The Broken Prince's Love

“You said you wanted my honest opinion about this, right? Then don't feel offended. Theodore, sometimes, I think you're an idiot.” Cedar had barely said that and already expected that someone would rebuke him.

But instead, Leonard just looked up from his book. “You're right about that. I think most people here feel similarly. Our emperor switches from coming up with genius laws and predicting the future to suddenly deciding to do something that will make the entire world question his sanity.”

Theodore set aside the folder in front of him and rested his elbow on the table. “Even I have to agree with that statement. I did so many stupid things in the past that I can't even enumerate all of them. Calling me a fool or an idiot is an understatement. But I changed.” He lifted his gaze and made eye contact with his brother. “I'm only doing things I'm certain about now. And I am very much certain about this offer. You don't have to discuss this with me when you obviously have the qualifications. I'm not even asking you to suddenly chime in during a minister meeting. Not yet, at least.”

Cedar opened his mouth to talk back, but he had no chance.

Theodore already continued. “I want you to begin taking care of one of two things. Either you can start by controlling some economic developments. I took some notes about what problem is likely to occur in a year and what we can do against it. But since our cousin already deals with some of that, you could also focus on political issues. You are good at recognizing patterns and much better at psychological warfare than I ever was. I need you to look at some letters our allies and enemies from the neighboring countries sent and tell me whether they are using specific strategies that you know about.”

The more Cedar heard, the more convinced he was that his brother was losing his mind. “Let me summarize it. You want to put me in a position that could easily allow me to wage war just because I tell you that someone aims to harm us?” That was ridiculous. Cedar had thought that his brother would leave this topic alone after the last conversation, but seemingly, the emperor was stubborn.

Theodore stayed completely calm despite the prince's obvious skepticism. “Obviously, I will make the final decisions. I wouldn't ever begin a war. But I know that you are the same. I remember you being six and reading book after book about war strategies, only to tell me that all of them were bad in the end because avoiding the war would have been easier. You may favor more crude methods than I used to, but by now, I understand you well. Despite you sometimes doing things that are less morally acceptable, you would never harm the nation on purpose. Nor are you a sadist who makes others suffer for no reason.”

Cedar knew that. The question was why his brother knew. Hadn't Theodore always been convinced that the prince was the most vile creature in existence? Well, it seemed as if the emperor liked repeatedly changing his mind. Cedar had given up on trying to understand the other man months ago. “You know, ever since I came out of confinement, you've been strange. I always think that you can't do anything more confusing, and then you immediately start preparing something that makes me question whether someone hit your head.” Cedar crossed his arms and scanned the documents in front of him. Had he read them and already found ideas to improve some contracts? Yes.

Did he understand why Theodore allowed him to read confidential documents? No.

But the emperor acted as if this was completely normal. “That is understandable. I really was a moron before. You can rest assured that I know what I'm doing now.” That would have sounded more convincing if he was acting like a normal person instead of doing such stupid things. But he said it in a much too confident way for it to be a lie. Theodore thought that this was for the best. He truly had become much more reckless.

Cedar lifted his head to make eye contact with his brother. “Wasn't there a time during when you would have liked to hide all political topics from me? I remember you telling me to stay out of this office because I wouldn't rule either way. Now you are saying the opposite.”

Theodore let out a quiet sigh. He grabbed his cup and drank a few sips before replying. “You still don't like it when people trust you, do you? You always begin listing reasons they shouldn't, and then you call them idiots. I can see the pattern too. So, you can stop trying to argue. I obviously won't force you.” He probably would. “But we both know that you're good at politics. So, just do a little bit. I barely work an hour a day, so I won't demand that you do something for more than a few minutes. You can also start in a few months when you and Lady Valerian are done getting to know each other. You don't have to decide now. Just think about it.”

Cedar pressed his lips together. How come Lucille was always mentioned when he talked to others? “Naturally. I will think about it.” But surely, the conversation wasn't over here. Still, Cedar hoped and stayed quiet for a while. He only spoke up when no response followed. “Since you aren't giving me permission to leave, I take that there is something else you want to say?”

