Cedar had known that Lucille wouldn't take the information about her mother well. Still, he had decided that it was better to be honest with her. In retrospect, he might regret that a little.
Normally, others' emotions didn't bother him much. In the past, he had mostly ignored how they were feeling and focused on his issues unless he could use their weaknesses against them. That had changed over time since he had become more compassionate. Still, he wasn't devastated when he saw other people with tears running down their faces and maybe just a bit uncertain.
However, he absolutely despised seeing Lucille cry.
When Cedar witnessed that, it felt like his heart was surrounded by acid, and his chest hurt. He wanted to immediately make it better whenever he saw that she was upset, but in this case, it was, unfortunately, impossible. He couldn't influence her mother's decisions, even if he found them stupid. So, Cedar did the best he could do. He hugged Lucille for the entire evening and calmed her down. He went to sleep with her curled up in his arms.
The next morning, Lucille had still been in a horrible mood. Cedar had tried to cheer her up by ordering her favorite meal and bringing her everything she could like. In the end, that only made it a bit better.
Lucille was less upset the next evening, but that didn't erase her bitterness about her mother. It was understandable that she was angry when this reason to abandon her family seemed nonsensical to her. Apparently, Emily had never asked herself how her daughter would feel about this. Now Lucille had found out about the truth, and this had probably been much more painful than seeing her sick mother could have been.
Especially since treating that sickness would have been possible so that Emily could have expected to reach the age of fifty. At least if she had stayed in the Valerian mansion with little contact with people who could transport illnesses to her, and if she had taken the prescribed medicine to slow down the progression of the illness. But Emily hadn't done that. Now she would have much less time left.
That wasn't Cedar's problem though. He was focused on his lover and making her feel good. He made sure to shower her with affection and even asked Theodore whether he could take off two days from work. Unsurprisingly, he had received permission so that he had the chance to be with Lucille for the whole day.
Thankfully, it seemed like she was getting better with time. After another day passed, Lucille stopped thinking about her mother regularly and could busy herself with things again. She said that she was fine too, and superficially, it seemed like she had gotten over what she had found out. But that wasn't completely true. She still demanded more hugs than normal or occasionally stared into the distance before beginning to cry.
Seeing that pained Cedar more than anything could have hurt him. He hated witnessing her in this state, and he would have liked to help her out of it. But he couldn't shape the past. He could just be there for her in the present and do his best to create a wonderful future with her. So, he tried everything he could to support Lucille despite his lack of understanding of normal emotions. To make sure that everything was fine, he even asked Blanche to distract Lucille a bit while he was working or training.
Today, it seemed like the empress had busied Lucille quite a bit again.
When Cedar came back from training, she didn't seem to be present. Instead, Theodore waited in the hallway, surrounded by a group of guards. That was never a good sign.
Cedar had looked forward to seeing Lucille and was now suddenly confronted with something upsetting, which served to ruin his mood entirely. He spoke up as soon as he reached his brother. “What happened?”
Theodore's expression was serious but showed no fear or unease, indicating that the threat might not be deadly. But what he said contradicted that. “Do you remember the secret passageways we found a while ago?” The one in the empress' room and the one in Cedar's old chambers.
How could Cedar forget? “Did someone use them?”
“Yes. The guards I placed there informed me as soon as they came in. Plus, we caught the former dowager empress asking for a meeting with this intruder earlier today.” Theodore probably understood that his brother immediately imagined a group of assassins sneaking in, so he gave more information. “It seems to be a singular person. A young man with dark hair. The description seems to match the man you identified as your guard last time.”
That did catch Cedar off guard. He had expected his mother to send someone deadly, not the singular worst assassin he had ever worked with. “Reeve?” He scanned the emperor's face and then the hallway. “Judging by the fact that you are standing here and guarding the door, I take he is inside and not much of a threat.”
