Cedar was on edge. That became obvious during the following few days. He tried to hide it, but he couldn't do that well. Not when he kept asking whether the food had been tested for poison and when he glanced over his shoulder to confirm that they were alone occasionally.
Lucille hated seeing that, but there was little she could do about it. She had told Theodore what had happened, and he had promised to take care of any issues that might arise, but that wasn't enough. Cedar was too uncertain to be calmed by a few words.
Lucille tried to distract her lover whenever she could. She couldn't change the situation around them, and she couldn't get rid of Camille either, so this would have to do for now. Her presence seemed to calm Cedar a little, but that still didn't make him forget. So, Lucille was happy when she received some help.
The royal couple had invited the two to join them for dinner. As usual, the group was sitting at the table while eating together. Aurora was the main person of this day. As she was sitting on that baby chair and tried to get accustomed to seeing her parents eat the whole time, she began yawning at some point.
So, Blanche had to bring her baby to bed early after feeding her once more. She set down her daughter in the cradle in the neighboring room, where Darlene and Angelica were, and left the door open. When she returned to the table, she barely sat down before already complaining. “You still didn't eat more cake, Cedar. Look!” She gestured to the strawberry tart and narrowed her eyes at the prince. “I specifically got it for you, and you still aren't touching it. Don't be so stubborn.”
Cedar showed her a smile that might have seemed a bit arrogant to others. “I already had one slice after you insisted.” That slice had been extremely small, but no one would point that out. “I can't have too many sweets, or my stomach will complain. I had a full dinner, a pot of tea, a slice of cake as well as pudding already. What else do you want me to eat?”
Blanche took that as a serious question. “The strawberries.” She pushed the plate with the small red fruits close to him. She waited for a few seconds before speaking up again. “Cedar, I won't force you to eat something you don't want to eat. But if you have a preference for things, you should have them. I mean, it's chocolate cake with strawberries. That is your favorite.”
Cedar just smiled at her without any indication of budging. “Like I said. I never ate that cake before today, so I would not have known whether I liked it before. So, it would be odd to call this my favorite.” They had had this conversation multiple times already. But it did seem like it was a little different now. In the past, Cedar had been much more annoyed upon being told this. By now, he had gotten used to it, but he still did the opposite of what he was told just to spite the empress.
Blanche accepted that with a pout but was quickly compensated when her husband offered her a portion of his pudding. She happily ate that, which led to Theodore feeding her for the next few minutes.
Lucille watched that with a smile for a bit before she turned to her lover. Cedar was busy eating the rest of the salad in front of him, which had originally belonged to Lucille. She considered asking whether she could feed him too, but she might be a bit too embarrassed for that. After all, they were still being watched.
When a few seconds passed, Cedar noticed that she was looking at him. He showed her a bright smile, and then he suddenly lifted his fork toward her. He offered her a piece of a tomato without saying a word.
Lucille gladly accepted that. She smiled back at him after chewing and swallowing and chose to pay back the favor. She took her fork and held it toward him after piercing some salad on it. Even seeing Cedar munch on the food made her heart feel warm, and she beamed at her lover while asking herself how her Cedar could be so sweet. She quickly noticed that she couldn't forget that they weren't alone though.
Blanche watched the other couple for a moment before she spoke up. “It's a balm for my soul to see you two so happy. Now Theo and I don't have to feel bad about cuddling in front of you.”
Cedar let out a little snort. “You never felt bad in the past either. I think everyone in Artias already heard about how the royal couple is addicted to hugging each other or how you can barely take your hands off one another during balls. This is just another excuse for you.”
Harris appeared next to them and poured some tea into the emperor's cup before taking away the empty plate in front of Blanche. He didn't let go of this chance to make eye contact with Cedar and added a comment. “I can assure you that that is exactly what it is. They didn't cuddle less before you were here either, so they can't blame you bow.” Then he rushed away from the table before the empress could complain.
Blanche still pouted and turned to her husband to cuddle against him. “They make it sound like we are constantly touching. But it's not that bad at all. Theo and I are apart often enough. That I can't work in the office and do all the documents in our bedroom at the moment forces us to separate for an hour a day, and that is terrible.”
Theodore hugged her and only proved that the others were right with their judgment. “Exactly. Since we could still cling to each other more, I would say that we aren't overdoing it. No one will stop us from cuddling.” Then he leaned down to kiss his wife.
Cedar turned away his head to face Lucille. “There they go again. Let's busy ourselves with something else, or we will have to watch that for another hour.”
Lucille nodded at him. This only meant that she needed a topic they could discuss, but she took a moment to come up with something. “Didn't you say that there were some old board games hidden in the library? We could go take a look at those. Or we could try to find the secret books you mentioned. I'm sure the librarian wouldn't just lock them away.”
