The Broken Prince's Love

Blanche had looked grim before, but upon hearing the dowager empress' excuses about the possibly harmful gift, she looked like she was willing to murder Camille. She patted her husband's arm, and he leaned over so that she could whisper to him. What she said definitely wasn't nice, and it made Theodore's expression colder too.

For a moment, the both of them looked like they were ready to abandon their plans in favor of having Camille executed right here.

But then the empress simply spoke up. “In any case, you should be much more careful with your gifts in the future. We don't want anything bad to happen. We will make sure to return the favor for every single one of your gifts to show how much we cherish them. Enjoy the ball.” That was a threat.

Camille didn't seem to care though. “I will pick more fitting gifts next time. I am sure that I will enjoy the ball to the fullest.” With that, she left, and everyone's eyes were glued to her as she strode forward. She glanced to the side to make eye contact with Cedar one last time. Then she looked at Lucille with even more hatred than before and walked away.

As soon as the dowager empress was gone, Lucille slumped her shoulders. It seemed like she had been much more worried than she had admitted.

Cedar disliked seeing her like this, but he had to admit that it also helped him a bit. When he was busy comforting Lucille, he couldn't think about how strange it felt to push away his mother like this. He was really happy that he had a partner, or he would feel like accompanying Camille again, just because he was used to attending events with her.

But in the end, seeing that Lucille was uncomfortable only reminded him of how horrible his mother was too. Other people would shiver just because the dowager empress passed by. Of course, it was calming that Camille was gone now since the most difficult part of greeting her should be over, but Cedar didn't trust the calmness.

For the next few minutes, Cedar and Lucille stood at the side of the platform and listened to the conversations that were going on. He didn't mind much. He was used to greeting everyone without caring much about whether they glared at him or looked like they were worried.

Lucille, on the other hand, was getting rather uncertain with time. She cowered when the son of Duke Duremont and his fiancée appeared and only relaxed when they were gone. And even then, she stayed tense when new guests came.

Cedar watched that for maybe ten minutes before he decided that it was enough. So, he moved a bit closer to the thrones to address his brother. “About those herbs...”

Theodore immediately turned his attention to the prince. “Yes? Do you know them?”

Cedar nodded. “Mother used to smuggle them into Althea's food. I'm not sure what they do, but you can imagine that it won't have been good for her. Maybe that caused her infertility. Put that gift far away from you. That was all I can say about that. I suspected that you were going to be careful nonetheless, but I just wanted to make sure. And I wanted to ask something. Will you give us permission to leave? Lucille and I should move on for now. It would be a bit more relaxing that way.”

Theodore agreed without hesitation. “Naturally. You have permission to roam freely. Thank you for telling us about those herbs. We'll research it a bit. Until later.”

Cedar was pleasantly surprised by that quick chance to leave. He smiled at Lucille before leading her away. He wasn't sure where they should go, but as long as he brought her away from the thrones, she might calm down a little. Maybe he should lead her to the balcony. It was usually rather empty there. They could even take a short walk in the garden if it was too full here. He was in the middle of proposing that when he stopped himself.

Someone was already making eye contact and gave him a subtle gesture to come over. Thankfully, it wasn't one of the two problematic women.

Lucille followed his gaze and stared at the Vasquez family too. “These are your aunt and cousin, right? You said that you worried about your relationship with them, but it seems to be fine. Earlier, they greeted you without any issues.”

“I was surprised about that too. During the last ball, they were kind despite everything that happened. It seems like we will have to go talk to them for a little while before relaxing at the buffet. Is that fine with you?” Cedar gazed at Lucille to give her a chance to refuse. He didn't expect her to do that, and he remained correct in his assumption.

So, they walked toward Luciano and Selena, who held a small bundle of blankets, which seemed to conceal the duchess' daughter, Rebecca.

Lucille didn't seem completely calm yet either, but at least she was a bit less uncertain. She didn't cower and just stood close to the prince when they arrived.

Cedar spoke up first. “There we are. I already wished you a good evening, but let me repeat that. It is nice to see you. How have you been? Now that we aren't under my brother's watchful eye, you can even be honest.”

Luciano greeted his cousin with a wide smirk that seemed partly fake as he scanned the couple. “I have to say that I believe you have many more stories to tell than we do. What happened during the past month? I truly did not expect that you would show up with a young lady without giving us a warning. Especially not since we would have known whom you were referring to if you had mentioned her name.”

Cedar should have expected that. He just gave the other man a calm smile. “What is that supposed to mean? You didn't expect that I would be able to find a partner for a ball? Aren't you a bit brazen when you still don't have a fiancée? You're two years older than me, so you should be the one to worry about finding someone first.”

Luciano raised his hand and made a rejecting gesture. “I have way too much work to do. You, however, seem to have quite a relaxed life in the palace. But that may be better right now.” He became more serious in just a few seconds and glanced over his shoulder.

