to make everyone dislike Camille more. Most people here had children they cared about. Duke and Duchess Duremont and Duke Lamont had at least one child each and would never agree with someone hurting their own flesh and blood. Luciano cared for his little sister deeply as well, and he might also be more upset if he heard how badly his cousin had truly been treated. The same held true for Selena, the Duchess of Vasquez, who certainly wouldn''t like what her sister had done to a child, who happened to be Selena''s nephew, either.

    The expressions of the guests were enough to prove that this topic would worsen their image of Camille. This would make them judge that woman more harshly.

    Apparently, Camille didn''t think about that though. She didn''t act to refute those comments and just glared at Jenna. ¡°Shut up. What do you know, you arrogant whore? How I raised my child has nothing to do with this trial. Cedar belongs to me. I can do whatever I want to him.¡±

    Those words hadn''t been clever. Not only the guests were rather irritated. Both Blanche and Theodore looked like they wanted to murder Camille.

    Cedar just showed his bright smile, which proved that he was in a horrible mood even while Lucille held his hand. He knew that his mother was awful, so the topic itself probably bothered him more than this statement.

    Lucille herself couldn''t help but fume though. She would have liked to throw something at Camille, but she just moved her chair a bit closer to Cedar''s. She considered hugging him and only held back because she knew that he hated showing weaknesses in front of others.

    For a few seconds, it was silent before Theodore spoke in a voice that was as cold as a glacier. ¡°I won''t bother pointing out that Cedar doesn''t belong to you or that you can''t hurt a child just because you want to. That is connected to common sense and an understanding of what compassion and affection are. You have neither of those, so I do not need to waste my time explaining. There is something that you could understand though. Your child is the second prince of Artias. That made him the second in line for the throne before I married and had a child. If I had died or if Father had changed his mind at some point, Cedar could have become emperor. That means that he should have been treated with great care. You knew that, and you still hurt him often enough. That could almost be interpreted as you committing the highest level of treason since you harmed a possible head of the family and even risked his death.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    A murmur went through the group. Most likely, since Theodore had openly acknowledged that his brother could have become emperor too.

    Camille glanced to the side for a moment, probably in an attempt to get help. But no one spoke up for her, so she raised her voice again. ¡°I never did anything bad to Cedar! You have some nerve claiming something like that. You murdered your father! You deserve nothing but-¡±

    Blanche cut her off here. ¡°Close your mouth and sit there quietly until you are asked to speak. I do not wish to hear any more of the lies that you tell yourself. You purposefully fed Cedar things that could have killed him. That alone qualifies you for an execution. Are you not aware of that?¡±

    Camille didn''t move for a moment. She took a few seconds to process that. Then the yelling began as she jumped to her feet. ¡°What are you talking about, you-¡±

    This time, Cedar interrupted her. ¡°Sit down, Mother. It will not do you any good to insult Her Majesty like this. Take a seat, and be quiet.¡± He might not have noticed it, but his voice had a much sharper undertone than normal. That made it obvious. He didn''t want to talk about his childhood at all.

    Lucille felt how tense he was, so she squeezed his hand. He squeezed it back, and they used more force to hold onto each other. It seemed like no one noticed, but maybe it gave Cedar a bit more strength.

    Camille was actually taken aback by the way her son spoke to her and just looked at him for a few seconds. But surprisingly, she didn''t argue. She just sat down quietly without saying another thing and kept her mouth closed. In the meantime, she watched Cedar as if she expected him to do something special.

    The prince stubbornly avoided her gaze.

    A few seconds of absolute silence passed before Theodore spoke. ¡°As you can see, you cannot gain anything here. If you argue about this being treason, I will simply research everything that happened to Cedar and punish you for each injury. So, we should avoid that topic and focus on the present. You will be punished for attempting to murder someone in the royal estate, and Cedar will not be charged for anything.¡±

    Camille blinked once before her anger came back. Her face returned to her previous expression of fury, which didn''t make her look very healthy as she yelled again. ¡°What? You can''t just forget about the most important things that happened! He has to be punished for what he did! You can''t ignore someone''s crimes.¡±

    In a single second, Theodore''s expression changed. A little smile appeared on his face. That should have been a bigger warning than his obvious fury before had been. Even his voice sounded cheerful now. ¡°Exactly. We will never forget what someone did to us.¡± He reached for something to his left and opened one of the drawers of the desk. He lifted a thick folder and let it drop onto the table. The impact echoed through the entire room. This had effectively directed everyone''s gazes onto the folder. So, Theodore could continue. ¡°Do you have any idea what this is?¡±

    No response followed. Camille just sat there while clutching her fist.

    Theodore continued without paying attention to her. ¡°I wasn''t lazy during the past few months. I''ve been working on this ever since you left confinement first. This is the list of all crimes you committed, whether big or small. From all of your strategies to ruin businesses that wouldn''t sell you their stores to your involvement in the disappearance of a few people in Artias, it''s all here. I thought that gathering everything in one place would be the easiest thing to do. You can read through it later if you want to, but it will take you a while.¡± A second passed, and the emperor''s expression became serious. He addressed all the gathered people without batting an eye. ¡°I believe that this incident proves that Camille Estien is not sane and also not unwilling to kill a young woman, whose only ¡®mistake¡¯ is being in a relationship with Cedar. Clearly, she would kill for other reasons that do not make sense to us. We can all agree on that. How about we use this chance to address some of the countless other crimes the dowager empress committed? I will present you with enough evidence in a few months, but we can start already. This will be the beginning of her end.¡± That he said that so outright without receiving anyone''s complaint only proved how hated Camille was.

    But the dowager empress herself already opened her mouth. ¡°What are you referring to?¡± She sounded extremely upset, but at the same time, she couldn''t hide the deep frown on her face and the slight trembling of her voice. She was scared. And she should be.

    Theodore gazed at her with nothing but disgust while he replied. ¡°During the past two decades, you have built yourself an impressive tower of lies and deceit. You plunged some into ruin, hired assassins to kill others and brought misery to those around you. I put in enough effort to break apart your foundation. Now there will be nothing to catch you when that tower comes tumbling down. I would like to hold another trial in a week. How about we discuss the demise of Althea Estien there? I believe that we may hear some interesting things if we happen to take a look at who hired the men who killed her seven years ago. Wasn''t that during the hunting festival after my coronation? I believe someone attempted to murder me then too. Twice. Maybe we should redo that trial as well. And this time, the dowager empress won''t keep delaying it because she fears being sent back into confinement.¡±

    Camille was much louder again. Apparently, her missing confidence didn''t keep her from acting like this palace belonged to her. ¡°You can''t accuse me of anything. I''m innocent! Do you have any idea what will happen if you try to drag me down even though I didn''t do anything? You will finally show your true colors, you monster. You are a murderer! No one will believe you! What are you going to do? Frame me again? I won''t fall for that twice. You-¡±

    Theodore only showed her his blank expression while he carefully gestured toward his brother. ¡°You ask what I will do? I will simply ask the person who was present while you plotted back then. Cedar wasn''t involved, but he was clever enough to figure it out without you needing to tell him anything. He can reconstruct everything for us. Don''t you think that I will find more than enough evidence if I search for a bit longer?¡±

    Camille had already been in the middle of standing up and just stopped when she heard that. She turned her head to Cedar at a painstakingly slow pace. She stared at her son for a moment, and she pondered everything she had done in the past years. Cedar knew more than enough to convict her, and she was aware of that. But a smile quickly came onto her lips. ¡°You surely must not be feeling well, Theodore. There is no way Cedar would testify against me. I didn''t do anything. And even if I did do something, my dear son would never betray me.¡±

    Lucille could only watch that scene with worry before she glanced at her lover. Cedar was tense. No one but her would notice, but she could feel how tightly he grasped her hand.

    To everyone else, he had to seem like he was genuinely happy. After all, Cedar was beaming once again. His smile only faded away when he focused on it after making eye contact with his mother, probably because he forced himself. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other before he spoke. ¡°I do not understand what you could be referring to, Mother. If there is a trial about that incident, I will speak nothing but the truth. There was an assassination attempt on the emperor, and another member of the royal family was killed. Naturally, we will have to take this seriously.¡±

    Camille didn''t like hearing that at all. ¡°What? What are you saying, Cedar? That whore wasn''t your father''s wife! There is no way. He didn''t marry that witch. Theodore just came up with it to upset me. How can you even address her like that? And how can you accuse me-¡±

    Cedar interrupted her and spoke in a calm and steady voice. ¡°Althea did, in fact, marry Father. Have you not requested to check the documents thrice already? A high priest, Theodore and I were witnesses, and we have documents with our signatures as well as the ones of the groom, Father, and the bride, Althea. I was present, Mother. You can rest assured that it did happen. And I will naturally not accuse you of crimes you didn''t commit. I will be honest about what kind of strange things I saw though.¡± It was easy to see how quickly he stopped acting since his smile came back a moment after he had closed his mouth.

    Lucille fought the urge to pull him into her arms and just continued to stroke her thumb over the backside of his hand.

    Cedar barely reacted since he still kept his eyes on his mother.

    Camille seemed shocked upon hearing his words. She slowly sank down to her chair, and then her voice sounded completely different when she spoke in an overly soft tone. ¡°But, my sweet baby, you won''t really lie because Theodore planted such nonsense into your head. You can''t condemn me because those people are manipulating you. You-¡±

    Leonard interrupted her. ¡°It seems like a conversation with the criminal will not help us. We should not discuss the trial that will happen in a few weeks. For now, this is about the attack on Lady Valerian. We should not delay the judgment when the result is obvious.¡±

    Theodore rested his chin on his hand while he scanned Camille with a derogatory look. ¡°Naturally. I, as the emperor of Artias and the judge in this case, pronounce Camille Estien to be guilty of bringing weapons into the royal estate with the intention of killing Lady Lucille Valerian. She is also guilty of committing treason by harming the second prince of Artias, Cedar Estien. Are there any objections?¡± His eyes searched the room for anyone who would be stupid enough to openly position themselves on Camille''s side.

    No one did that. Thankfully.

    Camille directly opened her mouth to complain, but she was ignored completely.

    Theodore just continued. ¡°Good. Then I will announce her punishment. This one will be light in contrast to all that is to come, but do remember that this was just the beginning. How about we come to the most simple conclusion? Camille Estien is banned from the royal garden and may not take a step into the part of the royal estate that is surrounded by our walls. In addition, she will need to pay a hefty compensation fee to the Valerian family. All of her personal funds should be confiscated, and she shall lose all ability to control any of her belongings, including all the properties belonging to her birth family. Her Grace, the Duchess of Vasquez shall receive all that belonged to their parents. All money still in the dowager empress'' hands will be given to the Valerian family as compensation, as I mentioned before. The remaining goods, including luxury items and properties, are handed over to Cedar, including every single object Camille Estien has ever owned. This should make up for her crimes against Lady Valerian and Cedar while not punishing the remaining survivors of her family, who should not have to see their legacy falling apart.¡±

    That was a hard blow. Camille still owned a lot of money, even if she couldn''t use most of it. This would make her dependent on whatever Theodore gave her. The humiliation that came with handing over all of her parents'' properties was another punishment in itself, especially since she had to give those to her sister and her son.

    Not to mention the fact that she would pay the Valerian family more than they had ever owned.

    Lucille was absolutely shocked to hear that her father would receive such a big compensation fee. That would probably grant them as much money as the dukedoms had, which certainly came with some power. Had Theodore done this on purpose? Maybe.

    Camille definitely hated it.

    And Theodore wasn''t even done. He happily added more. ¡°At the same time, the dowager empress will lose her right to sign with her full name as she cannot be seen as the voice of the Estien family.¡± Which basically made her unable to buy anything or even file a complaint about this decision to a judge. ¡°In addition, we will keep her away from anyone she might hurt. She will not be allowed to get closer to Lady Valerian ever again either. If she does come close, the guards will be free to drag Camille Estien away by force. Until the next trial, she will stay in the same cell as before, and the same rules will apply with Leon being the responsible one for her. And...¡± A little smirk formed on Theodore''s lips. ¡°The doctor will not treat her arm until further notice. We will see how it develops. The guards will be willing to help her if necessary, so you do not have to worry.¡± That sounded like a threat and not like something a judge should say. It was strange to hear that from the emperor, who could control all the knights within the royal palace.

    Lucille didn''t doubt that he had plans that would make Camille rather unhappy. Even just leaving that arm untreated could lead to severe consequences. It might not even heal properly. And to be honest, she didn''t care much either. She didn''t have any sympathy for that woman.

    It seemed like no one in this room had. After all, no one said anything. Raymond looked like he wasn''t happy with the result despite being offered a generous amount of money, maybe a too generous amount, but he didn''t complain either.

    That didn''t keep Camille from blaming those around her though. She began yelling and claimed that she was innocent and that Cedar was the vile one here before asking for his help. It was pathetic. Thus, watching her being dragged away by the guards when she refused to stop wasn''t as satisfying as it should have been.

    Still, Lucille couldn''t deny that she was happy that that witch had received a punishment. Since Cedar would even be rewarded with more properties and funds on his own, that was just even better.

 Chapter 142: Punishment and Blessing (2)

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

 Chapter 143: Who I Am

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°

 Chapter 144: What Do You Want?

    Lucille''s heart pounded as loudly as it hadn''t in a while as she stepped into the corridor with her father. She wasn''t sure what to expect from a conversation like this. She weighed her options while she walked after her father.

    Raymond didn''t go far. He only followed Leonard until they reached a small sitting room. Apparently, they were allowed to use that one since Raymond went inside after the empress nodded.

    Lucille followed him while waving back to the empress, who waited by the door for some reason. She closed the door before moving to the center of the room.

    Her father stood by the window. He had his back turned to her and stared outside. For a moment, it was completely silent. One could even hear the slight rustling of the trees outside whenever a breeze of wind came. The atmosphere inside the room was strange. It didn''t feel like Raymond was hostile nor was he happy about something.

    Lucille wasn''t even sure how she should feel about that. The silence went on for a while, but it wasn''t unbearable.

    At some point, Raymond spoke up. ¡°I do not want you to repeat what His Majesty told you. I don''t want you to think about any rumors or that what you did could force you into anything. I don''t want you to consider what an influential marriage is like either. None of that matters. I want you to tell me what you imagine your life to be like. You are young, but I know that you can discern whether you are pursuing a short-lived passion or whether this is something that truly makes you happy. Please answer honestly without worrying about what I would say.¡± A few seconds passed before Raymond slowly turned around. His expression was almost blank, but his slight frown was still there. His gray eyes were the same as always, but the look in them seemed much less like the cold glare that his daughter had known for years. When he spoke, his voice didn''t sound as demanding either. ¡°Do you want to be princess consort?¡±

    Lucille should have expected that question. But still, hearing it out loud made her nervous. Her heart skipped a beat, and the familiar tingling in her stomach made her feel like she was nauseous. What did she want? Did she want to be part of the royal family and be the center of attention? No. She didn''t want that.

    But did she want to hold Cedar''s hand and accompany him as his wife? Did she want to hug him and tell him that she loved him, her husband? Yes, she did. Maybe it felt like this was a bit sudden, but actually, that didn''t matter.

    Lucille couldn''t know, but she was sure that her feelings wouldn''t change. She loved Cedar, and she wouldn''t just forget that overnight. Her feelings for him had only grown for the past nine months, so why would it change now? The only question was whether Raymond would be fine with that answer. Lucille stared at her father and opened her mouth, only to hesitate. But then she looked at him again.

    Raymond didn''t expect a specific answer. She knew what his expression looked like when he was waiting for her to agree to what he had said without giving her the slightest chance to refuse. Right now, her father didn''t demand a decision in his favor. And he had told her that he wanted her to be happy, right? Then she should at least have the courage to tell him what she saw as her happiness.

    Lucille''s voice was a bit hoarse and quiet while she replied. ¡°I don''t want that title.¡± Being the prince consort mattered little to her. ¡°This is not what this is about. But I...love Cedar. I have no clue whether this will last, but I feel like it will. I love him, so I want to stay by his side. I wouldn''t mind...¡± That sounded like she just accepted what others had told her. But that wasn''t it. She wanted this. So, she needed to say it out loud too. ¡°I would like to be his wife. Not because I can be a part of the royal family but because I love him. Being by his side makes me happy.¡± Even if Cedar needed to agree first before they came to a conclusion here.

    Once again, it was silent for a moment. Then her father replied. ¡°Then there isn''t much to discuss, is there? You wouldn''t lie about things like this. If you are sure about this, it should be fine. His Royal Highness has been with you for nine months. If he wished to hurt you, he would have messed up already.¡± He still seemed like he was aloof, as always, but his voice was much weaker than normal.

    Lucille almost couldn''t believe it. Her father hadn''t criticized her decision nor had he told her that she was doing well by finding a powerful husband. He was just accepting what she said. And his main concern was whether Cedar was nice to her. ¡°Cedar has never once treated me unkindly. He was always gentle and affectionate. And he saved my life twice now. And more often than that without me noticing it, I think. He and I...¡± It felt like this was special. To Lucille, this was the only romance she had known, but that didn''t mean that it felt less wonderful to her. She was sure that this was true love. ¡°We love each other. So, marrying Cedar would be a gift.¡±

    Raymond remained silent for a few seconds, which almost made her think that she had said something that upset him. But his expression didn''t twist with fury. He just kept staring at his daughter before he spoke up at some point. ¡°Please don''t forget one thing.¡± He was even quieter now. Hearing that confident man speaking with so much uncertainty was odd. ¡°No decision you could make now will trap you for the rest of your life. If you ever need to leave, we will get you out of the palace immediately. There is no need for you to worry about any of this, even if there is an emergency. Nothing that is decided can''t be undone. If it ever becomes necessary, don''t hesitate to discuss a divorce. I will help you in any case.¡± Those were oddly supportive words.

    Lucille still didn''t dare to hope. Wasn''t this too easy then? If her father agreed and the royal couple didn''t complain, merely Cedar''s reply was missing, and they could get engaged. Then it would be possible for Lucille to become his wife. That thought was almost ridiculous. Lucille slowly realized what this actually meant and felt how blood rushed to her face. She weakly nodded at her father while she lifted her hands to her cheeks to hide them.

    Unsurprisingly, Raymond noticed that. He was tense despite the relaxing conversation. He didn''t get angry, but he still averted his eyes and gazed outside again. He said something that he probably had only wanted to mumble to himself. ¡°I know that we discussed this already, but I didn''t think that it would be so soon.¡±

    Lucille hadn''t either. Discussing the option of marriage had made it feel like that would be far away, even back when her father had told her to search for a rich husband. Even Cedar''s first suggestion of marriage had been unreal to her. But right now, it actually seemed like they might decide on an engagement. That would lead to Lucille officially becoming a member of the royal family as the second prince''s fianc¨¦. And it would make it obvious that Cedar and she were in a relationship. That part didn''t sound too bad. After all, people might understand that Cedar was taken then. People like Lady Peril, who still didn''t know that she would have to give up. And Lucille would be able to happily announce that she was his lover, at least if she had the necessary confidence by then.

    Lucille interlocked her fingers in front of her while trying to do something aside from standing there and staring at her father. She had expected to argue, and now that hadn''t happened. But she wouldn''t complain about that. She was happy if her father allowed her to do what she liked. Just mentioning a divorce proved that he would support her more than she could have imagined a year ago. But maybe he had just said that because he knew that a divorce could cause some serious trouble.

    Emily had never made an appearance in noble society again after divorcing her husband.

    That thought made Lucille freeze. Her mother had divorced someone too, and that might be why her father told her this. Just this much was enough to direct her thoughts to another subject. She remembered the small box with the letters without wanting to. She had received them a week ago and still hadn''t decided what to do with them. Right now, the box sat in the drawer of her nightstand. This subject made her much more tense than before.

    Lucille slowly began playing with her fingers while she pondered whether to mention it. On the one hand, it might be nice to avoid a topic that would inevitably dampen the mood. But then again, she at least wanted to know one thing. She opened her mouth, only to close it again.

    Apparently, Raymond had watched her from the corner of her eyes since he turned to her when she did that. He met her gaze and replied with a single word. ¡°Yes?¡±

    Lucille would have liked to turn back time now. She didn''t want to mention it like this. But now it was too late. She wouldn''t be able to come up with something else now, so she had to be honest. ¡°Father. About the letters...¡±

    Raymond averted his eyes. That was sudden and extremely unusual for the person who had used to make his daughter look away in fear.

    But that only gave Lucille the necessary courage to speak again. ¡°Did you send them on purpose?¡± Her voice was so quiet that she feared that he hadn''t heard her.

    But Raymond had understood what she had said. He still didn''t meet her gaze while he replied in a just as uncertain voice. ¡°Yes. I...didn''t want to give them to you before. Because I wasn''t sure how you would react. But you''re old enough, so...¡± His voice trailed off.

    That was enough to make Lucille understand what had been going on. This was all she needed. She wouldn''t inquire more about her mother nor would she blame him for keeping the letters hidden. ¡°I see.¡±

    Seconds of silence passed before Raymond spoke again. This time, he was even quieter than before. ¡°I''m sorry for hiding them.¡± It felt odd. Her father had never apologized in the past. Now he had done it a few times already. It still didn''t seem right for some reason. Especially not when he said it in such a broken voice.

    Lucille opened her mouth and closed it again while trying to find the words to say. She took a moment before she forced out her voice. ¡°It''s fine. I actually have to thank you. If I had gotten them when I was younger, I wouldn''t have taken it so well.¡± She hadn''t taken it well now either, but at least she hadn''t had a complete mental breakdown. Still, she had been extremely upset with her mother and Emily''s idea of writing one letter each year to make up for her absence. But that wasn''t her father''s fault. Even if her parents had divorced because of his behavior, it had been her mother''s decision not to see her.

    Raymond looked like he was taken aback by her response. He just stared at his daughter for a moment before he turned his head away again. ¡°I see.¡± After that, it was silent again.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Lucille would have liked to say something, but what? The longer the silence went on, the stranger it would be for her to suddenly speak up. She wasn''t even able to come up with something that her father needed to hear.

    A moment passed without either one of them opening their mouth or moving.

    Then Raymond turned to his daughter again. ¡°I think this concludes the matter of an engagement. Please think about whether you are sure one more time, for your sake. And speak about this with His Royal Highness. If you...do sign a contract, let me go through it along with a lawyer first. I will make sure that no strange extra paragraphs are hidden anywhere. But I think that we don''t need to go that far at the moment. For now, we will just...let you speak to the man you may end up marrying. I will give you some privacy for that. I shall return home now.¡± It seemed like he didn''t want to stay much longer. That might not just be connected to the talk about an engagement.

    Lucille understood that. When she spoke about her mother, she always felt strange too. ¡°Alright.¡± Her voice was a bit uncertain while she said that, and she had to swallow before she could continue. ¡°Then...I will bring you to your carriage.¡±

    Raymond replied while he strode to the door. ¡°That will not be necessary, but I thank you for the offer. Please do-¡± He cut himself off when he opened the door and spotted someone outside. ¡°Please do enjoy the rest of the day.¡± He spoke to the person outside then. ¡°I wish you a wonderful afternoon too, Your Majesty. May you have a relaxing day, Your Royal Highness. Goodbye, Lord Astame.¡± He received responses from all three people before he gazed at Lucille again. ¡°Have a nice day, Lucille. Goodbye.¡±

    Lucille lifted her hand to wave while she replied. ¡°Goodbye, Father. Please visit soon again.¡± She could barely focus on Raymond when she had heard Cedar''s voice just now and knew that she would have to face him. Just minutes after she had announced that she would like to be his wife.

    Raymond was silent for a moment before he nodded. Then he disappeared from her field of view as he walked down the corridor.

    In return, someone else stepped into the doorway. Cedar''s smile was much wider than she had expected it to be. It seemed rather fake. He wasn''t in a good mood. Still, Cedar was ready for a conversation. He came into the room and walked toward her directly. Then he stopped a few steps in front of her. ¡°Hello. Did everything go well with your father?¡± It seemed like he didn''t know how to address the topic in another way.

    Lucille forced herself to give him a little smile. ¡°Everything was fine. There isn''t much to...¡± She could tell him that she had said that she wanted to be his wife, but even the thought of that threatened to make her blush, so she pushed it away.

    Cedar normally would have picked up on that to make fun of her, but today, he didn''t. He just smiled at her and spoke after a short pause. ¡°That''s good. I was a bit worried, but the empress and Leon stood in front of the door to guard you anyway. Still, I''m happy to hear that they didn''t need to interfere.¡± He paused and stared at her for a few seconds before he resumed. ¡°My brother overdid it a bit. I''m sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable.¡± He probably hadn''t meant to sound so cheerful while saying that, but it only proved that he was very upset.

    Lucille quickly shook her head. ¡°No, I was fine with it. He didn''t say anything bad. He just...told us that there was an option.¡±

    Cedar let out a small huff before he replied. ¡°Well, he was pretty nosy today. Normally, he isn''t like that, but he aims to make...Mother mad at every opportunity.¡± He seemed like he had changed his mind about what he wanted to say in the middle here. ¡°That is why he couldn''t help but propose this. Mother would completely lose her temper if she heard that we got engaged.¡± He couldn''t hide the fact that his smile widened while he said this. He was upset with Theodore addressing this topic. And knowing that stung a little.

    Lucille could only imagine one reason why Cedar wouldn''t like to talk about an engagement with her. He wasn''t sure whether they should do it. But he had been the one proposing it weeks ago. So, the unwillingness to marry shouldn''t make him reluctant here, right? Or was it because he had changed his mind?

    Lucille already knew that she would cry if she received a yes as a response here, but she couldn''t help asking. She wanted to be sure. She looked down and opened her mouth thrice, only to close it again. When she finally whispered her question, her voice was much quieter than it should have been. ¡°Do...you dislike the thought of marrying me?¡± After she said that, she tensed and almost didn''t dare to look up to receive a response.

    When she lifted her gaze, Cedar already stood right in front of her. He was quieter than usual too, but his missing smile was the greater concern. ¡°No.¡± He paused for a moment and continued in a dejected tone that broke her heart. ¡°I dislike the thought of forcing you to marry me.¡± The disdain in his voice as he said that last word was enough to prove that he was referring to himself as the problem here. That stung more than her previous assumption.

    The words came much quicker to Lucille this time. ¡°You aren''t forcing me in any way! I love you. Cedar, I wouldn''t be with you if I felt like I was...required to do this. I really love you and care for you. So, don''t phrase it like being with you would be bad for me. I am happy with you.¡± She hadn''t wanted to move, but she couldn''t help it. She walked to her lover and put her arms around him.

    It only took a moment before Cedar hugged her back. He looked like he barely wanted to make eye contact with her, but he kept meeting her gaze. For a moment, he hesitated and just showed her his honest expression without a smile. He looked like he was conflicted and worried, which made him seem much more vulnerable than normal. His voice sounded hoarse when he replied. ¡°You saw it already. You caught a glimpse of what my life was like. You wouldn''t be fine living like that. You shouldn''t have to. This is...¡± He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes. ¡°This is too unfair for you. I messed up when I first said that it was fine without thinking about it twice. Because no matter how much effort I put into it, it won''t erase the past. My mother is still here and will target you for another few months until she is done for. I''m still known as the prince that committed treason, and you would automatically be connected with that if we got married. And you noticed how I am by now too. I can''t open up to others, and when bad things happen, I will stand there and still smile. Being with me caused you so many issues.¡±

    Issues only he seemed to see. And the reason was obvious.

    Lucille only knew what his mother had told him from the times she had stood next to him. But if Camille had truly told her son that no one could love him aside from her and that he would never receive anyone''s affection ever since he had been young, those words had inevitably influenced him.

    And even now it seemed like Cedar believed a part of what he had been told. He acted like his presence only caused problems for others when most of these issues were only based on Camille''s actions or her lies. He wasn''t very fond of himself, but his reasoning certainly could be proven to be wrong within a few seconds. In reality, Cedar was not as cruel as he saw himself.

    Lucille opened her mouth as soon as she managed to choke down a few mean words that were directed at Camille. ¡°You never created problems for me. The only thing you did was protect me and enrich my life. I could never have believed that I would fall in love just like that. I wasn''t happy before we met, but now I''m looking forward to each day that we can enjoy together. Now I can imagine a life that is filled with people I care about and not just some fake family that was pushed together by an arranged marriage. Now I don''t want to imagine anything else anymore. I...¡± She was lucky that she was rather emotional right now, or she wouldn''t have dared to voice this. ¡°I want to be with you. Every other option sounds horrible. Do...you want to be with me?¡± She wasn''t sure why she had said that, but it seemed to have brought across her point to some extent.

    Cedar tightened his hold on her. He opened his eyes and looked down at her as he whispered his response. ¡°Of course. You know that I...fell for you. If I marry someone, it has to be you, but...I want you to be happy, and I want to be at your side. But if those two things rule each other out, I can''t...¡± He scanned her expression while a little smile formed on his lips. It was easy to see that he held back, but he was feeling unwell, and his bright smile threatened to cover that up again. ¡°I need you to be sure about this. Because I won''t be able to change completely even if I want to. There will be some traces of what...what I experienced as a child. I won''t be able to get rid of all of the little things that make me seem like an insane person to everyone around me. Not that I was ever sane in the first place.¡±

    Lucille truly didn''t know where she got the confidence from, but she was glad that she had it since she needed to respond. She stood as close to Cedar as possible while looking up at him with small tears in her eyes. ¡°You aren''t insane. Having psychological problems because of your childhood doesn''t make you insane. You are a wonderful person, and you don''t need to change a thing to be more like others. Of course, I want you to be happy and hope that you can forget the horrible things that woman did a bit more with each day. But I won''t demand it from you. I don''t want you to change to be a different person. I love you, so it''s you whom I want by my side.¡±

    Cedar looked at her, and his eyes told her everything. There were so many things going on inside his head. But it seemed like he wasn''t thinking about his own wishes much. He took a deep breath before he replied in a low whisper. ¡°You will have to accept a lot of disadvantages if you are with me.¡±

    ¡°I don''t see any disadvantages. And even if there are some, none of those would weigh more than a chance to have you in my life. I adore you. I love you with my whole heart. So, I want to be with you. Not just for a few weeks but for as long as I can.¡±

    Cedar tensed a little. He didn''t need to say much, but it was clear that those words had meant a lot to him. ¡°I...¡± He lowered his head so that his forehead rested against hers. He was even quieter than before when he continued. ¡°If you promise this now...¡± He didn''t finish that sentence, and he didn''t have to.

    Lucille slowly let her arms wander up his back so that she could put them around his neck. Her response was obvious. It was the same she had given when he had said something similar after she asked him to be in a relationship with him. ¡°I know. Then you won''t let go anymore, right?¡±

    Cedar replied without hesitation. ¡°Yes. I...get attached. It''s over already, but...I wanted to give you one more chance.¡± Of course, he wanted to be compassionate.

    Lucille moved her head a bit to create enough space to look into his eyes. ¡°Getting attached is normal when you love someone. I''m attached to you too. That''s why I want to stay with you. And if you want me with you, that is the best that can happen to us. Please hold onto me because I love you too.¡± She already knew that those had been the right words because of her lover''s expression.

    Cedar''s little fake smile had disappeared, so her response had left some kind of impression. He didn''t wait long before he closed the little distance between their faces and kissed her. He was even gentler than usual.

    Lucille gladly returned the kiss and enjoyed being in his arms. Even when a few seconds passed, she happily stayed like that. It felt like she was closer to Cedar in an emotional sense while they kissed, and she loved every second of it. She was sure that he felt it too. She could swear that she felt a heavy breath come from him. But when she pulled back to look at him, she didn''t find any signs of that.

    Instead, Cedar just gave her a little genuine smile while he gazed at her. ¡°My lover.¡± He whispered that and leaned forward to kiss her cheek again. Then he returned to just watching her. At least for a few seconds before he turned to the door. ¡°Privacy doesn''t seem to be a known word here. Did you stalk us for long enough now, or will you watch for another hour? And you can''t even do it quietly?¡±

    Lucille whipped her head to the side and froze when she saw Blanche and Leonard in the doorway. She hadn''t closed the door, and Cedar hadn''t either. Great. She felt blood rushing to her head in an instant.

    For a moment, it was quiet since the spectators refused to reply.

    Cedar quickly added something while his gaze fell onto the empress. ¡°Are you seriously crying?¡±

    Blanche blinked a few times and fanned herself some air. ¡°I''m not. It''s just...¡± She was quite obviously sentimental and in the middle of crying. But it seemed like she wouldn''t admit that and spoke as if her voice wasn''t hoarse. ¡°You two are much too cute. You truly belong to one another. I''m so happy that you met. We didn''t eavesdrop, by the way.¡± She wiped her allegedly nonexistent tears away.

    Cedar scanned that for a moment before he gazed at his lover again. ¡°If you say so. I can''t believe it. The empress of Artias shouldn''t be so emotional, or there might be problems during audiences.¡± His normal smile was already back, and he quickly returned to a much more cheerful tone while he spoke to the people by the door. ¡°So. How do you explain that you watched us for the past five minutes? Are your lives that boring?¡± It seemed like he had built up his facade once again and was already covering up all the cracks.

    That was fine. It was just how Cedar was. But it had definitely gotten better. He had probably known that those people were close, and he had spoken to Lucille anyway. He was still hiding a lot, but he didn''t swallow all of his emotions anymore.

    Lucille slowly got to see more of his vulnerable side, and that was wonderful. Because she could see that he relaxed around others and especially around her. He trusted her, and that was why he could be like this in front of her. Then it would be her turn to pay him back for this trust by protecting his vulnerable side. She would need to remind him that he was loved every single day.

    Until he finally understood that being with him didn''t make her unhappy but that it did the exact opposite.

 Chapter 145: Old Crimes, New Judgment (1)

    very chance of him getting engaged to Lucille. He hadn''t agreed to a lawful engagement contract out of worry about Lucille''s age, but that hadn''t dampened the empress'' mood.

    <hr>

    The main target is Theodore Estien, the emperor of Artias. Dark blue, almost black, hair. Tall. Attire in navy and gold, most likely with a sash and a long cape. He will partake in the hunt and be left vulnerable when he is in the forest. A sudden attack from the treetops should be enough to overpower him. He can fight with average skills. The royal guards around him are the greater danger. He is to be killed as quickly as possible. If he survives the first attack, which is to be assumed due to the knights around him, he will enter a carriage, leave the hunting grounds and most likely use the southern road to get away from the palace. At that point in time, fewer knights will surround him. Stop the carriage after defeating most guards, and then deal with it quickly.¡±

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    The second target is a woman with long, brown hair and hazel eyes. She is expected to wear a fancy gown. She will most likely accompany the emperor in his carriage and sit across from him. That woman is to be killed in the most painful way possible. If that takes too much time, kill her quickly as well.¡± Leon lowered the letter. ¡°The message should be clear, but I could read out the specifications about the security measures of the hunting grounds as well if it is required.¡±

    <hr>

 Chapter 146: Old Crimes, New Judgment (2)

    Her title had always been the most important thing to Camille. Whether it had been while she had been empress or later when she had been dowager empress.

    In some cases, it had been a justification for her. Camille loved to explain that she could do everything she wanted because she was the dowager empress. No one had been allowed to criticize her because of that. No one had been allowed to talk back or resist her violent fits. Althea had always been rebuked with the use of this title too, but she had by far not been the only one. Even Cedar, who was the second prince, had often needed to accept the end of an argument simply because his mother was the empress. Camille had just used her title as a way to ignore everyone who wasn''t her husband.

    She had told others how they should act often enough, and her rank had served as a reason here too. At the same time, her love for this title was also connected to Camille''s pride and her greed. She loved to flaunt her title because she was extraordinarily focused on being the most important person no matter where she went.

    Cedar had barely met his grandparents once or twice when he had been a toddler before they had died. He didn''t remember much of them, but he had known where his mother''s temper had come from after meeting them.

    Camille had been raised to be the future empress. Her parents had always offered the world to her, and she had been the center of their attention. This hadn''t changed when she had had her coming-of-age ceremony. In noble society, she had immediately caught the eye of many. As the crown prince''s fianc¨¦e, she had been showered with compliments, and people had surrounded her at all times. Parties had revolved around her, much like everything in her world. Even her younger sister hadn''t received as much attention from their parents because Camille had monopolized all of it by acting like she was perfect at.

    But that hadn''t been enough for Camille. She had wanted all of her sister''s attention too and had hoped that everyone she met would adore her. For her, this had always worked out. The former emperor had been the first person to show her what defeat felt like. He hadn''t loved her, no matter how much she tried to impress him. Instead, he had taken in a concubine, who had happened to be the daughter of a count. This had only made Althea a bit less influential than the daughter of a marquess, but Camille had been furious. Ever since then, her pride had taken a dent, and after losing Theodore to Althea, it had gotten worse.

    From then on, her position had filled the holes in her fragile ego. Camille had depended on her title completely so many times and said it often too. Cedar had never counted, but he knew that it had easily been over a hundred times. His mother had clung to that title and basically lived to become the perfect empress in public.

    Maybe this dependence on an important rank had also been what had created her desire to have Cedar become emperor from the very beginning. Because Camille had never been content with what she had, she had always wanted more and more power. Being close to the future emperor and steering his reign like a puppet master had been the last missing step.

    Of course, Theodore would attack this point if he wanted to hurt her. The emperor''s announcement ended with the following words. ¡°Today, Camille Estien shall be stripped of her title as the dowager empress.¡±

    Cedar had seriously expected his mother to snap now. He wouldn''t have been surprised if she had thrown a chair at someone or attacked the emperor.

    But silence followed.

    The guests had probably expected more issues too and were a bit taken aback. Of course, they didn''t complain though.

    The one that should yell already didn''t say anything either. Camille just stared at Theodore with wide eyes. At least a minute passed without anyone moving at all.

    Cedar already prepared to jump up to keep his mother away from Lucille in case it got ugly. But apparently, the news had been too shocking for the former dowager empress.

    Camille kept watching the emperor as if she was a statue before she finally spoke up. ¡°This is a joke, right?¡± Her expression was completely blank while she said that.

    Theodore scanned her as if he was waiting for her to jump up as well. ¡°It is not. I will revoke all of your rights as a member of the royal family. I don''t want you to use them to harm anyone anymore. From now on, you will only be the daughter of an influential marquess. That is still way too much for you, but don''t worry. You will not live so comfortably for much longer. Be happy that the pill you have to swallow now isn''t too bitter.¡± That was only his own opinion.

    For Camille, this just now had been the most awful punishment she could receive. Someone so prideful would never accept that she lost her power overnight. As expected, Camille took a while to process this. And then her expression got cold. Her freezing anger, the most dangerous kind, was here now, and no one would like the result. ¡°You can''t do that.¡± This sounded like she was convinced of that.

    Theodore sorted a few documents on his table while he replied. ¡°I can. You gave me more than enough reasons.¡± He looked at Camille to take in her reaction.

    Camille slowly seemed to understand that this was serious. But as always, she didn''t just give up. Her mouth fell open, and she jumped to her feet. ¡°You can''t do that! I''m the dowager empress! I am the most powerful-¡± She wasn''t allowed to finish.

    Theodore already addressed her in an icy voice. ¡°Sit down. You are not the dowager empress anymore. Do you understand? You committed enough crimes for me to justify this and everything else you will face in the future. And since I''m the emperor and the head of the Estien family, my decision is the one that matters. You can complain as much as you want to.¡±

    Camille opened and closed her mouth a few times before panic overcame her. For a moment, she almost seemed like she was thinking clearly as she stood there with dread painted onto her face. But then she froze in place, and her expression became a bit calmer again. She whipped her head around to her second son. ¡°This punishment can be revoked. Cedar will take it back as soon as he becomes emperor.¡±

    Cedar had planned on staying quiet, especially since his mother was in a difficult situation at the moment. He didn''t want her to lose her mind. But he couldn''t let anyone believe that he would help her either. So, he tried to speak in a gentle voice to not upset her while he replied. ¡°Mother, why would I become emperor? Theodore will continue to reign for a while, and his wife and daughter are first in line to the throne.¡±

    Camille almost seemed like she didn''t care about that. She just stared straight into her son''s eyes. ¡°It''s not like they are invincible. If I get rid of them, you will give me back my title, right? Swear it.¡± There her orders were again. She had done the exact same thing while telling him to kill Theodore.

    But this time, Cedar wouldn''t agree to keep her calm. He tried to be as careful as possible, but he told the truth. ¡°Are you proposing treason? You should realize that this is risky. You are not protected by your rank as a member of the royal family anymore. You will be executed immediately if you attack Theodore, his wife or his daughter.¡±

    Camille let out a little chuckle, but her eyes remained full of hatred. ¡°You wouldn''t execute me. I just need to make you emperor, and everything will be fine.¡± It seemed like she had truly forgotten how many people were present at the moment.

    Cedar wouldn''t remind her. He just wanted to keep her from proposing treason and connecting it with his name. ¡°You are saying odd things, Mother. Naturally, you would receive your punishment if you were at fault for the late emperor''s death, no matter who the reigning person is. I do not believe you should joke about that.¡±

    Camille gritted her teeth while she glared at him. ¡°This isn''t a joke, Cedar. You will give me back my title. I gave you enough time. Hurry up, and finish your plot. Swear that you will give me back the position that belongs to me as soon as those insects are dead.¡± It seemed like she was truly deluding herself. Maybe that was good though. The only reason she wasn''t already throwing a tantrum was because she thought that she would get back her title in a few weeks anyway.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Cedar almost didn''t want to correct her, but he had to do it, or the people here would believe that he wanted to kill Theodore. ¡°I am not plotting against my brother. I don''t know what convinced you that I was doing so. I will not become emperor, so I will also never be able to give you back your title. Since Theodore''s decision is justified, I would not even consider it even if I had the chance. So, please do not speak about such matters as if I would wish to harm my brother and his wife. I am on their side. Please understand that already.¡±

    This seemed to tip Camille over the edge. She froze in place while still standing at the same spot as before. Merely the icy rage on her expression proved that she was barely holding on. A few seconds passed in silence before she spoke in a much quieter voice. ¡°So, you are betraying me?¡± She surely was slow to notice.

    Cedar would have liked to be serious this once. But no matter how much effort he put into it, he couldn''t stop grinning. He was truly in a horrible mood at the moment. Cedar would rather deny it, but it was bad. This wouldn''t end well. He could either try to prevent Camille from snapping, or he could be honest. For a second, he considered acting like he was on her side just to keep her from doing something bad. But he knew that this wouldn''t help him. He couldn''t let anyone believe that he planned on betraying the emperor, especially not his mother, who would never give up on that delusion then.

    So, Cedar gave his best to reply calmly. ¡°I would not call it betraying you. I merely cut off contact with you because I worried about the things you have been doing. I fully support Theodore and will not help you when you are proposing treason. That should be obvious. But if you see this as me betraying you...then, yes, I am turning my back on you. I will not help someone who wishes to commit treason.¡± That was a completely logical decision.

    And that finally seemed to break Camille, who spoke in a strained voice. ¡°Cedar, I''m your mother. I raised you. I was the only one in this damned palace who ever looked at you with affection instead of fear.¡± She sounded like she was about to yell and barely held herself back.

    Cedar could basically feel how the slap would feel if Camille got close enough to him to lash out. Thanks to the royal guards, he wouldn''t actually need to feel it, but he was still on edge. He didn''t need Camille to surprise anyone if she suddenly lunged toward him and attacked Lucille. He glanced at his lover, who looked at him with uncertainty, and smiled at her before he focused on his mother again. He opened his mouth to reply, but someone else did it first.

    Theodore sounded rather annoyed while he spoke despite just having been threatened indirectly. ¡°Maybe Cedar didn''t have many social connections to anyone because you dismissed any servant he spoke to more often than three times. You made sure to keep him far from anyone else, so don''t use that as an argument against him now. And how can you still call yourself his mother? I don''t think you ever did something that would qualify you as such.¡±

    Camille didn''t even look at him. She kept her eyes on Cedar while piercing him with her gaze. ¡°Cedar, you don''t know what you are doing right now. You are really making me angry, and we both won''t like that. By the time you come to your senses, you will need to spend years making this up to me. You will come back and cry, and we both know that.¡± Apparently, she still told herself to believe in that. But her strained voice made Cedar unsure whether she actually believed it.

    Cedar was ready to give up here since he really didn''t need her to get too angry. But she glared at him with such fury that he was convinced that ignoring her would not be better. ¡°I will not come back. I joined Theodore''s side because I came to my senses. I will not change my mind again.¡± Apparently, that hadn''t been a good reply.

    Camille balled the fists of her unhurt arm while her face scrunched up. She began yelling just a second later. ¡°You useless, ungrateful brat! You damned-¡± She didn''t get very far.

    Blanche cut off the other woman in a cold voice. ¡°Watch your mouth. You are speaking to a member of the royal family, Camille Estien. Cedar''s rank is much higher than yours So, I would suggest you calm down now, or we will have you forcibly removed from the palace.¡± That was completely unnecessary when Camille was long gone. Most likely, Blanche hadn''t actually expected a response anyway.

    After all, Camille ignored everyone but Cedar and just stared right at him. She didn''t yell anymore, but her icy tone wasn''t much better. ¡°You belong to me. You''ve always lived for me, haven''t you? You need to help me. No matter what I demand of you, you have to listen. And soon, you will remember that again because you will be all alone without me.¡±

    Cedar would like to claim that he didn''t care for her words. But he did feel a slight sting in his heart when his mother acted like this. By now, he should have understood it at last, but still, he couldn''t help but hate that Camille was so full of resentment that there wasn''t any space left for love. Cedar hated her tone when she spoke to him like this, and he hated being told that he would be alone. Hearing people say that no one truly loved him had been one of his triggers in the past, and it still hurt him, even if he didn''t admit it. Knowing that it was the truth didn''t make it better, even after he had listened to his mother''s insults and her orders for two decades. He was used to it.

    And still, he just sat there and smiled because of this damned reflex. He reminded himself that this scene could only help them in the long run.

    Theodore was doing this on purpose. He wanted the guests to see just how ugly Camille could get when she was upset. And maybe he wanted them to see that Cedar had been forced to deal with that woman ever since his birth too. This would make it easier to prove that Camille deserved an execution while Cedar wouldn''t be punished later.

    But it was still bitter for Cedar to have to listen to this. He wasn''t sure what about him had given it away, but he suddenly felt how Lucille moved her hand to his. He didn''t hesitate to take it into his and intertwined their fingers. For some reason, even this little gesture made him feel at rest. But he couldn''t calm down completely or leave the room. He still needed to deal with his mother.

    Camille was still glaring at him with so much fury that it was concerning. When she received no response, she opened her mouth again, and it seemed like she would yell once again. But then she froze in place and stayed silent for a moment. This couldn''t mean anything good. After all, it seemed like she was thinking about what to say to Cedar instead of yelling at him. This would probably hurt him much more than the rest.

    A few seconds passed in silence before Camille finally spoke. ¡°It''s a rebellious phase, isn''t it? You want me to give you more affection and force me to do it like this. Fine. You won, Cedar. I need you, or I will lose my mind. Are you happy now? Because you can finally admit it now too.¡± A smile came onto her lips, and that was much more disturbing than her anger. Especially since something like insanity shone in her eyes. ¡°You are aware that you can''t live without me either, right?¡±

    The prince wasn''t sure what she wanted to hear, but he didn''t want to give it to her either way. Cedar knew that refuting her words would simply lead to her saying that he was a liar, and agreeing would be even worse. So, he refused to answer. ¡°I am unsure what you are referring to. In any case, this does not concern this trial. I believe that we should not bother the spectators with such useless banter.¡± That probably convinced his mother more.

    Camille let out a single laugh, and then she confirmed his guess. ¡°So, you don''t want to admit it in front of others? You know that it''s true then. How about we finally stop this farce? You don''t need to fool anyone here anymore.¡±

    Cedar could guess what this was about too. So, he just gave his mother a smile and replied in a polite tone. ¡°I am uncertain which of my actions would seem like they were supposed to fool anyone. At the moment, I am merely discussing with you despite this being a conversation that should be had in private. I am not-¡±

    Camille cut him off. She still showed him a faint smile, but her anger had returned despite only a few seconds passing. ¡°Of course, you know it. It''s shocking to see how far you are going to win Theodore''s trust. Do you want to let him get rid of me now to prove to him that you are on his side? And then you will stab him in the back to become emperor? That won''t be so easy. Especially since I will be really upset if you continue like this.¡±

    Cedar could already see how confused the guests around them were. All in all, it seemed like most believed Camille to be a maniac who said strange things, but he couldn''t be sure that those words wouldn''t harm his reputation. He couldn''t do much against his mother blabbering on now, but he could clarify one thing. ¡°I have no desire to become emperor. I believe we discussed that topic already.¡±

    Camille still tried to smile, but her fury made it hard for her to keep up that facade. She glared at her son before beginning to speak in a tone that was probably supposed to sound cheerful. ¡°You have some nerve lying to everyone like that. But you were always like that. You could spout lies one after the other without even batting an eye. Everyone should know that by now, and still, it seems like Theodore is too stupid to get it. But we can just remind him and everyone else in this room. Maybe we should tell them the reason why you really came here. Let''s see if they still welcome you with open arms then.¡± So, she wanted to talk about that plot now. How annoying.

    Cedar held back a groan and squeezed Lucille''s hand once. That was his way of warning her that the following speech would be rather exhausting. Lucille probably understood that she since just squeezed his hand back and kept it in his.

    Camille was rather discontent with her son''s missing reaction and hurried to continue while addressing all of the people inside the room. ¡°Cedar came to the palace intending to betray the emperor of Artias. He wanted to gain Theodore''s trust before I would kill that bastard. Then Cedar would become emperor. Such a treacherous plot could easily have allowed us to win if we had pulled through with it. That would have ended with Theodore and his disgusting family being dead. Do you understand that? And do you know who came up with that plan? It was Cedar.¡±

    A murmur went through the crowd. But it would not help Camille. After all, everyone glancing at the royal couple would see that those two didn''t bat an eye.

    Blanche glared at Camille like before and didn''t hide her dismay.

    Theodore had a blank expression. He was completely calm while Camille told her story and just glanced at his brother to make eye contact once. His lips formed a faint smile before he returned to being emotionless while watching Camille. This wasn''t what someone would do if they found out about a planned assassination attempt. The emperor''s missing reaction should have given Camille an important clue, but logic didn''t seem to work here.

    Camille didn''t care about what the people around her said. She just wanted to hurt Cedar''s reputation. It was unfortunate for her, but that wouldn''t do much. She would notice that if she cared to look at her son, who was much too calm. But of course, she didn''t do that and just did what would help her in the ideal world she had come up with in her mind.

    Cedar let out a sigh before he leaned against the backrest of his chair. This would take a while. He could just stay quiet in the meantime and wait for her to realize that she couldn''t hurt him like this. There was merely one little thing that worried him. There was one person here whom he needed to talk to about this.

    If she misunderstood, this would be more than horrible.

    He didn''t dare speak up now though. He would just sit here and ignore the churning of his stomach while pushing away the thought of what it would feel like to have Lucille look at him with disgust.

 Chapter 147: Fake (1)

    Lucille had known that the dowager empress was sick before. But after losing her title, that woman had suddenly seemed even more unstable.

    Lucille had only been able to watch while holding her lover''s hand. She hated that she couldn''t do more than support Cedar, but at least she could help a little. She had planned on just staying quiet until the end so that she could leave with Cedar, but then the conversation became much more grim.

    In the beginning, Camille had just said odd things, but now she had accused Cedar of trying to commit treason. She looked so confident while announcing that her son wanted to kill Theodore and his family.

    Lucille could just furrow her brows as she waited for an outcry.

    A few seconds passed in silence as Camille waited for the reaction. When no one said anything, she continued in that mocking tone again. ¡°What? Didn''t you know? Obviously, Cedar would only get along with his brother because he was acting. This was all because we planned on murdering Theodore. We pretended to fight and yelled at each other for no reason before Cedar ran away. Then we forged letters to make it seem like we were going separate paths. I wrote exactly what my dear Cedar had told me to write to convince everyone. Then we staged an attack so that he would be able to enter the royal palace after being hurt. As planned, he spent a few months here, and now no one would suspect him anymore. And at this point, I was supposed to eliminate the threats so that he could become the emperor. That''s interesting to hear after you played family for so long now. Isn''t it, Theodore?¡± She glanced at the emperor as if she expected fury or fear. But she wasn''t met with that, and that made her freeze.

    Theodore didn''t look angry but annoyed. He stared at Camille without saying anything.

    Cedar didn''t seem too upset either. His smile wasn''t much more forced than before. He merely watched his mother and smiled at Lucille for a moment when she scanned him. He held her hand without much pressure, so he seemed to be fine.

    Lucille looked around the room and quickly noticed that no one here was truly shocked or upset. Maybe because they had seen that the concerned people were rather calm.

    For a few seconds, it was quiet again.

    Camille didn''t like that missing reaction at all. She narrowed her eyes and raised her voice. ¡°Are you deaf? Didn''t you hear me?¡± She whipped her head around to the side to face the emperor. ¡°Theodore, didn''t I speak clearly? You should have understood that. Cedar wants to betray you. He will stab you in the back and prove to you that you were foolish to ever believe in him. He will kill you and your family.¡±

    Theodore still didn''t get angry. Instead, he just groaned and buried his face in his hands. He remained like that for a short while before he lifted his head again. ¡°You are so stupid that it hurts to listen to you.¡±

    Camille was too prideful to accept that. She yelled immediately. ¡°How dare you? You arrogant-¡± She was cut off after a second.

    Theodore rested his chin on his hand and watched Camille with irritation but little fury on his face. ¡°But you are stupid. Otherwise, you wouldn''t voice such things in front of us. Didn''t you look at our faces while you told us that? Did you see shock or fury? Not really. You should have understood that we don''t care about your lies. You could have stopped at that, but you just have to keep talking, even though no one here wants to hear your voice. But in any case, I can calm you. You won''t need to worry about the safety of my family, which includes my brother. I will protect all of the people I care about. Got it? Now sit down.¡±

    Camille still didn''t listen. She just gestured around with her unhurt arm and raised her voice again. ¡°What do you mean? Cedar wanted to kill you and the people you claim to love so much! Don''t you want to punish him for that? You will throw him out now, right?¡± She didn''t receive a response immediately, and that only upset her even more so that she yelled in a shrill voice. ¡°Why are you so calm?¡±

    Theodore looked like he was rather bored while he replied. ¡°Because I know everything about your plots. That''s why I can also tell you that you twisted some facts. But let''s just allow Cedar to tell you that. After all, he is the one who knows most about this.¡± He gestured to his brother without taking his eyes off Camille, who turned to her second son.

    Lucille immediately faced Cedar as well. She believed in him, so this wasn''t necessary at all. Still, she wanted to see his reaction and remind him that she was on her side.

    It was quiet for just a moment, but Camille complained again before her son spoke. ¡°There is no way that Theodore knew. That would have ruined the whole plan. Cedar, what did you do? Did you manage to talk him into trusting you for real? If so, that would be really embarrassing for him.¡± She glanced at Theodore. ¡°Because Cedar would never be on your side. He hates you, and he will do everything in his power to kill you. He will never-¡±

    Cedar showed his mother a little smile while he cut her off in a gentle voice. ¡°Mother, when I came to the palace, I was still known as someone who had committed treason. Do you seriously believe that Theodore would simply trust me after everything that happened? No. Of course not. He acted like he trusted me, but he always had people keep an eye on me. At all times, some annoying person ran after me to see what I was planning. They saw everything I was doing. Does that help you understand?¡±

    Camille glared at him and gritted her teeth for a moment. When she regained her composure enough to speak, she immediately replied. ¡°That doesn''t change the fact that you want to betray him. You want to slaughter him and take his crown.¡±

    Cedar just smiled despite that comment and responded as calmly as before. ¡°We had a secret meeting shortly after I came into the palace, right? It was odd that you didn''t seem bothered by the fact that no one guarded the mansion we entered and that everyone generously ignored you going outside for once. There was no way that Theodore wouldn''t know about you leaving confinement. That is obvious, but you simply didn''t care and came to meet me. That day, I told you that I didn''t want to be emperor and that I would support Theodore. I informed you that I would give up on our act and not continue helping with your plots. You remember that, correct?¡±

    Camille didn''t reply. Maybe she didn''t want to admit that her son had said that to her.

    But Cedar didn''t care. He just continued without waiting for her. ¡°The day we met in the mansion, I used a secret passageway to get there. That one was connected to a grandfather clock in a hallway. You can imagine that suddenly disappearing into a clock looks rather suspicious, much like sending you a letter to ask for a meeting. Do you think the people watching me didn''t notice that? So, someone had to notice and tell Theodore, who obviously kept an eye on that meeting. I would assume that a person followed me that day. Most likely, Theodore would send someone he truly trusts when he knows that I would meet you. So, it was probably Lord Astame who eavesdropped on our conversation that day and told Theodore all about it.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Camille''s expression quickly morphed into one of shock. But she wasn''t given any time to process that.

    Leonard already chimed in. ¡°I can confirm that I was the one listening to that conversation. I would be able to repeat everything you said now, but I believe that this isn''t connected to the trial we originally wanted to deal with. This conversation is rather unnecessary. His Royal Highness is not plotting against His Majesty, so we can move on with the trial.¡±

    Camille didn''t care about those words at all. She already stared at Cedar with wide eyes before she faced Theodore. She looked like she was a bit paler when she asked him. ¡°If you know that he wants to kill you, why are you allowing him to stay here? That makes no sense!¡±

    In comparison to her almost hysteric outcry, Theodore seemed even more calm. He just explained it to her in a tone that indicated that he said nothing new. ¡°He doesn''t want to kill me. He merely went along with what you wanted for a while. He is on our side, and it will stay like this. You won''t blame anything you were doing on him because I fully trust him. Cedar had enough chances to kill me by now. He didn''t try that. Do you know why? Because he just doesn''t have the desire to kill me.¡±

    Camille balled her fist and loudly yelled back. ¡°Of course, he does! He just hid it to get you to trust him!¡±

    Theodore sighed and replied without giving her a chance to speak for much longer. ¡°I was not just referring to the time he spent here in the palace since he broke out of confinement. You do know that Cedar has been blessed with much more intelligence and self-control than you, right? He would have been able to come up with a plan that could crush me. You would just send assassins that would fail for the fifth time in succession.¡±

    Camille didn''t seem to care about the fact that the emperor was speaking. She simply yelled again. ¡°What are you saying? Of course, he-¡±

    Theodore ignored her. ¡°If Cedar had desired the crown, he would be emperor already. It would have been easy for him to get rid of me while I was a child. He was much stronger than I was. He could have just staged an accident, and his acting skills would have allowed him to hide all traces afterward. He could also have planned an elaborate plot with skillful attack patterns that used all of the palace''s security gaps. Or he would simply have killed me after he found me while I was still hurt from the assassination attempt seven years ago. Like I said, he didn''t do that. He also didn''t kill me during the revolt. Instead, he failed on purpose to prevent any blood from being spilled. Maybe you don''t want to accept it, but Cedar isn''t like you. He doesn''t want to hurt others. No matter how often you tell yourself that, it won''t make it true.¡± After he said that, it was silent.

