The Broken Prince's Love

Lucille balanced the two bowls on the tray in her arms and gave her best not to trip and spill everything over herself. She somehow managed to take the salt without dropping the rest and let out a relieved sigh.

This earned her a small smile from the cook. The elderly woman leaned her plump hips against the counter and crossed her arms. “Are you sure that this is fine, Young Lady? You will gain weight if you eat for two again. You did the same yesterday, which makes me wonder. Either you suddenly have a growth spurt, or you have a secret lover among the staff.”

Lucille let out a nervous laugh and hoped that it covered up her uncertainty a little bit. “It's for my maid. She was always jealous when it came to my food. So...she wanted to try it too, and now she can't go back.” She was a horrible liar, even though she had prepared this excuse in advance. The other woman would find out immediately if she just looked at Lucille's expression. So, she hurried to add something else. “By the way, I want to thank you for your hard work. You have to make a bit more now, but your meals are as delicious as always. Thank you very much.”

This seemed to be enough to flatter the cook. She laughed and gazed at the young lady with a smile. “That's good to hear. Then enjoy your meal before it gets cold.”

This was exactly what Lucille intended to do. “I will. Thank you!” She walked back and opened the door with her elbow. After two attempts, she managed to get out without dropping anything and turned around to walk toward the annex. She only needed to get through this corridor, and as soon as she left the building, she would be safe from others' prying gazes. She looked around and considered running, but that would only make her more suspicious. But in the end, sneaking didn't help either.

“My Lady!” Mathilda's voice echoed from behind. It only took a few seconds before the maid reached her mistress. “My Lady, the master wants to see you. He wants to eat dinner with you again.” She beamed while saying that as if she had brought good news.

Lucille froze, and her grip on the tray tightened. “Really?” What did her father want now? If he hadn't informed her before and waited until she had received her own portion of food, he probably had something he needed to tell her quickly. If that was related to the matter from two days ago, it didn't mean anything good. She swallowed and looked down at her tray. She had promised the prince that she would bring dinner at eight o'clock. If she let him wait now, the food might get cold. But in the end, she didn't have a choice. She couldn't deny her father. “I see.” She slowly handed her tray over to the maid. “Would you bring this to the kitchen then? Can you ask the cook to keep it warm? I will pick it up after dinner.”

Mathilda took the tray and tilted her head to the side. “Why? Do you want to eat a second portion after eating with the master? Isn't that a bit too much?” That wasn't any of her business.

Lucille shuffled around and just decided to go along with it while avoiding eye contact. “During the past few days, I've been waking up hungry in the middle of the night. So, I will eat a bit more from now on. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I can't help it.” She used that excuse instead of saying that she barely managed to swallow the contents of a single plate while eating with her father and had always consumed something else in private afterward. “I will go see Father now. I don't want to make him wait.”

Thankfully, this reasoning satisfied the maid. “Of course, My Lady. I will take care of this then. Have a nice dinner.”

Lucille put the salt on the tray as well and turned around without responding. Great. Her father having new ideas was the last thing she needed. Now she would probably need to listen to news that would only make her life harder. She balled her fists as she rushed down the hallways. She hated being forced to run toward her misery, but arriving too late would be much worse. Her heels clicked on the cool tiles, and she only stopped when she reached the door to the dining room. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock.

The low echo of her knocking sounded through the room, and seconds later, her father replied. “Come in.”

Lucille slowly opened the door, only to close it even slower behind her. Then she curtsied and lowered her head. “Good evening, Father.”

Raymond sat at the same end of the table as two days ago, and his expression didn't look much more pleasant either. “Good evening, Lucille. Sit down.”

She obeyed with a nod. This time, there wasn't lamb ragù. It seemed like Raymond wouldn't add something that he assumed her to hate. That didn't mean much though. Lucille had always been very reluctant when it came to her father's plans, which he never seemed to understand. So, she wasn't too happy to be forced to meet him again so soon.

Viscount Valerian was silent for a while before he spoke up again. “Let us begin eating. The chef claimed that this meal was one of his best.” The fact that he didn't address an issue immediately made all of this seem much more concerning.

Lucille tensed a bit before nodding. She lowered her head and did her best while picking up the utensils in the most graceful way she could. She slowly nibbled on her vegetables while watching her father's movements from the corner of her eye. He didn't look angry, and she hadn't done anything that could upset him recently.

Except for taking in a refuge who was a wanted criminal.

But if Raymond knew that, he would already have slaughtered her. So, she seemed to be in the clear in that regard. Yet, her father could still ask her to do something horrible. Lucille began praying inwardly, and with every second that passed in silence, it got worse.

Her father didn't eat and just looked at her, which made her grasp her utensils until her fingers were white. After a few nerve-wracking moments, he finally began. “Have you already come up with a plan regarding the issue at hand? An approach or a strategy? Have you found out anything about His Grace? Or do you have anything else to say regarding this matter?”

