The Broken Prince's Love

Neither the emperor nor the empress were upset about Raymond ignoring them to greet his daughter. They also told him that, but this didn't change the fact that Viscount Valerian was very sensitive about matters like this.

Even Blanche's words didn't do a thing. “It's fine, Lord Valerian. Lucille is your daughter. It's normal for you to focus on her first. Especially on her birthday. We wish you a wonderful day on this special occasion.”

Raymond nodded, but he still seemed to be a bit worried. “I wish you a wonderful day as well, Your Majesty.” After that, he took great care to greet Theodore and Cedar properly, even if he was still a bit unhappy to look at the latter. It seemed like he wasn't fond of the prince just yet. But at least he didn't seem as upset as before around anymore.

After the greetings, Cedar quickly took over with a bright smile. “Normally, I would propose drinking tea and eating a bit of cake, but it might be too early for that. So, how about we just take a small walk before sitting down in the winter garden? The scenery there is beautiful and quite peaceful.”

Blanche gave a nod. “That is a wonderful idea. But first, I would like to stop by the office. I still need to show Lord Valerian something after all.” She smiled at Raymond. “It's nothing life-changing, but it would be better for you to have seen it at least once.”

And immediately, Raymond seemed to be more unhappy again. “I see. Then we will compromise and visit your office first before we follow His Royal Highness' plan.”

Blanche didn't need more affirmation. “Alright. Then let us go.” She led the way along with Theodore and leaned against her husband while walking.

Lucille would have liked to do the same with her lover, but that would be odd when her father was here too. So, she walked in between them after giving the bouquet to a maid and tried to ignore how odd the silence felt. After a few seconds, she realized that Cedar was falling behind, which was probably not a coincidence. But before she could turn around, her father spoke up.

Raymond was so quiet that no one but his daughter could hear him right now. “There is something else I need to give you. I brought a gift, but that can be handed over later. But this is...” He didn't finish that sentence. Instead, he just reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, which he handed to his daughter.

Lucille took it and immediately understood what this was. “It's another letter.” Her throat suddenly felt dry. She should have expected it when her mother had sent a letter each year. But still, she was frozen in place while she received the envelope and stared at her mother's signature. She took a while before she managed to lift her head again.

Her father didn't meet her gaze. He had directed his eyes onto the floor in front of them and stubbornly kept them there. He was probably as uncertain about this as he had been upon giving her the other letters.

For a few seconds, there was silence. Lucille scanned her father from the side while trying to find out what she should do now. Maybe it would be best for her to just thank him before she put away the letter and decided what to do later. Right now, she didn't want to read what her mother could have written. But for some reason, just thinking that wasn't enough for her. Before she knew what she was doing, she spoke up. “I don't even know whether I want to read it.” For a moment, she expected anger or some frustration. Maybe a comment about her being ungrateful.

But Raymond remained calm. He didn't look at her while he replied. “I understand that. You are under no obligation to read it. But this is the only way for you to...communicate with her. Unless you...well...want to reply. If you send a reply, you could communicate with her too.”

Lucille almost stopped in her tracks. She needed to quicken her pace to reach her father again. If he talked about sending a response, there was an obvious consequence. “Do...you know where she is?” Her heartbeat quickened.

Raymond, who looked a little too nervous in comparison to every other day, stared straight ahead while he responded. “I...don't.” That pause in between had been a bit too long before he finally resumed. “I can guess, but to be honest, I don't even know whether...” He paused again. This time, it sounded like he struggled to bring himself to speak. “I don't know whether she wrote this just a few days ago or whether she...already prepared them years ago. She might as well be...somewhere else entirely and have someone to send the letters for her. I just know what address I could send replies to. Most likely, a messenger picks them up from there and brings them to wherever she is.” His voice was so quiet and so uncertain. This didn't sound like him at all. Normally, he refused to talk about Emily completely, and now it seemed like he would do his daughter a favor and speak.

Lucille's heartbeat quickened a bit. Maybe she could finally ask at least one thing that had been bothering her for a while now. She barely dared to. Her father couldn't lash out at her here, but she didn't want to risk upsetting him again after he had been so kind for a few months. And yet, the question was so important to her that she couldn't hold back. “When she ran away...did you... Do you know her reasoning for disappearing overnight without leaving a single hint?”

Had Raymond's anger and his harsh treatment caused Emily to leave without even looking at her daughter? Had Emily found a new lover? Or had she suddenly felt the desire to do what she wanted in life and believed that a husband and a child would only be in the way?