    Camille just stared at the emperor before glancing at her other son. She didn''t seem to understand what she had just been told.

    To be honest, Lucille was pretty confused too. Not about Cedar not being dangerous but about the beginning. It had sounded like Cedar had come to the palace while still planning to harm Theodore. But now he had changed his mind, and Camille wouldn''t accept that. This made sense in some way, but Lucille was still irritated. They had come to the palace because of her injury, right? She had been hit with an arrow, and this had caused Cedar to bring her to some royal guards. How would that fit together with him coming here on purpose? She didn''t have enough time to come to a conclusion here.

    Camille already spoke up after she had glared at the emperor for a while. ¡°This is ridiculous. How are you so stupid, Theodore? You are trusting a person who will suffocate you in your sleep. This makes no sense. You shouldn''t trust Cedar just because he acted for a few weeks. You know how good he is at hiding his real emotions.¡± She turned to Cedar and glared at him too. ¡°And you! How long will you continue to play this game? It''s over now. You lost. You can stop pretending to be close to those people.¡±

    Cedar responded with hesitation. ¡°It''s not a game, Mother. I am on Theodore''s side. I told you that multiple times, did I not? Please get over it, and pull yourself together. Watching this is not pleasant.¡± He ignored his mother''s indignation upon hearing those words and faced his brother. ¡°I believe that we should end the trial now. Obviously, this does not lead anywhere. We can have this conversation in private without bothering any of the guests.¡±

    Theodore didn''t get to respond.

    Camille already let out a little laugh. When Lucille turned to her, she expected a smile, but that wasn''t what she found. Camille''s face was so full of freezing fury that looking at her was terrifying. She didn''t hold back her anger and spoke in a cold voice that was much more intimidating than her yelling. ¡°So, you are still clinging to this plot. It seems like you truly are trying to make me mad. Fine. Then maybe we should address this. If we unveil what games you play, this one can''t be forgotten.¡± She slowly turned her head, and her eyes landed on Lucille. ¡°Lady Valerian.¡± Her voice was dripping with mockery. ¡°I have bad news for you too.¡±

    Lucille felt a shiver run down her spine. She almost wanted to look away or to hide, but she was frozen in place. It suddenly felt like the room had gotten much colder, and only Cedar''s hand gave her some warmth. She didn''t want to do it, but she unwillingly moved closer to her lover, who held her hand a bit tighter now.

    Camille watched that, and something like amusement showed on her face. ¡°How foolish and stupid you are. Cedar managed to play you too. Nothing he ever told you is the truth. He just had you wrapped around his little finger to imitate Theodore''s romance so that he would trust him. You should know that. I warned you. I said that he was the perfect actor that would lull you into trusting him before crushing your heart.¡± Now she was smiling, but the emotion that was glittering in her eyes wasn''t joy. It was pure insanity.

    It seemed like Theodore had seen that glint in her eyes as well. They wouldn''t like what Camille had to say, and he knew that. He opened his mouth to intervene immediately. ¡°I believe that this trial is over then. This seems to be a personal matter, which we will take care of now. I sincerely apologize for the sudden goodbye, but I would ask you to leave to give us some privacy. If there are any questions regarding the trial, please visit me later.¡±

    Unsurprisingly, the guests immediately stood up and moved to the entrance. Some seemed rather nervous and glanced at Camille a few times as if they expected her to snap. But no one actually stayed to find out. One after the other left before the door was closed behind them.

    Camille hadn''t noticed any of that. She was completely focused on Lucille and continued without waiting for an answer. ¡°You poor little girl. You were so foolish. So stupid and trusting. Now this will come back to bite you. I will explain what Cedar''s real reason for interacting with you was. Did you know that your fairy tale meeting was staged? Cedar didn''t collapse in your home by accident. He went there on purpose. Surely, he wasn''t supposed to be injured during that time, but that just delayed our act. We had planned to make him play the victim. We would have to hurt him to force Theodore to let him into the palace. For that, Cedar needed to be somewhere the royal guards could find him so that they could bring him to the palace quickly. So, he chose a location close to the Northern Market, where the servants of the palace buy their goods. Do you know what building is close to that?¡±

    Of course, Lucille knew that. That was the Valerian mansion. Her home was just a few streets away from the Northern Market. Surely, Cedar coming there on purpose was an odd thought, but that didn''t prove anything, right? Lucille felt something unpleasant tingle in her stomach. She held her lover''s hand a bit tighter and looked up at him.

    It wasn''t calming that Cedar already stared at her and gave her a radiant smile. He just whispered something to her. ¡°Let her talk. I will explain this to you later if you want to hear it.¡± So, that meant that Camille wasn''t saying baseless things. There was something that Cedar needed to explain to his lover here.

    Lucille disliked that. She could barely force herself to remain calm while the tingling in her stomach slowly became unbearable. She wasn''t sure what to say, so she just nodded. Then she turned to Camille again and felt even smaller under the other''s gaze than normal. She was really scared, wasn''t she?

    And that was exactly what her opponent wanted.

    Camille smirked at the other woman and just continued in a tone that was dripping with arrogance. ¡°When Cedar explained his plot to me, I was skeptical when it came to that part of the plan. Surely, using the Valerian mansion to get closer to the palace was fine. But we couldn''t have been sure that he would be able to hide there for long enough for us to stage an attack on him. We didn''t think that a guard would slit open his side either, so we needed to stall for time for an additional month too. I was very concerned about him not being able to hide in your estate for that long. But Cedar was calm and convinced that he would be able to stay. Do you know what he told me about his reason for that? Whom he mentioned?¡±

 Chapter 148: Fake (2)

    Camille seemed so smug when she suddenly talked about how stupid Lucille was for letting herself get fooled by Cedar. She had declared that Cedar had only used her lover and now prepared for a long narration after Cedar had just said that he would explain later.

    The former dowager empress looked like she enjoyed making fun of Lucille. She kept mocking the other woman. ¡°That expression tells me that you didn''t know. Come on. Think about it. Why would Cedar be so sure that he could hide in the Valerian estate for a while? Do you really not know?¡±

    Lucille didn''t. And she felt like she didn''t want to know either. A part of her almost wanted to turn away to hide her face. But she didn''t have any choice. She could only meet Camille''s gaze and listen.

    Camille was happy to continue with that same self-confident smile. ¡°Cedar did his research. I told you that he is good at finding out weaknesses. He did well here too. He pointed out some parallels between him and the young lady of the house Valerian. Your mother disappeared somewhere years ago, and his father is gone too. Your father values power and pulled some strings to gain influence by using his daughter, which is how people viewed my relationship with Cedar too. Cedar said that if someone found him and could be convinced to hide him with some stories, it would be you. I always knew that he would be able to persuade anyone, but with you, it was ridiculously easy. That wasn''t surprising though. He already knew that you were a lonely girl with barely any self-confidence. He only had to press a few buttons, and you would melt for him.¡±

    Lucille''s heart skipped a beat before it pounded three times as fast. She could almost hear the blood rushing through her veins. Cedar had known that he could meet her? He had known about her difficult circumstances and had talked to her because of that? Because he had been sure that she would hide him for the time being? That was a bit too much all of a sudden, and she wasn''t even given time to process it.

    Camille laughed to herself as if she had just won something and resumed without giving Lucille a break. ¡°You should take a look at your face right now. I can''t believe you didn''t get it even after I kept on telling you that he was only using you.¡± She wiped away a few imaginary tears and still giggled a bit while she continued. ¡°That wasn''t all that was fake, you know? The attack on your mansion was planned too. Cedar knew that an attack would follow at some point. We organized that so that we could prove that I would hurt him. He was living at your house while knowing that I would send assassins at some point. How awful of him, right? And it gets even better. Do you remember the arrow that hit you? That was supposed to hit Cedar. He purposefully would have let himself get hurt so that the guards would have to bring him to the palace. But then you took the hit for him and made it easier for him to come to the palace. How do you feel about hearing that now? I bet that you could cry. Go on and weep. It''s not like this is surprising. There is no way that Cedar would ever fall in love with someone. Even the thought is ridiculous.¡±

    It seemed like Camille enjoyed this a bit too much. She giggled and seemed happy in general. And this time, she had reached her goal with her words.

    Lucille wasn''t happy at all. She felt her stomach churning, and a wave of overwhelming nausea crashed over her. If all of that was true, it meant that her meeting with Cedar had been staged from the beginning to the end. Then the whole first month they had seen each other had only been based on acting. Everything after that had been real though.

    After all, Cedar wouldn''t have needed Lucille''s help after leaving her estate anymore. But that had been after she had been hit with an arrow. What if Cedar had felt guilty because she had gotten hurt when he had stopped to make sure that he would get hit himself?

    Lucille went through that scene in her head again and again. In retrospect, it was obvious that Cedar had slowed his pace to allow the assassin to properly aim at him. And if she thought about it for longer, Cedar had also been much too prepared for an attack. How come he had known about the service escalator they had used to flee? He had been able to move around the estate as quickly as she was despite not living there for long. That had almost seemed like he had memorized the fastest ways to leave the garden. And Cedar had asked about the Northern Market and about how often servants were there. He had asked about the security measures of her mansion, and he had known about more hiding spots than she had known.

    Cedar had really been prepared to run away during an attack before going to the Northern Market. He had planned to use an injury from this attack to get into the palace. And part of that plan had included Lucille sympathizing with him and hiding him. At least that would make sense.

    Lucille was in a state of paralysis and could barely move. But she forced her head to gaze at her lover.

    Cedar already looked at her. He held her hand in a tight grasp as if he would never let go of her. But he wasn''t smiling. That meant that he was upset which only made sense if there was some truth to Camille''s story. So, Cedar had really come to the Valerian estate to use it as a part of his stage to get into the palace. He had known about Lucille''s past and had used that to ensure that she wouldn''t reveal his presence. This had to be it, or he wouldn''t look at her like that.

    Lucille wasn''t even sure what to say. She could only sit there and stare at her lover. Surely, this was only how it had started. There was no way that Cedar still only used her to his advantage. But even knowing that he had done it in the beginning hurt. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted

    Camille laughed to herself before happily adding something else. ¡°I can''t believe that you actually look so shocked. Did I just break your heart by revealing that? It was better that I did it. Cedar would have been less kind about it. He never cared about you even for a single second. So, it seems like you will have to give up on becoming empress now. You are nothing but a filthy little insect on his path. Don''t forget that. I will gladly remind you of your little worth as often as-¡±

    Cedar''s voice was unusually cold when he cut her off. ¡°Shut your mouth. Don''t get involved with things that don''t concern you. You shouldn''t speak for others when you have no idea what they think.¡±

    Camille, who still seemed out of her mind, let out a giggle. ¡°Oh, are you upset because you wanted to reveal it? I''m sorry. But you can still make fun of her now. After all, she isn''t crying yet, so you can make her.¡±

    Cedar stood up in an abrupt movement. ¡°Keep quiet about things you don''t know anything about.¡± He had repeated similar words but used an even harsher tone, which silenced Camille completely. He didn''t pay attention to that and only turned to his lover. ¡°It would be better if we step outside to discuss this for a moment. Is that fine?¡±

    Lucille felt a lump form in her throat, so she didn''t say anything. She just nodded and allowed him to lead her out of the room, grasping her lover''s hand tightly. She heard Camille speaking, but she didn''t listen to that and focused on calming down. It was a strange feeling that had formed a pit in her stomach, and she didn''t want to cry because of that.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Cedar entered the corridor with her, but he didn''t stop there. He wanted to discuss this in private, so he brought her to the sitting room next to the office, which they had entered last time too. He closed the door behind them. Then he faced her again. By now, his smile was back again, and it was as blinding as ever. He was really upset.

    Why was he upset though? He had known about all of this.

    Lucille opened her mouth but didn''t know what to think, so finding the words was even harder. She gazed down at their interlocked fingers for a moment before she lifted her head and made eye contact with Cedar. She hated seeing him like that. He tried to seem happy so badly that it was obvious that he felt horrible. That meant that he regretted it, right?

    Lucille took a moment before she forced herself to speak. ¡°Were you...following that plot when we met?¡± In the very beginning, he had certainly been putting on an act. That wasn''t surprising since he acted in front of everyone he didn''t know. Another question was more important. ¡°For how long?¡±

    Cedar probably didn''t notice how wide his smile was, but she did. Still, she didn''t say anything about that while he replied. ¡°Just until shortly after we came to the palace. But I tried to keep you out of that whole mess. The only thing I truly did on purpose was to tell you about how dangerous my mother was. I normally wouldn''t have addressed that topic, but you were interested. So, it was easy to explain it in a way that would remind you of your own father. Aside from that, I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn''t throw me out of your home, so I tried to gain your sympathy. But I quickly came to like you. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have talked to you that often.¡± This made sense.

    Lucille was a bit relieved to hear that. Still, something in her heart stung. She remembered the conversations with Cedar and how he had mentioned his mother occasionally. So, he hadn''t done that because he had wanted to but to make sure that she would trust him. And he had asked about her mother and listened to her. Apparently, he had already known about Emily though. He had known that Lucille was sensitive in this regard and had used his own strained relationship with his parents to gain her sympathy. So that she would protect him until he could be hurt and enter the palace.

    The words escaped Lucille''s mouth before she could stop them. ¡°How much of what she said is true?¡±

    Cedar was silent for a moment before he replied. ¡°I wanted to play the victim in front of Theodore and hide in the palace for a few months until he trusted me enough to ignore me. In the meantime, Mother would have prepared everything. When everything was over, I would have seemed like a valid option for the succession of the throne. That this was the plot I came up with is true. The revolt last year was already a part of it. I lost on purpose and showed that I was tired of fighting against my brother. Then I gained some sympathy by admitting how exhausted I was. We waited for a few months before we continued the plot. The big fight with my mother was fake and the letters we exchanged were too. I kept the letters on purpose to prove that she was angry at me. And...¡± The prince paused shortly before continuing. ¡°I knew that my mother would attack us at some point. But she didn''t stick to the plan. Originally, she was supposed to send me a gift a day before the attack so that I could be prepared. Then the assassins would storm into the house and scare everyone enough to make someone alert the royal guards. And most importantly, those men weren''t supposed to hurt anyone but me. They were merely supposed to shoot one arrow at me to show that I changed sides. But nothing happened as I had described it before. My mother suddenly changed the orders to have them kill everyone, but that definitely wasn''t planned.¡±

    Lucille thought back to that day. The day that a dozen servants had lost their lives in the Valerian mansion. That had happened because of Cedar''s plan. Because he had come up with a long-term plot to gain his brother''s trust before stabbing him in the back.

    That was truly a cruel plan. It seemed like Cedar had abandoned that long ago, but he had just seen Lucille as a way to move his plot forward in the beginning. He had even used her staff members as pawns, who had carried the consequences when things had gone wrong. That wasn''t unrealistic since Cedar had been used to evaluating all people around him based on whether they could help him.

    But still, it hurt.

    Lucille thought back to how scared she had been while Mathilda had been killed in the room she had hidden in. She remembered how panicked she had been upon climbing over the wall and upon seeing the arrow aimed at them. So, she had caught an arrow despite Cedar planning on letting himself get hit from the very beginning? That had been fake? His terror upon seeing that had been real at least though, right? Because she had ruined his plan. Lucille wasn''t sure what to think anymore. She wanted to turn away to hide her face, but she forced herself to gaze in Cedar''s direction. But she couldn''t meet his gaze. Instead, she looked down at their hands.

    A moment passed in complete silence. One would have been able to hear a pin drop, and the tension in the air was thicker than it should have been.

    Cedar''s voice was quiet when he spoke again. ¡°Are you...alright?¡± That was a funny question when she had just found out that she had been a playing piece in his plot to gain power.

    Lucille knew that her role wasn''t that insignificant anymore, but she was still upset about this. She blinked a few times and turned her head to the side. She needed time. ¡°It''s...just a bit much.¡± She sounded like she would cry in a moment, and that wasn''t wrong. Still, she couldn''t hold back her first thought. ¡°I don''t really know what...what of the things you told me in the beginning were true. And what was...¡± She didn''t dare to make eye contact after that.

    Cedar responded quickly, and his voice completely lacked the usual confidence, which made her even more unwell. ¡°I didn''t lie to you. I only...phrased things differently. I never liked it when people pitied me, but in your presence, I just...admitted that I knew that my mother was horrible, which I had never done before. But I didn''t lie. And I also didn''t really act to make you see me as a different person. I truly do care about you, and that has been the case for a long time now.¡±

    Lucille unwillingly remembered all the times that she had brought Cedar food in the annex. She thought about their conversations and about the first times that they had hugged. Then their kisses, which had happened much later, came back to her mind. All of that couldn''t be fake. She truly did love Cedar, so suddenly hearing that he might only have seen her as a chance to gain an advantage even if just in the beginning felt horrible. ¡°Since when have you liked me for real?¡± She had asked impulsively and almost didn''t expect a reply.

    But Cedar responded. ¡°It started after we had talked a few times. I wouldn''t have allowed you to get so close if it had been any different. I was...in denial at first. I only really understood it when those men attacked you and I was scared for your life.¡±

    Lucille remembered his expression upon seeing her collapse after that arrow had hit her. He truly had been upset about that. But that didn''t necessarily mean he felt bad because he liked her. She could barely speak thanks to the lump in her throat, but she forced herself. ¡°Did you let me stay in the palace afterward because you felt guilty because I had been injured?¡± She just wanted to hear a no here, and it would have been fine. But she only noticed that her question might have sounded a bit different to Cedar a moment later.

    He hesitated for a second before he responded. ¡°Of course, I felt bad. But that doesn''t mean that I didn''t like you. I cared about you then, and that is why I took care of you. You stayed in the palace because my mother would have targeted you either way, but that still didn''t change my personal feelings at that time. You don''t need to worry about that. I really do like you.¡±

    She knew that. He had shown it to her often enough.

    But Lucille couldn''t bring herself to just nod at that. Her chest still hurt, and she barely managed to take a single breath without feeling like her muscles were cramping. She knew that the past and the present were different, but she still felt horrible about this. Cedar had used her greatest weakness, her parents, against her. He had tricked her into trusting him without her even noticing it. She wasn''t sure what to say when her head was spinning, but she opened her mouth anyway. ¡°I know. But I...need some time to think this through.¡± Maybe a bit more space as well.

    Everything could go back to normal tomorrow. She just needed a night to process all of this.

 Chapter 149: An Act (1)

    Father never loved you.¡¯ It was so easy, and he could say it so quickly that no one would be able to stop him in time. But what would that cause? Just another tantrum that Theodore would need to deal with. So, Cedar could spare the effort. Even if he was already prepared to open his mouth to say something that would give his mother a breakdown, he held back. Instead, he focused on what concerned him. ¡°I''m not acting. Maybe you would know that if you had ever paid attention to me in the past twenty years. I have my own feelings and interests too. I may have been a tool for you, but that doesn''t make me less human.¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Cedar! What are you saying to me? Are you out of your mind?¡±

    wonderful.¡± He had sounded more bitter than he had intended to be.

    You don''t understand it. I like Lucille, and I want to stay with her for the rest of my life. But there is no place for your presence in my life if I want to be with her. Do you know why? Maybe I cared about you in the past. But every time you try to destroy my life just because you resent seeing me happy, I hate you a bit more. And by now, I feel like seeing you never ends with me feeling the need to help you. Instead, I just want to push you away more each time you insult the person I care for.¡±

    I''m sick of you. I''m sick of you intervening each time I think I can finally be a bit happy. You always find a way to chime in and crush that spark of happiness. Do you hate me that much? I never did anything but serve you, so it doesn''t make sense for you to treat me like this. I lived for you, and you never truly cared. So, you can shut up about love and all of that. I don''t want to see you anymore.¡± He was aware that he would probably feel horrible about this and regret saying it later, but he was too upset at the moment.

 Chapter 150: An Act (2)

    you as a valid option to be the emperor. You are always polite and charismatic in public, so it''s obvious that you would seem like a good ruler. No one ever favored the former dowager empress. Her presence probably just decreased your chances of gaining support.¡± He paused for a moment before gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. ¡°Please sit down.¡±

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°

 Chapter 151: Assumptions About a Brother

    It had been two days since she had seen Cedar.

    Lucille had almost expected him to stand in front of her room the day after the trial to ask her to eat with him, but he hadn''t done that. He also hadn''t asked whether he could sleep in her room again. In fact, he hadn''t asked her anything since she hadn''t even caught a glimpse of him during the past two days. Of course, she hadn''t been happy about that when she had actually wanted to discuss this with him properly.

    This seemed rather important to her, so Lucille had tried to force a conversation. She had stood in front of Cedar''s room to knock multiple times. No one had ever opened. She wondered whether he had ignored her or whether he simply hadn''t been there, or whether she might have been too gentle with her hesitant knocking. But either way, that didn''t mean that her desire to see him had gotten smaller.

    She wasn''t sure whether she was the only one feeling like this, but she missed Cedar more with every day. Apparently, he didn''t feel the same since he didn''t visit her or ask for her to meet him.

    Lucille was much more upset about that than she should have been. Her chest always felt constricted, and breathing was harder than usual. Whenever she had a moment without something to do, her thoughts wandered back to her lover, and she felt the urge to cry. Tears had pricked in her eyes much too often already.

    Even Blanche and her maids could do little about the other woman being in a bad mood constantly. The empress truly gave her best to cheer Lucille up, but it only helped for a short amount of time. She hinted at the fact that Lucille should go talk to Cedar a couple of times, but she only received a curt nod as a reply. After a day, Blanche quickly got worried, and she became more direct in her instructions. She insisted on Lucille needing to talk to Cedar now. She was right about that.

    In the end, even Lucille accepted that it might not be good for her to stay in this depressing state for much longer. But she wasn''t sure how to approach Cedar directly when he didn''t even want to see her.

    Thus, Theodore''s invitation to come to his office arrived just in time.

    Lucille was a bit nervous to enter the emperor''s office on her own, but she couldn''t deny that she was itching to talk about Cedar. When she came in, she was a bit disappointed not to spot her lover. But she was calmed a little bit by the fact that she wasn''t met with a stern expression but with a little smile.

    Theodore didn''t seem angry but looked like he just wanted to have a soothing conversation. He greeted her immediately after she came in. ¡°Good afternoon, Lucille. I hope that I did not interrupt you with my sudden invitation.¡± He stood up and moved over to the seating area. ¡°Please take a seat.¡± He gestured to one of the sofas before sitting down on the other one.

    Lucille complied without thinking much about it. She fiddled with her hands on her lap and tried to swallow her nervousness. It made no sense for her to be so worried, but maybe she was just hoping for Theodore to invite Cedar too so that they could have their conversation. In any case, she wanted to discuss this matter so that she could finally spend time with Cedar again.

    Theodore remained silent for a moment before he spoke up in a gentle tone. ¡°You don''t have to be worried about this. I won''t get involved in this matter. I am just trying to mediate a little. You may drink some tea if you wish to.¡± He gestured to the table, where two cups of tea had already been prepared.

    Lucille would have liked to accept, but she was probably too nervous to drink properly at the moment. ¡°Thank you. I will drink something...later.¡± She wanted to say more, but she couldn''t bring herself to do it.

    A few seconds passed in silence.

    It seemed like Theodore gave her a chance to speak, and when she didn''t use it, he opened his mouth. ¡°Please excuse me for being so direct. You seem rather dejected.¡± So, it was that obvious?

    Lucille hadn''t slept well during the past few days. Whenever she was lying in bed, she couldn''t help but miss Cedar hugging her like he had done when they fell in love. In just a few weeks, she had gotten used to him being with her while she slept. Now that she was trying to sleep alone, it didn''t work well. Since she barely slept during the night and was constantly in a bad mood during the day, it should be obvious that she wouldn''t be successful in hiding her true emotions.

    Lucille averted her eyes while she replied. ¡°I...have to admit that I haven''t felt my best. Thank you for your concern.¡±

    This time, Theodore didn''t wait long before he addressed the issue directly. ¡°I assume that this is because of your situation with Cedar, right? You two haven''t talked it out yet.¡±

    Obviously, they hadn''t. If Lucille had had the chance to speak with Cedar, she would have tried to get this out of the way already. Surely, she was still a bit hurt, mainly because of his involvement in the plot that had killed the people in her home. He hadn''t planned on risking their lives though, so she was willing to talk about this. She also hated the fact that he had tried to gain her sympathy while using her parents, but she wouldn''t hold it against him. Back then, they hadn''t been close. Everything after she had been hit with the arrow hadn''t been connected to the plan, so she could assume that Cedar had been honest with her from this point onward. He had claimed that he had liked her even before that, so their relationship should be alright as long as they talked about it once.

    But Cedar hadn''t visited her and hadn''t opened his door whenever she had come to him. For some reason, he hadn''t had the desire to discuss this with her. And knowing that was a bit hurtful.

    Lucille gazed down at her lap and balled her fists. She tried to speak in a normal volume, but she was rather quiet. ¡°We haven''t. He didn''t come to see me in the past days. I thought that...he might want to talk about this, but he just...avoided me. I don''t know whether this means that he doesn''t want to talk about it or whether he...¡±

    Theodore replied not even a second later. ¡°Do you care about your relationship?¡± What a question that was.

    That made her lift her head. ¡°Of course.¡± She loved Cedar.

    Theodore met her gaze calmly and spoke in a tone that almost made it sound like he was trying not to upset her. ¡°He feels the same way. You can''t expect him to not care when you do care and don''t know how to approach this either.¡±

    Lucille felt how her fingernails dug into her palms. She would have liked to open her fists, but she couldn''t bring herself to do so. She was tense. She might even be so tense that she was shaking a little bit. All because she was scared of Cedar possibly not wanting to fix this as much as she did. But that didn''t fit his usual behavior at all.

    If Cedar didn''t let her see his face, she assumed that it was because he felt guilty. That thought hurt as well.

    Theodore saw that as his cue to continue. ¡°Cedar definitely didn''t lock himself in with a bunch of documents for two entire days because he doesn''t care. It''s rather because he cares and is extremely upset. Don''t make assumptions about him being indifferent when you know better. He showed you that you are important to him countless times. The more upset he is, the more he hides away because he doesn''t want his facade to crack. When the desire to do that is greater than his wish to hide that he is affected by this, it means that he is really upset. That is one reason why he isn''t going out at the moment. I would say the other one is that he thinks that you don''t want to see him.¡± That didn''t make sense.

    Cedar had told her that he wanted her to sleep once before she began worrying about it. Hadn''t that meant that he wanted to discuss it with her?

    Lucille had been sure that this was what he had been referring to. ¡°Why would I not want to see him? We need to talk about this.¡±

    Theodore replied while he leaned against the backrest of the sofa. ¡°I presume that he does want to talk about it. But he won''t act on his wishes. Instead, he is leaving the decision to you. You not wishing to see him would be enough of a reason for him to never step into your field of view again. It may be hard to explain, but Cedar is a bit...sensitive when it comes to things like this.¡± He paused for a moment and grabbed the cup off the table.

    Lucille could only watch him as she tried to understand whatever she could learn about her lover''s way of thinking.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Theodore drank some tea before he resumed. ¡°You probably heard that Cedar always tried to impress Father when he was young. I think he started as soon as he could talk, but Father never paid much attention to him. Still, Cedar came almost daily. Sometimes, because he wanted to show Father something he had made or because he wanted to propose some political idea. He was ignored completely either way. He continued his usual routine nonetheless. Until he was six or so. I think it was a rather stressful day. In any case, Father was more harsh in saying that he didn''t have time to busy himself with something unimportant. And suddenly, a switch was flipped. Cedar just smiled and retreated like always. We didn''t notice that anything had changed. However, from the very next day onward, Cedar didn''t come anymore.¡±

    Lucille could already guess where this story would go.

    Theodore paused again and stared into the distance as if he was thinking back to that time. ¡°Since that day, Cedar suddenly appeared much less frequently in my field of view. At first, I thought that it was a coincidence. It would have been logical for me to see him less when he didn''t come to the office to see Father anymore. But that wasn''t everything. I later noticed that Cedar often took detours to avoid going past the office. I wasn''t sure what to think about that back then. But a few months after that, I understood why he did that. I''m not sure whether it was what I had said or what Father had said. But Cedar had heard something about us wanting him to leave us alone so that we could work. He didn''t just see that as a message for that day but a general wish. So, he did his best to refrain from bothering us. After that day, he didn''t ever visit Father without being asked to come again unless he needed to mediate between the former dowager empress and Father.¡±

    Lucille didn''t even want to imagine what a six-year-old had to think about being ignored by their father. Hearing the story was bad enough. An unpleasant tingling in her stomach kept her from calming down. ¡°That''s horrible. Your father shouldn''t have treated him like that.¡±

    ¡°I know. And believe me when I say that a part of me hates him, and myself, for neglecting Cedar like that.¡± Theodore kept his eyes on her while he spoke, but he didn''t pause for her to catch up with him this time. ¡°But focus on my brother now. Like I said, Cedar is extremely sensitive to small hints you may give off without wanting to. That is because he is used to balancing on a thin line around his mother at all times. He is able to pick up on the smallest indications of anger and can intervene immediately. But this will also lead to him over-interpreting things. You just have to voice something small without thinking about it, and he may see it as you telling him that you want him gone. And if he thinks that you don''t want to see him, he will do his best to stay away from you as far as possible. I assume that this is the situation here too. If you want to talk, you need to go to him, or he will keep hidden in his room.¡±

    Lucille''s heart clenched painfully when she heard that. She didn''t want Cedar to feel bad about this. She already felt bad enough, so he didn''t need to be upset too. ¡°I did visit, but no one opened. It makes me worry. Our relationship is still fine. It''s just that we need to talk about this once. Why is he this worried already?¡± She could guess the reason, but that was an unpleasant thought.

    Her question had been rhetorical, but Theodore answered it anyway. ¡°Cedar is the type of person to blame himself when things go wrong. If something bad happens, he will definitely keep thinking about that for months. When he broke that woman''s arm, he also felt guilty, right? He has always been like that. Sometimes, he even sees things as mistakes that might not have been ones. You know that his mother always blamed him for everything. Cedar was at fault for her, no matter what. Then he was forced to apologize over and over again until his mother finally accepted his plea. Of course, he would relentlessly blame himself for doing something that made you upset even now.¡±

    Lucille had really been upset. But this was nothing unsolvable. A single conversation could have cleared everything up. She pressed her lips together while trying to come up with something she should respond with. ¡°I understand that, but...I''m not like his mother, who would lose her temper and yell at him. I just had to think about this for a bit, and now everything is fine. I mean, I''m not happy that that happened, but we can''t change that anymore. And I care about him, so I wouldn''t stay mad because of something like this for long. That... That...¡± Whatever that plan had truly been. ¡°That plot was only important in the beginning, and after that, he didn''t care about it anymore. He just needs to confirm that to me and explain himself.¡±

    To her surprise, Theodore quickly nodded. ¡°Indeed. There would have been no need to spend time with you after coming here if his only reason was manipulating you. But he took care of you afterward and did things like hugging you. You should know that he hates touching other people. You are different. Cedar takes a long time to open up, but he definitely cared about you when you came here already. I saw his expression when he carried you inside, so you can believe me.¡±

    Lucille remembered Cedar''s expression upon seeing that she had been hit with an arrow too. He hadn''t smiled then. He had looked at her in absolute terror. He had wanted to be injured after all, and she had just jumped in front of him. After that, he had carried her to the palace so that she could get treated here. Surely, he had cared then. He hadn''t seen her as just a playing piece to gain him victory. He had really worried about her well-being.

    Lucille hugged herself while she lowered her gaze again. ¡°I...know. And I know that he likes me now, and I like him back. So, everything should be fine. It would be alright if he just said that he was sorry once. I believe him when he said that the attack wasn''t supposed to hurt anyone and that he might have used everyone in that house but didn''t wish us anything bad.¡± After all, she herself had noticed that Cedar had always had an unbreakable wall around him when they interacted with each other for the first few times. When they had come to the palace, this wall had been broken down to some extent. That might have been when he had stopped seeing her as someone he merely used.

    Theodore gave her a moment to think about her own words before he replied. ¡°Maybe there is something else to this. Of course, Cedar didn''t tell me about this. I have to admit that I make assumptions about what he thinks most of the time. But I feel like he never really liked himself much. His mother always reminded him that he was unlovable and that he shouldn''t have been born when she was angry. He might know that she isn''t sane, but a part of him accepts what she told him as the truth. He believes that he doesn''t deserve to strive for his own happiness. He lived to make his mother happy before, and for the past months, he probably saw your safety and satisfaction as the most important thing. So, he will put your wishes above his and swallow his own feelings.¡± That was awful.

    Lucille loved Cedar, so she didn''t want him to serve her in any way. She lifted her head and met the emperor''s gaze while a slight frown formed on her face. ¡°But that''s not what I want at all. I want him to be happy too. He isn''t just supposed to be with me because I-¡±

    Theodore cut her off with a small hand gesture. ¡°Oh no. You misunderstood me now. He enjoys things too. I feel like he finally learns that he can do something to make himself happy at the moment. He definitely is happier with you than he ever was before. You can be sure of that. What I meant to say is that he will want you to be happy more than he wants to claim his happiness for himself. If he comes to the conclusion that he isn''t making you as happy as you could be, he will blame himself. He sees himself as someone who can''t understand what others around him feel. He believes that his emotions are different because he never really was allowed to show them much in his childhood and even suppresses them now. That''s why he is reluctant to interact with other people. And that may be why he worries about you too.¡±

    Lucille knew that. Cedar had already told her that. Her lover had chosen less direct words, but he had claimed the same. But there had never been a moment in which his kiss hadn''t felt passionate or when his embrace hadn''t been loving. Cedar gave more affection than he knew about. Lucille could attest to that. ¡°But Cedar isn''t unable to give affection. He is a wonderful person, and I''ve seen him treat so many people with kindness. He isn''t nice to me only, but I can tell best. Cedar never once made me feel like he didn''t care about me. He always did his best to show me that he cares. Why doesn''t he notice that too when it''s so obvious to me?¡± Her words had more been for herself, but she had ended up saying them out loud anyway.

    Theodore replied a moment later. ¡°Cedar doesn''t think that he is enough. He''s been told that he was supposed to reach someone else''s level for his whole life. His goals have been extremely hard to obtain from the very beginning. His mother and his teachers demanded much more of him than a normal child should have been able to present. He was much better than almost everyone else, and yet, he never received much praise. He has high standards, and this also applies to his personal life. He doesn''t think that he can make you as happy as others could. In addition, he thinks that he is a bad influence on others. I''m not sure whether that is because of what his mother told him to keep him from finding friends or because he worries about his breakdowns despite never having had one in the past years. Maybe it''s both. In any case, he is convinced that you only like him because you didn''t see him in his bad moments. And a few days ago, you found out that he had a rather unkind goal in the beginning. If you don''t see him now, he will assume that it''s because you realized that he wasn''t like you imagined him to be. He might fear that you don''t like him anymore.¡±

    Lucille liked Cedar way too much to change her mind about him so quickly. ¡°That''s nonsense. I love him. I''d never let go of what we have so quickly.¡±

    Theodore drank some of his tea again before he replied. ¡°I wouldn''t know since I wasn''t always there when that woman yelled at him. But I heard enough and can assume that his mother said even worse things to him when they were alone. That makes me believe that she might have told him some rather...unpleasant things regarding him making mistakes. He mentioned his triggers at least once, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He said that his mother used them against him.¡±

    Theodore nodded back at her. ¡°Exactly. The worst one was always Camille saying that she was disappointed in him. When Cedar didn''t do what she wanted him to, she would blame him for not doing it until he changed his mind. From what I noticed, that also included her telling him that she didn''t love him, that he shouldn''t have been born and that she wouldn''t ever care about him unless he did what she demanded. If he made a mistake, she would be just as harsh. As expected, this kind of treatment from the person who claims to love him would leave its marks over the years. What I am trying to say is that Cedar''s mindset is that love is based on what he can do for others. To him, messing up is equal to provoking other people''s hatred. He might really worry about whether you hate him now because of this.¡±

    Lucille knew that too. She had never said anything that could make Cedar believe that her love was so shallow though, right? Or had she said something that could be misunderstood? Lucille found herself replaying her memories in her mind before she shook her head. ¡°But that''s completely wrong. I never said that I hated him. I love him, so obviously, I wouldn''t suddenly turn away from him because of something his mother said. Of course, I would want to talk about this and make up.¡± Her voice was so shaky that she could barely bring herself to finish the words that were resting on the tip of her tongue.

    Theodore''s expression was rather grim by now. ¡°For you, that might be obvious. But to him, love was the opposite of unwavering until now. It was dependent on whether he managed to satisfy Camille''s whims in time. Cedar is used to living for someone else. He certainly loves you, but he won''t be selfish about it. If he believes that you don''t want him anymore because he disappointed you, he will accept it even if he hates it. That is probably why he won''t come to you to discuss this.¡±

    Lucille grabbed her arms while she tried to ignore how unwell she suddenly felt. She wanted to see Cedar. It would be better if she could go to him as soon as possible.

    But Theodore spoke before she could even think about asking for permission to leave. ¡°I know that I am intruding in matters that do not concern me. I don''t want to tell you what to do either nor do I want you to feel guilty. But I would ask you two to have an honest conversation about this. It''s clear that you care for one another, and this is why that is so important to me. I understand if you are mad and upset because of that plan and because Cedar twisted the facts quite a bit. But if you love him, you might be able to work on this together.¡±

    Of course. Lucille had never believed that she wouldn''t forgive her lover for this. A single conversation would have made her forget all of this without a doubt.

    Theodore glanced to the side and seemed distracted for a moment before he added something in a much lower volume. ¡°I am sure that Cedar never meant to hurt you with this, nor anyone else. He only wanted to hide for a while before getting into the palace, and he would have kept you far away from any harm if everything had progressed as planned. But then he spent time with you. His goal changed.¡± He met Lucille''s gaze again. ¡°And now he truly cares. I am pretty sure that you noticed. Did you feel like he was fake around you?¡±

    Lucille shook her head. ¡°No.¡± In the beginning, Cedar had hidden his true feelings at all times, but he had opened up more with every day. So, she could be sure that he was really in love with her. She knew that he hadn''t been fake.

    And yet, she had asked him when he had stopped lying to her.

    Lucille''s blood froze in her veins as she remembered that. Was that the issue? He thought that she doubted that his love? That had been what Cedar had always worried about. He had been scared of not being able to convey his feelings to her. He had even said that he might not be a fitting lover because of that.

    Lucille only got sicker. And suddenly the desire to see Cedar was too big to ignore. She excused herself to immediately sort out this mess. From the corner of her eye, she could see Theodore being relieved, but she had no time to focus on that now.

 Chapter 152: Vulnerability (1)

    That certainly wouldn''t be hard on him at all.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°

    in fact, is just based on a misunderstanding.¡± She was making many assumptions right now. It was almost like she believed that she knew what Cedar and Lucille felt like.

 Chapter 153: Vulnerability (2)

    As always, Blanche acted like she knew exactly what was going on inside the prince''s head. But sometimes, she made strange assumptions anyway. She had just explained how important it was for him to talk to Lucille and ended her speech with something odd. ¡°You need to discuss what worries you since that plot itself surely wasn''t what bothered you most. You both are upset about something completely different, which, in fact, is just based on a misunderstanding.¡±

    Cedar wasn''t certain what she was referring to, but he had planned on talking to Lucille anyway. He just wouldn''t do it now. ¡°I will go apologize to her. In a few days when she had time to think about this. I don''t want to overwhelm her by suddenly appearing now.¡±

    Blanched clicked her tongue before replying. ¡°That''s not the real reason, is it? You are scared of her response and want to delay the conversation.¡± Maybe that was it.

    If Lucille told Cedar that she didn''t want to be with him anymore, it would crush him emotionally. So, he obviously couldn''t just go to her when he wasn''t sure what his reaction would be. He was affected by that small conversation a few days ago even now, and doubt burned into his heart like acid. So, Cedar had hoped to get a few days to recover from this so that he could put on his perfect mask again before seeing Lucille.

    But he wasn''t sure whether he would ever get better when he was this miserable without her. Maybe waiting wouldn''t do much for him, but he wanted his lover to calm down a bit too. The less upset she was, the higher the odds of him being able to convince her to listen to him first were. And if Cedar talked enough, he might be able to explain enough for her to understand that he wanted another chance. Opening up his heart would be difficult too, so maybe he was a bit afraid of that as well.

    It was silent for a moment when Cedar wasn''t sure what to say. He didn''t want to affirm Blanche''s guess, even if she was right. So, he glanced to the side to scan the flowers with disinterest and replied as calmly as possible. ¡°I wish for Lucille to have some time to process this before I speak to her. Is that an issue?¡±

    Blanche let out a low sigh. She tapped her fingers onto the table while scanning the prince. ¡°You are as stubborn as ever. But you don''t have to do that. This only hurts Lucille as much as it hurts you. I''ve never seen her as dejected as during the past days, and you aren''t any better. So, get yourself together, and go talk to her. If you don''t do that soon, Theo and I will have to plot to bring both of you into a room together.¡± That didn''t sound too bad.

    After all, Cedar could blame the timing on the royal couple then. And surely, he wasn''t keen on explaining all of his feelings to Lucille when he couldn''t be sure what she would say, but he did want to see his lover as soon as possible, and if the emperor forced him, he couldn''t continue to be so cowardly. But as always, he didn''t admit that. ¡°It seems like the royal couple has a lot of free time to get involved in such matters.¡±

    Blanche wasn''t even surprised by that statement. She replied without skipping a beat. ¡°Of course, we have time to deal with our family. That much should be obvious. And we will have to get involved if you are too stubborn to finally put down that damned indifferent mask. It''s frustrating to all of us if you keep hiding your feelings.¡±

    Cedar already opened his mouth to give a response that was a mix of denial and a snarky comment.

    But the empress continued without waiting. ¡°You don''t hide yourself because you want to. You do it because you are scared, and that is painful for us to watch. Because we see how much you worry about letting that perfectly composed facade crack, even if it''s obvious that you won''t lose your temper. I think you are more scared of that than anyone else because we all saw that your self-control is flawless. You are much calmer than most other people around us. You have the right to get upset and angry too, you know?¡±

    Cedar wasn''t sure what to do with that information. He knew that he worried about losing control because he hadn''t kept his guard up just once, but no one should know that. He scanned the empress while grinning at her. It annoyed him that this woman seemed to know what was going on inside his head. She wasn''t fully right, but she wasn''t wrong either. ¡°I thought that making assumptions about other people''s emotions wasn''t good. How come you keep trying to guess what I am thinking?¡±

    Blanche completely ignored that and just continued what she had been talking about. ¡°But there is another reason why you hide what you are feeling.¡± She narrowed her eyes, and anger overcame her features. ¡°It''s because that witch used every one of your weaknesses against you when she had the chance. But now that damned woman won''t touch you anymore.¡± Her expression softened, and she did the one thing that made this even more confusing. She reached over to him. She put her hand onto his and gently patted the backside of his hand.

    Cedar stared at her and was rather unsure of what she was doing, but he didn''t move nor did he speak.

    Blanche already continued anyway. ¡°I know that it won''t help if I just tell you this, but it''s important for you to know. You can be vulnerable once in a while too. No one here will use that against you. The people who care about you will only support you and make you stronger, so you don''t need to hide your emotions. That applies to Lucille but also to everyone else. You will probably still show us your smile very often, but you don''t have to worry about us catching you without one. Alright? You have to keep in mind that you aren''t alone. We are with you.¡±

    Cedar tried to read Blanche''s expression and find some traces of mockery or hidden ill intentions, but there was nothing. She just seemed to be sincere. That finally tipped over the full barrel, and he needed to ask. ¡°Please do not feel personally attacked if I say this. But why do you care about this? By that, I am referring to my situation with Lucille and you trying to read my mood the whole time.¡±

    Blanche just showed him a little smile. ¡°I know what thinking that your fate is predetermined feels like. I know how depressing and suffocating it is if you believe that there is no way that you can have a future with the person you love. But there is always a chance, and I want you to grasp it so that you can have your happy end too.¡± Her smile became a bit brighter as she patted his hand. ¡°And more than that, I care about both you and Lucille. I want both of you to be happy, and I am sure that being together is best for you. I want to see your honest smile soon again.¡± That reasoning made no sense. How could a person who had previously had no sympathy for the prince suddenly act like she wanted to help him at all times?

    Cedar was taken aback by that, but he didn''t even know what to say anymore. ¡°I see.¡± He didn''t really understand anything here. He doubted that Blanche was honest, so not being able to find a trace of insincerity on her face upset him a bit. He pulled his hand away and straightened his posture again. ¡°So, you assume that Lucille and me being together would make the two of us the happiest, and for that, I should go talk to her?¡± If that was true, he would be thankful. After all, he truly did want to be with Lucille, but he needed her to be happy with that too.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Blanche still smiled at him as she responded. ¡°Indeed. I want you to talk to Lucille as soon as possible. You can see that as a royal order too if it helps. Just go see her. She misses you, and you miss her. I can''t stand seeing so much misery when both of you just long for each other.¡±

    Cedar''s heart clenched at that thought. There was no way that Lucille actually missed him as much as he missed her, right? That would be extremely unfavorable when he had only held back to give her space. Blanche had seen her a few times, so she knew more than him. And if the empress insisted on him needing to speak to Lucille, he couldn''t decline. A few seconds passed in silence before he came to a conclusion.

    He would really see this as an order. Then no one could blame him for following it. He knew that the real reason was that he had missed Lucille too much and couldn''t wait anymore before seeing her, but he wouldn''t admit that.

    Cedar remained seated for another minute or so in hopes of Blanche leaving before he did, but she stayed with him. So, he spoke up as soon as she opened her mouth. ¡°It seems that you wish to use the winter garden. I will take my leave now to not disturb you.¡± He stood up.

    Blanche rose to her feet as well and showed him a little smile. ¡°Before you leave, remember that she really does love you. You don''t have to worry about that. She isn''t too upset with you, and she won''t be angry if you meet her now either. Just allow me to do one more thing before you go there.¡±

    Cedar probably wouldn''t like it, but he just smiled. ¡°Since you are the empress, I cannot stop you, can I?¡± He stayed at the same spot behind his chair while waiting for Blanche''s move. He wasn''t sure what she would need him to be here for, so she probably wanted to say something oddly accurate about his state of mind again. At least he thought that, but Blanche didn''t speak.

    She just rounded the table to stand next to him. Then she suddenly raised her arms and put them around him.

    Cedar completely froze. He was pretty certain that his smile had disappeared for just a moment, and he was actually speechless. He stared down at the top of Blanche''s head and blinked a few times. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Blanche didn''t move away and just patted his back once. ¡°I''m hugging you.¡± Obviously. That wasn''t what he had asked about.

    Cedar was seconds away from pushing her away from him simply because his initial thought had been that she wished to attack him. But Blanche didn''t suddenly stab him or anything similar, which made this even stranger. Hadn''t she shuddered because of a hinted hand kiss in the past? Why was she hugging him now? The tumult in his head confused him quite a bit, so he barely managed to speak. ¡°Theodore will kill me if he sees that. Are you trying to get me executed?¡±

    Blanche still didn''t release him and just let out a low sigh. ¡°I''m trying to cheer you up, you idiot. Theo won''t get mad either.¡±

    ¡°I see. I am pretty sure that he changed in that regard.¡± In the past, Cedar would have lost his hands or his head if Blanche had come so close to him. Now he might not be at risk of being killed, but he was still stiff and uncertain about what to do. He wasn''t good with touch from other people unless he needed to do it to gain someone''s trust. Normally, he was the one initiating it if he wanted to gain something from it. But now that someone had hugged him without a reason, he was completely unsure of what to do and just awkwardly kept his hands away from Blanche so that no one could accuse him of doing anything.

    A few seconds passed before Blanche slowly let go of him to take a step back. She had a strange expression on her face, as if she was melancholic. ¡°It''s calming to know that you react in the exact same manner again. You don''t have to be so stiff, you know? I wasn''t going to stab you.¡±

    Cedar did his best to hide his growing confusion and uncertainty with a bright smile. He shrugged at her. ¡°It wouldn''t have surprised me. Such an attack might even have worked despite your lacking arm strength.¡±

    For some reason, his response made Blanche laugh. She beamed at him before replying. ¡°So, it''s the same response to that too.¡± She stayed silent and watched Cedar, who got a bit uncomfortable, for a moment. She took a few seconds before she replied. ¡°I''m glad that you are here in a much more peaceful setting this time. I''m sorry for catching you off guard. You are free to leave now. Go see Lucille.¡±

    Cedar didn''t need to be asked twice. He hinted a small bow to the empress. ¡°As you wish. May you have a wonderful afternoon.¡± He chose not to address the hug and just spun around to leave. He stepped outside the winter garden and quickly closed the door behind him. Cedar tried to ignore how the empress'' maids, who had definitely watched that interaction just now from outside, looked at him with differing expressions He just approached the palace without stopping to turn around once.

    The prince wouldn''t admit it, but he was actually rather shaken by that embrace just now. Others touching him had always been weird, mostly because the people around him certainly had ulterior motives. Then he usually hated them coming close. With those people, he felt a shiver run down his spine and needed to double his efforts to act like he was unaffected.

    But Blanche hadn''t seemed so cold. In fact, her embrace had been warm and calming. It was completely different from Lucille''s hug, but it had something familiar to it as well. It hadn''t necessarily been bad. At least she hadn''t tried to stab him.

    But what Cedar needed to focus on was Lucille and not the empress, who seemed to lose her mind more with each day. And with that, the main question took over his mind entirely.

    How would he approach Lucille? He couldn''t just walk to her room after three days of silence and grin at her as if nothing had happened. But asking her to meet him by writing a letter would be odd too. Cedar walked toward the terrace while trying to come up with a way to begin a conversation with Lucille that wouldn''t confuse or upset her. In the end, he found nothing, which meant that he would have to rely on his talking once again. He only had to go to her and address the topic directly. Then what should he tell her?

    Lucille probably wouldn''t want to hear him beg for forgiveness like he had done it for his mother, right? Surely, Cedar could grovel and plead if necessary, but he doubted that Lucille would be happy about that. She might just assume that he was trying to manipulate her if he did that. So, Cedar would have to apologize differently.

    He pondered that with a hundred thoughts flying around in his head. But none of the ideas he had were good. It was rare that he was unsure what to say, but he was emotionally invested here. If he made a mistake, he couldn''t just cover it up with politeness and a fake smile.

    Cedar was so focused on his thoughts that he didn''t even see what was going on around him. He reached the staircase that led to the grand balcony and walked up without paying attention to his surroundings. He only looked up when he heard someone say his name.

    ¡°Cedar!¡± That voice made the blood in his veins freeze.

    Cedar lifted his head and stopped in his tracks when he caught a glimpse of the most beautiful person in this whole world.

    There, on top of the staircase, Lucille was. She looked down at him with a serious expression, and that was all he needed to fall right into her hands. He hadn''t seen her for three days, and just gazing at her face again made him feel like he was in paradise.

    Despite that, his stomach churned, and the air around him seemed to have become thinner.

    Cedar was scared. Scared of being rejected now. But that fear quickly disappeared when he needed to focus on his lover, who suddenly began moving toward him at a speed that might have been a bit too quick for her legs.

 Chapter 154: Breathtaking (1)

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 155: Breathtaking (2)

¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

 Chapter 156: Perfection (1)

    and thanks to Lucille''s will, Cedar''s lacking self-control and the royal couple''s support, very likely, engagement. He could worry about that later.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    <hr>

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 157: Perfection (2)

    For the past few days, Cedar had put in a lot of effort. He had prepared everything important in utter detail, leaving only the small things.

    He was used to getting up early, so he didn''t mind rising at six o''clock to confirm that everything was fine. He got dressed without making a single noise before he left the room. Cedar had to admit that sharing his chambers with Lucille was wonderful, but today, he had been extremely worried about waking her. Luckily, he hadn''t done that though.

    Lucille still lay on the bed without moving while he closed the door.

    He made sure to do that without scaring her and then immediately spun around to rush to the kitchen. It seemed like his sudden visit surprised quite a few people.

    The servants all stopped to turn around and watched him. Merely the cook seemed to understand why a member of the royal family was there. He managed to get the group to work again after greeting them, but still, no one stopped staring at the prince.

    Cedar ignored that and approached the people who had been supposed to make a cake for him. He came to a halt directly behind them and scanned the result before noting that this should be fine for Lucille. The cake looked flawless after all, and if it just tasted a little like the usual work of the chefs in the palace, it would be delicious.

    The prince''s viewing was interrupted when Clark in front of him turned around and jumped back so that he almost crashed against the cabinet next to him. ¡°By the gods!¡± It seemed like Clark was rather scared.

    Harris had flinched too, but that might have been more because of his lover''s sudden movement. Then he turned to the prince and took over. ¡°Really? You do like to scare people, don''t you?¡± Not really.

    Cedar was used to walking around quietly to avoid people noticing him. Maybe that was connected to him trying to hide from his mother while she was in a bad mood in his childhood or maybe not. ¡°I wish you a wonderful morning on this joyful day. I merely wanted to check whether the cake was done already. It seems like you did make it in time. I thank you for your efforts.¡±

    Clark looked like he was still a bit shaken. He just stood there and waited a bit to calm his pounding heart before he replied with a sharp tone. ¡°I stood up much earlier than normal to make this, so this better be worth it.¡± He was quite insolent for someone talking to a member of the royal family. Good. This kind of person was better than the ones who tried to gain the prince''s favor.

    Cedar beamed at him and chose to reply without holding back his petty comments either. ¡°Don''t whine. You definitely didn''t get up much earlier than normal if one considers that the kitchen staff usually rises around five or four o''clock. You just slept less because of Harris over there. I presume that he sneaked into your room once again last night.¡±

    That had just been a guess, but Clark immediately got red and looked away. Bullseye.

    Harris managed to seem as confident as always. He just lifted his chin to meet the prince''s gaze. ¡°You just said what everyone knows. That''s nothing special. So. Do you like the result of our hard work here?¡±

    Cedar scanned the cake again. He stayed quiet for a moment longer than he would have needed to raise the expectation. Then he replied with a bright smile on his lips. ¡°I''m surprised. It genuinely looks good.¡± He turned to Clark. ¡°So, your curse regarding cakes only applies to apple pies? I heard that you always burn those.¡±

    Clark narrowed his eyes. ¡°How do you even know about that?¡± He sounded awfully angry for someone who was just worrying about his lover, who had been blackmailed by the prince in the past.

    Cedar didn''t care and just replied. ¡°Your lover talks about you a lot. And by that, I mean very often. I didn''t even need to ask, and I heard a lot of interesting things. Whenever he heard a funny joke, he thought about whether you would like it and things like that. He really adores you. I think he didn''t even notice how often he mentions you until I pointed it out, and he got-¡±

    Harris cut him off. ¡°Shut up.¡± Apparently, he was embarrassed still. In the past, he had been sensitive whenever his lover had been mentioned, and now it was the same.

    Cedar might have made fun of this if he had time, but he couldn''t stay here for too long. Still, he allowed himself to add one remark. ¡°That''s awfully mean. I''m still the prince of Artias, and yet, I have to let others insult me like this.¡± If he genuinely had a problem with this, he would already have resolved it by intimidating the other party, and both of them knew that.

    So, Harris just continued. ¡°Insult? Do you want to hear how I sound when I really want to provoke you?¡±

    Cedar glanced at the clock and decided that he would have to hurry a bit if he didn''t want to risk being too late. ¡°You''ll just offer me coffee again. That''s getting boring since I really don''t have a big issue with it at all, so don''t bother. Besides, trying anything in public will ruin your reputation as the perfect servant.¡± He stepped closer to the counter and put the cover onto the cake before lifting the tray. ¡°I will bring this to Lucille before she wakes up. I want her to see that everyone is thinking about her as soon as she opens her eyes. That''s why I need to leave now too. I hope that you have a pleasant day, and I would like to thank you for your help once more.¡±

    Harris crossed his arms and scanned the other man. What he would say was already obvious by the look of his eyes. ¡°I still can''t believe that the terrifying prince managed to fall in love with such an innocent woman. Your personalities are very different. But that could be good. She has to balance you out, or you will be too insufferable for anyone to endure staying in your presence.¡±

    ¡°Don''t spout such nonsense. I have a very good reputation. You should know how easy it is to win people over with a smile and some polite words. I just don''t waste my skills on someone like you. So. I wish you a nice day. Goodbye.¡± He nodded at the two servants before approaching the door, which he opened with his elbow.

    If he brought this cake to Lucille, he should be done with most preparations. Then he would only need to wait for his beloved to wake up. Afterward, they could have a relaxed day with some little surprises. Cedar hoped that he wouldn''t drop the cake though. His own balance was less of a problem, but he worried about others running into him. Though, by now, no one dared to do that anymore. Thankfully. Otherwise, his mood would have soured quite a bit.

    Unsurprisingly, he managed to reach the top floor without any issues. Cedar quickly entered his room, where he put the cake on the table. He decided not to set the table to avoid being loud and just sat down on the bed again. He could take a short break until his lover awoke now, and that gave him a wonderful excuse to watch her for a moment. He made himself comfortable while trying not to make a single sound and scanned her sleeping form.

    Lucille didn''t move in the slightest even while he had sat down and just lay there. She was cuddled in her blanket and only took over one half of the bed despite having been able to claim everything for herself. Her slow breathing sounded like she had to be in the middle of a very deep slumber.

    Cedar glanced at the clock. Maybe he should go to sleep again too. Just so that his lover could wake up in his arms. He had prepared everything. Since he couldn''t go out to check on anything without leaving her alone, he had nothing to do. He bargained with himself before he came to the conclusion that it would be fine to get some rest so that he could be more awake when it was time. So, he lay down next to his lover and moved as close to her as he could without touching her, mostly because he feared waking her if he did reach out to caress her face.

    Cedar watched her heavenly face for a moment and fought the urge to kiss her before he closed his eyes. He hadn''t even been sure whether he would fall asleep again when he was so focused on making everything perfect for his lover, but for some reason, he lost drifted off a little bit later.

    <hr>

    When he awoke, Cedar was drowsy for a moment before he lifted his head. He immediately looked at Lucille, who still lay there with her eyes closed. A short glance at the clock confirmed that he had slept for two more hours, and nothing much had happened.

