The Broken Prince's Love

Cedar had already been a bit confused about Theodore insisting on buying more clothes for him and Lucille for Blanche's birthday ball. Yet, he had understood that to some extent. But now, he was a bit taken aback. He leaned against the door frame and stared at the two servants who stood in front of him. “So, he sent you two to help me? That's ironic. Doesn't he know the whole story of what happened?”

Harris shrugged. “He does. Maybe he knows that I'm the only one here who will endure your presence without hitting you. Will you let us enter now, or are we supposed to stand here with these boxes for the next hour?”

Cedar was a bit skeptical when he scanned the servant and his colleague, Clark, who looked so grim that he might as well be planning a murder. Harris was fine, but that other man was a bit problematic. Especially since Cedar had repeatedly told Theodore to refrain from sending servants. “You may enter and put the boxes there before leaving. I do not wish for help while getting ready.” He had never allowed others to assist him, so he wouldn't do it this time either. He stepped aside and made way for the other men. Then he waited by the door to close it behind them again.

But apparently, the servants didn't seem to want to leave. Harris just plopped down onto the chair by the table while his colleague stayed close to him. He relaxed a bit before replying. “I won't do anything if you don't want our help. But you also won't send us away. We'll just pretend to have listened to His Majesty and trail behind you for a bit. This allows us to have some free time for a few minutes, so let us be.” Great.

Cedar let out a low sigh. “So, you will sit in my room and make me change elsewhere now? Thank you for your kindness. That surely helps instead of complicating matters.” He inwardly prepared to scold his brother later but focused on getting ready now. He moved over to the table and unceremoniously opened the box.

Of course, it was the attire for today. He wasn't surprised to find a lot of light blue again. Most likely, Lucille would be gorgeous in her matching dress. Madame Charture seemed to love that color on her.

Cedar was content seeing Lucille in pretty dresses, so he wouldn't complain. He glanced at the clock and quickly realized that he had more than enough time to change slowly before picking up Lucille. He would rather get it over with quickly to greet her early instead of sitting here with those servants awkwardly standing in the middle of his room. Cedar didn't give them an explanation before taking the box and entering the dressing room.

He got changed within a minute and returned after looking into a mirror once. As long as his hair wasn't ruffled, he didn't need any more preparation, but apparently, that was surprising. When he came back, it was obvious that the servants hadn't expected him.

The two men were whispering to each other. Harris was as relaxed as before while Clark was visibly frustrated. The latter one complained about something while the former one denied that. In the end, this only led to the both of them quarreling until Harris reached up to pull his lover down to kiss him.

Cedar still stood in the doorway and considered retreating into his dressing room. It was frustrating enough to have those two stick to him, and now they wanted to kiss in his room too? That didn't make him too happy. He was patient for many seconds, but when the others got more passionate instead of stopping, he didn't hold back anymore. “You know, you could have done that in your own room. I won't tattle on you if you leave now.”

That made the servants jump apart. They whipped their heads around to the other man, and Clark spoke up in an aggressive tone that was probably supposed to cover his growing embarrassment. “When did you come in?”

Cedar didn't spare him more than an indifferent glance. “A minute ago. I didn't want to disturb you. Feel free to continue, but tell me first so that I can run away. I saw more than enough cuddling in front of me when I visited my brother.”

Obviously, the servants didn't continue. Harris stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. “By the gods, you're insufferable. You're still so quiet that it's unsettling. Tell people before you chime in like that. You gave us a heart attack.”

Cedar replied in a dry tone. “I was the one being mentally scarred because I had to witness things like this in my own room. You should be the one warning others.” He glanced at the clock and noted that he still had over an hour. Maybe it would be better to go now so that he could make the most out of the few minutes with Lucille before the ball began. He already prepared to go to the door but was stopped.

Harris had crossed his arms and scanned the other man with skepticism. “Why do you want to leave already? You have an hour left.”

Cedar slowed his steps and turned around. “I will either sit here or stand around outside. It won't matter much. I will just take a short walk before I pick up Lucille.” And he might stop by in the winter garden to get some flowers.

Harris seemed a bit annoyed at that. “So, you will make us run around just because you are bored?”