Lucille didn't know even that much, and she longed to find it out at some point. She wanted to assure herself that she hadn't been the reason. She wouldn't know what to do if she had indeed been at fault for her mother's disappearance without noticing it, so she was desperate for a response here.

Raymond still refused to look at her, but he didn't get angry nor did his usual icy expression return. For a moment, he was silent. She almost believed that he wouldn't even reply, but then he spoke. “Yes. I know what her reason was. But I don't understand it. I was sure that it would be a different reason. The one we all know about. That would have made sense. But instead of that, she named a reason I can't understand.”

Lucille felt like her blood ran cold, and at the same time, she felt warm. She wasn't sure what to do with her body when it didn't obey her. She stopped without wanting to. Right now, she hadn't just found out that her father's personality hadn't been the reason for Emily to leave. She had also understood something else. Lucille barely brought out the question in a hoarse whisper. “She sends you letters too?”

Raymond nodded, still without glancing to the side even though he had stopped right next to her. “For my birthday each year, yes. And sometimes, when I wrote her a reply letter. I wrote her often too. I tried to make her accept help or to meet you at least. And-” He cut himself off. It was completely silent for a moment before he spoke again. “We shouldn't talk about that now. It would be better to do that when we are alone.” With that, he meant that he didn't want to talk about it.

Lucille knew that, and she understood it to some extent. Thinking about her mother made her hurt too, but she needed to know what Emily was doing. And despite that desire, she had to be realistic. She had received her response and should be happy with that. She shouldn't need any more from the mother who had left her behind a dozen years ago. She told herself that again and again.

And yet, it was hard to stomach that.

Lucille stared at the letter in her hands for a moment before she put it into her pocket. She lifted her gaze and looked at the royal couple, which waited at the other end of the corridor. She didn't need to know more about the past if her mother didn't want to be with her, so she should focus on the future. She swallowed and tried to sound as calm as possible, but her voice was weak. “I see. It's fine if we don't talk about that. Let's...go to the office.” She began walking again.

Raymond moved forward too. For the rest of the walk, they didn't exchange a single word.

Normally, having Cedar interrupt would be good now, but he was oddly quiet. It seemed like the prince had noticed that Lucille had had a rather serious conversation with her father and wanted to stay out of it. That was kind of him, but right now, she missed him and would rather hold his hand.

When the group reached the office, Blanche had already searched out the document she wanted to show Viscount Valerian. She was kind enough not to worsen the mood and didn't point out that the Valerians looked unhappy, even if it was rather obvious. Instead, she turned to Lucille, holding up a single page. “I wanted to give your father the documents confirming that the dowager empress' money has been transferred to your family. But if you want to, we can tell him something else.”

Lucille recognized the paper at a single glance. This was the blessing the empress had written for Lucille and Cedar. She didn't take it though, not being sure of her reply. What if Raymond got mad again when he saw that? He had sworn that it would be fine, but...

Stopping that thought, Lucille gave a nod. At some point, her father had to find out, so she would rather do it now.

That was enough for Blanche to give her a smile. She waited as if she expected Lucille to take the page and relay the news, and when the other woman didn't, she turned to Raymond instead. “We prepared this copy for you, Lord Valerian. You can rest assured that this has no legal binding. Only a couple of selective few know about this, and no one will make this public either. So, there is no need to worry.”

Raymond didn't fume. He looked skeptical when he received the document though. He read it twice before he lowered the paper and glanced at the empress. “And this is surely not binding? It does not seem like it would be a good idea to reject the royal family's desires, so this doesn't give Lucille a chance to back out.”

Blanche replied without skipping a beat. “Do you think Lucille will reject after she agreed to this mere weeks ago?”

The following silence said everything.

Blanche saw that as a sign to continue. “See? This is merely an additional way to show that the emperor and empress of Artias fully support Cedar despite the events of the past few years. That should be obvious since we will crush that disgusting woman together.” She probably meant Camille, but she didn't leave enough time for anyone to question this anyway. “But this is another guarantee. No one will be able to criticize this match if we support it.”

A person like Raymond, who was very interested in power, should be ecstatic to marry their child into the royal family. But to be honest, he didn't look very happy. He was still glancing at the prince with skepticism. “I understand. I said everything that I have to say about this topic. If Lucille is happy with it, I will not interfere. I will sign everything if she hands me documents that require my permission. After next year, she will be an adult anyway. Then she can make her own decisions.” He turned to his daughter for a moment. “Even if I'm sure that she already knows what she wants, I would like to wait so that she at least gets to know the person she will spend the rest of her life with.”

Lucille still hadn't gotten used to such kind words from her father. It had been a few months since he had become like that, and still, it was odd to her. She wasn't sure what to say about this.

