Cedar's day had been rather pleasant in the beginning. As he opened up his eyes, the soft sunlight shone onto him. The room was tinted in a gentle red, and he could slowly wake up without hurrying. Though, the best thing was his lover, who was curled up in his arms. He watched her for a moment until he was satisfied and let his head rest on the pillow again.
Then Cedar became distracted though. He hadn't wanted to think about it at all, but his mind automatically wandered into territories he didn't need to explore. Memories from his childhood came up, which proved that he had probably dreamed something about his past but had forgotten it after waking up. Maybe the invitation for a dinner with his mother had reminded him too. Either way, he didn't want to dwell on that, much like he didn't want to dwell on his guilty conscience.
For the most part, it was fine, especially when matters like Lucille's family problems distracted him. But when Cedar had free time and nothing to do, he thought about his mother. Then it got unpleasant. It had been a while since he had seen Camille, a while since he had said such horrible things to her. Almost a month had passed, and yet, the memory of Camille's expression made him nauseous.
Cedar tried to direct his thoughts in another direction. He managed to do that, but the memory of him grabbing and breaking his mother's arm was still fresh in his mind, even though that was even further away than the trial. He didn't want to ponder that, so he thought about the near future instead.
What would happen during the following month? The first thing that came to his mind was his mother's demand to join her for dinner. He had refused that, but most likely, Camille would try something else. Sometimes, it was really helpful that she didn't seem to think clearly when it came to things like this. Her plots were often predictable and rather simple-minded, and that was quite relieving.
Cedar glanced at Lucille to make sure that she truly wasn't half-awake before he gave himself permission to move slightly. Now his position was much more pleasant, and he could still hold his lover without cutting off the blood flow in his arms. He watched his beloved for a few seconds and allowed himself to kiss her forehead before he held still again. Before his thoughts could wander to unpleasant matters, he quickly focused on something else that would be important very soon.
The hunting festival was in three weeks.
On that day, anyone who cared for a challenge would hunt in the forest near the palace. They had two hours to gather as many animals as possible. They received points for the prey they brought back, and depending on an animal's size, the points ranged from one to three. The current record was at thirteen points, which Theodore had scored the festival before the last one. Since the emperor traditionally always won because no one wanted to offend him, the identity of the victor hadn't been surprising, but the sudden improvement of a man who had hated training before had caused an uproar.
Cedar himself had been irritated after hearing that his personal guard had been killed by Theodore within a single motion of the sword. He hadn't grieved much for that arrogant man, but still, his brother's skills had surprised him. But that wasn't the point.
During the hunt, each lady brought a handkerchief, which originally should have been embroidered by the concerned person herself but was often bought now. She handed that to the person she wanted to win. That normally was a member of her family or someone she had a romantic interest in, like her fiancé. If the person won, the honor of their victory was due to the lucky lady who had given them her handkerchief.
Cedar had never taken part until now. Before being put in confinement, he had been too young, and last year, he had been busy trying to keep his mother in check after they had been put into confinement due to the revolt again. But this year, he might hunt as well. Even if that place would reawaken unpleasant memories since he remembered how Althea had died there, he would like to offer Lucille his victory. Surely, he would need to put in a bit of effort to be better than his brother, which always was somewhat difficult, but he couldn't just give up. He was good at shooting arrows, so it shouldn't be an issue for him to gain at least fourteen points. He knew that he would take the second place at least, but trying to win over his brother was tempting when he had a valid chance, especially when he knew that Theodore would give his best as well. Preparing for that hunt seemed like a good way to distract himself, so he might as well train archery and horse riding a bit again before he made his choice.
The only other missing thing missing would be a handkerchief, given to him by Lucille. Surely, she wouldn't mind making him one. She had always been good at embroidery, and the first handkerchief she had gifted him was still one of his favorites. He had rarely seen something as beautiful as that, and knowing that she had made it for him still made him happy whenever he saw it. If Cedar gave her something in return, maybe he could ask for a second one.
