The Broken Prince's Love

Cedar had seen his chance as soon as Lucille had looked at something for longer than a few seconds. He had hoped that he would be able to buy her even a single item, and it seemed like he wouldn't need to ask her what she wanted a hundred times now. He pulled her toward the stall and greeted the vendor with a smile.

The vendor was a pale, middle-aged man who seemed rather content upon having visitors. “I wish the both of you a wonderful evening. What brought you here to this wonderful stall? Has something caught your eye? I can assure you that all of my items are of great quality.”

Cedar could tell. Most of those weren't on the level of what nobles would deem appropriate, but it was certainly good craftsmanship. The clasp Lucille had picked out seemed to be of a good quality too, for which he was thankful. “Yes, we found something. I would like to buy that clasp for the young lady here.” He gestured to the mentioned item before making eye contact with Lucille.

She looked like she was embarrassed already. She opened her mouth and closed it again while thinking about how to tell him that he didn't need to buy her anything.

But obviously, he knew that. Cedar didn't have to buy this clasp. He wanted to do it. As the second prince of Artias, he didn't need to complain about having too little money, so he didn't mind paying a price that might seem exaggerated to the people here. So, he would pay the twenty silver coins the man demanded without bargaining. He didn't have enough time to talk to that person after all.

The vendor was visibly confused but pleased and happily handed over the clasp.

Cedar didn't waste a second before turning to Lucille and positioning it in her hair. She looked beautiful, as always. The way that she gazed up at him and seemed to lean into him when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear was too adorable. For a single second, Cedar considered kissing her again, but the timing might be a bit unfitting. Maybe he would do that when they were alone instead.

Yet, Cedar was rather tempted to do it now, so he quickly turned to the vendor again. “It is indeed a beautiful clasp. I thank you for selling this to us.”

The vendor hid how he had stared at the coins in his hand and showed the other man a bright smile. “No, I thank you for buying it. I wish you the best for you and your girl here. If you continue to treat her so well, you won't have to worry about anything.”

Cedar just smiled back. “Thank you very much. I will make sure to pamper her. I wish you a wonderful evening. I hope that you will sell many more items today.” With that, he turned around and pulled Lucille away again.

Lucille was still stiff and looked at him with wide eyes while that familiar blush came onto her face. She probably didn't want to say anything, but she forced herself. “Thank you...very much. I...like it a lot.” That was good to hear.

Cedar glanced at her and had to smirk at her adorable expression. He could make that even more cute with just a few words. “Well, I like you a lot. So, I want to see you smile. If you want to repay me, you will need to show me that beautiful grin a few more times. Alright?”

Lucille weakly nodded while the bashfulness was written onto her features.

Cedar would have loved to stay here longer to talk, but he would rather do that when they were safe inside the palace. First, he needed to do what he came here for though. So, he steered toward the pharmacy. He slowed his steps a bit while he looked over his shoulder.

No one was following them, so they should be fine.

The prince rounded the corner so that they entered the smaller, and much emptier, street on the left. He checked whether people were near them thrice before whispering to Lucille. “Please don't react too sensitively to that house. There may be some loud and brazen people inside. If something happens, I will gladly knock them out, but I doubt that someone will attack us. The vendor will talk to me and possibly make some odd comments about you, but you can ignore that. He may be pretty...unpleasant, but I will deal with everything. We will only go in, buy what I need and leave again. Is that fine?”

Lucille quickly nodded. He could see how she tensed a bit, but she gave her best to cover it up.

So, he added something else he needed her to know. “Those people inside are not trustworthy at all. That is why this will be the last time that I will see them. I may have to act like I'm still on their side, so please don't misunderstand.”

This time, Lucille nodded with more vigor. “I trust you. I know that you wouldn't do something bad. I will be quiet and let you deal with the talking.”

Normally, Cedar would assure her that she could open her mouth at her own accord. But right now, it was better for those people not to interact with her. So, Cedar didn't address that.

Lucille was much too trusting, maybe because she had no idea that he had originally come to the palace intending to use a vile plot to attack Theodore from behind his back. Since he had discarded that, he felt slightly less bad, but he still didn't want to face her expression if she ever found out. So, he just stayed silent in general.

Cedar climbed up the last steps and showed Lucille a soft smile before he turned to the door. He knocked seven times while imitating the pattern that announced that someone with a special interest had come. Then he opened the door.

It was empty inside with only a single vendor standing behind the wooden counter. Thank the gods. Even if that man was one of the most annoying people one could meet, there were worse ones, and those weren't here.