Selena used that chance to chime in. She showed them a little smile. “It is good to see that you are doing well. I was a bit worried when I heard that she would come back.” It was a forced smile, which proved that she wasn't happy at the prospect of meeting her sister at all. But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside and looked at Lucille. “It seems like you invited the young lady that was with you last time again. I am glad to see that you get along well.”

Lucille seemed a bit uncertain about whether she was being addressed. She looked up at the prince to make sure that he wasn't about to speak before replying. “I...am honored to join his side today as well. And Cedar is a really kind person, so it's easy to get along with him.” That much already made her a bit embarrassed, and she barely dared to meet the other woman's gaze.

Cedar watched that with a smile before he chose to speak up. “Well, I was very lucky and managed to invite a wonderful partner. I am proud to say that I didn't even have to convince her to agree. But in any case...” He became more serious as well when he lifted his head to make eye contact with Luciano. “You wanted to ask something specific, didn't you?”

Luciano didn't hesitate to be honest now. “Can you tell us why His Majesty decided to bring her here?”

Cedar would have liked to know the definitive answer to that too. In reality, he was as clueless as the others. He held back a sigh as he explained it to them. “I am not sure. I was against it as well. Apparently, the confinement mansion burned down, and she claims that her life is being targeted. Now she is in one of the houses on the royal estate again. I presume that Theodore wants to use her to lure out the traitors before crushing her under his heel. I am a bit worried, but I don't doubt that our emperor will come up with a way to go through with everything.”

The Vasquez family accepted that but seemed a bit dejected nonetheless. For a moment, it was completely quiet until Selena spoke up. “Then we will have to trust His Majesty's judgment. I hope that he didn't just delude himself into being safe. I am not sure whether he will be able to predict what that woman plans.” She lowered her gaze and stared at her daughter. Then slowly her smile returned, and she showed the others the baby in her arms. “Rebecca is stirring around a little, but she didn't wake up. How about you take a closer look at her? Right now, she is sleeping, so you can see her face without her constantly moving around or babbling to herself. You can also hold her if you want to.”

Luciano seemed like he was distracted for a moment longer before he gazed over his mother's arm to catch a glimpse of his sister. “If you are careful, you can also poke her chubby little cheeks. Last time, you refused, so you basically can't do that again. Otherwise, you will miss out on seeing her sleeping face.”

Cedar still wasn't sure about this. His aunt and cousin should detest him, but they still greeted him with so much kindness that it was almost odd. Along with the fact that Cedar had no idea how to deal with children, this made him even more unwilling. “Oh, I do not want to disturb her too much. I won't take her away from her mother, but I can glance from the side.” He wasn't comfortable doing anything else. He wouldn't even touch the baby. So, he went a bit closer to scan Rebecca's face. She truly was adorable. He didn't have another way to describe it. He smiled down at the little sleeping girl before looking over his shoulder. “Lucille, do you want to see her too?”

Lucille hesitantly came closer as well and positioned herself next to him so that she could see something. Her view was still rather obstructed by the blanket, and she didn't dare to step even closer, so she strained her neck a bit.

Cedar took that as his cue to gently grab her shoulders to lead her in front of him.

Lucille finally managed to see Rebecca at that point and showed the little girl a bright smile. “She is very cute. Your Grace's baby will certainly grow up to be a beauty.” She sounded a bit uncertain because she had been the one to break the silence but was quickly reassured.

Selena showed her a radiant beam. “Of course. Our main goal is that she will become a healthy and intelligent young lady, but we don't doubt that she will be beautiful either.”

Cedar wanted to add another compliment when he glanced to the side and saw that a suspicious amount of people were watching them. When he looked away from the baby, his worry was proven to be true.

Camille seemed to have made it her goal to ruin every conversation. She should know that she wasn't wanted here but still calmly walked forward. The people made way for her as she approached her sister, nephew and her son with the same cold expression as before.

The second the others noticed too, their moods quickly changed. Lucille was scared and got closer to the prince again. Luciano's expression turned much more sour, and he seemed like he had to hold back a murderous intent. Selena's forehead showed a deep frown, which revealed that she was just as unwilling to speak to her sister, but there was no way she could refuse.

Cedar was the only one who continued to smile as he patted Lucille's arm and whispered to her. “She can't do anything. She might say bad things about you, but she will not do anything to hurt you. If she gets insolent, we can simply talk to Theodore. Everything will be fine.” His words hadn't been special, and Lucille was still rather tense.

His whispering had caused his mother's face to scrunch up even more though. Camille reached the group and stood in front of them like a queen who was waiting for her people to bow.

Cedar considered bowing again, but he had greeted her already, and there was no need for him to do it twice. The others around him had to bow or curtsy though.