The young woman gritted her teeth and swallowed her bitterness. What did he expect her to do? She couldn't just run to a duke's house and ask him what kind of women he would favor. She also couldn't come up with a plan when her goal was impossible to reach. But telling her father this would result in her being told how easily some men were being manipulated, which would make her, who was unable to do it, an utter moron. So, she forced herself to reply calmly. “Not yet. I will still need some time. Most likely, I will need to wait until His Grace attends an event along with us. I can try to carefully strike up a conversation there.” Even if that would only end up with her telling him a few polite things while almost breaking down with anxiety. She certainly wouldn't impress anyone in that state.

Raymond seemed to accept her response for now. “I see. At the moment, it looks like you have no time limit, so good preparation should be the best approach. You cannot make a mistake when you face His Grace, or you may destroy all of your chances. Thus, it is important that you act dignified in front of him until you can be sure what type of person he prefers. Tell me if there is anything else you wish to add in regard to that topic. For now, I ordered more shampoo, creams and lotions so that you can begin to focus more on refining your appearance depending on your preferences. You are free to order whatever jewelry or dresses you may need. But there are also other fields that you can't neglect. You should go through the basic manner rule books again and practice speaking with others a bit more. You cannot stutter in front of His Grace.”

Lucille clenched her jaw. She didn't stutter unless one put her under extreme pressure. That only happened when her father was generous enough to give her a horrific task again. This meant that the odds of her tripping over her words when she was forced to meet Luciano Vasquez were high. She would probably end up embarrassing herself in front of everyone once again. Exactly like back when she had been told that provoking the emperor's former concubine would force the ruler to apologize to their family, which could somehow help the Valerians. That had been a complete failure that had almost gotten her on trial for slandering nobility, and she felt like this here might be even worse. And still, she only answered with what Raymond wanted to hear. “Yes, Father. I will start planning soon.”

“Do that. If you need any advice or have questions or concerns, feel free to talk to me.” Raymond said that, but he obviously didn't mean it. He never liked it when people questioned his decisions nor did he like having to tell someone what to do in great detail.

After that, an uncomfortable silence followed. Viscount Valerian focused his attention on eating without saying anything else about the issue. Had this been it? As if. He surely had something else to say.

But even after another minute passed, he didn't speak up.

Lucille's heart was beating quicker than it should have, and she slowly began to panic. Her father never asked to see her unless he had some other instructions. But none of what he had said was new. Did he intend to make her wait until the end before revealing the important part to her? Surely not. He had never done that. She stared at her father and almost jolted when he looked up to meet her gaze.

Raymond was quiet while cutting his meal before he spoke up in a calm voice. “Did you hear about the issue in the capital? Recently, everyone from the outside has been busy talking about it, so even you might have noticed by now.”

She hadn't. But a part of her had a vague idea. It might be related to a specific prince, who was currently hiding in the old annex. Lucille tightened her hold on the utensils and fought to keep her expression neutral. “I have not, Father. Did something special happen?”

Viscount Valerian didn't let her wait for a response this time. “There were quite a few rumors, so it was hard to figure out which words were true, but the uproar in the city was caused by an investigation. Apparently, Lord Astame, His Majesty's advisor, is in the capital. He was seen with a group of royal guards, and they were taking care of one of their own, who seemed to have been injured. This made me believe that there might be some greater problem, and I investigated it a bit. It seems like His Royal Highness, the second prince, escaped confinement. He is currently fleeing, and a few trails lead to the assumption that he might be hiding in the area around here. If you ever see any suspicious movements, stay away from them. Do not get in between the royal guards and their goal either. Even if it is on accident, you may get hurt then.”

If Lucille intended to say anything about the prince, now was the moment.

But she stayed quiet and only tensed more. Hopefully, her expression stayed unreadable to some extent. Lucille couldn't risk giving away that she was hiding the concerned person just a few steps away in the neighboring building. “I understand. I will be on guard. Was there any hint on how he managed to break out?” Most likely, the prince had gotten into a rather harsh fight since he had been bleeding so much.

Raymond ate another bite of his meal before replying. “He knocked out a guard and climbed over the wall, as far as I managed to find out. He seemed to have stolen that man's sword and was able to defend himself against a few royal guards while almost killing one in the process. This is what makes me so worried. He is capable of hurting people, so we need to be careful. If you happen to catch a glimpse of His Royal Highness, inform me immediately. We might be able to win His Majesty's trust if we give him a clue on where his brother is hiding.” If he was really worried, his cool voice didn't show it well.