But Theodore just nodded. “Naturally. The couple should sign their contracts themselves. I am certain that no one here will complain about that. It is better to leave some time between the many events of last year and the new wedding anyway. We had a big royal wedding recently, so a few months of a break in between would be nice for everyone, especially for the staff.”

Lucille was a bit confused as to why they were suddenly talking about a wedding already. She wasn't even formally engaged to her lover yet.

Cedar seemed to share her opinion here. “I would say that talking about that is a bit early. As Lord Valerian said, Lucille isn't even an adult yet. So, please hold back a little when it comes to such things, Theodore. Not everyone will move as fast as you and your wife.”

Blanche just smiled at that. “Do not worry. We won't push you to do anything. No one will interfere. And by that, I mean absolutely no one. You don't have to worry about that old hag.”

Unsurprisingly, Raymond immediately knew whom she was referring to, which encouraged him to speak up. “Now that you mentioned her, I would like to ask something.” He turned to Cedar and basically took him apart with his piercing stare. “The former dowager empress said something odd last time we talked to her. That was right after the trial. I won't even mention the accusation of treason since it sounded like His Majesty trusts you, and I will have to believe him. But that woman said something about you fooling Lucille.”

Cedar would probably be honest here. And that could only create more problems if he phrased it like he had been playing with Lucille. He would probably exaggerate because he always seemed to do that when he evaluated his own actions.

So, Lucille hurried to speak up first. “Cedar planned on hiding in our house. He didn't collapse in our garden by coincidence. He wanted to hide in our estate to get to the Northern Market from there without being stopped by Leonard. That is all that happened. And that woman now twisted the facts and made it seem like this would change the situation.” Actually, it was a bit more complicated than that, but she and Cedar had made up. This only concerned them, so there was no need to discuss this again.

Raymond scanned his daughter for a moment. Then he glanced at the prince, who was smiling as always. It looked like he would question this response, but then he replied without any words of distrust. “She indeed made it sound like it was more difficult than that. But if the two of you are fine with it, I shall forget it.” He lowered his gaze and stared at the document in his hand again. He held still for a moment before he wordlessly put it back onto the desk. “If you do not mind, I would like to leave this here until I prepare to go home. I do not want to risk losing it or letting the paper wrinkle.”

The emperor agreed to that. After that, it was silent again.

As always when it got a bit uncomfortable, Cedar spoke up. “If I am allowed to make this suggestion, let us go to the winter garden. After all, Lucille's presents shouldn't have to wait for so long. We may take a while to get through them, so we could start already.”

Lucille expected the royal couple to respond, but they stayed quiet. She took a moment to realize that everyone was looking at her. “It's alright. We can go there.”

That was enough to get the group to move. Cedar held his lover's hand while they walked down the stairs and approached one of the side entrances to leave the palace. He brought her to the winter garden without telling her why he had claimed that they might take a while to go through her gifts. She understood as soon as they entered though.

There was a second table next to the other one they always sat at, and there were quite a few boxes in colorful bows and wraps placed there. Lucille had never seen so many gifts at the same time, aside from maybe during the birthday of a member of the royal family. She blinked a few times before she looked up at her lover.

Cedar beamed at her and kept his gaze on her expression the entire time. He truly wanted to see her reaction more than anything else.

She wasn't even able to say anything before Raymond muttered a comment under his breath. “This is certainly a generous gift from the royal family.” Even he seemed to find the amount concerning.

But Theodore quickly made it even worse with another comment. “Oh no. Those are just Cedar's gifts. As you can see, he treasures your daughter dearly. He only puts in so much effort when he truly cares. We didn't add our gifts yet. I have to admit that we didn't bring as much as my brother though.” Thankfully, they hadn't.

Lucille was overwhelmed enough. She opened her mouth a few times before closing it again. She could only stare at her lover and admire his captivating smile.

Cedar looked like he was happy with himself. He grinned from one ear to the other and met her gaze without any concerns. “Don't look at me like you are surprised. I invested in up and rising businesses years ago, and now I make money with all the goods they sell. I haven't touched my personal funds in a while, so I think I can justify using some of it on you.” He had been an adult for barely three years. How could he already talk about businesses as if he had invested in something years ago? Most likely, he had concerned himself with that much earlier than anyone else would. As expected, Cedar didn't just know a lot about politics.

Lucille had to admit that she was impressed. And yet, she was extremely worried. “But you earned that money because you were intelligent enough to know where to invest. This is yours. You can't use up so much for gifts for me. Especially just because of some birthday.”

