“Lucille found me in your garden and got me a doctor. Ever since then, I've been hiding in the annex so that I could recover in secret, and she came to visit me daily. I apologize for not waiting for your permission, but I assumed that you would be better off without knowing. In case Lord Astame found me, I would have simply said that none of you knew, and you would have been safe. Thankfully, he didn't find me though.”

Apparently, Raymond hadn't swallowed the news of Cedar being here even after the prince explained it to him. He lifted his hand to his head, and his frown only deepened. “So, that was the reason why you...” He paused and closed his eyes for a moment. “This is ridiculous...” He looked like he was absolutely dejected and walked over to the table to plop down onto the chair. Then he massaged his head while trying to make sense out of this.

Lucille hadn't seen him like this in twelve years. When her father got emotional, he was usually angry. But right now, she couldn't quite guess what he was thinking. The last time that this had happened had been over a decade ago, and still, she remembered exactly how his face had looked then. This wasn't as bad, but he seemed to be extremely unhappy about this situation.

But most likely, no one here was happy with this. After all, Cedar risked being sent away now. Viscount Valerian could call the royal guards in an instant. And then the prince would be arrested and dragged back to his mother. At least Lucille was convinced of that.

But in spite of that, Cedar looked awfully calm. He still stayed by Lucille's side and allowed her to feel safe when she hid behind him while speaking to Raymond as if he wasn't bothered by this at all. “I understand that this story is a bit overwhelming now, so it may be better for us to sit down before coming to a conclusion here. After all, I cannot demand that you will simply agree to me staying here. So, maybe we should have a small meeting tomorrow and-”

“You can stay.” Raymond's reply came far too abruptly.

Lucille froze at that, and she was certain that Cedar was a bit taken aback too.

The prince was silent for a moment before he responded with a smile. “That was easier than expected. I thought that I would have to vow that I wouldn't hurt your daughter on my life first.”

Raymond narrowed his eyes and stared at the other man. “Please excuse my rudeness, Your Royal Highness, but I do not trust you one bit. The only reason I am not immediately informing a guard or sending a letter to His Majesty is that this would reveal that Lucille helped you. I won't let anyone accuse her of treason because she wanted to protect someone that was hurt. This would not only ruin our family's reputation but also her chances for the future. Especially since Lord Astame was already here to search for you. He was unsuccessful, which will make it seem like we hid you on purpose.”

Of course, that made some sense. After all, revealing Cedar's location now was much too late. Even if Raymond explained that he hadn't known about the prince hiding in his estate before, the emperor would not believe him completely. So, he wouldn't gain the royal family's trust and only make both factions dislike him. He would even risk being targeted by the dowager empress after that. Viscount Valerian wouldn't gain anything from this and could only lose by making his family seem like they were planning on betraying the emperor.

Something like that would also ruin Lucille's chances of marriage and take away a great portion of their family's possibilities of gaining influence. She didn't care much about that, but if her father's fixation on power helped them now, she was relieved. She let out a deep breath and relaxed when she finally understood that Cedar would be able to stay here for a bit longer. As she did that, she felt how her father's eyes rested on her, but she couldn't hide her happiness about this decision.

Cedar smiled at the viscount for a while longer and then spoke up. “I see. That is good to hear. I was already worried that we would have to discuss. It seems like you understood what I was concerned about though. I thank you very much for giving me this chance. I will be eternally grateful to you and make sure to repay you in a little while.”

Raymond still looked as if he was barely holding back his emotions. He was definitely angry, but there was some other emotion that outweighed this. That emotion seemed to be resignation. “I do not wish for anything in return. If I hadn't agreed, you would have talked until I would have. I didn't have the chance to meet you too often, but even I can guess what kind of person you are, Your Royal Highness. I am only agreeing because you have been here for two weeks already. You did not hurt my daughter in that period of time, so I assume that you do not hold any ill intentions toward us, who are giving you a chance to hide a bit longer. But if I ever feel like you do wish to harm us, I will not stand by.”