Theodore gave a nod. “Leon is on the balcony to keep him from fleeing, so he is stuck. We have two options now. Either we arrest him immediately, or you can try to press some information from him. You know him best, so you have to guess whether that has any odds of success without endangering yourself.”
Cedar was skeptical. There was no real threat, but Reeve was basically a mercenary, following whoever could offer him a more comfortable life. Getting him to change sides wasn't impossible, but since he hadn't done so before, he might be too connected with Camille to give up on that fully. It was always a risk to take in new people, and Reeve probably didn't know enough to make that risk justified.
But then again, it was worth an attempt.
Maybe Camille had some other aces up her sleeve, even if it seemed like her current interactions were monitored. In that case, Cedar would like to know before things escalated. This was a chance he couldn't just ignore. And so, the decision was made. “I'll talk to him. Give me a moment alone with him.”
Even though Theodore had suggested this, he immediately spoke again. “Are you sure? We don't know how he might react if he realizes he is cornered. Is he truly not a threat?”
Cedar certainly wouldn't risk anything by letting down his guard. But he was stronger than Reeve either way. “If I want to convince him of anything, we need to speak alone. I only need five minutes to gauge his reaction. Not that I expect him to know much.” After that, he could either give up or press for more information.
Theodore's hesitation made his mood quite obvious. He wasn't fond of this decision, even though he agreed that Cedar had better chances by going in alone. “If anything even seems a little-”
Cedar already knew what his brother would say, so he cut him off. “I'll be fine, Theodore. All of you are waiting here, right? Leon is close to us as well. Besides, Reeve is a horrible fighter. I have my sword, so I can defeat him in seconds.”
Theodore didn't reply anymore, but his expression was grim.
Cedar stepped into the room anyway, making sure to direct the guards a few steps away so that they wouldn't be seen from the door. He shut the door behind him as he carefully looked around. Almost immediately, he caught a glimpse of something that shouldn't be here from the corner of his eyes.
That almost made Cedar want to laugh. Only one person would have the glorious idea to eat something while infiltrating the palace. He decided that this was obvious enough for him to react to it. “No way. Reeve? I didn't see you for an eternity.” He tried his best to sound surprised while hiding his tension. He carefully moved his hand to the sheath on his hip and prepared to pull out the sword he was carrying with him to protect himself.
A second later, some rustling sounded. Then a man with dark clothes stepped out from behind the door to the secondary seating room. That certainly was Reeve, even if his expression was much more serious than it had been ever before. He looked rather uncertain while he hugged himself. This gesture was probably meant to show that he wouldn't initiate combat all of a sudden, but it only made the prince more prepared for a surprise attack.
But Reeve didn't lunge forward. He just stayed at the same spot and spoke up with a quiet voice. “Hey. It's really been a while. I'm...glad to see that you have been doing well. You moved into an even more luxurious room and get fed extremely tasty things. Your brother gets along with you, the empress likes you, and they blessed your engagement with a nice girl. Congratulations.”
Cedar didn't let his guard down. He wouldn't explain that this wasn't quite true since he wasn't engaged either. “You look like you aged five years in those few months.”
Reeve lifted his hand to scratch his neck, which immediately made the prince tense. But the guard didn't try to attack and only replied without any aggression in his voice. “Well, I had to deal with quite a few issues. Your brother caused some serious trouble for me after you revealed who I was. He sent people after me left and right, and I could barely settle down before someone showed up.”
Cedar almost felt bad for having used Reeve to prove that he wouldn't listen to Camille. Almost. After all, he knew that Reeve wasn't as innocent as he normally seemed. That man had killed people. So, Cedar wouldn't hesitate to fight back if he was attacked. “You probably would have tried something during Mother's banquet if I hadn't gotten rid of you. I couldn't risk any of the guests being injured, so this was the only way for me to save the situation. I could also have thrown you to the floor immediately, but that wouldn't have been a good idea during a banquet.” He sounded carefree and rather cheerful, but he kept scanning the man in front of him.