    Lucille had moved a bit closer to him so that they were touching now, and it seemed like she had stolen his part of the blanket. He wouldn''t try to wrestle it back now.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    He was happy lying next to her and being able to see her face while she was so peaceful. Now Cedar only needed to decide whether he would allow her to stay this peaceful or whether he would have to disturb her. It was half an hour before nine, and at that time, they were usually getting dressed already. Maybe he should wake her up. But he would feel bad if he did that on her birthday.

    Before he could think about that more, Lucille stirred a bit. Then she lay still again.

    Cedar didn''t budge while waiting for her, and a moment later, she opened her eyes.

    Lucille took a few seconds to focus her gaze on her lover and another moment to fully wake up. And then a soft smile, the most beautiful one in this whole world, formed on her lips. ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Cedar couldn''t help but grin back at her. ¡°Good morning. And more importantly, happy birthday, my beloved.¡± He didn''t wait for her reaction and moved closer to kiss her gently.

    Lucille immediately put her arms around him and seemed to be rather happy with her first gift. She melted in his arms and returned the kiss with much more vigor than he had anticipated.

    Cedar only lifted his head when he felt like his lover had enough for now. Then he held still to look at her. Even seeing her smiling at him like that made him want to kiss her again and again. Her smile made his chest feel warm and tingly, which, apparently, was what love felt like. It was definitely an odd feeling, but it was a pleasant odd. The prince watched her for a moment before she spoke up again.

    ¡°Thank you. I''m happy that you are here with me.¡± Lucille lifted her hand and brought it to the side of his face.

    He hadn''t even been able to say what he wanted to tell her yet. If his presence made her happy, he was glad too, but he still wanted to offer more. Cedar enjoyed her touch for a moment while smiling at her, but he quickly forced himself to speak again. ¡°Of course, I am here on your special day. I need to congratulate you first, right? I wish you a wonderful nineteenth birthday. May you have a perfect day, which is followed by a just as perfect year. I hope that you will stay in good health and become happy.¡± He gently moved her hand to his mouth to kiss her skin right below her wrist. ¡°I adore you. I promise to be with you whenever you want me to. I will do my best to help you with everything you wish for or require. And especially today, I will fulfill all of your wishes.¡±

    Lucille still hadn''t moved to lift her hand and lay next to him while grinning. ¡°I''m already overjoyed if you are with me. But can I ask for something if you want to fulfill my wishes?¡±

    Cedar hadn''t just said those words for nothing, and he was happy to prove that. ¡°Of course. I will do whatever you ask of me if it is within the realm of my capabilities.¡±

    ¡°Then how about another kiss?¡± Lucille''s reply came immediately, and there was no uncertainty in her voice. Apparently, she was rather assertive today. And yet, she was the same woman as always. Her bright smile made it seem like she wasn''t embarrassed, but the slight red tint of her cheeks gave her away.

    As always, Cedar would be happy to indulge her. He moved a bit closer to her again. ¡°Another one? You truly are insatiable. But this is your birthday, so it''s fine.¡± It was fine on any other day too as long as he was the one that could make her happy. He slowly brought his face to hers and kissed her.

    Lucille immediately hugged him again and happily kissed him back. It almost felt like she was more demanding than him. For some reason, she seemed to go a bit farther than what she normally did.

    In any case, Cedar didn''t mind that much when she experimented with him. He would love whatever she offered.

    When the kiss ended this time, Lucille''s face was completely red. By now, it seemed like she remembered her usual hesitance again and averted her eyes as soon as they separated. That didn''t stop her from holding her lover''s hand though.

    Cedar had to admit that he was in a rather good mood already despite nothing much happening. This was perfect when he planned to make Lucille as happy as he could. He slowly sat up without letting go of her and waited for her to do the same before he spoke. ¡°I may have prepared a few small things for you. How about we get up and slowly begin your day with your first gift?¡±

    Lucille immediately glanced at the table. She only found the dishware that hid her cake, but she could probably imagine what was hidden below it. She looked back at her lover and gave him a bashful smile. ¡°Thank you. It wasn''t necessary, but I am very happy that you took the time to do something for me. I hope that you didn''t spend too much time on this though.¡±

    Cedar wasn''t even sure how long he had taken. It had probably been fine. He had had some help, and normally, the events in the palace were much harder to plan. ¡°I didn''t need to do too much. That doesn''t mean that I didn''t put in effort to create the perfect birthday for you, but I didn''t over-exhaust myself. So, don''t worry about that. What we do need to worry about is you receiving your gifts. Let us begin with the first one.¡± He rose from the bed before offering his lover his hand.

    Lucille allowed him to help and stood up as well. For a moment, they looked at each other while both smiling before she let him lead her to the table. She scanned the dishware and the metal cover that hid the cake before grinning at her lover. ¡°So, breakfast is already special? It''s not good for me to eat too much in the morning, so I will have to hold back quite a bit.¡± She sat down immediately without even waiting for him to tell her anything.

    Cedar had planned on making her turn around away so that he could add the finishing touches, but he would have to do it differently now. ¡°I need to do one more thing before you can look. Give me a moment, please. Close your eyes, and I will prepare everything. But you have to promise that you won''t cheat. You can''t see it before I''m done.¡±

    Lucille looked like she was curious now. ¡°Alright. I will not look.¡± She closed her eyes.

    Cedar already knew that she wouldn''t lie to him, so he lifted the cover and revealed the cream tart. He lit up the candles on top of the cake. Today, he didn''t even have any unpleasant thoughts despite seeing the fire, which only proved how focused he was on making this perfect. When he was done decorating the cake, he waited for a moment and inspected the tart again. He was content with this result, so he turned to his lover before moving closer to her. Of course, this was just a shameless excuse for him to lean to her and whisper into her ear. ¡°You can look now.¡±

    Lucille''s eyes flew open, and she instantly noticed the burning candles in front of her. She scanned the cake and gave the prince the exact reaction he had hoped for. Her eyes widened, and she looked like she was in awe. She held her breath for a moment before she turned to him.

    Cedar grinned at her and replied before she could ask. ¡°You said that blowing out candles was a tradition in your family when you were young. So, I thought that it would be nice for you to do it again this year. You can wish for something while blowing them out, right?¡±

    Lucille nodded and seemed a bit surprised for a moment. But then a smile slowly spread on her lips again. ¡°I didn''t think that you would remember that. I mean, I did bring you a cake with candles, but I wasn''t sure whether that tradition even made sense to you.¡±

    Cedar didn''t trust that wishes would be fulfilled because he voiced them. But if Lucille believed in it, they might as well do something like this. ¡°It made you happy, so how could I forget it? I wanted to do the same for you. Now then. It would be best to blow them out quickly. We don''t want wax dripping onto the cake. Make your wish.¡±

    Lucille looked down again and quickly agreed. She leaned closer to the cake, which made Cedar hold her hair up so that it couldn''t get too close to the flames. She took in a deep breath and then blew out all candles at once. Apparently, she was rather content with her wish since a bright smile formed on her lips after she was done. She turned to her lover. ¡°I made a wish for our future.¡±

    Cedar was a bit curious, but he remembered her rules. ¡°But you can''t tell me, right?¡± He waited for her to nod before resuming. ¡°Then I guess that I must accept this for now. I will barely survive so much tension, but it will work one way or the other.¡± He grinned while he lifted the knife and pushed it over to her. ¡°Now you will have to cut open the cake though. I hope it''s tasty. I still worry, but I would guess that the person who made this is skillful enough.¡±

    Lucille took the knife from him and quickly began cutting off two pieces. She froze in place when she noticed that molten chocolate with a gooey consistency slowly came out of the cake. ¡°It looks beautiful. Whoever made this is really talented.¡±

    Cedar had to agree in this case. He knew that Clark had a reputation for being as good as a confectioner, luckily. The cake looked perfect from the outside and the inside. Cedar was content with that and could only hope that it was delicious too. ¡°The man that made this is actually Harris'' lover, so you might see him at some point. If you thank him, he will probably get really embarrassed. I know that he hates me, but he is passionate when it comes to cake. Come on. Let us find out whether we have to praise him or whether I need to go complain about the taste.¡± He was sure that it would be good, but he would leave the first bite to Lucille either way.

    Lucille waited for him to move and quickly saw that he would let her go first. So, she took her fork and brought a small portion of the cake to her mouth. She chewed a bit before she swallowed. Then she made eye contact with her lover, and a smile came upon her features. ¡°It''s really good. You should try it too.¡±

    Cedar relaxed a bit. It would have been bad if she hadn''t liked her birthday cake. Now he could focus on teasing her again. ¡°I will try it too. But unfortunately, I cannot reach my utensils.¡± They were lying right in front of him. ¡°If you want me to eat, maybe you will need to coax me into doing it.¡± He expected her to tell him how good the cake was now.

    But Lucille didn''t do that. She didn''t hesitate to pick up another piece of cake before bringing her fork to his mouth. ¡°Open up. It''s really good, so I can''t let you miss this.¡±

    Cedar went along with it, even if this was more of a reward for him than it was something nice for Lucille. He opened his mouth and received the cake, which already tasted sweet from the very beginning. He chewed on the bite in his mouth and drew it out a bit.

    Lucille looked at him with curiosity. As she should have expected, her lover made her wait so long that she became impatient. ¡°And?¡± When she asked like that, it would be hard to tease her even longer.

    ¡°It''s heavenly. As expected. But I would guess that everything tastes so wonderful if you are the one feeding it to me.¡± He waited for her reaction and wasn''t disappointed.

    Lucille averted her eyes and blushed a little. ¡°That''s good to hear. Then I might need to feed you more often.¡± She was too cute. Hopefully, he would be able to make her look at him like that a few more times today.

    Cedar had been sure before, but this scene only underlined his desire for the day. Lucille was supposed to be happy and smile at him. He would make this day perfect for her, so he needed to put in some effort and do the very best he could.

 Chapter 158: Birthday (1)

¡°

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    <hr>

 Chapter 159: Birthday (2)

    Neither the emperor nor the empress were upset about Raymond ignoring them to greet his daughter. They also told him that, but this didn''t change the fact that Viscount Valerian was very sensitive about matters like this.

    Even Blanche''s words didn''t do a thing. ¡°It''s fine, Lord Valerian. Lucille is your daughter. It''s normal for you to focus on her first. Especially on her birthday. We wish you a wonderful day on this special occasion.¡±

    Raymond nodded, but he still seemed to be a bit worried. ¡°I wish you a wonderful day as well, Your Majesty.¡± After that, he took great care to greet Theodore and Cedar properly, even if he was still a bit unhappy to look at the latter. It seemed like he wasn''t fond of the prince just yet. But at least he didn''t seem as upset as before around anymore.

    After the greetings, Cedar quickly took over with a bright smile. ¡°Normally, I would propose drinking tea and eating a bit of cake, but it might be too early for that. So, how about we just take a small walk before sitting down in the winter garden? The scenery there is beautiful and quite peaceful.¡±

    Blanche gave a nod. ¡°That is a wonderful idea. But first, I would like to stop by the office. I still need to show Lord Valerian something after all.¡± She smiled at Raymond. ¡°It''s nothing life-changing, but it would be better for you to have seen it at least once.¡±

    And immediately, Raymond seemed to be more unhappy again. ¡°I see. Then we will compromise and visit your office first before we follow His Royal Highness'' plan.¡±

    Blanche didn''t need more affirmation. ¡°Alright. Then let us go.¡± She led the way along with Theodore and leaned against her husband while walking.

    Lucille would have liked to do the same with her lover, but that would be odd when her father was here too. So, she walked in between them after giving the bouquet to a maid and tried to ignore how odd the silence felt. After a few seconds, she realized that Cedar was falling behind, which was probably not a coincidence. But before she could turn around, her father spoke up.

    Raymond was so quiet that no one but his daughter could hear him right now. ¡°There is something else I need to give you. I brought a gift, but that can be handed over later. But this is...¡± He didn''t finish that sentence. Instead, he just reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, which he handed to his daughter.

    Lucille took it and immediately understood what this was. ¡°It''s another letter.¡± Her throat suddenly felt dry. She should have expected it when her mother had sent a letter each year. But still, she was frozen in place while she received the envelope and stared at her mother''s signature. She took a while before she managed to lift her head again.

    Her father didn''t meet her gaze. He had directed his eyes onto the floor in front of them and stubbornly kept them there. He was probably as uncertain about this as he had been upon giving her the other letters.

    For a few seconds, there was silence. Lucille scanned her father from the side while trying to find out what she should do now. Maybe it would be best for her to just thank him before she put away the letter and decided what to do later. Right now, she didn''t want to read what her mother could have written. But for some reason, just thinking that wasn''t enough for her. Before she knew what she was doing, she spoke up. ¡°I don''t even know whether I want to read it.¡± For a moment, she expected anger or some frustration. Maybe a comment about her being ungrateful.

    But Raymond remained calm. He didn''t look at her while he replied. ¡°I understand that. You are under no obligation to read it. But this is the only way for you to...communicate with her. Unless you...well...want to reply. If you send a reply, you could communicate with her too.¡±

    Lucille almost stopped in her tracks. She needed to quicken her pace to reach her father again. If he talked about sending a response, there was an obvious consequence. ¡°Do...you know where she is?¡± Her heartbeat quickened.

    Raymond, who looked a little too nervous in comparison to every other day, stared straight ahead while he responded. ¡°I...don''t.¡± That pause in between had been a bit too long before he finally resumed. ¡°I can guess, but to be honest, I don''t even know whether...¡± He paused again. This time, it sounded like he struggled to bring himself to speak. ¡°I don''t know whether she wrote this just a few days ago or whether she...already prepared them years ago. She might as well be...somewhere else entirely and have someone to send the letters for her. I just know what address I could send replies to. Most likely, a messenger picks them up from there and brings them to wherever she is.¡± His voice was so quiet and so uncertain. This didn''t sound like him at all. Normally, he refused to talk about Emily completely, and now it seemed like he would do his daughter a favor and speak.

    Lucille''s heartbeat quickened a bit. Maybe she could finally ask at least one thing that had been bothering her for a while now. She barely dared to. Her father couldn''t lash out at her here, but she didn''t want to risk upsetting him again after he had been so kind for a few months. And yet, the question was so important to her that she couldn''t hold back. ¡°When she ran away...did you... Do you know her reasoning for disappearing overnight without leaving a single hint?¡±

    Had Raymond''s anger and his harsh treatment caused Emily to leave without even looking at her daughter? Had Emily found a new lover? Or had she suddenly felt the desire to do what she wanted in life and believed that a husband and a child would only be in the way?

    Lucille didn''t know even that much, and she longed to find it out at some point. She wanted to assure herself that she hadn''t been the reason. She wouldn''t know what to do if she had indeed been at fault for her mother''s disappearance without noticing it, so she was desperate for a response here.

    Raymond still refused to look at her, but he didn''t get angry nor did his usual icy expression return. For a moment, he was silent. She almost believed that he wouldn''t even reply, but then he spoke. ¡°Yes. I know what her reason was. But I don''t understand it. I was sure that it would be a different reason. The one we all know about. That would have made sense. But instead of that, she named a reason I can''t understand.¡±

    Lucille felt like her blood ran cold, and at the same time, she felt warm. She wasn''t sure what to do with her body when it didn''t obey her. She stopped without wanting to. Right now, she hadn''t just found out that her father''s personality hadn''t been the reason for Emily to leave. She had also understood something else. Lucille barely brought out the question in a hoarse whisper. ¡°She sends you letters too?¡±

    Raymond nodded, still without glancing to the side even though he had stopped right next to her. ¡°For my birthday each year, yes. And sometimes, when I wrote her a reply letter. I wrote her often too. I tried to make her accept help or to meet you at least. And-¡± He cut himself off. It was completely silent for a moment before he spoke again. ¡°We shouldn''t talk about that now. It would be better to do that when we are alone.¡± With that, he meant that he didn''t want to talk about it.

    Lucille knew that, and she understood it to some extent. Thinking about her mother made her hurt too, but she needed to know what Emily was doing. And despite that desire, she had to be realistic. She had received her response and should be happy with that. She shouldn''t need any more from the mother who had left her behind a dozen years ago. She told herself that again and again.

    And yet, it was hard to stomach that.

    Lucille stared at the letter in her hands for a moment before she put it into her pocket. She lifted her gaze and looked at the royal couple, which waited at the other end of the corridor. She didn''t need to know more about the past if her mother didn''t want to be with her, so she should focus on the future. She swallowed and tried to sound as calm as possible, but her voice was weak. ¡°I see. It''s fine if we don''t talk about that. Let''s...go to the office.¡± She began walking again.

    Raymond moved forward too. For the rest of the walk, they didn''t exchange a single word.

    Normally, having Cedar interrupt would be good now, but he was oddly quiet. It seemed like the prince had noticed that Lucille had had a rather serious conversation with her father and wanted to stay out of it. That was kind of him, but right now, she missed him and would rather hold his hand.

    When the group reached the office, Blanche had already searched out the document she wanted to show Viscount Valerian. She was kind enough not to worsen the mood and didn''t point out that the Valerians looked unhappy, even if it was rather obvious. Instead, she turned to Lucille, holding up a single page. ¡°I wanted to give your father the documents confirming that the dowager empress'' money has been transferred to your family. But if you want to, we can tell him something else.¡±

    Lucille recognized the paper at a single glance. This was the blessing the empress had written for Lucille and Cedar. She didn''t take it though, not being sure of her reply. What if Raymond got mad again when he saw that? He had sworn that it would be fine, but...

    Stopping that thought, Lucille gave a nod. At some point, her father had to find out, so she would rather do it now.

    That was enough for Blanche to give her a smile. She waited as if she expected Lucille to take the page and relay the news, and when the other woman didn''t, she turned to Raymond instead. ¡°We prepared this copy for you, Lord Valerian. You can rest assured that this has no legal binding. Only a couple of selective few know about this, and no one will make this public either. So, there is no need to worry.¡±

    Raymond didn''t fume. He looked skeptical when he received the document though. He read it twice before he lowered the paper and glanced at the empress. ¡°And this is surely not binding? It does not seem like it would be a good idea to reject the royal family''s desires, so this doesn''t give Lucille a chance to back out.¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Blanche replied without skipping a beat. ¡°Do you think Lucille will reject after she agreed to this mere weeks ago?¡±

    The following silence said everything.

    Blanche saw that as a sign to continue. ¡°See? This is merely an additional way to show that the emperor and empress of Artias fully support Cedar despite the events of the past few years. That should be obvious since we will crush that disgusting woman together.¡± She probably meant Camille, but she didn''t leave enough time for anyone to question this anyway. ¡°But this is another guarantee. No one will be able to criticize this match if we support it.¡±

    A person like Raymond, who was very interested in power, should be ecstatic to marry their child into the royal family. But to be honest, he didn''t look very happy. He was still glancing at the prince with skepticism. ¡°I understand. I said everything that I have to say about this topic. If Lucille is happy with it, I will not interfere. I will sign everything if she hands me documents that require my permission. After next year, she will be an adult anyway. Then she can make her own decisions.¡± He turned to his daughter for a moment. ¡°Even if I''m sure that she already knows what she wants, I would like to wait so that she at least gets to know the person she will spend the rest of her life with.¡±

    Lucille still hadn''t gotten used to such kind words from her father. It had been a few months since he had become like that, and still, it was odd to her. She wasn''t sure what to say about this.

    But Theodore just nodded. ¡°Naturally. The couple should sign their contracts themselves. I am certain that no one here will complain about that. It is better to leave some time between the many events of last year and the new wedding anyway. We had a big royal wedding recently, so a few months of a break in between would be nice for everyone, especially for the staff.¡±

    Lucille was a bit confused as to why they were suddenly talking about a wedding already. She wasn''t even formally engaged to her lover yet.

    Cedar seemed to share her opinion here. ¡°I would say that talking about that is a bit early. As Lord Valerian said, Lucille isn''t even an adult yet. So, please hold back a little when it comes to such things, Theodore. Not everyone will move as fast as you and your wife.¡±

    Blanche just smiled at that. ¡°Do not worry. We won''t push you to do anything. No one will interfere. And by that, I mean absolutely no one. You don''t have to worry about that old hag.¡±

    Unsurprisingly, Raymond immediately knew whom she was referring to, which encouraged him to speak up. ¡°Now that you mentioned her, I would like to ask something.¡± He turned to Cedar and basically took him apart with his piercing stare. ¡°The former dowager empress said something odd last time we talked to her. That was right after the trial. I won''t even mention the accusation of treason since it sounded like His Majesty trusts you, and I will have to believe him. But that woman said something about you fooling Lucille.¡±

    Cedar would probably be honest here. And that could only create more problems if he phrased it like he had been playing with Lucille. He would probably exaggerate because he always seemed to do that when he evaluated his own actions.

    So, Lucille hurried to speak up first. ¡°Cedar planned on hiding in our house. He didn''t collapse in our garden by coincidence. He wanted to hide in our estate to get to the Northern Market from there without being stopped by Leonard. That is all that happened. And that woman now twisted the facts and made it seem like this would change the situation.¡± Actually, it was a bit more complicated than that, but she and Cedar had made up. This only concerned them, so there was no need to discuss this again.

    Raymond scanned his daughter for a moment. Then he glanced at the prince, who was smiling as always. It looked like he would question this response, but then he replied without any words of distrust. ¡°She indeed made it sound like it was more difficult than that. But if the two of you are fine with it, I shall forget it.¡± He lowered his gaze and stared at the document in his hand again. He held still for a moment before he wordlessly put it back onto the desk. ¡°If you do not mind, I would like to leave this here until I prepare to go home. I do not want to risk losing it or letting the paper wrinkle.¡±

    The emperor agreed to that. After that, it was silent again.

    As always when it got a bit uncomfortable, Cedar spoke up. ¡°If I am allowed to make this suggestion, let us go to the winter garden. After all, Lucille''s presents shouldn''t have to wait for so long. We may take a while to get through them, so we could start already.¡±

    Lucille expected the royal couple to respond, but they stayed quiet. She took a moment to realize that everyone was looking at her. ¡°It''s alright. We can go there.¡±

    That was enough to get the group to move. Cedar held his lover''s hand while they walked down the stairs and approached one of the side entrances to leave the palace. He brought her to the winter garden without telling her why he had claimed that they might take a while to go through her gifts. She understood as soon as they entered though.

    There was a second table next to the other one they always sat at, and there were quite a few boxes in colorful bows and wraps placed there. Lucille had never seen so many gifts at the same time, aside from maybe during the birthday of a member of the royal family. She blinked a few times before she looked up at her lover.

    Cedar beamed at her and kept his gaze on her expression the entire time. He truly wanted to see her reaction more than anything else.

    She wasn''t even able to say anything before Raymond muttered a comment under his breath. ¡°This is certainly a generous gift from the royal family.¡± Even he seemed to find the amount concerning.

    But Theodore quickly made it even worse with another comment. ¡°Oh no. Those are just Cedar''s gifts. As you can see, he treasures your daughter dearly. He only puts in so much effort when he truly cares. We didn''t add our gifts yet. I have to admit that we didn''t bring as much as my brother though.¡± Thankfully, they hadn''t.

    Lucille was overwhelmed enough. She opened her mouth a few times before closing it again. She could only stare at her lover and admire his captivating smile.

    Cedar looked like he was happy with himself. He grinned from one ear to the other and met her gaze without any concerns. ¡°Don''t look at me like you are surprised. I invested in up and rising businesses years ago, and now I make money with all the goods they sell. I haven''t touched my personal funds in a while, so I think I can justify using some of it on you.¡± He had been an adult for barely three years. How could he already talk about businesses as if he had invested in something years ago? Most likely, he had concerned himself with that much earlier than anyone else would. As expected, Cedar didn''t just know a lot about politics.

    Lucille had to admit that she was impressed. And yet, she was extremely worried. ¡°But you earned that money because you were intelligent enough to know where to invest. This is yours. You can''t use up so much for gifts for me. Especially just because of some birthday.¡±

    ¡°You just said that I was clever. Don''t you think that I know how much I can spend? Don''t worry about that. I could easily buy some houses in another nation and live there like a duke for the rest of my life without any issues.¡± That only made Lucille more confused about how much he had to own, but Cedar added even more. ¡°I am glad when I can buy something for you. And until now, I only gifted you a single hair ornament. That won''t do. We have been together for so long, so I need to make up for the lack of gifts by adding a few things now.¡±

    It would be fine if those were ¡®a few¡¯ things. But this was much more.

    Lucille was more than skeptical about accepting something like this. But if her lover had put in so much effort, she would have to. She would definitely ask him to hold back next time though. ¡°I see.¡± She paused for a moment while slowly trying to regain her composure. ¡°I truly don''t require such gifts, but I am grateful. Thank you very much.¡±

    Cedar beamed at her while almost looking like he was shining as brightly as the sun. ¡°Then I''m happy too. Let us take a look at what you received. Our guests probably brought something too, so this might take a while.¡± Indeed.

    Lucille already noticed that she would take at least two hours to unpack everything here as soon as she sat down. When her father added three packages too and the royal couple did so as well, she only worried even more. But she didn''t complain. She thanked everyone before slowly unpacking her gifts.

    One thing quickly became clear. Cedar had gotten a lot, and yet, everything he offered Lucille was wonderful. From books to pens, to items she had still needed in the palace. Everything was either something she liked a lot or something that she didn''t even know but found very interesting. Most of the things she received made her stare at them in awe. Cedar had truly picked out everything she would adore.

    By the end, Lucille could conclude that every single gift had been great. She had to admit that a part of her was rather skeptical when she knew that her lover had bought so many things though. She wasn''t sure whether Cedar had felt like this was necessary because he was used to showering his mother with gifts so that Camille wouldn''t get upset. Lucille hoped that this wasn''t it, but she might need to talk about this with him at some point. Today, she wouldn''t do it though. She just wanted to sit with the people she was closest with and enjoy tea for a little while.

    It was a pleasant surprise that Raymond stayed even after his daughter had unpacked her gifts. He ate lunch with the group and even spent the afternoon at the palace too. Afterward, he joined them for a walk and ate cake with them. He only left when the sun began to set.

    Lucille brought him to the foyer and waved after him while he climbed into the carriage. After that, she bid farewell to Theodore and Blanche, who insisted on letting the other couple spend the evening alone.

    So, Lucille and Cedar were on their own as they returned to their room. Lucille was very much happy with that. She couldn''t help grinning when this whole day had been wonderful. Still, she couldn''t ignore her exhaustion. She hadn''t really done anything, so suddenly wanting to collapse onto the bed was a bit odd, but she didn''t fight the urge. She plopped down onto the mattress, only to flinch when she heard something crumbling. Lucille jumped up and looked at the spot she had lain on.

    There was an envelope here. She had forgotten about that. She had asked Darlene to put her mother''s letter away after receiving it. Now it might be a good moment to read it. At least if she decided that she wanted to read it.

    Lucille still wasn''t sure. She stared at the envelope for a moment before glancing to the side.

    Cedar was currently in the dressing room and sorted something there so that she would find everything later. She had a moment for herself.

    She looked down at her bed while pressing her lips into a thin line. This could only hurt her. And yet, her body almost acted on its own. Her hands were shaky as she reached for the envelope. Still, she tore open the paper without any issues and pulled out the letter to read it.

    ¡®My dearest Lucille, you have become nineteen now. In just one year, you will be an adult and be able to make your own decisions. How quickly time passes. I wish you a wonderful year full of luck and happiness. May you stay healthy at all times and be blessed by the gods. By now, it seems like my dear angel has become a young woman that will enchant so many around you. I hope that there are wonderful people who will guide you forward into a wonderful future with you. I am terribly sorry for not being able to join you during this wonderful day, but maybe my letter cheered you up a bit. I sent a small gift as well. While I know that it will not make up for my absence, I hope that you like it anyway. I regret the fact that I am not with you more than you can imagine.¡¯

    Lucille barely managed to read the rest. The tears in her eyes were blurring her sight as she lowered the paper in her hands. She let out a chuckle without any amusement. She put the letter into the box with the others and closed the drawer again.

    How cowardly Emily was. Pretending to care now after leaving behind her daughter without another word was truly foolish. It would be better if she just stuck to one plan instead of suddenly acting like she could make up for running away without a second thought.

    It was a bitter feeling that rose inside Lucille. She had known it. She shouldn''t have read this letter. She let her body fall onto the mattress and hugged herself while hiding below the blanket. She wanted Cedar to hug her. Thankfully, he was in the room next door, so he would come back soon. She would only need to call out. And this time, she didn''t have the patience to wait until he was done. ¡°Cedar.¡±

 Chapter 160: The Artist

¡°

    <hr>

    ¡°

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

 Chapter 161: Past and Present (1)

    Lucille wasn''t sure whether she should be happy about the things that had happened during the past few weeks. On the one hand, she was content upon having made up with Cedar, living in a room with him and celebrating her birthday, after which she had even received a painting of her and her lover. Seeing the picture on the wall in their room was always satisfying, much like sleeping in Cedar''s arms was.

    But at the same time, the letters from her mother had soured her mood completely.

    Lucille knew that it was stupid to focus on that when she had had such pleasant days, but she couldn''t help it. Whenever it was quiet, she began thinking about this matter again, even when she didn''t want to focus on that. She tried to ban thoughts of these letters and her mother to the back of her mind. But no matter what she did, she couldn''t suppress her conflicting feelings whenever she remembered.

    Thankfully, Cedar was there to cheer her up. He hugged her, kissed her and teased her so that she was distracted whenever she got upset again. But she still didn''t get over her mother''s hypocrisy.

    Lucille kept glancing at the letters that were hidden in her drawer. Not once had she had the strength to check on them again. She had considered burning them, but for some reason, she didn''t want to throw them away even though she had no desire to read them. On the other hand, she didn''t want to have them near her either. Whenever she remembered what kind of box sat in her drawer, she couldn''t help but think about her mother.

    She thought back to Emily sitting beside her as she hummed a lullaby for her daughter. She remembered how warm her mother''s hug had felt. And she remembered the aching in her chest upon finding out that Emily wouldn''t come back after Raymond had told his daughter the truth with tears in his eyes.

    All of that was a hurtful reminder of her past, and Lucille could go without that. So, she couldn''t keep the letters nor could she get rid of them. She had considered placing that box in some random room in the palace, but for some reason, that still felt too close. She wanted to put that box far away. And for that, she would have to go to some other place. One that wasn''t so close to the palace. Lucille had a vague idea of where this could be, but she didn''t dare bring it up.

    She forced herself to accept it for almost a week before she gave in.

    She wanted to bring the letters to the Valerian mansion and leave them there. Of course, she doubted that she would receive permission, but she was desperate enough to ask her lover after she couldn''t stop getting sad whenever she saw the nightstand next to her. She had expected him to deny this without any chance for her to argue back.

    But Cedar had been convinced that it would be fine rather quickly. He even said that he would come with her. He only insisted on taking guards with them, traveling with hidden identities and asking for Theodore''s permission.

    That was why Lucille visited the emperor''s office with her lover. She barely dared to voice her wish and only managed to describe her general idea after she had been told that it would be fine multiple times.

    Theodore wasn''t very happy about that idea, but at least he didn''t get angry. ¡°You want to visit the Valerian mansion?¡± He looked down at his desk and stayed silent for a moment. When he lifted his head, there was still a deep frown on his face. ¡°You are here so that you are safe. The former dowager empress may have lost her title, but she is still alive. And now she might be even more desperate than before. So, I don''t think that you can just...slip out without any issues.¡±

    Cedar quickly replied to that. ¡°But officially, it doesn''t have to be us who leave. The Valerian estate is near the Northern Market, remember? If Lucille and I dress up like servants and sit in one of the staff''s coaches while acting like we belong to the kitchen personnel, it should be fine. No one will question it when we visit the Valerian mansion since it''s known that Lucille is your wife''s lady-in-waiting. We can just take some suitcases and act like we need to transport her clothes. That will be good as long as we cover our faces when we meet nobles. We will go to Lucille''s home and return before the servants are done at the market. This plan is foolproof.¡±

    Lucille held her breath while waiting for a response.

    Theodore skeptically looked from her to his brother before he spoke up in a dejected tone. ¡°And why exactly do you wish to do this now? You certainly have a reason, right? You didn''t go home for at least nine months, and now you suddenly want to leave.¡±

    Lucille pressed her lips into a line. If she said that this was because she wanted to have some letters far away from her, she would seem a bit odd, right? ¡°I...have to bring something home. It''s a personal object. It can''t stay here, so...¡± She expected a rejection. She was almost sure that she would need to send away a servant with the letters now, even if she hated the thought of handing that box to anyone else.

    Then Theodore sighed. He rested his face in his hands for a moment before he looked at them again. ¡°I presume that this is important to you, so I will agree. But-¡± He continued without letting anyone interject. ¡°You need to do that act of pretending to be servants. Leon sometimes did that too, and it went well. You can''t move around freely and will immediately go to the Valerian mansion. You will not meet with any strange people and just do what you went out for before returning. And you will take Noah with you.¡± Noah seemed to be one of the guards of the royal couple, so he was definitely very strong. But even this wasn''t enough for Theodore. ¡°In addition, you have to write Lord Valerian first and inform him of the fact that you will visit. Leon will hand over the letter in person so that no word gets out, and no one else will be informed beforehand. You need to promise all of that. In return, I will make sure that...that woman will be too busy to notice that anything is going on. She will be focused on her own problems.¡± He said that with something in his voice that made him sound like he would do something rather unpleasant to Camille.

    And yet, Cedar just accepted it with a bright smile. ¡°Thank you very much. As long as no one tells her that Lucille and I are out, there shouldn''t be any issues. So, you don''t have to worry about the men Mother usually sends either.¡±

    Theodore definitely wasn''t happy with that result. He looked somewhat pained when he met his brother''s gaze. ¡°Don''t be too sure. I will just give you my permission because this seems important to Lucille. I don''t need you to start discussing with me until I give in, so I surrender today. You haven''t left the palace in a while, so we need to let you breathe soon again. I am unhappy about you ignoring the fact that you have almost been locked in for the last few months to ensure your safety, which should happen until we defeat every last one of our enemies. By now it should be rather safe in comparison to before, so I will allow you out one single time. I will send a few people to make sure that you are safe, so it could be quite...interesting.¡±

    Lucille didn''t need much more than that. She smiled at the emperor. ¡°Thank you very much. We will be careful so that nothing can happen.¡±

    <hr>

    Since they planned on being careful, they should be safe.

    Lucille had said that two days ago, and yet, she was awfully nervous when they finally did enter the carriage. It was the first time that she had ever worn a dress that resembled one that a maid of the palace would put on in her free time, and she hadn''t traveled in the staff''s carriage before either. It was an interesting experience.

    But the fact that at least twenty guards who pretended to be servants and another twenty knights on their horses accompanied the group made this rather different from what a normal maid would experience. In fact, their presence just made this so much more nerve-wracking. Thanks to this and them being outside the palace walls, Lucille became uncertain quickly.

    Cedar, on the other hand, was as confident as always. He had insisted on carrying a sword as well, and yet, he sat there while beaming at her like an angel. No one would expect him to be able to wield a deadly weapon while he smiled like that, which might be an advantage. Luckily, he didn''t have to take anyone by surprise though and could just chat with his lover. His jokes were what kept Lucille from getting too worried on the way to her former home.

    When they arrived at the Northern Market, the couple quietly separated from the rest of the group, with most guards following them while being more or less conspicuous.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Cedar saw that and let out a sigh. He tightened his hold on Lucille''s hand as he guided her through the masses of people that ran around on the plaza here. ¡°It seems like our guards don''t know how to blend in with the citizens. If they look so grim, someone may think that they are the criminals. We are lucky that there are so many people here. If that wasn''t the case, our knights would have given themselves away already. Well. At least it seems like no one here cares about the strange men whispering with each other while they follow a couple around.¡± He carefully pushed past a vendor''s stand and led his lover toward the Valerian mansion. He didn''t bump into anyone and seemed to know exactly how to move to avoid a collision.

    Lucille had to say that she was impressed. But at the same time, she was too nervous to even focus on that. She looked over her shoulder every few seconds and almost expected to see some men with dark clothes circle them. Obviously, that didn''t happen. The only thing she did with her actions was make Cedar worry.

    The prince looked around too after she had begun, but he didn''t find anyone suspicious. So, he focused on the area in front of them again. Cedar led her away from the masses on the marketplace and brought her to a long sandy street. He interlocked their fingers as he checked whether their knights were still there before he turned to his lover again. ¡°I fear that we have to walk the few steps to the entrance of your mansion. You should know since you lived here, but it''s just down the street. That isn''t too far.¡±

    Lucille nodded. ¡°I''m perfectly fine. Let us go so that we arrive soon.¡± Even if she was still a bit worried about returning home. After all, she was wearing servant clothing and wasn''t sure whether her father would be fine with that.

    She and Cedar followed the street in silence for three minutes. The only noises that joined them were the typical background sounds like the rustling trees, the chirping birds and the crushing of the sand under the knights'' boots.

    Cedar groaned when he turned around once in between. ¡°They aren''t even trying to hide that they are following us. I''m glad that no one else is here, or this would be rather unpleasant.¡± He looked forward again and smiled in a way that made it seem like he actually wanted to roll his eyes.

    Lucille wanted to give a reply to that, but the words were stuck in her throat when she glanced at the street in front of them. Her memories were vague, but... ¡°This is where...¡± She looked down and was almost a bit surprised to find no blood.

    Even if she hadn''t specified anything, Cedar seemed to figure out what she was referring to quickly. He showed her a soft smile and spoke in a gentle tone while he squeezed her hand. ¡°Unfortunately, yes. You got hit with an arrow here. But nothing like that will happen again. You don''t have to worry. Trust me.¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded. She knew that nothing would happen today. But still, she had to think back to that day nine months ago. She didn''t want to look. But her eyes wandered to the balcony of the annex. She could easily imagine that assassin standing up there.

    That man had pulled back the string, and then he had let go of the arrow.

    Lucille unwillingly brought her hand in front of her stomach. She only had a small scar at that very spot, but that was enough to make her remember the wound whenever she saw it. By now, the scar didn''t bother her anymore at all. What bothered her was that she imagined the faces of the people who hadn''t lived to have one. It seemed like there was a memory worse than the topic connected with her letters here. Lucille moved a bit closer to her lover, almost as if she wanted to hide behind him.

    Cedar noticed that immediately. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. ¡°Everything is fine. My mother''s men aren''t here this time. We''re safe. Is it alright if we continue to walk, or do you want to take a break?¡±

    Staying here would be worse than just passing by, so Lucille quickly shook her head. ¡°No. I''m fine. Let''s move on. I just... I remember the feeling of that arrow in...¡± Lucille couldn''t finish that sentence. She was almost gagging when she thought about that foreign object piercing her skin and muscles. It made Mathilda''s yells echo in her ears. She turned her head to the side and wiped over her mouth before continuing. ¡°It''s really fine. Let''s just...hurry up a bit.¡±

    Cedar complied immediately. He quickened his pace just enough for her to still be able to keep up with him. Like this, they reached their destination sooner than she had expected. They rounded the estate once and then arrived at the entrance.

    The guards, whom Raymond had probably hired after that attack nine months ago, had been informed. They calmly stepped aside as soon as they recognized the young lady of the house. Still, they stared at Cedar with curiosity, most likely because they were unsure of who he was. Or maybe they stared at him because Raymond had told him that the second prince of Artias might visit.

    Lucille wasn''t sure, and she didn''t care. She was already busy looking around when they entered the estate. She couldn''t help but feel a bit strange now that she returned to her home after staying away for a few months. She wasn''t sure whether she could even call this her home still. So much had changed from when she had lived here. Now she felt like it might be more fitting to say that she was living in the palace, even if that was a bit audacious.

    While they walked through the garden, Lucille found an additional reason why it might be good that she didn''t live here anymore aside from her sudden emotional distance from this place. She tried to ignore it, but no matter where she looked, she was reminded of the attack. She only needed to catch a glimpse of the grass and the soil, and she remembered how her naked feet had hurt after she had run in fear for her life. When she saw the walls, she remembered jumping off those and almost spraining her ankle while doing so. When she saw the annex, she remembered the archer up there, and when she saw the main building, the blood that had pooled on the floor came back to her mind. It was horrible.

    Lucille had been convinced that she had forgotten about what had happened back then. And she truly wasn''t quite scared anymore when she saw her former home. But it still left a bitter taste in her mouth when she thought about the people who had died. So, Lucille averted her eyes and focused on the door in front of them.

    Her father''s butler bowed as they approached him and remained in that position. He would normally have greeted Lucille already, so he seemed to know who the man next to the young lady was.

    Cedar glanced to the side to confirm how many people were watching them, which happened to be quite a few servants, before he spoke up. ¡°I wish you a wonderful afternoon. Is Lord Valerian present today?¡±

    The butler slowly raised his head before he nodded. ¡°Indeed. I sincerely apologize, Your Royal Highness, but it seems like Lord Valerian had to leave on short notice. That is why he could not welcome you. We are deeply regretful that we had to be so inhospitable. Lord Valerian will arrive in a few minutes. He asked me to bring you inside already.¡±

    As soon as the title had been named, someone gasped a few steps away from them. The group of servants there tried to hide their shock, but they began murmuring immediately. They didn''t manage to conceal the way they scanned Cedar, who had been revealed to be the second prince, very much though. They probably already gossiped about how Lucille was holding the prince''s hand too.

    Lucille did her best to ignore that, but she felt how her cheeks got slightly red. She tried to distract herself by speaking with the butler. ¡°I understand. Then please lead us inside. I wish you a wonderful day.¡±

    The butler bowed to her again. ¡°I wish you a beautiful day as well, Young Lady. It is a great pleasure to have you come back after such a long time. This certainly brings joy to every member of the staff. But I will not waste your time with sentimentalities. I will lead you to the master''s office now.¡± He turned around after bowing once more before he walked into the building.

    Lucille followed him while Cedar still held her hand. She tried to keep her eyes on the hallways to not accidentally make eye contact with anyone else, but she messed up a few times. So many people were staring at her. That was unpleasant, but there were much fewer servants here in the palace, so she was fine with it. The whispering was worse. Lucille kept quiet for a moment before she couldn''t hold back anymore. She needed to distract herself, and her lover was the only one who could help her. She leaned against him and whispered so that only he could hear it. ¡°I understand that they are excited if they hear that the prince is here. But why are they so...¡± She didn''t find the right words.

    Cedar was much more direct than she would have been. ¡°Nosy? I don''t know. Humans seem to be like that in general. I am used to it, so I don''t mind much. But I think my presence here is only part of the reason that makes them stare.¡±

    Lucille carefully looked around again. They still hadn''t reached the office, and yet, so many people watched them. ¡°Do you mean it''s because of me too? I was gone for a while, and now I''m suddenly back. Maybe that is it.¡±

    ¡°That is a reason too. But I think that both of us came together makes it worse. If a man of another noble family comes home with the lady to visit the father, one would assume that he wishes to propose or something like that. Maybe they expect me to try to talk your father into signing an engagement contract now.¡±

    To be honest, it wouldn''t be surprising. By now, their relationship was at that level. Lucille wanted to be with Cedar, so she wouldn''t mind it if he proposed or asked her father for approval. Certainly, that wouldn''t be needed since they already came so far, but it would add the traditional courting touch. Lucille would be happy to marry her lover either way.

    That thought was enough to make Lucille avert her eyes. ¡°I see. But it''s not like this matters now. I think we...did worse things already. Like kissing at the empress'' birthday ball.¡± In hindsight, she was a bit embarrassed, but she wouldn''t change anything about that day even if she could.

    Cedar seemed to share that opinion. He showed her his soft smile, which made her heart beat faster, before he squeezed her hand. ¡°I remember that. That was a nice day. The many people watching us could have been avoided, but I would like to kiss you like that again soon. Even if we may have kissed just this morning.¡± He smirked at her and seemed like he wanted to add something a little more embarrassing, but then they reached the office.

    The butler had patiently waited for them. Now he spoke while trying to sound as polite as possible. ¡°Lord Valerian said that he would like the Young Lady to take a look at a document he prepared for you. Apparently, it is connected to a topic that he has discussed with you. He allows you to enter his office for that. You may take your time. I will wait here and inform you when Lord Valerian comes home.¡±

    That was odd. Her father never let anyone into his office, so what was this supposed to be now?

 Chapter 162: Past and Present (2)

    the Young Lady to take a look at a document he prepared for you. Apparently, they connected to a topic he has discussed with you previously. He allows you to enter his office for that. You may take your time. I will wait here and inform you when Lord Valerian comes home.¡±

    ¡°

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°If¡¯. I''m not going to let him catch me. I will just read some things. I am mostly searching for specific names, and if they aren''t there, I won''t pry into his matters. So, you can...¡± Cedar stopped himself when he pulled out a thick folder. He opened it and skimmed over the first lines before he spoke again. ¡°This is the divorce agreement. It''s odd that he would keep this here and not in some cabinet. Does he need to read through this often?¡±

 Chapter 163: Conditions

    Cedar couldn''t help but feel content when he had Lucille in his arms while Raymond entered. Even though this didn''t erase his previous frustration. He had found something important just now, and suddenly pulling away was unsatisfying. He needed to read that document, and since he knew where it was, it probably wouldn''t take him more than a minute. But he doubted that he would get another chance today. Great.

    Cedar showed the other man a bright smile before he spoke up. ¡°Good day, Lord Valerian. I hope that you have been well. Did your sudden trip cause you any issues?¡±

    Raymond scanned the prince, who was still hugging Lucille, with obvious skepticism but still replied while bowing. ¡°I wish you a wonderful day, Your Royal Highness. I am honored to welcome you into this mansion today. My trip did not cause problems of any kind. I sincerely apologize for being absent during your arrival. I wished to inform you first, but I knew that the letter would not arrive in time. I hope that my butler greeted you properly.¡± He said that but didn''t expect a response. He already focused on his daughter. Apparently, he wasn''t sure whether to speak up despite being the host, but he brought himself to do so after a moment of silence. ¡°I wish you a nice day as well, Lucille. I hope that you have been well.¡±

    Lucille was definitely nervous. She only calmed down a bit when she realized that her father wasn''t mad, but she couldn''t hide the fact that she felt bad for going through Raymond''s desk. ¡°Good day, Father. I haven''t had any issues. I hope that it was the same for you.¡±

    Viscount Valerian replied quickly this time. ¡°Indeed. Aside from the sudden invitation today, nothing special happened. I apologize for making you wait. Was the way here difficult for you to...¡± He paused after that and gazed at the couple''s attires. He only seemed to notice that his daughter and the prince were wearing clothes that made them seem like servants now. ¡°Did you accompany the servants visiting the market?¡±

    Cedar responded with a bright smile on his face. ¡°Indeed. We believed that masking as servants of the royal palace would keep us away from trouble. After all, any thief would know that the royal guards are accompanying us, and no person with ill intent would identify us as the nobles they have to target.¡± To be honest, the knights following them had made them stick out much more, so he wouldn''t have been surprised if someone had asked who they were. But no one would assume that the prince of Artias would run around outside with the woman who was rumored to be his future fianc¨¦e.

    But they couldn''t go out without guards, so he could stop complaining about them. Something else was much more important anyway.

    Cedar showed the other man a bright smile before he changed the subject. ¡°And you can rest assured that we did not mind waiting. The only thing that did bother us was the document you wished to present to Lucille. After all, we could not find it on the desk.¡± Because that document probably didn''t exist. That was Cedar''s way of telling the other man that he had guessed what his plan was.

    Raymond narrowed his eyes for a moment before he replied. ¡°I have to admit that I made a mistake. I asked you to come here so that you could take a look at something I prepared for you already. However, I forgot to place the document on the desk.¡± He walked to the desk and put down a small suitcase, which he opened. He quickly pulled out a folder and a singular piece of paper, which he placed on the desk. ¡°I will need to sign this, and then it will be legal as soon as Lucille agrees.¡± So, that document did exist. That was somewhat surprising. Now the only question was what kind of document it was.

    Lucille tried to catch a glimpse of it, but it didn''t look like she was able to read it. She hadn''t acted like she had an idea what this was about either.

    Cedar could guess that he would be asked to leave the room for them to discuss this, but there was something about Raymond''s expression that made it seem like he might have another goal too. Cedar didn''t mind. He could also have a chat with Lucille''s father. He looked at his lover and spoke to her in a gentle voice. ¡°You still need to bring something to your room, right? Maybe we should do that before we deal with this. What do you say?¡± He had offered a chance for him to speak with Raymond in private like this.

    Lucille didn''t seem to notice that hint, but her response was helpful anyway. ¡°Right. I want to put something away.¡± She made eye contact with her father. ¡°Would you mind if I quickly go to my room to take care of that? I will be back in an instant.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. His Royal Highness and I can wait here, and the butler will accompany you.¡± He only said that because he wanted to make it clear that he wanted to talk to Cedar.

    Lucille understood that too. She glanced at her lover and then at her father before nodding. She had probably assumed that Cedar would accompany her, which he would have done in any other scenario. ¡°I will hurry and come back as soon as I can.¡± She slowly let go of her lover.

    Cedar released her while he smiled at her. ¡°Take your time. We don''t want you to rush.¡± He couldn''t help but relish in the strange feeling in his chest that developed when Lucille nodded at him before she left. Cedar stared at her back while she opened the door and stepped out of the room. He kept his gaze on her until she closed the door behind her. Then he turned to Viscount Valerian, who had already focused on the other man.

    Raymond looked rather grim now. He didn''t bother to hide how upset he was, but that wasn''t very intimidating. He only stood there for a few seconds before he spoke up. ¡°Maybe we should have a short conversation in private while Lucille is gone. Since it seems like this is not just a small game for you.¡±

    Cedar showed him a bright smile. ¡°Of course, it''s not a game. I adore Lucille. I want to take care of her as well as I can. But I doubt that talking about that will help you much. I want to give you a chance to address what bothers you, even if you have made what you think of me clear already.¡±

    Raymond was silent for a moment. He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms, tensing in the process. He stared at the prince for a while before he began. ¡°I will not take back my word. I said that I would allow Lucille to do what makes her happy. If that includes being with you, I will have to accept it, even if I don''t like it for an abundance of reasons. I will give you my permission to marry Lucille. But I have three conditions.¡± Who was he to voice conditions? He had hurt Lucille much more than the prince had.

    But Cedar understood that he wasn''t a good person. Anyone would have qualms about letting their daughter get together with him. So, he didn''t refute the other''s words immediately. ¡°I will most likely accept them. But I need to hear what they are about before I can give you a definitive answer. I am rather sure that I would do anything for Lucille though.¡±

    Raymond gritted his teeth. He took a moment to calm himself down before he replied. ¡°First of all, you cannot trap her in any way. Lucille will have the chance to divorce you and leave the palace no matter what. She can never be forced to stay with you. You can''t threaten her or use her kindness to make her stay against her will. Her happiness is the priority. That is why you will accept her opinion, even if she does end up wanting to turn away from you.¡± He sounded so commanding, but he couldn''t hide the slight bit of vulnerability in his voice.

    He worried about his daughter.

    Cedar would have liked to affirm all the things he had heard, but by now, he was pretty sure that this wouldn''t be possible. Letting go of Lucille for even three days had wrecked him. How was he supposed to function without her unless he wanted to return to being the empty husk he had lived as for the first twenty years of his life? So, while he would never threaten Lucille and wanted her to be happy, he wouldn''t give up on her. He could only hope that she wouldn''t try to leave him, or they would have a huge problem. ¡°I swear that I will do everything in my power to make her happy. Naturally, this includes paying attention to her wishes.¡± But not necessarily acting on them if they were connected to her leaving.

    Raymond hadn''t noticed that a direct answer had been avoided. He just focused on Cedar''s face while trying to detect a lie, but he wouldn''t be able to see through the perfect facade. So, he had to admit defeat and focus on something else. ¡°You have to remember that promise. Secondly, wait at least one year before you get married. I want Lucille to be an adult when she decides to marry someone for the rest of her life. It would make me unhappy to sign a contract for her. I don''t...want her to feel like I am agreeing to this because of a political advantage since that is not the case. Even signing an engagement contract now would feel odd, but I would survive it. However, I refuse to accept a marriage for now.¡± That wasn''t a big loss.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Cedar hadn''t expected that he would marry anyone as long as his mother was alive since he had always feared for that poor fianc¨¦e''s life. Now he was utterly in love with Lucille, but that didn''t mean that he worried less. He would favor waiting until his mother was defeated. Besides, he agreed that Lucille and he were very young, and he didn''t want to rush her. ¡°Naturally. Lucille and I would have to be engaged for at least a year before we can think about a wedding. So, do not worry about that. What is the third condition?¡±

    Raymond tapped onto his arms while he pierced the prince with his gaze. He didn''t seem to be in a good mood, so Cedar almost expected something more problematic now. But then he spoke. ¡°You can''t hurt her.¡±

    That was the one request Cedar didn''t even have to think about. ¡°I care for Lucille, so I would never endanger her well-being in any way. I will not hurt her whether with my actions or my words. Should I swear that on my life to convince you?¡±

    Viscount Valerian still wasn''t too happy about this. He just kept staring at the prince. ¡°I am not certain whether I can trust you in that regard. I won''t even mention the revolt, your despicable mother or your political position in general, and yet, I have countless other reasons. I heard stories about you. You already fought people when you were young. From what I gathered, you managed to severely injure other people. Apparently, those were your teachers.¡±

    For a moment, Cedar tensed and thought that this would be connected to his breakdowns. But then he heard about the addition. He had hurt his teachers on purpose during duels when it had been demanded of him. There was nothing problematic about that. He wouldn''t mention his breakdowns though. ¡°Those truly were my teachers but not the kind you would expect. They were mercenaries...¡± Or assassins. ¡°And they instructed me in sword-fighting. I am not proud when I say that I was rather harsh on them, but that was what they asked of me and they agreed. During the duels, we made it seem like a real fight, so no one could hold back. Everything I did to them was done to me in return. Does that answer your question?¡±

    Raymond clenched his jaw when he heard that. ¡°I suppose that does make sense. Still, it does not get rid of my doubts.¡±

    Cedar smiled at him as he replied in a polite tone to avoid provoking the other man. ¡°Of course not. But I doubt that anything I could say would reduce your worries. The only thing I can do is take care of Lucille and make her happy. Correct? I can promise that I will keep all three conditions in mind and that I will pay attention to act upon them. Not because you told me to but because I care about my lover. I will always treat her with respect. Naturally, you can visit Lucille often and write letters. You would notice whether something is wrong then and could intervene immediately. But for now, you can trust that I will not hurt her, not force her to do anything and that I will not marry her this year.¡±

    Viscount Valerian was silent in response. Just a few seconds later, someone knocked on the door. Raymond glared at the prince for a moment longer before he replied. ¡°Please enter.¡±

    The door opened slowly, and Lucille pushed her head inside. She was hesitant and looked so adorable when she came inside that Cedar would have liked to hug her immediately. But he didn''t even need to move. Lucille immediately came to him while glancing at her father and then back at her lover. ¡°I hope that...I did not take too long.¡±

    Cedar greeted her with a soft smile. ¡°Of course not. You came at the perfect moment. Did you put it back?¡±

    Lucille nodded. ¡°I did.¡±

    Then they were done with everything they had come here for. But it was questionable whether they would just leave now when they had arrived a short while ago.

    Raymond scanned the couple in front of him before he came to the conclusion that he had to invite the both of them. He would need to see the prince a bit longer if he wanted to spend time with Lucille. ¡°We could sit down to drink some tea. I can have someone prepare snacks as well.¡±

    Lucille opened her mouth and wanted to agree but stopped herself. She glanced at Cedar. ¡°When do we have to leave? We need to return with the rest of the servants, right?¡±

    Cedar looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. ¡°We do have half an hour left before we have to leave. The cooks usually take a while at the market, so we should be able to stay a bit longer.¡±

    Lucille''s face lit up. ¡°Really? That''s good.¡± She turned to her father. ¡°Then we can stay for tea.¡±

    Raymond hesitated for a single second upon seeing his daughter''s face before he replied. ¡°Of course. I will have someone prepare it. It will not take long.¡±

    In the end, the preparation of the cake had taken much longer than expected. The tea had come in warm, but the pastries, Lucille''s favorites, had first needed to be made. It truly seemed like Raymond did his best to please Lucille, who might not have even noticed that. But even if she didn''t realize it, she looked more than happy after they drank tea together. She was content with just a little of her father''s kindness, which only made Cedar want to protect her more since he subconsciously feared the worst. But at the same time, seeing that smile on her lips as they left the Valerian estate was satisfying.

    Cedar was happy with the meeting with Lucille''s father because she had been happy, but he didn''t get as much out of this as she did. After all, he already was focused on scanning their environment as they walked back to the market. He still couldn''t find any signs of this being a dangerous situation nor did any suspicious person, aside from the dozen very inconspicuous knights behind them, follow them. Cedar still couldn''t let down his guard. He was prepared to pull out the sword to defend Lucille and himself at any moment. They had barely reached the end of the street next to the Valerian mansion when he was distracted though.

    Lucille squeezed his hand and met his gaze when he turned to her. ¡°You said that you had a reason to search through Father''s things. What was that for?¡±

    He pondered how to phrase that for a moment. He felt like he would make her mad if he said it like it had appeared in his mind first. ¡°It was to protect him and you. I wanted to make sure that he doesn''t have any connection to one of Mother''s puppets. I was a bit worried about her sending someone to betray your family. Luckily, it seems that your father is clever enough to stay away from anyone who would help my mother though.¡± He didn''t want Camille to try anything ugly by using Raymond, so he had needed to make sure.

    Cedar considered mentioning that odd document he had found last too, but he kept quiet about that for now. He would find a way to take a look at it later again, and then he would tell her. He didn''t want to make assumptions about such important matters.

    Lucille was silent for a moment, but she kept staring at her lover. That alone was enough to show that she was curious. She spoke up a moment later. ¡°So, you are worried that she will try something? Your brother mentioned that...your mother was in a really bad mood because you told her the truth.¡±

    Cedar still remembered that scene well, and he still felt horrible about it too. Now that he was with Lucille again and didn''t worry about his own misery the whole time, he could only worry about his mother instead. ¡°Theodore meant what I said to her after the trial. She purposefully revealed the thing about me coming to your house to make you hate me. And after we...parted ways that day, I wasn''t feeling my best. Then she said stupid things, and I may have snapped at her. I said some rather unkind things. Along with the fact she lost her title that day and that I showed her that I wouldn''t support her in the future, this ruined her mood completely. But apparently, she is completely isolated now. So, not much should happen.¡± Hopefully. He really didn''t need his mother to try anything in the future.

