Novels2Search
The Broken Prince's Love
Chapter 178: Forced Meeting

Chapter 178: Forced Meeting

Lucille had never doubted that her lover would be right about Camille. But he had been scarily accurate about when his mother would begin to trouble him, and he had recognized the pattern after just one incident as well.

For the past ten days, the same had happened each time. News from the mansion where Camille lived came and revealed that she was barely eating or drinking. She only took what was necessary and consumed less every day. For a frail woman whose mental state had been very poor before and who hadn't been treated nicely by the servants, this wasn't helpful. She got worse with every day and almost decayed. Reeve had explained that it was pretty bad and that she got more and more explosive each time he saw her. She couldn't cause any problems since she was constantly surrounded by guards though.

The actual problem began around noon.

Camille theoretically shouldn't leave the mansion at all, but no one stopped her if she wanted to run around and exhaust herself for no reason. She was merely not allowed to come close to any other people or to enter the royal garden around the palace. That led to her standing by the side gates each day while she waited for someone to pay attention to her. She usually stood upright for a few minutes before she got too weak and sat down. During the first days, she had gotten a chair, but after that, she had decided that kneeling on the floor looked more pitiful. Now she methodically repeated the same thing each day and showed those around her a pathetic display.

Anyone that didn't know her would have had sympathy. After all, a frail woman with dark circles under her eyes who knelt on the floor and hadn't eaten a lot for a while now quickly managed to get others onto her side. Especially if she began talking about how her son had abandoned her for a whore that had manipulated him because she wanted to steal his wealth. Apparently, she was rather good at playing the role of the poor woman who had been deserted just because she had told her son the truth.

What perfected Camille's act was where she had positioned herself. She had chosen a gate visible from the wing of the palace where the office and the main bedrooms were located.

Cedar could see her while he worked and while he spent his time in his room. He was in those two locations most of the time, and whenever he looked outside, he could find a hunched-over figure that knelt in front of the gates to the royal estate and begged to be allowed to see his face just once. Cedar wouldn't admit it, but he hated that display. He usually tried to avert his eyes, but he wasn't always successful. Whenever he glanced at the window, he acted like he had been stung by something and hurried to turn away. And yet, he kept looking out of the windows. He might not be doing it on purpose, but it made his true feelings obvious. Of course, he wasn't ready to give in though. He didn't say anything about this topic unless someone else addressed it first. Even then he didn't admit to what was going on inside his head.

Instead, Cedar tried his best to ignore that his mother was there. He talked about other things, showed everyone around him a bright smile and tried to avoid going outside. He hadn't left the palace unless he was training for the past week, and even when he went to the training square, he seemed uncertain. He was scared of accidentally running past Camille because he knew that he wouldn't be able to ignore her then. But ignoring the issue wouldn't make it go away, even if Camille couldn't do any physical harm now.

In the end, Lucille began to worry about him more with every day. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, and maybe it would be better to stay out of it. But she couldn't help the fact that she couldn't watch while her lover got more uncomfortable with each day. So, she tried to address the topic carefully.

As expected, Cedar just claimed that everything was fine. He smiled at her and insisted that he could deal with it. At the moment, he was trying to hold onto his strong mask more than before. He didn't want to admit that he was vulnerable when it came to his mother, even if that should be obvious due to years of manipulation from Camille's side. He smiled so brightly that everyone else would think that he was in a great mood. Only a few people could look right through him.

Blanche was one of the people who noticed. She chose more subtle approaches and invited the couple to visit her more often. She got help from Aurora in cheering up the prince and coincidentally always brought food she knew he liked, even if Cedar insisted that he had never told her that.

Theodore was aware of his brother's mood as well. He just told him that he hoped for Cedar to get some rest. That Cedar wasn't forced to meet Camille but that he could see her if it would help him and that he would support either choice.

But Cedar was still stubborn. He denied that offer multiple times and held on for another day.

Then Lucille decided that it was enough though. She despised Camille and wished nothing but death upon that woman, but she would gladly meet her if that calmed down her lover. So, she chose to act. She dragged Cedar out for a walk and led him in the direction they needed to go to see the gate where Camille was. She didn't bring him to the gate and just gave him a hint so that he could decide by himself. So, she held onto his lover's arm and followed the big main path that led around the palace.

They were quiet for a while. It was obvious that they both knew what this was about, and yet, they didn't say it out loud.

Cedar stared into the distance without saying a thing. He didn't seem like he was very happy about this situation as the wide smile on his lips showed. He was probably lost in thoughts and weighed up his options.