The bigger question was whether she would be willing to publicly hand it over to him and admit to their relationship like that. They already seemed like a couple to everyone in noble society, and they planned to marry, but she might not be ready to show it.
Cedar would respect Lucille's wishes either way. He should ask her once she woke up.
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In the end, Lucille slept for at least another half an hour before she slowly became more restless and woke up. She showed her lover a little breathtaking smile as soon as she saw him, which earned her a kiss immediately. After that, she was shy for a few minutes, most likely because she thought about the evening before, until she calmed down a little.
Cedar used that to his advantage. He took his time cuddling with her before they finally stood up and ate breakfast together. At some point, he found the perfect moment to mention the hunting festival.
Lucille was rather enthusiastic about the prospect of making him a handkerchief. She beamed at him and promised that it would be the best she had ever worked on. Upon being asked whether she would hand it over officially that day too, he received a shy nod from her. Apparently, his worries had been for naught again since she liked this idea as much as he did.
After that conversation, Cedar was in a good mood. That stayed the same when he brought Lucille to the royal couple's room, received a kiss as a goodbye and left before he visited his brother's office. He was fully prepared to deal with some boring contracts without destroying his current good mood. But of course, the gods hadn't allowed him to be this lucky for long. For some reason, his day had needed to get worse again.
As soon as he came inside, he saw Reeve standing next to the desk, and that proved one thing immediately.
Cedar made eye contact with his brother and the assassin as he closed the door behind him. He walked over to the desk and showed the others a bright smile while he couldn't hold back the snarky comment. “You left two days ago. How come Mother already planned something that includes you breaking into the palace again? Did she forget that you were caught last time?”
Reeve returned a weak smile before he shrugged. “Good day, Your Royal Highness. After I pointed that out, she said, or rather yelled, that it would be fine as long as I don't let you see me. I was supposed to put some liquid in your meal. To be honest, I have no idea what it does since she was so hysterical while telling me that I couldn't understand a word. I think she was upset because you broke her arm while you wouldn't hurt me even when I came to attack you.”
Cedar let out a huff at that. “You didn't try to kill my lover in front of me while I only had one second left to react. If you had done that, I would have broken your arm too. In this case, it's Mother's fault.” At least he told himself that despite feeling horribly guilty. But at the moment, he couldn't focus on that. He scanned the other man's face for a moment before adding another remark. “Besides, I think that your current injuries are more than enough. What happened? Did you fall out of a tree again?”
Reeve unwillingly lifted his hand before reminding himself that he couldn't touch his reddened nose. He narrowed his eyes. “No. I'm not that stupid. That sarcastic idiot said that it was better to make it more believable and almost broke my nose as a cover. I know that I'm an assassin too, but that man is insane.” Most likely, he was talking about Leon, who seemed to be a bit extreme in some situations.
Cedar didn't want to make the decision in that regard since he wasn't sure what Leon had been thinking, so he didn't give Reeve a response. He turned his attention to his brother. “And? What kind of liquid is it?”
Theodore's expression was unusually grim to the point at which he looked like he was planning a murder. Thus, part of his response was already obvious before he spoke. “It's similar to the ones you brought along from the outside. It's the one from the purple vial. Our former dowager empress truly wants to make her death more painful. She keeps planning such petty things even when the noose is tightening around her neck.” So, it had been a drug that made a person go into a hysteric state.
Cedar almost sighed at so much stupidity. “She tried that a few times already. When will she give up?” He was slowly getting annoyed with his mother. He might not be willing to admit it out loud, but it was a bit insulting that Camille thought that he would be swayed to do horrible things as long as she drugged him. Cedar leaned against the desk and crossed his arms before adding the rest of his thoughts. “So, we only have one choice, right? We will say that Reeve drugged me and that I locked myself in my room after noticing that something was wrong. If we are lucky, this will make Mother remember that I am rather good at ignoring unpleasant feelings.”
