The Broken Prince's Love

Cedar had hoped that this was just supposed to scare them. He really had. But then he had made eye contact with that coachman.

The elderly man was a servant who would probably leave for retirement soon. If someone here wanted to risk everything for money, it would be that person.

So, Cedar decided to test the group. Unfortunately, it looked like not only one person was involved. However, it did also seem like the calmer maid hadn't seen anything since she was too confident in being correct, but she was the exception. The younger man might not be guilty himself though. He only got more nervous when he heard what was going on and kept glancing at the two people next to him, maybe the perpetrators.

And the smaller maid had definitely done something herself. She was much too scared to hide her guilt.

Of course, this wasn't evidence, but Cedar relied on his instinct. He was usually right in that regard. Unfortunately, his instinct told him that this might not only be an attempt to annoy him. He looked around for a moment and made sure to confirm whether the guards were still there.

They were. They seemed confused by the situation too, not as if they had had anything to do with this. Along with the fact that no one had moved while he had checked the wheel, this meant that no one would attack the glade. An attack could only occur on the short path toward the palace, if one did happen.

As soon as they were back in the garden, they would be safe. But this forest here probably wasn't the best place to be in. Cedar's first idea was to run home, but he quickly discarded that thought. He would be able to fight his way back if it became necessary, but he couldn't bring Lucille back like this. So, they needed support. It seemed like he would need to call for help without letting anyone notice. That should be fine, even if it was annoying.

Cedar almost let out a frustrated groan and only held back because he didn't want the people in front of him to believe that he was being lenient. Unfortunately, one person here was able to read him.

Lucille had stood close to him the whole time and came even closer now. “Cedar... What is going on here?” She looked up at him with uncertainty, which was enough to make him want to tell her.

That was a horrible idea, but Cedar didn't want to let her stay in that worried state. So, he carefully pulled her into his arms and whispered the summary to her. “They want to lure us back. There are probably people waiting somewhere next to the path. They couldn't have attacked the carriage, but when we are walking, it's easy. That's why I'm this harsh. They want us to run right into an attack. I am pretty sure that only one of them knows about it though, but we can't trust anyone for now. I will take care of it. Don't worry.”

For a moment, Lucille tensed, and then she relaxed again. She weakly nodded. “I trust you. Just...be careful. I will be quiet.” Cedar had planned on letting go of her immediately, but she put her arms around him as well. Great.

Now he could forget being intimidating. Right?

Cedar was worried for a few seconds before he quickly remembered Theodore and Blanche. If his brother managed to be terrifying while holding his wife, Cedar should be able to do the same. He could just show his anger about Lucille almost being hurt. That was fine. He focused his attention on the servants again and gave them the most unsettling smile he had to offer. “So, it seems like one of you can think clearly. You will testify about the whole story when we get back. For now, I want to hear who did what.” As always, fear worked like a charm.

The maid on the floor began to speak with a second invitation. “We were offered money in exchange for taking off two little parts of the wheel! He and I did it!” She pointed to the elderly man. “And he saw it!” She pointed at the younger man.

As expected, this left the men in a mix of anger and fear. The other woman seemed to be taken aback to hear that her colleagues had done something like this and balled her fists. Surprisingly, no one dared to accuse the maid of lying, which proved that the prince's tone had been harsher than intended.

That was good. He would need to use any more than that now.

The maid on the floor didn't stay quiet for long and yelled again before the prince could speak. “Please forgive us, Your Royal Highness! We will never do anything like that again! It was a mistake, it-”

Cedar interrupted her. “I don't need excuses. I need proof of you serving the royal family with your full loyalty from now on. For now, we don't have time for things like that.” His eyes snapped to the elderly man. That person probably knew much more than the others, so he needed to take care of him first. “Are you sorry too?”

The servant vigorously nodded. “Of course! It will never happen again. I swear on-”

Once again, Cedar stopped him in time. “If you want to make up for it, you will go back and tell the royal guards to come here. I want at least ten men. They will need to exchange the wheel after all.” Actually, he wanted them because he refused to face assassins when he was with Lucille. And at the same time, this here would confirm whether the man was aware of more than the damaged coach. It was almost too easy.

The elderly servant averted his eyes. Then he nervously turned around while his eyes darted around the environment. “But...we have enough guards here...” His voice was so quiet and shaky. It was pretty useless for him to feel like that now when he had messed with the wrong people.