The prince's response came immediately. “I told you to leave me alone. If you can't do that, I don't care. Just go to your rooms, and continue your fun evening. I will find the way to the ballroom by myself.”

Harris still didn't give up. “You're oddly selective when it comes to using servants. Sometimes, you send them around to do random things just to annoy them, which you might have done with me too. And sometimes, you act like you don't want the slightest bit of help at all. Maybe I should still offer you something. Should I make you some coffee before the party begins?” Now he was being petty. He knew that the prince disliked coffee.

Cedar beamed at that. “So, we're going to play that game again? That would be kind of you, but I do prefer tea. Could you bring me some biscuits to go along with it as well? I'm not sure whether that was the exact word choice, but I think we used to banter like this. Well then, if you will excuse me.” He spun around and opened the door to leave.

As expected, footsteps sounded behind him, which probably meant that those two would really follow him. That certainly wouldn't be annoying at all.

Cedar held back a sigh and let the door fall shut behind him.

It only took seconds for it to open again before Harris and Clark came out. The latter one looked pretty annoyed, but the former one didn't care much. Harris just stated a fact. “You aren't supposed to pick up Lady Valerian at her room, by the way. She will come downstairs. His and Her Majesty wanted to see your reaction upon seeing her.”

So, the prince couldn't even see Lucille early? “Since when are these two so nosy? It seems like the servants here are influencing their masters.” He didn't say more about that and just prepared to leave. “Then it may be better to go early. I know that my brother and his wife will delay their entrance again, so it would be good to remind them to do their part. Also, I need to wish Her Majesty a happy birthday.” He actually just wanted to go to the winter garden, but this excuse was a better reason.

In reality, he wanted to pick flowers. He would probably just take one and put it into Lucille's hair again. He couldn't bring a bouquet without people assuming that it was for the birthday child after all.

Cedar had only walked down the first staircase and already got annoyed at the thought of being followed. But he forced himself to keep his pace steady instead of running away. He waited until the two caught up to him before speaking up in a quiet voice. “So, you will follow me to the ballroom? It seems like privacy isn't a known word here. And Theodore ordered you to do that?” That was a bit odd. Cedar was pretty sure that those servants had something else in mind aside from just accompanying him. The emperor didn't have any servants with him either, so he would never insist on his brother taking some. “Say. Did Theodore perhaps give you a specific task? Are you supposed to keep me from doing something stupid? Or are you supposed to be witnesses?”

Harris was a good actor, so he didn't even flinch. But Clark tensed. Bullseye. They were supposed to stand at the side while some unpleasant person showed up.

Cedar's mood quickly deteriorated. He directed his gaze onto the hallway in front of them. “We will meet someone we dislike soon? Then it's either my mother or Lady Peril. Since Theodore didn't give me any guards, it's probably the latter one. Great.” Jenna had waited outside the ballroom during events to corner Cedar a few times already. He had always managed to get away after a moment thanks to his mother, but it had still been unpleasant.

And now it seemed like Lady Peril would have a lot of time since Camille wasn't here to get jealous. Oh, how Cedar looked forward to that.

For a few seconds, it was quiet until Harris spoke up. He wasn't very loud, but he was unusually serious, which already proved that this conversation wouldn't be pleasant. “His Majesty didn't tell us much. He only said that she molested you at some point despite you never showing interest in her. It seems like you are rather famous with the ladies. I didn't even notice that you managed to get someone to fall for you last year.”

Cedar considered whether he should just stay quiet about this. But then he saw how the other man opened his mouth again and spoke up first. “That wasn't last year. That was seven years ago.” He didn't even wait for the reaction and just walked forward. He didn't need a comment about why he hadn't agreed to Jenna's advances.

Harris froze in his tracks. He took a moment before he quickened his steps again. Then he spoke up with some strange emotions in his voice. “No way. How old were you then?”

Cedar glanced to the side. He almost expected Jenna to run into him at full speed because she had hidden somewhere. This was the easiest way to make skin contact with him after all. He replied without meeting Harris' gaze. “Fourteen. As you can hear, Lady Peril is an old acquaintance. We occasionally met during all kinds of events.” He didn't say more. After all, Theodore had probably explained the rest. And Cedar was right with his assumption. He only needed to check the others' expressions for a moment and quickly found that they were displeased.