Cedar closed the door behind him and tried to ignore how he would like to shield Lucille from the other's prying gaze. “Good evening.” He didn't get further.

The vendor already let out a loud laugh as he leaned forward to rest his palms on the counter. “I didn't expect that when I complained about today being boring. What a surprise! The prince himself came over.” How subtle he was.

Cedar showed him the typical expression he had always shown the assassins who worked for his mother. He was smiling at them, but he made sure to hold something much colder in his eyes to remind them of who he was. “Naturally. I will have to get my fingers dirty myself if I want to reach my goal. I'm glad that you remember me though. Do I need to give the code, or do you believe that I am allowed to buy what I need?”

The vendor let out another laugh that was so loud that it hurt to listen to. He raised his hand to make a rejecting movement. “It's fine. How could I not serve our future emperor? Everything is ready as always. So, you just have to say the word. Drinks, people, work. We can provide you with everything.” The man showed no traces of doubt.

As expected, Camille had been too prideful to tell her lackeys that her son had changed sides. After all, she would have been forced to admit that her goal of making Cedar the emperor had failed. If she did that, she might lose all of her current supporters, who only stayed by her side because they waited for the prince to ascend to the throne and expected benefits. That was perfect. Once again, the dowager empress' pride made it much easier to deal with her.

Cedar still wouldn't risk it. He would not drink any of the antidotes here before allowing someone to test them. He opened his mouth to place his order, only to be cut off.

The vendor smirked at him while he turned his head to Lucille. “It's unusual for you to come here yourself. And you even have company. Is that the future empress then? Or is she just a-”

Cedar stopped him there. “I would ask you not to voice that second thought. It's closer to the first option. Even if it's not quite what you think it is.” Cedar didn't want to be emperor anymore after all. But he also wouldn't let someone insult Lucille now. “I would like to order my items. I don't have much time.”

Luckily, the vendor accepted that. “Of course. What can I do for you?”

“I would like to buy a full stack of our favorites along with the matching antidotes.” Cedar had usually sent people to pick up a mix of different poisons and drugs. Or rather, Camille had done that, and he had sometimes examined those vials. Normally, they had gotten what they needed at the moment, but now he wanted all of them. He knew that Leon was good with poison, so he would only need some samples to allow the other man to recreate them along with the antidotes.

Fortunately, it still seemed like the vendor didn't question why the prince had come here himself. “Of course. Give me a moment, and you'll have it.” He turned around and disappeared into the room behind the counter.

Cedar used the silence to look around. It was truly quiet here, so they might be alone But he didn't quite relax yet. He would only do that when he was home and had handed over the poison to Leon without Theodore noticing it.

Lucille next to him was as tense as he was, but she made no attempt to ask him what this establishment was nor did she want to let go of his hand. Instead, she looked around with a mix of curiosity and concern. She spoke up after a few seconds of silence. “So, you will buy something now, and then we can leave immediately?” Apparently, she felt unwell.

Cedar would have liked to hug her, but holding her hand was probably awful enough when he faced those people. He gave her an encouraging smile in return. “Immediately. I only need those flasks, and then we will go. Give it another minute.” At least if no strange people suddenly showed up and caused trouble. Cedar hoped that his thinking about that didn't evoke anything. He forced himself to stay calm while just waiting there.

A moment later, the vendor came back. He had prepared a sack that looked like it was full of food items. But actually, the different poisons and vials inside were just stored between some cloth bundles. “There you go, Your Majesty. The payment will be taken care of as usual, right?”

Cedar had hoped that he would ask that. “No, not this time. Right now, my mother is back in the royal estate, and we won't take risks. So, it would be good if you avoided contacting her directly. The usual other ways are fine, but I feel like bringing money somewhere will be noticed.” He pulled up a small pouch and let it fall to the table. “That should be enough to cover the expenses and for you not to have seen me. After all, I was never here.”

The vendor grasped the pouch before it had even met the wooden surface below it. “Naturally. No one saw the future emperor here. No one saw a redheaded lady either. Our inn was empty the whole evening. I wish you a good night. Return to your home, which you never left, safely. I look forward to our next interaction.” He probably wouldn't if he knew that the prince had changed sides.

Cedar might end up killing him if that person was sent to hurt Lucille. “Don't worry about us. Focus on your business. Goodbye.” It felt a bit odd to say that when he clearly planned on informing Leon, who would crush those assassins within just a few months, about this group here as soon as he got back.