    But no matter how much Cedar would like to avoid confrontation, he knew that Camille probably wouldn''t stop here yet. Her remaining resources were almost used up, so she probably couldn''t prepare a physical attack anymore, especially since she was being watched at all times. But that wouldn''t keep her from using psychological attacks. She could either try to separate Lucille and Cedar, or she would try to make him help her. Either way, Cedar had no intention of giving her a chance to attack. That was why he had needed to ensure that Raymond wouldn''t be attacked either.

    Lucille stayed quiet while he explained this and nodded in between. ¡°But you didn''t say anything bad to her. You only told her the truth. So, you don''t have to feel bad about that.¡±

    Cedar''s logical half agreed too. His mother had said much worse to him, so she couldn''t be upset now. But of course, he couldn''t ignore that he had spent twenty years making his mother happy and avoiding her anger. Purposefully making her mad still felt odd. ¡°Well, maybe you are right. I just feel sorry for the guards that had to drag her away afterward.¡± He didn''t even want to think about that scene. So, he changed the topic. ¡°But that doesn''t matter now. She won''t cause issues in the near future. Don''t you want to ask something about your father instead? Our mysterious conversation has to have made you curious. Don''t you want to know?¡±

    Lucille was hesitant for a moment. Maybe she noticed what he was doing, or maybe she wanted to show that she trusted him. Either way, she gave in. ¡°What did Father tell you?¡±

    Cedar replied with a bright smile. ¡°Oh. It was nothing special. He made me promise that I would never hurt you, and this wasn''t the first time. He doesn''t trust me at all. That is pretty unfavorable if I want to ask for your hand in marriage. But he did say that he would agree.¡±

    Lucille averted her eyes immediately. She refused to meet his gaze and probably got a bit red too. But of course, she didn''t want to show that and just leaned her head against his arm so that he couldn''t see it.

    Cedar was tempted to make her look into his eyes before kissing her, but he didn''t do that. They were still outside the palace, so he couldn''t let down his guard. For the rest of the way back, he focused on their surroundings and tried to determine whether someone that didn''t belong here followed them. Thankfully, he didn''t spot anyone. And yet, he didn''t dare to calm down until they finally entered the palace again.

 Chapter 164: Time For Two (1)

    Lucille did her best not to think about her mother too much. To be honest, that was hard though. Whenever it was quiet for a while, she couldn''t help but ponder her past more than she wanted to.

    So, she was lying on her bed while trying to read a book, but no matter what she did, she couldn''t keep her thoughts from wandering back to her mother. Lucille gave up on reading after she had forced herself to go through one chapter and forgot the content a moment later. She sighed and let her head plop onto the pillow. Bringing the letters away had only helped her a small bit. Now she could ponder the letters her father had received. Even if she hadn''t found out many new things about her mother, she couldn''t help worrying about it.

    Raymond had exchanged letters with Emily quite a few times. He had said that he always replied when she sent him one, so one could assume that Emily had written at least a few times. If Emily didn''t mind contacting her harsh ex-husband and wished her daughter a nice birthday each year, hating her family could not have been the reason for her disappearance. But what had caused her to pack her bags and ask for a divorce then? Had she just decided to suddenly change her life and didn''t want any old connections in her new world? All of that was rather unusual for a noblewoman raised in an aristocratic family.

    But Lucille had no idea. She wasn''t even sure what type of person her mother was. She had been convinced that Emily had been a somewhat reserved, kind woman who barely spoke unless she was at home with her daughter. But Lucille couldn''t rely on that in the slightest. After all, she would have never believed that her mother would suddenly leave her behind. So, she didn''t seem to be good at guessing what others were thinking. She turned her head to the side and stared at the clock. She would have liked to quicken the passage of time. After all, Cedar would be done with training soon. She couldn''t wait for that. She wanted to hug him again.

    Lucille remained in her position without moving for a moment. Then she lifted her head and grabbed her book again. She would try to read the chapter once more, this time without forgetting everything as soon as she had read the first few lines. Lucille forced herself to push aside all thoughts of her family and tried to think about the character in her book only. But to be honest, that didn''t help too much.

    The romance in this book wasn''t that well-written and only stayed apart because of stupid misunderstandings. And yet, Lucille found herself enjoying the characters since they were likable if one ignored their tendency to keep their problems to themselves. Still, this book couldn''t compare to reality in the slightest. Lucille knew how much better it felt to be pulled into her lover''s hug, and no description in some novel could match the level of satisfaction that cuddling or just being with Cedar brought her.

    That was why she almost jumped up when she heard knocking. She sat up on her knees and laid the book onto her pillow. ¡°Yes?¡±

    The door opened, and Cedar came inside with a soft smile on his lips. ¡°Hello. I''m back. How have you been?¡±

    Lucille smiled back at him while she inserted a bookmark into her novel before putting it back onto the nightstand. ¡°I haven''t done much. I read a little and waited for you.¡± She scanned her lover and quickly realized that he was rather sweaty. Normally, he brushed off training as if it was nothing, so she assumed that someone had bothered him. He always vented by bringing himself to his limit while practicing then. ¡°Was training exhausting today?¡±

    Cedar took off the sheath that had been tied to his hip and carefully set it down on a smaller table near the wall. ¡°Yes, indeed. Leon kept pestering me to duel him, and now he won''t leave me alone about my fighting style. It''s nice to get tips that can help me improve, but it''s also rather annoying how he keeps complaining about me being too ¡®young¡¯ or too ¡®reckless¡¯ to use some tactics. I think he is just upset because I managed to take away his dagger after pretending to stumble.¡±

    Lucille could imagine. She had seen her lover fight occasionally, and he had always been the type to rush in with confidence that he would win. Dirty tactics were a typical part of his plan.

    Cedar slowly got rid of his jacket and boots to put them away while he resumed. ¡°Then I wanted to go to the office, but Theodore came and made me train with some of the younger knights because their instructor was sick. So, I wasted my time dealing with some rather unskilled brats. Apparently, those men like me now and asked me to come more often. I am convinced that Theodore pulled some strings beforehand since I definitely was not hiding my annoyance enough for them to think that I was happy about teaching them.¡± His smile wasn''t too forced today, so he was probably exaggerating. Or fighting Leonard, who was actually good, had made up for the rest.

    Lucille moved to the edge of the bed to let her feet dangle off the mattress. ¡°Maybe your smile is what makes people believe that you are happy about being with them. You can enchant people easily. And most can''t discern whether your smile is real or whether you are upset.¡±

    Cedar let out a low chuckle as he stepped closer to the bed. ¡°I am glad that they can''t discern that. Otherwise, they would see how annoyed I am with them. But that could also cause them to leave me alone, so it might be good too. Or they might annoy me even more often. I couldn''t be sure. The staff members here are odd. They used to hate me, and now they suddenly forgot all about that because I didn''t do anything to them. It truly is strange.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they just noticed how kind you truly are. You are always polite and calm, and you are good at winning over people because you are interesting without doing much. If you also demonstrate your skills with the sword, the knights will be happy to train with you. Or maybe what made them like you is just...¡± She had planned on praising her lover''s honest smile but stopped when she noticed a darker spot on his cheek. ¡°Ah. I think you have some dirt on your face.¡±

    Cedar lifted his hand and stroked over the other side of his face. ¡°That isn''t surprising. Those idiots threw themselves into the dry sand, so it was pretty dusty. My hair is probably full of sand too. That is why I need to fight my urge to hug you now too. I am a bit too dirty for that.¡±

    Lucille considered saying that she didn''t mind that much but scanned her lover first. It truly wasn''t that bad. The main issue was the spot on his cheek. ¡°I see. Then wait. Let me wipe it away.¡± She slowly stood up so that she could reach her lover and lifted her hand. She rubbed over his skin with her thumb and managed to rub the dirt away. A smile grew on her lips as she withdrew her hand.

    But Cedar was quicker than she was. He caught her hand and stared at her palm. ¡°But now you are all dirty. That won''t do. We will need to clean that. Unfortunately, it seems like you will need to accompany me to the bathroom as soon as the staff is done.¡±

    Lucille was pretty sure that her mind immediately went too far when she imagined joining her lover in the bathtub. But then she quickly pushed those thoughts away. ¡°Sure. We can wash each other''s hands if you want to.¡± She interlocked their fingers and beamed up at the prince.

    Cedar truly seemed like he hadn''t planned on embarrassing her with his comment. He didn''t look smug enough for that. He was currently just making her come with him because he wanted to hold her hand.

    Lucille had to admit that she wouldn''t have minded the other indication either but didn''t dare to think about that. She quickly spoke again to distract herself. ¡°So, you asked them to prepare everything already? It won''t take long in that case.¡±

    ¡°They should be finished soon. But it may take a bit longer since I actually asked for a real bath today. Normally, I just use cold water so they can go without heating, but I thought that I may have to stay inside a bit longer to get rid of that damned sand.¡± Cedar lifted his free hand to stroke over his hair once. He let out a fake sigh before he smiled at his lover again. ¡°Do you know what the worst part is? That I can''t even greet you properly because I''m not clean yet. So, I will have to hug you immediately once I''m done bathing.¡±

    Lucille didn''t mind that. ¡°I won''t refuse you. But that will still take a little-¡± She was cut off by a knock at that very moment.

    Cedar grinned at her. ¡°It will still take a little while, yes. But I will hurry to not leave my beloved alone for too long.¡± He turned to the door. ¡°You may enter.¡±

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The door was slowly opened, and a maid came inside. The woman didn''t dare to make eye contact and just informed the couple that the bath had been prepared. Then she disappeared again while barely hearing Cedar thanking her.

    Lucille exchanged a short look with her lover before he already pulled her to the bathroom. She followed him without hesitation despite being slightly confused. ¡°Am...I supposed to come with you?¡±

    Cedar glanced over his shoulder and gave her a small smile that almost made her knees give in. ¡°Did you forget that already? You need to wash your hand first. I will not let you leave this room until you got rid of the dirt that I brought inside. Come.¡± He didn''t need much persuasion skill to pull her toward the tub with the steaming water. He bowed down and tested the water, only to dip her hand into it a moment later. ¡°Is the temperature fine?¡±

    She nodded in response. The temperature was perfect right now. It was hot but not scorching, so it would be perfect for a long bath.

    ¡°Good.¡± Cedar took that as his cue to gently rub over her hand. He began with her thumb but cleaned the rest of her fingers, which had been clean from the very beginning, too until every bit of dirt had to have disappeared. Still, he took his time caressing her fingers and her hand up to her wrist even after that. When he let go of her, she could only smile back at him.

    For a moment, Lucille considered doing the same for her lover. She glanced down at his hand before looking up at his head again. She would like to wash his hair, which was much dirtier than his fingers. That thought came was pretty sudden, so she even surprised herself. And yet, she liked the idea. Though, fulfilling that plan would barely be possible. After all, Cedar would have to sit in the bathtub while she tried to wash his hair. Lucille felt herself getting a bit embarrassed about that thought and quickly averted her eyes. ¡°So...you will go bathe now?¡± That question was completely useless.

    Cedar seemed to notice that she was asking strange things too. He grinned at her as he came a step toward her. ¡°Who knows? Maybe I just want to sit here and stare at hot water. That can be refreshing too. But I have to admit that I will probably have to bathe today. I am full of sand.¡± He leaned forward to press a little kiss onto her forehead before he turned away. ¡°I will do my best not to block the bathroom for too long.¡± After that, he stayed quiet for a short moment before he glanced over his shoulder. He looked like he wanted to joke about something but stopped himself. He turned around again, and it looked like he prepared to take off his shirt.

    That was completely normal when he wanted to bathe, and only his lover was here.

    But still, Lucille felt how the blood rushed to her face. Her first instinct should have been to run out of the room, but she didn''t do that. Instead, she stopped in her tracks and could only stare at her lover. She had only caught a glimpse of the bottom part of his back, and yet, that was enough to make her heart skip out of rhythm. ¡°What are...¡±

    Cedar stopped immediately and turned around to show his usual smug grin. ¡°I just wanted to get rid of this. After all, I need to bathe, and I didn''t intend to do that while being dressed. But if you are uncomfortable with that, I will be more careful in the future. I didn''t mean to surprise you.¡±

    Lucille could barely hear him over the audible rushing of blood that seemed to echo in her ears. ¡°No, that''s not...¡± She didn''t mind him doing that. She just hadn''t expected it. For a moment, she just stood there and opened her mouth before she closed it again. As always, looking into Cedar''s eyes made all thoughts leave her mind. So, she used the same trick she had used a few times already. She closed her eyes before saying what she deemed to be embarrassing. Her voice was still shaky and weak, but at least she could talk. ¡°I don''t mind that. Because if we marry later, we will...probably...get together at some point anyway.¡± Why was that the first thing she could think about? Of course, she and Cedar might sleep together in the future. If they married, which the both of them wanted, that was very likely. But she shouldn''t say that so outright. Lucille was pretty sure that her face had to be completely red already. Steps sounded, and she immediately knew that her lover had moved toward her.

    She felt Cedar''s fingertips on her cheek. ¡°I''m very happy that you think that I will be the one for you in the future. I don''t want to be with anyone aside from you after all. Don''t forget that. I want to stay with you until the very end.¡±

    Lucille nodded quickly, but she didn''t dare to open her eyes yet. ¡°I...would like that very much. Because...¡± She swallowed in an attempt to keep her voice from cracking. ¡°I can''t imagine anyone else aside from you either. I want to marry you.¡± That might have been a bit direct. She immediately felt the embarrassment rushing back with full force. She knew that both of them shared this sentiment, and she actually didn''t mind admitting that. But in this scenario, her thoughts might not be as innocent as they could be. She fully blamed that on Cedar with his constant teasing. It felt like he might have understood too though. Lucille didn''t have the courage to face her lover''s reaction now.

    Cedar was silent for a moment. He kept his hand on her cheek and held still in that position. A few seconds passed before he spoke. ¡°It''s calming to hear that. I don''t think I would have been happy with any other response.¡± He moved his free hand to hers and interlocked their fingers before he brought her hand to his lips to kiss it. He remained silent once again. It almost seemed like he wouldn''t say anything anymore, but then he added the rest in a weak voice. ¡°I would be glad if I could marry you too.¡±

    Lucille''s heart skipped a beat. Her eyes flew open, and she met her lover''s gaze. She almost wanted to vanish into thin air, and yet, this moment was wonderful in some way.

    Cedar was silent for a moment as well. He carefully stroked over her cheek before he leaned forward. He put his lips onto hers and gave a little peck before he pulled back. Then he withdrew his hand. He showed her a little grin that already indicated what he would do now. ¡°Did we really just have that conversation because I wanted to take off my shirt? We may exaggerate a little. But well...¡± He moved his hand to her face again before he twisted a strand of her hair around his finger. ¡°It''s good that we mentioned that at least once. If you don''t mind things like that, how about you join me?¡± There was an undeniable hint of playfulness in his voice. He was teasing his lover again.

    Lucille knew that, and still, she couldn''t help but fall right into his trap. ¡°Join...you?¡±

    Cedar gave her that smug grin that made her heart melt once again. ¡°Yes.¡±

    She was well aware of what would come now, but she couldn''t bring herself to stay quiet. ¡°In the bathtub?¡±

    Cedar was joking. His expression told her that much. He relished in seeing her face when he suggested things like that. But he was far too good at teasing her like this. ¡°Indeed. I would ask you to join me for life too, but I wouldn''t pose such a question in the bathroom. Even if we technically just did that already. But that doesn''t matter. Do you want to take me up on my offer?¡± He smirked at her while being absolutely sure that he would win this small verbal battle.

    Lucille was tempted to make him lose though. She would find it satisfying if her lover looked at her in shock. Unfortunately, her level of confidence might have been a bit too small for that to work. Even now, Lucille could only lower her eyes to avoid meeting her lover''s gaze. Her heart was pounding in her chest. What was she supposed to say about this? And why was she even thinking about it? Normally, she should decline immediately. After all, suddenly undressing and sitting in a bathtub with Cedar would be overwhelming to her.

    But then again, they were a couple. In the future, they would probably get much closer, so bathing together wasn''t really an issue. Would it be odd for them to cross that border? Until now, they had mostly just kissed and cuddled. Surely, some very passionate kisses had been part of that too, but this went much further.

    To be honest, Lucille didn''t mind bathing with Cedar in itself. But she wasn''t even sure about whether she could go along with this despite her poor heart already beating out of rhythm now. ¡°Well...I...¡±

    Cedar sounded like he was still grinning. ¡°Is that a no? How disappointing. I will have to make do with another kiss then.¡± He put his hand under her chin and carefully guided her up so that she had to look at him.

    Lucille felt like all air was sucked out of her lungs. Her lover was so certain that she would decline. Maybe she should accept just because of that. It was tempting to agree just to shock Cedar. She opened her mouth, and it felt like her heart would jump out of her chest. Still, she forced herself to speak while keeping her eyes on her lover. She needed to see his reaction if she really wanted to do this. ¡°I...can join you.¡± Her voice had trembled and was so weak that she could barely hear herself.

    But it was enough.

    Cedar heard her and just froze in place. His smile had faded a bit, and just the faintest hint remained on his face as he blinked at her. He took a few seconds before he managed to reply. ¡°Pardon me. I think I misunderstood that.¡±

    Lucille was so nauseous that she could have thrown up. The urge to turn away was hard to ignore, but she forced herself to keep looking at her lover. ¡°No. You....understood the right thing.¡± She had been sure that her face couldn''t get hotter, but she felt like she was having a fever by now. ¡°I said that...¡± She couldn''t help but get quieter with each word. ¡°That I would join you.¡±

    Cedar just looked at her for a few more seconds. She had truly caught him off guard. Seeing that was satisfying, but she didn''t have the time to enjoy that when she almost cowered because of her embarrassment. Cedar opened his mouth and closed it again without saying a thing. He did that a few times before he finally spoke. ¡°That... What I said was a joke, you know? I didn''t...¡± He didn''t finish that sentence. Of course, he hadn''t expected her to agree. That was obvious.

    Lucille knew that he had been joking, but she had wanted to get back at him. Apparently, they were both flustered now, so she might have put herself into checkmate while trying to corner her lover. ¡°I...know.¡± She glanced to the side before trying to eye Cedar in the most inconspicuous way possible.

    He was just staring at her and looked like he didn''t believe what she told him. Then he lifted his gaze and stared at something behind her for a moment before he focused his attention on her again. ¡°I see. Then...I have to admit that you won here.¡± It took another few seconds before his smug grin came back. ¡°You convinced me. You may join me if you want to.¡± He was doing this on purpose. He knew that both had seen this as a joke. Now he didn''t want to give up, so he pretended to take this seriously.

    It would be so much easier to just give in and laugh this off as a joke. But Lucille had already ignored her uncertainty once already. It would be a shame to drop the game now.

 Chapter 165: Time For Two (2)

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°

 Chapter 166: Embarrassment and Titles

    ¡°

    they are not needed.¡± Even if that might change soon in the future if Lucille continued to see her lover''s jokes as invitations. That could cause serious issues. Especially if she did something like coaxing her lover into bathing with her and then suddenly throwing her arms around him. Cedar did his best to push the memory of that day aside. For once, he was lucky.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡®The temple shall not hold any political power. While the servants of the gods may act to help our nation and support the citizens of Artias, they may never question the authority of our ruler, the emperor, as well as the authority of the royal family and the aristocratic families of Artias.¡¯ Do you recognize that?¡± He paused for a moment to let the priests understand that before he continued. ¡°That is the first paragraph of the laws connected to religion and the state. It is clearly stated that politics and faith are to be kept far apart from each other. The position of the dowager empress is clearly one of political nature. Theodore is the head of the Estien family, and so, the final decision will be made by him. Especially since this change does not detriment our citizens. Thus, the temple''s involvement is unnecessary.¡±

 Chapter 167: A Mothers Condition

¡°

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°

    It''s better not to remember my mother?¡± She sounded so bitter that she herself was surprised. But she didn''t have any chance to ponder about that when she already began bawling.

 Chapter 168: Old Acquaintance

    Cedar had known that Lucille wouldn''t take the information about her mother well. Still, he had decided that it was better to be honest with her. In retrospect, he might regret that a little.

    Normally, others'' emotions didn''t bother him much. In the past, he had mostly ignored how they were feeling and focused on his issues unless he could use their weaknesses against them. That had changed over time since he had become more compassionate. Still, he wasn''t devastated when he saw other people with tears running down their faces and maybe just a bit uncertain.

    However, he absolutely despised seeing Lucille cry.

    When Cedar witnessed that, it felt like his heart was surrounded by acid, and his chest hurt. He wanted to immediately make it better whenever he saw that she was upset, but in this case, it was, unfortunately, impossible. He couldn''t influence her mother''s decisions, even if he found them stupid. So, Cedar did the best he could do. He hugged Lucille for the entire evening and calmed her down. He went to sleep with her curled up in his arms.

    The next morning, Lucille had still been in a horrible mood. Cedar had tried to cheer her up by ordering her favorite meal and bringing her everything she could like. In the end, that only made it a bit better.

    Lucille was less upset the next evening, but that didn''t erase her bitterness about her mother. It was understandable that she was angry when this reason to abandon her family seemed nonsensical to her. Apparently, Emily had never asked herself how her daughter would feel about this. Now Lucille had found out about the truth, and this had probably been much more painful than seeing her sick mother could have been.

    Especially since treating that sickness would have been possible so that Emily could have expected to reach the age of fifty. At least if she had stayed in the Valerian mansion with little contact with people who could transport illnesses to her, and if she had taken the prescribed medicine to slow down the progression of the illness. But Emily hadn''t done that. Now she would have much less time left.

    That wasn''t Cedar''s problem though. He was focused on his lover and making her feel good. He made sure to shower her with affection and even asked Theodore whether he could take off two days from work. Unsurprisingly, he had received permission so that he had the chance to be with Lucille for the whole day.

    Thankfully, it seemed like she was getting better with time. After another day passed, Lucille stopped thinking about her mother regularly and could busy herself with things again. She said that she was fine too, and superficially, it seemed like she had gotten over what she had found out. But that wasn''t completely true. She still demanded more hugs than normal or occasionally stared into the distance before beginning to cry.

    Seeing that pained Cedar more than anything could have hurt him. He hated witnessing her in this state, and he would have liked to help her out of it. But he couldn''t shape the past. He could just be there for her in the present and do his best to create a wonderful future with her. So, he tried everything he could to support Lucille despite his lack of understanding of normal emotions. To make sure that everything was fine, he even asked Blanche to distract Lucille a bit while he was working or training.

    Today, it seemed like the empress had busied Lucille quite a bit again.

    When Cedar came back from training, she didn''t seem to be present. Instead, Theodore waited in the hallway, surrounded by a group of guards. That was never a good sign.

    Cedar had looked forward to seeing Lucille and was now suddenly confronted with something upsetting, which served to ruin his mood entirely. He spoke up as soon as he reached his brother. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Theodore''s expression was serious but showed no fear or unease, indicating that the threat might not be deadly. But what he said contradicted that. ¡°Do you remember the secret passageways we found a while ago?¡± The one in the empress'' room and the one in Cedar''s old chambers.

    How could Cedar forget? ¡°Did someone use them?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The guards I placed there informed me as soon as they came in. Plus, we caught the former dowager empress asking for a meeting with this intruder earlier today.¡± Theodore probably understood that his brother immediately imagined a group of assassins sneaking in, so he gave more information. ¡°It seems to be a singular person. A young man with dark hair. The description seems to match the man you identified as your guard last time.¡±

    That did catch Cedar off guard. He had expected his mother to send someone deadly, not the singular worst assassin he had ever worked with. ¡°Reeve?¡± He scanned the emperor''s face and then the hallway. ¡°Judging by the fact that you are standing here and guarding the door, I take he is inside and not much of a threat.¡±

    Theodore gave a nod. ¡°Leon is on the balcony to keep him from fleeing, so he is stuck. We have two options now. Either we arrest him immediately, or you can try to press some information from him. You know him best, so you have to guess whether that has any odds of success without endangering yourself.¡±

    Cedar was skeptical. There was no real threat, but Reeve was basically a mercenary, following whoever could offer him a more comfortable life. Getting him to change sides wasn''t impossible, but since he hadn''t done so before, he might be too connected with Camille to give up on that fully. It was always a risk to take in new people, and Reeve probably didn''t know enough to make that risk justified.

    But then again, it was worth an attempt.

    Maybe Camille had some other aces up her sleeve, even if it seemed like her current interactions were monitored. In that case, Cedar would like to know before things escalated. This was a chance he couldn''t just ignore. And so, the decision was made. ¡°I''ll talk to him. Give me a moment alone with him.¡±

    Even though Theodore had suggested this, he immediately spoke again. ¡°Are you sure? We don''t know how he might react if he realizes he is cornered. Is he truly not a threat?¡±

    Cedar certainly wouldn''t risk anything by letting down his guard. But he was stronger than Reeve either way. ¡°If I want to convince him of anything, we need to speak alone. I only need five minutes to gauge his reaction. Not that I expect him to know much.¡± After that, he could either give up or press for more information.

    Theodore''s hesitation made his mood quite obvious. He wasn''t fond of this decision, even though he agreed that Cedar had better chances by going in alone. ¡°If anything even seems a little-¡±

    Cedar already knew what his brother would say, so he cut him off. ¡°I''ll be fine, Theodore. All of you are waiting here, right? Leon is close to us as well. Besides, Reeve is a horrible fighter. I have my sword, so I can defeat him in seconds.¡±

    Theodore didn''t reply anymore, but his expression was grim.

    Cedar stepped into the room anyway, making sure to direct the guards a few steps away so that they wouldn''t be seen from the door. He shut the door behind him as he carefully looked around. Almost immediately, he caught a glimpse of something that shouldn''t be here from the corner of his eyes.

    That almost made Cedar want to laugh. Only one person would have the glorious idea to eat something while infiltrating the palace. He decided that this was obvious enough for him to react to it. ¡°No way. Reeve? I didn''t see you for an eternity.¡± He tried his best to sound surprised while hiding his tension. He carefully moved his hand to the sheath on his hip and prepared to pull out the sword he was carrying with him to protect himself.

    A second later, some rustling sounded. Then a man with dark clothes stepped out from behind the door to the secondary seating room. That certainly was Reeve, even if his expression was much more serious than it had been ever before. He looked rather uncertain while he hugged himself. This gesture was probably meant to show that he wouldn''t initiate combat all of a sudden, but it only made the prince more prepared for a surprise attack.

    But Reeve didn''t lunge forward. He just stayed at the same spot and spoke up with a quiet voice. ¡°Hey. It''s really been a while. I''m...glad to see that you have been doing well. You moved into an even more luxurious room and get fed extremely tasty things. Your brother gets along with you, the empress likes you, and they blessed your engagement with a nice girl. Congratulations.¡±

    Cedar didn''t let his guard down. He wouldn''t explain that this wasn''t quite true since he wasn''t engaged either. ¡°You look like you aged five years in those few months.¡±

    Reeve lifted his hand to scratch his neck, which immediately made the prince tense. But the guard didn''t try to attack and only replied without any aggression in his voice. ¡°Well, I had to deal with quite a few issues. Your brother caused some serious trouble for me after you revealed who I was. He sent people after me left and right, and I could barely settle down before someone showed up.¡±

    Cedar almost felt bad for having used Reeve to prove that he wouldn''t listen to Camille. Almost. After all, he knew that Reeve wasn''t as innocent as he normally seemed. That man had killed people. So, Cedar wouldn''t hesitate to fight back if he was attacked. ¡°You probably would have tried something during Mother''s banquet if I hadn''t gotten rid of you. I couldn''t risk any of the guests being injured, so this was the only way for me to save the situation. I could also have thrown you to the floor immediately, but that wouldn''t have been a good idea during a banquet.¡± He sounded carefree and rather cheerful, but he kept scanning the man in front of him.

    The prince wanted to be prepared for any kind of issues that could arise, so he had to read every slight movement to react in time. He should be able to rely on his reflexes during a surprise attack, but he would rather be careful than reckless. He didn''t want his side to be sliced open again.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Reeve didn''t admit to the truth, which only proved that he had planned on doing something during the banquet. But he spoke about something else. ¡°I see. That...makes sense. Still, the emperor can be rather ruthless if he targets you... I was cornered a few times.¡± That was good. After all, this had ensured that he wouldn''t be able to listen to Camille''s orders while he was being followed. But apprentice, he had seen her today.

    Cedar tried to move as slowly as possible while he took a step to the side so that he was closer to the center of the room. Later, he could try to use the fact that he knew his way around to corner his enemy and find the vases he could throw. Not only was he the better fighter, but he also had an advantage because he knew the surroundings. This should be easy, but he wouldn''t make the mistake of underestimating his enemy.

    And even though Cedar wouldn''t hesitate to kill if he needed to, he would rather avoid it. Especially when he faced someone like Reeve, whom he had treated as a casual acquaintance for a while. ¡°I presume Mother troubled you a lot too.¡±

    Reeve let out a nervous chuckle. ¡°Indeed. She always used to be ruthless, but I feel like she lost the last bit of her sanity by now. I mean, she was stripped of her title, and her son told her that he wouldn''t see her anymore after he broke her arm. Don''t get me wrong. She deserved all of that. But you know how she is. She will blame anyone but herself. And in the end, you may have been a bit harsh with her.¡±

    Cedar wouldn''t admit that he regretted it each time he was cold to Camille. Even if she deserved that and much worse, he hated seeing her upset. But he would never tell anyone but Lucille. Instead, he gave his best to seem as indifferent as possible as he replied. ¡°Then you won''t like what will happen in the near future. Theodore will make her a commoner. And then he will most certainly bring up all of her old crimes to push her over the edge. Even sending assassins and bribing judges will not help her this time. Theodore decided to utterly crush her and everyone that sides with her. You should know what that means for you.¡± He stared right into the other''s eyes.

    Reeve was quiet for a short moment before he glanced to the side. ¡°It seems like I already received a taste of that. Hopefully, I won''t be treated as unkindly as her.¡± He scratched the back of his head before slowly lowering his hand.

    For Cedar, that was enough of a reason to brace for an attack. But nothing happened. Yet, he didn''t dare to relax and just held tightly onto the sword handle. He would only need a second to pull it out. ¡°We will see about that. You will suffer if you continue to stand by that woman. But that is your choice. How did you get in here?¡±

    Reeve glanced to the side and replied in a weak voice. ¡°A secret passageway.¡± As expected.

    Everything was going according to Theodore''s plan then.

    Cedar would have liked to glance at the balcony to confirm that Leon was there, but he couldn''t give his enemy a hint. So, he just kept staring at the guard. ¡°I see. Then it seems like we have been lenient with the security.¡± The prince scanned the other man for a few seconds before he spoke while pulling the sword out of the sheath while making sure to let the metal screech to create the most unpleasant sound. ¡°You know that attacking me will not do you any good. I will crush you if you take a single step.¡± He wasn''t even arrogant when he said that. If they started with this fact, maybe he could keep his former guard from attacking at all.

    Reeve changed his stance a bit. His legs stood farther apart now, and he turned his upper body slightly. He was waiting for a fight. ¡°I don''t have a chance here, Your Royal Highness. I am aware. But refusing the order of the dowager empress, or rather the former dowager empress, will cost me my head. So, I''d rather have you finish me off than that witch.¡±

    Cedar showed the other man a bright smile. This was exactly what he had previously thought when it came to playing along with his mother and just swallowing his unwillingness. Now he saw it differently, so being blindly obedient didn''t make sense to him. ¡°I cannot fathom why you would begin a fight that could get you killed instead of running away. Mother is too busy fuming to chase after you. She is also stuck in her mansion. You could just disappear.¡±

    Reeve snorted at that. He scanned the prince as if he wanted to check whether the other man would attack him before he replied. ¡°And where would I go? Back to the city to live on the streets while being chased by royal guards? I had to do that for the past few weeks already, and that was unfavorable. So, it seems like I am at a dead end.¡±

    Cedar had thought that too. And then he had met Lucille. He considered trying to phrase that in a more pleasant way, but in the end, Reeve wasn''t someone who needed to be manipulated. That man had a rather simple thought process. ¡°Allow me to be so frank. You don''t have to work for her anymore. Join us. Who but the emperor could protect you from my mother? And you will certainly find a place to sleep here too.¡±

    Reeve froze, but he didn''t let out a single noise. He just stared at the prince as if he expected something else to follow. Maybe he was just surprised too.

    Cedar wasn''t sure, but he kept insisting anyway. ¡°Why are you so silent? If you need to think about whom you are loyal to, you probably have to change your master.¡± He was prepared to talk about how cruel his mother was, but that wasn''t needed.

    Reeve already replied. ¡°The one I serve is you. That is why I shouldn''t hesitate.¡± His expression was so uncharacteristically serious that it was odd to see as he continued. ¡°But you haven''t seen that woman''s mental state during the past few weeks. She is worse than ever before. She has become even more cruel, sadistic and hysteric than she was. You know what that means. I am unlucky enough to be one of the few people she remembers. She will remember me if I betray her, and you know what happens then. If she finds out that I changed sides-¡± He worried about the consequences. So, he did consider changing sides.

    Cedar showed him a wide grin and cut him off. ¡°She won''t care.¡± He waited for a moment to let the other man look at him in shock before he resumed. ¡°You just said that her sanity is going downhill. I presume that she can barely think straight at the moment. She will grieve her rank and won''t focus on you or any other servants. She will focus on Theodore and hate him with even more passion than before. You will be the last goal she has in mind. Especially not when you don''t show your face to her ever again. Theodore will kill her in about three months anyway. You don''t need to worry about anything.¡±

    Reeve hesitated for a bit too long. Those reasons made sense. And he was the type of person who only needed logic that protected them from their cowardice. As long as one could convince him that he would stay safe, he would probably agree to anything. And right now, he seemed to think about this for real.

    That would be nice since Cedar didn''t want to kill him. So, he just continued to offer arguments. ¡°Besides, we are in the royal palace. You don''t need to fear anything here. This is the most secure location in this whole nation. No one can enter without the emperor''s permission.¡±

    Reeve blinked once before he let out a little laugh. A smug grin formed on his lips, but that was obviously fake. ¡°My visit should prove the opposite. Your brother thinks he is very clever, but even he can''t keep anyone from entering.¡±

    Possibly. But Cedar pretended to be confident. He focused on talking, but he still held the sword tightly in his hand. ¡°No. Your presence just affirms my words. Which one did you use?¡±

    Reeve seemed a bit surprised at that. ¡°What?¡±

    Cedar would gladly use that confusion to take him off guard. He needed to create doubt if he wanted to save Reeve from being executed later after all information had been pressed from him. ¡°I asked which passageway you chose. You could have used the one in the empress'' chambers or the one that leads to the fireplace in my room. Both are close enough to here so that you could sneak over while wearing servant clothes, right? You spoke to Mother earlier this day, and then you quickly formulated that simple plan.¡±

    Reeve''s initial shock only affirmed that guess. He suddenly felt much less comfortable in the room and glanced to the side as if he wanted to confirm that they were really alone. But he didn''t look at the balcony.

    Cedar showed him a blinding smile as he continued. ¡°Your plan was good, unless you remember that I''m not a suitable opponent for most people. However, you made one error. You failed to notice that Theodore has people watching over Mother''s mansion and those passageways. We know when she speaks to anyone or someone comes in. And Theodore will certainly not let me fend off an assassin on my own even if I am more than capable. Support is already waiting on the balcony.¡±

    Now Reeve spun around and jumped away from the windows. He reached for his pocket, which made it seem like he had his hand on the handle of a dagger. But he didn''t draw the weapon yet. He stayed completely still while waiting for the reaction. Apparently, his quick movement alerted the person outside.

    The glass door was opened, and Leon stepped inside as if nothing was wrong. Merely the dagger in his hand proved that he was prepared for a fight. He glanced at Cedar to confirm whether everything was fine before piercing Reeve with his eyes.

    Reeve shifted his weight forward a bit to be quicker on his feet. He was much more on edge now, probably because he knew that there was no way to get out anymore. A fight against Cedar would have been bad enough, and if others got involved, it was impossible for him to even do a single thing.

    A few seconds passed while no one said anything. Cedar chose to break the silence when it got too annoying. ¡°You two haven''t met, I assume. This is Leonard Astame, the emperor''s advisor.¡± He gestured to Leon before pointing at the other man. ¡°This is Reeve, my former guard. I hope that the two of you will get along from now on.¡± He focused his attention on Reeve and spoke up in a cheerful tone. ¡°Just so that you know it, Leon is a former assassin. He can and will fight you if you do something stupid. Do you want to have a duel to confirm who is better?¡±

    Reeve gritted his teeth. He still was prepared to fight, but he just stood there and kept glancing at the two other men while keeping his weapon close to him. He pressed out a reply between his teeth. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m not that stupid. I won''t attack you or that...monster.¡±

    Cedar glanced at Leon and gave him a skeptical look. ¡°That sounded like he was speaking from experience. No way. Do you know each other?¡±

    Leon scanned Reeve''s face again before he replied. ¡°No. I''m good at remembering faces, but I haven''t seen him. I only know the description Theodore gave me.¡±

    Reeve looked like he wanted to stay quiet, but when the others stared at him, he spoke. ¡°Well, we don''t really know each other. But I do remember the face of the most infamous assassin from a few years ago. I once ran into him because we had the same target. I may be good, but I won''t lose the ability to compare myself to others. I won''t win a fight against either of you. And defeating both would require a little army.¡± That was exaggerated. But it underlined that Reeve respected Leon''s fighting skills, which could only mean that Leonard had killed someone in front of him with such talent that he was still fearful.

    Cedar was content with that. They could go without staining the carpet because of some stupid fight. Still, he couldn''t help making a snarky comment again. ¡°So, you''re scared of him. That is rare. And frankly speaking, I am a bit offended. You respect Leon but never held back when joking about me? I think there is a serious issue here.¡±

    Reeve snorted while he glanced at Cedar. ¡°Oh, don''t worry. You are terrifying too. With you, I can just be sure that killing me would be too annoying for you because you know that the room will have to be cleaned. I have no idea what that man is thinking though.¡± He forced himself to relax a little and stood upright again. Seemingly, he had given up on a fight.

    Leon looked rather content with that. He twirled around the dagger in his hand, which he definitely only did to brag, before he spoke in a slightly louder voice. ¡°Everything is clear now. The intruder will not fight.¡±

    Seconds later, the main door to the hallway was opened. Within a single second, a dozen guards rushed in and aimed their swords at Reeve, who raised his arms immediately and froze in the place.

    Theodore followed the group and quickly strode over to stop next to his brother. ¡°Are you alright? No one hurt?¡±

    Cedar confirmed that with a nod. ¡°No one attacked anyone. You can refrain from panicking.¡± He finally dared to lower his sword but didn''t let go of it, just in case that something went wrong.

    Reeve was in a much more difficult position. He balled his fists so tightly that his knuckles were white as he probably expected the worst already. He scanned the people around him before looking at the emperor and the prince. For a few seconds, he didn''t move before he finally admitted defeat. ¡°This is unfavorable.¡± He lowered his arms and took a deep breath. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small dagger, which he dropped to the floor before kicking it away. Then he lifted his hands again to show that he wouldn''t do anything when one of the guards moved his sword closer to him.

    Cedar kept an eye on that since he really didn''t need Reeve to cause trouble at this point in time. Still, he focused on Theodore for a bit to explain what had happened in more detail. He planned on saying that they might be able to convince Reeve to join them under the condition that someone watched him at first to confirm whether he was loyal. But since Reeve would be loyal to anyone who gave him food and a place to sleep, it should be fine. Cedar didn''t get to say that though.

    At that moment, someone else came rushing into the room.

    Cedar only needed to see a trace of red to confirm who the person who rushed toward him was. He dropped his sword and extended his arms to catch Lucille, who almost knocked him over.

 Chapter 169: Double Agent

¡°

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°

 Chapter 170: A Long Conversation and Clarity Regarding the Past (1)

¡°

    ¡°

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 171: A Long Conversation and Clarity Regarding the Past (2)

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    ¡°

    so much better. So, they had worked together to twist the story until Cedar had believed it. Apparently, they had spun their lies for years, and he had only noticed now. His actual skill had never mattered, just Camille''s desire to cause discord.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    most things Camille told him had been lies. He was well aware of that, and still, he had never been able to resist her before meeting Lucille. He stared down at the tests for a moment longer before he put them on the table and met his brother''s gaze. ¡°It seems like I was misinformed then. So, the younger incapable brother isn''t that incapable, huh?¡±

    ¡°helped him.¡± Theodore stressed that word to underline his intention. ¡°You did everything for that woman so that you had to balance learning, training, keeping her from throwing tantrums and working as the empress in a way. Your life was very busy.¡±

    You are good enough. You are more than good enough. So, you can be proud of yourself.¡±

 Chapter 172: The First Night

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    <hr>

 Chapter 173: The Morning After

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    want to reveal that he had no idea what to do in a relationship, but he didn''t have to be scared of that option either. At least he told himself that. His reluctance to show weakness was already resurfacing, but he did his best to ignore that and focused on his lover.

    <hr>

 Chapter 174: Children (1)

¡°

    ¡°

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 175: Children (2)

¡°

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°

 Chapter 176: Persistence (1)

    trying to examine Aurora. He could barely bring his small mirror into Aurora''s mouth to check her throat since the little girl didn''t find that funny after all. She whined each time he moved the mirror closer to her and balled her tiny fists while trying to get her parents to intervene. She only calmed down when her father took her hand in his and tapped on her fingers a few times. Aurora seemed to be distracted again, but she still didn''t open her mouth.

    ¡°

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 177: Persistence (2)

    Cedar''s day had been rather pleasant in the beginning. As he opened up his eyes, the soft sunlight shone onto him. The room was tinted in a gentle red, and he could slowly wake up without hurrying. Though, the best thing was his lover, who was curled up in his arms. He watched her for a moment until he was satisfied and let his head rest on the pillow again.

    Then Cedar became distracted though. He hadn''t wanted to think about it at all, but his mind automatically wandered into territories he didn''t need to explore. Memories from his childhood came up, which proved that he had probably dreamed something about his past but had forgotten it after waking up. Maybe the invitation for a dinner with his mother had reminded him too. Either way, he didn''t want to dwell on that, much like he didn''t want to dwell on his guilty conscience.

    For the most part, it was fine, especially when matters like Lucille''s family problems distracted him. But when Cedar had free time and nothing to do, he thought about his mother. Then it got unpleasant. It had been a while since he had seen Camille, a while since he had said such horrible things to her. Almost a month had passed, and yet, the memory of Camille''s expression made him nauseous.

    Cedar tried to direct his thoughts in another direction. He managed to do that, but the memory of him grabbing and breaking his mother''s arm was still fresh in his mind, even though that was even further away than the trial. He didn''t want to ponder that, so he thought about the near future instead.

    What would happen during the following month? The first thing that came to his mind was his mother''s demand to join her for dinner. He had refused that, but most likely, Camille would try something else. Sometimes, it was really helpful that she didn''t seem to think clearly when it came to things like this. Her plots were often predictable and rather simple-minded, and that was quite relieving.

    Cedar glanced at Lucille to make sure that she truly wasn''t half-awake before he gave himself permission to move slightly. Now his position was much more pleasant, and he could still hold his lover without cutting off the blood flow in his arms. He watched his beloved for a few seconds and allowed himself to kiss her forehead before he held still again. Before his thoughts could wander to unpleasant matters, he quickly focused on something else that would be important very soon.

    The hunting festival was in three weeks.

    On that day, anyone who cared for a challenge would hunt in the forest near the palace. They had two hours to gather as many animals as possible. They received points for the prey they brought back, and depending on an animal''s size, the points ranged from one to three. The current record was at thirteen points, which Theodore had scored the festival before the last one. Since the emperor traditionally always won because no one wanted to offend him, the identity of the victor hadn''t been surprising, but the sudden improvement of a man who had hated training before had caused an uproar.

    Cedar himself had been irritated after hearing that his personal guard had been killed by Theodore within a single motion of the sword. He hadn''t grieved much for that arrogant man, but still, his brother''s skills had surprised him. But that wasn''t the point.

    During the hunt, each lady brought a handkerchief, which originally should have been embroidered by the concerned person herself but was often bought now. She handed that to the person she wanted to win. That normally was a member of her family or someone she had a romantic interest in, like her fianc¨¦. If the person won, the honor of their victory was due to the lucky lady who had given them her handkerchief.

    Cedar had never taken part until now. Before being put in confinement, he had been too young, and last year, he had been busy trying to keep his mother in check after they had been put into confinement due to the revolt again. But this year, he might hunt as well. Even if that place would reawaken unpleasant memories since he remembered how Althea had died there, he would like to offer Lucille his victory. Surely, he would need to put in a bit of effort to be better than his brother, which always was somewhat difficult, but he couldn''t just give up. He was good at shooting arrows, so it shouldn''t be an issue for him to gain at least fourteen points. He knew that he would take the second place at least, but trying to win over his brother was tempting when he had a valid chance, especially when he knew that Theodore would give his best as well. Preparing for that hunt seemed like a good way to distract himself, so he might as well train archery and horse riding a bit again before he made his choice.

    The only other missing thing missing would be a handkerchief, given to him by Lucille. Surely, she wouldn''t mind making him one. She had always been good at embroidery, and the first handkerchief she had gifted him was still one of his favorites. He had rarely seen something as beautiful as that, and knowing that she had made it for him still made him happy whenever he saw it. If Cedar gave her something in return, maybe he could ask for a second one.

    The bigger question was whether she would be willing to publicly hand it over to him and admit to their relationship like that. They already seemed like a couple to everyone in noble society, and they planned to marry, but she might not be ready to show it.

    Cedar would respect Lucille''s wishes either way. He should ask her once she woke up.

    <hr>

    In the end, Lucille slept for at least another half an hour before she slowly became more restless and woke up. She showed her lover a little breathtaking smile as soon as she saw him, which earned her a kiss immediately. After that, she was shy for a few minutes, most likely because she thought about the evening before, until she calmed down a little.

    Cedar used that to his advantage. He took his time cuddling with her before they finally stood up and ate breakfast together. At some point, he found the perfect moment to mention the hunting festival.

    Lucille was rather enthusiastic about the prospect of making him a handkerchief. She beamed at him and promised that it would be the best she had ever worked on. Upon being asked whether she would hand it over officially that day too, he received a shy nod from her. Apparently, his worries had been for naught again since she liked this idea as much as he did.

    After that conversation, Cedar was in a good mood. That stayed the same when he brought Lucille to the royal couple''s room, received a kiss as a goodbye and left before he visited his brother''s office. He was fully prepared to deal with some boring contracts without destroying his current good mood. But of course, the gods hadn''t allowed him to be this lucky for long. For some reason, his day had needed to get worse again.

    As soon as he came inside, he saw Reeve standing next to the desk, and that proved one thing immediately.

    Cedar made eye contact with his brother and the assassin as he closed the door behind him. He walked over to the desk and showed the others a bright smile while he couldn''t hold back the snarky comment. ¡°You left two days ago. How come Mother already planned something that includes you breaking into the palace again? Did she forget that you were caught last time?¡±

    Reeve returned a weak smile before he shrugged. ¡°Good day, Your Royal Highness. After I pointed that out, she said, or rather yelled, that it would be fine as long as I don''t let you see me. I was supposed to put some liquid in your meal. To be honest, I have no idea what it does since she was so hysterical while telling me that I couldn''t understand a word. I think she was upset because you broke her arm while you wouldn''t hurt me even when I came to attack you.¡±

    Cedar let out a huff at that. ¡°You didn''t try to kill my lover in front of me while I only had one second left to react. If you had done that, I would have broken your arm too. In this case, it''s Mother''s fault.¡± At least he told himself that despite feeling horribly guilty. But at the moment, he couldn''t focus on that. He scanned the other man''s face for a moment before adding another remark. ¡°Besides, I think that your current injuries are more than enough. What happened? Did you fall out of a tree again?¡±

    Reeve unwillingly lifted his hand before reminding himself that he couldn''t touch his reddened nose. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°No. I''m not that stupid. That sarcastic idiot said that it was better to make it more believable and almost broke my nose as a cover. I know that I''m an assassin too, but that man is insane.¡± Most likely, he was talking about Leon, who seemed to be a bit extreme in some situations.

    Cedar didn''t want to make the decision in that regard since he wasn''t sure what Leon had been thinking, so he didn''t give Reeve a response. He turned his attention to his brother. ¡°And? What kind of liquid is it?¡±

    Theodore''s expression was unusually grim to the point at which he looked like he was planning a murder. Thus, part of his response was already obvious before he spoke. ¡°It''s similar to the ones you brought along from the outside. It''s the one from the purple vial. Our former dowager empress truly wants to make her death more painful. She keeps planning such petty things even when the noose is tightening around her neck.¡± So, it had been a drug that made a person go into a hysteric state.

    Cedar almost sighed at so much stupidity. ¡°She tried that a few times already. When will she give up?¡± He was slowly getting annoyed with his mother. He might not be willing to admit it out loud, but it was a bit insulting that Camille thought that he would be swayed to do horrible things as long as she drugged him. Cedar leaned against the desk and crossed his arms before adding the rest of his thoughts. ¡°So, we only have one choice, right? We will say that Reeve drugged me and that I locked myself in my room after noticing that something was wrong. If we are lucky, this will make Mother remember that I am rather good at ignoring unpleasant feelings.¡±

    Theodore let out a noise of pure frustration. ¡°I don''t think that woman will remember anything. She is too stupid to understand anything that doesn''t fit into her delusional world. She wants everyone to act how she would like it, and if they don''t do that, she finds excuses. Currently, she believes that Lucille is the reason why you turned away and wants to harm her. Of course, we won''t let that happen, and she is completely isolated. But...¡±

    Cedar nodded already and replied. ¡°I understand. I will be careful and tell Lucille to keep an eye open as well.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Theodore didn''t seem happy yet anyway, but he calmed down a bit. ¡°Good.¡± He directed his gaze to Reeve. ¡°Tell us everything you heard that woman say. The other staff picked up a lot already, but even random syllables could help.¡±

    Reeve seemed to feel a bit uncomfortable between the two men. He looked from one to the other before he quietly replied. ¡°I can''t guarantee that I remember everything. I will...try to repeat as much as possible.¡± In the end, he truly didn''t remember too much. He gave his best, but Camille had voiced little but insults that were directed at everyone living inside the palace. This didn''t help at all, so they relied on the main plan.

    They came to the conclusion that Reeve would claim that he had poured the drug into the prince''s drink and that a servant had tested the meal and figured out the effects before Cedar had eaten it. Hopefully, that would be convincing enough for Camille. This was all they needed to discuss, and Reeve was allowed to leave early.

    For the rest of the hour, Theodore described some ideas that he wanted to use to increase the security around the important places in the palace. Cedar listened the whole time while trying to remember whether he had ever planned on using some weak spot in the palace''s security for his own gain. It seemed like his brother had covered everything though, which was relieving. Still, both tried to come up with new plans together, which would have been unthinkable just a few months ago.

    After that conversation, Cedar returned to his lover. Apparently, he had missed her though. Lucille had left the empress'' room a few minutes ago and had already gone back to her own room. Cedar wasn''t proud of it, but he felt a sting in his stomach as soon as he heard that. A part of him was scared already and feared that something had happened to Lucille. Thus, he was rather fast on his way back and almost ran into someone. When he arrived at their room and came inside, his worry was wiped away as soon as he saw her.

    Lucille was sitting at the table and used a pen to write something on a blank piece of paper. When she heard the door, she looked up and greeted him with a soft smile. ¡°You''re back early. Were today''s documents simple?¡±

    Cedar would have been happier reading boring documents, but unfortunately, he hadn''t done that today. ¡°No. Actually, we did something else. But it wasn''t too pleasant. You did more enjoyable things, right?¡±

    Lucille hesitated for a moment. She closed her pen and then put it away before she stood up and walked over to her lover. ¡°I was just writing a letter to Fiona. She keeps asking what is going on with us, and I can barely write anything in return, so I had to gather ideas. But that isn''t really important. You said that today was unpleasant. What happened?¡±

    Cedar pulled her into his arms to give himself a treat in exchange for dealing with this mess. ¡°Mother sent Reeve here to drug me again. She really wants to use something that will make me hysteric, and it''s infuriating because I need to worry about what someone will put in our food now. I don''t get what she wants. Trying to kill me would be more effective, but well. There is not much we can do about this.¡±

    A frown appeared on Lucille''s forehead. ¡°That woman is unbelievable.¡± She said that with so much anger in her voice that it almost sounded like a curse. Lucille had never been very fond of Camille, and by now, that dislike had turned into pure resentment.

    Cedar had to admit that he would feel the exact same thing if his mother hadn''t raised him. ¡°Right? I have given up on understanding her.¡± He was just glad if he alone attracted Camille''s fury. Cedar could deal with being attacked by assassins, but his lover couldn''t. He would have to be there to protect her and rely on the guards being a bit more careful from now on. Even if he found his mother''s obsession with wishing for him to hurt his lover or others around him concerning.

    Lucille hugged him tightly and pressed her face against his chest for a moment. She held still like that until she felt the need to look into his eyes again. ¡°You said that you expect your mother to try something because she wanted to see you. Was this it?¡±

    Cedar leaned his forehead against his lover''s before he sighed. ¡°No. There is something else. I have a bad feeling about this. Mother wouldn''t just send something like this without checking the damages. She will insist on meeting us. Maybe because she hopes that I would hurt you while I am drugged so that you would push me away after that. Or she wants me to feel bad because of what I told her. Either way, she will force our hand so that we can''t refuse her. She can stop eating again, or she will come up with something else. She has enough options.¡± To be honest, he wasn''t even sure what he would favor. If his mother repeated what she had done once already, he would know what to expect. In that case, he might be able to prepare a bit, but Camille might as well try something completely different like hurting herself.

    Lucille''s expression darkened when she heard that. She lowered her gaze and stared at something imaginative for a moment. ¡°I see. That''s...unfavorable.¡± She stayed quiet for a few seconds after that until she had gathered the courage to speak. ¡°I...would like to ask something. I don''t know if the question is stupid though.¡±

    ¡°A question can''t be stupid.¡± And if Camille was involved, it only made sense for any sane person to be confused. ¡°What are you worrying about? I will answer every question to the best of my ability.¡± Cedar stroked over his lover''s hair and hoped that she would be fully honest with him.

    Lucille nodded weakly before she spoke. ¡°I don''t get why your mother is still alive. She committed treason multiple times. And Theodore said that she committed a lot of other crimes as well. Even if she was dowager empress until a while ago, that doesn''t protect her from everything, right? Why isn''t Theodore just executing her? It''s a completely logical step. He should have done that seven years ago already, but he keeps waiting, and I don''t understand why.¡±

    Cedar had to admit that a part of him slowly began to understand after talking to Theodore again and again. This wasn''t just about getting rid of the prince''s former faction and protecting Cedar from harm. This was also to protect the whole political stability in itself.

    And to maintain that stability, Theodore had to move slowly and pull out one block after the other while ensuring that the tower could continue to stand upright. At the moment, he was almost done and just needed to remove a few more pieces, but the tower was already threatening to tip over. That was why he was so reluctant.

    ¡°He is waiting for her to mess up one last time.¡±

    Lucille looked at him with a questioning gaze. She waited for a few seconds, and when he didn''t specify, she opened her mouth. ¡°Didn''t she mess up enough already?¡±

    Cedar showed her a bright smile. He was much more worried about this than he wanted to admit, mostly because he could guess that his mother was about to snap now. He wasn''t sure what to expect, whether he could hope for her to be as unimaginative as always or whether she would use new tricks. Hopefully, Theodore was prepared for both. After all, Camille''s cruelty had to be deflected under any circumstances.

    ¡°She did mess up a lot. But there is an issue regarding the current situation. I can''t read my brother''s mind, so I can only guess. I think Theodore isn''t as confident as he pretends to be. He knows that he theoretically doesn''t need the public''s support to rule. But in reality, he is dependent on most people accepting him as their ruler. He shouldn''t have any problems with that since he is doing a great job and is mostly friendly with everyone. However, that could change if he gets too reckless. I mean, at the moment, he is getting rid of Mother''s supporters by using cheap methods behind everyone''s backs. Those are nobles he is punishing, so it poses a great risk to the political balance. That is why this is taking so long. And there is another reason.¡±

    Lucille watched him while he spoke. It seemed like she was very much interested in what would follow. ¡°Was it that reason?¡±

    Cedar probably shouldn''t speak for his brother, but he replied anyway. ¡°No matter how horrible she is, if Theodore orders the execution of his own mother, people will wrinkle their noses. That''s why he uses her crimes as his backing. He wants to prove that he was lenient three times before she pushed him over the edge. He wants to make it look like this. After the first assassination attempt, he put her in confinement. Then he allowed her to come back and tried to be amicable with her, but she kept insulting him and his wife. In the end, she prepared a violent revolt and tried to murder him again. So, she was put into confinement once more. After a fire, she was allowed to come back a second time, but she abused that chance too. She attacked you and me in the royal palace and thus irreversibly destroyed any trust one could have had in her. She wasn''t able to pin that crime on anyone else but has to bear the full consequences. Theodore mentioned all of her previous wrongdoings and justified taking away her title with that.¡±

    ¡°Is that really it? Do the people need so many confirmations that that woman is a monster?¡± Lucille''s eyes showed a bit more hurt and anger than she wanted to reveal.

    ¡°After all of this, anyone would be on Theodore''s side. But Mother won''t give up, which will be her downfall. If Mother orders anything illegal like that now, while she isn''t a member of royalty, she will be sentenced to death immediately. And since she had four chances to mend her ways and refused to, no one will pity her. No person will blame Theodore for protecting his family after this whole mess. I understand why he is doing it. I''m not happy about it, but I understand.¡± Much like he understood his brother''s desire to hurt Camille before her death. But he wouldn''t mention that in front of Lucille.

    His lover looked like she was rather uncertain. She understood Theodore''s reasoning, but she probably still worried since this was somewhat risky. ¡°So...you are waiting for her to try to kill you?¡±

    Cedar stiffly nodded. He was almost completely sure that another assassination attempt would follow, even if he had no idea what kind Camille would pick. And this time, he needed to be cautious too. His mother might not have wanted his death before because she had believed that he would come back. But as soon as she was convinced that he would leave, she would despise him even more than she had ever hated Theodore or even Althea. ¡°We are indeed waiting for her to try to kill us. She won''t do it herself since she can''t get that close anymore. So, she may send assassins or try to poison us. I don''t know. Reeve or the other people around her should pick up on that and tell us as soon as she comes up with something. But no matter what, she wants to meet me one more time before that.¡± He had no desire to go to that meeting and would do his best to avoid it, but he almost expected his mother to starve herself again just so that he would come to her.