The prince wanted to be prepared for any kind of issues that could arise, so he had to read every slight movement to react in time. He should be able to rely on his reflexes during a surprise attack, but he would rather be careful than reckless. He didn't want his side to be sliced open again.
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Reeve didn't admit to the truth, which only proved that he had planned on doing something during the banquet. But he spoke about something else. “I see. That...makes sense. Still, the emperor can be rather ruthless if he targets you... I was cornered a few times.” That was good. After all, this had ensured that he wouldn't be able to listen to Camille's orders while he was being followed. But apprentice, he had seen her today.
Cedar tried to move as slowly as possible while he took a step to the side so that he was closer to the center of the room. Later, he could try to use the fact that he knew his way around to corner his enemy and find the vases he could throw. Not only was he the better fighter, but he also had an advantage because he knew the surroundings. This should be easy, but he wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating his enemy.
And even though Cedar wouldn't hesitate to kill if he needed to, he would rather avoid it. Especially when he faced someone like Reeve, whom he had treated as a casual acquaintance for a while. “I presume Mother troubled you a lot too.”
Reeve let out a nervous chuckle. “Indeed. She always used to be ruthless, but I feel like she lost the last bit of her sanity by now. I mean, she was stripped of her title, and her son told her that he wouldn't see her anymore after he broke her arm. Don't get me wrong. She deserved all of that. But you know how she is. She will blame anyone but herself. And in the end, you may have been a bit harsh with her.”
Cedar wouldn't admit that he regretted it each time he was cold to Camille. Even if she deserved that and much worse, he hated seeing her upset. But he would never tell anyone but Lucille. Instead, he gave his best to seem as indifferent as possible as he replied. “Then you won't like what will happen in the near future. Theodore will make her a commoner. And then he will most certainly bring up all of her old crimes to push her over the edge. Even sending assassins and bribing judges will not help her this time. Theodore decided to utterly crush her and everyone that sides with her. You should know what that means for you.” He stared right into the other's eyes.
Reeve was quiet for a short moment before he glanced to the side. “It seems like I already received a taste of that. Hopefully, I won't be treated as unkindly as her.” He scratched the back of his head before slowly lowering his hand.
For Cedar, that was enough of a reason to brace for an attack. But nothing happened. Yet, he didn't dare to relax and just held tightly onto the sword handle. He would only need a second to pull it out. “We will see about that. You will suffer if you continue to stand by that woman. But that is your choice. How did you get in here?”
Reeve glanced to the side and replied in a weak voice. “A secret passageway.” As expected.
Everything was going according to Theodore's plan then.
Cedar would have liked to glance at the balcony to confirm that Leon was there, but he couldn't give his enemy a hint. So, he just kept staring at the guard. “I see. Then it seems like we have been lenient with the security.” The prince scanned the other man for a few seconds before he spoke while pulling the sword out of the sheath while making sure to let the metal screech to create the most unpleasant sound. “You know that attacking me will not do you any good. I will crush you if you take a single step.” He wasn't even arrogant when he said that. If they started with this fact, maybe he could keep his former guard from attacking at all.
Reeve changed his stance a bit. His legs stood farther apart now, and he turned his upper body slightly. He was waiting for a fight. “I don't have a chance here, Your Royal Highness. I am aware. But refusing the order of the dowager empress, or rather the former dowager empress, will cost me my head. So, I'd rather have you finish me off than that witch.”
Cedar showed the other man a bright smile. This was exactly what he had previously thought when it came to playing along with his mother and just swallowing his unwillingness. Now he saw it differently, so being blindly obedient didn't make sense to him. “I cannot fathom why you would begin a fight that could get you killed instead of running away. Mother is too busy fuming to chase after you. She is also stuck in her mansion. You could just disappear.”
Reeve snorted at that. He scanned the prince as if he wanted to check whether the other man would attack him before he replied. “And where would I go? Back to the city to live on the streets while being chased by royal guards? I had to do that for the past few weeks already, and that was unfavorable. So, it seems like I am at a dead end.”