Lucille watched that from the corner of her eyes for a couple of minutes. When they reached the corner that still obstructed the gate, she slowed down until they stopped. Now Cedar would have to make a decision, and she couldn't do that for him. She was very quiet when she spoke up. “And?”

Cedar turned to her and smiled at her, but he was unmistakably tired. “I feel like I am giving in if I go to see her.” That much was obvious. He always worried about being weak if he did something he had decided against before.

Lucille squeezed his hands in hopes of showing her support like that and replied in a soft voice. “You aren't giving in. If you were doing that, you would have pushed me away and stopped working with Theodore. But you didn't do that. You aren't helping your mother anymore. Visiting her once while she is sitting by the palace isn't an issue. We will look at her and leave immediately if she gets annoying.”

Cedar let out a little chuckle. “Then we would have to turn around as soon as we see her. There is no way that she could get through a conversation without being annoying.” He paused for a moment and glanced to the side before he continued. “What I need to do is distance myself from her. I can't just run over to her. I built up an emotional wall between her and me, so I will need to make sure that that stays stable. I mean, I am certain that I would never fall into her grasp as much as before because I know what real affection is now.” He stroked his thumb over Lucille's hand. “But still, I...” He stopped himself to begin again. “I can't just let her sit there day after day either. She is going to harm herself if she doesn't eat. I can't watch that from the sidelines, but if I go to her, she might try to use this again and again. I don't want to be her puppet anymore, so I can't just dangle on a string if she stops eating.”

Lucille quickly spoke up after that. “You aren't her puppet. That you worry about her doesn't make you dependent on her. And it's not your responsibility to check whether she is fine. You don't owe her that. But no one can forbid you from seeing her either. This is your own choice and not something that is based on what you have to do. If you wish to check on her just once, we will. Once we can see that she is breathing, we can leave again. We can even just look at her from afar and then return. If you don't want to see her, I will bring you away immediately.”

Cedar was silent for a moment. He seemed to genuinely think about this. Most likely, he weighed up the options and finally admitted what he truly wanted to himself. And yet, it wasn't enough. “I...am unsure whether this is a good idea.”

Lucille could understand his worry after what had happened last time. But she didn't want him to feel guilty if Camille got worse soon. Because Camille would get worse. And seeing her now would be better for Cedar than doing it days before her death. “You said that she will most likely be executed in a few months. Then see this as one of the few last meetings. You won't have a chance to speak to her much more often.” She hoped that this didn't sound too dark.

Cedar remained silent. He thought about this twice before he opened his mouth. “I don't want to see her. I don't miss her nor do I necessarily wish to know how she is doing. At least I think that this is the case. But a part of me wants to confirm whether she is still the same. If she begins to yell at me and insults us, that would prove that I am correct about cutting her off. Maybe that's why I want to see her. Because I know that it might end with her reassuring me that I made the right decision.”

“You made the right decision. Even if she suddenly began acting nice, that doesn't erase what she has done in the past. She hurt you so much. You shouldn't forgive her for that, even if she says that she is sorry.” Lucille didn't even know most of what had happened during her lover's childhood, and even what she knew was enough to paint a cruel picture.

There was no way anyone should ever forgive that person.

Lucille couldn't make that decision for Cedar, but she was sure that Camille didn't deserve a second chance, even though she was normally the type of person who wished for everyone to get along after the problem was solved. No, Camille didn't even deserve a glance.

Cedar showed his lover a radiant smile. “Of course, I wouldn't forgive her. Did you forget that she tried to attack you with a knife? She also sent assassins after you twice already, wished to poison you and hoped that I would hurt you after she drugged me. I know how cruel my mother is, believe me. She targeted countless people, especially my beloved. That is why I can assure you that I won't forget any of the things that she did to others.” He shouldn't forget what Camille had done to him either.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“You owe her nothing. It's good if you keep that in mind at all times. Then...” She cleared her throat before adding the question in a weak voice. “Do you want to see her now?”

Cedar hesitated for a moment. She almost thought that he would refuse, but then he spoke. “We will talk to her for a moment. Just to show her that I didn't break down without her.” With that, he walked forward again and gently pulled his lover after him. “It won't take long. We will only stay a minute or so. We'll keep our distance too.” He was probably telling himself that more than his lover.

But Lucille didn't mind. She came with her lover and stayed close to him while making sure that she was directly next to Cedar so that she could calm him down if something bad happened. She was fully prepared to tell him that she loved him over and over again if his mother kept lying. She would even kiss him in front of witnesses if it became necessary.

