The Broken Prince's Love

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.

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.

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.