People said that it only took a few days to create a habit.

Lucille had always repeated the same things for months at a time, so she hadn't really noticed it before, but this actually happened quickly. Cedar had only been here for a little over two weeks, and still, she was used to seeing him every day already. It had become a habit to bring two portions of food and to tell him about her failed etiquette lessons. When her dragon teacher didn't come, she liked sitting in the annex, and then she normally had a conversation with Cedar too.

To be honest, Lucille practically spent every second of her free time with him. Even when she read something, she usually sat in the same room. It felt odd to be so close to a person whom she had considered a complete stranger up until a few weeks ago. Even weirder than that was that she had told herself that she would keep him at a distance, only to give up a few days after that.

Maybe that had been so easy because Cedar had a wall around him that seemed unbreakable.

Because of that, Lucille didn't need to fear getting close to him and could just enjoy the conversations without worrying about bridging the distance between them. Despite that distance, she had to admit that the prince was the person she liked talking to most, at least if she didn't count Fiona. She felt a bit guilty about that since she had promised her friend that she would be careful, but at the same time, she couldn't help it.

Cedar was nice, polite and brought forward a conversation when she was at a loss for words. He gladly addressed her when she entered the room, and she never had to worry about an uncomfortable silence. He was even kind enough to drop subjects when he noticed that she didn't like talking about them too. Cedar seemed to be a perfect friend, and only his background and his constant smile reminded her to not let down her guard completely. After all, he wasn't doing that either. Cedar always maintained some kind of distance, and right now, that was good since it made sure that she didn't forget what kind of person she was facing.

Still, Lucille enjoyed the time she spent with him and even looked forward to meeting him whenever she could. Today, she was once again balancing a tray with the food for the both of them while bringing it to the annex. After another lesson with the dragon teacher, she had hurried to get Cedar his meal on time, but it seemed like she wouldn't get that far today. She had barely been able to keep her expression straight while Mathilda begged her to share her meal with her and was relieved to leave.

That was only the case for a few seconds though.

Mathilda interrupted the other's thoughts yet again. “My Lady, there's a carriage at the entrance. Are we going to have a visitor?”

Lucille spun around at that. “What?” She hurried to the window and followed her maid's gaze in a panic. Had Lord Astame returned? Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case. As Mathilda had said, there was a fancy carriage waiting in front of the main building. The visitor was definitely from a wealthy noble family. This could only mean that one of Raymond's friends had come. When that happened, her father normally wanted her to come greet the guests before asking her to leave again.

Lucille didn't look forward to meeting some of the creepy men who traded with Raymond, but at least she wouldn't have to stay for long. She would quickly find her father and then hurry back while hoping that it was one of the nice business partners. Those shouldn't be too bad. “Mathilda, will you hold onto this for me for a moment?” She didn't wait for a response before giving the maid the tray and then hurried toward the foyer while making sure that she didn't look too undignified. She straightened her hair a bit before slowly pushing open the doors to the entrance hall.

There was no one here. So, her father was probably in one of the seating rooms. In that case, she could just ask the butler about whether she should enter or not. Lucille was about to search for that man when one of the doors on the other side of the room opened.

The person who stepped inside was her father, who held the door open for someone else. That was unusual enough, but what made Lucille freeze was the fact that the one following him was a woman. Her father never met women. He only dealt with merchants and influential politicians, who were usually men. Why was Raymond suddenly meeting a woman?

That could only mean one thing, and that very thought was horrifying. Whoever that woman was, she was definitely more powerful than most people around her. She was someone Lucille's father really wished to get on his side. Raymond clearly wouldn't ever begin a relationship after all, and Lucille was certain about this one thing for sure.

Viscount Valerian said something to his visitor before he spotted his daughter. “There she is.” He led the woman over to her and made eye contact with his daughter. “Good afternoon, Lucille. You came at the perfect time. Our guest is about to leave, so it is good that you were able to meet her now.” He checked his golden pocket watch to confirm the time before quickly putting it away.

Lucille made a quick curtsy and bowed her head. “Good afternoon, Father. I apologize for not coming earlier. I was not aware that we had a guest.” How could she when she had been in the annex ever since the morning? She slowly raised her head again and scanned the woman in front of her. She recognized her.

