Lucille didn't find any of this funny at all. It had been bad enough that she had come into the hallway, only to find a huge group of guards in front of her room. Then she had reached them and received the emperor's response, which didn't make this any better.
“Cedar is inside to speak with one of the last assassins Camille works with. If we can get that man to talk, we will know if he relayed any orders to people outside. She had one way to contact outsiders we already found, and now we need to check whether she is trying to attack us another way. Don't worry. Cedar will convince that man after a quick conversation.” All in all, Theodore just explained that Camille had sent an assassin to kill her son, and now Cedar was inside that room alone with this assassin.
Lucille was about to throw up when she heard that. She could already cry because of that situation, and needing to wait until something happened made it worse. She wanted to sit down, but at the same time, she wanted to pace around. Her mind was in turmoil, and thoughts of the most unfavorable results made her sick to her stomach so that she could barely stand upright anymore. How come Theodore was so calm? Surely, Cedar was a great fighter, but an assassin was good as well. Her lover could get hurt if something went wrong. There definitely should be another person aside from Leon to help him.
So, she was more than relieved when the door finally opened and the knights rushed in. She would have liked to follow them immediately, but she was told to wait.
Lucille stood still for a few seconds but could barely hold back for half a minute. Then she ran inside. Her eyes darted around as she tried to find her lover. When she saw him, she immediately ran toward him. “Cedar!” She had used up all of her self-control already, so she slammed into him without being able to slow her pace. The impact pressed all air out of her lungs, and she pushed her lover backward quite a bit.
Cedar managed to keep them upright anyway. He turned to the side a bit and took a few steps back, but he didn't fall over like she had feared. Instead, he was fully focused on his lover and already had her wrapped up in his arms. He looked down at her and scanned her for a moment before he spoke up. “Is everything alright?” Why was he asking her that?
Surely, Lucille was almost crying, but that was mainly because she had worried about him. She pressed her teeth together in an attempt to hold back a sob and bowed forward to lean her head against his chest. “I'm...so happy that you are alright.” She whimpered that and didn't manage to say much more. She just hugged her lover and relished in the relief upon seeing that he wasn't wounded.
Cedar stroked over her back and leaned down to kiss her head a few times before he whispered to her. “Of course, I am fine. I'm not so weak that I would get injured because some idiot attacks me. You can rest assured that I will always come back for you. I can't get injured if that will worry you so much.”
Lucille wanted to argue that he should not get injured even if she wasn't worried, but she didn't have the strength to say something logical. So, she just hugged her lover tightly and only turned her head when she heard someone else speak.
Leonard had positioned himself in front of the man who was being surrounded by the guards and spoke up in a calm voice. “You surely have more weapons than that. Put all of them away.”
The man, whom Lucille recognized as Reeve, Cedar's guard, nodded immediately. Reeve pulled out two more daggers as well as some small golden drops, which he threw onto the floor too. “That was all. Those yellow things are sweets, and the daggers are typical metal blades. I usually have more, but I didn't expect to win a fight against His Royal Highness, so I didn't prepare too much.” Which either meant that he hadn't wanted to kill Cedar or that he was still hiding some weapons and wanted to use those to free himself. But the second option was unlikely since he looked too resigned to consider fighting.
Lucille couldn't help but be relieved. She wanted to hope that her lover hadn't been in any real danger.
A few seconds passed before Leonard decided that Reeve was telling the truth. Still, he was overly careful when he made the other man turn around and tied his hand behind his back. He moved rather quickly, but it looked like he searched Reeve for weapons and didn't find any. That didn't keep the guards from aiming their swords at the attacker though.
Reeve wasn't in a very good mood, but surprisingly, he wasn't angry or extremely upset either. Maybe he had expected this to some extent. After all, he had broken into the royal palace. He didn't move unless someone asked something of him, and he didn't try to argue either. He didn't even stir when the emperor walked over to him.
Theodore had crossed his arms and looked down at the other man with something that wasn't cold fury but came quite close. “So, you are the Reeve we never managed to catch. You seem to be good at slipping away in secret. The only question is why you thought that we wouldn't prepare for something like this. What was your plan?”
Cedar chimed in a moment later. “And don't just say that Mother ordered you to kill me. You didn't try to initiate a serious fight, or you would have taken others along to catch me off guard. What did you really want? Don't lie.”