    Lucille was quiet for a moment. She looked at her lover and scanned his expression as if she wanted to take in every slight trace of emotions that she could see there. When she found what she had been looking for, she spoke up. ¡°I will come with you.¡± She almost seemed a bit taken aback after saying that. She paused for a second before she revised her words. ¡°Of course, I hope that we can avoid that, but...if you need to see her, I will come with you. I don''t want to leave that woman alone with you. So, tell me about your decision when you know what she is trying, alright?¡±

    Cedar had to admit that having Lucille worry about him was a bit satisfying. Unfortunately, the whole situation wasn''t pleasant at all, so he wasn''t too happy about it. ¡°I don''t intend to meet her, but thank you.¡± The last time he had seen Camille, he had said rather harsh things to her. She would demand an apology while she panically tried to find signs of regret in him. Maybe she would use her broken arm to gain sympathy and act nice. Maybe she would yell at him and tell him that he shouldn''t have been born. That didn''t matter either. ¡°We will just...try to use Theodore''s protection to get out of this in some way. But for now, we don''t have to deal with that.¡± He slowly let go of his lover and grabbed her hand instead. They had stood around here for too long. It was time for them to do something more exciting. ¡°You still need to finish the letter for Lady Lamont, right?¡±

    Lucille glanced at the desk. It almost seemed like she had forgotten about that already. ¡°Ah. Yes. It won''t take long. But I can also do it a bit later.¡±

    Cedar smiled at her and lifted his hand to tap on her nose. ¡°No, no. It''s better if you do it now. You already begun, so I won''t interrupt you. I have an idea of what we could do afterward though. Let''s go to the library after you finish writing your letter. I remember that there were some strange books on one of the shelves when I was a child. Something about secret organizations. That sounds interesting enough to read about it at least once, right?¡± He was proposing this to distract himself more than he actually wanted to see those books. Once again, he had been right with his assumption about his lover''s interests though.

    Lucille adored the library, and going there seemed to be a treat for her. She happily nodded before she sat down at the desk to continue writing.

    Cedar watched her with a smile on his face as well, but inwardly, he was already going through all the things his mother could try. He hated imagining what could happen and was even a little scared of what would follow.

    Unfortunately, the next few days proved that he knew his mother well.

    As expected, Camille found a way to insist on a meeting and used Cedar''s feelings against him. With every day that she didn''t give up, one thing became clearer.

    If Camille was sacrificing her pride, she would make sure that everyone around her would regret this later.

 Chapter 178: Forced Meeting

    Lucille had never doubted that her lover would be right about Camille. But he had been scarily accurate about when his mother would begin to trouble him, and he had recognized the pattern after just one incident as well.

    For the past ten days, the same had happened each time. News from the mansion where Camille lived came and revealed that she was barely eating or drinking. She only took what was necessary and consumed less every day. For a frail woman whose mental state had been very poor before and who hadn''t been treated nicely by the servants, this wasn''t helpful. She got worse with every day and almost decayed. Reeve had explained that it was pretty bad and that she got more and more explosive each time he saw her. She couldn''t cause any problems since she was constantly surrounded by guards though.

    The actual problem began around noon.

    Camille theoretically shouldn''t leave the mansion at all, but no one stopped her if she wanted to run around and exhaust herself for no reason. She was merely not allowed to come close to any other people or to enter the royal garden around the palace. That led to her standing by the side gates each day while she waited for someone to pay attention to her. She usually stood upright for a few minutes before she got too weak and sat down. During the first days, she had gotten a chair, but after that, she had decided that kneeling on the floor looked more pitiful. Now she methodically repeated the same thing each day and showed those around her a pathetic display.

    Anyone that didn''t know her would have had sympathy. After all, a frail woman with dark circles under her eyes who knelt on the floor and hadn''t eaten a lot for a while now quickly managed to get others onto her side. Especially if she began talking about how her son had abandoned her for a whore that had manipulated him because she wanted to steal his wealth. Apparently, she was rather good at playing the role of the poor woman who had been deserted just because she had told her son the truth.

    What perfected Camille''s act was where she had positioned herself. She had chosen a gate visible from the wing of the palace where the office and the main bedrooms were located.

    Cedar could see her while he worked and while he spent his time in his room. He was in those two locations most of the time, and whenever he looked outside, he could find a hunched-over figure that knelt in front of the gates to the royal estate and begged to be allowed to see his face just once. Cedar wouldn''t admit it, but he hated that display. He usually tried to avert his eyes, but he wasn''t always successful. Whenever he glanced at the window, he acted like he had been stung by something and hurried to turn away. And yet, he kept looking out of the windows. He might not be doing it on purpose, but it made his true feelings obvious. Of course, he wasn''t ready to give in though. He didn''t say anything about this topic unless someone else addressed it first. Even then he didn''t admit to what was going on inside his head.

    Instead, Cedar tried his best to ignore that his mother was there. He talked about other things, showed everyone around him a bright smile and tried to avoid going outside. He hadn''t left the palace unless he was training for the past week, and even when he went to the training square, he seemed uncertain. He was scared of accidentally running past Camille because he knew that he wouldn''t be able to ignore her then. But ignoring the issue wouldn''t make it go away, even if Camille couldn''t do any physical harm now.

    In the end, Lucille began to worry about him more with every day. She wasn''t sure what she was supposed to do, and maybe it would be better to stay out of it. But she couldn''t help the fact that she couldn''t watch while her lover got more uncomfortable with each day. So, she tried to address the topic carefully.

    As expected, Cedar just claimed that everything was fine. He smiled at her and insisted that he could deal with it. At the moment, he was trying to hold onto his strong mask more than before. He didn''t want to admit that he was vulnerable when it came to his mother, even if that should be obvious due to years of manipulation from Camille''s side. He smiled so brightly that everyone else would think that he was in a great mood. Only a few people could look right through him.

    Blanche was one of the people who noticed. She chose more subtle approaches and invited the couple to visit her more often. She got help from Aurora in cheering up the prince and coincidentally always brought food she knew he liked, even if Cedar insisted that he had never told her that.

    Theodore was aware of his brother''s mood as well. He just told him that he hoped for Cedar to get some rest. That Cedar wasn''t forced to meet Camille but that he could see her if it would help him and that he would support either choice.

    But Cedar was still stubborn. He denied that offer multiple times and held on for another day.

    Then Lucille decided that it was enough though. She despised Camille and wished nothing but death upon that woman, but she would gladly meet her if that calmed down her lover. So, she chose to act. She dragged Cedar out for a walk and led him in the direction they needed to go to see the gate where Camille was. She didn''t bring him to the gate and just gave him a hint so that he could decide by himself. So, she held onto his lover''s arm and followed the big main path that led around the palace.

    They were quiet for a while. It was obvious that they both knew what this was about, and yet, they didn''t say it out loud.

    Cedar stared into the distance without saying a thing. He didn''t seem like he was very happy about this situation as the wide smile on his lips showed. He was probably lost in thoughts and weighed up his options.

    Lucille watched that from the corner of her eyes for a couple of minutes. When they reached the corner that still obstructed the gate, she slowed down until they stopped. Now Cedar would have to make a decision, and she couldn''t do that for him. She was very quiet when she spoke up. ¡°And?¡±

    Cedar turned to her and smiled at her, but he was unmistakably tired. ¡°I feel like I am giving in if I go to see her.¡± That much was obvious. He always worried about being weak if he did something he had decided against before.

    Lucille squeezed his hands in hopes of showing her support like that and replied in a soft voice. ¡°You aren''t giving in. If you were doing that, you would have pushed me away and stopped working with Theodore. But you didn''t do that. You aren''t helping your mother anymore. Visiting her once while she is sitting by the palace isn''t an issue. We will look at her and leave immediately if she gets annoying.¡±

    Cedar let out a little chuckle. ¡°Then we would have to turn around as soon as we see her. There is no way that she could get through a conversation without being annoying.¡± He paused for a moment and glanced to the side before he continued. ¡°What I need to do is distance myself from her. I can''t just run over to her. I built up an emotional wall between her and me, so I will need to make sure that that stays stable. I mean, I am certain that I would never fall into her grasp as much as before because I know what real affection is now.¡± He stroked his thumb over Lucille''s hand. ¡°But still, I...¡± He stopped himself to begin again. ¡°I can''t just let her sit there day after day either. She is going to harm herself if she doesn''t eat. I can''t watch that from the sidelines, but if I go to her, she might try to use this again and again. I don''t want to be her puppet anymore, so I can''t just dangle on a string if she stops eating.¡±

    Lucille quickly spoke up after that. ¡°You aren''t her puppet. That you worry about her doesn''t make you dependent on her. And it''s not your responsibility to check whether she is fine. You don''t owe her that. But no one can forbid you from seeing her either. This is your own choice and not something that is based on what you have to do. If you wish to check on her just once, we will. Once we can see that she is breathing, we can leave again. We can even just look at her from afar and then return. If you don''t want to see her, I will bring you away immediately.¡±

    Cedar was silent for a moment. He seemed to genuinely think about this. Most likely, he weighed up the options and finally admitted what he truly wanted to himself. And yet, it wasn''t enough. ¡°I...am unsure whether this is a good idea.¡±

    Lucille could understand his worry after what had happened last time. But she didn''t want him to feel guilty if Camille got worse soon. Because Camille would get worse. And seeing her now would be better for Cedar than doing it days before her death. ¡°You said that she will most likely be executed in a few months. Then see this as one of the few last meetings. You won''t have a chance to speak to her much more often.¡± She hoped that this didn''t sound too dark.

    Cedar remained silent. He thought about this twice before he opened his mouth. ¡°I don''t want to see her. I don''t miss her nor do I necessarily wish to know how she is doing. At least I think that this is the case. But a part of me wants to confirm whether she is still the same. If she begins to yell at me and insults us, that would prove that I am correct about cutting her off. Maybe that''s why I want to see her. Because I know that it might end with her reassuring me that I made the right decision.¡±

    ¡°You made the right decision. Even if she suddenly began acting nice, that doesn''t erase what she has done in the past. She hurt you so much. You shouldn''t forgive her for that, even if she says that she is sorry.¡± Lucille didn''t even know most of what had happened during her lover''s childhood, and even what she knew was enough to paint a cruel picture.

    There was no way anyone should ever forgive that person.

    Lucille couldn''t make that decision for Cedar, but she was sure that Camille didn''t deserve a second chance, even though she was normally the type of person who wished for everyone to get along after the problem was solved. No, Camille didn''t even deserve a glance.

    Cedar showed his lover a radiant smile. ¡°Of course, I wouldn''t forgive her. Did you forget that she tried to attack you with a knife? She also sent assassins after you twice already, wished to poison you and hoped that I would hurt you after she drugged me. I know how cruel my mother is, believe me. She targeted countless people, especially my beloved. That is why I can assure you that I won''t forget any of the things that she did to others.¡± He shouldn''t forget what Camille had done to him either.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°You owe her nothing. It''s good if you keep that in mind at all times. Then...¡± She cleared her throat before adding the question in a weak voice. ¡°Do you want to see her now?¡±

    Cedar hesitated for a moment. She almost thought that he would refuse, but then he spoke. ¡°We will talk to her for a moment. Just to show her that I didn''t break down without her.¡± With that, he walked forward again and gently pulled his lover after him. ¡°It won''t take long. We will only stay a minute or so. We''ll keep our distance too.¡± He was probably telling himself that more than his lover.

    But Lucille didn''t mind. She came with her lover and stayed close to him while making sure that she was directly next to Cedar so that she could calm him down if something bad happened. She was fully prepared to tell him that she loved him over and over again if his mother kept lying. She would even kiss him in front of witnesses if it became necessary.

    When they walked around the corner of the building, they could already see the gate in the distance. Multiple guards were standing there and kept an eye on the person who was outside the royal garden and waiting as if she expected to be let inside soon. It was quite obvious that everyone there was done with the situation and just wanted to leave. Why the guards hadn''t just picked up Camille to bring her away was questionable. Judging by their expressions, they would love to do that.

    The couple slowly moved toward the gate. The closer they came, the more guards noticed them and stepped aside. It almost seemed like everyone here would be happy to have Cedar deal with Camille. As always, no one wanted to take care of this issue and pushed the work onto Cedar. That was a bit infuriating, but maybe they had a good reason to act like this.

    When the couple reached the gate, the knights bowed to the prince. Cedar ignored that more or less, and Lucille did the same. They were already focused on the main issue.

    Behind the gate, Camille knelt on the floor. Her hair looked like it had been brushed with utmost care, but everything else about her didn''t seem too healthy. She had lost some weight during the past weeks, but that might also just seem like this because of her pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes that made her cheekbones stand out. She rested her hands, which looked rather frail as well, on her lap and didn''t seem to care that her dress was being dirtied by the sandy path below her. Her right arm was still wrapped in bandages, so it seemed like two months hadn''t been enough for her bones to heal. Or she was keeping the bandages to gain pity.

    Her entire appearance seemed to be aimed to gain pity, especially when it was such a prideful person showing up like this.

    Cedar unwillingly tensed upon seeing her. Lucille squeezed his hand and leaned against him to give him some strength, but she wasn''t sure whether it would help. He would face his greatest fear and the person who had scared him most, so little could calm him down. And now, the worst part would come when he had to look into his mother''s eyes and reject her again. That would probably be as difficult now as it had been the first few times that he had been forced to do this.

    Camille didn''t move much and just lifted her head to check on who had come. Her expression made her seem extremely exhausted as well. Even her eyes didn''t shine as much as they had before. But all of the tiredness disappeared when she saw her son. Her eyes widened, and pure shock came onto her features. ¡°Cedar!¡± She tried to jump to her feet, only for her weakness to pull her to her knees immediately. She crawled over to the gate and grasped the golden bars while she stared at her son as if she didn''t see anyone else. ¡°Cedar!¡±

    Cedar wasn''t happy about that at all. He beamed as if everything was fine, but the truth was obvious. He hated the fact that his mother was doing something like that, and after basically being blackmailed into coming here because he feared for Camille''s health, his mood wouldn''t be too good. ¡°Mother. Good day. What are you doing here?¡±

    Camille was too excited to even try to hold back. She spoke loudly and so quickly that she almost tripped over her own tongue. ¡°Cedar, you are here! I was waiting for you! I thought I was going to die because you didn''t visit, and now I finally get to meet you. I missed you so much. Your mother is right here next to you, and now I can finally be sure that you are fine. Did you come to see me?¡± Her voice sounded so euphoric now.

    If this was anyone else, one would have had pity. But she wasn''t anyone else. She was the woman who had hurt everyone around her because of her lust for power and her huge pride.

    Lucille wanted her to be rejected, and she wasn''t disappointed.

    Cedar made sure to sound colder than he would usually. ¡°I did not intend to visit you. I was merely taking a walk with Lucille, and we met you by accident.¡±

    Only now, it seemed like Camille noticed the woman who was holding her son''s hand. She froze and then stared at Lucille for a solid minute, almost as if this was a surprise. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the other woman as if she were a pest while gritting her teeth and grasping the metal bars with so much force that her hands almost looked white, a mix of shock, disgust and wrath showing on her face.

    Lucille wasn''t scared though, not when a gate separated them and she felt nothing but disgust for Camille in return. She kept standing right next to her lover and just patted his hand to calm him down. He needed her support more than she needed his right now.

    A few seconds passed in silence, and the tension increased with each moment. No one moved or said anything about the topic, but Camille''s face was expressive enough to reveal what she was thinking.

    For some reason, she hadn''t expected Lucille to be here today.

    Cedar was the one who broke the silence. This time, his tone had a slight cheerful edge to it, but it was still much darker than what he normally addressed others with. ¡°What''s with that expression? Did you expect Lucille to hate me now after you sent someone to drug me? Are you upset that I didn''t do something that would make her hate me? Or did you think that she would leave me after what you told her during the trial?¡±

    Camille stayed silent for a moment to calm down a little. She still had tensed her jaw with so much force that it wouldn''t be surprising if she hurt her teeth. She finally gathered enough energy to speak after a couple of seconds. ¡°Of course, I am upset. It seems like that insect is still sticking to you. That she is still trying to use you isn''t surprising, but why you haven''t understood her true intentions? You are an intelligent boy, Cedar. You should get that some people are horrible and just want to gain an advantage because of your rank.¡± She was right about the fact that many people wished to use those with a high standing.

    However, Camille was wrong about Lucille being a part of that group. Maybe she didn''t want to see it, or she was just blind to what love looked like.

    Lucille narrowed her eyes in return. Few people managed to enrage her this much with just a few words. She was annoyed enough to be willing to speak already. ¡°I''m with Cedar because I love him, and that won''t change because of your stupid plots. I don''t want to use him nor does he want to use me. I will never believe what you say about him, and even if you drug him, I will never change my mind about him.¡±

    Camille whipped her head around to the side and met the other woman''s gaze with nothing but pure resentment. ¡°You insolent-¡±

    Cedar stopped her as soon as she spoke up. ¡°If you insult Lucille, I will leave immediately.¡±

    Camille shut her mouth. She scanned her son as if she wanted to confirm whether he was serious. When she saw his expression, something about him told her that he was angry despite his bright smile. So, she didn''t dare continue. Instead, she changed her strategy. She lifted her hands and pushed her arms through the bars of the gate between them while reaching for her son. She spoke in a much softer voice now. ¡°I won''t say it if you don''t want to hear it. We''ve already been apart for too long. I don''t want to fight. I can''t enter the palace at the moment, and my knees are bruised from kneeling so long. I can''t walk anymore. Please come out and hug me, Cedar. I''ve missed you for far too long.¡±

    Cedar didn''t look away, but he also didn''t attempt to come closer to his mother. He didn''t move even when a few seconds passed.

    Camille''s face fell. She waited for another moment. She kept holding her hands toward her son more desperately. ¡°Cedar, please come to me. If you don''t want to hug me, at least hold my hand. You''ve ignored me for the past few weeks, so this is the least you can do. My sweet baby, please take my hand?¡± She really was insistent on touching him, possibly because she expected to be able to control him then. She only realized that she wouldn''t get that chance a few seconds later when Cedar didn''t move. She still held her hands in his direction without showing signs of giving up. ¡°Cedar, I can give you some honey candy too. Please...¡±

    Another moment in silence passed.

    Lucille knew that she shouldn''t feel satisfied while witnessing that her lover kept the woman who had hurt him so much at a distance. Yet, she couldn''t help being proud upon seeing how Cedar stayed strong. She would make sure to remind him later.

    Camille continued to offer her hug to her son, but she didn''t try to coax him into agreeing anymore. She used another strategy once again though. ¡°Do you not trust me?¡± She said that while trying to sound as pitiful as possible.

    Cedar''s response came instantly, and it shouldn''t have been surprising. ¡°I don''t.¡±

    Camille''s eyes widened, and she raised her voice to speak a bit louder. ¡°What? I''m your mother. How can you not trust me?¡± She sounded so indignant, as if she was truly shocked about this.

    Even Cedar couldn''t justify that. ¡°Please remember what you have done to everyone around you for the past eight years and then ask that again. The murder attempts and the murders your men actually managed to commit would be enough to justify that. There was so much more than that though. I presume that you do remember those stories.¡±

    Camille''s mouth opened already while Cedar was talking. ¡°But I would never hurt you! Cedar, please. I love you, and I miss you terribly. I thought that my heart would stop beating. Being without you hurt so much that it almost killed me. Please don''t cast me aside now that we finally met again.¡± She truly looked miserable while extending her hand to a son who wouldn''t take it.

    As expected, Cedar didn''t move. He just kept holding on to his lover''s hand tightly and replied to his mother in a calm voice. ¡°Last time I trusted you, you tried to stab Lucille in front of me. I wasn''t really happy about that. That was almost two months ago, but that doesn''t mean that I will forget it. The cut on my hand is still visible.¡± He lifted his hand and showed his mother the faint line of slightly more red skin that ran over his palm. ¡°That serves as a reminder not to trust you even if you act pitiful before you attack.¡±

    Camille was quick to raise her voice in return. ¡°But I didn''t want to hurt you!¡±

    Cedar beamed at her and replied, this time in a tone that sounded a bit grimmer. ¡°Exactly. That is what the issue is. I forgave you for hurting me often enough, so I would have forgiven it again after a day this time too. But you attempted to harm my lover. I will never forget that, and I will never forgive you either.¡±

    Camille gritted her teeth at that. She was boiling with anger, and it was uncertain whether this was because of her son''s pet name for Lucille or because she realized that she couldn''t make up for her mistake last time.

    Lucille couldn''t care less. What mattered to her was only that she would hold Cedar''s hand and support him. She didn''t have a problem reminding him that she cared again and again, and that was exactly why she was here. She would give her lover the emotional support he needed when he was weak once in a while.

 Chapter 179: In Circles (1)

    To be honest, Cedar was pleasantly surprised. His mother had enough energy to get angry and annoy him, so it seemed like he had worried for naught. At least seeing how Camille blamed everyone around her again soothed his guilty consciousness. His mother tried to let her injured arm hang down to act pitiful, but Cedar knew that the injury should already have healed, so he cared less about that. That she had acted exhausted and tired also didn''t make him feel too bad when he knew that she was well enough to pick a fight again.

    But even then, Cedar felt horrible for reminding Camille of Althea. He knew that it hurt when others attacked his weak spots, so he shouldn''t do the same. But then again, his mother had insulted him to make him feel miserable often enough. And it wasn''t a lie to say that Althea had been much kinder than Camille had been on her best day.

    At the moment, Camille was definitely not acting in a way that would make him want to apologize in general either. ¡°You can''t blame me for attacking that girl. She deserved it, and I didn''t even touch her because you broke my arm first. You haven''t checked up on me despite that at all, have you? You can''t imagine how much pain I''m in. My arm hurts, and the things you said to me burn like acid in my veins. You have to apologize for that, Cedar. There is no way that you feel like that. You love me and would never-¡±

    Cedar had listened to that same speech a few times already. He cut her off before she could really begin and focused on the previous topic again. ¡°I certainly can blame you for attacking an innocent young woman. You tried to murder Lucille, hurt me in the process, revealed information that you hoped would make her hate me after, and then you tried to drug me. As far as I am concerned, that is much worse than everything I ever did, and yet, I never heard an apology. How come you want one?¡±

    Camille closed her mouth, but Cedar didn''t delude herself into hoping that she would stay quiet for long. As expected, she began speaking again after just a few seconds. ¡°I don''t accept her as your fianc¨¦e.¡± That was a bit unexpected.

    Cedar wasn''t even sure what to say about that. ¡°What?¡±

    Camille looked as prideful as always, even though she was kneeling on the floor and probably hadn''t slept in three days. It sounded like she was completely convinced of what she was saying, and that only made it worse. ¡°As your mother, it''s my task to choose a fianc¨¦e for you. I don''t agree with that woman. I will pick a nice girl, and you will marry that person.¡± Now she was saying stupid things. This not only had no legal foundation, but she also talked about rejecting an engagement that didn''t exist yet.

    Cedar considered staying quiet to avoid this conversation, but for some reason, he didn''t want to do that. He wouldn''t allow his mother to say that he should be with someone else while Lucille was listening. ¡°Unfortunately for you, I am already an adult. You are in no position to choose an engagement for me. The only ones who could intervene since they have a higher rank are Theodore and Blanche. Since they agree with us, no one can do anything about this. Especially since the head of our family, who happens to be Theodore, will support my decisions. Besides, did you not see that Her Majesty, the empress of Artias gave Lucille and me a blessing? It would be insolent to ignore that when Lucille and I are rather content with this arrangement.¡±

    Camille''s face scrunched up, and her well-known fury came back. She held onto the bars of the gate as if she wanted to crush them. Of course, she didn''t have enough energy for that, so no one around her seemed to feel the need to stop her. The guards more or less ignored her and let her yell. ¡°You can''t seriously think about making that wench princess consort! She is only trying to use you, Cedar! She will wrap you around her finger and trap you to ensure that she gets what she really wants. Power!¡±

    Cedar didn''t bother pointing out that not everyone was as fixated on personal gain as Camille was. ¡°You don''t need to be so upset. At this point, I don''t think that this engagement will disappear anytime soon. Lucille and I are rather sure.¡± There was no engagement at all, but Camille couldn''t know that.

    Lucille next to him noticed that he had lied though. She didn''t complain nor try to correct anything and just held his hands a bit tighter than before interlocking their fingers. So, she was fine with him saying this as well.

    Camille didn''t accept the news so easily. She gritted her teeth before she spoke in a tone that was so grim that she might as well be cursing them. ¡°You can always break an engagement. You won''t marry that woman. You will end the engagement by-¡±

    It was pretty surprising that Lucille spoke up. She normally was so quiet, but she actually opened her mouth on her own volition now. ¡°It''s impossible.¡± She had been loud enough to make Camille stop talking and quickly had to add the rest to explain what she meant. ¡°Breaking the engagement would be impossible.¡± She averted her eyes, and her cheeks already revealed a slight red tint. Apparently, she was embarrassed to lie, but she had delivered those words rather well despite that.

    And while there wasn''t an engagement, Lucille wasn''t wrong about what she had said. It would be almost impossible to end an engagement now because she and Cedar had spent the night with each other a few times already. Of course, none of them would say this out loud though.

    Camille was already at her limit despite that. Nothing much had happened, and still, she was shaking. ¡°You...¡± She grasped the bars tighter and leaned forward as much as she could while speaking with a voice that was trembling with anger. ¡°You...you damned brat. You-¡± She cut herself off and took a few deep breaths. For a moment, it looked like she would be calmer now, but then she began hissing again. She glared at Lucille and pierced her with her eyes while she spoke to Cedar. ¡°You should listen to me, Cedar. You didn''t just use her to get into the palace. She is also using you, and I will prove that to you. Do you know what games her father is playing? He is extremely power-hungry and got involved with countless unsavory businesses. And not just that. He often used his daughter to get closer to others. He sent her to flatter random men, and he made her offend others so that she would receive an apology after the fight. Does that sound like she is an innocent woman? It doesn''t. She is trying to use your status to her advantage.¡±

    Was the part about Raymond supposed to be new to Cedar? He was almost a bit offended. After all, he had always been the one to know what was going on in the capital. He had been the one to research Lucille''s family and reveal the parallels between him and her childhood. That was why he had known that she would be keen on helping him. He had explained that to his mother a hundred times while coming up with the whole plan a year ago. Why would he suddenly have forgotten about Raymond''s interest in power? ¡°Actually, Lord Valerian seems to have calmed down quite a bit after some unknown person sent assassins into his home to kill his daughter. But even if he was still as power-hungry as before, which you don''t have the right to accuse him of, that doesn''t mean that Lucille is the same. Why would she be?¡±

    Camille replied immediately. ¡°He taught his daughter how to gain power. And she used that on the second most powerful man in Artias to get him into her grasp. She offered everything she had to lull you into listening and tried to win you over with false affection while spouting one lie after the other. Do you not notice how manipulative she is?¡±

    Cedar couldn''t hold back the response this time. ¡°If you say that word, it somehow loses its meaning. You know, if you want to break me and Lucille apart, you would at least need to try to be creative. You keep saying the same things, and that won''t change much about our feelings.¡± Apparently, he had made himself clear with that.

    Camille whipped her head around and growled at Lucille. ¡°You arrogant bitch. Why are you still here when I was generous enough to reveal the truth to you last time? Cedar doesn''t care about you and only uses you for his plot to overthrow Theodore. You are just a gear in his huge plan to become emperor. Did you forget that already?¡± It was interesting to see that she invalidated her own statements. If she wanted Lucille to believe that Cedar didn''t care, she seemed to know that it would hurt the other woman to hear that. So, she was aware that Lucille wasn''t using Cedar and that she really liked him.

    Lucille seemed almost offended by that comment. She stepped a bit closer to her lover and hugged him, most likely as some sort of provocation, and Cedar was happy to oblige and hugged her back. Surprisingly, this gave Lucille enough courage to voice her thoughts out loud. She glared at Camille and replied with more confidence in her voice than she normally had. ¡°You were the one who twisted the facts to make it seem much worse than it actually is. Cedar didn''t use me nor can you convince me that he doesn''t care. I love him, and he loves me. We are in a relationship and happy together, so you should stay away. Leave us alone, and get over the fact that Cedar is much better off without you. That''s how simple it is.¡±

    As always, Camille reacted to the word she seemed to worship and hate at the same time. For the first time today, she yelled from the top of her lungs. ¡°You don''t love him, you whore! He doesn''t love you either. He only loves me. Me, me, me! How come you don''t understand that, you idiotic-¡± She cut herself off. For a moment, she just froze completely before she continued in a quieter volume. ¡°Maybe you just need to see what he really is like. You have no idea how violent he is. He probably didn''t mention his breakdowns, did he? Once he broke-¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Lucille interrupted her. ¡°He did tell me about them. I know what they are, and I know that he had them because you physically and psychologically abused a child over and over again. And now you are horrible enough to try to blame him for that. I would never condemn him because he is in pain because of you and your cruelty.¡± She sounded unusually resentful here.

    Cedar couldn''t help but melt when he heard her speaking like this. Of course, his lover didn''t know his bad side since he had made sure to never show her. But hearing that she trusted him nonetheless was very calming. He was glad that he was holding Lucille in his arms at this moment. He couldn''t help but look at her with nothing but affection in his gaze.

    Lucille lifted her head a second later and made eye contact. She let her eyes wander across his face before she showed him a faint smile. ¡°I love you.¡± So, she wanted to reassure him even now.

    Cedar almost gave in immediately, but he held on for a few more seconds. He looked into her eyes and told himself that this was a horrible idea. His mother was right here and would see this as a declaration of war, and the guards around them were watching them too. This was a terrible, absolutely stupid idea. And yet, it was so tempting that he couldn''t resist. ¡°I adore you too, my beloved.¡±

    He should not do this, but he did it anyway. He leaned his head down to Lucille and gently pressed his lips onto her forehead. He vaguely heard someone, most likely Camille, gasp, but he ignored that.

    To his surprise, Lucille didn''t ask him to stop nor did she push him away to do this later. She just locked their fingers. They stayed like this for a few seconds before he slowly pulled back to look at her. Lucille''s cheeks were red, and she was definitely embarrassed, but she just hugged him and hid her face in his clothes for a moment.

    Cedar would have liked to admire her longer, but he was already interrupted. A loud clanging made him look to the side.

    Camille had stood up and stood there while holding tightly onto the gate. Her expression was blank once again with pure malice in her eyes. She looked just like she had before the fireplace incident. A few seconds of utter silence followed before she spoke up in a terrifyingly calm voice. ¡°Get your revolting hands off my son. You have no idea what I will do to you if I get you in my grasp. You will regret being born. You will beg for mercy and-¡±

    Cedar had heard enough. ¡°Mother, be quiet. I won''t let you threaten Lucille. You will not hurt her. We are within the royal garden for a reason. You will not be able to reach us here.¡± Apparently, he had said the wrong thing.

    Camille stared at him without saying anything. It took a few seconds before she seemed to wake up and replied. ¡°I don''t have to be the one to hurt her. You can take care of that. Cedar, do you know what a big disappointment you are?¡± She had revealed her plans with the first sentence already, but she didn''t stop there. She just continued in a cold voice that was dripping with hidden fury. ¡°If only you were just a little better, then you might have been able to reach Theodore''s level. But you were always so much worse them him. Completely useless. That''s why I hate you, and nothing you could ever do would make me care for you. That''s why no one in this world loves you. You understood that already, right? You''re-¡±

    Lucille opened her mouth at the same moment before Cedar could even sigh. ¡°Don''t say that!¡± She was unusually loud this time, so she had actually dared to cut off Camille. Yet, she kept yelling at her. ¡°I love Cedar more than anything else, and so many others care about him too! Why do you want to hurt him so badly? You''re horrible. Cedar is a wonderful person and one of the most intelligent, kind and overall amazing people I met. You are a monster! You have no right to criticize him in any way!¡± Now she grew even louder, her eyes narrowing a bit as she had to blink a few times. Even though she didn''t need to do any of this, she was about to cry for her lover.

    Cedar hated how he still reacted to his triggers. When his mother threw them at him, it stung like a knife that was laced with poison. But as Lucille interrupted Camille, his attention wandered to her. To think that his beloved would stand up for him even when she faced a horrible person like Camille. Cedar didn''t try to hold back this time. He kissed his lover again, this time on her lips. When he pulled back, he immediately looked into Lucille''s round and wet eyes and lifted his hand to wipe away the tears before they could roll down. He whispered to her in a soft voice. ¡°Thank you for worrying about me, but I''m fine. I won''t get upset. Just know that I adore you. I should tell you that more often.¡± He couldn''t help but plant another kiss on her forehead before he turned to his mother.

    Camille was as clueless as always. She just stood there and watched her son with obvious irritation on her face. She still didn''t know why using his triggers didn''t make snap anymore. It was almost ridiculous how selective her memory was. She had seen that he didn''t react to his triggers a few times now. Why didn''t she understand that?

    Cedar tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice while he spoke, but he doubted that he was successful. ¡°How is that sort of provocation supposed to convince me to come back? You just prove that you don''t care over and over again. I told you that my last breakdown happened years ago, didn''t I? If you paid attention to my feelings instead of just seeing me as a tool, you would have noticed that already. But you don''t know. You don''t even know when I said it to your face a few times already. That shows how little you care. Along with the fact that you think that insulting me is a good idea, that is.¡± He considered holding back, but his self-control wavered for a single second, and he resumed. ¡°And please hold back with calling me stupid when I have more political accomplishments than you do. I remember writing every single document that Father praised you for in the end. And...by the way. Did you know that my teachers made a mistake?¡±

    Camille''s face scrunched up when he reminded her of that, and a deep frown appeared on her forehead. It was surprising that she didn''t say anything yet.

    But Cedar wouldn''t complain since he could continue. ¡°Theodore was kind enough to show me some old documents. I have to say that it was quite surprising to see that I scored higher than he did. Not just once but multiple times. That''s odd, isn''t it? Could it be that you didn''t know about that yet? Apparently, I am as good as Theodore.¡±

    Camille''s face became grimmer with each moment. She knew exactly what he was talking about. And yet, it seemed like she wanted to act like she was unknowing. ¡°You are saying odd things, Cedar. Why would your teachers have lied? This is just one of your brother''s plots to make you feel-¡±

    Cedar cut her off there. ¡°It isn''t. Theodore could never forge my handwriting that convincingly. And believe me. I checked whether those were the same tests I remembered a dozen times. My papers were the exact ones I had written years ago. And not that it matters much, but I feel like I know why my teachers would lie. That was an effective way to keep me motivated while you made me go through training that would have traumatized most other children. Does that sound logical?¡±

    Of course, this was logical, but no one expected Camille to accept that. ¡°You know that that''s not true. Right now, you are just deluding yourself because you want to be better than Theodore so badly. But you should remember that you barely managed to keep up with him, and everyone around you told you that as well.¡±

    Cedar spoke up before she could add anything. ¡°Everyone around me said what you told them to say. I could bring you the tests as solid evidence, but I doubt that you would believe me even then. That''s fine. I don''t care what you say. I know the truth now, and I am very much content with it.¡± Even if he had to admit that he was more enraged because he had been lied to his entire life than he should have been. He had been so sure that he wasn''t anywhere close to Theodore''s level and had done his best to make up for that despite their five-year difference.

    Apparently, all of that had been useless. This whole inferiority complex was based on his mother playing her stupid games most of the time.

    If one looked at this logically, it didn''t even make sense. If Camille had wanted to make Cedar emperor, she should have emphasized his great skills and his accomplishments. She shouldn''t have claimed his work to be hers nor should she have ensured that everyone thought that Theodore was better. Instead, she should have done the opposite. By putting Cedar up on a pedestal and gaining the approval of the ministers, whom he had already advised at that point, she would have been able to open the discussion of making the second prince the heir.

    But it almost seemed like Camille hadn''t necessarily seen that as the most important step. Instead, she had tried to drive a wedge between the brothers because she couldn''t deal with her own problems. Once more, Camille had just proven that her hatred was much more important to her than planning for the future could ever be. She had wanted Cedar to hate Theodore as much as she did. Thankfully, that had failed.

    Cedar was glad that he wasn''t steered by resentment the whole time anymore. That kind of existence would be rather pitiful.

    Camille remained silent for a moment before she spoke up again. ¡°So, you will just choose to believe what you want without facing the facts? Those people messed you up more than I thought they had.¡± She completely ignored the fact that she was the one who usually ignored the truth and that she had caused the most damage to Cedar of everyone in this world. And she seemed to have forgotten that she had tried to trigger her son a moment ago. She had changed her strategy in an instant and now acted like she was the poor woman facing the horrible people who hurt her son again. ¡°Cedar, you need to listen to me. That whore next to you is bad enough, but Theodore is hurting you as well. He killed your father, don''t forget that. He will get rid of you when he can''t use you anymore as well. That''s why he is nice to you at the moment. After that, he will try to kill you as well. He already did it once, remember? After the revolt, he-¡±

    Cedar didn''t want to hear that again. He wouldn''t accuse his brother of attempted murder when Theodore had attacked him in self-defense. So, he stopped his mother here. ¡°You truly seem to love to play us off against each other. Is it like a personal punishment for you when Theodore and I get along? Why is that? I have tried to understand it for a while now, but I don''t understand it. Is it because you can''t stand seeing your children happy because you are jealous? I never thought about that, but maybe you truly never were happy because you always want more and are never content with what you have. That might be why you kept using Theodore and me against each other, because you knew that this would hurt both of us. Or you truly did that because you were so obsessed with Father and hating Althea that you despise Theodore and can''t let him live happily, so you needed a tool to hurt him. I''m not sure.¡±

    The prince had pondered the reasons for years. He had never understood whether his mother just hated everyone who didn''t act like the world was revolving around her or whether she might be full of fury because she couldn''t experience happiness. But in the end, it didn''t matter much. No reason would justify what she had done, and no reason would make him believe that it was good to continue like this.

 Chapter 180: In Circles (2)

    Cedar showed his mother a little smile as he finally said what he should have told her directly much more often. ¡°But I don''t care why you wanted to make Theodore and me enemies. Either way, we will break that cycle now. Theodore and I won''t fight for power nor will we hate each other. We get along well, and we will continue to work together no matter what you say or do. That''s why-¡± This time, he didn''t get to finish.

    Camille had tensed again, and her anger had come back with full force as she yelled at him. ¡°You are working together with your father''s murderer? Are you joking? You despise Theodore. You hate him with every fiber of your being and want to kill him! How can you forget that just because of a few kind words?¡± She rattled at the gate''s bars until one of the guards told her to stop. She ignored that at first and only held herself back when that guard came closer and threatened to remove her by force. That didn''t keep her from continuing to hiss at her son though. ¡°Did you forget all of the humiliation that man put us through just because he was nice to you for a few days? He murdered your father, framed us for treason and locked us in confinement! And all of that is suddenly forgotten because he smiles at you while preparing to stab you from behind? Because he allows you to keep some lowly mistress?¡± She gestured to Lucille and almost hit her hand on the gate in the process.

    Cedar was getting tired of arguing. He wanted to leave. Holding Lucille in his arms only did so much against his rising frustration, and he would greatly favor it if he could hug her elsewhere. He didn''t need to listen to his mother for much longer. He had seen that she was energized enough to yell at him, and throwing a tantrum didn''t seem to be too problematic for the allegedly weak woman either. So, he didn''t have to worry about Camille dying any time soon. Her fury would keep her alive for long enough. This meant that he had seen everything he needed to know and could withdraw now. ¡°Our conversation is going in circles. Don''t you understand that? You keep telling me the same things, and it''s very frustrating to listen to you. I will not change my mind. So, I think that Lucille and I will-¡±

    Camille interrupted him in a much louder voice again. ¡°I will never accept her as your fianc¨¦e! Do you hear me? I won''t accept it!¡± It seemed like she wasn''t ready to give up on that.

    Logical arguments wouldn''t help here either, but Cedar wanted to try again. He took a deep breath before replying in an exaggeratedly calm voice. ¡°Whether you agree to my engagement is not important. We only need the signatures of Lucille, me and her father since she isn''t twenty yet. I am an adult, so there is no need for you to even worry about my decisions. You are in no position to tell us what to do.¡± He had unwillingly attacked her weak spot again.

    Camille yelled again and used her favorite sentence of all time. ¡°I''m the dowager-¡± Unfortunately, that phrase didn''t help her anymore.

    ¡°You are not the dowager empress. You lost that title for attempting to assassinate the emperor as well as the previous esteemed emperor''s second wife, Althea Estien. Theodore revoked your status as a member of the royal family. From now, on you have to show respect to others and can''t hide behind your title anymore. Raising your voice in the presence of royalty is considered to be rather insolent. So, please do lower your voice.¡±

    Camille looked like she would snap for a moment.

    That was enough to make Lucille tense. She hugged her lover a bit tighter and took half a step backward. It seemed like she wanted to pull him away from the source of danger that was right in front of them more than she wanted to protect herself.

    It was rather safe though. In addition to the metal gate, the guards around them were prepared to intervene, and based on their expressions, it seemed like they were absolutely furious with Camille, who was threatening their emperor the entire time. If they hated her, that was good. It meant that they wouldn''t hold back if trouble arose.

    Yet, Cedar took a moment to look down at his lover to calm her.

    Lucille both seemed angry and upset. She didn''t know what to feel at the moment, but she definitely didn''t like Camille very much.

    Cedar had to admit that he was very relieved to know that his lover was on his side and that she hadn''t changed her mind because of something his mother had said. Unfortunately, he had no chance to tell her that at the moment.

    Camille already demanded his attention again as she raised her voice despite being told not to do that a moment ago. ¡°How can you talk to me like that? I''m your mother! Do you have no respect for me?¡± Few people who saw her like this would respect her, but saying that would probably make her lose her mind completely.

    So, Cedar phrased it a bit differently. ¡°This has nothing to do with my respect for anyone in any way. I am just being honest. You, as a marquess'' daughter, cannot just come to the palace and yell until someone speaks to you. Maybe it''s hard to get used to this, but from now on, you have to hold back a little.¡± Even if the last few months of her life would change almost nothing.

    His mother didn''t seem content with his response, even though he had tried to be nice. She clenched her jaw and glared at him through narrowed eyes. ¡°What are you saying? I''m the dowager empress. It doesn''t matter how I act!¡± That would be a lie even if she still had that title, but well. ¡°Theodore might have tried to get rid of me, but soon, I will get my title back officially too. And then everyone will regret looking down on me!¡± She said that with so much malice in her voice. She really believed in it. That was painful to watch.

    Cedar glanced at his lover. Lucille was fine, so he might be able to continue the conversation for a little while. He selfishly wanted to tell his mother something. He knew that Camille probably wouldn''t listen, and he couldn''t change the future anymore, but a small part of him at least wanted her to be prepared for what would follow. So, he spoke even if his words would probably be wasted. ¡°You truly have no self-awareness. Mother, have you not understood even now? Did you think about why you are still here even once? Didn''t you notice that something was odd?¡±

    Camille stopped yelling. At least she would pretend to listen, but that didn''t mean that she would understand. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Surely, it has to seem strange to you too. You were ordered to stay in confinement for the rest of your life. But for some reason, Theodore let you move into a mansion in the royal estate. He let you come here to meet me. He let you attend events. He allowed you to hold your own banquet. And not only that. He let you plot happily, even though he has people stationed all around you. Theodore observes your every step. Why did you think you managed to continue your plans anyway? That was because he knew about them and allowed you to resume like this. Now I am asking you whether you never thought that this was strange. Why would Theodore do this?¡±

    The reason was so painfully obvious that Camille should know. But she just glared at the person who wasn''t even here without showing any signs of the fear she should feel upon knowing that she would be executed this year. ¡°Theodore is an arrogant bastard. I don''t care what his plans are. He will try to kill me. He despises me and will stage some kind of accident or assassination to frame me.¡± More bitterness came back, and she stared at her son with pure hatred in her eyes. ¡°You should try to defend me and not stand by his side.¡±

    Cedar chose to ignore that since his reasoning would help little. He was direct instead. ¡°He hates you as much as you hate him. That is true. Since you killed his mother in front of his eyes, you can''t blame him for that. He will get his revenge. He has been crushing our former supporters left and right. Haven''t you realized that either? He is destroying the limbs of the beast first before he will deal with the head. Theodore told you that he would get revenge for what you did to his mother, the people he cares about and the nation a few times now, did he not? Why aren''t you preparing for that? You should know how stubborn he is. He wouldn''t forgive you or change his mind. And you certainly will regret it if you keep fighting against him now. Please just give up.¡±

    This might be a last desperate attempt to keep Camille from facing the most gruesome ending imaginable. A foolish appeal for her to refrain from making this worse.

    But to be honest, that didn''t change the fact that Theodore would still hurt her a lot to punish her for what she had done to others in the past. And yet, Cedar would have liked her to finally show some regret, just so that the ending wouldn''t be as painful as it would be if she continued like this.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    As always, the second prince remained unheard.

    Camille was boiling and lifted her hand before slamming it against the bars of the gate. ¡°Why would I withdraw when your brother is trying to crush us? You are just doing this because he manipulated you with some kind words. How stupid can you be? I, as the dowager empress of Artias, will never yield and let the nation be ruled by a gruesome tyrant who killed his own father! I will not rest before Theodore is dead and buried! And his whore wife and the brat she gave birth to as well!¡± She had just proposed treason in front of at least a dozen witnesses. That didn''t just show that she was mentally unstable but also that she sometimes had issues with thinking logically.

    Cedar sighed quietly. He focused on patting his lover''s hand while trying to seem unaffected. It was good that Lucille was the only one seeing right through him, so no one else could tell how upset he was. Luckily, his lover was kind enough not to reveal it. She didn''t say anything and just stood by his side to support him. Cedar allowed himself to breathe in and out before he turned to his mother once more. ¡°Please don''t threaten our emperor, our empress or the crown princess. And aside from that, you need to remember one more thing. You are not the dowager empress.¡± He had raised his voice a bit this time to underline that. ¡°You will not continue to misuse a title that doesn''t belong to you.¡± His mother looked so offended that he hurried to add something ¡°As a member of the royal family, I am expected to remind you of this, so do not feel like I was insulting you.¡±

    Camille gritted her teeth. By now, she had done that so often that it wouldn''t have been surprising if she was seriously hurting her jaw. But of course, she wouldn''t pay attention to that but focused on useless power games instead. ¡°My title is still mine, so don''t act like it belongs to someone else. And if I lost my title, you shouldn''t have yours anymore either. You are my son, so you should be punished just as harshly.¡±

    Cedar almost sighed again. He forced himself to reply calmly despite his annoyance. ¡°My position as the prince of Artias is based on me being the previous esteemed emperor''s son. Do not confuse that with anything else.¡± But he wouldn''t fight about that. In fact, he didn''t want to fight anymore at all. He had said what needed to be said, and Camille had seen him once in a while, which meant that he was done. So, he chose to end the conversation here. ¡°I fear that this is all the time that we have for today. I hope that you can return home safely and that you will not experience any trouble today. Please do rest well and eat normally again. It would be unfavorable if you got sick.¡± He knew that they would just continue arguing if the couple stayed here. So, he immediately turned around and led Lucille away. He didn''t hope that they would be able to leave in peace, but it was even worse than he had expected.

    Camille screamed as soon as he had stopped speaking. ¡°Stop! Cedar come back! Didn''t you hear me? Come back!¡± She took a moment to notice that she was being ignored. Only then did she understand that this wouldn''t help and changed her approach. ¡°Lucille Valerian, I am ordering you to stop this instant! Move over here.¡±

    Lucille slowed her steps. For a moment, Cedar feared that she wanted to go back, but his lover just gave him a weak smile. ¡°Let''s leave. Neither of us has to listen to a person without power.¡±

    Cedar nodded at her and tried to pull her away again.

    But of course, this didn''t make Camille happy at all. This time, she was even louder than before, and it sounded like she was trying to pry open the gate again. ¡°How dare you? You keep ignoring me, you whore! You just stand by and watch while laughing about how much you have wrapped Cedar around your finger. You must be content with yourself, you self-centered harlot!¡±

    Cedar would have liked her to shut up, but he knew that addressing her now would only prolong the conversation. So, he just whispered to his lover. ¡°Feel free to ignore people who dare to insult you. She won''t have the chance to do this for much longer. Theodore will deal with her this year.¡±

    Lucille didn''t look like she felt very offended either, so it wasn''t a wonder that she accepted this without complaints. ¡°She said much worse things about you, so I am content if she stops trying to hurt you. I don''t really care about whether she calls me-¡± She cut herself off when the yelling behind them got louder. Despite her better judgment, she listened, and then rage came upon her features. She looked like she tried to hold back, but what she had heard was enough to make her spin around. She wasn''t exactly loud, but she said it in a volume that allowed Camille to hear her. ¡°Stop insulting Cedar! We have every right to ignore you if you act like this! No matter what you do, I love Cedar, and he loves me. And I will tell him that as often as he wants to hear it. You have no influence on our life nor do you have the right or the chance to bring us apart!¡± Her voice broke once in the middle, not from grief but from anger. She never spoke like that.

    Camille couldn''t care less. She just said what she always said when she was faced with criticism. ¡°You are nothing but a lowly mistress who feels better because a prince busied himself with her for some time! I am Cedar''s mother! He has to listen to me, and in the end, he will choose me over you. He would never turn away from me, and you arrogant bitch will learn that first-hand!¡±

    ¡°You gave birth to him, and after that, you only hurt him! Nothing that you did that would make him owe you. He has countless reasons to leave you behind completely. Be thankful that he even talked to you today!¡±

    It was obvious what Camille would say about that as soon as she opened her mouth. ¡°You-¡±

    Cedar immediately stopped her. He didn''t need to listen to how his lover got insulted one more because she defended him. So, he shut his mother down and would even use a little lie to make it harder for Camille to swallow. ¡°Did you forget one crucial thing? Lucille is my fianc¨¦e. She is a part of the royal family while you are not. If you insult her one more time, I will charge you with slandering royalty, and that will give you a punishment you don''t want. And if that isn''t a logical reason for you, remember that I will hate you more each time you try to hurt my beloved. Understand?¡±

    No, Camille did not understand. That was what made her this frustrating to deal with. She just saw that her son was trying to leave again and doubled her efforts. Maybe she had realized that she was on the losing side, but still, she refused to let him go. She sank to her knees again and used a different tone, one that sounded much more vulnerable. ¡°Cedar! Cedar, please don''t leave! I''m hurt, you can''t just go. Cedar!¡± Her voice was so shrill that it hurt in his ears.

    Unfortunately, not only Cedar''s ears hurt. At that moment, something unpleasant formed in his stomach. He hated leaving behind his mother, and yet, there was something else aside from disappointment and bitterness that he felt at the moment. He wasn''t completely sure, but he could swear that he felt a small hint of disgust. There was no way that he could hold such a sentiment for his mother, and yet, he didn''t want to look at her anymore. He suddenly didn''t feel too bad about letting her sit there anymore.

    Knowing that only unsettled Cedar more. He wasn''t used to feeling something like distaste for his mother. Surely, a small portion of anger and grief had accompanied his affection for her. And each time that she had attacked Lucille, he had liked his mother less. But that he found her presence this revolting was definitely new. Just hearing her voice call his name made him want to throw up.

    Cedar considered ignoring her completely, but that would make him feel even stranger. So, he looked over his shoulder once more. Maybe it wasn''t his mother whom he found this nauseating but how she acted. Seeing her how she sat on the floor and wailed for help after insulting Lucille definitely didn''t make Camille seem too dignified. He couldn''t hold back the comment. ¡°Please give it up already. It''s painful to see you sinking further like this. You are usually so prideful. And what are you doing now? You are kneeling in the dirt and starving yourself. What will that do except for destroying your reputation completely? Did the dignified version of you disappear along with your title? Pull yourself together and leave quietly.¡± Without noticing it, he seemed to have said something wrong.

    It was silent for a few seconds, which was odd enough. His mother seemed to be paralyzed for a while before she moved again.

    All of a sudden, Camille''s anger faded, She just stared for a moment. Suddenly, she stood up in a rather graceful way and then paid more attention to her posture. ¡°I understand. I will not disappoint you, my dear Cedar. Your mother will always be on your side, even if everyone else turns away. Don''t forget that.¡± She stayed still after, keeping her eyes on her son.

    Cedar could only blink at that display. What had gotten into Camille just now? That wasn''t like his mother at all. There was no way that she would just pull herself together because he told her that her dignity was in danger. Right? Was she doing this to catch him off guard?

    Lucille next to him shifted her weight on her feet and gazed at him with worry. ¡°Are you...alright?¡± So, she was worrying about him more than about his mother. To some extent, that was logical.

    Cedar was still smiling as brightly as before, but that only betrayed how unhappy this meeting had made him. He knew that Lucille could see right through that. He still tried to seem a bit chipper about this to keep her from worrying too much, pulling her away from Camille in the process. ¡°I''m fine. I never liked meeting my mother, and as you can see, she was in a horrible state. I hope...that she won''t do anything stupid now. I really do.¡± But he still didn''t believe that for one second.

    Camille would try something horrible soon, would she not? What could that be? The assassination attempt Theodore was waiting for? Or was it something completely different?

    Lucille almost seemed like she could read his mind. As they rounded the corner of the palace, she stopped and lifted her hand to put it onto his cheek. She stroked over his skin while making him look at her and then gave him a faint smile. ¡°Everything will be alright. We will win either way.¡± She wanted to seem convincing, and with her soft tone, she somehow managed to do that as well. She went onto her tiptoes to bring her face closer to his. ¡°I love you.¡±

    Cedar lowered his head and rested his forehead against hers while keeping his arms tightly around her. ¡°I adore you. You are the person I care about most in this whole world.¡± That was why he couldn''t risk losing her. He needed to protect her, especially now that his mother acted unpredictably.

    He normally shouldn''t expect Camille to come up with clever plots since she had always been rather direct, but today, she had been different, at least after he had told her to stay calm. Something was off now, and when he didn''t understand what was going on inside her head, it was dangerous. He had a really bad feeling about this.

 Chapter 181: Distractions and Pampering

    Cedar was on edge. That became obvious during the following few days. He tried to hide it, but he couldn''t do that well. Not when he kept asking whether the food had been tested for poison and when he glanced over his shoulder to confirm that they were alone occasionally.

    Lucille hated seeing that, but there was little she could do about it. She had told Theodore what had happened, and he had promised to take care of any issues that might arise, but that wasn''t enough. Cedar was too uncertain to be calmed by a few words.

    Lucille tried to distract her lover whenever she could. She couldn''t change the situation around them, and she couldn''t get rid of Camille either, so this would have to do for now. Her presence seemed to calm Cedar a little, but that still didn''t make him forget. So, Lucille was happy when she received some help.

    The royal couple had invited the two to join them for dinner. As usual, the group was sitting at the table while eating together. Aurora was the main person of this day. As she was sitting on that baby chair and tried to get accustomed to seeing her parents eat the whole time, she began yawning at some point.

    So, Blanche had to bring her baby to bed early after feeding her once more. She set down her daughter in the cradle in the neighboring room, where Darlene and Angelica were, and left the door open. When she returned to the table, she barely sat down before already complaining. ¡°You still didn''t eat more cake, Cedar. Look!¡± She gestured to the strawberry tart and narrowed her eyes at the prince. ¡°I specifically got it for you, and you still aren''t touching it. Don''t be so stubborn.¡±

    Cedar showed her a smile that might have seemed a bit arrogant to others. ¡°I already had one slice after you insisted.¡± That slice had been extremely small, but no one would point that out. ¡°I can''t have too many sweets, or my stomach will complain. I had a full dinner, a pot of tea, a slice of cake as well as pudding already. What else do you want me to eat?¡±

    Blanche took that as a serious question. ¡°The strawberries.¡± She pushed the plate with the small red fruits close to him. She waited for a few seconds before speaking up again. ¡°Cedar, I won''t force you to eat something you don''t want to eat. But if you have a preference for things, you should have them. I mean, it''s chocolate cake with strawberries. That is your favorite.¡±

    Cedar just smiled at her without any indication of budging. ¡°Like I said. I never ate that cake before today, so I would not have known whether I liked it before. So, it would be odd to call this my favorite.¡± They had had this conversation multiple times already. But it did seem like it was a little different now. In the past, Cedar had been much more annoyed upon being told this. By now, he had gotten used to it, but he still did the opposite of what he was told just to spite the empress.

    Blanche accepted that with a pout but was quickly compensated when her husband offered her a portion of his pudding. She happily ate that, which led to Theodore feeding her for the next few minutes.

    Lucille watched that with a smile for a bit before she turned to her lover. Cedar was busy eating the rest of the salad in front of him, which had originally belonged to Lucille. She considered asking whether she could feed him too, but she might be a bit too embarrassed for that. After all, they were still being watched.

    When a few seconds passed, Cedar noticed that she was looking at him. He showed her a bright smile, and then he suddenly lifted his fork toward her. He offered her a piece of a tomato without saying a word.

    Lucille gladly accepted that. She smiled back at him after chewing and swallowing and chose to pay back the favor. She took her fork and held it toward him after piercing some salad on it. Even seeing Cedar munch on the food made her heart feel warm, and she beamed at her lover while asking herself how her Cedar could be so sweet. She quickly noticed that she couldn''t forget that they weren''t alone though.

    Blanche watched the other couple for a moment before she spoke up. ¡°It''s a balm for my soul to see you two so happy. Now Theo and I don''t have to feel bad about cuddling in front of you.¡±

    Cedar let out a little snort. ¡°You never felt bad in the past either. I think everyone in Artias already heard about how the royal couple is addicted to hugging each other or how you can barely take your hands off one another during balls. This is just another excuse for you.¡±

    Harris appeared next to them and poured some tea into the emperor''s cup before taking away the empty plate in front of Blanche. He didn''t let go of this chance to make eye contact with Cedar and added a comment. ¡°I can assure you that that is exactly what it is. They didn''t cuddle less before you were here either, so they can''t blame you now.¡± Then he rushed away from the table before the empress could complain.

    Blanche still pouted and turned to her husband to cuddle against him. ¡°They make it sound like we are constantly touching. But it''s not that bad at all. Theo and I are apart often enough. That I can''t work in the office and do all the documents in our bedroom at the moment forces us to separate for an hour a day, and that is terrible.¡±

    Theodore hugged her and only proved that the others were right with their judgment. ¡°Exactly. Since we could still cling to each other more, I would say that we aren''t overdoing it. No one will stop us from cuddling.¡± Then he leaned down to kiss his wife.