Theodore nodded. He seemed much more uncertain now. He drank something again before speaking in a quieter voice. “This is about the conversation we had two weeks ago.” So, that was it. It was nice that he wanted to talk about it.

Cedar didn't. He gave his best to keep his voice cheerful, but he clearly heard that he had become much colder. “Theodore, I told you. Unless you tell me why you won't believe me when I tell you that nothing happened, I won't say a single word regarding that topic. That is understandable though, isn't it? After all, only two people in this whole world were present then, and yet, you claim to know what happened when, in fact, nothing occurred.” Luckily, he had calmed down enough to be composed during the past two weeks. When Theodore had first revealed that he managed to find out what had happened through some strange unknown way, Cedar had almost run out of the room immediately.

The emperor was silent for a few seconds before speaking. “It's...impossible to tell you how I know that. But I feel like talking about it would be better for you. After all-”

Cedar had prepared to cut him off for the past few seconds, but he didn't get to do it.

Voices in the hallway got loud, which made it seem like there was an uproar. Seconds later, someone hammered on the door so often that it wasn't polite anymore.

Theodore spoke up immediately. “Come in.” He barely waited for the door to open before he jumped up from his chair. “Is it-”

One of the empress' maids stumbled in and hurriedly nodded. “It's happening! Her Majesty is giving birth!”

Theodore moved way too quickly. He was out of the office in a second while accidentally throwing a folder off his desk.

Cedar sat there in silence while listening to the loud yelling outside. He grabbed his tea and drank the last few sips before putting the cup down again. “It seems like the conversation is over then.” And once again, he had managed to avoid talking about the worst day of his life. It seemed like Theodore wouldn't have time to discuss this during the next few days either. For a change, this was really great. Cedar stood up and turned to the secretary. “Then I will take my leave now. Good luck ruling the nation for the next couple of weeks.”

Leon was in the middle of picking up the dropped folder when he heard that and looked up. “Don't remind me. Theodore won't work for even a single second now.” He shuffled around the papers and put them onto the desk before resting one hand on his hip. “But what makes you think that you can just leave? Your nephew or niece is being born. Won't you wait by the door?”

Cedar let out a small huff. “Am I supposed to comfort the guards there? I won't enter anyway, so there is no need for me to be present. I presume that neither Theodore nor Her Majesty would want to have me with them. So-”

Leonard cut him off. “I assume that Lady Valerian was with the empress when it happened. She may be rather worried now. She could need some comfort. Otherwise, she will just sit in the corridor like a picture of misery.” He met the other's gaze, and a smirk formed on his lips. “You won't let her sit there all alone, will you? With all the chaos that is going on right now, it would be better to have someone deal with this matter.”

Cedar scanned the other's expression. What was this? Was this supposed to lure him to the room too? Why would he need to be there? “I'm not sure why you're trying to make me go there.”

“So, at least you noticed it too. Lady Valerian already became some sort of bait for you, didn't she?” Leonard showed the prince the infuriating smirk that Cedar usually gave others. “The only question is whether you will go to her or ignore her. Theodore said that he would allow you to see the child in a few hours, so you could technically wait until then. But are you sure that-” He stopped himself when he saw that the other man left the room. “So, you will just ignore me? Are all couples like that? Give Lady Valerian my greetings!”

Cedar refused to listen to that as he heard Leon yell down the hall. Why would anyone ask him to see the child of the two people who should hate him the most? He wouldn't let Leonard make him go to that room. He was just a bit curious and wanted to make sure that Lucille was fine. His decision had nothing to do with the secretary.

He quickly regretted his choice though.

The hallways were brimming with people. The prince barely managed to move past them, even though the servants tried to make way for him. For the first minute, he ignored it, but he quickly became annoyed. After all, those people here wouldn't help the empress in any way. They would rather stress Blanche with their constant chattering and make everything worse. At the same time, those people also kept everyone else from working and blocked the path unnecessarily.

And they were so loud. Since many people chatted here, they had to raise their voices to be heard so that countless servants were yelling.