Cedar showed her another beautiful smile that took her breath away as he responded. “That sounds good. If they don't show up after a few days of searching, we can ask some of the older servants here for tips. We don't necessarily need those books, but I was serious about them being...” His voice trailed off when he saw someone next to them.
Harris waited until Lucille had noticed him too before he spoke up. “I'm sorry about disturbing you. I just wanted to...offer you something. I heard about what happened near the eastern gate a few days ago. And I heard about how your mother came every day up until then. That she suddenly stopped seemed weird to me. Do you feel like she is very mad at the moment?” He was usually calm around Cedar. Normally, he would rather joke or be sarcastic, but seemingly, he found this topic too important.
Camille had been extremely persistent up until Cedar had met her. After her whole hysteric appearance, she had left while being much too calm. Since then, she hadn't come back nor had she done anything that would attract attention. Apparently, this worried Cedar quite a bit, and even Harris seemed to see the issue.
Lucille did too. Camille would never give up unless she absolutely had to. After being pushed away by her son this harshly, it was odd for her to just withdraw.
Cedar showed the other man a bright smile. “She is. That she is not suddenly attacking us is rather concerning. The longer she holds back her anger, the more clearly she is thinking while plotting, and that is an issue for us. At the moment, it seems like she is in the mansion and does not move, but we can't be sure.”
From what Lucille had heard, Camille had barely done anything during the past few days. There hadn't been any incidents of her attacking servants, which had been the norm before, and apparently, Camille had also stopped yelling. Something during the last conversation seemed to have flipped a switch inside her.
Harris accepted that with a little nod. “Then I will warn the people around us. It's better to be safe than sorry. And...I might also be able to do something else. I'm rather close to many people who work around her. I can work some magic and make sure that she will not come back here too quickly. Or I can try to create a few hardships for her. The servants hate her enough already, so that wouldn't be too hard.” He had a little smile on his lips while saying that, which almost made him seem like he might have vile intentions.
He had barely finished when Theodore from across the table chimed in. “Harris. Don't mention such insects while we are eating. You are ruining the mood.”
Harris immediately changed back into his polite persona. “I sincerely apologize, Your Majesty. It will not happen again.”
Theodore's expression was blank as he nodded. “Thank you.” He remained silent for a moment before continuing. “But about those colleagues of yours... You are encouraged to talk to them. It wouldn't be an issue if some bad things began happening around her. There probably wouldn't be any guards around if they knew what was going to occur before anyway. And...of course, I wouldn't punish any servant that messed up and hurt the former dowager empress.”
Harris understood that instantly. “Of course, Your Majesty. I will inform my colleagues of that. They will take great care to act appropriately so that Lady Estien will not be able to complain.” That probably meant that he would ask others to cause trouble for Camille in a way that didn't leave evidence. He stepped away from the table after that and seemed to be lost in thoughts until Stella addressed him, and then they quietly chatted a bit, seemingly about a somewhat amusing topic.
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A few seconds at the table passed in silence before Blanche opened her mouth. “I still am a bit concerned, to be honest. Reeve said that that woman is calm, and it doesn't make any sense to me. She's always so quick to throw tantrums, especially after such a meeting with Cedar. Why is she suddenly behaving again? We can't even rely on her anger anymore.”
Lucille would like to know too. “It has to be because of the conversation with Cedar. She suddenly stopped yelling after he told her that she was acting undignified and that she shouldn't keep doing that. Then she stood up from the floor, told him that she was on his side and left.”
Theodore's expression was rather grim as he replied. “We did hear that. Unfortunately, we have no idea why telling her that she is throwing a tantrum like a toddler would make her calm down. It never did in the past. I also confirmed that no one is currently drugging her, so she is really calm and not just sleepy. I presume that she misunderstood what-” He cut himself off when a loud wailing from the neighboring room announced Aurora's awakening. Theodore immediately stood up. “I will go check on her.” He disappeared into the room, and seconds later, the crying got quieter again.
Blanche looked after her husband with a soft smile on her lips. She waited for a moment before she gazed at Cedar. “You should go help him. Aurora's mood lifts when someone shakes the rattle for her. Be so kind and do her the favor.”
Cedar looked at the empress with obvious annoyance. He met her gaze for a few seconds as if he considered refusing before giving in. He continued to smile while he stood up. “Then I guess that I will go over to Theodore, shake a rattle once and come back. This will certainly be a long and very useful trip.” He glanced at his lover for a moment before he slowly went into the neighboring room as well.
Lucille had a feeling this wasn't just about Cedar waking up Aurora. She showed him a little smile before facing the woman in front of her.