Theodore let out a noise of pure frustration. “I don't think that woman will remember anything. She is too stupid to understand anything that doesn't fit into her delusional world. She wants everyone to act how she would like it, and if they don't do that, she finds excuses. Currently, she believes that Lucille is the reason why you turned away and wants to harm her. Of course, we won't let that happen, and she is completely isolated. But...”
Cedar nodded already and replied. “I understand. I will be careful and tell Lucille to keep an eye open as well.”
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Theodore didn't seem happy yet anyway, but he calmed down a bit. “Good.” He directed his gaze to Reeve. “Tell us everything you heard that woman say. The other staff picked up a lot already, but even random syllables could help.”
Reeve seemed to feel a bit uncomfortable between the two men. He looked from one to the other before he quietly replied. “I can't guarantee that I remember everything. I will...try to repeat as much as possible.” In the end, he truly didn't remember too much. He gave his best, but Camille had voiced little but insults that were directed at everyone living inside the palace. This didn't help at all, so they relied on the main plan.
They came to the conclusion that Reeve would claim that he had poured the drug into the prince's drink and that a servant had tested the meal and figured out the effects before Cedar had eaten it. Hopefully, that would be convincing enough for Camille. This was all they needed to discuss, and Reeve was allowed to leave early.
For the rest of the hour, Theodore described some ideas that he wanted to use to increase the security around the important places in the palace. Cedar listened the whole time while trying to remember whether he had ever planned on using some weak spot in the palace's security for his own gain. It seemed like his brother had covered everything though, which was relieving. Still, both tried to come up with new plans together, which would have been unthinkable just a few months ago.
After that conversation, Cedar returned to his lover. Apparently, he had missed her though. Lucille had left the empress' room a few minutes ago and had already gone back to her own room. Cedar wasn't proud of it, but he felt a sting in his stomach as soon as he heard that. A part of him was scared already and feared that something had happened to Lucille. Thus, he was rather fast on his way back and almost ran into someone. When he arrived at their room and came inside, his worry was wiped away as soon as he saw her.
Lucille was sitting at the table and used a pen to write something on a blank piece of paper. When she heard the door, she looked up and greeted him with a soft smile. “You're back early. Were today's documents simple?”
Cedar would have been happier reading boring documents, but unfortunately, he hadn't done that today. “No. Actually, we did something else. But it wasn't too pleasant. You did more enjoyable things, right?”
Lucille hesitated for a moment. She closed her pen and then put it away before she stood up and walked over to her lover. “I was just writing a letter to Fiona. She keeps asking what is going on with us, and I can barely write anything in return, so I had to gather ideas. But that isn't really important. You said that today was unpleasant. What happened?”
Cedar pulled her into his arms to give himself a treat in exchange for dealing with this mess. “Mother sent Reeve here to drug me again. She really wants to use something that will make me hysteric, and it's infuriating because I need to worry about what someone will put in our food now. I don't get what she wants. Trying to kill me would be more effective, but well. There is not much we can do about this.”
A frown appeared on Lucille's forehead. “That woman is unbelievable.” She said that with so much anger in her voice that it almost sounded like a curse. Lucille had never been very fond of Camille, and by now, that dislike had turned into pure resentment.
Cedar had to admit that he would feel the exact same thing if his mother hadn't raised him. “Right? I have given up on understanding her.” He was just glad if he alone attracted Camille's fury. Cedar could deal with being attacked by assassins, but his lover couldn't. He would have to be there to protect her and rely on the guards being a bit more careful from now on. Even if he found his mother's obsession with wishing for him to hurt his lover or others around him concerning.
Lucille hugged him tightly and pressed her face against his chest for a moment. She held still like that until she felt the need to look into his eyes again. “You said that you expect your mother to try something because she wanted to see you. Was this it?”