That was Marchioness Jenna Peril. The person who was rumored to be the most confident lady among all the nobles, a quite loud person who was very skilled with her businesses. She was married to Marquess Eugene Peril, but in comparison to her, he didn't stand out very much. Not when Lady Peril was known by all in noble society for her fiery personality and many public appearances. Jenna had light brown hair, which she had tied up in a bun with some loose strands hanging down. That was a typical hairstyle for a noble lady. What was more striking about her were her captivating green eyes and the beauty spot next to her lips. It was hard to describe it, but there was something in her eyes that made her seem like she was staring into one's very soul while she just smiled down at the concerned person.

And right now, Lucille felt like she was being judged by those slanted eyes. There wasn't anything special about her, so she was sure that the result of that judgment wouldn't be kind. She almost sank in herself when the silence went on for a few seconds.

Jenna's curved lips formed a little smile as she lowered her fan enough to show her face. “Oh, my. What you beautiful young lady you are. You grew up in the last year. It has been a while, hasn't it? You have become quite adult, Lady Valerian.”

Lucille felt a small shiver run down at the other's smile. She didn't like that woman one bit. Jenna acted a bit like Fiona did in public, but there was no way that Fiona's eyes ever held so much smugness. “Thank you, Lady Peril. Good evening. I apologize for not coming to greet you earlier. I was not aware that you had come to visit.”

Jenna folded her fan and tipped it against her left ear. “There is no need to apologize. Our conversation would not have been very interesting to you. After all, business matters are probably none of your concern.” Of course not.

Lucille had never been taught anything like that, and this wouldn't change any time soon. She didn't mind since she had no interest in taking care of stores and the like, but for some reason, she felt like this comment hadn't been voiced in a neutral tone. She forced herself to smile back. “I never mingle with my father's business, so it was clear that I would not be present. But I would have greeted you as soon as you came if I had known. I hope that you did not feel like I purposefully ignored you. I didn't mean to be impolite.”

Lady Peril let out a small chuckle and unfolded her fan to hide her mouth. “You truly are a sweet girl. So very polite. There is absolutely no need for you to be so shy. Our families have not had much to do with each other, but we might meet more often from now on. After all, your father's business plan is genius. I will have to convince my husband to visit soon. Maybe I will join again so that we can have a nice tea party while the men talk. How does that sound?” Horrible.

Lucille had no desire to meet the other woman. But of course, she just gave her best to smile in response. “That would be nice. I would feel honored to be able to join you for tea. If you write a letter before your arrival, I will have my maid prepare everything in advance.”

Unfortunately, Jenna seemed to like that idea. “I look forward to that. But I may end up bringing my own tea. I have some very interesting and exotic flavors at home. I would like to introduce you to them if you don't mind. But we do not have to plan that now.” She was quiet for a moment and just scanned the other woman with a small and somewhat intimidating smile. She was quiet until Lucille shifted around before speaking up. “I apologize for staring at you. I could not help but become a bit nostalgic upon seeing that you are so grown up now. I still remember when you were so little.” She held her hand next to her waist and showed the height of a rather young child. “So much time passed ever since then, but it feels like everything happened in an instant. In one second, children are still dependent on you, and in the next one, they leave you because they want to discover life by themselves. How odd that is.”

As far as Lucille knew, Jenna didn't have any children, so addressing this subject seemed strange. But as before, she just smiled and nodded. “It feels weird for me too. Time flies by so quickly that almost nothing remains the same after the blink of an eye. But I do not feel very adult even now, so I guess that some things don't ever change.”

Lady Peril closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side while putting on a somewhat regretful expression. “Oh, I know. But the older you get, the more you dislike aging. You will realize that in a few years too. You should use your youth and do what you want before you get too old to do it. I still had so much I wanted to experience, but...” She opened her eyes and smiled again. “Then I married my husband. He is wonderful without a doubt. But I should have tried out some other things before agreeing to his proposal. For example, I would have liked to meet some interesting men in secret.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Lucille glanced at her father, who seemed as irritated as she was. No one should propose something like that to a young woman in the capital. Having a relationship before getting a fiancé normally meant that the concerned girl wouldn't be able to find a marriage partner anymore. So, it was strange for Jenna to outright admit that she would have liked to fool around a bit.

Lady Peril laughed to herself before fanning herself some air. “I said something inappropriate, didn't I? I apologize. I should have paid more attention to my jokes. But I just had to think about an old acquaintance, and I couldn't stop myself. You remind me of your mother.” With that, she hadn't made it better but much worse.

Lucille froze, and she saw that her father tensed as well.

Raymond's voice was much grimmer than it had been before. “Lady Peril.” That was a warning for sure.