Reeve was silent for a moment. He glanced at the emperor and the royal advisor. But after a few seconds, he looked at Cedar again and replied in a weak voice. “I wanted to have you beat me up so that I could prove that I fought you. I would have tried to convince your mother that you didn't kill me because you have a sliver of trust in me. Then she would have left me alive to use me, and I hoped that she wouldn't be able to do that during the next few months. Then she would die, and I would be able to withdraw without pulling attention to myself. I'm not sure whether I hoped for too much, but that seemed reasonable.”
Theodore scanned the other man for a few seconds before responding. “Most of it is reasonable. But you forgot to include how you will get out of the palace in your plan. No one here would have let you run away. We need to keep that woman from using you against us later. From now on, you won't be able to help her much. You are hereby arrested for trespassing in the royal estate as well as attempted treason. You can start thinking about what to use as an excuse already.”
Reeve let out a low sigh. “Well, not that it will help me. But I guess that being put in a cell won't be that bad. It's better than being forced to work with your mother even longer. I can't stand that woman.”
Theodore's reply came immediately. “That abomination is not my mother. You will not refer to her as such from now on.” He hadn't necessarily sounded angry, but his voice had been authoritarian enough to ensure that no one would question what he had said, even if he technically was Camille's son.
Reeve quickly corrected himself. “I understand. The former dowager empress is the one that I don't want to work for anymore.”
Ceder let out a little huff before he lifted his head off Lucille's shoulder and whispered to her. “It's surprising he held on for so long. Reeve is a mercenary, so I don't even know why he allowed that woman to take advantage of him. He should just have chosen a different person to work for months ago. After I left, it had already become obvious that Mother had no chance to win anymore. Trying to gain the last bit of money he could press out of her was rather risky when you keep in mind that Mother is unstable.” It sounded a bit like he was genuinely annoyed with this.
Lucille had no clue about the whole situation, but she understood his arguments at least. “You're right. He should have stayed away from her much sooner. I don't even get why people help her in general, but especially now she should have lost all of her credibility.”
Cedar pressed a small kiss onto her head before he replied. “People follow Mother for money and influence. It's that easy. They want her to pay them with gold coins, and they want to receive more power in case she wins. Why some people believe that a person like her could beat Theodore is questionable though. At least most of them left the battle now.” That was all he seemed to have to say about this. He turned his head to face his brother and Reeve.
A few seconds passed in utter silence. The emperor stood in front of the assassin they had captured and just stared at him. He didn't need to do more to be intimidating.
Reeve didn't dare to move for a while. When he spoke up, one could hear that he wasn't sure what to expect from now on. “So... Am I going to be executed for attempted treason, or can I get myself out of that by chattering about that woman for a while?”
No response came.
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Reeve lowered his gaze to the floor and sighed. “That's not a good answer, is it? That was to be expected. I'm an assassin, and His Royal Highness told you already. So, there is no reason to spare me.”
Theodore tapped his fingers onto his arm while watching the other man closely. It almost seemed like he was piercing him with his gaze and could look into his very soul. “Your profession is problematic. Naturally, we will not allow you to kill anyone else. But there are different ways to ensure that. Some are nice, some aren't. Of course, we would favor the more lenient ones. For example, I could pardon you if you prove to be useful. If you are really good, you will never even be connected to any crimes. Did you hear anything about people who support me being put on trial?” He paused only for a few seconds to give the other man a chance to think.
Reeve looked like he wanted to speak, but quickly realized that the question had been rhetorical.
Theodore already answered his own question. “You didn't. Because I never let anyone on my side get convicted. Did you hear about the Vasquez family? The former duke caused so much trouble that I could have executed all of them. But the son pledged his loyalty to us, and now he is a duke and one of the most influential men in the nation. As you can imagine, I was the one who made that possible. And the former dowager empress wasn't too happy about that since her sister didn't support her anymore. She did cause trouble once after that, but she didn't manage to harm the Vasquez family because I protected them.” It wasn't even clear whether he was speaking the truth. The way that he delivered his words was enough to make them seem believable without any factual evidence.
