The Broken Prince's Love

Lucille felt uncomfortable letting Cedar leave, but she couldn't lock him into their room. Despite her reluctance, she had to accept that he wouldn't give himself the break that he deserved. He would pull through as if nothing had happened while ignoring that he was unhappy with the situation. It wasn't like she had many options aside from waiting until he opened up and let her take care of him.

So, Lucille was glad when her lover came back to the royal couple's room with the emperor after just an hour of work. She quickly hugged him despite the people watching and naturally took a seat next to him to lean against him.

Cedar didn't mind. In fact, he seemed glad to be with other people instead of just with his brother.

Apparently, Theodore had addressed some unpleasant topics. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so grim upon coming back. But at least he recovered quickly after being greeted by his wife and the little Aurora.

Lucille and Cedar stayed with the couple for a while before attempting to leave quietly. They weren't granted that favor though.

Aurora, who was five months old by now, seemed to like staring at the people around her. And right now, she was in the mood to play too. So, Cedar, who had been persuaded to hold her again, had to sit there with her in his arms while she played with some rattle. It was way too cute to see how she giggled when Cedar shook the toy for her, and when she happily grabbed it, it was even sweeter.

It seemed Cedar was still a bit uncertain about what he was doing and didn't dare move much, but did a good job keeping Aurora busy. This earned him a comment about how he would be a wonderful father later. He just accepted that with a smile, but it was easy to see that the topic was unpleasant for him, which led to it being dropped. That worried Lucille, and she made the mental note to ask him about that later, but she wouldn't interrupt now.

After a short while, Theodore took his daughter back. Aurora was as happy as before when her parents cuddled with her and babbled even more now, which made it seem like the exchange had gone well.

Cedar probably tried to hide it, but he was relieved. He only waited for a minute before he spoke up again. “It seems like our job of distracting your daughter is finished then. We probably shouldn't bother you for much longer, or Aurora will get too overwhelmed. Would you mind it if we left to give you some rest?”

Obviously, that was an excuse. Blanche looked like she might point that out, but in the end, she closed her mouth again. “Alright. You have to come back tomorrow though. Aurora can't forget you, so you have to come regularly. Tomorrow, we'll get Lucille to hold her a bit longer too. I wish you a wonderful afternoon. Get some rest, and spend some time in peace.” She made eye contact with Cedar. “That is especially important for you. You will have to give yourself a break before training again.”

Cedar didn't seem like he really planned on following that order. “We will see. I believe that it should be fine as long as I keep the bandage in place. The wound isn't that deep.”

Blanche let out a low huff. “I didn't just tell you that because of the cut. Please take care of yourself. You and Lucille should sit down a bit and take it slow.”

Lucille quickly nodded while she and Cedar prepared to leave the room. “I will make sure that he calms down a bit. Good afternoon.” She doubted that she was able to hold her lover back, but she would give her best to make him take a break. At least that had been the plan. She barely managed to put her hand on the door handle before she was already stopped.

Theodore was rather direct in his inquiries most of the time, so it wasn't surprising that he immediately addressed what he had thought about. “Good. Take a long rest and give yourself all the time you need. If you ever want to switch rooms or need anything tell us.” Right. The offer of taking a different room still stood.

Lucille wasn't sure what to say about that. She hadn't spent much time thinking about that matter since yesterday, so she turned to her lover.

Cedar glanced at her before replying to his brother. “We are thinking about the offer. We will tell you when we had a long conversation about that. But this is too important to just come to a conclusion on the spot. So, please be patient a bit longer.”

“Take your time. The room is already done either way. You can also go look at it if you want to.” Theodore probably just suggested that because moving would take some effort and distract Cedar for a bit.

Either way, Lucille wouldn't complain. If the emperor gave her this chance, she might as well use it. She would definitely need to talk about this with Cedar in a little while. To be honest, she didn't need too much time to think about this since her reply was rather simple. Each night, she slept in Cedar's room or he in hers. Officially sharing a room wouldn't change much, and it would make it simpler since they wouldn't have to carry clothes to the other's chambers each day.