Jenna's eyes widened, and she stopped fanning. “Oh, I said something unnecessary again, didn't I? I apologize, but I could not help it. It's just that she is almost like a mirror image of Emily. That red hair and the same free spirit that makes you believe they will fly away at any second would make everyone notice how similar these two are.” She glanced at Lucille and showed her a little smile. “That almost made it seem like your mother became young again. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with that comment.”

Lucille still felt like she was paralyzed, so it was good that her father replied instead.

“That is fine. But I would ask you to be a bit more reserved when it comes to that topic. Do not address this again.” Raymond showed the other woman an expression that made it obvious that this wasn't alright in the slightest. He was fuming but kept it hidden below a thin layer of self-control.

Lucille almost flinched, even though his anger wasn't directed at him.

But Lady Peril seemed to be completely fine with that. She continued to smile and put her fan on her left cheek. “I sincerely apologize. I will be more careful from now on. But please don't blame an elderly woman for becoming nostalgic for a moment.” Jenna wasn't even that old. She was maybe around thirty at most. “Please excuse me. It won't happen again. I'm unhappy about ending the conversation on this note, but it has gotten quite late, so I fear that I must leave now.”

Raymond nodded. “I believe that this is for the best. We do not want Lord Peril to worry. I will bring you to your carriage.”

Jenna shook her head. “That's not necessary. I will hurry a bit so that I can arrive before the sun sets. I bid the two of you farewell. May you have a nice evening and a relaxing night.”

Lucille was glad that her father said goodbye first. After all, she needed some time to calm down. She still balled her fists and stared at the other woman.

Jenna had to know that Emily had run off years ago and that the viscountess had left behind her daughter. All of noble society knew. Why would someone need to remind that daughter of the fact that her mother had abandoned her? Had that really been an accident?

Lucille wasn't sure. When the two others were done, she curtsied again and forced herself to speak up. “Good evening, Lady Peril. Please arrive safely at home, and greet your husband.”

Jenna beamed at that, still gesticulating around with her fan. “I will do that. I thank you for your concern. We will see each other in a few weeks, I hope. I haven't forgotten about our possible tea party. I will write you when I am a little less busy. Until then, Lady Valerian. I wish you a good evening.” With that, she left along with a servant who led her outside.

Lucille immediately relaxed when the door closed. It was unusual that women made her feel this uncomfortable, but she couldn't help herself. A part of her wanted to ask for permission to leave, but she needed to inquire about something. She turned her head to her father and spoke up in a quiet voice when she was sure that he wasn't too angry anymore. “Why are you meeting with her? Her family isn't part of the neutral faction, is it?”

Viscount Valerian normally made it his strict rule to stay neutral. That meant that he wouldn't interact with any families that were known to back the emperor or the dowager empress. At least he had done that until the emperor's victory had been obvious. Now he wanted his daughter to marry Duke Vasquez, who was without a doubt on His Majesty's side even if his deceased father had been one of the emperor's greatest enemies.

At the same time, it seemed like Raymond also didn't care mind trading with the people who had clearly picked another side. He glanced at his daughter and replied in an aloof tone. “Now they are indeed neutral. The Perils used to back Her Majesty, the dowager empress, and they were one of her most extreme followers too. But as soon as things went downhill, they withdrew in an instant. They act like they were always neutral now.” Was that supposed to be calming?

Lucille found that even more concerning. If that family had absolutely no loyalty, why would anyone want to trade with them? “Will you work together with Lady Peril?” She hoped that the answer was a ‘no’. She didn't want to meet that woman ever again. Of course, she couldn't avoid her at events, but she at least wanted to feel calm in her own home, which was hard enough with her father being here.

Raymond was quiet for a moment before he spoke up. “At the beginning of the conversation, I would have replied with a ‘yes’. Now I'm a bit more doubtful. I don't think that we can necessarily expect to get along. But as long as her husband deals with most contracts, I will trade with them anyway. That is the plan at least. I will have to talk to them a bit more often to be sure. After all, I don't believe that I can trust them fully due to their interesting change in the past.” At least it seemed like he had understood that too.

Lucille nodded weakly before she wrung her hands. She didn't want to stay here any longer after that conversation. So, she spoke up after a short pause. “I understand. I will trust your judgment, as always. Is there anything else that we need to talk about, or would you give me permission to retreat? I fear that my dinner is cooling down.”

Viscount Valerian was quiet for a bit too long. He just looked at his daughter, which made her want to cower.