As expected, Blanche was already looking at her. The empress was quiet for a moment before she opened her mouth. “Sometimes, I'm glad that that woman is so stupid and openly cruel.” She glanced at the room in which Cedar was hiding. “If she was better at acting, she would have regained Cedar's sympathy again long ago. But she just keeps pushing him away, which is good since he finally will grow wings and fly on his own. And still...” Her smile faded, and an undeniable sadness came over her. “That woman hurt him so much. Even if we do our best, we can't change the past anymore. We can only be here for him now and support him as much as possible. Especially for the last few months of that woman's life. Once she is dead, he can begin to heal for real, but even that will leave scars. And such scars can only be treated with love.”
Lucille was aware of all of this, and still, hearing it suddenly felt odd. She wasn't sure what the empress wanted to tell her though. “I know.”
“Of course, you do.” Blanche blinked a few times and then lifted her hand to rub over her eyelids before she forced herself to meet the other's gaze. “That's why you need to take care of him. He won't admit it, but you need to be there for him, always. He needs that because he will be vulnerable around you, and you can still show him that you won't hurt him. And he probably adores it if you say that you love him, right? Do that more often. Hug him, kiss him and remind him how much you care. At the moment, he worries too much, and you will be the person who can help him with that. I'm glad you are here to make him happy.”
Lucille was taken aback by that for a moment. She began speaking twice before knowing what to say. Her response was obvious in that regard. “I'm glad that I am with him too. Of course, I'm...not able to change his past, but I will try to be with him from now on to look into the future. I may not be special, but I will accompany him on whatever path he may choose. I was lucky enough to meet him, so I will not throw away that luck.” She would do whatever was necessary to protect him. If she was able to, she would make sure that no one else ever hurt her lover again. He had experienced too much pain already. She wasn't able to put that into words properly, but at the same time, it was so easy. “I love him.” Those were just three short words, but they summarized her feelings perfectly.
Blanche seemed to understand. She showed the other woman a warm smile as she reached over to her and patted Lucille's hand. “I know. He loves you too, and I'm so happy for you. Don't ever doubt that you two belong together. I've never seen him as happy as he is with you. Don't forget that you are a special person for him. He will be absolutely devoted to you. Please be the same for him.”
Lucille had never doubted that she would be. She opened her mouth to reply, but she didn't get the chance. Footsteps made her look up.
Theodore came out of the neighboring room with Aurora in his arms. The baby girl seemed to be fully awake already despite only having slept for an hour and gazed at the group with wide eyes while she dug her small fingers into her father's shirt. Theodore sat down next to his wife, and immediately, both of them focused on their daughter, who was quickly showered with kisses. Aurora seemed rather content with that and grinned at her parents before giggling when they tickled her gently.
Lucille watched that until she saw Cedar from the corner of her eyes. Then she focused on him and exchanged a knowing smile with him.
Blanche played with her daughter for a while and let Aurora grab her hair before she glanced at Lucille. “Now that we have another person here again, we will need to discuss more pleasant topics. Let's do that.” She smiled at the other woman. “How about you tell us about the many books you read? From what I gathered, you already loved those during your childhood. Or you can talk about what you embroidered already? Whenever I see you working on something, I am impressed by your skills and can't help but be curious about how you started. Or you can tell us something completely different too. It's your choice.”
Lucille was slightly surprised to be asked about something like that. But when she was reassured, she slowly began talking a bit. She needed to tell the others much more than she normally did. And for some reason, that didn't feel too unpleasant in this group.
Yet, Lucille was ready to leave at the end of dinner, but that might have been because she had an idea. After saying goodbye and especially bidding farewell to Aurora, who was able to wave at this point in time, Lucille and Cedar walked back to their chambers.
It seemed like Cedar was prepared to cuddle on the sofa while Lucille read. He wrote some documents in the meantime like he did it often, but she had a different idea. She suggested that they could take a bath together. Unsurprisingly, her lover agreed. So, she asked the staff members to bring what they needed for a romantic bath and even let someone light up a few candles.
Lucille was too embarrassed to ask for the rest, so she took care of the rose petals herself. She was well aware that Cedar watched her with slight amusement, but she didn't leave anything up to coincidence. She made sure that everything would be perfect. She moved around the candles more often than necessary and had checked the water temperature four times already as well. The foam in the bathwater was nice too, and the rose petals were spread around them. Lucille finally dared to withdraw her hand. She straightened her posture and almost stumbled forward.
Cedar suddenly appeared directly behind her and wrapped his arms around her to hug her. “Be careful. We can't have you falling into the water.” He had been the one to scare her in the first place, so this was definitely his fault.