The prince still beamed despite the threat. “Of course. It is natural that you would want to protect your family. I would never try anything like hurting you though. There is no need to worry. It would not gain me anything, nor do I have the desire to hurt Lucille or her father. So, you can rest assured that it is fine.”

Viscount Valerian's expression became even more grim before he stood up. “I see. That promise won't help me in any way. But I assume that this is the best I am going to receive. I still have a lot to say about this, however, I would like to calm down a bit before giving my opinion. It would be better if we talk about the rest during dinner. I will have to retreat now.”

Lucille would actually be very happy about that. She just prayed that her father wouldn't get too upset now. After all, she had ignored his opinion and taken in a stranger. He might call her to his office to scold her without the prince being there. And she could just hope that he wouldn't do that since she had no way to actually defend herself if he decided that he wanted to punish her.

Cedar nodded at the other man, seemingly without a care in the world. “That is understandable. Then we will see each other in the evening. I wish you a wonderful day. I won't leave of this room, so you can find me here if you have any questions.”

Viscount Valerian slowly nodded in return before he moved over to the door. It seemed almost impossible that this conflict would just end so calmly. That was why it wasn't surprising that he stopped by the door and turned around again. “Lucille, could we talk for a moment?” The way that he gestured to the door made clear that he didn't want Cedar to be present either, even though the prince would have been Lucille's last speck of hope.

It should have been expected that she would not face that more pleasant option.

Still, Lucille's whole body felt like she had been engulfed in freezing water. A shiver ran down her spine as she wondered what could happen. She didn't want to go outside with her father. She knew exactly what would follow, and she wasn't ready to experience it at all. Every fiber in her being would have been content just staying behind Cedar to try to get his protection. But that would only make it worse.

As soon as she locked eyes with her father, she knew that she had no choice. So, she hesitantly took a step to the side and wanted to force herself to go to the door. But her legs felt like they would give in at any moment.

It took much more energy to even take a step forward than it should have. Lucille hadn't even forced herself through three steps when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

When she turned around, Cedar smiled at her and spoke in a soft voice that was still loud enough for her father to hear. “I will be right by the door and wait for you. So, don't worry.” He squeezed her shoulder before slowly letting go of her.

For some reason, Lucille would have been much more content with him touching her. That had reassured her, and now she felt like she was left alone again. She nodded slowly before gazing at the floor and slowly following her father outside. She only looked up when she had left the room and entered the hallway.

Mathilda stood in the doorway and looked at her mistress with wide eyes. Most likely, that traitor wanted to apologize for telling Raymond about his daughter's recent habits. Or she wanted to tell Lucille that lying to her father had been stupid and that the consequences would be her responsibility. But today, her gaze seemed more regretful than accusatory. That didn't keep her from eavesdropping on the conversation though.

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Raymond was silent while he closed the door. Then he turned to the maid. “Mathilda, go get breakfast for two people and bring it here. Then clean up the tray by the entrance.”

The maid almost seemed surprised at that, but she ran off as soon as she had processed the order.

This left Lucille and her father all alone, which was even worse. She felt her hands sweating and trembling despite her attempts to hold them in place. She leaned her back against the wall to keep her legs from giving in and, admittedly, also to stay close to the door. As long as the prince could hear them, her father might hold back a bit. At least she hoped that. If this wasn't the case, she would regret accidentally revealing her secret way more than she did already.

Her father waited for a few seconds before the maid disappeared at the end of the corridor. Then he spoke up quietly. “Why him?” For a moment, he was silent again and just gazed at her. He only continued when she didn't reply immediately. “Lucille, I know that you have no idea about politics, but there is one thing that you should know. That man is dangerous. He is really not someone you can trust. Why did you have to choose him?”