So, Lucille could just tell her lover that, right? She gathered the courage and immediately lost it. This was the wrong moment, and she would rather delay such talk.

Though, her lover might be viewing this differently.

When the door closed behind them, Cedar was already next to her and decided that kissing her shoulder for a while was a good idea. Lucille had to admit that she liked that a lot, even though she was rather bashful too. In the end, she was much more content with this than with sitting in silence as well.

Right now, Cedar needed to distract himself, and if it was like this, she wouldn't complain. The hours he spent with Lucille seemed to be the only time he relaxed, so she was glad he was with her often. He already had too many troubles outside this room, so she might as well allow him to focus on her completely for a few hours so that he wouldn't force himself to overdo it.

Apparently, Lucille had been the only one who understood what taking it slow meant after all.

Cedar acted like nothing had happened so much that he busied himself even more than normal. He would have liked to work for longer, but Theodore just threw him out of the office whenever he left. So, the prince focused all of his energy on training. Of course, he didn't overdo it since he made sure to come back to Lucille after a while, but he still seemed to distract himself like that. Only two days had passed, and still, the pattern had already become obvious. Despite him still staring into the distance and thinking about his mother, he didn't allow himself to show weakness and kept his head held up high.

Lucille would have liked to keep him with her, just so that he could be a bit more vulnerable in her presence. But that didn't help too much.

Cedar left to go train like every day and showed her a bright smile while bidding her farewell. If she hadn't watched him while he was lost in thoughts, she would have believed that he had already gotten over the incident. In reality, he was rather dejected though. Maybe because he had hurt his mother. Maybe because he hadn't predicted that attack. Or maybe because it seemed like Camille still called for him each day while she sat in the cell she had been thrown into.

Lucille felt unwell when she saw that, but she had no way to help when Cedar refused to admit that he was in a bad mood. It had gotten better after talking about it for the first time, but it still wasn't over. He sometimes gave her hints, but then he said that he shouldn't ponder such useless things each time. He invalidated his own emotions, and that pained her too. Lucille planned on coaxing him into talking with her more, but today, that would probably not work out.

After all, her father had decided to visit. He had claimed that he needed to bring her some more dresses from home, but in reality, it was more likely that rumors of the incident had spread and that he wanted to inquire what was going on.

Lucille was a bit unsure whether Raymond would just accept the fact that Cedar had defended himself and others by breaking Camille's arm. She knew that her father disliked the prince, so she was a bit reluctant to tell him. At least it seemed like she wasn't greeted with the immediate question.

Raymond entered the foyer as usual, and the two servants who carried the suitcases he had brought followed him at some distance. He reached his daughter and opened his mouth before stopping himself. He didn't say anything and just looked at Lucille.

That made her a bit nervous. Had she done something wrong? That didn't make sense. Her father had barely been here for five seconds. She couldn't have made an error. But still, Lucille worried. She scanned her father's face and quickly noticed two things.

Firstly, Raymond didn't look like he had slept well. His eyes seemed a bit more cloudy than normal, but that also might have been the case because he had dark rings under his eyes. Secondly, he seemed different in general. He met his daughter's gaze, but it felt like he barely gathered the courage to do so. This made little sense when she was the one who was used to cowering in front of him. But today, her father didn't seem very intimidating, even less so than he had been ever since she had moved to the palace. That was strange.

For a few seconds, they were silent. By then, Lucille began to get worried. Maybe there was an important issue that bothered him at the moment. Surely, she had never gotten involved with his businesses much, but she had to ask when it was so bad that her father even refused to speak up. “Father? Is everything...alright?” She almost expected to be ignored.

But Raymond replied, and even his voice sounded less cold than normal. “Good day, Lucille. I cannot complain about anything. I merely believed that waiting for you to speak might be appropriate. Now that you have been in the palace for eight months or so, I think that you qualify as an inhabitant while I am a guest. So naturally, you have the right to speak first.”