Cedar had to hold back from rolling his eyes and just forced himself to dive through the groups. He was quiet the whole time until he reached the hallway that was directly by the emperor and the empress' room.

This corridor was empty since the guards held back anyone from getting too close, but that didn't clear the staircases next to it. Cedar had intended to pass by without any problems, but as soon as he caught a glimpse of the two people who tried to get to the corridor, he stopped.

Those men wore white coats, so they were obviously the doctor's assistants. Wouldn't it be good to let them pass? After all, those were the only ones that needed to be here. But apparently, they didn't dare to speak up and desperately tried to bring whatever they were carrying through the crowd without dropping it.

Cedar scanned the scene for a moment before turning to one of the guards. “Wouldn't it be good to dissolve the crowd for now? They are blocking the staircase for the only important people here.”

The knight looked like he would rather be at home right now as he replied. “We already tried. But they won't listen.” Great. It seemed like even the normally aggressive guards didn't get through to anyone here. But if one looked at the knights, it seemed unlikely that they were even trying.

Cedar sighed and stared at the crowd. Maybe he should try to send them away, but he couldn't quite yell at them. He thought that and just stood there while scanning the people.

For some reason, that made them quieten a bit. Only a few murmurs ran through the crowd. That was useful. Now he could speak in a normal voice, and they would hear them.

Cedar didn't bother with any formal greetings. “Good day. Would you please step aside for the doctor's assistants? At the moment, their presence is needed here.”

He didn't expect the servants to do anything. But slowly, they backed away a bit. They didn't make a big gap for the doctor's assistants, but it was enough for the two men to hurry toward the emperor's room. So, now the staff listened to the prince? Why?

Well, Cedar wouldn't complain. He showed them a bright smile. “Thank you. Please keep an eye on any assistants or servants that need to reach Her Majesty.” He turned around and steered toward the center of the hallway. Cedar almost expected to be stopped by some guard, but he managed to reach his destination. He immediately spotted the person who sat on the sofa in front of the room.

It was Lucille. She lifted her head when she heard footsteps. “Cedar!” She jumped up and came toward him. Apparently, she had gone too quickly and almost tripped though.

Cedar had prepared to catch her but was glad to see that she balanced herself in time. He didn't need to hug her in front of a crowd again. Especially not when his mother's words ghosted around in the back of his mind. He was certain that he really liked Lucille, wasn't he? This wasn't just an act his brain came up with to simulate what other people felt, right? But of course, Cedar didn't say any of that. “I'm here. From what I heard, I assume that Her Majesty is giving birth?”

Lucille hurriedly nodded. “We were just sitting there, and she suddenly froze, and... Now it's happening. I...” She lifted her hands and stared at them while being unable to hold them still. “I don't know why I'm so nervous. Everything will be fine, right?” She looked up at the prince, with worry painted onto her face.

Cedar fought the urge to grab her hands to calm her, which felt much too real to be faked by his jealous head. “Naturally. Theodore is overprotective. Do you think he would leave the smallest chance of something happening to his child or wife? I'm pretty sure he forced the doctor to read every book about pregnancy and that he invited countless professionals in the medical field. This is probably the safest birth within the whole nation.” Those were just meaningless words since Theodore being careful didn't guarantee anything.

But Lucille calmed down anyway and weakly nodded. She slowly backed away again and plopped back onto the couch. “Then we...can't do much, right? We can just wait and greet their child when it's born.” She began fiddling her fingers and stared at the door in front of them.

Cedar stood there for a moment before sitting down next to Lucille. He wasn't sure whether him being here did anything, but he wouldn't disturb anyone either. He could use the opportunity to distract Lucille a bit.

It wasn't clear how much time passed, it could have been a few hours or minutes. It slowly became a bit quieter when the servants had enough of standing in a full hallway without anything happening. One after the other, the people left and only a few stayed behind. That made it much easier for the guards to keep anyone from approaching the hallways.

Cedar spent most of the time blabbering about something random to keep Lucille busy.