When they walked around the corner of the building, they could already see the gate in the distance. Multiple guards were standing there and kept an eye on the person who was outside the royal garden and waiting as if she expected to be left inside soon. It was quite obvious that everyone there was done with the situation and just wanted to leave. Why the guards hadn't just picked up Camille to bring her away was questionable. Judging by their expressions, they would love to do that.

The couple slowly moved toward the gate. The closer they came, the more guards noticed them and stepped aside. It almost seemed like everyone here would be happy to have Cedar deal with Camille. As always, no one wanted to take care of this issue and pushed the work onto Cedar. That was a bit infuriating, but maybe they had a good reason to act like this.

When the couple reached the gate, the knights bowed to the prince. Cedar ignored that more or less, and Lucille did the same. They were already focused on the main issue.

Behind the gate, Camille knelt on the floor. Her hair looked like it had been brushed with utmost care, but everything else about her didn't seem too healthy. She had lost some weight during the past weeks, but that might also just seem like this because of her pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes that made her cheekbones stand out. She rested her hands, which looked rather frail as well, on her lap and didn't seem to care that her dress was being dirtied by the sandy path below her. Her right arm was still wrapped in bandages, so it seemed like two months hadn't been enough for her bones to heal. Or she was keeping the bandages to gain pity.

Her entire appearance seemed to be aimed to gain pity, especially when it was such a prideful person showing up like this.

Cedar unwillingly tensed upon seeing her. Lucille squeezed his hand and leaned against him to give him some strength, but she wasn't sure whether it would help. He would face his greatest fear and the person who had scared him most, so little could calm him down. And now, the worst part would come when he had to look into his mother's eyes and reject her again. That would probably be as difficult now as it had been the first few times that he had been forced to do this.

Camille didn't move much and just lifted her head to check on who had come. Her expression made her seem extremely exhausted as well. Even her eyes didn't shine as much as they had before. But all of the tiredness disappeared when she saw her son. Her eyes widened, and pure shock came onto her features. “Cedar!” She tried to jump to her feet, only for her weakness to pull her to her knees immediately. She crawled over to the gate and grasped the golden bars while she stared at her son as if she didn't see anyone else. “Cedar!”

Cedar wasn't happy about that at all. He beamed as if everything was fine, but the truth was obvious. He hated the fact that his mother was doing something like that, and after basically being blackmailed into coming here because he feared for Camille's health, his mood wouldn't be too good. “Mother. Good day. What are you doing here?”

Camille was too excited to even try to hold back. She spoke loudly and so quickly that she almost tripped over her own tongue. “Cedar, you are here! I was waiting for you! I thought I was going to die because you didn't visit, and now I finally get to meet you. I missed you so much. Your mother is right here next to you, and now I can finally be sure that you are fine. Did you come to see me?” Her voice sounded so euphoric now.

If this was anyone else, one would have had pity. But she wasn't anyone else. She was the woman who had hurt everyone around her because of her lust for power and her huge pride.

Lucille wanted her to be rejected, and she wasn't disappointed.

Cedar made sure to sound colder than he would usually. “I did not intend to visit you. I was merely taking a walk with Lucille, and we met you by accident.”

Only now, it seemed like Camille noticed the woman who was holding her son's hand. She froze and then stared at Lucille for a solid minute, almost as if this was a surprise. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the other woman as if she were a pest while gritting her teeth and grasping the metal bars with so much force that her hands almost looked white, a mix of shock, disgust and wrath showing on her face.

Lucille wasn't scared though, not when a gate separated them and she felt nothing but disgust for Camille in return. She kept standing right next to her lover and just patted his hand to calm him down. He needed her support more than she needed his right now.

A few seconds passed in silence, and the tension increased with each moment. No one moved or said anything about the topic, but Camille's face was expressive enough to reveal what she was thinking.

For some reason, she hadn't expected Lucille to be here today.

Cedar was the one who broke the silence. This time, his tone had a slight cheerful edge to it, but it was still much darker than what he normally addressed others with. “What's with that expression? Did you expect Lucille to hate me now after you sent someone to drug me? Are you upset that I didn't do something that would make her hate me? Or did you think that she would leave me after what you told her during the trial?”