Lucille blinked when she heard that. For a moment, she was completely frozen in place. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, but by now, she truly could say that she lived her. That was a bit strange for her to say when she had only come here to be protected. And now she had been here for so long without ever taking a step out of the royal estate. It was odd how quickly she had felt like the palace was her home. “I...see. That makes...sense.” Even if she should only live here until Camille was defeated. At this point, she hated that plan though. “Then I apologize for not noticing what you were intending to do. Good day, Father. I am glad that you arrived here without any issues.”

Raymond's expression was odd. He didn't look stern or angry. He just seemed like he was scanning his daughter's face and took in each slight movement. “Yes, I am glad too. Luckily, we didn't have any problems at home, so I can't complain.” He had said that already. Was he so distracted that he had accidentally repeated it? For a moment, he was silent before he added something. “Lucille, I want to ask something. I heard that there was an unpleasant incident in the palace a few days ago. I wasn't able to figure out what exactly had happened, but I heard that it was connected to the dowager empress and His Royal Highness. But there seemed to have been something...a bit more complicated connected to it. After all, I wasn't able to learn anything but the fact that the servants were chatting about it.” So, he had finally addressed the big worry.

Lucille wrung her hands in front of her stomach. She had known that this would come, but still, she worried. She didn't need to hear how her father condemned Cedar for nothing. But lying or hiding this incident would make it seem like her lover was guilty when that wasn't true. So, she wanted to be honest, even if that would risk Raymond getting angry again. “I...can tell you. Two days ago...there was an issue with Her Majesty, the dowager empress.” She fiddled with her fingers and tried to make eye contact but occasionally glanced to the side anyway. “She refused to eat as long as Cedar didn't visit her. So, she was allowed to come here on the third day. Cedar went to take a walk with her, and I...was with-” Now that she thought about it, she had no idea what had happened to that servant bringing her outside. Why had that man led her to Camille? Had that been on purpose? She wasn't sure. But it seemed like that servant had been arrested too.

Raymond already seemed to understand that the narration wouldn't become more pleasant. He narrowed his eyes and seemed to get angry. He wasn't upset because of his daughter, so it was a bit less scary than most of the time but still intimidating to some extent.

Lucille quickly focused on the story again. “I was there because a servant had called for me, claiming that Cedar had meant to meet me. I then greeted Her Majesty, and she apologized for what had happened.” That made her father fume even more, but she didn't wait to let him speak. “She curtsied and then suddenly...pulled out a dagger. She tried to kill me, I think.” Apparently, it had been a good idea to leave a short pause here.

Her father took a second to process what she had said before his eyes widened. “What? Did she hurt you?” He looked so angry and panicked at the same time. It was an odd sight.

Lucille raised her hands in a rejecting gesture and quickly shook her head. “No, I'm fine. But only because Cedar saved me. He stepped in and made her drop her weapon. In the process, he...might have...broken her arm.” She was rather quiet while admitting that.

In the end, that didn't help much when her father spoke much louder. Raymond was angrier than he had been for the past nine months as he glared at a person who wasn't present at all. “She attacked you in the middle of the royal estate, and 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.

Lucille was pleasantly surprised by the fact that she hadn't flinched even though her father had raised his voice. So, she just hurried to reply. “She's in a cell. His Majesty will have a trial in a week and make sure that she gets punished for that and some other things. I don't know what he wants to do, but Cedar said that it won't be pleasant for his mother.”

Raymond narrowed his eyes. “That serves her right. That witch already hurt too many people. She should regret harming innocent bystanders on her quest for power.” He just glared into the distance for a moment before he seemed to realize what this daughter had voiced before. “You said that His Royal Highness broke her arm? Is that why there are issues now? I hope that no one is blaming him for defending you. Otherwise, I will gladly offer my opinion too.”