    Cedar turned away his head to face Lucille. ¡°There they go again. Let''s busy ourselves with something else, or we will have to watch that for another hour.¡±

    Lucille nodded at him. This only meant that she needed a topic they could discuss, but she took a moment to come up with something. ¡°Didn''t you say that there were some old board games hidden in the library? We could go take a look at those. Or we could try to find the secret books you mentioned. I''m sure the librarian wouldn''t just lock them away.¡±

    Cedar showed her another beautiful smile that took her breath away as he responded. ¡°That sounds good. If they don''t show up after a few days of searching, we can ask some of the older servants here for tips. We don''t necessarily need those books, but I was serious about them being...¡± His voice trailed off when he saw someone next to them.

    Harris waited until Lucille had noticed him too before he spoke up. ¡°I''m sorry about disturbing you. I just wanted to...offer you something. I heard about what happened near the eastern gate a few days ago. And I heard about how your mother came every day up until then. That she suddenly stopped seemed weird to me. Do you feel like she is very mad at the moment?¡± He was usually calm around Cedar. Normally, he would rather joke or be sarcastic, but seemingly, he found this topic too important.

    Camille had been extremely persistent up until Cedar had met her. After her whole hysteric appearance, she had left while being much too calm. Since then, she hadn''t come back nor had she done anything that would attract attention. Apparently, this worried Cedar quite a bit, and even Harris seemed to see the issue.

    Lucille did too. Camille would never give up unless she absolutely had to. After being pushed away by her son this harshly, it was odd for her to just withdraw.

    Cedar showed the other man a bright smile. ¡°She is. That she is not suddenly attacking us is rather concerning. The longer she holds back her anger, the more clearly she is thinking while plotting, and that is an issue for us. At the moment, it seems like she is in the mansion and does not move, but we can''t be sure.¡±

    From what Lucille had heard, Camille had barely done anything during the past few days. There hadn''t been any incidents of her attacking servants, which had been the norm before, and apparently, Camille had also stopped yelling. Something during the last conversation seemed to have flipped a switch inside her.

    Harris accepted that with a little nod. ¡°Then I will warn the people around us. It''s better to be safe than sorry. And...I might also be able to do something else. I''m rather close to many people who work around her. I can work some magic and make sure that she will not come back here too quickly. Or I can try to create a few hardships for her. The servants hate her enough already, so that wouldn''t be too hard.¡± He had a little smile on his lips while saying that, which almost made him seem like he might have vile intentions.

    He had barely finished when Theodore from across the table chimed in. ¡°Harris. Don''t mention such insects while we are eating. You are ruining the mood.¡±

    Harris immediately changed back into his polite persona. ¡°I sincerely apologize, Your Majesty. It will not happen again.¡±

    Theodore''s expression was blank as he nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± He remained silent for a moment before continuing. ¡°But about those colleagues of yours... You are encouraged to talk to them. It wouldn''t be an issue if some bad things began happening around her. There probably wouldn''t be any guards around if they knew what was going to occur before anyway. And...of course, I wouldn''t punish any servant that messed up and hurt the former dowager empress.¡±

    Harris understood that instantly. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. I will inform my colleagues of that. They will take great care to act appropriately so that Lady Estien will not be able to complain.¡± That probably meant that he would ask others to cause trouble for Camille in a way that didn''t leave evidence. He stepped away from the table after that and seemed to be lost in thoughts until Stella addressed him, and then they quietly chatted a bit, seemingly about a somewhat amusing topic.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    A few seconds at the table passed in silence before Blanche opened her mouth. ¡°I still am a bit concerned, to be honest. Reeve said that that woman is calm, and it doesn''t make any sense to me. She''s always so quick to throw tantrums, especially after such a meeting with Cedar. Why is she suddenly behaving again? We can''t even rely on her anger anymore.¡±

    Lucille would like to know too. ¡°It has to be because of the conversation with Cedar. She suddenly stopped yelling after he told her that she was acting undignified and that she shouldn''t keep doing that. Then she stood up from the floor, told him that she was on his side and left.¡±

    Theodore''s expression was rather grim as he replied. ¡°We did hear that. Unfortunately, we have no idea why telling her that she is throwing a tantrum like a toddler would make her calm down. It never did in the past. I also confirmed that no one is currently drugging her, so she is really calm and not just sleepy. I presume that she misunderstood what-¡± He cut himself off when a loud wailing from the neighboring room announced Aurora''s awakening. Theodore immediately stood up. ¡°I will go check on her.¡± He disappeared into the room, and seconds later, the crying got quieter again.

    Blanche looked after her husband with a soft smile on her lips. She waited for a moment before she gazed at Cedar. ¡°You should go help him. Aurora''s mood lifts when someone shakes the rattle for her. Be so kind and do her the favor.¡±

    Cedar looked at the empress with obvious annoyance. He met her gaze for a few seconds as if he considered refusing before giving in. He continued to smile while he stood up. ¡°Then I guess that I will go over to Theodore, shake a rattle once and come back. This will certainly be a long and very useful trip.¡± He glanced at his lover for a moment before he slowly went into the neighboring room as well.

    Lucille had a feeling this wasn''t just about Cedar waking up Aurora. She showed him a little smile before facing the woman in front of her.

    As expected, Blanche was already looking at her. The empress was quiet for a moment before she opened her mouth. ¡°Sometimes, I''m glad that that woman is so stupid and openly cruel.¡± She glanced at the room in which Cedar was hiding. ¡°If she was better at acting, she would have regained Cedar''s sympathy again long ago. But she just keeps pushing him away, which is good since he finally will grow wings and fly on his own. And still...¡± Her smile faded, and an undeniable sadness came over her. ¡°That woman hurt him so much. Even if we do our best, we can''t change the past anymore. We can only be here for him now and support him as much as possible. Especially for the last few months of that woman''s life. Once she is dead, he can begin to heal for real, but even that will leave scars. And such scars can only be treated with love.¡±

    Lucille was aware of all of this, and still, hearing it suddenly felt odd. She wasn''t sure what the empress wanted to tell her though. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you do.¡± Blanche blinked a few times and then lifted her hand to rub over her eyelids before she forced herself to meet the other''s gaze. ¡°That''s why you need to take care of him. He won''t admit it, but you need to be there for him, always. He needs that because he will be vulnerable around you, and you can still show him that you won''t hurt him. And he probably adores it if you say that you love him, right? Do that more often. Hug him, kiss him and remind him how much you care. At the moment, he worries too much, and you will be the person who can help him with that. I''m glad you are here to make him happy.¡±

    Lucille was taken aback by that for a moment. She began speaking twice before knowing what to say. Her response was obvious in that regard. ¡°I''m glad that I am with him too. Of course, I''m...not able to change his past, but I will try to be with him from now on to look into the future. I may not be special, but I will accompany him on whatever path he may choose. I was lucky enough to meet him, so I will not throw away that luck.¡± She would do whatever was necessary to protect him. If she was able to, she would make sure that no one else ever hurt her lover again. He had experienced too much pain already. She wasn''t able to put that into words properly, but at the same time, it was so easy. ¡°I love him.¡± Those were just three short words, but they summarized her feelings perfectly.

    Blanche seemed to understand. She showed the other woman a warm smile as she reached over to her and patted Lucille''s hand. ¡°I know. He loves you too, and I''m so happy for you. Don''t ever doubt that you two belong together. I''ve never seen him as happy as he is with you. Don''t forget that you are a special person for him. He will be absolutely devoted to you. Please be the same for him.¡±

    Lucille had never doubted that she would be. She opened her mouth to reply, but she didn''t get the chance. Footsteps made her look up.

    Theodore came out of the neighboring room with Aurora in his arms. The baby girl seemed to be fully awake already despite only having slept for an hour and gazed at the group with wide eyes while she dug her small fingers into her father''s shirt. Theodore sat down next to his wife, and immediately, both of them focused on their daughter, who was quickly showered with kisses. Aurora seemed rather content with that and grinned at her parents before giggling when they tickled her gently.

    Lucille watched that until she saw Cedar from the corner of her eyes. Then she focused on him and exchanged a knowing smile with him.

    Blanche played with her daughter for a while and let Aurora grab her hair before she glanced at Lucille. ¡°Now that we have another person here again, we will need to discuss more pleasant topics. Let''s do that.¡± She smiled at the other woman. ¡°How about you tell us about the many books you read? From what I gathered, you already loved those during your childhood. Or you can talk about what you embroidered already? Whenever I see you working on something, I am impressed by your skills and can''t help but be curious about how you started. Or you can tell us something completely different too. It''s your choice.¡±

    Lucille was slightly surprised to be asked about something like that. But when she was reassured, she slowly began talking a bit. She needed to tell the others much more than she normally did. And for some reason, that didn''t feel too unpleasant in this group.

    Yet, Lucille was ready to leave at the end of dinner, but that might have been because she had an idea. After saying goodbye and especially bidding farewell to Aurora, who was able to wave at this point in time, Lucille and Cedar walked back to their chambers.

    It seemed like Cedar was prepared to cuddle on the sofa while Lucille read. He wrote some documents in the meantime like he did it often, but she had a different idea. She suggested that they could take a bath together. Unsurprisingly, her lover agreed. So, she asked the staff members to bring what they needed for a romantic bath and even let someone light up a few candles.

    Lucille was too embarrassed to ask for the rest, so she took care of the rose petals herself. She was well aware that Cedar watched her with slight amusement, but she didn''t leave anything up to coincidence. She made sure that everything would be perfect. She moved around the candles more often than necessary and had checked the water temperature four times already as well. The foam in the bathwater was nice too, and the rose petals were spread around them. Lucille finally dared to withdraw her hand. She straightened her posture and almost stumbled forward.

    Cedar suddenly appeared directly behind her and wrapped his arms around her to hug her. ¡°Be careful. We can''t have you falling into the water.¡± He had been the one to scare her in the first place, so this was definitely his fault.

    Lucille wouldn''t point that out though. She just hugged him back. ¡°Thank you. It would have been bad if I had fallen, so I should be more careful.¡± She glanced up at his face and met his smirk with a little smile. ¡°Then I am all done. We can go in now.¡±

    ¡°You did a wonderful job. This truly looks enchanting.¡± Cedar slowly let go of her as he stepped back. He still spun her around so that she was looking at him and showed her the grin that proved that he would tease her again. ¡°Now we only need to prepare ourselves. Should I help you with something?¡± So, he was trying to make her embarrassed like this.

    It was too bad that Lucille was already used to this to some extent. She doubted that she would be able to keep herself from blushing, but she could play along. She averted her eyes while delivering her response. ¡°I could use help, but I have to help you first. That''s only fair.¡± Lucille stepped forward to reach her lover and just lifted her hands to begin to undress him.

    Once again, this had been her victory. Cedar was definitely surprised, and his eyes followed her movements closely. He was silent for a few seconds before he realized that she hadn''t been joking about this. Then he couldn''t help but comment on this. ¡°You lost your shame quickly, you know? A little while ago, you turned away in a panic when I tried to take off my shirt. And now you want to do it yourself?¡±

    Lucille tilted her head to meet his gaze again. ¡°It''s not like I didn''t see all of you already. So, we don''t have to be that reserved.¡± She quickly avoided her eyes in hopes that he hadn''t seen how nervous she was. Surely, she had been with her lover a few times already, but what she planned for today was new. She would make sure to pamper him a bit, distract him from this mess and give back some love. So, she needed to keep her composure at least for the first few minutes. Then she could get embarrassed all she wanted. But she actually worried about being discovered now already.

    Cedar scanned her expression with so much care that he might have been able to see how red she was getting. But he didn''t address that and just smiled at her. ¡°It seems that you have grown to be more assertive. Then I will gladly abide. But let me help you in return too.¡± He seemed to have much fewer issues letting his hands roam over her body in a way that was more seductive than it had needed to be to help her undress.

    Lucille had to admit that it just sped up what she had planned anyway. Her face was already completely red when they ended up in the bathtub. This gave her an advantage though. She couldn''t get more embarrassed anymore. As soon as they both sat down, she moved over to her lover before positioning herself on his lap. She put her arms around him and leaned against him.

    Cedar wasn''t too surprised, so it seemed like he had expected her to do this. He hugged her back immediately and spoke with playfulness in his voice. ¡°What are you doing? Can''t you wait until we are in bed today? Someone here is impatient.¡±

    Lucille had to admit that much. But she wouldn''t say that out loud. She just shuffled around until she could bring her face directly in front of Cedar''s. ¡°I love you.¡±

    Cedar let out a little chuckle. ¡°Is that how you want to lure me in? If so, it''s working. I adore you too.¡± He lifted his hands to cup her face, and then he gently put his lips on top of hers. He was even more gentle than usual today, and seemingly, he planned on taking his time. That was good since that was exactly what she had in mind too.

    As soon as he let go of her, Lucille looked directly into his eyes before saying it again. ¡°I love you.¡± She underlined that by leaning forward to plant a peck onto his lips. Then she withdrew to let her lover speak.

    Cedar scanned her face for traces of some unknown emotions. He was silent for a moment before he whispered his response. ¡°I adore you too.¡± He stroked over the back of her head and gently massaged her scalp.

    Apparently, Lucille had been right about her assumption. Cedar wanted to give back something each time she showed him affection. She normally adored letting him touch and kiss her, but today, she wanted to be the one to make him feel good. She had to distract him, and she might have a plan on how to do it too.

    Lucille moved her face closer to him again before kissing his nose. ¡°I love you.¡± She hurried to continue before he could interrupt her. ¡°I love you.¡± She kissed his cheek this time. After that, she turned to the other side and kissed him there. ¡°I love you with my whole heart.¡± She lowered her head and pressed a kiss onto his jaw before she went to his neck and his shoulders. She continued this for a while and repeated how much she loved him before kissing each part of him she could reach. When she stopped to check the reaction, she immediately received her reward.

    Cedar was definitely bashful. He avoided her gaze and looked down while he tried to cover up his embarrassment, but his reddened cheeks didn''t lie. Of course, that short moment only lasted for a few seconds before he noticed that she was looking at him. In that instant, he showed her a little smile, one that was so honest that it made her heart melt. As if that wasn''t enough, he also spoke up in a hoarse voice. ¡°I adore you. There isn''t anything more important to me in this whole world. I would like to stay with you for the rest of my life.¡±

    There was nothing she wanted more either. ¡°Stay with me. I love you, and I mean it when I say that. I want to be your lover forever.¡±

    This time, Cedar was the one initiating it again. He pulled her closer to him and captured her lips in a kiss that said much more than words could.

    Lucille melted in his embrace. She had the suspicion that they would leave the bathtub when the water had already cooled down completely, but she couldn''t bring herself to care.

 Chapter 182: Annual Visit (1)

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°

 Chapter 183: Annual Visit (2)

    ¡°Possibly. But I can get that title back once we have a capable emperor. Surely, His Majesty will see it in his generous heart to return what is rightfully mind in the future.¡± Camille was truly convinced that Cedar would return her title.

    The prince worried about his mother acting like he was on her side, but his thought process was interrupted.

    For some reason, Theodore fought against his anger now. He pretended to be calm and maybe even happy. Even his voice was dripping with mockery. ¡°Now that you mention it. Even if anyone here wished to give you back your title, that would be impossible. After all, someone else already has that position, and she won''t lose it any time soon. We have a dowager empress, so you would never have a claim on that title.¡± It seemed like he wanted to attack Camille''s greatest weakness. This would work much better than they needed it to.

    Camille had merely heard a few words, and she was already on edge. Her smile faded, and she couldn''t hide her shock for a moment. ¡°What?¡± When she noticed that she was losing her composure, she stopped and forced herself to smile again. ¡°There isn''t one. I, and only I, am the dowager empress. Just because you took my title from me, you bastard, that doesn''t mean that someone else has it. Who would have it instead of me? Your whore of a wife?¡± Such words would only lead to Theodore punishing her more. Why didn''t she understand that?

    Cedar could already see the catastrophe approaching, so he chimed in. ¡°Please refrain from insulting the emperor and the empress of our nation. You need to show respect to the rulers of our country. In the future, we will inform you of a change you might not expect as well. However, at the moment-¡±

    Theodore interrupted him. ¡°No. I want her to know it. She can hear it at this very moment.¡± He put on a blinding smile while turning to Camille and explained it to her in a voice that didn''t sound very cheerful at all. ¡°The dowager empress of Artias is always the woman who raised the emperor and was a mother to him. I ensured that the woman who took on that role for me was granted that title.¡±

    Recognition flashed in Camille''s eyes. She could guess what this was about, and yet, she would never understand it fully. ¡°There is no way that you did that.¡±

    Theodore smirked back at her. ¡°Why wouldn''t I? I love my mother, so I will gladly hand her everything she deserves. Althea Estien is now known as Her Majesty, the dowager empress of Artias. My true mother deserves that title, does she not?¡±

    Silence followed.

    Camille had frozen in place. She could only stare at her son with pure terror on her face. Most likely, it would only take a few seconds until she realized it, and then she would yell and cry until she had used up her energy for the day.

    But it seemed like Theodore had no desire to see that. He gestured to the guards. ¡°Bring her back to her mansion. Carry her if needed and don''t hold back if she struggles. In the name of the emperor, I will excuse whatever you may do. Go now.¡± With that, he spun around and walked toward the graveyard.

    Cedar could see how the puzzle pieces in his mother''s mind came together and hurried to turn away as well. He followed his brother while desperately hoping that Camille would take another few minutes to understand this fully. He didn''t need to hear her yelling now. Cedar noticed that he was walking much faster than he had originally planned on going, but even that wasn''t fast enough. He only relaxed a little when he entered the graveyard and the gate was closed behind him.

    Theodore had stopped after taking a few steps inside as well. When he lifted his head, he met his brother''s gaze. ¡°I''m sorry for suddenly doing that. I couldn''t help it. It was tempting to hurt her after she tried to hurt us.¡± He was trying to see calm, but underneath his facade, he was more than upset.

    Cedar couldn''t know how his brother felt. He had never lost someone he had truly loved after all. Lucille had almost died in front of him, and his fight with her had wrecked him, but he hadn''t been forced to get over her death while facing her murderer. He wouldn''t have blamed Theodore for anything he could have done. ¡°It''s fine. She...deserves it. I just hope that she will be in paralysis before beginning her tantrum. We don''t need her to hurt the guards.¡±

    ¡°If she does, maybe they will finally hit her back. She deserves everything she gets.¡± Theodore slowly began moving forward again. He waited to let Cedar catch up with him and spoke a moment later. ¡°Did you say something she could misunderstand?¡±

    Cedar tried to read his brother''s expression, but that was rather hard at the moment. He had no idea what the emperor was thinking. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I think she convinced herself of the fact that you are on her side again. She has been calm ever since you saw her a week ago. So, I would assume that you said something that made her reconsider then. Do you remember what you told her?¡±

    Cedar could only remember one thing that could have made her misinterpret his words. ¡°I told her to pull herself together. I pointed out that her usual pride seems to have disappeared when she is kneeling on the floor and keeps yelling at those around her. She suddenly calmed down after that.¡±

    Theodore let out a little snort, but he didn''t sound very amused. ¡°Maybe she saw that as you worrying about her.¡±

    ¡°I do worry about her. How could I not when I have to expect her to try to kill everyone around me?¡± Cedar had sounded a bit more bitter than he would have liked to.

    Theodore slowed his steps as he glanced at his brother. ¡°You worry about what she will do and not necessarily about her well-being. She may have misunderstood that last time, but that doesn''t mean anything bad. If she believes that you are on her side, she might not try to hurt you too much. And in the end, it doesn''t matter what she thinks of you when we both know that you are on our side.¡±

    Cedar saw that differently. He worried a bit more than his brother did. ¡°I would be more careful here. If she thinks that I can pardon her for all of her crimes, she may be less careful. And I''m almost sure that she already planned something. We don''t need another assassination attempt.¡±

    Theodore was definitely not in a good mood, but he was calmer than his brother in this regard. ¡°We''ll manage. I won''t let that woman hurt our family ever again. We will end the curse she brought upon us within a few months. As soon as she moves, it''s over. I don''t mind dragging down the remaining people I don''t trust after her death.¡± He was rather direct in his word choice now, so it seemed like he truly believed that Cedar would support him despite them planning Camille''s death. To some extent, that was good.

    And to some extent, it just proved that Cedar was cold-hearted enough to stand by while the noose around his mother''s neck tightened. Surely, she had been the one to tie that noose, but that didn''t make it much better.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    A few seconds passed in silence, but before the prince could speak up, Theodore abruptly stopped and made his brother come to a halt as well. He looked down, and a faint smile formed on his lips while pure sadness was visible in his eyes.

    Cedar knew what it was before looking, and still, he lowered his gaze. They were standing in front of two graves that were covered with blue and yellow flowers. It was obvious that someone skillful had taken care of the plants here, and the carefully carved gravestones were gorgeous as well. The names of the former emperor and his mistress were written there. That confirmed the greatest worry Cedar had felt before coming here.

    Theodore didn''t seem to ponder that. He just reached for his bouquet. He pulled out two flowers and handed them to his brother before placing the rest of the bouquet onto his mother''s grave.

    Cedar blamed his uncertainty on the meeting from before, but he still couldn''t help it. He stared down at the flowers in his hands. He was supposed to put them down on the graves, wasn''t he? This might not be a good idea. ¡°I''m not sure if Althea would have liked me to come here. Father wouldn''t be thrilled either.¡± He hadn''t actually meant to say that out loud, but now it was too late.

    Theodore already turned to him. He had a strange expression on his face. ¡°Don''t say that. Mother cared about you a lot. She was constantly worried after she met you were covered in bruises. She wouldn''t have mentioned you so often if she hadn''t cared. You may worry about what she thought, but she has not disliked you once. Even now, that wouldn''t be different. And Father never hated you. You don''t owe him anything, but he did talk about your accomplishments with great praise and-¡±

    What a huge lie that was. Cedar was well aware of the truth. He had never known it differently, so he wouldn''t take it to heart. But being lied to was a bit annoying. ¡°You don''t have to tell me things to make me feel better. Father saw me as a pacifier to keep his hysteric wife from bothering him. I am aware of that, and I don''t mind it. I only saw him as the emperor, whom Mother was obsessed with, in return. Father ignored me, and after I understood that, I left him alone. There isn''t much more to our relationship. You don''t need to interpret anything into his feelings or try to read into emotions that weren''t there. Since he never cared much, he might not be upset about me coming here. But...¡± Cedar turned to his brother. He showed him a fake smile that revealed much more than it should have. ¡°You shouldn''t forget that I''m at fault for your mother''s death. Don''t act like that didn''t happen. I-¡±

    Theodore cut him off. ¡°What are you talking about? You didn''t do anything. You only held still to not pull that woman''s hatred toward you. You were fourteen then. Don''t blame yourself. I saw how you tried to find a way to keep my mother alive. You forgot to smile for a moment when you found her, remember? You weren''t happy about Mother''s death, and you weren''t to blame. In fact, you were never to blame for anything. Everything was planned by Camille. You were the person who suffered most because of her. Don''t make yourself out to be the villain.¡± He could only say that because he wasn''t aware of the full truth.

    Cedar still had nightmares about Althea. He knew that he should have said something while noticing that his mother was hiring assassins. He had known that back then too. In hindsight, he wasn''t even sure why he hadn''t gotten help. Had he tried to suppress all of his feelings back then already too? Or had he just never thought about disobeying his mother? He couldn''t tell anymore. The only thing he knew was that he had let an innocent and incredibly kind woman die because of his mother''s jealousy.

    Theodore could have died too, and his mother had been murdered right in front of him. It made no sense for him to make Cedar feel better. He should hate his brother. Not only for that incident but also for so much more. Acting like this only made things much worse.

    Cedar didn''t know what to say. There was so much he should tell his brother, but he couldn''t possibly put all of that into a few words. So, he just bowed down and put the two flowers onto the graves. One onto the grave of his father, who had never even seen his second son, and one onto the grave of Althea, who had had the patience of an angel and showed kindness to a boy she should have hated.

    At least five minutes passed in silence as the brothers just stood there next to each other. No one spoke, and for a while, that hadn''t been necessary at all. The only small noise that filled the air around them was the soft rustling of the wind in the trees and bushes around them and the little sounds that came from Theodore as he wiped over his eyes.

    Cedar didn''t have any intention of breaking the silence. He wasn''t the one with the closest relationship to the buried people here, so he wouldn''t speak first. He would wait here without saying a word until his brother was ready to leave.

    A while passed like this before Theodore began to speak in a barely audible whisper. ¡°Do you want to sign the adoption contract?¡± That had been unexpected.

    Cedar turned to his brother and was surprised to see a completely serious expression on Theodore''s face. ¡°What? Do you mean...¡±

    ¡°I told you that we could make an adoption contract that would officially state Althea as your mother. I can assure you that she wouldn''t have minded. We can sign that as soon as you give your permission, and after that, you could even...address Mother more closely if you want to. Or you can do that now already. I know that this is your choice, but...¡± He hesitated for a second. Then he continued in an even lower volume. ¡°Hearing how you address a woman who did nothing but harm you as your mother pains me.¡±

    Maybe it did.

    But Cedar didn''t want to answer the question. He couldn''t just stop seeing Camille as his mother. She had raised him, even if there had been countless bad moments. He did care for her to some extent, even if this affection had only been created because he had desperately wished for his mother to look at him with love for decades. Even if most of his positive feelings for her had been overshadowed by dislike and some bits of hatred.

    Cedar already wasn''t able to come to a conclusion here, but this whole matter was even more complicated than that.

    Even if Theodore didn''t blame his brother, the prince knew that Althea would never have forgiven him if she was asked. Using her kindness and her angelic patience as an excuse to make her adopt the person who had tried to kill her beloved son multiple times was horrible.

    Cedar wouldn''t be able to bring himself to do that. So, his answer remained the same. ¡°I thank you for your consideration, but I doubt that making such a decision for a deceased person is a good idea. Let''s just leave it at that.¡±

    Unfortunately, Theodore didn''t seem to be fine with it. He just continued. ¡°Mother wouldn''t be mad. She would be glad to know that you aren''t forced to interact with Camille anymore. She really did worry about you in the past.¡± He averted his eyes and stared at the grave in front of him. ¡°She probably noticed that you were going through much more than we could imagine even while I was just a jealous idiot who worried about losing my position as the crown prince.¡± Why did he sound so bitter now? ¡°She probably wanted to help, but even she had no idea what really had happened. If she or I had known about how bad it truly was, we wouldn''t...¡± He didn''t finish this sentence. He just narrowed his eyes and stared at the grave. Theodore didn''t even really seem angry right now. He was both a little mad and frustrated, but regret was definitely the more prominent emotion on his face.

    Cedar felt strange upon seeing that. He scanned his brother for a while and almost expected another word to follow, but nothing came. He had planned on staying quiet, but the longer this went on, the more he wanted to break the silence. ¡°You are awfully emotional today. Maybe it would be better if...we return when you are ready.¡± Was proposing that when they had just arrived fine? Cedar didn''t know. Reading people''s emotions off their faces was one thing, using someone''s weak spots was easy too. But comforting someone was rather difficult. If he ever consoled someone, it was Lucille, and he just hugged her then. He couldn''t do that with Theodore. He was unsure of what to say and what to act like. That was rare.

    A few seconds passed before Theodore replied. ¡°I''m fine. I was just...thinking about the past. There are a lot of things I would like to change in hindsight, starting with our childhood. I won''t have that chance again, so I shouldn''t even think about this, but it''s still in the back of my mind. There was so much pain that we could have prevented if we just...if I had just known. But I didn''t know. So, I just saw the world in black and white and never considered how others...how you felt.¡± He glanced at his brother with an expression the prince didn''t like at all.

    Cedar was pretty sure that he wouldn''t even get used to seeing so much regret on the perfect emperor''s face. He still had no idea what to say, so he chose to just be honest. ¡°But you never did anything wrong. The problems started with Mother and no one else.¡±

    Theodore remained silent for a moment and then continued at the exact moment that his brother had wanted to resume. ¡°That''s right. So, keep that in mind. That woman was the one hurting everyone around her. You aren''t to blame nor is anyone else. And even if it''s regretful, we can''t turn back time. This has to be enough. We won''t be able to change the past, but at least we can shape the future into something we like.¡± Theodore hesitated for a short moment again before he directed his gaze at the graves again. ¡°From now on, you won''t ever be alone anymore. Don''t forget that.¡±

    Cedar was a bit confused by that statement. He turned to his brother, but the emperor didn''t look at him.

    Instead, Theodore just put his hand on Cedar''s back.

    The prince had no idea how to act after that. He just froze in place and waited for more words that could explain this, but his brother didn''t speak. Neither did Cedar. None of them said anything and just continued to stand there in silence.

    The mood was still a bit grim due to the location, but at the same time, it was different from before. It was a very odd feeling. Maybe that was also because it was the first time that Cedar''s smile had completely disappeared in front of his brother. It wasn''t like Theodore was looking, but still, this was extremely unusual. Cedar''s smile would come back in just a few seconds, but that didn''t make the moment less special.

 Chapter 184: The Hunt

¡°

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

 Chapter 185: Victors Honor

    It was easy to guess what would infuriate others around them. Cedar had seen his brother with Blanche often enough. Once the royal couple began cuddling, everyone else wanted to run away and avert their eyes. If imitating them ensured that Jenna left the couple alone, Cedar would gladly put on a show. The pleasant side effect was that he could kiss his lover and hold her close. He had expected Lucille to be a bit reluctant, but she enthusiastically returned the affection he gave her.

    When Cedar ended the kiss, he was well aware that everyone could see them at the moment. Surely, it was odd for the prince to kiss someone so openly, but when the emperor clung to his wife every opportunity he got, this whole scene was much less impressive.

    As expected, no one would complain except for Lord Valerian if he had seen this. Merely Jenna and Fiona hadn''t averted their eyes. The latter one was somewhat worried upon seeing her friend do things that would erase her chances of marrying someone aside from Cedar, but she didn''t say anything either.

    Lady Peril, on the other hand, seemed to be in a strange mood. She was slightly annoyed but not as much as she normally was when she saw that Lucille was with her target. Maybe that was because she was rather tired at the moment. Jenna might have been able to hide it from most people here, but she had used more powder than usual today. Especially the area below her eyes was covered with a lot, so it seemed like she might have needed to hide her exhaustion with makeup. That was probably why her acting skills were a bit less refined today and why she was more open about troubling Lucille as well.

    The reason for this was obvious too. Theodore had already begun to work on ruining Lady Peril''s chances to stay in the capital.

    Cedar couldn''t help but be content with this even as he pulled back. He smiled at his lover for a moment and gently patted her cheek before he let go of her so that she could stand next to him again.

    Lucille was bright red now, but she didn''t seem to regret what had happened. She held her hands in front of her cheeks to cover them while still staying closer to her lover than she would have had to.

    A few seconds passed in silence, with no one daring to open their mouth.

    Cedar gave those around him a chance to find a kinder way to show Lady Peril to go away, but no one took over that task for him. Jenna didn''t leave on her own either, so Cedar would have to make her go. At the moment, there was a simple topic he could address to sour her mood. ¡°Pardon us for that. It will not happen again too often. At least we think so. We don''t want to interrupt the conversation again. Where were we? We said that we hadn''t met in a while, correct? Then let us ask about some more interesting matters.¡± He glanced at Jenna and grinned at her. ¡°How is your business, Lady Peril? Theodore made you sell half of your stores because it seemed like you were committing cartelization, right?¡±

    Jenna couldn''t hide the flicker of annoyance on her face. ¡°I have to admit that...it''s been a bit hard. His Majesty seems to have made me out to be the villain, and that is a harsh move. I never wished to harm anyone by growing my business. When he reprimanded me, I agreed to give up half of my stores and contracts. I thought that everything would be fine now, but for some reason...¡± She made eye contact with the prince as if she blamed him for this. ¡°He insists on making even more changes to my business connections. He demanded that I reveal all of my documents to him, which is normally only done when criminals are involved. Being treated like this does make me very unhappy. I wonder what I did to attract his fury like this.¡±

    Cedar considered being as polite as always, but the idea of being brutally honest was rather tempting as well. ¡®I presume that you assisted the woman who wished to kill him and had his mother murdered in front of his eyes might have played a role. Along with the drug incident in your home, of course.¡¯ It was so tempting just to say that. But in the end, Jenna would only deny having helped Camille and would use this chance to act like the victim. Cedar didn''t want to hear that, so he left it open for interpretation. ¡°I wonder. I would say that my brother is rather fair. If he is upset with you, you usually know why. But I assume that he would tell you if you asked nicely. He surely has a reason to as why cartelization is such a big issue to him.¡± He was pretty sure that Theodore had said something about Lady Peril''s monopolies possibly destroying Artias'' economy if she happened to enter a guild with some other influential people.

    Jenna acted like she was a bit offended when she heard that. ¡°I swear that I did not mean to commit any crimes. And I was not aware that it was that bad either.¡± She put her hand on the side of her face. She pretended to avert her eyes while scanning the people in front of her. Apparently, she understood that she wasn''t wanted here. After all, she gave up on playing the victim soon and returned to being as polite as possible. ¡°I presume that this carelessness was my fault though. Thus, this punishment is justified, and the burden is mine to carry. However, I sincerely hope that my business will not waver since I am employing many who would lose their jobs if I had to withdraw.¡±

    That was a lie. Theodore had made sure to get some merchants he trusted to buy Lady Peril''s businesses. Those wouldn''t dismiss the original workers nor would they change anything about the strategy except for raising the prices to a fair level to avoid pushing out other companies.

    Cedar didn''t say that though. He just smiled at Jenna. ¡°It is good if you understood. There isn''t much we could do about the emperor''s decision anyway. But I do wish you the best for your business. It would be awful if things got worse.¡± And whether it did get worse was only dependent on Theodore, so Lady Peril should try to avoid angering the emperor.

    Either Jenna understood that, or she was just irritated because of the topic that had been mentioned. In any case, she spoke up with good news. ¡°Of course. I will not forget that His Majesty gave me another chance. Please do believe that I will do my best to serve the royal family without them ever needing to question my loyalty. For now, it seems that I will have to withdraw though.¡± She glanced over her shoulder. ¡°My husband is waiting for me.¡± She turned back and made a little curtsy. ¡°Please do excuse my hurried exit. I will take my leave if the moment is fitting.¡±

    Cedar inwardly congratulated himself. ¡°Of course. Please greet your husband once you see him. We hope that you will enjoy the rest of the hunting festival.¡±

    Lady Peril accepted that with a little nod before she disappeared. Surprisingly, she approached her husband, who greeted her with a somewhat annoyed expression. They immediately began to argue after that, which made it seem like their interaction wasn''t that pleasant.

    Lucille had followed her lover''s gaze and watched the spouses in the distance too before she looked back at Cedar. ¡°Did Theodore reduce her businesses that much? She seemed unhappy about that.¡± So, even Lucille had noticed that Jenna''s acting skills were lacking now.

    ¡°He was rather harsh. He hates that she worked with Mother, and he personally dislikes her too, so he is going to push her out of the capital soon. But I don''t really mind. It''s better for our economy.¡± And it was better for his anger management too.

    Lucille agreed with a nod. Apparently, the conversation was over for her now, and she was convinced that it would be fine since Jenna was gone.

    Unfortunately, Cedar wasn''t certain. He would leave for the hunt soon, and then, Lucille would be on her own. He couldn''t just stay here nor could he rely on the guards stepping in if Jenna, decided to bother her. If he wanted to be sure, he needed Lucille to be accompanied by someone with a higher rank than a marchioness had. Most likely, Blanche would help, and that was wonderful, but setting up more security measures was always a good idea. He glanced at Fiona and spoke up after a short pause. ¡°Lady Lamont, do you plan on staying with Lucille during the hunt?¡±

    Fiona seemed to be intelligent as she immediately picked up on what he had meant to say. She looked after Lady Peril for a moment. ¡°I would like to, but...¡± She let her gaze roam across the venue. ¡°My father would be all alone then.¡± It was understandable that she didn''t want that. Duke Lamont was an elderly man with no wife and no male descendants. Thus, some seemed to believe that he needed a young woman to give birth to a son for him. That he didn''t have any interest in that didn''t seem to be important to those who wished to gain a duke''s power. So, Fiona usually stuck close to him to ward off any unwanted people.

    Cedar should have expected that. ¡°That is fine. As long as she is with the empress, it should be safe.¡± He turned to Lucille, who already looked at him with a slight frown on her face. He gently stroked over her forehead to make her stop while giving her the explanation. ¡°I''m unwilling to let Lady Peril trouble you. And no one else either, of course. Please stay in Blanche''s field of view and take some guards with you if there is an issue.¡±

    Lucille quickly nodded at that. She turned to her friend to say something but stopped herself when she saw that Fiona was glancing at her father. Apparently, she knew about the issue too since she hurried to make an offer. ¡°It was wonderful to talk to you, and I will visit your table later this afternoon. But for now, it might be good if you return to your father. Just so that he isn''t alone with those people.¡±

    Fiona immediately agreed with that. ¡°Thank you. I am looking forward to seeing you later again. You still have to tell me a lot of what happened in the palace. I barely find out anything about the juicy details when you only write letters.¡± She tried to cover up her uncertainty about her friend''s well-being with a little smile.

    Lucille saw right through that. She didn''t address it openly, but she tried to make it better anyway. ¡°I will try to write longer letters, I promise. And when this situation with the former dowager empress is solved, I can finally visit you again as well. And...if you want to...¡± Lucille hesitated for a moment. ¡°I can invite you more often from now on. I know that you have a lot to do to ensure that you can take over the title as the head of your family, but...¡±

    Fiona''s mood became a bit better as she heard that. She cut off her friend before Lucille could begin rambling. ¡°I will come. After I become the first female minister, my cousin won''t be able to complain anymore anyway. So, I might as well take a few days off in between. Write as soon as you can, alright? I will always be happy to-¡± She didn''t manage to finish her sentence in silence.

    A booming sound was heard all around the hunting venue. This was without a doubt the horn that signaled the approaching beginning of the hunt.

    Cedar had to get ready now. He turned to his lover. ¡°It''s time for the hunters to gather near the podium now.¡± He waited for her to register what he had said with a nod before resuming. ¡°But I can''t leave without the most important thing.¡± He needed to ask for something first, and he planned on doing that in a more romantic manner. Cedar took Lucille''s hand in his before lifting it to his face and kissing her. He watched her expression while doing so and relished in seeing how she returned a shy smile while her cheeks were tinted red. Now he could ask for what he needed. ¡°Luci, would you grant me the honor of receiving your handkerchief?¡±

    Lucille nodded without skipping a beat. She looked over her shoulder and quickly spotted the person she was searching for. She raised her free hand, and within seconds, Darlene showed up next to her. The maid happily presented them a dark wooden box. For once, Darlene kept quiet so as not to ruin the moment and just beamed while holding the box in the couple''s direction.

    Lucille carefully reached inside and pulled out a small piece of cloth. She was overly cautious not to wrinkle the fabric as she unfolded it. She stared at it for a few more seconds before she gathered the courage to offer it to her lover. Everyone would see it if she handed it to him here. That was like an unofficial promise of marriage. Lucille kept his eyes directly on him to avoid seeing the people around them, so she seemed to be aware as well. She refused to give in, even though her cheeks were getting redder with each second. ¡°Here. I hope that you like it and that it brings you luck for the competition. You...deserve to win.¡±

    Cedar took the handkerchief from her and inspected it from up close. He hadn''t expected any less. Much like the last handkerchief he had received from her, this one looked like a seamstress could have made it. The small golden lines on the blue fabric seemed elegant in their own way and were positioned in artful patterns. The fabric itself was soft and silky and certainly made from great quality. Of course, Cedar would never actually use this beautiful handkerchief, but he was sure that it was sturdy enough. In short, this was the most perfect gift he could have received today.

    Cedar lifted his gaze and showed his lover a soft smile. ¡°It''s gorgeous. I have only seen one handkerchief that can rival this masterpiece in appearance and quality, and that was made by you too. It seems like you truly have some skillful hands.¡± He underlined his words by bringing her hand to his mouth and gently kissing her fingers. For some reason, that alone was enough to make him grin. He met his lover''s gaze and quickly added something. ¡°Thank you very much. I will cherish this for the rest of my life. It will grant me the luck I need to win this competition for you. I will bring you back victory in return for this.¡± At least if he managed to win against Theodore, which didn''t coincidentally happen to be one of his greatest issues. He could also just lose again like he always did. That thought was not so wonderful.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Lucille couldn''t tear her eyes away from him either. ¡°You don''t have to win. Please just come back home safely. That is the important part. I will cheer for you, and you will be the winner to me anyway. So, do your best, but don''t hurt yourself in the process. I love you.¡±

    And just like that, his heart melted. Cedar normally wasn''t swayed this quickly, but he had to admit that his lover had a much bigger impact on him than most others had ever had. ¡°I adore you too. I will do my best to win. I can''t guarantee that I will manage to do that, but I can promise that I will come back safely. The rabbits in the forest won''t attack me, so don''t worry.¡± He reluctantly let go of his lover and took a step back. To be honest, he didn''t want to leave Lucille alone now at all. Unfortunately, his reason was not just his desire to kiss her whenever she looked at him with so much affection.

    Right now, Cedar was getting worried. He didn''t want to be forced to guess what his mother could do while he was out in the forest and had to focus on hunting. He didn''t trust her at all, even if she wasn''t present. At the moment, Camille couldn''t physically attack anyone, but she might do other awful things. Cedar had no idea. He had never been good at reading her intentions during her bad times. If he was lucky, she still believed that he was on her side and would not try anything odd, but he couldn''t guarantee that. It might as well end with some guards needing to drag away the former dowager empress because she acted like this world belonged to her again.

    Cedar didn''t hold back his warning. He made sure that Lucille was listening before he asked one thing of her. ¡°If possible, stay close to the empress or anyone else who can keep an eye on things my mother could have arranged. Please do me that favor.¡±

    To his relief, Lucille was completely serious as she agreed. ¡°I understand. I''m sure that it will be fine if I''m with Blanche. She asked me to sit at her table anyway. Now-¡± She cut herself off when she saw how the last few hunters ran toward the podium. ¡°I think you need to leave now too.¡± She showed her lover a little smile. ¡°I wish you the best. Please take care of yourself.¡±

    Cedar returned a smile, but he was already fighting against the nausea rising in his stomach. He had a bad feeling about this. A really bad one. It was rare that he felt this strangely about a short goodbye. He needed to remind himself that it would be fine multiple times. He bid farewell to Fiona as well, but he could just look at Lucille even when he prepared to leave. Unfortunately, he wasn''t lucky enough to slip away without any issues.

    Cedar had barely taken a few steps when he was already stopped. He held back a sigh when he saw Jenna. At the moment, he at least had an excuse to reject her with few words. ¡°Lady Peril. I thank you for the sentiment, but I will not accept any gift of yours. I have little time, so I cannot argue about this.¡±

    Jenna showed him a disgustingly sweet smile. ¡°That truly is unfortunate, Your Royal Highness. I put in so much effort to create this for you. Will you truly not give me a chance to support you today? I wish for your victory more than anyone else.¡± Of course, she had to be annoying.

    Cedar felt like he was reading off his reply of a chart. ¡°I will not even mention your husband since I know that he won''t take part. But I will be direct about the other issue. As you may have noticed, I am in a relationship with Lucille Valerian. I received her handkerchief, and thus, my victory will belong to her.¡± At least if did manage to beat Theodore, which he never seemed to be able to do. ¡°In her case, romantic connection is the reason why she is vouching for me. Why would I accept the handkerchief of anyone else who isn''t a part of my family? And I certainly will not take another romantic gift. Do I seem like the type of scoundrel who would play around in that manner?¡± He wasn''t sure whether he had sounded a bit colder than usual because he was worrying about Lucille. Maybe it had been his fake smile as well, he couldn''t tell.

    Either way, Jenna lowered her handkerchief again and let out a small sigh. ¡°I thought so. It was worth a try.¡± She glanced to the side for a moment before she met his gaze again and put on a bright smile. ¡°I wish you the best anyway. Maybe you will beat your brother today. The odds are good.¡± Was she trying to upset him by addressing this topic now?

    Cedar didn''t need that. He was already nervous enough, partly because he couldn''t stop thinking about Lucille''s safety and partly because he was aware that losing to Theodore wouldn''t be good for his inferiority complex. ¡°I recently found out that my talent for archery has grown, so I have a good feeling about this. Lucille wished me good luck, so I will probably win. Goodbye.¡± He left without giving her a second glance.

    The prince had something to do, and he wouldn''t let anyone else interrupt him now. He had to hurry, or he would be late for the hunt, which he didn''t need.

    Cedar looked around while walking forward and quickly found the concerned person. He moved toward Lucille''s father as soon as he found him. This time, he didn''t leave much room for pleasantries in the beginning. ¡°I wish you a wonderful day, Lord Valerian. I apologize for approaching you so suddenly. Though, I fear that I do not have much time. I will have to make this quick, but I have a favor to ask of you.¡±

    Raymond lifted his head, and for a moment, his skepticism was easy to see. ¡°Good day, Your Royal Highness. Is it related to Lucille?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Cedar chose to make it as quick and direct as he could. ¡°I presume that Lucille will stay with the empress the whole time. Yet, I would like to ask you to keep an eye on her. If something happens, alert the royal guards or the empress and her personal guards. Especially if you see unusual people around her.¡±

    Raymond''s expression was grim as he tried to read the prince''s face. ¡°Do you expect something to happen?¡± His tone was almost accusatory.

    Normally, Cedar would give him an extensive summary of why he always had to expect the worst with Camille, but he didn''t have the time. So, he told him the short version. ¡°My mother will try to hurt everyone I care about until she is dead. Fortunately, Theodore will end it soon, but the few weeks that we still need to hold on will be stressful. So, please support me here. For Lucille''s sake.¡± It was odd. Normally, his stomach wasn''t churning this much. He almost felt like throwing up. He really was scared of Lucille getting hurt, wasn''t he? Even if it should be safe here, he didn''t trust it.

    Thankfully, Raymond agreed and didn''t begin arguing now. He nodded, and while he had the same dark expression as before, he was determined as well. He already glanced at Lucille, so he would take care of this matter.

    Good. Cedar made eye contact for a moment longer before he turned around. Now he really had to speed up his pace a little unless he wanted to give Theodore, who was already sitting on his horse, an advantage. He walked toward the podium and realized that everyone around him had already prepared or was in the middle of getting ready. He was the last person to arrive at the weapon stand. That didn''t mean that he would be too late though. He only needed a few seconds to choose a good bow. He had barely arrived at the stand when he saw someone else from the corner of his eyes.

    Normally, Cedar was happy to see his cousin, but right now, it was unfavorable. He needed to concentrate. He considered ignoring him for a moment before he chose to be polite. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Your Grace.¡± He already scanned the bows while saying that.

    Luciano couldn''t read the prince''s expression well, but even he seemed to notice what was going on inside the other''s head. He put on a smug smile while he greeted the other man in a less polite manner, which revealed that no one was close enough to eavesdrop. ¡°Good afternoon. You''re in a hurry, aren''t you? You really want to win.¡±

    Cedar narrowed his choice down to two bows while he replied. ¡°Yes. Like always when I''m up against Theodore. And you are still not participating, you coward? You''re old enough now.¡± He looked up just in time to see his cousin chuckling.

    ¡°The last time I tried to win a game against you, we were eleven, I think. You obliterated me in chess, poker, while playing tag or hide-and-seek and in literally every other competitive game we touched. I have no desire to lose like that again, or my self-esteem might seriously suffer. If you and your brother begin to challenge each other, everyone else should stay far away.¡± Luciano wasn''t wrong about that.

    Cedar had always been competitive even with people aside from his brother. That he had won against them almost every time hadn''t done much about his inferiority complex though. And even though the times when he had challenged those around him whenever he could were over, he still wanted to win. So, he hurriedly chose a bow and tested the string by pulling it back a few times. This should be fine. The arrows were of good quality too. Perfect. ¡°That''s a good decision. I saw how much Theodore practiced. No one here would be able to challenge him. It''s almost like he learned fighting in a war, so I can assure you that this will not be easy.¡± He looked around and quickly found his horse. He would only need to get on, and then he would be ready before the second horn sounded. First, he needed to say goodbye to his cousin though.

    Luciano seemed like he wanted to say a lot more, but he didn''t address any difficult topic. He made it quick as well. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Cedar replied with a bright smile that perfectly covered up the rising queasiness in his stomach. Everything was fine. He didn''t need to be so uncertain. Losing here wouldn''t be the end of the world. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He told himself that as much as he said it to Luciano. ¡°I''m good at aiming. I wouldn''t miss my target, and I certainly would not confuse my brother with a boar. I won''t aim at him on purpose either. If I had wanted to do that, I would have done it eight years ago.¡± He was aware that many people were concerned because he was allowed to move around here with a weapon that could hurt the emperor at a big distance. Most likely, some speculated whether Cedar would try to stage a hunting accident to harm his brother, and the idea itself wasn''t illogical. But Cedar didn''t want to hurt Theodore in any way, so his focus was on hunting animals. He put the quiver around his shoulder and fastened it before making sure that all arrows were present. There would be some servants with him for safety reasons, and they carried the rest, but the amount he had was fine already. He should be good to go.

    Luciano''s smile faded a little, and he let out a low sigh. He almost seemed a little amused and dejected at the same time. ¡°I didn''t mean that. I''m rooting for you. Take care of yourself, alright? A special young lady would be very sad if you got hurt, so don''t overdo it because your brother is taking part. Focus on winning for her instead of worrying about him.¡±

    Cedar had intended on doing that from the very beginning. He showed the other man a bright smile. ¡°Thank you. I will give my best.¡± As he always did in such competitions. He had only lost against Theodore on purpose once in his life during the revolt, and that had been an experience he didn''t want to repeat. ¡°I will take my leave now. I hope that you will enjoy the festival. Relay my greetings to Aunt and Rebecca. And don''t drink too much.¡± With that, he turned around and approached his destination. He barely managed to grasp the bridle of the horse before a shadow fell onto him. He looked up and was met with a wide grin.

    Theodore was already done with his preparations. Apparently, that was enough of a reason for him to come to bother his brother. ¡°You are late. I almost thought you wanted to insult me by saying that you needed half the time.¡±

    Cedar was much too focused on winning to even consider that. He smirked back at his brother while doing his best to seem confident. ¡°I would easily catch up with you in five minutes. But I obviously won''t let you wait that long. Climbing onto a horse and taking a bow doesn''t require me to be here an hour before the competition begins, so I took some more time.¡± He confirmed whether the bridle was positioned correctly before putting his foot onto the stirrup iron. He only took a second before he sat on top of the horse, which luckily, was a rather calm animal. ¡°See? I''m done. I wouldn''t have needed to hurry.¡± Inwardly, he had to admit that he was relieved that he had arrived in time though. Being late would have made him even tenser than he already was.

    Theodore scanned his brother for a moment before he shrugged. ¡°Well, I guess that you are right. I just never imagined that you would take longer than me because you had to cuddle with your lover before coming. It seems that I let go of Blanche too quickly today.¡± Was the amount of cuddling with their lovers another competition now? Theodore gently lifted the reigns and directed his horse toward the starting line. ¡°Let''s position ourselves in front of the others so that we won''t run them over when we begin.¡±

    Cedar followed his brother while ignoring how everyone around them was watching them. All guests knew that the emperor or the prince would win this competition, and that only increased the pressure on him. By now, he was rather sure that worrying about Lucille had to be what made him this uncertain. Normally, he was tense when he was about to challenge Theodore, but he had never felt like gagging because of that. Today, he seemed to be rather sensitive. Cedar glanced over his shoulder to confirm that Lucille was fine one more time. He smiled at her waving at him and returned the gesture before he turned away. He stopped his horse next to Theodore and took a deep breath before he showed his brother a smile that he hoped to seem confident even to someone who could normally see right through him. ¡°May the better one win in a fair competition.¡±

    Theodore wasn''t as tense as the prince was. Of course, he wasn''t. He was used to winning after all. It would make sense for him to be as smug as always, but he held back a bit today. ¡°We are both at the same level. Today, this means that the person with the best luck will win.¡± So, now he wanted to protect his brother''s ego? That was odd coming from him.

    Cedar would rather not trust fate or luck or whatever gods someone could believe in though. He didn''t have any good experiences asking either one of those for something. ¡°Hopefully not. If I have to rely on my luck, I will fall immediately. I''m usually not that fortunate, so I will have to make up with my skill.¡± Even if that was hard when he was up against the golden child.

    Theodore showed his brother a little smile. ¡°I''m sure that you will do well. You''ve always been great at archery, and my result can''t change that. You''ll probably score a record even though this is your first hunt.¡±

    If the emperor had said this a year ago, Cedar would have gotten incredibly angry. He would have hated that his brother acted like they were getting along and could have a friendly rivalry. Hearing compliments from his brother would have made him boil so much that he might have needed to withdraw for a moment because his smile got so wide that it hurt.

    But for some reason, that had changed.

    Cedar still hadn''t gotten used to being praised by Theodore, but he wouldn''t get upset because of it anymore. ¡°We will see. I would say that I''m good, but...¡± He let his voice trail off before he glanced at Theodore again. ¡°You shouldn''t have said that. If I lose now, I will blame it on you wishing me well.¡±

    Theodore let out a little chuckle. ¡°You wished me well too. If we both did the same, the result won''t change. And like you said, skill is as important as luck. Still, I hope we both see enough animals.¡± He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn''t get the chance.

    Someone behind him had loudly announced that there were only a few seconds left before the hunt would begin.

    Cedar unwillingly tensed and tightened his hold on the reigns. He wanted to win. And yet, his thoughts wandered to Lucille. He couldn''t worry about her now, or he would mess up his aim. Lucille was safe here, so there was no need to fret about her being protected. Nothing bad could happen to her. Camille wasn''t even close. Cedar reminded himself of that until he managed to calm down a little.

    A few seconds passed. By now, it looked like all participants had prepared. Nothing was holding them back anymore.

    One of the men raised his hand and gave the command. ¡°You have two hours from now on. The one with the most points will win. Bring back as many animals as you can to be the victor. May the hunt start!¡± Then the horn sounded and signaled the beginning of the competition.

    It only took a second before both Cedar and Theodore began moving forward. Without a doubt, one of them would win, and most likely, everyone else would try to stay away from them in the process.

    Cedar didn''t care what the others thought. He needed to ignore all worries or concerns in his mind. He could only focus on finding animals, aiming and shooting the arrows. Cedar was good at that. He should be able to do this. Now it was time to prove what results training archery during his childhood had obtained.

 Chapter 186: Passing the Time

¡°

    <hr>

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°

 Chapter 187: Aim and Shoot (1)

    ¡°Are you kidding me? Cedar! How did you manage to shoot faster when I aimed before you? This was the third time!¡± Theodore sounded like he was slowly getting upset. That was understandable to some extent, but in the end, it had been his fault for not shooting first.

    Cedar had barely let go of the string, and the arrow already hit the target. He couldn''t help but grin in satisfaction when he heard a frustrated growl next to him. He looked up and lowered his bow while replying. ¡°Maybe you are just too slow. Besides, I told you already. If you finally get away from me, we might be able to hunt without stealing each other''s kills. We''re not supposed to team up.¡±

    Theodore sighed as he watched how his brother already took another arrow from the quiver. ¡°I''m not following you on purpose, you know. I just see you every time I find an animal. It''s almost ridiculous. I''m pretty sure that you aren''t doing this intentionally either. It seems that we are just both good at spotting animals around here. And unfortunately, we both target the same kinds as well. Since when have you chosen to leave alone rabbits and go for the dangerous animals?¡±

    Cedar didn''t reply to that. He didn''t need to mention that he had heard Lucille say that she liked rabbits and that he refused to shoot them because of that. If he needed to kill some to win later, he would do it, but at the moment, he found enough other animals that gave him more points. ¡°I don''t think that we have enough time for that. You should hurry if you want to keep up. I will go ahead.¡± He turned to look around and tried to estimate where he should go first.

    Most likely, the animals would run away from the noises. So, he needed to go to the place that usually was the quietest. And maybe checking the river would be good too. He might be able to catch some animals off guard while they were drinking water. The prince moved immediately.

    His horse had only taken a few steps, and Cedar felt the same strange queasiness in his stomach as before. He tried to ignore that. His mind was playing tricks on him today. He couldn''t shake the feeling that they were being watched. Even if he had already checked and hadn''t found anyone thrice, he still couldn''t calm down. That was annoying. Cedar gave in again and looked around once more. There was no one here. At least he couldn''t see anyone. Yet, he got more skeptical with each passing second. His intuition was usually right when it came to such matters, so he was hesitant to dismiss his concerns just like this. But on the other hand, he hadn''t spotted a single person that didn''t belong here. He only found royal guards that patrolled the forest in the distance. There was no danger here.

    Cedar was just being paranoid. He should try to ignore that, but normally, his paranoia was always right. Damn it. He slowed his horse again and pretended to check the bag near the saddle as an excuse to look behind his back. There was no one there. Why had he expected someone to be there? Unfortunately, he had already messed up by showing that something had unsettled him.

    Theodore came closer to him and stopped next to his brother. Concern was painted onto his features. ¡°Is there an issue? You slowed down all of a sudden.¡±

    Cedar showed him his typical bright smile. He was already prepared to deny that he was worried, but he stopped himself in time. If he was on Theodore''s side, he needed to talk when important things like this bothered him. During the last hunt, he hadn''t said anything, and that had led to a catastrophe, so he should probably speak. Cedar waited for another moment to confirm whether he had just been mistaken, but he was sure. He was used to waiting for attacks every single minute of the day, but he could tell the difference. This made his hair stand on end. And at the moment, he was definitely shivering. Something was wrong. It felt like someone was watching them with murderous intent, and he was certain about that. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this.¡± That was all he needed to say.

    Theodore''s expression became grimmer within a single second. He lowered his voice to ask. ¡°Did you notice something odd?¡±

    This whole day had been odd. Normally, Cedar hadn''t been so nervous even while he needed to compete with Theodore. At first, he hadn''t been certain, but now he was. Something bad was happening in the background. But he couldn''t explain his reasoning. Cedar was just about to say that, but he was stopped. As soon as he caught a glimpse of something white in a tree right behind Theodore, he froze in place.

    The uniforms of the royal guards had two different designs. One was navy, and that uniform was used when the men expected to fight or when they would get dirty, much like the knights that accompanied the emperor and the prince would today. The typical design for the more elegant daily attire was white with navy and golden decorations. That one was worn when the guards were visible to the guests of the palace and when they were patrolling the royal estate.

    Cedar was almost sure that he had just seen a glimpse of the latter. But why would a royal guard sit in a tree and wait for the emperor to pass by while wearing a white uniform? No royal guard would put on a white uniform while climbing up a tree. That made no sense.