Reeve watched the emperor with caution. He didn't seem to trust that he would get out of this unharmed, but he saw a chance. And of course, he immediately took it. “Did I misunderstand that, or did you ask me to help you in exchange for my life?”
Theodore replied without skipping a beat. “Yes. We are in a good position in contrast to that woman. However, she is being cornered at the moment, so we can't be sure what to expect. We need to find out what she is planning. For that, we will arrest you. And then we will send you back to that woman. You can act like you broke out of the palace and make her trust you with some excuses. And from then onward, you will inform us of everything she is planning. No matter what it is, I want to hear about it. Understood?”
Lucille was pretty sure that Theodore had once said that he didn't necessarily need any more evidence to convict Camille. So, maybe this was rather supposed to ensure that that woman didn't secretly plan another assassination attempt. But in the end, the reasoning didn't matter if it helped them in some way.
Reeve blinked a few times. “Honestly?” He waited for a moment as if he expected Theodore to take back his words. When that didn't happen, he continued. “That sounds a bit too good to be true. I mean, you can't just...” He glanced to the side and made eye contact with Leon. His mood changed in an instant, and most of his uncertainty disappeared. “Or maybe you can.” He turned to the emperor again and slowly lowered his head while trying not to make some sort of movement that could seem like a threat. “In that case, I would like to accept that offer. I want to live for a bit longer. So, it would be nice if I could help in some way.”
That choice wasn't really surprising.
But still, Cedar seemed to be a bit skeptical. He scanned Reeve for too long before he looked at Lucille again. He smiled at her while he lifted a hand to stroke over the backside of her head. “It seems like Theodore will always find a way to recruit people. The only question is whether that person will remain loyal or give in to their cowardice. We will see. I trust that Theodore will be able to make that assessment.” He was silent for a moment as he seemed to be lost in thoughts before he snapped out of it. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against his lover's. “I hope that you didn't have to wait for too long. I'm sorry that our room was obstructed for a little while.”
Lucille lifted her arms again and wrapped them around his neck. “That doesn't matter.” She pressed her lips into a thin line in an attempt to keep herself from whining, but in the end, she couldn't help it. She could only give in and say what she had thought about. “I was scared but not because of the room. I was worried about you. I came back, and suddenly, I heard that you were inside here with an assassin. Do you have any idea how much that scared me? Don't do things like this again. I thought that my heart would stop beating.”
Cedar only grinned. He lifted his head a little to look into her eyes and brought one hand to her cheek while he spoke. “So, I worried my beloved? That can't happen again. I'm sorry. I will be more careful from now on. But you can rest assured that this man isn't nearly as good as I am. I would have crushed him in a fight.”
“I know. But I'm scared. I love you, and I don't want to lose you nor do I want you to get hurt. So, please be as careful as you can.”
Cedar responded by kissing her and allowing them to indulge in the sweet sensation of their lips meeting each other. When he pulled back, he let his thumb move across her bottom lip. “I have to say that I am honored to receive such kind words. When you worry about me, I can't help but wonder what I did to deserve such a sweet lover.” He moved closer to her again as if he wanted to kiss her once more and carefully guided her head toward him.
Lucille already went up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway, but she didn't reach her lover's lips before someone interrupted them.
Leonard was the one who spoke up. “Would you two please stop that? We are currently in the middle of arresting a suspect. Could you-” He cut himself off when he realized that no one listened to him.
Lucille had hesitated, but Cedar had ignored the other man and gently kissed his lover. The prince didn't hold back in any way and pressed his lips onto hers for a few seconds before he pulled back. Then he smiled at her for a moment longer and stroked over the side of her face before he turned to Leon. “Get yourself a partner, please. You keep annoying everyone around you with your jealousy, and that has to end at some point. There probably are enough people who would like to meet up with you. So, give someone a chance.”
Leonard frowned at him before he just spun around. “I will leave you to it then.” He walked over to the arrested man and spoke in a much more authoritarian voice. “I will bring him to the interrogation cell. I can take care of everything important for now.”
Theodore nodded at that. “Please do. I will deal with the rest here. Take him away.” He didn't even check whether someone listened to his orders. He just glanced at Reeve one last time and said something that seemed like an offer and a threat at the same time. “I will see you tomorrow. For now, sleep and think about what your future will look like.” Then he turned away. A second later, he already focused on his brother. He stopped directly next to the couple and spoke at a low volume. “And you are certain that everything is fine? He didn't bring strange things like poison inside? And there was no fight?”
