The Broken Prince's Love

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.

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.