“You just said that I was clever. Don't you think that I know how much I can spend? Don't worry about that. I could easily buy some houses in another nation and live there like a duke for the rest of my life without any issues.” That only made Lucille more confused about how much he had to own, but Cedar added even more. “I am glad when I can buy something for you. And until now, I only gifted you a single hair ornament. That won't do. We have been together for so long, so I need to make up for the lack of gifts by adding a few things now.”

It would be fine if those were ‘a few’ things. But this was much more.

Lucille was more than skeptical about accepting something like this. But if her lover had put in so much effort, she would have to. She would definitely ask him to hold back next time though. “I see.” She paused for a moment while slowly trying to regain her composure. “I truly don't require such gifts, but I am grateful. Thank you very much.”

Cedar beamed at her while almost looking like he was shining as brightly as the sun. “Then I'm happy too. Let us take a look at what you received. Our guests probably brought something too, so this might take a while.” Indeed.

Lucille already noticed that she would take at least two hours to unpack everything here as soon as she sat down. When her father added three packages too and the royal couple did so as well, she only worried even more. But she didn't complain. She thanked everyone before slowly unpacking her gifts.

One thing quickly became clear. Cedar had gotten a lot, and yet, everything he offered Lucille was wonderful. From books to pens, to items she had still needed in the palace. Everything was either something she liked a lot or something that she didn't even know but found very interesting. Most of the things she received made her stare at them in awe. Cedar had truly picked out everything she would adore.

By the end, Lucille could conclude that every single gift had been great. She had to admit that a part of her was rather skeptical when she knew that her lover had bought so many things though. She wasn't sure whether Cedar had felt like this was necessary because he was used to showering his mother with gifts so that Camille wouldn't get upset. Lucille hoped that this wasn't it, but she might need to talk about this with him at some point. Today, she wouldn't do it though. She just wanted to sit with the people she was closest with and enjoy tea for a little while.

It was a pleasant surprise that Raymond stayed even after his daughter had unpacked her gifts. He ate lunch with the group and even spent the afternoon at the palace too. Afterward, he joined them for a walk and ate cake with them. He only left when the sun began to set.

Lucille brought him to the foyer and waved after him while he climbed into the carriage. After that, she bid farewell to Theodore and Blanche, who insisted on letting the other couple spend the evening alone.

So, Lucille and Cedar were on their own as they returned to their room. Lucille was very much happy with that. She couldn't help grinning when this whole day had been wonderful. Still, she couldn't ignore her exhaustion. She hadn't really done anything, so suddenly wanting to collapse onto the bed was a bit odd, but she didn't fight the urge. She plopped down onto the mattress, only to flinch when she heard something crumbling. Lucille jumped up and looked at the spot she had lain on.

There was an envelope here. She had forgotten about that. She had asked Darlene to put her mother's letter away after receiving it. Now it might be a good moment to read it. At least if she decided that she wanted to read it.

Lucille still wasn't sure. She stared at the envelope for a moment before glancing to the side.

Cedar was currently in the dressing room and sorted something there so that she would find everything later. She had a moment for herself.

She looked down at her bed while pressing her lips into a thin line. This could only hurt her. And yet, her body almost acted on its own. Her hands were shaky as she reached for the envelope. Still, she tore open the paper without any issues and pulled out the letter to read it.

‘My dearest Lucille, you have become nineteen now. In just one year, you will be an adult and be able to make your own decisions. How quickly time passes. I wish you a wonderful year full of luck and happiness. May you stay healthy at all times and be blessed by the gods. By now, it seems like my dear angel has become a young woman that will enchant so many around you. I hope that there are wonderful people who will guide you forward into a wonderful future with you. I am terribly sorry for not being able to join you during this wonderful day, but maybe my letter cheered you up a bit. I sent a small gift as well. While I know that it will not make up for my absence, I hope that you like it anyway. I regret the fact that I am not with you more than you can imagine.’

Lucille barely managed to read the rest. The tears in her eyes were blurring her sight as she lowered the paper in her hands. She let out a chuckle without any amusement. She put the letter into the box with the others and closed the drawer again.

How cowardly Emily was. Pretending to care now after leaving behind her daughter without another word was truly foolish. It would be better if she just stuck to one plan instead of suddenly acting like she could make up for running away without a second thought.

It was a bitter feeling that rose inside Lucille. She had known it. She shouldn't have read this letter. She let her body fall onto the mattress and hugged herself while hiding below the blanket. She wanted Cedar to hug her. Thankfully, he was in the room next door, so he would come back soon. She would only need to call out. And this time, she didn't have the patience to wait until he was done. “Cedar.”