The dowager empress only spoke up when they had done that. “I wish a good evening to all of you. It is a pleasure to meet you again, Selena.” She gazed at her sister before turning to Luciano. “And it seems like you have become the new duke now. I have not had the chance to congratulate you yet.”

Luciano only narrowed his eyes at that. Camille was the reason he had suddenly become the duke, so hearing those words from her had probably sounded like a provocation.

Selena looked upset too, but in her case, it was a mixture of wrath and grief. She probably hadn't gotten over her husband's death yet. Especially not since her own sister had been at fault here.

Neither of them wanted to respond, but the unnerving silence made Luciano speak up in the end. “Your Majesty, it baffles me that you even see the need to begin a conversation. May I inquire why you wished to talk to us?” Despite everyone here obviously not wanting to see her.

Camille's expression became even more icy at that. “It seems like you lost most of your manners during the past few months. I am allowed to greet my relatives when I see it fit. You should be honored that I am even considering you my family after your betrayal.”

Luciano let out an unamused laugh. He didn't even see the need to keep up a facade of politeness and spoke in a tone that lacked the slightest trace of friendliness. “Betrayal? That's rich coming from you.” It felt like the temperature around them dropped even more.

Cedar could already see that this would develop into an unpleasant fight. That would end with Theodore throwing out the person that had caused it, so the prince had no idea why his mother saw the need to do this now. He considered speaking up but quickly stopped himself when he saw the gaze in Selena's eyes. He had never seen his normally meek aunt with such anger on her face.

Selena met her sister's gaze without averting her eyes like she had always done in the past and spoke up in a voice full of resentment. “What do you want, Camille?”

The dowager empress lifted her head and only seemed even more confident than before. “If you address me by name in public, you must be in a bad mood. Maybe I should remind you that I am the one who deserves to be upset. After all, I was the one who allows you to live in such luxury. You should have been eager to help me in return, but I was met with betrayal instead. It should be obvious that I am rather unhappy about such developments.”

Selena narrowed her eyes. Her voice was louder than before now. “You ordered the murder of my husband and would have liked to bury me and my children too. I do not think that I owe you anything. In fact, I will gladly be direct for the first time in my life. I never owed you. You used me as a bargaining chip to gain more power and were discontent with the fact that I managed to have a loving family nonetheless. And now, I will protect that family. It should be obvious, but we will not have any relations with you in the future. We do not wish any contact with you and will not be affiliated in any way. We support His Majesty, the emperor of Artias to the fullest.” Saying that so directly might have been a mistake.

By now, Cedar was certain that his mother would snap at the group. But that this didn't happen made it even more terrifying.

Camille's aura became more freezing, but she kept her voice steady as she replied. “Are you accusing me of murder? It seems that you truly have not gotten over your husband's death. That my own sister is spreading such lies makes me continuously more worried. My son seems to have fallen into a trap, and the rest of the family is the same. Knowing that those around me are this easy to manipulate is disturbing.”

Luciano crossed his arms and replied in a tone that was much colder than everything he had ever voiced toward Cedar. “Either you are a pathological liar, or you truly believe in your own made-up stories. Both would be a sad fate. In either case, it does not matter much. Did you not hear what my mother said? We do not wish any contact with you. Leave.”

That evoked the well-known spark of fury within Camille. It was a slight change of her face, but Cedar immediately knew what could follow.

The prince's first instinct was to rush to her side to pat her hand and whisper that she had to calm down. Only the fact that he was currently holding Lucille's hand made him remember why he wouldn't do that. Still, he didn't need to see a huge quarrel with yelling now, so he spoke up. “It seems like the situation is uncomfortable either way. Both parties are convinced of one thing and will not change their minds. Since both are upset with each other, parting ways now would be the best option. Maybe it would be beneficial if we ended the conversation here.” He doubted that this would help much.

To his surprise, those words immediately wiped the growing fury off his mother's face. That expression was replaced with a much calmer made him worry even more, but there was nothing he could do about it in hindsight. Besides, her attention shifted again quickly. Camille met his gaze for a moment before her eyes fell onto something behind him. It seemed like she wasn't sure whether to be content or dissatisfied with this development, but in the end, her small polite smile appeared. “Lady Peril. It has been a while since we had the honor of meeting. Where did you leave your husband?”

Cedar had to hold back from groaning at that. He turned around and would have liked to announce that they would leave immediately. But he kept his smile upright, even when Lady Peril came closer and moved past him with much less distance than necessary to stand in the circle as well.

Jenna made a perfect curtsy before she lifted her head and showed everyone her sickeningly sultry smile. “Good evening, Your Majesty. My husband has gone out to drink with some friends and left me alone once again. I apologize for disturbing you. I only saw the conversation and wished to join in.”

Camille suddenly didn't seem to be unhappy about the other's presence anymore and merely spoke up with satisfaction. “I see. Then you should not mind keeping me company for a while. It seems that we both are alone at the time.”