Cedar leaned his forehead against his lover's before he sighed. “No. There is something else. I have a bad feeling about this. Mother wouldn't just send something like this without checking the damages. She will insist on meeting us. Maybe because she hopes that I would hurt you while I am drugged so that you would push me away after that. Or she wants me to feel bad because of what I told her. Either way, she will force our hand so that we can't refuse her. She can stop eating again, or she will come up with something else. She has enough options.” To be honest, he wasn't even sure what he would favor. If his mother repeated what she had done once already, he would know what to expect. In that case, he might be able to prepare a bit, but Camille might as well try something completely different like hurting herself.
Lucille's expression darkened when she heard that. She lowered her gaze and stared at something imaginative for a moment. “I see. That's...unfavorable.” She stayed quiet for a few seconds after that until she had gathered the courage to speak. “I...would like to ask something. I don't know if the question is stupid though.”
“A question can't be stupid.” And if Camille was involved, it only made sense for any sane person to be confused. “What are you worrying about? I will answer every question to the best of my ability.” Cedar stroked over his lover's hair and hoped that she would be fully honest with him.
Lucille nodded weakly before she spoke. “I don't get why your mother is still alive. She committed treason multiple times. And Theodore said that she committed a lot of other crimes as well. Even if she was dowager empress until a while ago, that doesn't protect her from everything, right? Why isn't Theodore just executing her? It's a completely logical step. He should have done that seven years ago already, but he keeps waiting, and I don't understand why.”
Cedar had to admit that a part of him slowly began to understand after talking to Theodore again and again. This wasn't just about getting rid of the prince's former faction and protecting Cedar from harm. This was also to protect the whole political stability in itself.
And to maintain that stability, Theodore had to move slowly and pull out one block after the other while ensuring that the tower could continue to stand upright. At the moment, he was almost done and just needed to remove a few more pieces, but the tower was already threatening to tip over. That was why he was so reluctant.
“He is waiting for her to mess up one last time.”
Lucille looked at him with a questioning gaze. She waited for a few seconds, and when he didn't specify, she opened her mouth. “Didn't she mess up enough already?”
Cedar showed her a bright smile. He was much more worried about this than he wanted to admit, mostly because he could guess that his mother was about to snap now. He wasn't sure what to expect, whether he could hope for her to be as unimaginative as always or whether she would use new tricks. Hopefully, Theodore was prepared for both. After all, Camille's cruelty had to be deflected under any circumstances.
“She did mess up a lot. But there is an issue regarding the current situation. I can't read my brother's mind, so I can only guess. I think Theodore isn't as confident as he pretends to be. He knows that he theoretically doesn't need the public's support to rule. But in reality, he is dependent on most people accepting him as their ruler. He shouldn't have any problems with that since he is doing a great job and is mostly friendly with everyone. However, that could change if he gets too reckless. I mean, at the moment, he is getting rid of Mother's supporters by using cheap methods behind everyone's backs. Those are nobles he is punishing, so it poses a great risk to the political balance. That is why this is taking so long. And there is another reason.”
Lucille watched him while he spoke. It seemed like she was very much interested in what would follow. “Was it that reason?”
Cedar probably shouldn't speak for his brother, but he replied anyway. “No matter how horrible she is, if Theodore orders the execution of his own mother, people will wrinkle their noses. That's why he uses her crimes as his backing. He wants to prove that he was lenient three times before she pushed him over the edge. He wants to make it look like this. After the first assassination attempt, he put her in confinement. Then he allowed her to come back and tried to be amicable with her, but she kept insulting him and his wife. In the end, she prepared a violent revolt and tried to murder him again. So, she was put into confinement once more. After a fire, she was allowed to come back a second time, but she abused that chance too. She attacked you and me in the royal palace and thus irreversibly destroyed any trust one could have had in her. She wasn't able to pin that crime on anyone else but has to bear the full consequences. Theodore mentioned all of her previous wrongdoings and justified taking away her title with that.”