Lucille didn't know what to say about that. She hadn't chosen anyone. She wanted to say this with confidence, but of course, her voice barely came out. “He isn't... I just found him by accident. He was lying on the ground by the river. He was bleeding in the bushes, and...he almost looked like he would die. So, I got...Mother's doctor. That man managed to help, and now everything is fine again. Cedar really didn't do anything bad. He just sat around here and ate with me. He didn't leave this building once.” At least she was pretty sure that he hadn't.

Raymond remained silent for a moment before he muttered something in a hoarse voice. “You call each other by your first names?” Apparently, that didn't seem like a good idea to him. His expression was full of bitterness, and he was rather upset about all of this. “That only makes it even more obvious. Lucille...”

She had no idea how to reply. It was a fact that Cedar had allowed her to address him by his first name, but she hadn't believed that he would continue to do so in front of other people. She should have been more careful about that, but now that she had messed up, it was too late. There was no way that Lucille could hide it now. “He...offered it to me after a few days. Because titles would be bothersome if we...” Talked for hours at a time. But she didn't want to admit that.

Viscount Valerian was silent again. He pressed his lips into a line, and it looked like he cycled through multiple emotions. He only spoke up after a few seconds. “I know that I said that getting you a powerful husband is good, but not like this. That...person didn't just commit treason. Being acquainted with him doesn't only make us His Majesty's enemy, but it will also make it seem like we want to support a hysteric, bloodthirsty woman who wishes to kill her own son. Do you think that a person like that could have raised a sane child? You heard that the man you protect almost murdered two royal guards while fleeing from confinement, did you not?”

Lucille wrung her hands and pressed her back against the wall. She averted her eyes while she replied in a barely audible voice. “They attacked him first. He...defended himself. They didn't even give him a chance to avoid a fight.” Cedar had told her that a little while ago when she had asked about how he had received his wound. “And he could have killed them if he wanted to. But he didn't do that. Doesn't that prove that he had no ill intentions?” She slowly lifted her head and met her father's gaze. Maybe she should have refuted seeing Cedar as a possible husband first, but it was too late now.

Raymond wasn't happy. In fact, he looked like he was even more upset than before. “Do you trust him that easily? You even defend him, even though you've only known him for two weeks. You understand that that isn't a long time, right? You know nothing about him. He could be worse than we could ever imagine. There is no way that we can trust him for even a single second. Not like this. If you had just decided to save him, it might have been fine. But this?” He lowered his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He was definitely exhausted because of this situation.

Lucille considered correcting the statement about her wanting to get a powerful husband now, but she didn't have a chance to speak.

Viscount Valerian already resumed. “What are we supposed to do now? Should we let him live here forever? Obviously, that won't work. He is still convicted of treason, and guards all across the nation are searching for him. He has to return at some point.”

Lucille lowered her gaze to the floor and hugged herself. She knew that. Of course, she did, but there was no way that she could simply accept this. Not now that she had gotten to know Cedar. To her, he wasn't just the pitiful prince anymore. She had picked him up because he had reminded her of herself, and now she had gotten to know Cedar and found a fraction of the real person that was hidden underneath all those rumors.

She didn't know much about him, but that was enough to make her like him. A lot. She couldn't just abandon him and push him off the cliff.

“I know, but... Sending him back to that woman...” Lucille slowly lifted her head and forced herself to make eye contact with her father. “We can't make him go back. Because none of the things that happened were his fault. It was his mother who raised him, and she is at fault for what went wrong with His Majesty. I am aware that I haven't talked to him much before these two weeks, but I know more about him than you do. I know that I can trust him.”

She felt ridiculous while saying that. Hadn't she promised herself that she would be careful around Cedar just a few days ago? She had. But now she was already defending him and denied having any doubts about him. Of course, she still felt like he was hiding something, but she couldn't just affirm her father's words. So many people said bad things about Cedar. Wasn't it fine if one person said nice ones instead?