Jenna didn't hesitate to stand next to the other woman. “Naturally, Your Majesty. It would be an honor.” This was way too sudden. That had definitely been planned beforehand.

It seemed like Cedar's bad premonition had been right. His mother had quickly found, or rather re-found, a powerful ally. There would have been no way for Jenna to know about him being in the palace otherwise. This was dangerous.

Everyone around him didn't seem to focus on that though. They still seemed to be rather discontent with Camille being here, and the fact that Lady Peril had come made it worse. Luciano, who despised both, scanned the women for a moment before speaking up. “I did not know that Lady Peril and Her Majesty got along well.” Even now, his voice was still dripping with barely veiled fury.

Camille seemed to be satisfied with that and still showed that smile that proved that she was planning something. “We have had personal connections, and that relation can only become stronger in the future.” She met Cedar's gaze for a single second. So, it seemed like she was truly relying on the Peril household now. That was ironic. She had been so upset with Jenna for a short while, and now she had already changed her priorities.

Lady Peril made eye contact with Cedar too, and even those few seconds were nauseating. “That I have always been acquainted with Her Majesty and His Royal Highness should not be a surprise. I do not mind showing that openly.” She smiled at Cedar in a way that made him turn his head to Lucille.

Only now the prince realized that he was basically crushing his company's hand. Lucille hadn't complained yet, but even he noticed how much force he was using. So, he made himself loosen his hold on her and mouthed an ‘I'm sorry’ to her.

Lucille smiled back at him, but her smile quickly faded when Camille glared at her again.

Cedar took that as his cue to step forward a bit so that his mother couldn't make eye contact with Lucille. It was much better like this.

Luciano seemed to scan the dowager empress with obvious dismay before he addressed Lady Peril. “Isn't positioning yourself on that side so openly dangerous? You should know that this will mark you a traitor.”

Jenna put on her fake and very infuriating facade of innocence and looked at the others with round eyes. “Our personal relationship has nothing to do with our political stance though. We are on His Majesty's side, as my family has been from the very beginning. And Her Majesty supports him too. I do not see why else she would ask for his help and live here again. His Majesty only allowed her and His Royal Highness to come back because he trusts them. So, it is safe to assume that the tension within the royal family has disappeared.” Obviously, it hadn't. How could she even say that with a straight face?

Cedar considered staying quiet, but he had one thing he wanted to point out more than anything. “Lady Peril, let me ask a question. You should know about the deceased Duke of Vasquez. Correct?” He almost regretted addressing her a second later. As soon as Jenna looked at him and stroked a strand of her hair behind her ear, he wanted to leave. But he had to stay and listen to her response.

Lady Peril looked at him for much too long before finally speaking up. “Good evening, Your Royal Highness. It is a pleasure to meet you here. Of course, I know him. I am very much aware of what happened a few months ago.” Good.

Then Cedar had one last attempt to keep his mother from using that family. “If you know what happened to the predecessor, I wonder what you are doing in that position.”

Claude Vasquez had secretly been the one supporting Camille for a long time. In the end, the dowager empress had used him as a scapegoat for her own crimes, which had been easy since he had committed quite a few deeds himself too. Upon making sure that all crimes were linked to him, she had stood by as Theodore had crushed that man. And as soon as Claude had left prison once, she had sent someone to murder him and set the house on fire.

This should make it very obvious that Camille didn't mind throwing away allies to give herself an advantage. She hadn't even cared for the man who had been her friend for years and had attempted to kill her own sister for that too. It was clear that she simply didn't think about anyone else. Every person who joined her side should be aware that they could be stabbed in the back at any moment.

But Jenna seemed rather calm when she gave Cedar a smile. “I may have an ace up my sleeve. I will make sure to surprise you, Your Royal Highness.”

He didn't like her tone while she said that at all. “I am not fond of surprises, but I cannot tell you what to do.” He averted his eyes and tried to focus on Lucille instead of all the unpleasant people here.

Camille only stayed quiet for a moment before she spoke up. “Since none of you seem to have the desire to stop blaming me, we do not need to continue this conversation. I will take my leave now. When you have calmed down, you will come back.” That was probably more directed at Cedar than at the rest, but Luciano and Selena still frowned. Camille ignored that and turned around to leave.

Lady Peril quickly made another curtsy and smiled at the people around her. “I sincerely apologize for showing up like this and then leaving again. I hope that you will have a pleasant evening. We will have another conversation later. I look forward to it.”

Cedar didn't. He immediately turned away when the woman left and didn't need to think about what was going to happen later. Jenna would bother him again. That was frustrating, but it wasn't the worst part.

It seemed like his mother was planning something already. That could never be good, and depending on what it was, it might even be dangerous to everyone he knew.