Lucille seemed to be content with that and happily chatted back. At some point, she became a bit quieter, and her eyes fell shut. It was only a matter of time until she closed her eyes fully and lost consciousness quickly. Her head rolled to the side, and she landed on Cedar's shoulder a moment later.

The prince could feel how the remaining servants stared at them and gave his best to ignore that. This would certainly not be good in the long run, but he couldn't just push Lucille away either. So, he stayed in the same position and let her sleep.

Even though nothing happened, Cedar didn't become tired in the slightest. Not when he had more than enough time to overthink what he was feeling. He was a bit angry at the fact that his mother had managed to make him this uncertain, but he couldn't help it. After a few minutes of pondering whether he truly just wanted a relationship like Theodore, he successfully buried that worry along with some of his biggest insecurities. He forced himself to think about other things while he waited for something to happen. He was still wide awake when Leon came at some point.

The secretary scanned him, and a smug grin formed on his lips. “It seems like someone couldn't even wait to cuddle before they were in their room. Please don't overdo it. We don't need another birth too soon. This is already way too stressful.”

Cedar stared at the other man for a moment before replying in a quiet voice. “I thought Theodore was just exaggerating. But he was right. You really are jealous, aren't you? Shall I introduce you to someone looking for a husband? I believe that might help you deal with your insecurities.”

Leonard put on an expression of annoyance that was obviously fake. “Now you're starting with that too. Please stop it. Your brother is doing the same, and he won't leave me alone with that. Anyway. Did any news come? It's been three hours.”

Cedar wanted to shake his head but glanced at Lucille and stopped himself in time to avoid waking her. “Nothing. The doctor didn't leave the room, but no one else entered either. They didn't have to bring any new water or something like that, so I assume that they're done. But obviously, Theodore and Her Majesty will be lost in their own world now. Maybe we should leave then.” As always, he wasn't blessed with luck.

The door of the emperor's room opened at that moment. Blanche's maid came out and gazed at the others with a tired smile, the bags beneath her eyes revealing how straining this day had been. “Her Majesty allows her closest acquaintances to come in if you want to. The baby is a healthy little-” She stopped herself just in time. “I won't reveal that.”

Lucille seemed to wake up at that. She lifted her head and blinked a few times while processing what was going on. When she did, she almost jumped up. “Is everything alright? Did everything go well?”

The maid happily nodded. “No complications. Her Majesty is a bit exhausted, so she won't be able to speak to you for long, but she wants to see you.”

Cedar doubted that he was included in that statement. He was already about to offer to wait outside when the maid continued.

“All of you.” It almost seemed like she stared at the prince specifically while saying that.

Cedar wasn't sure about any of this, but he stood up. He could leave again if they wanted him out. “I see. Then we shouldn't let them wait for too long.” He followed Lucille, who seemed rather hesitant, and Leonard inside.

The room was full, as expected. The empress' three maids and the royal couple's two guards all stood there along with five of the doctor's assistants and the doctor himself.

Of course, Blanche sat on the bed with her back leaned against the pillow behind her. Theodore was directly next to her and had his arm around her while they both looked down at the bundle of blankets that were wrapped around a tiny figure. They both looked tired, but at the same time, they looked happy. So happy that they couldn't stop crying.

It was odd. Cedar was conditioned to hate it when his brother was content. But he couldn't feel even a pang of dissatisfaction when he saw this scene. He was just relieved that the child seemed to be healthy, even if that didn't make much sense.

Only a few seconds passed before the royal spouses raised their heads and greeted the visitors with bright smiles. Blanche's forehead was still a bit wet, probably because she had been sweating, and yet, she was already glowing like the sun again. She was overjoyed to have her first child, and even the tone of her tired but still cheerful voice made that obvious. “Hello. Thank you for your patience. Our little angel is here now. Do you want to look at her?”

Leonard didn't hesitate to move forward and stood next to the bed while congratulating the parents.

Lucille, on the other hand, immediately gazed at the men next to her to check whether she was allowed to go closer. She only dared to lean to the side to catch a glimpse of the infant but didn't move as close as Leon.