Lucille's heart skipped a beat. Her father wasn't angry. That meant that he wouldn't say bad things about her lover just because Cedar had tried to help her. “No, no. I think no one blamed him. I mean, he is...upset because he worries about having overdone it. But since that woman had already raised her arm and was prepared to stab me, he didn't have any other options. He says that he should have used less force, but he had to react quickly, and like this, he protected me, so...” She stopped herself there and focused on the question again. “All in all, it seems like everyone is on his side. There were at least ten guards who saw what happened, so they will all testify for us. His brother is also supporting us. It should be obvious since His Majesty hates the dowager empress, but...in any case, Cedar is safe.”

Raymond stood still for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and calmed down a bit again. He averted his eyes before slowly meeting her gaze again. “It's good that you are safe. You need to be careful, don't forget that. If an insane person like her targets you, you have to be prepared for everything. Stay far away from her. It's...also good that His Royal Highness protects you. I still don't think...” He paused. “No. I don't know who he truly is. I just worry. About whether you are planning on staying with a person like him and whether he is truly as kind as he acts now. If he turned on his mother to help you, that makes it seem like it's fine, but...” His voice trailed off. He didn't finish that thought, even when Lucille looked at him for a moment.

So, she replied in a weak voice. “Well, Cedar has always been on my side. He is...” The person she loved with all of her heart. “I care about him a lot.”

Raymond's reply came immediately. “I don't doubt that. It's obvious from the way that you interact with him. It's just...” He stopped again. He clenched his jaw for a moment before he added the question in a quiet voice. “It's been nine months since you met him now. Is he...still as nice to you as before?”

Lucille couldn't quite compare this to the beginning. At first, Cedar had been a stranger, who also happened to be the prince of Artias. She had picked him up and talked to him at some distance. Now she was in a relationship with him, and they were happy with each other. She loved him, and she believed that Cedar also loved her. He couldn't say the sentence yet, but he showed it often enough. She knew all of that, but how was she supposed to admit that to her father without being embarrassed? “Well...we are closer now. In the beginning, we just talked, and now it's...more than that. But he is always really nice. He never made me cry nor did he try to hurt me. He was always compassionate and did his best to ensure that I was fine. Cedar also...opened up to me. He trusts me, and I trust him.”

She couldn't even put all of her feelings into words. She just knew that she trusted Cedar with all she had. He had saved her life twice already. Maybe even more often than that if one considered how often his mother had targeted her. But he didn't just save her from such obvious dangers. He also was by her side when she got nervous during an event or just hugged her when she wanted to cuddle.

Of course, that wasn't all there was to their relationship. They gave each other emotional support too. Lucille was convinced that she was much stronger now. She had been much less confident in the past. Meeting Cedar had shown her that she could do something she wanted without relying on what others chose for her too. She finally was happy with her own decisions. Surely, her life had also gotten a bit more complicated thanks to Camille, but all in all, she was extremely content with everything.

Raymond remained silent for a moment before he replied. “If you are convinced of that, I will not try to talk you out of it. I thought that my impressions of other people were accurate, but I failed multiple times. I believe that you are aware of when someone treats you with respect and when not. Just...don't forget that you aren't forced to do what others tell you.” He looked to the side for a moment before he met her gaze again. “I...wanted to make sure that you do not need to feel like it is required for you to stay here no matter how the circumstances are. It is good if you and His Royal Highness are happy, but keep in mind that you can always return home too.” He almost seemed a bit uncertain while he said that and barely managed to look at her.

Lucille was extremely confused now. It was rare for her father to act like this. Surely, he had become much nicer after she had come to the palace, but it was still odd. After all, Raymond was normally confident at all times. She only got even more irritated when her father reached into his pocket and held a mid-sized pouch toward her.

Raymond didn't seem like he intended to pull it back but gave it to her as soon as she extended her hands. He avoided her questioning gaze for a while before he replied. “I thought that it would be good for you to have some money on you. Just so...that you have enough to pay for a carriage ride home. I will always support you with what I have. That is why you can rest assured that there is no need for you to depend on someone against your will. Everything else is in your suitcase. So...there is no need to worry about any eventualities. We will find a way. Right now, it looks like you are content, so that is good.” Even the way he spoke was odd. Normally, her father was so distanced in his speech. Why was he acting like this?