It was surprising to see that Clark even commented on that. “That's disgusting.”

Cedar wasn't sure whether that was referring to him, Jenna, or the situation in general. He didn't care much either. He knew that he was disgusted with that woman, but actually admitting it was something completely different. So, he just kept walking and scanned his surroundings.

If that woman chose to approach him from behind, they would have a problem. After all, Cedar couldn't get rid of his instinct to attack anything that surprised him. If she came closer slowly, it would be fine, but if she tried to catch him by surprise, he might accidentally throw her onto the floor. That wouldn't be good with any nobles around them in general and even less pleasant with her. After all, Jenna probably wouldn't be scared or upset like normal people would be.

The prince came down the second staircase. It was more likely for Lady Peril to be around here somewhere. She probably stood in one of the hallways close to the ballroom so that she could see him pass by. If he took a small detour to the end of the palace, he might be able to avoid her and go to the winter garden without any issues. But Cedar doubted that he would be so lucky.

Just a second later, he was reminded of why he shouldn't trust his luck too.

Jenna was in the neighboring hallway. No one would be able to overlook her presence. Not when she had done her best to stick out. Her lips were colored in a dark red, which matched the fabric of her dress and the fan, which she naturally had with her. In the past, she had worn much bolder things, but this was still more pushy than anything she had put on in a while. At least she had held back a little by choosing a normal neckline instead of a very low one. She had probably just done that because this was still the birthday of a member of royalty.

This was already enough to make Cedar annoyed though. When they made eye contact, he seriously considered smiling at her before ignoring her completely. But of course, he couldn't do that. If he did that, he would admit that she had affected him negatively, and he would be more impolite than a prince should be when it came to Artias' citizens. Cedar almost sighed at that and walked forward.

Jenna moved away from the wall she had leaned against when she saw him. A soft smile formed on her lips as she approached. Her dress rustled a bit, and that noise was enough to make Cedar want to run away.

Naturally, he didn't do that. He waited for her to arrive in front of him and greeted her with a polite smile. “Good afternoon, Lady Peril. What a pleasant surprise it is to see you here. Would you mind me asking about why you are not in the ballroom, where the main event is supposed to be held? Is there an issue?”

Jenna continued to smile at him while she held her fan in front of her right cheek. She did her best to look bashful when she averted her eyes. “Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness. The evening has to be wonderful now that I have seen you.” She stayed quiet for a short moment and acted like she was shy while she drew her fan across her cheek. “I...have to admit that I came out here to meet you. It's been a while since we last talked, and I was getting worried because of...” She let her voice trail off. Then she lifted her gaze to meet Cedar's. “I wished to ask something, Your Royal Highness. Could you perhaps tell me if I did anything wrong? If something I did displeased you, I am willing to do anything to make up for that. Anything.” Of course, she had to phrase it like that.

Cedar only continued to smile at her. “Pardon me, but I am not sure what are you referring to. If I was upset with you...” Which he certainly was. “You would know the reason. What makes you believe that I was displeased?” Maybe the fact that he hated her and had problems hiding that.

Jenna pretended to be a bit uncertain about whether she should mention it. But of course, she quickly spoke up when he opened his mouth. “Last time, you left me alone without a warning and even told a royal guard to bring me away. That wasn't nice at all.” She pursed her lips. “I was deeply wounded and thought that I might have upset you because you were in the middle of doing something important. I sincerely apologize for bothering you in that unfitting moment. I was too desperate to think clearly, so I would like to ask for your forgiveness.”

Cedar hated her so much that it physically hurt to talk to her. His smile had to be as radiant as ever. “I can calm you then. I will not hold it against you. As long as you remember to listen when people ask you to step aside, there will not be an issue. You may return to the other guests now. It would be a shame to let your husband wait.” He knew that it wasn't done with this. That would have been too easy.

Jenna walked a bit closer to him. She looked up at him with that disgusting spark of playfulness in her eyes. “Oh, I do not think that everything is resolved just like this. There is another big issue we need to discuss.”

Cedar refused to ask.

She didn't let that stop her. She just came closer to him. Then she started using her revolting tricks again. She stroked the tip of the fan over his arm while whispering to him in a voice that was probably supposed to sound inviting. “You never pay attention to me anymore. Is that because of Lady Valerian? I have to say I'm disappointed. When it comes to looks and status, I am certainly superior.” Definitely not. Lucille was much more beautiful.