Cedar wouldn't let him out of the hole that man had dug for himself. He grinned at the servant before speaking in a voice that held much more hidden fury than most would notice. “Do you see a new wheel anywhere? Aside from that, the four knights here surely won't be able to lift this carriage, right? So, hurry up.”

The servant still hesitated. He probably expected the people who had contacted him to hurt him if he went back without any protection now.

Cedar didn't care much about this person's safety, so he spoke up again. “Surely, you won't mind walking the few steps home, right? You can't truly expect Lady Valerian to run around when her wound still hasn't healed completely. You aren't that cold. So, you will go back now and inform the guards and the head maid. You will tell her to prepare chamomile tea for us so that I'm in a better mood when we do go back too. Move. Now.” The authoritarian tone seemed to do the trick.

The coachman looked like he was terrified, but he nodded and ran off. He almost seemed frantic as his eyes darted around, and he did his very best to move as quickly as possible. He didn't dare to stop for a single second, even when he was already far away from the glade.

Cedar waited until the man was outside of reach and turned to the knights. “You stay directly next to us and prepare for an attack.” He felt how Lucille tensed in his arms and he squeezed her to show her that he would protect her.

The guards were visibly shocked upon hearing that as well. Both immediately reached for their weapons, and only one of them was able to speak. “What? What makes you believe that we will be attacked, Your Royal Highness?”

Cedar responded while brushing his hand over Lucille's soft hair. “That man will not return. He will either get killed on the way, or he will get help before being arrested. If the second option holds true, we can assume that the attackers aren't too strong. If the first one is true, they want to kill or severely injure at least one of us and prevent help from arriving.”

At least it seemed like the guards here weren't completely stupid. They drew their swords and began looking around to check the area. One of them turned around twice before he faced the prince again. “So, this is an assassination attempt?”

Cedar couldn't respond to that for certain. His mother didn't want him dead, but she certainly wanted to harm Lucille. So, he avoided giving a direct response. “Possibly. Be on edge and expect the worst. Give me a sword too.” He expected them to hesitate to give a person they deemed their enemy a weapon, but only a second passed before one of the knights handed him a sword. Good.

Now that he was waiting for the men his mother had sent and also had a weapon, their enemies probably didn't have a chance.

For the next few minutes, Cedar tried to console Lucille despite doing his best not to lose his focus. His eyes stayed on their surroundings, and he remained quiet to listen for noises in between every few sentences.

The servant never came back.

Instead, a while passed until two dozen guards arrived. Judging by their postures, they had been fighting a moment ago, but it looked like they had won without much backlash.

That wasn't surprising since Leonard accompanied them with a grim expression. The small red dot on his sleeve was enough of an indication that Cedar's guess had been correct. Surely, the former assassin had easily gotten rid of the stupid men Camille normally hired. Leon was just not complaining loudly about how unskilled those people had been because he was relieved to see that no one here by the glade was hurt, even if he didn't want to show it.

Cedar waited until the other man had reached them before he spoke. “So, she really sent them, huh? Did everything go well?”

Leon carefully maneuvered something that looked like a bloody dagger behind his back so that Lucille wouldn't see it. “Yes. Two men. One arrested. I've never thought that I would say this. It's good that you are so calculative. Gloria almost had a heart attack when that man suddenly used our code word. I should have expected you to know it. The servant was arrested, and we will question him as soon as possible. The other three servants and the guards here will have to be taken in to interrogate them too, I take? Did anything special happen here?”

Cedar nodded before stopping upon hearing the second question. “Yes. Most should be innocent, but interrogate them to make sure. I assume that at least two of the servants were bribed by my dear mother. However, I would guess that they are only indirectly involved. They didn't know about the attack. They only knew that they should temper with the possessions of the royal family and cause an accident with that. That is bad enough, but you don't have to accuse them of treason. And nothing special happened here. Those people didn't dare to climb out of the trees, I assume.”

Leon nodded before he glanced at the knights, who had already begun arresting the suspects. “It's good that you reacted so quickly. I apologize for not bringing a carriage, but I would assume that walking is fine for the time being. We dealt with everything and made sure to...clear the path so that no one has to see anything.”