“Is that really it? Do the people need so many confirmations that that woman is a monster?” Lucille's eyes showed a bit more hurt and anger than she wanted to reveal.
“After all of this, anyone would be on Theodore's side. But Mother won't give up, which will be her downfall. If Mother orders anything illegal like that now, while she isn't a member of royalty, she will be sentenced to death immediately. And since she had four chances to mend her ways and refused to, no one will pity her. No person will blame Theodore for protecting his family after this whole mess. I understand why he is doing it. I'm not happy about it, but I understand.” Much like he understood his brother's desire to hurt Camille before her death. But he wouldn't mention that in front of Lucille.
His lover looked like she was rather uncertain. She understood Theodore's reasoning, but she probably still worried since this was somewhat risky. “So...you are waiting for her to try to kill you?”
Cedar stiffly nodded. He was almost completely sure that another assassination attempt would follow, even if he had no idea what kind Camille would pick. And this time, he needed to be cautious too. His mother might not have wanted his death before because she had believed that he would come back. But as soon as she was convinced that he would leave, she would despise him even more than she had ever hated Theodore or even Althea. “We are indeed waiting for her to try to kill us. She won't do it herself since she can't get that close anymore. So, she may send assassins or try to poison us. I don't know. Reeve or the other people around her should pick up on that and tell us as soon as she comes up with something. But no matter what, she wants to meet me one more time before that.” He had no desire to go to that meeting and would do his best to avoid it, but he almost expected his mother to starve herself again just so that he would come to her.
Lucille was quiet for a moment. She looked at her lover and scanned his expression as if she wanted to take in every slight trace of emotions that she could see there. When she found what she had been looking for, she spoke up. “I will come with you.” She almost seemed a bit taken aback after saying that. She paused for a second before she revised her words. “Of course, I hope that we can avoid that, but...if you need to see her, I will come with you. I don't want to leave that woman alone with you. So, tell me about your decision when you know what she is trying, alright?”
Cedar had to admit that having Lucille worry about him was a bit satisfying. Unfortunately, the whole situation wasn't pleasant at all, so he wasn't too happy about it. “I don't intend to meet her, but thank you.” The last time he had seen Camille, he had said rather harsh things to her. She would demand an apology while she panically tried to find signs of regret in him. Maybe she would use her broken arm to gain sympathy and act nice. Maybe she would yell at him and tell him that he shouldn't have been born. That didn't matter either. “We will just...try to use Theodore's protection to get out of this in some way. But for now, we don't have to deal with that.” He slowly let go of his lover and grabbed her hand instead. They had stood around here for too long. It was time for them to do something more exciting. “You still need to finish the letter for Lady Lamont, right?”
Lucille glanced at the desk. It almost seemed like she had forgotten about that already. “Ah. Yes. It won't take long. But I can also do it a bit later.”
Cedar smiled at her and lifted his hand to tap on her nose. “No, no. It's better if you do it now. You already begun, so I won't interrupt you. I have an idea of what we could do afterward though. Let's go to the library after you finish writing your letter. I remember that there were some strange books on one of the shelves when I was a child. Something about secret organizations. That sounds interesting enough to read about it at least once, right?” He was proposing this to distract himself more than he actually wanted to see those books. Once again, he had been right with his assumption about his lover's interests though.
Lucille adored the library, and going there seemed to be a treat for her. She happily nodded before she sat down at the desk to continue writing.
Cedar watched her with a smile on his face as well, but inwardly, he was already going through all the things his mother could try. He hated imagining what could happen and was even a little scared of what would follow.
Unfortunately, the next few days proved that he knew his mother well.
As expected, Camille found a way to insist on a meeting and used Cedar's feelings against him. With every day that she didn't give up, one thing became clearer.
If Camille was sacrificing her pride, she would make sure that everyone around her would regret this later.