Cedar gave his best to seem as carefree as always when he steered toward the door again. He almost expected people to move now, but nothing happened. He left the building without any problems. Lucille was unharmed as well, so he could relax a little bit.

Still, Cedar hurried away as soon as the door closed behind them. “We will return home immediately now. I'm sorry, but I don't want to risk anything.”

Lucille quickly nodded. “That would be better. We can just take the horse back, right?”

“Yes. I left it at the stable so that we can pick it up again.” If that horse was gone, he would have to prepare for a fight immediately. After all, that would mean that someone had noticed that this was their only way to get back, if one didn't count running for an hour.

Cedar let his eyes roam across the festival ground once again. No one seemed to watch him nor did anyone look away too obviously. No one moved with too much grace to be a normal worker either. It should be fine. He moved down the stairs while holding Lucille with one hand and clenching his fist around the top of the bag with his other hand.

He began walking without ever stopping to look around. Still, he forced himself to keep his pace leisure so that it looked like they were a couple that would return home now.

They had reached the middle of the street when Lucille abruptly stopped.

Cedar had been so focused that he expected danger immediately. But as soon as he made eye contact with her, he was calmed a bit. Lucille wasn't scared, just worried. It couldn't be that bad. At least he thought that before he turned his head and made eye contact with the second least pleasant woman in noble society. This time, he didn't hold back his annoyed comment. “What is that woman doing here? I feel like the gods don't like me avoiding her to the best of my ability.” He squeezed Lucille's hand. “Let's leave. We are in the middle of a city, so the rules of etiquette don't apply. We don't need to greet her.” He didn't believe that it would be this easy for a second.

Lady Peril wouldn't be kind enough to let them leave. And unfortunately, that premonition proved to be true a moment later.

Jenna only needed to see Cedar, and immediately, her face lit up. She came toward them so quickly that there was no way to run away with all of the people blocking the street in front of them. Apparently, Jenna wasn't alone here either. She had held onto a man's arm before seeing the prince and then immediately let go of that poor person to rush toward her goal.

Cedar barely managed to sigh before she had already reached them.

Today, Lady Peril hadn't even forced herself to pay attention to the standards of nobility. That dress would ruin her reputation completely if anyone saw that, partly because it made her appear like a commoner and partly because revealing her legs like this wasn't seen often in current fashion trends.

But Cedar didn't care much. He refused to even acknowledge the fact that Jenna was running around here with a man who looked like he was a decade younger than her. Lord Peril probably knew and didn't care. So, the prince wouldn't comment on that. He would favor not commenting on Jenna in general, but since she was already standing right in front of him, he couldn't just ignore her. If he did that, she would start touching him again, and he didn't need that. The option of staying quiet while Lady Peril looked up at him with such an expectant gaze was tempting, but he gave in. “Good evening, Lady Peril. It's a surprise to see you here.”

Jenna hurriedly nodded as a bright smile formed on her lips. Then she hinted a curtsy. Her dress wasn't as puffy as a ballgown, so she barely managed to lift the skirt on both sides, but she still made it seem elegant in some way. “I wish you a wonderful evening, Your-” She cut herself off and looked around. “Or should I rather not say it here?”

Cedar would have liked to wipe that smirk off her face, but he couldn't do that. If she started yelling about who he was now, he would be in trouble. “I would appreciate it if you did me the favor of staying quiet about it today.” That was all he needed to say.

Jenna folded her hands and beamed up at him. “Naturally. I told you that I would do anything you ask of me, did I not? I will be glad to assist you with this.” After that, she remained silent and just stared at him without ever looking toward Lucille. How petty.

Cedar had no desire to deal with that today. “Thank you very much. Unfortunately, I believe that we will not be able to stay with you for much longer. Your companion should not be left alone for too long.” He turned his head to make eye contact with the man who had just been forced to endure Jenna for the past minutes.

That person was not in a good mood.

Lady Peril began her whole act once again. She looked to the side while putting on that infuriating sultry smile. “Well, I just happened to meet someone that is much more dear to me. He will not mind waiting, right?” She glanced at the man, who hurriedly nodded without daring to run away, even though he looked like he wanted to do it.

Cedar considered holding back, but right now, he didn't need to care much about Lady Peril causing a problem. He could just run away and claim to have never been outside afterward. So, he just let the comment out. “Poor boy.”