Of course, Lucille understood what that meant. She tensed and tightened her hold on Cedar a bit. He stroked over her head again while whispering that everything was fine, but that only did so much. Most people would be scared of suddenly hearing about a possible assassination attempt. That was why it was important to get her home quickly.

Cedar turned to Leon and replied. “It's fine. We'll walk. If you don't mind, please accompany us. I won't take any risks with Lucille.”

Unsurprisingly, the secretary agreed. He quickly instructed the knights, and the group walked toward the palace.

Cedar knew that those around him were skilled, but he didn't trust them completely. He refused to talk to anyone and only paid attention to their surroundings while they returned to the palace.

When they came back, they were greeted by Theodore, who looked even more furious than during the last conversation. Surely, this would end up with the security measures being raised once again. And the servants who had known about this incident would probably not keep their jobs.

Cedar couldn't bring himself to care. Everyone should know that this would be the consequence of allowing others to bribe you. So, he just left the decision and the interrogation to Theodore.

In the meantime, Cedar brought Lucille to her room and wanted to bid her farewell to give her time to rest. He didn't leave too soon though. He quickly noted that she was too nervous and offered to stay with her. And so, he spent yet another night in her room while holding her in his arms.

For a long time, they were just quiet.

Lucille refused to let go while she trembled slightly. That was much worse than the tension before had been.

Cedar slowly brought his mouth to her ear and whispered to her. “From now on, we won't go out anymore so that we're safe within the palace walls. I guessed that something would happen, but I didn't think that she would move this quickly and send such dangerous people. I'm sorry.” He hadn't expected assassins directly invading the royal property either, even though he should have.

Lucille weakly shook her head. “No. It's fine. I'm...sorry for being so quiet the whole time.” There was no need to apologize. She was usually rather quiet in general, and right now, she was also shivering and barely seemed to be able to calm down. It would be odd if she was talking.

Cedar carefully brushed over her hair while trying to calm her. “You didn't do anything wrong. It was my fault for letting that situation scare you. I should have reacted differently.” He shouldn't have brought her out in the first place, not when employees of the palace could always leak information.

Once again, Lucille shook her head. “No. You did well. It's just...” She slowed her movements and closed her eyes. “The fact that you are expecting things like that at all times...breaks my heart... You shouldn't...have to...” She didn't finish that, and her bottom lip began quivering. She wouldn't really cry about this, right?

Cedar could only hope that she wouldn't. He already felt miserable enough. She wouldn't have gotten hurt if he had been the one protecting her, so she didn't have to be scared. He would have made her sit in the carriage in the case of an attack while dealing with the assassins. If he was right about this, the people who had been sent had not even been real assassins but mostly mercenaries who weren't that skilled. Still, he had made a mistake. He had allowed Lucille to be in danger and hadn't been able to prevent her from getting scared. He would have to make up for that now.

Cedar hushed her in a gentle tone while stroking over her back. “Everything is fine. I won't let anyone hurt us. I will make sure that everything stays fine. You can relax and don't need to think about stuff like that.”

Lucille didn't seem to be completely content with that response. She only cuddled against him and tightened her hold on him. “You don't have to do everything yourself. I...want to help too.”

His response came quickly. “You are helping me more than you can imagine. I can only hold on because you are here. Don't forget that.” He hadn't meant to say something like this, and yet, the words weren't wrong at all.

Lucille gave him strength even if it was a bit hard to explain. So, he would do his best to protect her. He couldn't put what he was feeling into words yet, but he swore to himself that he would keep her safe. That was all he could think about while hugging her and waiting for her to fall asleep in his arms.

The investigation took place during the next week. Theodore was once again ruthless. No one would have thought him to be capable of doing that a few years ago. He had ordered Leonard to deal with the attackers, of which one had been arrested along with the servants.

Leon was efficient in making people talk, and soon the gap in the security was revealed. The schedule of the guards was changed so that the area around the side of the outer wall which the mercenaries had climbed over was watched by many more people. It also seemed like the servants' loyalty would be tested once again in the near future.

It was a bit surprising that Leonard had felt the need to discuss this with Cedar, without Theodore nonetheless.

Still, Cedar had agreed and listened to the whole plan. He took in all the information while asking himself why the secretary thought that it was a good idea to tell him. But he was silent until the end before proposing his own idea. “If you worry about the servants, we can ask Harris for help. He is a genius actor. He can easily try to find out whether those around him are loyal. And his friend is currently my mother's attendant. You can ask that maid. Try to find out how Mother orders around her men without going out at the moment. Harris also has a friend group, including Her Majesty's maids. I'm pretty sure that all of those are loyal.”