    And the fact that this guard was slowly moving and reaching behind his back made it even worse. He wouldn''t try to grab an arrow, would he? Possibly not, but the option was there, and that probability was too big to ignore it.

    Cedar didn''t hesitate for a single second. If he was wrong here, he might end up killing an innocent person. He knew that. However, if he didn''t do anything now, that man might end up hurting someone else, and he couldn''t risk it. As long as he aimed properly, he should be able to go without killing him. Cedar had barely thought that when he already needed to change his mind.

    The guard in the tree was moving as if he wanted to pull back the string of a bow.

    Cedar cursed himself as he hurriedly lifted his own bow and aimed at the man. He knew that this looked rather unfavorable since Theodore was between him and the guard and he was holding up the bow as if he wanted to shoot at his brother''s head. But he would have to do this now, or Theodore might be hit by an arrow. He only gave one warning. ¡°Don''t move.¡± He had expected shock and indignation, maybe even rage.

    But Theodore just frowned and gave his silent approval by not moving a single bit. He really was an idiot, wasn''t he? In this case, it was good though.

    Cedar only took a second to let go of the arrow, which promptly flew a hand-with past Theodore''s head toward the target.

    Another second later, a huge commotion arose around them. The royal guards realized that the prince was supposedly aiming at the emperor now and began yelling. ¡°Your Royal Highness, what are you-¡± They stopped as quickly as they had drawn their swords.

    The moment the man fell down the tree and landed on the ground, everyone got quiet.

    Cedar didn''t want to be convicted of treason, so he quickly gave an explanation. ¡°That man aimed an arrow at Theodore. Check whether he is still alive.¡±

    The royal guards still seemed to be in a state of shock, but two of them rushed over to the man who had fallen out of the tree. Unfortunately, said man was very much dead as the arrow that stuck out of his neck told them.

    Cedar inwardly cursed. Now he could forget asking that man who had ordered him to do this. The answer was obvious anyway, but it would have been nice to have a witness. The prince stared at the corpse for a moment before he turned to his brother and showed him a radiant smile. ¡°You just avoided death by a hand width. I didn''t believe that you would trust me that much.¡±

    For some reason, Theodore didn''t look like he was very shaken. He was more angry about the attack. ¡°I am very much aware that your aim is steady enough to take care of this. Thank you for acting so quickly.¡± He glanced down at the unmoving body. ¡°What do we do with...this?¡± That wasn''t the most important thing now.

    Cedar knew that his intuition had been right once again. So, he would trust himself and his logic when he announced the following. ¡°We have a much bigger problem now. This person probably-¡± Wasn''t here on their own. That had been what Cedar had wanted to say, but he was cut off in a rather unpleasant way.

    He barely realized that something was flying toward him and just a small movement from the corner of his eyes had triggered his reflexes. He let himself fall off the horse and dove to the side. The impact on the floor was harsh, but he didn''t care. He jumped to his feet and whipped his head around. He had been right about reacting so quickly.

    An arrow was piercing the tree next to the prince. That would have hit him if he hadn''t been lucky. Damn it. This was exactly why he trusted his intuition.

    ¡°Theodore!¡±

    The emperor had already understood. He raised his voice to address the guards around him. ¡°Prepare for a fight this instant!¡±

    The guards acted immediately. They changed their positions and circled the prince and the emperor to protect them while scanning the area around them.

    Cedar chose not to climb onto his horse and just stayed next to the tree while pulling out his sword. At the moment, they couldn''t avoid a fight by running away anymore since their speed in this kind of terrain was limited. So, he would rather be prepared to fight properly. He already braced himself for a new wave of arrows that hit him while also waiting for what else those people could come up with.

    Theodore jumped off his horse and drew his sword as well. He analyzed their surroundings and what they could use to win when the fight began. He stayed in that position, and the guards around him held still as well.

    It was completely quiet in the forest now. No animals were moving around, and as if nature wanted to remind them of the dire situation they were in, no wind sounded. This was good though. If someone moved to attack them, they would hear it in time and could react. This position was perfect in that regard, but it was horrible in every other.

    The thick trees offered their enemies enough chances to hide, and anyone could jump down there at every second. An unlimited amount of fighters could be stationed in the forest like this, and no one could know. Since these were the hunting grounds, many people with weapons were inside as well. It would be easy to take away those from these hunters, so the attackers had a good supply of swords and bows as well. Certainly, the fact that only a few royal guards accompanied the members of the royal family and that the rest of the people were spread out in the forest also helped the mercenaries.

    Cedar had to admit that this position was pretty bad. So, when it stayed quiet for the next minute, he was about to propose that they should leave. But upon seeing his brother''s expression, he couldn''t help but add the first thing they both had thought about. ¡°This is ridiculous, isn''t it?¡±

    Theodore looked like he was about to slaughter the responsible person, who might or might not be Camille. If a warlord was personified, he would probably gaze at his enemies like this. Even his voice sounded as welcoming and warm as a glacier. ¡°It''s the hunting festival again. This is the third time.¡±

    Cedar knew that this wasn''t the time to discuss this, but he clarified it anyway. ¡°Mother didn''t give orders to my guard two years ago. That was on him alone, so this is the second attack here. But I agree that it''s getting repetitive. See it in a positive light. You can finalize your plan now.¡± As expected, Camille had made her last mistake. She had tried to murder her son again, and now Theodore would crush her. Cedar had to admit that a part of him would be relieved when this was finally over.

    And yet, a bitter feeling rose inside of him too.

    His mother would get executed right in front of him. Just because of some stupid grudge that didn''t even make sense. Why did Camille need to do this? Why did she have to insist on hurting those around her this much when she suffered as much as everyone else? Cedar couldn''t tell, and he wouldn''t receive an answer. In all honesty, the reason didn''t matter either. Camille would die for her crimes. There was nothing that could be changed about that now.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    The brothers didn''t say anything after that. Of course, the royal guards didn''t dare to speak either. It was completely silent.

    There still was no one else attacking them though. That could only mean one thing.

    ¡°They are getting closer to aim better. We need to move.¡± Theodore had given his order quietly and signaled the guards to retreat. Apparently, he had decided that getting to the glade was safer than staying here.

    Cedar would still favor hiding and waiting for their enemies instead of moving first, but he couldn''t argue with Theodore. He just walked back to his horse and prepared to climb up. But in this case, his intuition had once again been correct. He had barely reached the horse before he heard the rustling of bushes.

    The noises didn''t just come from one direction. They came from all around the group. The people that had followed them were attacking, and seemingly, they were clever enough to use tactics to confuse the group they targeted. Cedar tried to listen to the steps and did his best to figure out from where they were coming. Unfortunately, it seemed like people were moving around rather loudly while running in strange patterns. This was a distraction. It would be much too uncoordinated for actual fighters. Cedar tried to focus on one person, but that was impossible in this situation. He could only assume one thing.

    The main target was Theodore alone. The attackers would try to get close without arousing suspicion and then kill him as quickly as possible. An archer might be helpful in such a situation.

    So, Cedar positioned himself behind Theodore and lifted his bow to be ready to shoot when necessary. He scanned the bushes and trees there, but he couldn''t see anyone. If he was unlucky, he had overlooked someone, but he tried his best a few times.

    A few seconds passed, and no one shot at Theodore nor didn''t anyone jump forward to kill him. At that point in time, Cedar was pretty sure that the issue was greater than they had expected it to be.

    The attackers actually were patient enough to create a surprise. It meant that there was more planning involved.

    At the very moment that Cedar thought that, he was reminded that he should always be prepared for the worst. A rain of arrows was shot at the same time and forced the royal guards to back away. The arrows fell to the ground with barely any force behind them, and that confirmed what the prince had expected. Another distraction.

    Cedar raised his voice. ¡°They''re here!¡± He had barely given the guards an advantage.

    Seconds later, the attackers came into view. They had swords, and their usual black robes were replaced with white uniforms, which didn''t blend in well with the environment. Usually, these kinds of people would put on something that helped them hide. Why would they give up that advantage when they didn''t have any benefit now after revealing that they obviously weren''t royal guards?

    Cedar had a bad premonition, but he couldn''t say anything now. He had to focus on fighting. He would warn his brother when it was time to deal with this. They had to fight back with all they had. Luckily, Cedar was good at that.

    Unfortunately, their enemies seemed to know that. Most attackers moved toward Theodore and tried to hurt him, but still, it was odd how few targeted the prince.

    Cedar saw that as a personal challenge. He got involved in any fight he could get into to help. In their current situation, it was impossible to avoid violence, so Cedar forced himself to ignore how much he hated hurting others even in a fight. He just swallowed his emotion and defeated everyone he could force into a battle with him. When he didn''t do that, he tried to find archers that were hiding in the trees around them. Surprisingly, he only found one or two of those and got rid of them before they could shoot.

    It was odd.

    Why weren''t more archers here? Normally, Camille avoided archers to try to make it seem like the attackers could have been random bandits that wouldn''t aim as well as her assassins did. But she had given up on being that careful a while ago, and now killing Theodore should be her main goal. Why wouldn''t she send more archers when those had the best chances of winning here?

    At the moment, Theodore was fighting like a personified war god. He slashed through his enemies without a trace of sympathy and only got colder with each person he rendered immobile. Along with the royal guards that backed him, this made it almost impossible for anyone to get close. Archers would have been the best option.

    Camille couldn''t know how good he was, but she should have understood that her son was talented after the failed revolt. So, why had she sent in people who were dying for no reason because they hadn''t had a chance in the first place instead of archers? This strategy made no sense. No matter how Cedar put it, he couldn''t understand what this kind of sloppy planning was supposed to do.

    Or maybe Camille had been sloppy on purpose. In that case, this attack would seem like it had been planned hastily and not like it had been prepared a while ago. And it might even seem like this had been a fight that had begun because of a thoughtless decision instead of a plan.

    Cedar had to push these thoughts aside each time a new fight began. Those ended quickly each time though. The people that attacked him weren''t skilled. These men probably weren''t assassins but just some random mercenaries who didn''t even seem to know whom they were up against. With each person he defeated, the question came back to him.

    Why?

    Why would his mother send such people and make them wear white uniforms? This was a completely one-sided fight, with Camille''s men clearly losing. This made no sense, or did it?

    Cedar had a vague idea of what might help his mother. Fighting alongside Theodore could prove that he was on his brother''s side and erase more of the bad memories some of the people in the capital connected with him. This would make it seem like he had redeemed himself and could possibly ascend to the throne without many issues. But if Theodore was alive, this whole plan wouldn''t give anyone an advantage.

    Cedar did his best to stop thinking about that, but it was hard. This fight was too easy. Even for mercenaries, these people were quite bad. He would almost guess that some of those didn''t fight regularly at all, and that only made it more concerning. He attempted to keep the people he fought against alive, but that was rather hard when a dozen others stood somewhere close to him and might attack him soon if they defeated some of the royal guards. So, Cedar rendered the people immobile when he could and only killed when necessary, but it felt like none of the attackers even expected to get out of this alive. They just kept advancing despite their losses.

    That made Cedar even more worried. By now, most of the mercenaries had been defeated, and yet, none of the skillful assassins had made a move. Why would Camille plot something like this?

    Cedar got more upset and tense with each second. Only a few attackers remained, and defeating them was easier than it should have been, so he waited for some kind of secret attack from behind his back. He parried an attack, took a step to the side and then pushed the man away from him. One of the royal guards took over, and the mercenary fell to the floor.

    Cedar spun around to check whether someone else had shown up, but there still were the same people as before. Only five measly attackers were left. Why weren''t those people giving up? They would be arrested now that the fight had cooled down. Cedar considered staying out of it, but he chose to help arrest at least one of those men since he stood the closest to him. He raised his sword and announced what Theodore had told those people a hundred times already. ¡°Give up, and put aside your weapon. You-¡± He cut himself off when the other man lunged toward him.

    Cedar jumped to the side to avoid a sloppy attack before dashing forward. He slammed his fist into that man''s stomach so that the mercenary doubled over. Then he lifted his sword to end it. He slammed down the handle on the back of the other''s head. The man fell limp onto the floor, and Cedar jumped away to avoid a possible follow-up attack. Everything should have been over with that. But he noticed something moving past him at a speed that wouldn''t even allow him to do anything.

    Cedar immediately followed the object with his eyes and realized that this had been another arrow, which had been shot from right behind him. It seemed like someone had recognized his weak spot. His reflexes were great, but even he couldn''t avoid what he couldn''t see. Cedar had just escaped this one by pure accident.

    So, the attackers did know that fighting against the prince directly was almost impossible, and yet, those bastards wanted to seriously hurt or kill him. That was new. Why hadn''t they begun earlier then?

    Cedar gritted his teeth as he turned his head to check his surroundings. He couldn''t see any archer or another mercenary. A small voice in the back of his mind began yelling at him and told him that this couldn''t have been it. They needed to get away from here now. He made eye contact with his brother, who seemed to think the same.

    Theodore''s clothes had quite a few bloodstains on them, but luckily, it seemed like he was unhurt. He confirmed whether someone was still charging at them, and when no one came, he hurried to speak up. ¡°We will withdraw immediately.¡± He climbed onto his horse and quickly addressed his brother. ¡°You will stay right next to me. We need to expect archers.¡±

    Cedar had guessed that. He got onto his horse as well and didn''t waste even a second to catch up with his brother. ¡°Let''s hurry up. I don''t want to get shot by one of those idiots. Did you send someone to spread the news of what happened already?¡± He was pretty sure that two of the royal guards had disappeared during the fight.

    Theodore nodded as he lifted his reigns and gave the horse the signal to move. ¡°They will get us support, but if we are lucky, we can reach the venue without anyone else showing up. Though...¡± His expression darkened. ¡°I doubt that. Those men were even more unskilled than anyone I ever fought before. I can''t imagine that this was it. Why were they confident that they would win like this? They didn''t even try to hide the fact that they didn''t want to fight you. They probably want to make it seem like we were attacked and you barely survived the attack. So that you would be the innocent new ruler.¡±

    That would be too easy. If Camille had wanted that, she would have sent capable assassins. Surely, she might not have much left, but she would at least have chosen people who could aim properly and shoot Theodore.

    Cedar scanned their environment while they moved forward and tried to understand what this unstructured attack should have done. It somehow reminded him of the revolt, which had been planned badly since it had been supposed to fail in the first place. Had Camille done the same again? Had she plotted an assassination attempt that was so awful that it would fail immediately? Why would she do that? Did she want to lure them somewhere?

    Cedar went through the fight in his mind again. He needed to do it twice before he noted that the most important detail here could betray the truth. ¡°Those men...had white clothes. Usually, they wear darker ones. No one who wants to sneak around would put on such attires for no reason. They are imitating the royal guards. From afar, they might look like them, and we could confuse friend and foe.¡± And this led to a few very unsettling thoughts.

    Theodore''s face scrunched up. ¡°Are you joking? What is she trying to do now?¡± He glanced over his shoulder. ¡°The color makes sense in that case, but how is that supposed to help her? Why would we believe that royal guards suddenly...¡± His voice trailed off. His gaze snapped back to his brother. ¡°What if they...wanted to make it seem like I want to kill you? Because the alleged royal guards suddenly attacked you.¡±

    Now that he said that...

    Cedar nodded. ¡°The official story is probably supposed to be me killing you in self-defense after you attacked me because you worry about my claim to the throne. That is a stupid plan but just logical enough to make sense to Mother.¡± He replied to his brother but kept looking around in fear of finding some other archer in the trees. He had escaped two arrows today. His luck was used up, so being targeted again wouldn''t be good for him.

    Theodore let out a huff. He narrowed his eyes and sped up his horse a little. ¡°But how does that make sense? Those men were too unskilled to even harm me. If questions arose, the royal guards would all attest we fought against outsiders, and this matter would be cleared up. Her plan won''t help her.¡± He was right about it seeming like this.

    But Camille had probably not just thought this far.

    Cedar could find one logical explanation for this whole issue. ¡°She still thinks that I''m on her side. She might have hoped that I would kill you in the middle of this fight. Maybe she thought that I would use the confusion to get rid of a few royal guards. Then I could have stepped to the side and pulled out my bow, and it could have been over in a second. Surely, people would have seen me, but...¡± Some archer had aimed at Cedar twice already. That proved that some attackers were hidden and might just have waited for the prince to act in their favor. ¡°I don''t think she planned on anyone but me leaving this place. But I presume that this wasn''t everything. She has to have set up something else.¡±

    Theodore slowed down a bit when the men in front of him did so first. He only got tenser when they were forced to avoid a big hill and looked around thrice before he dared to continue the conversation. ¡°I know. We''ll stay on guard. I don''t trust any of this.¡±

    Cedar used that opportunity to chime in. He lowered his voice so much that only his brother would hear it. ¡°As you should. Since these men all have uniforms that resemble the ones of the royal guards, we basically can''t trust any of your knights. We can''t let anyone close except for the people you recognize.¡±

    Theodore clenched his jaw. He carefully looked over his shoulder and scanned the guards that followed them. That thought was even worse than what the prince had considered.

    Cedar felt how a cold shiver ran down his spine. It was very much possible that the confusing fight before had only been staged to get a traitor into their group. ¡°Theodore.¡± He only dared to whisper now. ¡°Did you see whether some of our guards were exchanged during the fight?¡± The mercenaries had previously only worn white uniforms, but that meant that they could have gotten their hands on some navy ones too.

    Theodore was silent for a moment too long. Then he whispered back. ¡°I didn''t pay attention to that. I''ll try to find out.¡± He did his best to make it subtle while he scanned the faces of the people next to him. Then he focused on those behind them by carefully glancing over his shoulder.

    Cedar wasn''t certain whether he could remember the people that had accompanied them, but he tried to confirm whether he recognized some anyway. He turned around and scanned the people he saw there. He didn''t find much that caught his attention more than the fact that someone with a white uniform was sitting on a branch of one of the trees next to them. Cedar barely registered that that man was aiming at Theodore before he already moved. ¡°Theodore!¡± He steered his horse toward his brother''s in hopes of getting him out of the way of the shot like that.

    Apparently, that had worked out well since Theodore didn''t get hit. But just because the man in the tree hadn''t shot an arrow at all, lowering the bow instead.

    Cedar could only stare at him in panic while his mind raced to figure out what was going on. If that man hadn''t shot the arrow, then why had he-

    The answer had already hit him in the form of something very sharp and very painful meeting the back of his shoulder. The impact almost pushed the air out of his lungs, and he lost his balance.

    Cedar voiced a thousand silent curses as he realized he was about to collide with the floor again. This was the second time he had fallen off his horse today, and this time, it had been much more painful than before, maybe because of the damned arrow that had hit the shoulder he landed on. Apparently, a second archer had waited for him to be distracted by the one that had hidden in plain sight. What a cheap trick this had been. This was much more like Camille than whatever had happened before.

 Chapter 188: Aim and Shoot (2)

    A horse came to a halt next to the prince, and Theodore jumped off, a hint of panic in his voice as he approached his brother. ¡°Cedar?¡±

    Cedar forced himself to sit up despite feeling like he had been stabbed a dozen times. He showed his brother a blinding smile after letting out a deep breath. ¡°That...was...planned. The archer?¡± Talking was a little more exhausting than it should have been. It felt like he was barely able to push air into his lungs.

    Theodore seemingly hadn''t seen the thing sticking out of his brother''s back since he didn''t focus on that. ¡°He is dead. Are you-¡±

    Cedar cut him off immediately. ¡°And the second one? The one that...hit me.¡± He turned his body just enough to show Theodore his back. ¡°This is a little...painful.¡± That arrow had wrenched itself in between some very sensitive parts. Moving his arm hurt quite a bit. And the worst part was that this was his right arm, which he couldn''t use now. Surely, he could wield a sword with his left hand, but he wouldn''t nearly be as good as usual then. That was just what he needed while they were in danger.

    Theodore''s expression darkened when he saw the injury and the blood that was slowly dripping out. ¡°Damn it. Hold still. We need to bandage it.¡±

    Normally, Cedar would agree, but treatment would take away time, which was the one thing they didn''t have. ¡°No, no. It''s fine. I can hold on until we reach the venue. Take care of our surroundings first. This could be a trap. Keep an eye on you-know-who.¡± He glanced at the royal guards that had surrounded them before announcing the rest. ¡°I''m fine. I''ll survive this little scratch. We need to move.¡±

    Theodore didn''t seem too happy about that, but he understood. ¡°Alright. But at least wrap some cloth around it. We need to leave the arrow inside.¡±

    Cedar accepted that with a nod. He didn''t point out that he couldn''t tie anything behind his back while not being able to use one arm. Apparently, that wasn''t necessary either. One of the royal guards pulled out a bandage from somewhere and tightly wrapped it around the arrow before moving it around the prince''s arm. Like this, the arrow should be held in place to avoid further injuries, and the pressure should hold back most of the blood.

    After that, everything went by quickly. Theodore helped Cedar get back on the horse, and they hurried to continue their journey.

    Cedar had to admit that the arrow was rather painful. His muscles around that area were burning, and he felt as if his nerves were tingling. It was a horrible feeling, but he didn''t complain even once. He was much too tense and tried to help look around while they moved. He thought about Lucille and how he had to tell her that she deserved another apology since she had caught such a painful arrow for him before, but he didn''t allow himself to be distracted for long. He had to focus on the dangers at hand first. Unfortunately, those threats were closer than he would have liked.

    Not even five minutes had passed when Cedar noticed that he had begun to blink more often. He hadn''t thought much about it, but then he realized that his mind was a bit hazy. At first, he hoped that this was just his body''s reaction to the wound, but he was pretty sure that that wasn''t it. His assumption was only confirmed when he tried to speak and realized that his tongue didn''t work like it was supposed to. ¡°I...think this...arrow was poisonous.¡± He slurred his words a little, and he was much quieter than normal too.

    Theodore heard him anyway. He abruptly turned to his brother. He was silent for a few seconds, but his expression already betrayed what he was thinking. ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    Cedar tried to focus on the trees in front of him and was rather thankful that he at least managed to see them clearly when he wasn''t blinking. ¡°I''m dizzy, and this is not just because of the blood loss.¡± He hadn''t lost enough blood for it to be this bad yet.

    Theodore muttered a few curse words before he stopped his horse. He jumped off and walked over to his brother while gesturing to his personal guard, whom he instructed for a moment. Most likely, Owen was supposed to keep an eye on the royal guards around them to keep them safe. It was a bit stupid for Theodore to turn his back on those men, but at least he had made sure to have someone else protect him in the meantime. He inspected Cedar''s wound for a moment before coming to the obvious conclusion. ¡°We have to take the arrow out.¡±

    That was the only logical reaction, but one of the guards seemed to be skeptical. He scanned the wound from afar and spoke up with a slight hint of worry in his voice. ¡°But he will lose a lot of blood if we-¡±

    Theodore lifted his hand to stop the other man. ¡°If he noticed that it''s poisoned already, it will only get worse with time. I don''t want to know what kind of poison that woman uses. I will get it out immediately.¡± For just a moment, he had positioned his fingers rather strangely while speaking.

    If Cedar had to guess, he would say that this had been a signal for the guards that actually belonged to the emperor''s side and knew what it meant. Hopefully, this was it. It would make sense for the knights to tense then. Cedar would have liked to focus on everyone''s expressions to find out who the traitor might be if there was one, but his sight was a little blurred now. He could see the people around him well, but as soon as he tried to focus on specific details, his eyes refused to work with him. Damn it. He needed to get this arrow out, but if he was unlucky, that wouldn''t help him at all. The poison was already in his veins.

    He could only rely on the fact that his mother wanted him to become emperor. She wouldn''t allow any assassin to kill him, right? Or did she seriously hope to frame Theodore for this? If so, it might already be too late to avoid this trap. Cedar could just pray that he would be as resistant as he always was. It would be pathetic to die here like this after he had promised Lucille that he would come back to her.

    The emperor slowly helped his brother off the horse, and Cedar had to rely more on him than he would have liked. The prince noticed that his footing was quite unsteady, which led to him cursing in his mind a few more times.

    Theodore worked quickly after that. He was careful while he made Cedar sit down and then crouched down behind him. ¡°Owen will make sure that no one can approach us now, so I have enough time to pull this out now. Please try to endure the pain and relax a little. Do you want something to-¡±

    Cedar cut him off there. ¡°No. Do it as quickly as possible.¡± It would be painful even if he had something to hold between his teeth. They had no pain medicine here, and that was the only thing that could have made this more endurable. Without it, Cedar would just have to hold on like he always did. He was used to pain, so he would survive if the blood loss didn''t kill him. ¡°Make sure to...press something onto the wound quickly.¡±

    Theodore let out a small grunt in affirmation, but he was already focused on the wound. He grasped the arrow and seemingly tried to move it a little bit.

    Immediately, a wave of pain crashed over Cedar. This was worse than being hit by the arrow had been. If they weren''t in danger, he would have asked Theodore to knock him out before doing this. But at the moment, they didn''t have time for this. They needed to hurry. Unfortunately, it seemed like that might make this a hundred times more painful than it had to be. Doing this without a doctor was reckless. Cedar would freely ask for pain medicine and swallow his pride if he had the chance now, but sadly he didn''t have it. And it got even worse.

    Theodore carefully pulled the arrow back, and Cedar inwardly cringed at the feeling of the tip digging into his flesh. But then the arrow refused to budge. Theodore would need to use more force. Yet, he seemed a bit reluctant. ¡°It''s...really deep and-¡±

    Cedar could feel how deeply the arrow had pierced his flesh. He didn''t need narrations about that, he needed this damned thing to get away from him. ¡°Theodore, just do it quickly.¡± He forced himself to relax the muscles in his shoulder, but that alone was painful enough to make him want to flinch. He barely managed to keep himself still.

    Theodore behind him drew in a sharp breath before he finally obeyed and used more force.

    By the gods. This felt like a nightmare.

    The wound pulsated while Cedar''s muscles burned, and the warm liquid that came out only seemed to make the pain worse. He gritted his teeth and tried not to think about how horrible it felt when the arrow was pulled out. It was like the flesh around it had already swollen in an attempt to keep the blood inside, and now the wound had gotten wider again. Great. He once again would have to thank his mother for one of the most painful wounds in his life. He tried to calm down by reminding himself of the fact that being burned with the iron skewer had hurt more, but that only made him more upset. At the moment, he was close to telling his mother that he was sick of her presence in his life, and this time, he wouldn''t regret it afterward.

    Theodore didn''t seem to like how the wound looked. He froze in place for a moment before he dared to speak. ¡°Cedar-¡±

    ¡°It''s fine. Just...cover it up quickly.¡± They would need to clean this wound later. That would be painful, Cedar knew it already. He didn''t want to think about that now. He already needed to distract himself to avoid noticing how lightheaded he was getting.

    Theodore finally hurried after that comment. He pressed some piece of cloth onto the wound before wrapping a bandage around his brother''s shoulder as tightly as he could. After a few seconds, he had to admit something though. ¡°The blood isn''t...flowing out as much as it normally would.¡±

    Cedar could guess why. The area around the wound felt really strange, as if the flesh there was a bit more firm than normal. Maybe this had been a safety measure that Camille had taken to ensure that her son wouldn''t escape from her grasp in a lethal way. ¡°Mother doesn''t want to kill me. She just...¡± For a moment, he got a bit too dizzy and needed to stop before he managed to continue the sentence. ¡°She doesn''t want me to fight. This is probably supposed to keep me from dying.¡± He let out a barely audible chuckle and already regretted it when his muscles complained about the movement. He forced himself to hold still for a few seconds before he added the rest. ¡°How thoughtful of her.¡± He didn''t have the strength to veil his sarcasm today.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Theodore watched the wound for a moment longer. It seemed like he didn''t trust it completely, but he had to give in after a few seconds. ¡°This poison also made the area around the wound swell, so you aren''t losing as much blood. In our case, that''s helpful, so I won''t complain.¡± He stood up again and walked around his brother before carefully helping him stand. ¡°We''ll get you home in just a few minutes. If this isn''t supposed to kill you, we don''t have to worry at all since you will just fall asleep in the worst case. So, it would be best for you to just relax and hold still.¡± He said that as if he was confident, but the slight tremble in his voice proved that he wasn''t as composed as he should be.

    Cedar tried to calm him down a bit by smiling at him. He was well enough to act like nothing was wrong, so he was fully conscious, which proved that this poison here wasn''t too potent. He wasn''t happy about needing to lean onto Theodore to stand, but he had been through worse. ¡°See it in a positive light. My side...wasn''t slit open this time.¡± But maybe he shouldn''t say that when the fight wasn''t completely over yet.

    Theodore didn''t seem to like this joke very much either. He looked at Cedar with narrowed eyes before he helped him get onto the horse again. ¡°Try not to move around too much. We can''t risk opening-¡± He cut himself off when he saw that his brother already grabbed the reigns and did his best to ignore the wound to go without needing help. ¡°Cedar. Don''t overdo it.¡± He didn''t need to worry about that.

    Cedar could barely move without wishing to faint. Normally, arrows weren''t this painful. At least he was pretty sure of that. Had his mother asked someone to dowse the arrow in acid? If so, that wouldn''t be surprising. Maybe Camille wanted to teach him a lesson like this. ¡°I''m fine. Let''s hurry.¡±

    Theodore nodded before he rushed to his horse. He climbed on top before lifting his hand to signal the guards, who could now abandon their defense position, that they would move again. Theodore instructed the people around them while scanning every person''s face, most likely to detect any possible traitor. ¡°We are taking a detour. We will move as fast as possible, but be careful while checking the surroundings. The last time I rushed away after something like this, our enemy had already waited for us and had positioned mercenaries there. So, we can''t use the direct route. We''re steering toward the southern part of the forest first.¡± That was a good idea.

    Cedar remembered how satisfied his mother had been when her plan eight years ago had worked out. Back then, Theodore had retreated with Althea in a carriage after the first assassination attempt, only to be attacked again. Now this wouldn''t happen once more. At least Cedar hoped that, but he couldn''t be sure. After all, he was barely able to think clearly at the moment. His brain worked well, but he got more tired with each minute that they moved. He did his best to keep his head upright and forced his eyes open, but it still got worse.

    Theodore noticed that much too early. Barely five minutes had passed, and he already whispered to his brother. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    Cedar was miserable. ¡°I''m uncertain.¡± His wound was puckering, and it felt like the blood that seeped out of the injury was warm enough to burn into his skin. Hopefully, none of his muscles had seriously gotten hurt, or he might not be able to fight as he could before. He didn''t dare to address that worry now though. ¡°I would say that I''m much...more upset than normal. If you talk to Mother after this, can you tell her that I''m angry with her? And that I''m charging her for treason this time too?¡± His pronunciation was much more sloppy now. Wonderful.

    Theodore looked like he was rather concerned, but upon hearing about Camille, his rage came back. ¡°She''ll lose her head for this. I''m done with her.¡± So, he had thrown his last bit of reluctance away now. That was good. It would be much safer after this. Now they only needed to return without being killed.

    Cedar tried not to think about what could go wrong, and he also didn''t allow himself to think about Lucille, who had to be waiting for him in panic. He had to come back for her. He had promised that he would stay safe, and he refused to lie to her. So, he needed to reach their destination without fainting. He told himself that it would be fine a couple of times. His silence caused Theodore to add something else though.

    ¡°I should have expected that witch to try something today.¡± The emperor sounded almost bitter while saying that. ¡°I thought that it would be fine if we prepared since none of my spies noticed her planning anything. Reeve didn''t tell us anything either.¡±

    Cedar had a bad premonition, but it was even worse than what Theodore feared. ¡°He is too cowardly to lie to your face. If Reeve didn''t tell you, he really doesn''t know. I presume that Mother organized this before we hired him. That was about two years ago, so I''m a bit worried.¡± Camille normally was a very impulsive person. If she had planned an attack so far in the future, it proved that she was much more composed than Cedar had ever believed her to be.

    ¡°We knew that she might have planned it before, but...she did this two years in advance? I almost can''t believe it.¡±

    This would mean that Camille had plotted this attack while Cedar had begun writing letters to bring them out of confinement for the first time. Before Cedar had even thought about the victim and villain plot that he had worked on a few months after that. How come she had already thought about killing Theodore during this specific hunt today? That was truly concerning.

    A few seconds passed in silence before Theodore spoke again. ¡°Cedar? Did you not hear me?¡±

    The prince was pretty sure that his brother hadn''t said anything after the comment about Camille. That was unfavorable. ¡°Could you please repeat that? I''m getting a bit drowsy, so I might not have been-¡± A wave of dizziness overcame him. Cedar swayed a bit and had to close his eyes for a moment. When he dared to resume, his brother was already looking at him with concern. ¡°I might not have listened.¡±

    Theodore scanned the other man''s face with care before he replied. ¡°Don''t fall asleep, alright? We''re giving you an antidote as soon as we get back.¡±

    ¡°That would be good.¡± Cedar was pretty sure that he needed some kind of antidote, or he would faint in a few minutes. The world was spinning around him already, and staying upright got harder than it should have been because of the blood loss. Camille had chosen a poison that would make it impossible for him to fight. He would have to thank her for that later. And maybe he would have to ask whether she had actually planned for him to be hit by a poison arrow two years ago. If so, that would be even more nauseating than this poison itself.

    The longer they needed to move at this somewhat slow pace, the more exhausted Cedar got. He needed to fight the urge to close his eyes and sleep regularly, and he hated every second of it. The fact that he was losing his balance was worse though. He feared falling off his horse at this point, and he didn''t need to do that for the third time today. He tried to hide it to avoid slowing down the group even more, but that was useless.

    Theodore kept a close eye on his brother and soon noticed that something was wrong. He stopped immediately. He walked over to his brother and held onto the reigns so that the horse couldn''t move away and whispered. ¡°This won''t do, Cedar. You''re about to fall and break your bones. You have to let Owen help you.¡± That was a horrible idea.

    Cedar''s mind wasn''t in the best state, but even he noticed that. ¡°He''s your...personal guard and the...best fighter.¡± His speech was even more unclear than before. ¡°He can''t be forced to carry...an injured person. He has to be...prepared to...¡± By the gods.

    He was about to throw up. What sort of potion had the assassin mixed this time? This was awful.

    Cedar could barely stop himself from doubling over because he knew that moving like that would be much too painful. He definitely couldn''t move much on his own anymore. Pure adrenaline was the only thing that kept him going, and even that didn''t keep him from realizing that his limbs felt numb and barely responded to him.

    Theodore gritted his teeth as he watched how his brother swayed. ¡°But you can''t sit alone. Having you close to me is too risky in case of an attack, and I don''t trust anyone but Owen. If Leon was here, it would be easy, but he is in the palace. He will come in a few minutes if our two guards reached the venue by now, but we can''t wait for that.¡±

    Cedar would have liked to argue a bit more, but his foggy mind didn''t grant him any arguments. He had to admit defeat here. He didn''t know anyone but Owen, so he couldn''t be sure of who else was on their side. ¡°Alright.¡± He was swayed much too easily, which only proved that he was miserable, and his balance underlined that.

    Cedar had barely leaned to the side to climb off his horse when it felt like the ground below him was moving toward him. He wasn''t able to stabilize himself in time and almost fell. He vaguely realized that Theodore caught him and heard his brother say something, but he could barely register what was happening around him. The only thing he heard right now was the deafening rushing of blood in his ears and the slow but very loud beating of his heart. This wasn''t good at all. He couldn''t lose consciousness like this. Cedar brought a hand to his head and tried to massage his forehead, but his coordination was awful. His hand was completely blurred even though he held it directly in front of his face too. Damn it.

    A voice called out to him, but it sounded like a faint noise more than anything else. Theodore''s mouth moved, so he probably said something, but Cedar didn''t recognize more.

    The prince was getting really tired now. Reminding himself of why he couldn''t sleep got harder with each second. He forced himself to imagine Lucille in front of his inner eye. He had to stay awake because he had promised that he would come back for her. That thought didn''t magically give him energy, but at least he managed to open his eyes fully again. He focused on Theodore, and with some effort, he could actually read his brother''s expression.

    Theodore looked like he was close to being terrified. He said something, but the prince only heard bits and pieces. Most likely, he told his brother to stay awake.

    But Cedar didn''t even try to listen to that. Something else had caught his eye.

    A few royal guards were missing, he was sure of it. And for some reason, two or three men as well as Owen were turned away as if they expected an attack from there.

    The most concerning part though was that one of the knights had put his hand onto the handle of his sword and was slowly moving closer to the emperor. The man was on his way to stab Theodore from behind. It was another one of the most dirty tricks in the history of assassinations.

    Cedar wouldn''t allow anyone to use him as a distraction though. He could barely move, but he could rely on one thing that he had learned over the years. His reflexes normally allowed him to strike even when he could barely stand. And, frankly, that fake guard was much too close for the prince to think about whether this would work.

    Cedar was much slower than he would usually be, but his reflexes took over. He managed to push Theodore aside by using the other''s surprise while drawing his sword with the other hand.

    Inwardly, he couldn''t help but sigh at the irony. It was the same again, wasn''t it? A person wanted to attack Theodore, and someone else jumped in the way to protect him.

    But Cedar wasn''t as weak as Althea had been. He noticed that his movements weren''t clean since he used his left hand to guide the sword and his stance was unstable, but he managed to move in time. And more importantly, he managed to catch the assassin by surprise and stabbed him first before that man, who hadn''t expected backlash at all, could react. Seemingly, Cedar had done that without getting injured himself, for which he was rather grateful. The urge to throw up was bad enough as it was, and another wound was the last thing he needed now. He already tumbled backward, having lost his sword, just because he had to stand on his own.

    After that, it suddenly got much worse.

    Cedar could barely breathe, and it felt like his lungs refused to accept air. Was the poison worse than he had thought? Or had he lost too much blood? In either case, he was too stubborn to die here just like this. He glared at the man lying on the dirt in front of him and tried to focus on that anger to keep him awake. A surprise attack like that was really the worst. How cowardly Camille was. ¡°You''re...pathetic...¡± He should have said that to his mother''s face at some point. Maybe he was telling her this now. And maybe he was just telling it to himself too. After all, it was truly pathetic for his body to give up because of this now. His legs gave in beneath him. He crashed down to the floor and vaguely realized that someone tried to catch him.

    ¡°Cedar!¡± Why was Theodore yelling so loudly? That made no sense.

    Surely, Cedar was losing consciousness, but this poison wasn''t deadly. Probably. Cedar would just sleep for a little while, and the wound on his shoulder would heal with some patience as well. Hopefully. Cedar just told himself that he was too furious and stubborn to die now. He still had so much to do. He needed to tell his mother that he hated her. He had to apologize for Althea''s death properly. And most importantly, he had to tell Lucille that he loved her. He wouldn''t let a stupid poison stop him.

    But the warm liquid that dripped out of his stomach didn''t feel like it had been caused by the poison. Had someone slit open his torso for the second time this year? Or had the wound from his shoulder opened more than before?

    Cedar would have liked to confirm which was the case, but he didn''t stay awake for long enough. The world around him faded to black within a few seconds just as a horn sounded from afar.

 Chapter 189: Limit

    Every single person at the glade seemed to be in a panic now. The royal guards had trouble explaining that the guests wouldn''t be targeted when the goal was only the emperor and rushing into the forest to search for the danger at the same time.

    Maybe the empress should have calmed the situation down more, but she had already given her best. Blanche herself was more shaken than most here since her husband was in danger, and yet, she managed to instruct the guards and calm her sobbing daughter. She was in a much better state than Lucille was still.

    Ever since the horn had sounded, Lucille had been frozen in place while staring at the forest. There was no way that Camille would try to harm Cedar, right? Surely, even that woman had some sort of boundaries. Cedar had always been Camille''s favorite, so she wouldn''t ask someone to hurt him, would she? Lucille already knew that the honest answer wouldn''t calm her here, but she refused to accept that. If she seriously thought about the worst-case scenario, she would break down.

    As if that wasn''t bad enough, two royal guards came back with blood on their clothes and announced that there had been an assassination attempt on the members of the royal family. Then more knights had rushed into the forest, and the guests were encouraged to stay in the center of the venue, where the remaining guards could watch them.

    Blanche gave one short speech telling everyone that it would be fine since they weren''t in danger. After that, the dukes and duchesses had been kind enough to deal with the guests so that the empress could focus on the guards. It was nice to see that all of them could still think clearly. Blanche was so pale that it looked like she was about to faint, but she didn''t.

    Lucille was about to. She felt like her brain didn''t get enough oxygen to work properly, which might have been the case because her breathing was too shallow and quick. She would love to regulate that a bit, but she didn''t have the nerve to do that. She was much too tense. For the last few minutes, she had walked around in circles, but that hadn''t helped her. She had begun chewing on her fingernails too, and neither her father nor Fiona had been able to get her to stop. Hugs and calm words could only do so much.

    The mood was horrible.

    Lady Peril had lost her usual playful attitude completely ever since the horn had sounded and genuinely seemed concerned, if she could even feel that emotion. ¡°His Royal Highness is a good fighter. I would say that he even is the best one we have in all of Artias. He will surely win against anyone that would attack him. His Majesty is impressive too, so no one will defeat them when Sir Maillont is with them as well. We just need to wait a little, and they will return while their enemies are lying in the dirt.¡±

    Lucille wasn''t sure if Jenna tried to calm her, but she accepted it for now.

    Apparently, Jenna saw that as a cue to continue in a low volume. ¡°I only know one person who would send assassins into the royal estate during the hunt. She never wished for His Royal Highness'' death, so we do not need to worry about that. His Majesty is in greater danger, and even he will get out of this unharmed. During the hunting festival two years ago, His Majesty was attacked too, and he killed the intruder with a single motion of his sword. That proves that he is capable. His Royal Highness has trained for longer and is much better than his brother, so he will return safely as well. You are the one who insisted that a prince couldn''t lie. He said that he will come back as the victor, so he will do just that.¡± Was she telling that Lucille or herself?

    Lucille wasn''t sure what to say, and she assumed that being quiet was better anyway. After all, she could barely focus on anything, and biting her tongue wasn''t a good idea now. So, she just nodded while she began to play with the skin next to her fingernails again.

    Lady Peril gently but firmly grabbed Lucille''s hands and made her stop, which was probably for the better since the skin on Lucille''s fingers was already sore. Then she wordlessly instructed one of her maids to bring her some cream and handed that to the other woman.

    Lucille assumed that this was supposed to distract her, and she accepted that but didn''t use the cream. Instead, she allowed Fiona to hug her again. She could barely register what was going around her, so she only noticed that her friend slowly led her to a chair. Her father pulled it back for her so that she could sit, but she didn''t want to take a seat. Lucille needed to run around and get rid of her unneeded energy. But she was pretty sure that she didn''t have a choice here.

    Stumbling now could make it much worse than it had to be. So, Lucille gave in and allowed Fiona to make her sit. She only noticed how shaky her legs and hands were now. She couldn''t even look at her fingers without them trembling a bit too much. But she was worrying about her lover, so her reaction was very much justified. For a moment, she just sat there and considered the worst that could happen. Then she was snapped out of it by her father.

    Raymond had crouched down in front of her and carefully reached up to wipe away tears she hadn''t known about before. His expression was unusually soft when he whispered to her. ¡°Everything will be fine. That prince is the one who beat up adult men when he was fourteen. You can rest assured that he won''t go easy on anyone.¡±

    Lucille could only sob at that. She extended her arms to her father and was more than relieved when he did her the favor and hugged her. She held onto him and could barely keep herself from crying even louder. If Cedar got seriously hurt here, she wouldn''t know what to do. He didn''t deserve to be injured because of a useless power struggle, a stupid grudge of one insane woman.

    At that thought, Lucille''s emotions changed a little. Her fear and panic remained, but pure and unfiltered hatred joined the mix.

    Lucille''s blood boiled when she realized what Camille had done to her son. For the first time in her life, she wished to murder someone. She had never hated someone so much. If she got closer to that woman, she would personally break Camille''s neck.

    Cedar had done so much for his mother. He had lived for her. He had hurt himself and put himself through so much pain just to be liked by her.

    And Camille paid it back by demanding more each time. By sending assassins to murder whom he liked and trying to destroy his happiness each time he grasped it. She was the reason why Cedar feared showing his emotions, why he thought that he needed to be invulnerable, why he was convinced that he wasn''t capable of feeling or receiving true love. That woman had traumatized her son in so many ways that one couldn''t list all of them. She deserved to feel all of the pain she had given to others herself.

    Lucille gritted her teeth while forcing herself to loosen her grip on her father. She didn''t need to cut off his air supply because she was filled with anger at the moment. She didn''t want to speak at all, but the words slipped out of her mouth. ¡°That...that woman... That witch... If she hurt anyone today, I will-¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The one who stopped her was Jenna. ¡°Leave that to the people in charge. His Majesty will behead her for this. Maybe he will do it immediately after he comes back, or he will schedule an execution you can watch. In any way, he will be much more cruel than you could be, so leave this to him.¡± She was right about that.

    Lucille closed her mouth again and slumped her shoulders. She let her head fall forward while trying to focus on the floor. She noticed that her father had taken her hands in his and squeezed him to calm herself down, but it helped little. Lucille wasn''t sure how long she sat there in that odd state. She only knew that she was about to lose her mind when nothing happened. Just waiting made her feel horrible. She needed to hear about what was going on soon, or she might actually break down.

    Just when she was about to hug her father again, she heard yelling. That made her jump up, and she hectically looked around. Her eyes fell onto the group of royal guards that approached the glade on their horses.

    The emperor was with them. He jumped off his horse when he reached the venue and instructed the guards around him in a very harsh tone so that no one would dare to refuse. Theodore looked like he might as well have come to slaughter every single person here. His expression was terrifying, and the bloodstains on his clothes didn''t make him seem harmless either.

    That was the first warning.

    Lucille found herself running toward him. She vaguely noticed that Blanche did the same, but she wouldn''t follow the empress to talk to Theodore. She used every bit of energy that she had to sprint to the royal guards next to the emperor, who were carrying a man with hair in a familiar shade of blue. ¡°Cedar!¡± She almost fell to her knees next to him and could just keep herself upright because she had to check whether he was awake. She put her hands onto his cheeks without any care for the guards by his side ¡°Cedar!¡±

    He didn''t respond.

    The prince wasn''t smiling nor was he looking at her. He just hung limply in the others'' arms. He was covered in much more blood than the emperor.

    The dread in Lucille''s mind threatened to overwhelm her as she brought her hands to her lover''s neck. He had to have a pulse. He had to. It was useless to try to check when her own heart beat enough for the both of them, but she still tried it while holding her other hand in front of his mouth. She held on for the worst five seconds of her life before she felt a warm breath. She let out a whimper, and her legs almost gave in.

    Cedar was alive. He was definitely wounded and unconscious, but he was breathing steadily.

    Lucille almost hugged him. She only held herself back because she didn''t want to touch his wounds, but even that argument barely convinced her. She began crying again while she stared at her lover and cupped his face. For a few seconds, she remained in that position until a noise made her remember that she wasn''t alone here. She finally snapped out of it then and heard what was going on around them.

    Theodore said something to her, and she had only understood the second half. ¡°A poisonous arrow, so we need to get him the antidote immediately. He lost a lot of blood, and both wounds are extremely deep. The doctor is preparing the tent. We''ll bring him there without further delay.¡±

    This made Lucille wake up. Her lover needed treatment. She jumped to the side to allow the guards to move Cedar.

    Theodore had already wrapped an arm around his wife, but he still looked at his brother while moving forward. ¡°Let''s hurry up. We need to get him ready for treatment.¡± With that, he led the royal guards toward the tent they needed to visit. He repeated his orders yet again. ¡°Bring him to the doctor. We need to-¡± He cut himself off when he turned his head to the side. Then he raised his voice again to address his advisor, who came running toward him. ¡°Leon! Cedar needs an antidote, and the wounds have to be sewn! He was shot with an arrow, and the poison began taking effect a minute after he was hit. The area around the injury is swollen. He got dizzy and tired first, then he lost his sense of balance, and after that, his sight blurred, and he could barely speak anymore. He fainted after getting attacked with a sword.¡± He said that so quickly that almost no one could have followed.

    Leonard seemed to have understood though. He came to a halt right next to the prince and put two fingers on his neck to confirm his pulse. He muttered something under his breath before gesturing to the guards to help carry Cedar to the tent next to them.

    Lucille ran after them immediately.

    Theodore followed as well with his wife, who carried their daughter, and hurried to get to the tent.

    Lucille walked close to Cedar and tried not to cry each time she saw that he was full of blood. She couldn''t help it as terror rose inside her. When she rushed into the doctor''s tent, she only got more scared.

    The doctor looked horrified upon seeing Cedar. He didn''t waste any time with pleasantries and immediately had the prince put on the small bed that stood there. He and his assistants began running around and picking up instruments and bandages to prepare for treatment.

    Lucille didn''t wait for anyone''s permission. She grabbed a chair and placed it behind the head part of the bed so that it wouldn''t disturb the doctors. She sat down there and put her hand on Cedar''s forehead in hopes that he might recover faster if he knew that his lover was waiting for him. He was burning up. But the huge amount of blood that flowed out of the makeshift bandages was much more concerning.

    By the gods, Lucille had never seen so much blood. She felt like the panic was slowly growing bigger than she could manage and forced herself to calm down. It wouldn''t help anyone if she broke down now. She needed to stay somewhat composed, or she would disturb the doctor. So, she told herself one thing over and over again.

    Cedar would survive this. He had to. He was stubborn, so he would recover. Lucille had survived being shot with an arrow under the doctor''s care too, and she was extremely weak. If she was fine now, Cedar would recover too. He had to. But...

    The wounds on his body looked horrible.

    As soon as the doctor and his assistants took away the bandage, Lucille almost had a heart attack. Cedar had not only been hit by an arrow, and the wound there was all swollen up. He also had been slashed with a sword again. This time, it wasn''t nearly as bad as the first time Lucille had found him bleeding in her garden, but it was still awful. She could barely look at the injuries, and yet, she found herself unable to turn away.

    Leon assisted the doctor and gave Cedar some kind of medicine, which was either supposed to help the wound recover or to serve as an antidote for the poison that had been on the arrow.

    Lucille wasn''t sure. She didn''t care as long as it helped. This all felt like a cruel joke. She could only wait for her lover to wake up.

    It was completely quiet while the doctor treated Cedar and tried to sew the wounds shut. Aurora''s occasional quiet crying was the only noise that sounded through the room. Apparently, the baby had realized that her parents were upset and was disturbed because of that as well. Blanche considered bringing her daughter away multiple times, but she didn''t want to leave, so she sat down behind the paravent so that Aurora wouldn''t be able to see anything that could scare her.

    Theodore was with his wife and daughter most of the time, but he often came back to check up on Cedar, and each time, he had a pained expression. He talked to Lucille to calm her occasionally. ¡°That idiot saved my life, even though he was hurt. That just shows how stubborn he is. He will definitely recover. It''s hard to kill members of our family.¡± He said that while trying to sound confident, but in reality, he was scared too. Maybe that was why he and Blanche stayed inside the room too instead of dealing with the guests, which Leon took care of.

    Lucille herself refused to leave Cedar''s side for even a single second. During the treatment, she had been close to him, and as soon as the doctor had stepped away after a painful hour, she had grabbed Cedar''s hand. Ever since then, she had sat by his side and talked to him occasionally in hopes of waking him up. Her lover didn''t react, but she didn''t give in.

    The doctor had said that Cedar should recover thanks to the substance in the poison that had thickened his blood enough to keep him from bleeding out. Lucille relied on that and prayed for every second that she waited by Cedar''s side. She wouldn''t let go of his hand until he woke up.

    And he would wake up. He had promised her that he would marry her, and he wasn''t the type to break his promises.

 Chapter 190: What Could Have Been

    Cedar''s head was throbbing. He had a horrible headache, and he had no idea why. Or maybe he had a vague clue. He didn''t want to be here, wherever he was. When he opened his eyes, this became even more apparent.

    He was in the ballroom of the royal palace. At least he thought so, but his vision was slightly blurred and the scenery somewhat distorted. But this strange version of the ballroom was full of shadowy figures, whose silhouettes made them look like they wore ballgowns and suits. The room was full, like all the nobles of Artias had come. Something like this would only happen for important events, like coronations and royal weddings. But that wasn''t even the strangest thing.

    What actually made Cedar ask questions was his position. Even through his slightly blurred sight, he could tell that he was higher than everyone else, looking down on them from the throne.

    In front of the platform on which the throne stood, a few figures in white robes with golden crosses were waiting. One of them was standing on the platform and gave a long speech, of which Cedar only heard broken whispers and singular words. The scene reminded him of a coronation, which made no sense. The emperor, Theodore, was completely fine. There wouldn''t need to be another coronation until Aurora would take over the crown.

    Cedar felt a small tinge of panic in his stomach, at least as much as he could with that fog clouding his mind. He slowly turned his head while trying to find out what was going on.

    Besides his throne, someone stood. Even though she was as blurred as everyone else, Cedar could recognize her. There was his mother. She was beaming from one ear to the other. Camille met her son''s gaze with so much cheerfulness that it sent terror through his veins. Then she added something even more horrifying by mouthing something to him. ¡®We finally did it.¡¯ He understood that part but not what this meant. Her greatest goal was killing Theodore and making Cedar the emperor, right? That couldn''t have worked because Theodore was still alive.

    Cedar was pulled from his thoughts when the high priest''s inaudible speech stopped. That man prepared to pick up the crown, which was lying on top of a navy pillow in a servant''s hands. That was the crown, the official heirloom of the Estien family. Why was this here? This was only done for coronations.

    With each second, more questions arose, but Cedar didn''t receive replies. When he lifted his hand to stop the priest, he was relieved for a moment. But as he wanted to ask what was happening, his mouth worked without his approval. He didn''t ask where Theodore was or what the people here were thinking when they suddenly imitated a coronation, questioning if people disagreed with his claim on the crown. His own voice sounded hollow and distant. Like he wasn''t saying it but heard someone else speak in his voice.

    None of the guests moved. All of them were cowards. Even though their new emperor had murdered the former one and everyone here knew that, no one protested.

    Wait...

    Cedar''s thoughts stopped right there. Now his muddled brain confused him even more. None of this could be right. He hadn''t killed Theodore. His brother was still alive. And his wife and daughter were alive as well. Why should Cedar be crowned when all three of them had a claim on the throne before him? It made no sense. Why were he and everyone else acting like he had killed Theodore?

    Cedar was getting more nauseous with each second. His mind was so clouded that he could barely form a coherent thought.

    The high priest saw that no one stepped forward and saw that as his cue to continue, after saying something inaudible to the guests. He picked up the crown with utmost care while he walked toward the throne. Then he addressed Cedar and asked him some questions the prince didn''t understand. It sounded like the question you would pose the future emperor, asking him to protect and serve the nation though.

    Cedar''s voice responded again. This time, it sounded even further away, growing louder and quieter once in a while. Whoever spoke accepted the crown and asked for the loyalty of Artias'' citizens.

    The foggy silhouettes in the room bowed to him.

    Since neither the guests nor Cedar protested, the high priest came closer to the throne and lifted the crown before bowing down and slowly putting the ultimate symbol of the royal family on Cedar''s head. His voice sounded odd too, almost echoed like it came from another room as he announced that a new emperor had taken over.

    Cedar was pretty sure that he was dreaming at this point. After all, his body didn''t listen to him, and he felt so heavy like he was made of stone. He couldn''t even budge his finger slightly no matter how hard he tried. This certainly wasn''t normal.

    As soon as the crown rested on his head, the nausea inside Cedar grew even more. He could feel it. He could feel the crown digging into his scalp, dragging him down more than a real crown could. He felt like he couldn''t breathe.

    The ceremony continued against his will.

    The silhouettes that probably represented the three dukes and duchesses stepped forward to bow down once more in an exaggerated manner. Cedar recognized Duke Lamont and Duke Duremont based on their appearances. The real problem was that he also recognized the form of his uncle, Duke Vasquez. Why was Claude here when he should be dead?

    Cedar would have liked to insist on this being a dream, just because that would explain what was going on here. But to be honest, that didn''t make much sense. If this was a dream, why could he feel the heavy weight of the crown dragging him down? Why could he feel the armrests of the throne under his hands? Why could he feel his heart pounding in his chest?

    Too many question marks surrounded Cedar''s mind. He could barely think clearly. A dream, surely? That made the most sense.

    Cedar ignored how Duke Duremont muttered something inaudible while trying to find something that made sense in this horrible scenario. For a single moment, he hoped when he caught a glimpse of red hair in the corner of his eyes. But to his horror, he couldn''t even turn his head to make eye contact with his lover. His body refused to pay attention to her, even though she was right there.

    And something else might be even worse. Lucille stood there like all the other guests, slightly blurred and distant. He could see her face, but that seemed wrong to him too. She didn''t smile at him nor did her gaze hold the usual affection for him. As if she didn''t know him at all and just saw the twisted prince of Artias who had murdered his brother and was crowned the new emperor.

    Cedar hated that. He hated every second of this damned coronation, this obvious nightmare. If he could move his body, he would have thrown the crown away already. And he definitely wouldn''t hold still when his mother put her hand on his shoulder either.

    Camille leaned down to him and whispered something into his ear, which finally broke the inaudible murmuring in his mind. He couldn''t understand her either though. Then she stepped back again to watch from beside the throne.

    Cedar was much more uncomfortable with her standing there than he should be. But in the end, that didn''t change anything. He couldn''t move on his own nor could he speak of his own volition. Like this, at least one torturous hour passed by with all the guests congratulating him. He understood none of them, but it felt like they tried to curry favor with him, and some seemed to be scared. Cedar couldn''t blame them. He was scared too. His body didn''t show it, but he was about to throw up. He wanted to snap out of this so badly, but that didn''t happen. Even when the dance floor and the buffet were opened, he didn''t manage to wake up from this dream. His mouth just gave a short speech regarding the future of Artias against his will.

    Cedar doubled his efforts to move. He wanted to stand up, to say something, to look at Lucille. He wanted to do something else than sit here and accept this coronation. But no matter what he did, he couldn''t move. He stayed on the throne for what felt like an eternity before he needed to walk around to escort his mother to speak to the guests. By now, his body didn''t feel like more than a puppet that moved around. He couldn''t feel the floor beneath him or the warm air of the ballroom but just the heavy crown on his head.

    All his supporters were still here, even those who should have been eliminated by Theodore, at least if he read their silhouettes right.

    The most concerning part had to be Lucille though.

    When Cedar''s body finally greeted her and he could still make out her face, he had hoped that he would manage to break free from this trance. That didn''t happen. He addressed her as distantly as everyone else. He didn''t receive the reaction he had hoped for either.

    Raymond''s strangely motionless face watched the prince, or rather the emperor, with much more skepticism than before.