To her relief, Raymond didn't explode at that. He just looked tired. “You are serious about this, aren't you?” He rubbed his fingers over his forehead before turning to the hallway. “A prince won't marry into the family of a viscount. Even if it may seem like that now, he wouldn't give up the chance to secure the support of a much more powerful household through marriage. He wouldn't be content becoming a viscount, and it wouldn't be good for you to become the princess consort of a traitor either. Even being his mistress would cause a lot of problems.”

If she hadn't been sure of it before, she was now convinced that her father misunderstood her completely. Lucille tried to read his expression, and when he paused, she used that chance to speak up. “He and I aren't-”

Raymond didn't let her finish. “You don't need to lie anymore. It's rather obvious. I won't punish you for that. You should have told me earlier, but we can't do anything about it now. Keep in mind that this won't last. He isn't the type of person that would ever fall in love. You are young and inexperienced. That makes you a perfect target for a manipulator like him. Be careful. I'll try to keep this from spreading. I will take my leave now. I will do my best to process this until dinner.” With that, he left and climbed down the stairs.

For a moment, Lucille considered yelling after him to make sure that he understood that she wasn't Cedar's lover, but she was too uncertain for that. She wasn't sure where Raymond would get angry at her after all. Right now, she was extremely lucky that he hadn't seen the need to yell at her nor tried to rebuke her harshly. So, she should be happy with the result. She quickly closed her mouth again, and slowly, her panic fell off her.

Lucille breathed out and continued to lean against the wall for a while before forcing herself to go back to the bedroom again. She carefully knocked on the door and then stepped inside.

As he had promised, Cedar stood directly next to the entrance. He had leaned against the wall and came toward her as soon as they made eye contact. “Nothing bad happened, right? It sounded like you both were calm, so I didn't interrupt. Was that alright?”

Lucille was a bit surprised to be greeted like that. “Oh... Yes. I think it was calm.”

With how close Cedar had been next to the door, he might have even listened to every word that they had spoken, but he had still asked how she was. That was touching, much like when he had hugged her to console her.

The thought of that embarrassed Lucille a bit, so she averted her eyes. “He didn't get mad. That was good.” And it had been unexpected. She wasn't sure what had kept her father from exploding, but she was eternally grateful for that. She had braced herself for much worse. To be honest, she was still shaking slightly. She couldn't quite believe that she had been so lucky, so she had to try to convince herself. “And since he didn't get mad, everything is fine now.”

Cedar gazed at her for a moment before replying. “Are you sure? You look like the conversation drained you quite a bit. I wanted to talk about something with you, but we can delay that if you feel unwell now.”

“No, it's fine.” It didn't help that her voice was trembling while she said that. “I just...have to calm down...a little.”

Of course, the prince didn't believe her. He quickly put his hands on her shoulders and guided her to the bed. He made her sit down and then gave her a glass of water, which apparently had still been here since the last evening.

Lucille hesitantly took it while being scared of dropping it. She drank a few sips before giving the glass back to Cedar. Why was she feeling so down now? She had just gone through a conversation that hadn't ended with her being hurt or treated harshly by her father. She should celebrate. But right now, her relief only made her tired. She wanted to cry, even though everything had gone well. Lucille felt how the mattress dipped next to her and waited for him to speak up.

But the prince stayed quiet. Maybe he wanted to give her a chance to talk first.

It was just an impulse, but she opened her mouth a second later. “Could you hug me again if you don't mind it?” She felt like a child while asking for that and regretted it as soon as those words had left her mouth. She hadn't meant to embarrass herself like that again. Now he would probably hate her. Lucille felt the blood drain from her face and quickly turned to Cedar to apologize. “I'm...sorry. I wasn't-”

Lucille was cut off by the feeling of a pair of arms pulling her close. All the words on her tongue died down, and she leaned into the hug to allow herself to calm down for a little while. She was upset right now, so she wanted to be held. If Cedar didn't mind consoling her, couldn't she be childish for a few minutes?

Being with him immediately made her feel protected and safe, even though most people would argue that Cedar was the most dangerous person here. But why would she care about what others said when she was in this position right now?

His hug was the warmest she had ever felt.