Cedar kept his distance. He didn't want to disturb the happy family meeting here. He would just voice a few kind words and leave them alone after. The royal couple was exhausted, so he didn't need to bother them any longer. He hoped to stay quiet in the corner, but he wasn't even allowed to do that.

Blanche's gaze met his, and she immediately spoke up. “Cedar, come here.”

The prince opened his mouth to refute that, but Theodore chimed in first. “She's your niece. Don't be like that.” That wasn't the issue.

Cedar showed them a bright smile. “I personally don't mind greeting her, but I doubt that-”

Blanche cut him off. “Stop complaining, and get over here.” That certainly was a tone she didn't use often. It had been a command, but she hadn't voiced it with any anger in her voice.

Still, Cedar obeyed. If the parents made him do it, he couldn't be blamed. He came to the bed and used that chance to gently push Lucille a bit closer. He positioned himself so that he wasn't too close to the couple but still saw the baby, which apparently had been cleaned already.

As expected, the child was adorable. The face was still a bit scrunched up, but it was already obvious that the baby would enchant most people in just a few days. How could someone so small already be tasked with the burden of being this nation's sole heir to the throne? That position was far too dangerous for someone that young.

Cedar smiled at the tiny figure. “You said ‘her’ earlier. So, you have a little girl.” It seemed like he would have another young girl in his family, much like Rebecca. “What's her name?”

Blanche's beam only seemed to light up at that. She looked down at her baby and replied in a soft voice. “We decided to call her Aurora. It means dawn and signals a new beginning. We thought that this was very fitting for the empress who will be the first woman to hold the most important position in our nation. She's...our pride and joy already.”

Cedar didn't doubt that. Seeing how the royal couple looked at their child was enough to prove these words true. “Then allow me to voice my best wishes. Congratulations on the birth of a healthy little girl, who will also be the royal heir. May Aurora live a long life full of happiness and joy. May the gods bless her and grant her all of her wishes. I know that she will grow up with loving parents, so I don't doubt that she will become a wonderful young lady soon.”

At least if the spiteful monster lying in wait to eliminate this barely blossomed life didn't succeed.

Theodore gently reached for his daughter's cheeks and brushed his fingertips over her skin as if he feared hurting her even with such a careful motion. “Thank you. We will do everything in our power to make this girl the happiest baby in the whole world. Aurora will not experience any mishaps for as long as we can prevent it.”

Cedar smiled and nodded along with that, but it wasn't that easy. Sooner or later, Camille would act. A part of him hoped that his mother wouldn't hate a baby for no reason, but he knew better. He remembered how she had reacted to a possible pregnancy of Althea, whom she loved to compare to Blanche, so he doubted that she would be so rational. Most likely, Camille would just view the baby as another way to hurt Theodore, whom she still saw as a traitor, and another obstacle to the throne. Of course, the emperor wouldn't allow the dowager empress to get too close to his daughter, but Camille was relentless if she wanted something.

Even the best wishes wouldn't protect Aurora then.

That was why Cedar didn't mind antagonizing his mother even more. He didn't want Lucille or Aurora to be targeted. He didn't even want Blanche or Theodore to be hurt because of his mother. So, he might need to become harsher too. If he took on the role of the dirty traitor that left behind Camille, she might focus on him. He would gladly accept all of the attacks as long as they were aimed at him. He could defend himself, and even if he didn't, he deserved all that came to him.

It was easy to trigger his mother, so he would simply need to make her a bit angrier. If she focused her efforts on him for the next year, she would be taken care of, and then everything would finally be calm. Then there wouldn't be any lasting damage in addition to everything that had already happened. It seemed like Cedar would need to be more confrontational. Even if he had just told himself that staying away from his mother would be best, he might need to meet her and be even colder than before.

He barely thought about that for a few seconds before he was interrupted.

Theodore gave him a strange look. “Stop worrying. I have everything under control. I can protect my family now. That includes you, so you don't have to come up with weird plans already. Believe me.” That was a bit hard when he had suggested that he would have any interest in protecting Cedar, whom he was supposed to hate.