Leon took some notes before meeting the other's gaze. “We thought about something similar. Theodore has a list of people he trusts and he doesn't trust. Until now, he was never wrong even once, no matter whether it was a servant, a noble or a guard, so we can rely on help from specific people. I don't mind hearing your opinion though. If you ever bribed someone, please tell us so that we can get rid of them.”

“I already did. I only blackmailed Harris. And as I said, I would remain cautious around everyone. Also watch out for poisons and all of that kind of stuff. I know that Theodore already pays attention to that, but this may be the most dangerous thing my mother can use. It's best to prepare for an attack at all times.”

Leonard continued to write without even looking up this time. “Obviously. That's why you asked Theodore for permission to carry a sword too. That he agreed only proves how much he trusts you. But I feel like you haven't said everything you wanted to tell me. Is there something special going on inside your mind?”

Cedar wasn't surprised that the other man had picked up on this. He showed him a bright smile while responding. “Naturally, I will not hold back if you ask me. I believe that it would be good to gain some background information. Mother is a bit...careless when she gets angry. Still, I assume that she knew that this attack wouldn't end with me being injured. She knows how I fight, so she wouldn't be so stupid to assume that I'd lose. That means she took people who were supposed to die from the very beginning. She didn't hire her favorites but some replacements. Those aren't as skilled nor loyal in any way. They also never needed to be able to keep quiet since she planned for them to die. So, we can assume that those people would do anything for money. Bringing them some gold coins and asking nicely may lead to results. The emperor can't deal with such illegal matters, so I'll do it. I will need to leave the palace for a few hours in a while.”

A small crack sounded through the air as Leonard pressed his pen onto the page with more force. He stopped writing and looked up. “What? That is a horrible idea. You know that your mother is targeting you, so you will not leave the protective walls of the palace. Theodore barely permitted you to have a picnic in the forest, and you should have seen why. He will never let you go out.”

Cedar nodded and drank a sip of his tea before calmly explaining the rest. “I know. But I have to. I need to visit the pharmacist Mother liked. I want to get some antidotes for the drugs she is considering using on me. Theodore told you, right? I neither want to attack Lucille, nor do I want to be poisoned. So, I need one exception. I only have to stay away for an hour, and it will be fine.”

Leon furrowed his brows. “It won't be fine. You are in danger. You may be used to being the predator in this game, but now your mother wants to see you bleed too. You can't just leave because you feel like it.”

Cedar would argue here. He had to admit that he was itching to sneak out once more, this time without his fuming mother who greeted him at the fireplace when he returned. But obviously, he wouldn't risk that if he didn't have a good reason. Getting antidotes and buying information was extremely beneficial. “Look. I would allow someone else to go, but that won't work. The people there probably know me, so they will trust me immediately. I can simply dress up as a servant and go along with the kitchen staff when they visit the market. Then I'll-”

Leonard narrowed his eyes as he cut the other man off. “Did you not hear me? I said no. Theodore has the final say in this, and he won't agree, so you can forget that immediately.”

Cedar had to admit that it was a bit beneficial that Leon had no idea how stubborn this whole family was. “Alright, alright. I don't want to be locked in my room because my elder brother suddenly becomes over-protective. But I will annoy you with the same matter in a few months when everything calmed down.” That was such an obvious lie that it hurt. After all, the situation would only get more tense in the future. Yet, Cedar put on a masterly performance once again when he forced himself to seem slightly annoyed despite his bright smile.

Theodore would know that this was just an act, but Leonard was none the wiser. “At least you understand. Good. Then that was all I needed to tell you. There isn't much else about the investigation you need to know.” To others, this might have sounded like Leon was throwing the other man out, but it was just an offer to leave if he had other things to do.

Cedar gladly accepted that. He swallowed the rest of his tea before setting down the cup. “I see. Then I will not bother you much longer. I thank you for the delicious tea and wish you a wonderful evening.”

Leonard let out a small snort. “You are the only one who even bothers to thank me anymore. Everyone else just assumes that I'm a maid by now. I might need to stop bringing them cookies while they work.”