Cedar affirmed that immediately. “Indeed, Theodore. Nothing happened. We merely chatted for a moment. I was a bit surprised by the fact that Reeve was sent, but I should have expected to see an assassin soon anyway. It was too calm for too long.” He showed his brother a wide smile.
Theodore scanned the other man for a moment until he was content. “We shouldn't need to expect attacks at all times, so don't concern yourself with this. It's good that you are fine. I feared that that man would attack you all of a sudden and that you could get hurt because you trusted your old friend too much.”
Cedar shrugged. “I wouldn't really call him a friend. He worked for me, and I talked to him a few times. He can be nice, but he is an absolute coward. He told Mother about Lucille right after I met her, and that caused rather problematic circumstances as you may remember. I'm still upset with him because of that.”
Lucille unwillingly remembered the events of the attack in her home and shivered for a moment. She leaned into Cedar and tried to ignore her wrath upon being reminded of Camille's deeds.
Theodore nodded to himself as if he was taking a mental note of this. “So, we can expect him to do what is best for him in the current situation. We will give him some false information about us and confirm whether he tells someone about that when we end up letting him go. In that case, the former dowager empress trusts him to some extent. We can use that to steer her in a specific direction. If he is able to help us while being loyal, that would be even better. After all, we could use some information about that woman. Right now, she doesn't see anyone but Reeve. I only need to know how to assess Reeve now.”
Cedar replied rather quickly. “He will probably help you. Just because he hopes for a place to sleep while also being protected from most dangers. That will probably be so endearing that he can't refuse. Obviously, protecting his life if he helps is also a rather good argument to support us. But I can't tell you what he will do. Reeve is an odd case. He doesn't have the type of personality that one would expect of an assassin. He is a sociable person and likes romance books and things like that. He is quite a coward and flinches when something moves next to him. He dislikes the dark and hates fighting. To be honest, he is mostly used as a messenger who brings letters in and out of difficult places. He is a genius when it comes to stealth, but even that isn't something he is perfect at. I remember him falling off a tree and spraining his ankle last year.”
Theodore looked like he was lost in thoughts. He had raised his hand to his chin and listened with utmost care before responding. “I will try to find out more about whether we can trust him.” He remained silent for a moment before he snapped out of it and showed the couple a soft smile. “In any case, you won't have to worry. We will keep him and any other threat in check. You can withdraw already if you want to. I would suggest you leave this room for a few minutes so that the guards can confirm whether there truly isn't anything hidden here. After that, you can return to your chambers. Is that fine?”
Lucille expected her lover to reply, but he just looked at her. This probably meant that he didn't think that it was necessary but that they could do it to be sure. Lucille valued security even more than he did, so her response was clear. “We will just take a walk in the garden before everything is done. It won't take too long, right?”
Theodore affirmed that with a nod. “They will just go through the rooms and look at everything. A walk should be enough to cover the time until they are done. And if that isn't the case, you can still come visit and play with Aurora a bit.”
Lucille had just done that, but she wouldn't complain about visiting again. “Alright. We will see how much time we take outside.” She doubted that the walk would end quickly though. Most likely, her lover and she would find enough chances to exchange hugs or kisses, of which some had gotten rather passionate during the past few weeks. That would delay their return by a lot.
Cedar knew that too, and still, he showed his brother an innocent smile. “Of course. We can't be sure that we will have enough time, but we will give our best.” He was lying without much effort.
Theodore probably guessed that, but he didn't comment on it. He just wished them a good afternoon and then returned to his wife and daughter.
This left the couple on their own with some free time they would have to use up. As planned, they went outside into the garden and looked around a little while admiring the beautiful rose garden. And as expected, cuddling on the bench ended with them kissing quite a few times in a rather passionate manner.
Lucille was almost sure that she would die of embarrassment if someone else had seen that, but while kissing, she couldn't think about that. She could only think about her lover, and she adored every second of it. In Cedar's arms, she could relax more than anywhere else. Every fiber of her being was filled with bliss when their lips crashed onto the other's, and yet, there was some little embarrassing desire for more that rose inside her.