Lucille wouldn't point that out though. She just hugged him back. “Thank you. It would have been bad if I had fallen, so I should be more careful.” She glanced up at his face and met his smirk with a little smile. “Then I am all done. We can go in now.”
“You did a wonderful job. This truly looks enchanting.” Cedar slowly let go of her as he stepped back. He still spun her around so that she was looking at him and showed her the grin that proved that he would tease her again. “Now we only need to prepare ourselves. Should I help you with something?” So, he was trying to make her embarrassed like this.
It was too bad that Lucille was already used to this to some extent. She doubted that she would be able to keep herself from blushing, but she could play along. She averted her eyes while delivering her response. “I could use help, but I have to help you first. That's only fair.” Lucille stepped forward to reach her lover and just lifted her hands to begin to undress him.
Once again, this had been her victory. Cedar was definitely surprised, and his eyes followed her movements closely. He was silent for a few seconds before he realized that she hadn't been joking about this. Then he couldn't help but comment on this. “You lost your shame quickly, you know? A little while ago, you turned away in a panic when I tried to take off my shirt. And now you want to do it yourself?”
Lucille tilted her head to meet his gaze again. “It's not like I didn't see all of you already. So, we don't have to be that reserved.” She quickly avoided her eyes in hopes that he hadn't seen how nervous she was. Surely, she had been with her lover a few times already, but what she planned for today was new. She would make sure to pamper him a bit, distract him from this mess and give back some love. So, she needed to keep her composure at least for the first few minutes. Then she could get embarrassed all she wanted. But she actually worried about being discovered now already.
Cedar scanned her expression with so much care that he might have been able to see how red she was getting. But he didn't address that and just smiled at her. “It seems that you have grown to be more assertive. Then I will gladly abide. But let me help you in return too.” He seemed to have much fewer issues letting his hands roam over her body in a way that was more seductive than it had needed to be to help her undress.
Lucille had to admit that it just sped up what she had planned anyway. Her face was already completely red when they ended up in the bathtub. This gave her an advantage though. She couldn't get more embarrassed anymore. As soon as they both sat down, she moved over to her lover before positioning herself on his lap. She put her arms around him and leaned against him.
Cedar wasn't too surprised, so it seemed like he had expected her to do this. He hugged her back immediately and spoke with playfulness in his voice. “What are you doing? Can't you wait until we are in bed today? Someone here is impatient.”
Lucille had to admit that much. But she wouldn't say that out loud. She just shuffled around until she could bring her face directly in front of Cedar's. “I love you.”
Cedar let out a little chuckle. “Is that how you want to lure me in? If so, it's working. I adore you too.” He lifted his hands to cup her face, and then he gently put his lips on top of hers. He was even more gentle than usual today, and seemingly, he planned on taking his time. That was good since that was exactly what she had in mind too.
As soon as he let go of her, Lucille looked directly into his eyes before saying it again. “I love you.” She underlined that by leaning forward to plant a peck onto his lips. Then she withdrew to let her lover speak.
Cedar scanned her face for traces of some unknown emotions. He was silent for a moment before he whispered his response. “I adore you too.” He stroked over the back of her head and gently massaged her scalp.
Apparently, Lucille had been right about her assumption. Cedar wanted to give back something each time she showed him affection. She normally adored letting him touch and kiss her, but today, she wanted to be the one to make him feel good. She had to distract him, and she might have a plan on how to do it too.
Lucille moved her face closer to him again before kissing his nose. “I love you.” She hurried to continue before he could interrupt her. “I love you.” She kissed his cheek this time. After that, she turned to the other side and kissed him there. “I love you with my whole heart.” She lowered her head and pressed a kiss onto his jaw before she went to his neck and his shoulders. She continued this for a while and repeated how much she loved him before kissing each part of him she could reach. When she stopped to check the reaction, she immediately received her reward.
Cedar was definitely bashful. He avoided her gaze and looked down while he tried to cover up his embarrassment, but his reddened cheeks didn't lie. Of course, that short moment only lasted for a few seconds before he noticed that she was looking at him. In that instant, he showed her a little smile, one that was so honest that it made her heart melt. As if that wasn't enough, he also spoke up in a hoarse voice. “I adore you. There isn't anything more important to me in this whole world. I would like to stay with you for the rest of my life.”
There was nothing she wanted more either. “Stay with me. I love you, and I mean it when I say that. I want to be your lover forever.”
This time, Cedar was the one initiating it again. He pulled her closer to him and captured her lips in a kiss that said much more than words could.
Lucille melted in his embrace. She had the suspicion that they would leave the bathtub when the water had already cooled down completely, but she couldn't bring herself to care.