Camille stayed silent for a moment to calm down a little. She still had tensed her jaw with so much force that it wouldn't be surprising if she hurt her teeth. She finally gathered enough energy to speak after a couple of seconds. “Of course, I am upset. It seems like that insect is still sticking to you. That she is still trying to use you isn't surprising, but why you haven't understood her true intentions? You are an intelligent boy, Cedar. You should get that some people are horrible and just want to gain an advantage because of your rank.” She was right about the fact that many people wished to use those with a high standing.

However, Camille was wrong about Lucille being a part of that group. Maybe she didn't want to see it, or she was just blind to what love looked like.

Lucille narrowed her eyes in return. Few people managed to enrage her this much with just a few words. She was annoyed enough to be willing to speak already. “I'm with Cedar because I love him, and that won't change because of your stupid plots. I don't want to use him nor does he want to use me. I will never believe what you say about him, and even if you drug him, I will never change my mind about him.”

Camille whipped her head around to the side and met the other woman's gaze with nothing but pure resentment. “You insolent-”

Cedar stopped her as soon as she spoke up. “If you insult Lucille, I will leave immediately.”

Camille shut her mouth. She scanned her son as if she wanted to confirm whether he was serious. When she saw his expression, something about him told her that he was angry despite his bright smile. So, she didn't dare continue. Instead, she changed her strategy. She lifted her hands and pushed her arms through the bars of the gate between them while reaching for her son. She spoke in a much softer voice now. “I won't say it if you don't want to hear it. We've already been apart for too long. I don't want to fight. I can't enter the palace at the moment, and my knees are bruised from kneeling so long. I can't walk anymore. Please come out and hug me, Cedar. I've missed you for far too long.”

Cedar didn't look away, but he also didn't attempt to come closer to his mother. He didn't move even when a few seconds passed.

Camille's face fell. She waited for another moment. She kept holding her hands toward her son more desperately. “Cedar, please come to me. If you don't want to hug me, at least hold my hand. You've ignored me for the past few weeks, so this is the least you can do. My sweet baby, please take my hand?” She really was insistent on touching him, possibly because she expected to be able to control him then. She only realized that she wouldn't get that chance a few seconds later when Cedar didn't move. She still held her hands in his direction without showing signs of giving up. “Cedar, I can give you some honey candy too. Please...”

Another moment in silence passed.

Lucille knew that she shouldn't feel satisfied while witnessing that her lover kept the woman who had hurt him so much at a distance. Yet, she couldn't help being proud upon seeing how Cedar stayed strong. She would make sure to remind him later.

Camille continued to offer her hug to her son, but she didn't try to coax him into agreeing anymore. She used another strategy once again though. “Do you not trust me?” She said that while trying to sound as pitiful as possible.

Cedar's response came instantly, and it shouldn't have been surprising. “I don't.”

Camille's eyes widened, and she raised her voice to speak a bit louder. “What? I'm your mother. How can you not trust me?” She sounded so indignant, as if she was truly shocked about this.

Even Cedar couldn't justify that. “Please remember what you have done to everyone around you for the past eight years and then ask that again. The murder attempts and the murders your men actually managed to commit would be enough to justify that. There was so much more than that though. I presume that you do remember those stories.”

Camille's mouth opened already while Cedar was talking. “But I would never hurt you! Cedar, please. I love you, and I miss you terribly. I thought that my heart would stop beating. Being without you hurt so much that it almost killed me. Please don't cast me aside now that we finally met again.” She truly looked miserable while extending her hand to a son who wouldn't take it.

As expected, Cedar didn't move. He just kept holding on to his lover's hand tightly and replied to his mother in a calm voice. “Last time I trusted you, you tried to stab Lucille in front of me. I wasn't really happy about that. That was almost two months ago, but that doesn't mean that I will forget it. The cut on my hand is still visible.” He lifted his hand and showed his mother the faint line of slightly more red skin that ran over his palm. “That serves as a reminder not to trust you even if you act pitiful before you attack.”

Camille was quick to raise her voice in return. “But I didn't want to hurt you!”

Cedar beamed at her and replied, this time in a tone that sounded a bit grimmer. “Exactly. That is what the issue is. I forgave you for hurting me often enough, so I would have forgiven it again after a day this time too. But you attempted to harm my lover. I will never forget that, and I will never forgive you either.”

Camille gritted her teeth at that. She was boiling with anger, and it was uncertain whether this was because of her son's pet name for Lucille or because she realized that she couldn't make up for her mistake last time.

Lucille couldn't care less. What mattered to her was only that she would hold Cedar's hand and support him. She didn't have a problem reminding him that she cared again and again, and that was exactly why she was here. She would give her lover the emotional support he needed when he was weak once in a while.