Cedar had thought that too. And then he had met Lucille. He considered trying to phrase that in a more pleasant way, but in the end, Reeve wasn't someone who needed to be manipulated. That man had a rather simple thought process. “Allow me to be so frank. You don't have to work for her anymore. Join us. Who but the emperor could protect you from my mother? And you will certainly find a place to sleep here too.”
Reeve froze, but he didn't let out a single noise. He just stared at the prince as if he expected something else to follow. Maybe he was just surprised too.
Cedar wasn't sure, but he kept insisting anyway. “Why are you so silent? If you need to think about whom you are loyal to, you probably have to change your master.” He was prepared to talk about how cruel his mother was, but that wasn't needed.
Reeve already replied. “The one I serve is you. That is why I shouldn't hesitate.” His expression was so uncharacteristically serious that it was odd to see as he continued. “But you haven't seen that woman's mental state during the past few weeks. She is worse than ever before. She has become even more cruel, sadistic and hysteric than she was. You know what that means. I am unlucky enough to be one of the few people she remembers. She will remember me if I betray her, and you know what happens then. If she finds out that I changed sides-” He worried about the consequences. So, he did consider changing sides.
Cedar showed him a wide grin and cut him off. “She won't care.” He waited for a moment to let the other man look at him in shock before he resumed. “You just said that her sanity is going downhill. I presume that she can barely think straight at the moment. She will grieve her rank and won't focus on you or any other servants. She will focus on Theodore and hate him with even more passion than before. You will be the last goal she has in mind. Especially not when you don't show your face to her ever again. Theodore will kill her in about three months anyway. You don't need to worry about anything.”
Reeve hesitated for a bit too long. Those reasons made sense. And he was the type of person who only needed logic that protected them from their cowardice. As long as one could convince him that he would stay safe, he would probably agree to anything. And right now, he seemed to think about this for real.
That would be nice since Cedar didn't want to kill him. So, he just continued to offer arguments. “Besides, we are in the royal palace. You don't need to fear anything here. This is the most secure location in this whole nation. No one can enter without the emperor's permission.”
Reeve blinked once before he let out a little laugh. A smug grin formed on his lips, but that was obviously fake. “My visit should prove the opposite. Your brother thinks he is very clever, but even he can't keep anyone from entering.”
Possibly. But Cedar pretended to be confident. He focused on talking, but he still held the sword tightly in his hand. “No. Your presence just affirms my words. Which one did you use?”
Reeve seemed a bit surprised at that. “What?”
Cedar would gladly use that confusion to take him off guard. He needed to create doubt if he wanted to save Reeve from being executed later after all information had been pressed from him. “I asked which passageway you chose. You could have used the one in the empress' chambers or the one that leads to the fireplace in my room. Both are close enough to here so that you could sneak over while wearing servant clothes, right? You spoke to Mother earlier this day, and then you quickly formulated that simple plan.”
Reeve's initial shock only affirmed that guess. He suddenly felt much less comfortable in the room and glanced to the side as if he wanted to confirm that they were really alone. But he didn't look at the balcony.
Cedar showed him a blinding smile as he continued. “Your plan was good, unless you remember that I'm not a suitable opponent for most people. However, you made one error. You failed to notice that Theodore has people watching over Mother's mansion and those passageways. We know when she speaks to anyone or someone comes in. And Theodore will certainly not let me fend off an assassin on my own even if I am more than capable. Support is already waiting on the balcony.”
Now Reeve spun around and jumped away from the windows. He reached for his pocket, which made it seem like he had his hand on the handle of a dagger. But he didn't draw the weapon yet. He stayed completely still while waiting for the reaction. Apparently, his quick movement alerted the person outside.
The glass door was opened, and Leon stepped inside as if nothing was wrong. Merely the dagger in his hand proved that he was prepared for a fight. He glanced at Cedar to confirm whether everything was fine before piercing Reeve with his eyes.