But Cedar didn't say that and just calmly met Jenna's gaze. “I am uncertain what this conversation is supposed to lead to. It is true that I deeply care for Lucille. There is no denying it.” Not when everyone had already seen how he had defended her from his mother.

Lady Peril's face showed a small bit of dismay for a moment, but then she quickly smiled at him again. She leaned a bit closer and whispered to him.“But as I said, it's not because of her appearance or her family's influence. Do you like her for her personality then? Because she is so submissive and meek and shy? Because she needs you to protect her?”

Cedar had expected some comment about Lucille being boring, but that was an odd statement. He beamed at Jenna while responding. “I would not describe her personality like that. And I am not sure what you mean by me liking her for this. I like Lucille because she is herself.” He liked every aspect of Lucille, so it was hard to describe.

Jenna slowly opened her fan and closed it again while moving even closer leisurely, as if she hoped that Cedar wouldn't notice it. “Sure. I saw how she acts around you. She looks at you like you are her knight in shining armor. She hides behind you and completely relies on you. I can understand the appeal. I just wanted to remind you that she isn't the only one that can act like that. Crying and playing the poor, little, innocent damsel in distress isn't hard.”

Cedar was about to back away now. He hated showing that he disliked Jenna being close because he wanted to make it seem like he didn't care at all, but he had no interest in letting her hands roam across him again. Pushing her away was the worst thing he could do though. “Lady Peril, I am uncertain what you are talking about. I would like to pass now.”

Obviously, Jenna ignored him. “I will be completely honest, Your Royal Highness. By now, everyone should know that I clearly favor you. I can be everything you want me to be. I can act out everything that you find attractive. I can be brazen and arrogant. I could be a brat that needs to be put into place or a dignified, cold lady. But I can also be like her. I can be shy and submissive. I can bow down to your will and cling to you while being a bit desperate and begging for your attention. I will learn about all of your preferences and be the perfect lover. I am not as wimpy as she is, so I can actually fulfill your desires and allow you to act on all of your urges. You only need to grant me one night to prove it.”

If Cedar acted on any urges right now, he would throw up. How could someone be so revolting? Even his mother didn't manage to make him so nauseous. Maybe he just hated Jenna's perfume too. She had started using a more subtle one, but it was still too much for his nose. Today she was exceptionally pushy, so it wouldn't be a wonder if he just felt like throwing up because of her presence though. “That is an awfully direct invitation. Did you give up on being subtle?”

Jenna let out a small chuckle as she closed the remaining distance between them. “I was never subtle. Everyone knows that I like you the most. This is why I am giving you this advice. You can replace her with me and gain much more from it. My family can give you more influence, and I will be less exhausting than she is. Don't you understand? You aren't in love with her. You like seeing how dependent she is on you. It's easy to see. Especially because this is similar to what your brother has. His wife is completely dependent on his whims too, you know?” So, she had spoken to Camille about this. She wanted to use Cedar's biggest weakness against him.

But she had made a little miscalculation.

For a second, the well-known fear welled up in Cedar again. What if all of his feelings for Lucille were just an illusion that his brain had come up with to compensate for the lack of love he had received? What if he was jealous of Theodore's fairy tale romance and wanted the same?

But then a crucial little mistake made everything clear. He might imagine something false to be true because of his messed up brain, but his body couldn't make up what it felt like. Without wanting it, Jenna might have helped him.

Cedar's smile became an honest one as relief washed through him. “If that was really it, it would make sense to some extent.”

Lady Peril seemed to misunderstand his reaction. She quickly nodded as her smile grew. “Yes, you see-”

Cedar cut her off there. “To some extent. But that wouldn't explain why it has to be Lucille.”

In an instant, Jenna's smile disappeared again. “What?”

He was glad to respond to her for once in his life. “I'm pretty sure that you ran to my mother and copied your words from her. So, I will tell you the same thing that I told her. If I wanted to imitate my brother, I would want to get closer to his wife. If that isn't the case, it would hint that the woman doesn't matter much as long as my brain can pretend to like her, right? That is what you are saying. If so, then why don't I feel anything?”