To Lucille, it seemed like Raymond was just worrying about his opportunity to gain the emperor's favor disappearing. She agreed with a curt response and kept her eyes on her meal afterward. She did her best to hide how she almost trembled under her father's prying gaze. Lucille knew that he theoretically couldn't have found out, but the fact that he might have scared her. If he ever learned about how she was hiding the prince, it would not end well for her at all. Even the prospect of him wanting to use her future marriage to gain power might not help her then anymore. This thought made swallowing her food even harder than it normally was.

After dinner, Lucille said goodnight and left the room before darting to the kitchen. This earned her a few questioning gazes from the staff, but she ignored that. She hurried to pick up the meal and prepared to walk to the annex.

The only issue left was Mathilda, who suddenly seemed to stick to the other woman's side. “My Lady, did the master tell you anything special? Is there anything new I need to know of?” That nosy maid once again couldn't keep herself from wanting to know what her mistress was forced to deal with.

Lucille did her best to keep calm while inwardly asking herself why this woman couldn't leave her alone. “Can we do this later, Mathilda? I want to be alone for now. I will be back in an hour.”

Mathilda looked almost offended when she heard that. “But did you not say that you wanted to eat with me, My Lady? The cook told me that you got the second portion just for me.”

Lucille gritted her teeth at that. She had forgotten about that excuse. She shouldn't lie to the most talk-active people, or it would come back to bite her. Usually, she would give in now, just because she couldn't reject anyone. But today, she had something to do. So, she averted her eyes and forced herself to reply. “I'm sorry. I wanted to eat with you, but I'm really not in the mood to see anyone now. But you can have the dishes that were prepared for you.”

It only took a second before Mathilda's mood changed. “Thank you, My Lady!” She beamed as she took a bowl and a plate off the tray. “I will definitely make it up to you by baking you something delicious in a few days. Have a nice evening!” With that, she disappeared, which ultimately proved that her curiosity wasn't as big as it sometimes seemed. What mattered to her was being off well, and her mistress wasn't so important, which was helpful in cases like this.

Lucille breathed out in relief before she balanced the tray over to the annex. She looked up at the white stone facade to make sure that one couldn't see the burning candles from the outside. Luckily, that was the case since the bedroom the prince stayed in was on the side that faced the outer part of the estate. And even if someone saw, they would just assume that it was Lucille who spent her time here. Good.

The young woman pushed open the door with her elbow and carefully stepped into the hallway. She climbed up the stairs near the end and then reached the second floor. She stopped at the door and leaned her forehead against it for a moment. No noises were behind her. Fortunately, no one had followed her or questioned why she was going here. Why would they when the young lady of the house was known to visit her mother's former bedroom daily? At least this allowed her to spend her time here without anyone getting suspicious of her.

A small sigh escaped Lucille's throat before she straightened her posture and prepared to knock on the door. She knew that letting the most wanted criminal in this nation into her home was a horrible idea. She had known that as soon as she had found him, but leaving the prince behind had seemed impossible to her.

A parent that had disappeared way too early and left the child behind as a pawn for the other. This scenario was too familiar to her to ignore Cedar, who had lived through this.

But Lucille shouldn't forget that this prince had still attempted to assassinate the emperor, his own brother. No matter how much he smiled, there was no real joy in this man's eyes. He was definitely not in a good mood even if he tried to make it seem that way. So, she would have to keep her distance, even if he beamed at her as soon as she came in. This might be harder than she had hoped it to be though. After all, she ate with him three times a day, and whenever she looked at him, she couldn't help but wonder what he hid below that mask of his.

It was a stupid thought, and she would certainly be punished if she tried to unveil any of the prince's secrets, but she couldn't let go of it. But in the end, she would only spend a few weeks with him, and ultimately, they would go their separate ways without ever talking to each other again. Except for the regular greetings if the prince returned to noble society in the future, but she could deal with those. She would definitely be fine without sympathizing with him even more.

Lucille reminded herself of that before she carefully knocked on the door. “Your Royal Highness? It's me.”

A voice from the inside spoke up seconds after that. “You can come in.”

Lucille pushed the door open and slowly moved inside. She held her foot between the door and the frame and slowly let it close before withdrawing her foot. Like this, the door fell shut without much noise, and she could keep the tray in her hand. She walked over to the cart and set the tray down there before allowing herself to raise her head.

Cedar Estien definitely looked too much like an angel for being a person who had attempted to kill their own brother. He had light blue hair that framed his fair face, which both seemed handsome and soft at the same time, and light brown eyes that might have been calming if the happiness they showed was real.

Lucille had to admit that the prince was a phenomenal actor. Until a while ago, she had been convinced that the prince who was known to smile no matter what was truly happy with his life. But then had she learned something about his circumstances. Seeing how he interacted with his mother had made her realize that there were a few parallels between his relationship with the dowager empress and Lucille's one with her father, which made it obvious that the prince couldn't be happy.