    And Lucille was fearful too. She didn''t seem relaxed in her lover''s presence at all. She curtsied, addressed him with his title and almost tripped over her words in the process. She was scared of Cedar.

    But even this didn''t allow Cedar to snap out of it. After a short greeting, he turned around and addressed another family. By now, he was filled with utter despair, but his attempts to call Lucille''s name were ignored by his body. Cedar tried to convince himself that this was a dream and impatiently waited for his body to wake up, but this nightmare just continued. He was forced to go through the whole ball until midnight before he left. He prayed for it to end there, but whatever this farce was continued.

    As soon as he stepped into the hallway, it felt like their surroundings morphed around him, suddenly letting Camille''s voice ring in his head. ¡°Cedar!¡±

    Cedar turned, only to find his mother right in front of him. And even through the fog in his head, he became unhappy needing to face. So, he didn''t know why his body stood still until his mother reached him. He didn''t even hug her or show her a smile either though. He just waited for his mother''s affection.

    Camille stepped much too close and put her arms around him. She didn''t use much force, and yet, it seemed to press the air out of Cedar''s lungs. Had her embrace always felt this suffocating and made the air feel so cold? It only got worse when she looked up and raised her hand to cup his cheek, which Cedar couldn''t feel. ¡°We finally did it.¡± A bright smile was visible on her lips, as far as Cedar could tell at least. ¡°We won, Cedar. We finally have what we always wished for. We are the victors. You are the emperor and will rule Artias. We have the undeniable right to the throne and limitless power, so no one will undermine you. We finally had revenge on the murderer of your father. We have everything we ever wanted.¡± She was so happy that it was sickening.

    Nothing about this was pleasant for Cedar. This felt like a nightmare.

    Especially as his mother''s far too light voice whispered into his ear. ¡°You always know what the best for us is. You have become grown to be such a respectable young man. Every time I look at you, I can''t help but wonder how quickly the years passed by. I still remember when you were my baby and needed me to carry you around. Now you are carrying the burden of the nation on your shoulders and will lead Artias to a better future. I trust you and know that you will make the best decisions for our citizens. Cedar, there is just one thing you can''t forget.¡±

    Cedar wanted to push her away and tell her that he wasn''t keen on listening to her when she had threatened to kill everything he loved. Yet, his body leaned into her touch. ¡°Yes, Mother?¡±

    Camille grinned at him. She knew that he was in her grasp, so she had been sure that he would listen from the very beginning. ¡°I love you. I''m so proud of you. There is nothing we can''t reach.¡± She was trying to bind him to her. Maybe she was scared because he was much more powerful than her now. She needed him to follow her anyway, so she would have to pull out all her manipulation tactics to make sure that he wouldn''t get upset with her.

    Even after they had won and Theodore was dead, Camille wouldn''t let her second son escape from the cage she had locked him in ever since his birth.

    But Cedar had tried to free himself. He was sure that he had gotten out with the help of Lucille, Theodore, Blanche and everyone else in the palace. Why was he stuck in this horrible nightmare now? He wasn''t sure, and he didn''t receive his answer. Instead, his body just made the decisions for him.

    Cedar closed his eyes for a moment. Before he could open them again, it got darker and much cooler. For a second, he dared to hope, but when he opened his eyes, he still couldn''t move his body by himself, and he still wore that damned crown on his head. All in all, it was horrible, even when he was now standing in the middle of the garden and staring at the fountain. He would have liked to scream in frustration, but he couldn''t even do that.

    But this time, something else caught his attention. A hint of red appeared in the corner of his eyes.

    Lucille.

    Cedar begged his own body to move in her direction, and for once, he wasn''t disappointed. He turned to her and took a step toward her before stopping there. Then his voice spoke again. ¡°Again? How often did this happen by now? We seem to meet here often.¡±

    Lucille, who was sitting on the edge of the fountain, was now a bit less blurry. Still, her hair looked washed out, and her motions weren''t fluid. This figure that resembled Lucille but wasn''t quite her looked up when she heard him. It was dark, but the red hand-print on the side of her face almost seemed to glow. She averted her eyes as soon as she met his gaze. ¡°I''m sorry for bothering you, Your Majesty. I can...leave if you wish to be here alone.¡± Her voice was so soft, as if the wind was uttering those words instead. It didn''t sound like her.

    Cedar wanted to go hug her nonetheless. He wanted to pull her into his arms while saying that everything would be fine, and he hated himself for not doing that. His useless body stood there and refused to budge. ¡°You were here before me, so you should not have to be the one to retreat. Did your father insist on going through with the engagement? Even though that man is twice as old as you are?¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Her little sob was enough of a response.

    So, Lucille was engaged to some other man in this dream? Why would she be? Raymond cared about his daughter. Why would he force her to marry such an old man? Surely, Viscount Valerian had wished for power, but he would never have sold off Lucille like that. And why didn''t Lucille remember anything about promising to marry Cedar?

    That made this a perfect nightmare.

    The Cedar from this world remained silent, even though he was hurting on the inside. His chest felt like it was bleeding. He loved Lucille. Seeing her like that, without recognition in her eyes, was more painful than any wound he had received. Without wanting to, he began to search for something he had hidden in his uniform. He pulled out a handkerchief as well as a small powder box and held both toward Lucille. ¡°This should be fine for now.¡±

    Lucille looked up at him with wet eyes but didn''t dare to meet his gaze for more than a second. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. But...I can''t keep-¡±

    Cedar cut her off by just putting the items into her hand. He hadn''t even made skin contact for a single second, and he couldn''t even feel it. Lucille was right in front of him. Why wasn''t he touching her, hugging her or kissing her? He loved this woman, so he should use every chance he had to show that to her.

    But he could neither speak out of turn nor move on his own, and the nightmare continued.

    Lucille accepted the handkerchief and the powder box before lowering her gaze. ¡°Thank you.¡± She was even quieter and more uncertain than before now. She treated him like every other stranger. It was like in the beginning when she hadn''t trusted him yet.

    Cedar hated it. And what was even worse was that he just stood next to her in silence instead of consoling her. He didn''t even look toward her but stared into the distance as if he was indifferent.

    Lucille carefully covered her cheek with powder so that it hid the red handprint more or less. When she was done, she dared to speak up again. ¡°Uhm...¡± She waited until he looked at her before giving him his powder box back. ¡°I thank you...from the bottom of my heart. I will...return the handkerchief when we see each other again. I mean...if you want it back and...¡± She was stuttering around him again. It hurt to see her so nervous.

    But the Cedar of this world didn''t care much. He sounded emotionless again, which was a stark contrast to his normally cheery tone. ¡°You can keep it. The powder too.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lucille slowly lowered the powder box again. She barely dared to make eye contact with the emperor before she looked down. She sat there in silence for a few seconds before she spoke again. ¡°I am unsure whether it would be inappropriate to ask, Your Majesty. But...why are you carrying around powder with you?¡±

    Cedar didn''t show his usual polite smile. He just blankly stared at the fountain while replying. ¡°I have no use for it anymore. I''ve gotten better at blindly obeying my mother, so she stopped hitting me.¡± He would never have admitted that outright in his normal state of mind. Whatever had caused this world to be like this was completely messed up. Cedar didn''t want to see any of this. He wanted to return home to his Lucille, who would smile at him and hug him.

    This Lucille here was just intimidated by his presence. She was on edge even now. ¡°I''m so sorry to hear that.¡± She said this and panicked a moment later before hurriedly correcting herself. ¡°Ah. I meant I''m sorry to hear that she hit you! Not that she stopped or-¡±

    Cedar cut her off. ¡°I know. It''s fine. It''s not like you aren''t used to the same problem, so there is no need to pity me.¡± Why was he so rude? Even if this wasn''t Lucille, he shouldn''t be so harsh with a crying woman. He should leave a stranger alone when they were busy, so why was he staying here when Lucille wasn''t comfortable crying out loud while he was so close? ¡°You can cry if you want to. Me being here shouldn''t stop you. It''s fine if you let out your frustration about that old bastard.¡± Why was this version of him so cruel? He had known what his words would cause.

    Lucille was reminded of her engagement and lowered her gaze again. She hugged herself for a moment. She tried to hold back, but the tears ran down her cheeks within seconds. ¡°I...I...¡± She stuttered a little before she finally spoke. ¡°I just...know that that man will hit me often. And I...I...¡± She gave up. She began sobbing loudly and tried to stifle her crying by pressing her hands to her mouth.

    Cedar insulted his other version a hundred times. Why had he said that to her? Had that been on purpose? Definitely. He knew how to read people. He had made Lucille cry with the full intention of using this to his advantage. After all, he didn''t even console her now. He just stood there and watched her face while trying to determine how she was feeling. He let her cry for a bit before he spoke up. ¡°There is one way you could get away from this.¡±

    Lucille looked up immediately.

    Cedar noticed that his expression was still blank. He wasn''t even hiding that he addressed this topic with something specific in mind. And then it got even worse. ¡°I could help you in return for a very specific favor. It will not be to your disadvantage.¡± What?

    No. He should help her without demanding anything in return.

    But this world''s Cedar didn''t care. He waited until he was sure that he had Lucille''s attention before resuming. ¡°I need a composed empress. Someone who will not challenge my mother, will not evoke her envy and will not get involved in politics. Someone that will only appear next to me in public and keep away any inquiries of me taking in a wife.¡± He wouldn''t dare to do that, would he? In his mind, Cedar tried to stop himself, but his mouth continued without showing the slightest bit of hesitance. ¡°In all honesty, my position is complicated, which is why the woman I marry has to meet a lot of requirements. I need to keep my supporters weak and my opponents strong so that my reign won''t destroy the power balance of our nation. It would be best if the empress came from one of the less politically involved, neutral families so that I would not strengthen either one of the factions too much. Unfortunately, this means that the choices are rather limited since almost everyone chose one side.¡±

    Lucille probably thought that he was insane as he told her this. Yet, she didn''t interrupt him and just listened with an uncertain expression that pained him to witness.

    By now, Cedar used all his willpower to stop himself from voicing this pathetic offer, but it didn''t work. His body resumed. ¡°Another issue is that my mother is a jealous person. She will murder anyone she thinks I care about. That means I would need to treat my wife very coldly at all times to show that she isn''t anyone special to me. Doing that is quite harsh. I''m not comfortable with that, but I have no choice. It would just be good if the concerned person knew what was going on and could deal with that. At the same time, I need someone reserved who won''t try to interfere when I rule and someone who will back all of my decisions without quarreling with my mother or with me.¡±

    Lucille looked like she was utterly shocked. She gazed at him with wide eyes and barely seemed to understand what he was saying. That made sense. The situation here indicated that they had only talked occasionally during events here. Suddenly proposing in such a disgusting way wouldn''t make her jump with joy.

    Cedar just resumed as if it didn''t matter that he was paralyzing Lucille with his suggestion. ¡°With some time, it would be fine. I could find someone in a few years. But I will be forced to marry soon as the nobles worry about the royal family''s heir. Aside from me, there aren''t any male relatives left, so I have to present a child soon. That means they will push me to announce a wife in just a couple of months. I will not marry Lady Peril, whom I resent. However, my mother supports her as my choice, and I need to get engaged to ensure that she will not become a candidate. All in all, this means that I need a wife that meets the requirements I listed fast. Of course, it would be best if she was aware of her position and could get along with me behind closed doors.¡± So, he wanted a fake wife that would leave him alone and allow him to rule on his own. That was selfish. Cedar had always been reluctant to talk about marriage because he hadn''t wanted to bind a poor woman to someone like him. Even in a nightmare, it was odd to assume something else.

    Lucille blinked at him. That was probably the only logical answer to something like this.

    Yet, Cedar chose to add something else, still in the same indifferent tone. ¡°I assume that you understood what I am proposing. You do not have to worry about me demanding anything of you. This is your own choice, and it would be a marriage in name more than anything else. I don''t need a successor. It would be better if the Estien bloodline didn''t continue with this curse. It will only end unofficially, of course. I will adopt a child later when I took care of the mess Theodore left behind and say that it''s mine.¡± He probably meant after Camille was dead. ¡°That boy will receive the Estien name and become the future emperor.¡±

    That was another harsh hit that was currently dealt out. Lucille wanted to have a family, and currently, someone was trying to get her to agree to something that would basically ruin her dreams and life.

    Cedar paused for a moment to allow Lucille to swallow this pill before he resumed. ¡°I can calm you in all regards when it comes to you being forced to do anything. You will just carry the family name and protect me from being bothered by others. In return, I can protect you from your father and from the bastard he chose as your fianc¨¦. You will not have to fear a husband who abuses you and can instead rest assured that I will protect you in each and every way. No one will undermine your rank, and no one will be able to tell you what to do from now on. You can make your own decisions. I know that this trade offers much more to me than it offers you, so I will not be upset if you reject it. Just say the word, and I will never mention this again. It''s your choice.¡±

    For the first time in his life, Cedar hated what he was doing with every fiber of his being. He was a manipulative bastard. This had always been the case, but now he was directly confronted with it in his own dreams. He knew that Lucille had always hated the fact that Raymond had predetermined her life. She had felt like she wasn''t able to make decisions on her own. Fleeing from her father''s cage had been her biggest wish. She had also planned on marrying a man who wouldn''t hurt her without really demanding love.

    Cedar knew that, and he used it against Lucille by phrasing his proposal in a manner that would make her feel like she could fulfill her two biggest goals at the same time. She would say yes for sure.

    Normally, Cedar would be happy to have Lucille accept him, but he didn''t want her to say yes like this. If he proposed to Lucille, it couldn''t be such an unromantic proposal. He didn''t want her to be a quiet wife that kept engagements away. He wanted her to marry him because he loved her.

    Lucille reacted as he had guessed that she would. She tensed and looked at him with wide eyes. She didn''t believe him and took a few seconds to collect herself before replying. ¡°But me as the empress... That''s impossible. I could never appear in public and guide our nation.¡± She was so quiet that he could barely hear her. But her tone had revealed that she was thinking about it.

    As expected, Cedar just added the worst comment he could voice.¡°I need someone with as little presence as possible. You would not have any tasks aside from being seen with me in public and enduring me sleeping in the seating room of your chambers once in a while to keep up the illusion of us being a normal married couple. My mother would be the greatest danger, but I can protect you from her as long as you act like we are completely indifferent to one another. If she thinks that you are scared of me and you make sure to show that she has more power than you, she will ignore you.¡± No. What was he doing?

    Camille was always dangerous no matter what. That woman was unpredictable. If the emperor didn''t fight against her, she would be much too powerful. Cedar couldn''t just use Lucille to keep away problems while risking her life. And even if he had wanted to take away Lucille''s worries, telling her that she had no presence was awful.

    Lucille didn''t question it though. She looked down at her lap for a moment and balled her fists. She was completely overwhelmed by the situation. ¡°This is...much too... I mean, I''m supposed to... I can''t. This is too quick.¡±

    Cedar replied in the same calm voice as before. ¡°It''s your choice whether you want to reconsider. You can simply write a letter at any time or approach me during a ball. Make your decision. I will not interfere nor pressure you.¡± He only said that because he wanted to seem different from her father. He offered her two choices while knowing well that she would choose him if the engagement with a violent old man was the other possibility. After this, he would only need to be silent for a few seconds. Inwardly, Cedar complained and wanted to tell Lucille that he loved her and that he didn''t want to use her, but he had never had a chance.

    Lucille stared at her hands for a minute or so. She was thinking about it. She went through the two possible ways that were lying in front of her. There was only a little tap missing, and she would fall into his grasp.

    And Cedar gave her that little tap by speaking up again. ¡°As I said, the offer is there. It will most certainly remain until I find another person who fits the description and agrees. It''s your choice. Contact me when you made up your mind. I wish you a wonderful evening, Lady Valerian.¡± He turned around and only took one step.

    ¡°Please wait!¡± Lucille already stood when he faced her again. She stuttered around a bit while wringing her hands and shifting her weight from one foot to the other. But after a few seconds, she replied. ¡°I...accept. If I can help you while also getting away from...my father, I want to do it. I don''t think I''m a fitting person, but...¡±

    Cedar wasn''t surprised. He had known this reaction would come. He already responded a second after she had finished. ¡°You are very much fitting. As I promised, you will not need to bother with politics nor will you have to be perfect when you appear in public. No one will dare to criticize my wife since they question my sanity.¡± He came a step closer to her again before he continued. ¡°You can leave everything to me, and I will take care of it. I will not restrict your freedom as long as you don''t interfere with mine or challenge my mother. I will guide you when you ask for it though. Keep in mind that Mother is unstable and that you should avoid her, but that is all you need to know. Everything else will go smoothly. I can swear this to you as Cedar Estien and the emperor of Artias. As long as you are with me, I will protect you.¡± He offered his hand to her.

    This was Lucille''s last chance to refuse, but she wouldn''t do that. As expected, she carefully put her hand onto his after hesitating for a second. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± She seemed to see this as an advantage for herself, so she would feel indebted later too.

    How much of an idiot Cedar was. How could he be so unaffected while seeing how Lucille''s face was still wet with tears? How could he use that for his sake? Had he really been so selfish before falling for her? He couldn''t believe that. Now his body did something nice, but that was also part of the manipulation. Cedar took the handkerchief from the edge of the fountain and wiped away a few of Lucille''s tears before putting it into her empty hand. ¡°I have to thank you. I''m pleased that you agreed. I will send a letter to invite you for tea in a short while, and we can discuss the details then. For now, we have to set protective measures in place. Let us act a little.¡± He looked directly into Lucille''s eyes. ¡°Please allow me to dance with you once. Just so that we have an excuse for when we met and so that your father will have to stop talking about marriage.¡±

    Lucille''s panic came back in an instant. ¡°Your Majesty, I apologize. I can''t dance well.¡± She was already getting red just because of so little skin contact.

    Cedar used that to his advantage, most likely because he planned on bringing her inside with her face being flushed as a sign of them getting closer. But he didn''t admit that outright and just stroked over the back of her hand with his thumb. ¡°I have danced often enough for both of us. If you close your eyes, I will lead you. However, if you don''t wish to dance, I will just bring you inside. Let me escort you for five minutes. That will be enough to show them that we are acquainted.¡± He had offered the more intimate thing first so that he could step back a bit and act like he was generous. What an awful move.

    Lucille didn''t think about refusing at all, even if this could ruin all chances of her backing out again. ¡°Fine.¡± She was silent for a moment and only tensed when Cedar linked his arm with hers. ¡°What... What are you planning to do?¡±

    Cedar slowly began leading her to the ballroom without giving her a chance to dry her tears completely. Maybe he wanted to make it seem like he had consoled her. ¡°I will scare your father a bit. I will tell him to take care of you and voice a silent threat. He won''t dare to hit you again. Trust me.¡± So, he seemed to have a bit of a guilty consciousness. He really would protect her in return for her agreement, but this still was a horrible plan.

    This could bring Lucille in more danger than it would help her.

    Cedar tried to speak up again to tell her that and to tell her that he actually cared for her, but his mouth didn''t budge again. But with every step he took toward the ballroom, the nausea inside him rose. If he spent enough time with Lucille like this, he would fall in love with her again. For some reason, he was sure of that. Surely, Lucille being with him like this was better than her not being with him at all, but he didn''t want their relationship to begin because he used her as a shield to keep proposals away. He wanted her to be with him because they had naturally grown affectionate with each other. He wanted to her be his wife because they loved each other and not because of society''s pressure.

    And it wasn''t just this fake marriage that he didn''t want. He didn''t want this whole world.

    Cedar didn''t want to kill his brother to become emperor. He didn''t want to stay his mother''s puppet.

    What Cedar wanted was completely different, and the most important thing he wanted was Lucille. He loved her, and he needed her to love him in return. And he had her love. He knew that.

    He remembered how much time he had spent with her. He remembered bleeding in her garden until she helped him. He remembered hugging her when she cried and sleeping in her bed because he had needed to console her. He remembered her asking about their relationship and how he had kissed her during the firework. He remembered her telling him that she loved him, and he also remembered their first night together. All of that had happened. He was sure of that.

    Whatever this current world that was shown to him was, it was nothing but a nightmare.

    Cedar didn''t belong here, and he refused to accept this as his life. He hadn''t hurt his brother. The royal couple was happily living together and had a daughter. The capital was almost completely stable and not in ruins. The nobles and the people in the palace were happy with their families, and Artias was flourishing.

    And Cedar was Lucille''s lover. She was his beloved. There was no room for anyone else when he knew that he loved her with his whole heart.

    That was why he had to return to her side. He wanted to return to his world where he could move on his own accord and see all the people he cared about. He wanted to see his whole family again.

    Cedar wasn''t sure what had caused it, but all of a sudden, the world around him seemed to freeze as if time had been stopped. Then it was awfully warm, and the scenery around him disappeared. It was as if a glass wall in front of him was shattered and allowed his mind and body to connect. He could finally move again. He was lying somewhere now, and a warm blanket covered half of his body. The location wasn''t important though.

    What Cedar needed to know was whether Lucille was with him again.

    He opened his eyes.

 Chapter 191: Wake Up (1)

¡°

    <hr>

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

 Chapter 192: Wake Up (2)

    after you almost died. We immediately came back to have you treated. I didn''t really count how many points we had, and we left the cadavers behind as well. You won''t run into the forest to check now, so we have to go without judging this year. But I have to admit that you may have a slight advantage. You saved my life at least two or three times, so that gives you extra points. Along with the mercenary you shot, that should be more than enough for you to win this year. However, I demand a rematch next year.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°

    ¡°

 Chapter 193: Recovery (1)

    By the gods. What kind of medicine had that doctor given him?

    Cedar had already been happy about not feeling too much of the wound, and then everything had begun spinning around him. He managed to keep himself upright, but he swayed a little. This definitely wasn''t just the blood loss. He thought that he would fall over, which would force someone to help him up.

    Lucille quickly noticed and followed him. ¡°Cedar? Is everything fine?¡± Not really.

    Cedar could barely coordinate his steps, and by now, his wounds hurt again too. This drug, or whatever the doctor had used, seemed to be too strong and too weak at the same time. ¡°I am slightly dizzy. I need a short moment.¡± That probably wouldn''t be enough anyway.

    Lucille grabbed his arm with such a lax hold that it wouldn''t do much. ¡°Should I help you?¡±

    Cedar opened his mouth to refuse, but he immediately scolded himself for that. He could barely walk at the moment. He didn''t want to fall and hurt his head, so he would rather hold Lucille while moving. ¡°Yes, please. I don''t need to cause more trouble for everyone by tripping.¡±

    Lucille took that as her cue to hold his arm tighter. ¡°Alright. Then we will slowly get you to the carriage. Come on.¡± She spoke so softly that she might as well be singing a lullaby. Then she took the first step.

    The speed Lucille proposed was a bit too slow for Cedar. He had no trouble walking as long as someone balanced him a bit. But he wouldn''t complain and just enjoyed how close Lucille was to him. They reached the carriage after three minutes or so despite only taking a few steps. Of course, that attracted some attention.

    The first person who spoke was Theodore. ¡°Is everything fine?¡± He sounded rather concerned.

    Cedar assumed that it was partly because he had to look as miserable as he felt and partly because he couldn''t even walk alone. For a moment, he was a bit embarrassed before he reminded himself of the reason for his injury. He had been hurt during an assassination attempt after saving the emperor''s life. He could allow himself a week of laziness. Apparently, he needed that too. After all, he could barely focus on Theodore without giving in to the urge to close his eyes. Maybe he would be able to forget the traumatizing nightmare he had had with some rest too.

    Lucille noticed that Cedar had forgotten to answer and replied for him. ¡°Cedar is dizzy. He can''t keep his balance well.¡±

    Cedar nodded as well as he could to confirm that. ¡°I think the doctor drugged me a bit too generously.¡± He was pretty sure that his voice sounded somewhat normal, which was a surprise in some way. At least he wasn''t unable to speak.

    Another voice chimed in from the side. It seemed like Leon was still here too. ¡°I was the one who gave you those drugs. Do you know how narrowly you avoided death, you moron? If that sword had just cut you at a slightly different angle, you would have bled out or lost your organs. From now on, don''t ever do something that reckless again.¡±

    Cedar would like to argue that one couldn''t predict battles, but he was too exhausted to fight. ¡°I understand. For now, I should just sit in the carriage though, right? And then I will lie down and rest for a while.¡± By now, he agreed that this was the best option. He was definitely not in a good condition if he couldn''t even stand. It truly didn''t seem like he could train soon again. Wonderful.

    One of the servants opened the door of the carriage without waiting for instructions. Apparently, it was obvious that the prince wasn''t in a good state, so making him sit had the greatest priority.

    Cedar allowed Lucille to lead him to the coach. Then he stopped and was faced with the footstep, which was a bit too high for his liking. But unfortunately, he had no choice but to climb up there. He could only hope that he would manage to do it without falling. He attempted to do it alone but was stopped.

    Theodore appeared next to him. ¡°What are you doing? We don''t need you to slam your head onto the ground. Let me help you.¡±

    Cedar was a bit uncertain whether this was a good idea. Enough servants were here, so getting help from one of them would be better. ¡°You''re the emperor. I don''t think you should...¡± He stopped himself. To be honest, it didn''t matter. He wanted to get back into the palace in peace. He didn''t need to worry about things like that now. It was Theodore''s problem anyway. ¡°You know what? I don''t care. I don''t want to make it worse again. Help me if you must.¡±

    Theodore did just that. He carefully stabilized Cedar so that they could enter the carriage without tripping and even made sure that his brother sat before he got out again. Then he helped his wife and Lucille inside.

    Cedar quickly noticed that the dizziness wasn''t his greatest issue while he was sitting. Instead, it was probably the exhaustion that seemed to accompany being wounded. He hadn''t noticed it before because he had been euphoric to see his lover again after that disturbing dream, but now he realized that it was pretty bad. Cedar had to fight to keep his eyes open, and lying down to sleep seemed awfully tempting. He was quickly reminded to stay awake though.

    Lucille sat down next to him and moved as close as she could without touching his bandages. She was frowning at him while she scanned his whole body. ¡°Is it fine for you to sit? If we have to stop suddenly, your back will press against the bench. And then your shoulder might hurt again.¡±

    His shoulder hurt already. Cedar knew that it could get much worse, but he wasn''t that scared of that. Whatever Leon had given him would deal with most of the pain, and he could ignore the rest. ¡°I''d rather endure it now than stay here in the forest overnight. I will be happy once we arrive in the palace and can get comfortable there.¡± He said that but still turned so that his left shoulder was a bit closer to the backrest. He would rather cushion the small movements with his unhurt shoulder instead of with the one that was still burning slightly. That damned arrow had really done its bidding, hadn''t it?

    A few seconds passed before Leonard climbed inside too. He instructed the coachmen, and the carriage began moving a moment after that.

    Everyone''s eyes wandered to Cedar. Maybe they expected him to be nauseous after all that had happened. Thankfully, Cedar didn''t feel bad nor did he want to throw up. He was just tired like before. Surely, it would be nice if he didn''t have to sit here while worrying about what a bump in the road could feel like, but no one could change this. So, he just focused on cuddling with Lucille.

    A minute went by in silence. To be honest, that minute was rather exhausting since everyone kept staring at the prince as if they expected his wounds to open again because of some random vibrations.

    At first, no one said anything, but then Blanche spoke up. ¡°Is it really fine? Please tell us if something hurts.¡±

    Cedar''s wounds did hurt. However, this had nothing to do with the carriage but with the sword and the arrow that had pierced his skin. ¡°Do not worry. I am much too drowsy to feel much of it. Besides, I had a worse carriage ride already. Right after the revolt, my head still felt like I had been run over. This isn''t anywhere close to that.¡± He still remembered that carriage ride well. He had been about to lose his mind because his head had hurt so much. Not that this here was much more pleasant.

    Apparently, this only got him sympathy from the royal couple and Lucille. Leon just had to add a snarky comment. ¡°You were the one who insisted on leaving. I''m pretty sure we offered you that you could stay longer multiple times. I alone asked you to delay the ride at least-¡±

    Cedar didn''t need to hear that, so he cut the other man off. ¡°I didn''t mean to accuse you of anything. I don''t regret leaving that day.¡± Maybe he did a little, but that didn''t matter. ¡°That isn''t important anyway.¡± He locked eyes with Theodore. ¡°We have more crucial things to discuss. For example, that assassination attempt a few hours ago. Was anyone but me injured?¡±

    Theodore, the actual target of the attackers, didn''t seem to be too hurt, so one could assume that the rest of the group was fine as well. Apparently, the prince''s efforts had paid off to some extent. The emperor didn''t act like he had to hide any causalities and just replied honestly. ¡°The knights had few injuries. Only some small scratches since the attackers were much too unskilled to do more harm. Luckily, we got the archers too. There were a few more than you saw, and those only came out when you fainted, but we had no trouble dealing with them.¡± As expected of the golden emperor. He had already dealt with everything, and now he would crush the perpetrator.

    This wouldn''t end well for Camille. She deserved it, but it was still a bit pitiful if one pointed out whom she was up against. She had never had a real chance. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    And now she would be executed.

    Cedar tried not to think about that and focused on the positive matters. The knights were fine. He hadn''t let himself be hit by an arrow for nothing, and Theodore was safe. This meant that he had done enough good for a while, right? Then he could probably recover without traumatizing nightmares during the next weeks. Cedar pushed that thought away too and searched for something that could distract him. When he saw the sleeping baby in Blanche''s arms, he had found his topic. ¡°And is your daughter fine?¡±

    Blanche showed him a faint smile before she nodded down to her baby. ¡°Aurora was a bit...upset because we were stressed, but now she is fine again. She is as exhausted as all of us, so she needs to sleep though. We should let her nap for as long as she wants to.¡± She lifted her head and smiled at Theodore when he reached over to stroke over his daughter''s cheek.

    Cedar struggled to even look at them. He didn''t want to show it, but he could barely sit upright at the moment. He would have liked to lie down and sleep for a few hours, but multiple things kept him from doing that. First of all, he needed to ask a bit more about the attack so that he had a general idea of what was going on. He technically also needed to ask about his mother to confirm in which cell Theodore had thrown her. Another important thing to do now was to comfort Lucille, who had been rather upset about him getting hurt.

    And even if Cedar refused to acknowledge it, the stupid dream didn''t make him want to sleep again anytime soon either. So, maybe it would be best if he delayed sleeping a little until he had found out about everything he needed to know.

    Cedar stayed silent for a moment before he spoke again. ¡°And were any of the guests injured? Was there a-¡±

    Theodore interrupted him there. ¡°Don''t worry about that. Everything went well. You are by far the person who got hurt the worst. There aren''t any causalities on our side, so you can relax. Our enemies were taken care of or arrested, which means that there isn''t anything dangerous here anymore. The biggest threat will be your unwillingness to give yourself a break. So, we will have to make sure that you get enough rest. I can see that you are tired.¡± He could? That wasn''t good.

    Cedar smiled at him and tried to seem a little less drained, but he couldn''t even keep his head upright without using way too much energy. Sitting shouldn''t be this exhausting, right? ¡°I''m alright. That''s just because of the medicine.¡±

    Blanche replied without giving him a chance to continue. ¡°You''re certainly not alright. You lost a lot of blood and were poisoned today after being injured severely twice. You don''t have to keep yourself awake. It''s fine if you go to sleep for a bit.¡±

    Leonard added something before the prince could reply. ¡°And even if it''s just the medicine that makes you tired, why does that matter? You will have to sleep as much as possible now.¡± Did he expect the other man to close his eyes here and now because of that?

    Cedar definitely wouldn''t fall asleep in the middle of a carriage ride. He smiled at the group and vaguely noticed that his facial muscles didn''t obey him as much as they normally did. ¡°But I just slept a minute ago and made everyone worry with that, right? I can''t fall asleep already. At least not now. When we''re home, I may try to lie down a bit.¡±

    Lucille lifted her head to make eye contact with him and nodded. ¡°Please do. You are much too tired after all that happened. You have to rest, Cedar. You can''t just expect your wounds to heal without giving them time to recover.¡± He knew that.

    Cedar was well aware of how long wounds took to heal from experience. He knew that resting would allow him to recover more quickly. But to be honest, he had never truly given himself the full time to get better. He had always started to train again much too soon. If needed, he had used his suppressed anger and bitterness to motivate himself despite the pain. He was pretty sure that he hadn''t ever rested for as long as the royal doctor had asked him to. He had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn''t be allowed to do that this time though.

    One glance at Lucille and the royal couple proved that they would force him to stay in bed for the next couple of weeks. And they actually seemed like they would ask him to go to sleep immediately after they arrived at the palace too.

    The only problem was that Cedar didn''t want to sleep. He hated to admit it, but he was scared of having another nightmare that was similar to what he had dreamed about last night. So, he would have to stall for time. ¡°It''s really fine. I would like to eat and drink a little before resting in the evening. I should stay awake for a bit before lying down again, don''t you think? I can''t stay in bed the whole time.¡± He needed to use his muscles at least a little, or he would get weaker after a month of no training. Surely, this wasn''t what he should think about now, but at the moment, he still didn''t trust his mother. He would rather be prepared.

    Lucille was the first one to refute his words. ¡°What are you saying? You have to rest. It''s normal for injured people to sleep a lot. As soon as we are back in the palace, you will lie down and close your eyes.¡± She sounded unusually authoritarian while she said that.

    Cedar couldn''t argue against that. He barely had any strength left, so he should allow himself a week of rest before considering when to move around again. ¡°If you say so. I can compromise as long as you stay with me.¡±

    Lucille nodded with a serious expression on her face. ¡°I will be right beside you, so you don''t have to worry about anything. I will take care of you.¡± She raised her hand and gently stroked over her lover''s hair.

    Cedar had to fight against himself now. He wanted to close his eyes so badly, but that would only make him more tired. That was the one thing he didn''t need. But after a few seconds of her massage, he had to admit defeat. He leaned his head onto Lucille''s shoulder and allowed himself to close his eyes just for a few seconds.

    That had been a mistake. He fully blamed it on the medicine Leon had given him, but he nodded off much too quickly.

    <hr>

    When Cedar opened his eyes again, it was dark. He barely managed to look around in the room he was in, but the silhouette of the furniture gave him a hint. He was currently in the doctor''s office and was lying in bed. He didn''t even want to know who had carried him here, even if he had a bad premonition. It seemed like he had run into a preventable unpleasant situation because he had given in to one moment of weakness.

    Cedar cursed himself for falling asleep. Hopefully, no one would mention this in the future. He let out a low sigh before making himself comfortable in the bed. He noticed two things almost immediately. The first thing was that his wounds definitely hurt more now, which meant that the medicine didn''t have as much of an effect as before.

    The second, and more important, thing was that Lucille was directly next to him. His lover was snoring quietly while she lay there. Before falling asleep, she had interlocked her fingers with his, and their hands were still in the same position. Maybe she had done that to touch him when she couldn''t hug him in fear of hurting him.

    Cedar couldn''t help but smile at that. A moment later, the aching of his wounds made his grin fade again though. He considered calling the doctor to ask for some more medicine but quickly pushed that thought away. He didn''t want to wake up Lucille or the doctor for this. He would simply sleep now and ask for more tomorrow. As long as he didn''t lie on his wounds, it should be fine. It wasn''t that bad anyway. He told himself that while closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep again with Lucille curled up in his arms.

    Thankfully, he didn''t have a nightmare this time.

    <hr>

    The following days were a mix of pure bliss and raw frustration.

    Cedar adored it when his lover took care of him. Of course, having her with him at all times and being able to cuddle was nice. But at the same time, she acted as if he was made of glass. Even if Cedar tried to tell her that he was capable of walking to the bathroom alone, she insisted on accompanying him. Surely, having Lucille hold his arm wasn''t bad, but Cedar didn''t like feeling this useless. The fact that he could probably deal with most of this alone made it even worse, especially since no one here let him do anything.

    Lucille was always by his side and ran around to get him whatever he mentioned despite his request to stop that.

    Theodore and Blanche came daily while repeating the same things about him needing to rest over and over again. The emperor actually forbade his brother from working for the next two months and threatened to increase that time frame even more if Cedar didn''t recover. He also refused to tell his brother anything about the trial at this point in time and only occasionally gave vague hints to avoid ¡®distracting¡¯ the prince, as he phrased it. The empress said that Cedar couldn''t train for the next two months either and promised that she would confirm whether he had listened to her order.

    Leon voiced quite a few comments about Cedar needing to take the medicine he was given without accepting any criticism.

    The doctor was probably the most annoying person though. He had already complained when Cedar had asked when he could train again. Ever since then, he had repeatedly given speeches about how humans could show that they were in pain and that it was fine to let others help him if he was sick.

    All in all, everyone seemed to expect the prince to overdo it soon.

    Cedar had to admit that those people weren''t in the wrong. He would have tried to move around much sooner again if they hadn''t stopped him. But since a week of rest wasn''t too much, he would compromise for now. As long as he didn''t train, his wounds would heal quicker, and then he could return to his usual schedule soon.

    So, Cedar went along with what everyone said. He took the pills and the disgusting plant mixtures he was given, drank herb tea and ate nutritional food. He stayed in bed and only moved around when it was absolutely necessary. All of that was rather annoying. It ensured that Cedar had little to do. The only reason he managed to ignore this boredom was because of Lucille.

    His lover was by his side twenty-four hours a day. She woke up with him, mostly a little after him but he didn''t tell her that, to help him eat breakfast. Then she left for five minutes to find something to busy him with. She either brought guests, like Aurora and her parents, showed him board games or revealed some books she could read to him. After they spent some time with that, they ate lunch, busied themselves again and then had dinner before going to sleep. In between, the doctor and his assistants showed up to check on Cedar and examined his wounds.

    Apparently, the prince was fine if one ignored the wounds that would still need to heal. The doctor asked whether those hurt and received the same response each time. Cedar''s wounds didn''t hurt too much when he had taken his medicine. Surely, it still felt like his flesh was burning while being dowsed in acid, but the fireplace incident had left him in a much less stable condition, so he didn''t dare to complain, especially not because no one here was at fault.

    The person responsible was Camille, his own mother.

    Knowing that was a bit disappointing. Cedar had lived for his mother for twenty years, and this was what he received in return? He hadn''t expected anything else, but he was still a bit upset to know that she would happily send someone to aim a poisoned arrow at him.

    Even so, he wasn''t quite happy about letting her die because of that.

    Cedar wouldn''t admit that out loud though. He only showed the people who visited him a smile and thanked them for their concern while saying that it wasn''t necessary. He was still alive, so he shouldn''t complain about his wounds or the fact that his chest constantly felt restricted. His lover was with him, and that was all he needed at the moment.

 Chapter 194: Recovery (2)

¡°

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°

    ¡°

    wonderful.

 Chapter 195: Recovery (3)

    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 fianc¨¦ 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.¡±

 Chapter 196: Questionable Decisions of the Past and the Future (1)

    ¡°If it concerns you, please tell me. I want to help you.¡± Just a few words of Cedar''s, along with a kiss on her hand, had encouraged her to change her mind in an instant.

    Lucille hadn''t wanted to tell him since this topic was much too unimportant for her to bother him with it now. But Cedar didn''t seem like he would accept her silence. So, Lucille talked. ¡°This is a letter from my father, but apparently...¡± She hesitated for a moment, but her lover stared at her so that she couldn''t hold back at all. ¡°I read the first page but noticed that he added another letter.¡± A lump formed in her throat and made it impossible to speak loudly. So, Lucille became quieter here. ¡°I think it''s...from my mother.¡± Just acknowledging that out loud almost made her tear up, and she felt pitiful because of it.

    Luckily, Cedar just let go of her hands to extend his arms toward her. She followed his lead and moved closer so that he could hug her. He put one hand on her back and one on her head while he carefully patted her. ¡°Everything will be fine. You are in full control of what to do here. You can read it or put it away. And if you want to read it, you can do so whenever you want.¡±

    Lucille knew that. And the fact that she knew that she would read this letter made everything worse. She should just ignore her mother, much like Emily had ignored her daughter. And yet, Lucille couldn''t bring herself to do that. She still wanted to take a look at every single trace her mother had left in her life. Lucille was angry at herself for being so weak.

    Cedar seemed to notice that without making her say anything. He gently stroked over her hair without rushing and left the choice of whether she wanted to say something to her.

    Lucille held onto him while trying to ignore the feelings that were boiling up inside her but had to admit defeat in the end. The words flowed out of her before she could prevent it. ¡°I want to read it. I want to see whether...whether she cares at least a little. This is the first time she wrote a letter that wasn''t for my birthday and...¡± She wanted to know why Emily had written this letter. Apparently, even thinking about that made her voice crack, so she couldn''t even hide her emotions.

    Cedar continued to pet her while humming to her. ¡°Then we can read it together. You can read it later when you calmed down, or we can do it now as well.¡±

    Lucille couldn''t wait for much longer, or the tension would wreck her. ¡°I will read it now.¡± She said that with less conviction in her voice than she would have liked. She slowly loosened Cedar''s hug to lean forward to be able to touch the nightstand. She reached for the envelope she had hidden under the tray and pulled it out before moving closer to her lover again. Her hands were shaking, and yet, she refused to delay this.

    So, Lucille turned around, with her back facing her lover, to allow him to read too. Then she removed the letters from the envelope. She put aside her father''s letter and focused on the letter with the other handwriting. She tried to unfold the paper, but her fingers refused to work as they normally would. To her embarrassment, she took three attempts before she managed to open the letter properly. By then, all of her confidence was gone. She didn''t dare to lift the paper to read it.

    Cedar behind her rested his chin on her shoulder, even though this position couldn''t have been pleasant for him. He patiently waited for at least a minute before he began to press kisses to her cheek. He only stopped after kissing her a dozen times and then whispered into her ear. ¡°Are you sure you want to do it now?¡±

    Lucille was sure. But she was also aware that reading this would wreck her emotionally again. And at the moment, Cedar was sick. She actually needed to help him instead of forcing him to take care of her. So, it would probably be better if she pulled herself together and read this later when her lover was fine. However, she also knew that delaying this wouldn''t be good for her at all. She needed to get this over with now, and she needed Cedar to be with her while she read it. ¡°I want to know what she is thinking.¡± Lucille''s voice was barely audible, even though she tried her best. ¡°I will read it. I just... I''m scared of what she wrote.¡±

    Cedar pulled her a little closer to him so that she was actually worried about leaning against his wound. ¡°It will be fine. I doubt that it will tell you more than what you already found out. If your father sent it to you, it would surely not contain anything bad, or he would have warned you, right?¡±

    That was most likely true. Lucille shouldn''t need to fear what her mother wrote her when the letters had always contained the same things anyway. She told herself that a few times before she took a deep breath. Lucille lowered her gaze and lifted the letter to read it. She was much more tense than she wanted to admit, and her heart beat quicker than normal too.

    The letter began with the same greeting as always. But that was about the only thing that was the same.

    Emily didn''t wish her daughter a happy birthday here. Instead, she asked whether Lucille was fine desperately, her handwriting much more rushed and almost unreadable at certain lines. She suddenly mentioned the palace despite never having done so before and even wrote about a horrible incident she hadn''t heard about.

    Lucille took a moment before she understood what this was about. ¡°It seems like my mother just found out about the attack on the Valerian mansion. She genuinely seems like she is worried.¡± She couldn''t even deny that, even though saying it out loud pained her a bit.

    Cedar waited for a moment, and when she didn''t speak, he opened his mouth. ¡°It''s surprising that she didn''t hear about it until now. She must live in a very remote place. Her handwriting looks a bit shaky too. That proves one thing once and for all. Your mother is definitely alive and writes new letters regularly.¡±

    Lucille weakly nodded. It seemed like she could rely on that at least. Until now, she hadn''t been sure whether her mother hadn''t just prepared letters in advance, but they truly seemed to be new each time she received them. And that wasn''t even everything. ¡°She wants me to write a response letter too.¡± Which meant that Emily had no issues exchanging letters with her daughter or her husband. If that was the case, why had she even run away? Had her damned sickness really convinced her of the fact that she had to leave despite not hating her family?

    To Lucille, none of this made sense. She couldn''t understand her mother''s decision nor did she accept the result. No matter what the reason was, it was cruel of a parent to leave their child alone. And if Raymond''s temper hadn''t been the cause for his ex-wife to run away, this made even less sense.

    Lucille could have complained about that a hundred times, but she didn''t dare to do that. She just stayed silent and stared at the letter in her hands. She was shaking, and yet, she read the text all the way to the end.

    Emily''s normally beautiful handwriting was much more unsteady, and the letter had been shorter too. All in all, she had just voiced her concern about the attack on the Valerian estate and that she was shocked upon finding this out now after almost a year. She asked Lucille whether she was fine and begged for a single response letter to affirm this.

    Lucille hadn''t understood much about her mother''s thought process before, and now she understood even less. She stared at the lines of sloppy writing in front of her before putting the letter on the table. She hugged her lover''s arms, which were wrapped around her waist.

    Cedar seemed to know what she needed now. He began kissing her neck and cuddled with her without saying anything. They remained quiet like this for a few minutes before he spoke up in a soft voice. ¡°Do you want to see her?¡±

    Lucille had expected that question. But it didn''t matter whether she wanted to see Emily anyway, so asking it didn''t make much sense. She stiffened a little while not daring to look over her shoulder. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Cedar replied in a warm tone as if he wanted to keep her from being too shocked. ¡°She wanted to know whether you are fine. You could use that to ask her to meet you. After all, you can show that you are unharmed best when you are present.¡±

    For a moment, Lucille considered it. Even if she hadn''t admitted it to herself, wasn''t her desire to see her mother apparent? But then she quickly remembered their general situation. Emily had run away because she didn''t want to see her husband or child. If her daughter came running after her, Emily would surely be upset. Her mother''s displeased expression was the last thing Lucille needed to see when she finally met Emily again. ¡°She doesn''t want to see me, so I can''t just...¡± She couldn''t force herself into the life of a person who didn''t want anything to do with her. Still, admitting that her own mother didn''t want contact with her was painful.

    A few seconds of silence followed before Cedar replied, still with that soft voice that seemed to lull her in. ¡°To me, only what you want matters.¡±

    Lucille had no idea what to say about that. She just let her head hang down.

    Cedar continued when he noticed that she didn''t say anything. ¡°Even if making her see you regularly might be difficult, you can at least ask for one meeting. You have the right to see her to ask questions.¡± He paused for a few seconds before resuming a bit quicker. ¡°But you aren''t forced to do that. I just wanted to tell you that you have the option. If you wish to see your mother, I can find her within a few days. You could meet her once more to close this chapter.¡±

    Lucille wasn''t sure whether she was strong enough to do that. Cedar had gotten over his father''s death, seemingly without many issues. But she couldn''t do the same. Even looking into Emily''s eyes wouldn''t make it better. It would just make everything worse. After all, meeting her mother wouldn''t change the fact that Emily had abandoned her daughter for some reason. Lucille was sure that she would cry a lot if she actually met her mother. So, she was more than reluctant to go see Emily.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    And yet, a small part of her desperately wished to catch even a glimpse of her mother''s face. She still missed her after all. But she lacked the strength to hold on while seeing her, so she should probably forget this immediately.

    Lucille thought that, but different words left her mouth. ¡°I will think about it. But I don''t believe that I...¡± She couldn''t finish that sentence.

    Cedar already seemed to know what she wanted to say though. ¡°It''s fine. We are doing this to make you happy.¡± He gently stroked over her head while kissing her neck. Then he slowly brought his hands to her shoulders and began massaging her as if he wanted to distract her. ¡°Don''t feel pressured and just do what you want to do. I will support you all the way.¡± Once again, he was the one consoling her, even though he was in a much worse state. His mother had almost killed him a few days ago, and now his lover complained about her mother not seeing her.

    Lucille felt horrible about that. She forced herself to relax in his hold and leaned against him while closing her eyes. She would give herself a minute to calm down, and then she would push away this topic as far as she could. ¡°I will-¡± She allowed herself to slouch against him, and just at that moment, she noticed that her lover flinched a little. She immediately remembered what the problem was and jolted back to her sitting position. ¡°Your stomach! I can''t just lean against you like this.¡± She spun around to look at her lover, only for him to smile as if nothing had happened. That was enough to make a small amount of anger flame up inside of her. ¡°Cedar! You have to say something if I hurt you! You can''t just stay quiet.¡±

    Cedar didn''t seem too affected, even though his stomach should ache so much that it was unbearable. ¡°It''s really fine. The doctor gave me medicine, remember? I''m alright with you brushing over the wound, so you don''t need to worry.¡± He extended his arms toward her. ¡°So, please don''t run away like that.¡± How could he still smile despite his current state?

    Lucille glanced down at his bandages and was relieved to see that no blood had colored the fabric red. So, she hadn''t hurt him too badly. Still, she couldn''t just accept that he hid it when he was in pain. ¡°The doctor may have given you medicine, but that won''t make all of the pain disappear. And it will only get better if you don''t injure the area around your wounds again. So, you have to say something if it gets bad! And I definitely won''t touch your injuries either.¡±

    Cedar stopped smiling for a moment and pouted at her. ¡°But I can''t go on for so long without hugging you. You can''t just stay away from me.¡± Either he was doing it on purpose, or he had no idea how hard it was for his lover to keep her distance when he held his arms in her direction like that.

    Lucille fought the urge to embrace him for a few seconds, but she quickly gave in. She moved toward him again and positioned herself in front of his left side. Like this, she should be able to touch him without laying her hands on his injuries. ¡°I never said that I wouldn''t hug you. I just refuse to get closer to your wounds.¡± She slowly closed the distance between them and hugged him with great care.

    Cedar quickly destroyed her efforts again by wrapping his arms around her and just pulling her onto his lap. He rested his chin on her shoulder and let out a content hum before he replied. ¡°Good. Because I would be very upset if this wound served as an excuse for you to keep your distance. I don''t want you to stay away from me after all.¡± He nuzzled his cheek against her and thus eliminated all of her plans to loosen his hold on her.

    ¡°I don''t want to stay away either. I just worry about you. Cedar, I really think that you aren''t careful enough.¡± Lucille knew that giving him a speech about valuing himself wouldn''t help, but she still wanted to say it. Every time her lover acted tough despite actually hurting, it pained her as well, so she needed to make sure that he understood that he could show weakness here. Lucille searched for the right words for a moment. ¡°Cedar, I-¡±

    Just at that moment, someone knocked on the door again. The moment was extremely unfitting.

    Cedar glanced down at his lover as if he wanted to let that person wait to speak to her, but she nodded at him. So, he turned his head to face the door. ¡°You may enter.¡±

    It only took a second before a man came inside. The guard bowed, and as he lifted his head again, he blinked a few times upon seeing the couple cuddling with each other. He didn''t dare to say anything about that though. ¡°I sincerely apologize for the disturbance. A guest came to visit you, Your Royal Highness. He claims that his name is Reeve and that he is acquainted with you.¡±

    Cedar looked at the door and hesitated for a single second while once again making eye contact with his lover, who nodded again, before replying. ¡°Thank you. I won''t be able to talk to him for long, but I will greet him. He can come in. Tell him that, please.¡±

    The guard bowed again before he left the room.

    It only took a short moment before someone else stepped inside. This time, it was Reeve, who was now wearing servant clothes instead of his previous dark costumes. He seemed to be a bit uncertain, but upon seeing Cedar, a frown appeared on his face, and he was more upset than intimidated. He closed the door behind him before stepping closer to the bed and bowing.

    Cedar was silent for a moment before he replied. ¡°What leads you here, Reeve?¡±

    The other man straightened his posture again before he replied. ¡°Hello, Your Royal Highness. I...wanted to check on you. I heard that you were severely injured, and I had to make sure that you were fine. At least, fine to some extent. It''s good to see that you are alright again. It''s...pleasant to meet you too, Young Lady.¡± He scanned the couple with slight uncertainty before looking at Cedar''s lover.

    Lucille met his eyes and quickly greeted him as well. ¡°Good day, Reeve. It''s...nice that you came to visit him.¡± Even if it was a bit odd since Reeve had worked for Camille at some point. But that was in the past, so it was probably fine for him to be here as long as the patient wasn''t angry.

    Cedar looked like he was rather unaffected by this guest since he just kept smiling as usual. It wasn''t even one of those extremely forced smiles, so he really didn''t care. ¡°I didn''t expect you to show up here, but since you came, we won''t send you away immediately. As you can see, I am perfectly fine. I will need some more rest for a few days, and I will be as good as before again.¡± He definitely wouldn''t be after such a short time. He would not touch anything related to work or training during the next month.

    Lucille would personally make sure of that.

    Even Reeve, who had no idea how bad the prince''s wounds were, looked like he was a bit skeptical. ¡°I heard that you almost died, Your Royal Highness. I don''t think you should act like nothing happened. You always tended to overdo it after you got hurt. There is no need to do that when everyone in the palace will protect you anyway. So, just rest for a bit before you train again.¡±

    Cedar refuted that just a second later. ¡°Says the person who is supposed to protect me but runs away at all times.¡± He turned his head away but continued to speak. ¡°You really are a useless guard. Do you know that? You never seem to be there when my stomach is slit open. Last time, you weren''t around, and this time, you weren''t either. I think I should dismiss you. You keep earning money without actually helping at all. We can''t continuously throw away funds like this.¡±

    Reeve blinked twice before he processed that. For some reason, a small smile grew on his lips. ¡°I understand, Your Royal Highness. I will give my best to work harder. I will ensure that you are safe in the future. But since I''m not good at fighting, it might be better to use me as a messenger. I''m great at climbing up trees and transporting letters. Please allow me to hand over your letters in the future. I will not disappoint.¡±

    Cedar still didn''t let go of his lover and just leaned his head against hers while he replied. ¡°You better hope that you won''t mess up. I won''t save you if you slip and fall down a tree again. You don''t need to sprain your ankle for the second time. But for now...¡± He slowly turned his head so that he could look right into Reeve''s eyes. ¡°Something else is more important. I wanted to ask you about that. I heard you didn''t know about the attack.¡±

    Lucille had barely been able to think about the fact that Reeve might actually help them in the future before the next topic was addressed. At the mention of the assassination attempt, her face fell. She wasn''t the only one that felt like this either.

    Reeve''s mood quickly deteriorated again. His smile faded, and he averted his eyes for a moment before looking at the prince again. ¡°I have to apologize for that. I never noticed that your mother was planning anything, even though it was my task to keep an eye on her. But she never mentioned anything nor did she make me carry around orders like usual. She didn''t even ask me to come with her to support her while this was going on nor did any of the colleagues I know appear. I only found out afterward.¡± He hesitated a bit and swallowed before resuming. ¡°But now I think that I overlooked a very crucial hint. I should have guessed that something was going on. After all, she was very happy that one evening.¡±

    Lucille nodded in affirmation without really wanting to do it. When that woman was happy, one could assume that she wished to hurt her children, especially Cedar, in some way.

    Cedar noticed how she nodded and took that as a cue to kiss her forehead. Then he focused on Reeve again and replied. ¡°What did she do?¡±

    Reeve thought back to what he was talking about for a moment before he spoke up. ¡°She was smiling to herself for a whole afternoon. That was about a week before the hunting festival. She sometimes talked to herself, which made it even creepier. I didn''t get too close to her because I was a bit intimidated, but I tried to listen to her anyway.¡± He was silent for a few seconds before adding the rest in a smaller voice. ¡°I think she talked to you the whole time. She mentioned your name and called you by some nicknames while saying that you would finally be back. She said something about you needing her to take care of you. She mentioned it being like when you...when you tried to leave the last time or something like that.¡±

    Within a split second, Cedar''s mood changed. His smile widened, and it was easy to see that he covered up his anger with that. ¡°Like last time? I presume that she means that she will lull me back into trusting her because she sat by my bed for a while? She purposefully brought me to the brink of death because she hoped that I would change my mind about her then? That''s awfully stupid, isn''t it?¡±

    Reeve''s face scrunched up. ¡°I wouldn''t call that stupid. It''s more psychopathic and cruel. Your mother is sick. I''m glad to see that you are still able to continue somewhat normally. I was already worried about you being affected by this for much longer.¡±

    Cedar''s response came immediately, and as always when he was upset, he changed the topic. ¡°I''m fine. Worry about yourself first. What are you going to do from now on? Do you have any plans for the future? You can''t spy on Mother for much longer. So, you have to think about what to do with so much new freedom.¡±

    Reeve remained silent for a moment before he replied while he hid his hands behind his back. ¡°His Majesty actually...offered that I could stay. He said that he needed some people to take care of unpleasant things behind closed doors and that people like me could help. Officially, I would be a royal guard and could help you as long as I prove that I''m loyal.¡± That was an awfully good deal for someone who could have been put on trial for treason.

    Lucille turned to her lover to check his reaction. Cedar didn''t seem too upset, so she relaxed. If the emperor and the prince thought that it was fine, it appeared to be alright for Reeve to stay here. Having additional help could never be bad, right?

    Cedar accepted the news seemingly without caring too much. ¡°It would be good for you to work for the royal family. Then you would have a secure home and income. If you want to accept, you just have to get rid of your cowardice. From now on, blind loyalty because you are scared won''t be helpful anymore. Think about your actions before you do what is best for you. And don''t mess up the interrogation with Leon. He will know if you lie, and you won''t like what happens if he thinks that you are a traitor.¡±

    Reeve let out a nervous chuckle while he brought his hand to his head and scratched the back of his neck. ¡°He talked to me already. I thought I would die. Lord Astame is rather...intimidating. As one would assume one of the best assassins Artias has ever seen to be.¡±

    Lucille hadn''t said much before, and now she was completely speechless. When had she been supposed to figure out that Leon was an assassin?

 Chapter 197: Questionable Decisions of the Past and the Future (2)

<hr>

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    not do that then.

 Chapter 198: Coming to a Closure (1)

    ¡°

    Yes. Because you don''t have to watch her neck being cut with an axe. You don''t have to hear her cries for help or her accusations. You won''t have to listen to her insulting or blaming you either.¡± Theodore stood up from his chair to walk over to the bed and sit down next to his brother. He continued with a small tremble in his voice. ¡°Cedar, please believe me. Even if you deny it, a small part of you will always care for her. And watching her execution will hurt that part more than you can imagine now. Please stay home that day. You aren''t weak for avoiding what you know will crush you. You don''t have to hurt yourself anymore.¡±

    ¡°I couldn''t care less about the damned capital.¡± The anger on Theodore''s face disappeared as quickly as his rage-filled tone. What was left behind was only sadness. ¡°Cedar, stop treating yourself as if you don''t matter. Your health is much more important than what some people are saying about you.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    want to see it either. And yet, he needed to go. So, Cedar forced himself to speak, even as his voice didn''t work as it normally should. But no matter how certain he was about this, he was still reluctant. Even opening his mouth took way too much effort. By the gods. Had he built up the walls around him so high that he couldn''t even break them down himself?

    ¡°