“What would Theodore say about this? He would probably tell you to stop whining. Her Majesty certainly thanks you each time. Obviously, she is a bit busy at the moment, so she might not work as much as normal. But the same holds true for Theodore. You and I are usually alone in the office, and you still bring food. By now, I feel like you just enjoy offering others snacks.” Cedar didn't wait for the other man to complain and stood up.

Leon still didn't let anyone take away his chance to complain. “You ungrateful brat. Then I won't bring you anything from now on. You can figure out how you will get your drinks in the future on your own.”

Cedar showed the other man a bright smile. “I will survive, I think. If not, I will just employ the help of our empress when she gets back to work. If she asks, you will certainly not deny her anything, will you?” He walked over to the door. “In any case-”

Leon cut him off. “Please wait for a moment. There is one other thing we need to discuss.” In an instant, his voice had changed from a playful sulking tone to utter seriousness.

Cedar could imagine that this was related to the most unpleasant matter this nation offered at the time. This was definitely about the dowager empress or her plots. He turned around to make eye contact. “I'm listening. What did she do?”

Leonard's expression was as serious as his tone had been. “She didn't do anything special. But your mother seems to be sick. Of course, I don't have the details, but it seems to be pretty...harsh.” It probably wasn't.

Camille always hated it when others whined and refused to show her own weakness to the outside too. But if she was feeling unwell while only Cedar was there, he could usually act like he was dealing with a sick child. That included running around and doing everything she asked of him while balancing trays of food, medicine or cold cloths if she had a fever. Naturally, he wasn't keen on doing that again.

Cedar's smile widened as he crossed his arms. “So, she got a gift right after sending me one? I wonder. Was that a coincidence, or did someone's favorite assassin put strange things in her food?” He didn't receive a reply, and he didn't need one. This was good for his plan too. “To be honest, it doesn't matter either way. Is it mean if I say that she deserves it?”

Leon let out another snort. “No. She deserves much worse. I'm not telling you because you are supposed to pity her. This isn't your problem. But she wants to see you. She wrote that she wants you to take care of her while she is sick, much like she helped you while you were sick.”

Cedar was silent for a short moment. Then he replied with a bright grin. “Will you write back a response?”

Leonard seemed to be good at reading others. He already knew that the prince wouldn't agree. He smirked and spoke in a voice that was dripping with mockery. “Indeed. What do you want to say to her?”

Cedar beamed while giving his reply. “That I'm not at fault for her a little cold. She, however, was very much responsible for most of my so-called sicknesses. That's why I don't feel the need to visit her anytime soon. But I will gladly tell her what she said when I complained about me being unwell. She should stop whining. I had it worse than her, and I didn't cry.”

To be honest, Camille had only ever reacted to Cedar's sicknesses in two ways. Either she had said those things to him and reminded him not to complain since a prince had to be strong. Or, mostly when she had been responsible for his injuries in some way, she had smothered him in her suffocating, fake affection to make him feel like he was dependent on her.

Cedar refused to take care of her in return now though. He wouldn't go to Camille anytime soon. So, sending these words back was the best option.

Leonard seemed to like it. “I will take the right to insert some artistic liberties. But you can rest assured that she will receive the message. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Cedar nodded. “Gladly. Just don't provoke her too much. High blood pressure isn't good for her.” That was rich coming from him when he probably was the person who bothered her most at the moment. “That was all, I presume. I will take my leave then. Have a nice afternoon.”

Leon finished his tea before replying. “That was all. I will have a bit of fun with this situation though. We still deserve to get revenge for that incident. Have a pleasant afternoon too.”

Cedar left the room once the other man had finished. He shut the door behind him and was already lost in thoughts. At the moment, Theodore was focusing on improving the security measures even more and spent hours with his family, so he was busy. Camille was seemingly out of the picture for a few days too, and Leonard focused on troubling her.

That meant that Cedar had a chance to move alone without anyone watching him. And that was good. He still had to plan a safe visit to the city, so he had to begin preparing soon. Maybe he would be able to go out in a week or so. That date should be perfect. He looked forward to it, even if it was awfully risky.

Anyone who knew him should be aware that he would do it despite promising that he wouldn't go out. He was as stubborn as the rest of his family, and he was much less worried about himself as well, so this was the only possible consequence.

It should have been obvious that he would do something so stupid sooner or later.