Jenna acted like she was shocked at that, which she probably only did to avoid speaking to Lucille once more. She lifted her hand and brought her index finger to her lips, which were colored in a vibrant red. “What do you mean by that, Your Royal Highness? I can assure you that I am a good companion. I will make sure to reward him at the end if he behaves. He won't be able to complain.” Either because that man would be dead or so intimidated that he wouldn't dare to open his mouth. Since Jenna wasn't really that cruel, it was probably the second option.

At first glance, it looked like Jenna was cheating on her husband here, but in reality, Lady Peril had never been in any relationship outside of her marriage. She was probably only doing business right now. Getting together with such a young man who wasn't an influential noble would gain her too little. So, one could assume that she was currently taking a walk while threatening one of her employees. Either she secured their loyalty with that, or she wanted to remind him not to make a mistake again.

One look at the man's face proved that he would listen to her either way. He was probably being blackmailed anyway.

And even though Jenna's strategy was cruel, Cedar couldn't complain about it. Not when he had used that same manner of handling things, only with him being much more ruthless in some cases. Either way, this wasn't his problem. So, he just beamed at Jenna while he replied. “I just worried because you invited him here and then left him alone to talk to us. He will feel abandoned if you do that.” That poor man was probably thankful to have a chance to catch his breath right now. “But that doesn't matter much. Lucille and I need to leave now.”

Jenna finally turned her head to blink at the other woman. “Oh, my. Lady Valerian. I sincerely apologize for not addressing you. I momentarily forgot because I was so excited because of the festival. How are you?”

Lucille had unwillingly taken a step closer to Cedar. It seemed like she was good at judging people since she had guessed that Jenna was more than just persistent and annoying. That was for the better. “It is alright. Good night, Lady Peril. It is a pleasure to meet you here. I hope that you enjoyed the festival until now.” She couldn't help but scan the other's attire and quickly lifted her eyes again to avoid staring too long.

Jenna only seemed to laugh at that. She still held her hand to her lips and smirked before she spoke up again. “I did enjoy it a lot. I hope it was the same for you. After all, you have a companion that is even more wonderful than mine. I just hope that your circumstances are a bit...less expensive.” She chuckled to herself again before fake shock came onto her features. “Ah. I just noticed that one could easily misunderstand the situation. This man here is not my lover nor is he a personal acquaintance. He is part of the business my husband is leading.”

This wasn't surprising, so Lucille didn't say anything. She just frowned at the other woman.

Lady Peril paused for a moment before she acted like she was almost hurt by the fact that others could think that she was having an affair. Then she spoke up with something like indignation in her voice. “Please do believe me. I would never cheat on my husband. I have to admit that he is quite...wimpy, which might result in me divorcing him when the time a real man acknowledges me comes. If the person I favor picked me up, I would vow to never even look at another person to avoid misunderstandings. I would never be unfaithful.” She slowly let her fingers trail down the side of her neck until she reached her collarbone.

Cedar had already expected that and refused to follow her movement with his eyes. Instead, he just stared at Jenna's face. “It is unfortunate to hear that you get along so little with Lord Peril that you are considering a divorce.” It wouldn't be surprising if those two separated because Jenna found someone more powerful she could use. But that person wouldn't be the prince. Cedar only allowed a short pause before he spoke to Lucille. “But that is none of our business. We have to return to the royal palace soon. It's already later than expected. The guards are waiting for us.”

Lucille met his gaze and nodded at him before squeezing his hand. “We have to be back before...two, so...” She spoke with uncertainty in her voice, but she still couldn't help but underline his words. “We don't have any time now.”

Cedar beamed at her and squeezed her hand back. “Exactly. That's why I fear that we need to leave you alone with your companion, Lady Peril.”

Jenna put on a dejected expression at that. “I see. That is unfortunate. But there is nothing we can do about this. It almost seems like the gods are against us meeting. Whenever we see each other, something strange happens, and you need to leave immediately. I can't help but be sad about that. Maybe we really need to steer against fate at some point.” Her face lit up with a little smile again, and that was all she needed to show to reveal that she had a horrible idea. “I would like to invite you to our mansion once again. I wished to offer that to you last time too, but...back then, we were interrupted as well, and now we could quickly discuss that matter.”

Thankfully, Cedar had a valid excuse to deny that, even if he wouldn't have minded making something up either. “I sincerely apologize. While I am certainly honored by such an invitation, the situation is currently too unpleasant for me to consider moving around freely. Today has merely been a...somewhat problematic meeting. This outing is only possible thanks to the royal guards who are accompanying us. So, I fear that this exception will not allow us to leave the palace any time in the near future either. I apologize.”