Reeve shifted his weight forward a bit to be quicker on his feet. He was much more on edge now, probably because he knew that there was no way to get out anymore. A fight against Cedar would have been bad enough, and if others got involved, it was impossible for him to even do a single thing.
A few seconds passed while no one said anything. Cedar chose to break the silence when it got too annoying. “You two haven't met, I assume. This is Leonard Astame, the emperor's advisor.” He gestured to Leon before pointing at the other man. “This is Reeve, my former guard. I hope that the two of you will get along from now on.” He focused his attention on Reeve and spoke up in a cheerful tone. “Just so that you know it, Leon is a former assassin. He can and will fight you if you do something stupid. Do you want to have a duel to confirm who is better?”
Reeve gritted his teeth. He still was prepared to fight, but he just stood there and kept glancing at the two other men while keeping his weapon close to him. He pressed out a reply between his teeth. “Don't worry. I'm not that stupid. I won't attack you or that...monster.”
Cedar glanced at Leon and gave him a skeptical look. “That sounded like he was speaking from experience. No way. Do you know each other?”
Leon scanned Reeve's face again before he replied. “No. I'm good at remembering faces, but I haven't seen him. I only know the description Theodore gave me.”
Reeve looked like he wanted to stay quiet, but when the others stared at him, he spoke. “Well, we don't really know each other. But I do remember the face of the most infamous assassin from a few years ago. I once ran into him because we had the same target. I may be good, but I won't lose the ability to compare myself to others. I won't win a fight against either of you. And defeating both would require a little army.” That was exaggerated. But it underlined that Reeve respected Leon's fighting skills, which could only mean that Leonard had killed someone in front of him with such talent that he was still fearful.
Cedar was content with that. They could go without staining the carpet because of some stupid fight. Still, he couldn't help making a snarky comment again. “So, you're scared of him. That is rare. And frankly speaking, I am a bit offended. You respect Leon but never held back when joking about me? I think there is a serious issue here.”
Reeve snorted while he glanced at Cedar. “Oh, don't worry. You are terrifying too. With you, I can just be sure that killing me would be too annoying for you because you know that the room will have to be cleaned. I have no idea what that man is thinking though.” He forced himself to relax a little and stood upright again. Seemingly, he had given up on a fight.
Leon looked rather content with that. He twirled around the dagger in his hand, which he definitely only did to brag, before he spoke in a slightly louder voice. “Everything is clear now. The intruder will not fight.”
Seconds later, the main door to the hallway was opened. Within a single second, a dozen guards rushed in and aimed their swords at Reeve, who raised his arms immediately and froze in the place.
Theodore followed the group and quickly strode over to stop next to his brother. “Are you alright? No one hurt?”
Cedar confirmed that with a nod. “No one attacked anyone. You can refrain from panicking.” He finally dared to lower his sword but didn't let go of it, just in case that something went wrong.
Reeve was in a much more difficult position. He balled his fists so tightly that his knuckles were white as he probably expected the worst already. He scanned the people around him before looking at the emperor and the prince. For a few seconds, he didn't move before he finally admitted defeat. “This is unfavorable.” He lowered his arms and took a deep breath. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small dagger, which he dropped to the floor before kicking it away. Then he lifted his hands again to show that he wouldn't do anything when one of the guards moved his sword closer to him.
Cedar kept an eye on that since he really didn't need Reeve to cause trouble at this point in time. Still, he focused on Theodore for a bit to explain what had happened in more detail. He planned on saying that they might be able to convince Reeve to join them under the condition that someone watched him at first to confirm whether he was loyal. But since Reeve would be loyal to anyone who gave him food and a place to sleep, it should be fine. Cedar didn't get to say that though.
At that moment, someone else came rushing into the room.
Cedar only needed to see a trace of red to confirm who the person who rushed toward him was. He dropped his sword and extended his arms to catch Lucille, who almost knocked him over.