But despite that, Cedar kept smiling as if he truly managed to fool himself. Even now, he showed her a radiant beam as she entered the room. “Good evening. Have you been well in the past few hours?” That was an exaggeration. They had probably only refrained from seeing each other for the duration of the meal since she had read in this room before that, which had been less than an hour ago.

But even if Lucille had had the chance to stare at him for two days now, she hadn't gotten used to having such a glowing person in her home. She allowed herself to secretly admire how beautiful Cedar's smile was and asked herself how perfect it had to be when he was actually happy. But she quickly pushed that thought away and replied. “Nothing much happened. My father wanted to see me for dinner, which is why I arrived too late. I apologize for that. Good evening, Your Royal Highness.” She made a small curtsy, which made him raise an eyebrow.

Cedar scanned her for a moment, which made her feel like he read all of her most embarrassing thoughts, before he spoke up. “Will you really continue to do this for much longer? I can't really bow to you, so it would be better if we just ignore that formality. It should be easier for both of us.”

Lucille wasn't sure whether this was a good idea. Cedar was still the prince, the second son of the esteemed former emperor. It was normal for him not to bow to anyone but the current emperor and empress. However, it was more than insolent for a viscount's daughter to stop curtsying in his presence. Surely, no one was watching them, and if he was fine with it, it shouldn't have consequences. Still, it felt strange to be asked that. “Your Royal Highness, I...”

Cedar didn't even let her finish. “We can drop that too. That title is much too long. How about you call me by name for as long as I am here? I think all of those overly polite norms are just exhausting.” That was even worse.

Lucille felt how her blood drained from her face as she met the prince's gaze. “I could not dare! Your Royal Highness is the second prince of Artias, and I am merely a viscount's daughter. If I was impudent enough to dare to address you by name, I would-”

The prince shushed her. “Really. You worry too much. There isn't a law that forbids you from doing this. As long as you don't offend anyone, you can do whatever you want. Since I proposed it, I won't be angry about you listening to me. In fact, I would rather be relieved because we can stop wasting time on formal pleasantries. No one is here to judge you. So, you can speak freely. We are both too young to worry about the rules that some people in the past came up with, right?” The small grin on his lips almost made him seem like a brazen little boy, but the look in his eyes was too calculative for that.

Lucille sighed quietly. She had the feeling that this prince here was stubborn. She had never been good at making others change their minds, and she hated discussions. So, she would rather give up now. Still, her heart pounded as she did what others would be imprisoned for. “Then I will let it be for now and call you ‘Cedar’. But if you change your mind, please tell me immediately.” She had to admit that this was much shorter than his title, and it felt more pleasant too. She liked his name, even if she shouldn't be happy about saying it. If she did something to displease him, he could easily use this against her later.

But Cedar just smiled at her. “Thank you. Lucille is your first name, correct? Then may I address you like that to simplify things?” The way that he said her name sounded nice too. Maybe that was because she liked her first name so much more than her last name.

Lucille gave him a weak smile and nodded. “Yes. You can address me like that too. I don't mind.” She slowly bowed down to stir the soup once more before handing it over to him. “I hope that this is still warm. If not, I can go back to the kitchen to warm it back up.” Even if that would increase the risk of people asking her why she ate again.

Cedar continued to beam at her without complaining. “It should be fine. I'm not picky.” He leaned forward to take the bowl from her. Apparently, he had moved a bit too quickly though. His smile didn't falter, but he froze, and a small huff escaped him. He immediately let himself fall back onto the cushion and pressed out a deep breath. “Ah... That's not a good angle.” Even though he was injured and had to be in a lot of pain, he looked so calm.

In the meantime, Lucille panicked inwardly. The prince's whole side had been covered by a gash, and there had been so much blood. What if he hurt his internal organs if he moved too much now? What if he got worse again after feeling better? “Are you alright? Are you certain that you don't need a doctor? It might be better to get him to come back to check on you. I can-”

Cedar shook his head. “I am sure. Thank you for asking. I just have to remind myself that I cannot move too much already. I will be as good as new within a few days. Until then, I should probably lean back a bit.”

She didn't believe that a week would suffice one bit. The amount of blood in the garden, which she had helplessly covered with some loose soil, had proved that much.

This man in front of her just refused to show weakness. He never told her that it hurt and denied the offer to take a pill every four hours like the doctor had advised him to. He only took the pain medicine when it was really bad, and even then, he didn't do it when Lucille was there. As if he didn't want to let anyone know that he was only a human too.

Lucille found it stupid, but she had no right to comment on that. She would stay out of it for now and let him do what he thought to be right. She would stop him if he did something that could kill him though. But for now, she would just help him by giving him a home and secretly choosing the most nutritious dishes for him. Hopefully, that would give him enough strength to recover quickly.

For the sake of both of them, she could only pray for that.