By now, Jenna was perplexed. “Pardon. I am not quite sure what you...” She had been lenient for a moment, and he used that for his sake.

Cedar happily explained that with a bright smile. “If any woman was fine, you should be fine too. And yet, my heart never skipped a beat. My breath didn't hitch, and I didn't get red. I didn't feel the urge to hug you, even though you came much closer to me than most people here. It's because you're not Lucille. I don't just want any woman. I want her. So, this can't be some mind game.” He did like Lucille. His heart couldn't imitate being in love after all. And only him being in love could explain why he didn't mind opening up to Lucille.

He stepped to the side and began walking down the corridor without stopping to check on Lady Peril. He should have expected that she would do something, but he didn't care. Right now, Cedar's mood had suddenly become much better. His feelings weren't a joke. That was much more relieving than it should have been. He could finally get rid of the doubts that his mother had implanted into his brain. That was satisfying.

Moments later, Jenna's voice cut through the air. She was upset, and that much was obvious because of her colder tone. “You should know that Lady Valerian wished to impress your brother at some point. She favored the very person that you hate so much. I was always loyal to you. Why would-”

Cedar knew about what had happened then. Lucille had already told him, so he didn't care. He was much too happy right now. He didn't even glance over his shoulder while responding. “Give it up. The game is already lost. She already has the position you strove for. It's much too late for me and Lucille to stop now. You don't need to keep on acting.” Of course, he wasn't able to leave just like that though.

Jenna's dress rustled, and her footsteps quickened. She appeared next to the prince with a wide smile that made it seem like he wouldn't want to hear her words. She quickly proved that he had been right with that assumption as she spoke with mockery. “So, she was with you already? Then she will quickly lose her appeal. After all, she is just a little inexperienced girl. You will get tired of her. And when that time comes, I will be here waiting for you. I can please you instead of being a temporary liaison.”

Cedar didn't want to listen to her, but he didn't even get angry. Maybe because he had understood that he might be in the middle of falling in love. So, he wasn't unable to feel affection at all. His mother hadn't messed him up completely. This thought was the only reason that he managed to reply while still being in a good mood. “Remember that you are married. If anyone heard this, your reputation would quickly decrease.”

Jenna was a bit too convinced when she replied. “Oh, not at all. Everyone knows that I have always been very interested in you. My husband would be happy if you finally accepted me just so that he doesn't have to put up with me gushing about you anymore.” Her tone was so sultry that it was disgusting to listen to, and yet, there was some bitter hint hidden behind it.

Cedar ignored all of that. Maybe he was still getting a bit annoyed despite his good mood, so he quickly sent her away. “Return to the ballroom, Lady Peril. I'm not interested. Goodbye.” He didn't wait for a response and just rounded the next corner. He was relieved when he noticed that the pair of footsteps had stopped. Cedar didn't slow his pace even when Jenna yelled after him once more.

“Don't forget what I told you.” It seemed like she had given up for now. Thank the gods.

Cedar would like to keep a spark of this small happiness when he went to meet Lucille. He wanted to beam at her with this honest smile for once.

Seconds passed, and two pairs of footsteps came closer. These had to be the two servants. That thought was quickly proven to be true as Cedar turned around. Both Harris' and Clark's expressions were full of disgust when they appeared next to the prince.

It was satisfying to see that others thought the same thing about Jenna that Cedar thought as well. “See? That's why I never really liked her much.” But even her presence couldn't ruin his mood when he thought about Lucille.

He truly did like Lucille. This wasn't an illusion.

Harris took a moment to calm down after that encounter before he turned to the prince. He only needed to scan the other's expression for a while before he came to the conclusion that the prince was genuinely content at the moment. And seemingly, that only left one obvious reason. “Now you will go pick up Lady Valerian?”

Others could see that Cedar was only this happy when he went to see Lucille? Maybe. At the moment, that conclusion held true. For a change, his radiant smile wasn't fake. “Yes. After getting a few flowers for her, we will go there.” White or golden flowers might be nice. They would fit with any outfit and only underline how sweet Lucille was.

Maybe he should bring her a bouquet after all. He was the one escorting her, so this should be fine, should it not? And even if that didn't justify it, he liked her a lot. That surely gave him a good reason to give her flowers.