Lucille knew that he wouldn't like that, so she kept her head upright. “Father?”

Raymond only seemed to hear her now. “Ah, yes. You may retreat. Goodnight, Lucille.”

“Goodnight, Father.” Lucille made a small curtsy before leaving the room and rushing toward the kitchen. She picked up her meals and ignored Mathilda's prying inquiries before hurrying to the annex. She closed the door behind her with her back and then stopped for a moment to relax.

She closed her eyes, and immediately, Jenna's voice sounded in her ears again. Why was she so sensitive when it came to her own mother? This was horrible.

Lucille gritted her teeth and suppressed the thoughts of her childhood as much as possible before focusing back on her task at hand. She walked over to the old bedroom and called out. “Cedar? It's me. Can I come in?”

Like during the past days, Cedar opened the door from the inside to let her in. “Good evening. Please enter.” He stepped aside and then closed the door behind her. He watched as she set down the tray and smiled at her when she looked toward him. “Did your father meet someone again?”

Lucille nodded and folded her hands while sitting down at the table. “Yes. He discussed some business proposals with...” She stopped herself and made eye contact with the prince. If the Peril family had worked together with the dowager empress, shouldn't Cedar have met them already? Maybe she should ask him about his opinion then. She knew that she only wanted someone to affirm her opinion about Jenna, but she couldn't help it. “With Jenna Peril. Do you know her?”

Cedar's smile widened. “I do. It's been a while since I've seen her though.”

If Lucille had managed to discern one part about the prince's body language, it was that he used a specific smile when he was confronted with things he didn't like. He always acted happier when unpleasant topics were addressed, like things related to his mother or brother as well as his injury. That wide smile was the exact one he showed her right now. So, he probably didn't like the Peril family very much, which made sense since they had betrayed his mother. For some reason, that relieved her. She knew exactly what she wanted to hear when she spoke up. “What do you think about her?”

Cedar walked over to the table and sat down across from her. Normally, he stayed on the bed, but today he seemed to have changed his mind to be closer to Lucille. He leaned against the backrest and replied with a question. “Do you want the answer of the prince of Artias or my own?”

Lucille could already imagine what he wanted to say, but she asked anyway. “What's the difference?”

Cedar shifted around a bit and responded with a bright smile. “As the prince, I would have to tell you that Lady Peril is exceptional on every level. She is intelligent and knows how to talk. She is the center of every tea party with the other ladies and likes to be included in every discussion. She approaches others openly, has new ideas and is even knowledgeable when it comes to business management. It's helpful to trade with her family since they are wealthy. She knows how to flatter people too. So, she is a good person to get along with, even when she is a bit loud and might be hard to get used to.”

Lucille prepared the plates and moved one over to him while keeping her eyes trained on his face. “And that's not what you personally think?”

“Not at all.” Cedar let out a small laugh before grinning at her, but his eyes held conviction when he resumed. “I know that I, the traitorous prince, don't really have the right to say anything like that, but be careful around her. She isn't someone that would physically hurt you, so you don't have to fear her. But she isn't pleasant to be around. I had a few...interesting conversations with her. There isn't much I can tell you about her, but you should keep in mind that she isn't your friend even when she smiles at you. Just don't get involved with her.”

That was exactly what Lucille had hoped for him to say. At least she wasn't the only one that felt odd around that woman. “I dislike her, even though I never really talked to her. So, I intended to stay away as much as possible.” She paused for a moment before allowing herself to ask another question. “But I feel like you interacted with a few...unpleasant people already. What makes her so bad that you need to warn me? There are many mean nobles, and we usually have to interact with them at balls.”

Cedar took his fork and knife and began cutting his steak while he replied. “It's not an elaborate story if you want me to tell you that. It's just my impression. Lady Peril used to cling to my mother's side, so I talked to her a few times. I can assure you that she isn't a nice person. At least not one that is nice for your sake. She is nice when she wants you to do something for her though.” For some reason, it felt like he didn't want to talk about that at all. He was strangely vague in his description.

And this only made Lucille even more curious. But she didn't dare to ask about things that he didn't wish to tell her. He had also held back when she had mentioned her mother, so she had to return the favor now. At least she thought that and tried to focus on her meal while occasionally glancing up at Cedar. Seemingly, she hadn't hidden her curiosity well enough though.

The prince met her gaze and paused eating at some point. “You really are a curious person, aren't you? Well, it's nothing bad, so I can tell you if you insist.”

He immediately had Lucille's attention.