Jenna looked even more saddened than before. She looked to the ground and hugged herself. “I see. I sincerely apologize for asking for something unfitting then. Maybe it will be possible for you to visit me again if the situation calms down.” That made it sound like he had visited her specifically in the past.

Cedar normally wouldn't bother to correct that statement, but Lucille was standing next to him. “I cannot recall visiting your mansion recently, Lady Peril. If I forgot, I apologize, but I am rather certain that I never attended an event in your home for the past few years either.” He had been in confinement for the last seven years, so he had missed many events. Thankfully, the ones of the Peril family as well.

Jenna pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I am aware. That is why I wished to invite you. I have longed to finally show you our wonderful, new library for a few years now. Maybe we will finally find a way in a few months.”

If Cedar had any say in this, they wouldn't. “We will see what we can do. But right now, I cannot promise anything. And...” He turned to Lucille. “We have to go now, unfortunately.”

Lucille nodded again and stared at Jenna. She tried her best to hide that she was angry, but she basically glared at the other woman. It wasn't noticeable or impressive since she was still much too meek, but it was cute.

Cedar squeezed her hand before deciding to end this useless conversation. He wouldn't allow Jenna to blabber on while Lucille stood next to them in silence. “Good night, Lady Peril.”

Jenna opened her mouth to complain immediately. “If it isn't a bother, maybe we could join-”

“No. I apologize, but due to the circumstances that brought us here, Lucille and I will leave alone. Goodbye.” Cedar had been a bit harsher than before, but that should be fine. He had been trapped in that conversation for too long already. He showed Jenna a bright smile before turning around. Not waiting for a reply was petty, but putting his arm around Lucille and pulling her against him was much pettier. He didn't care much. After all, he was just happy to finally get away from this conversation.

He should have expected something to happen though.

Jenna was an ambitious woman. She saw profit and power as the most important part of her life. She would act and lie and do everything to get to the top. And once she had decided on a goal, she wouldn't give up until the very end. Now her goal had been taken away from her since another woman had gained the spot she had wanted. That might make her consider dirty options. She had used those before too, but today, she was harsher than normal.

Lady Peril had only waited a few seconds and then raised her voice to speak in a tone that was much too cheerful. “Cedar. You don't want to disappoint me, do you?”

That was it.

That was one of Cedar's triggers.

That was the one exact sentence that Camille had taught her son to hate so much that he would break down when she said it. It would make him hurry to her side and immediately do what she asked of him afterward, just so that she'd tell him that she was proud. Until six years ago, at least.

Now Cedar could control his temper, and still, he had to admit that hearing something like this from Camille stung. More because it reminded him of his own mother's manipulation, but it was still painful. When someone else said it, it didn't hurt him though. It made him furious.

Cedar gave his best to hide that completely as he showed the brightest smile he could muster and turned around to Jenna, ever so slowly. “You have quite the confidence, Lady Peril. What makes you think that addressing a member of royal by their first name is a good idea?”

The worst part wasn't even that Jenna had known about his trigger. That wasn't surprising when Camille wanted to use her against her son. The bad part was that she looked at him with such expectation that it was easy to imagine what she had hoped for. Now that she didn't get that, disappointment came upon her features. “It didn't work. Ah, I see. That's unfortunate. I hoped you would get a bit rougher with me again, but I guess I didn't research enough.” She purposefully said that in front of Lucille, didn't she?

Cedar had to keep himself from gritting his teeth. “You mean that my mother lied to your face. She told you what to use against me, and you opened your mouth without thinking. It's really considerate of you to try to provoke me. Especially since I heard that you should know what it feels like.”

Jenna quickly showed a dejected expression, but the glint of uncertainty in her eyes had revealed that she wasn't comfortable with what he had hinted at. “I sincerely apologize. I did not know that you are that sensitive to such matters.” It was impressive how she lied with such a straight face. After all, she had said all of that in hopes of Cedar snapping at her.

Cedar wouldn't do her that favor though. “As previously said, it is highly inappropriate of you to address members of the royal family by their first name without their consent. You will not do it again. Otherwise, I might also mention your father in return. Goodbye, Lady Peril.”

Jenna's expression went blank.

Cedar didn't wait for a response or some other reaction. He turned around again and pulled Lucille forward. He pushed her through the crowd and carefully navigated them back to the city gate.

Luckily, it didn't seem like anyone suspicious was here. That was good. After all, the meeting just now had been enough to ruin his mood.