The Broken Prince's Love

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.

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 fiancé 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.