This had been a stupid idea. Maybe it had even been the most stupid thing Cedar had ever done, and that meant a lot.

Going to the pharmacy hadn't been a problem. He had easily been able to buy his medicine, and he had left without anyone questioning who he was. Then he had spent the night in an inn, and after that, everything had gone downhill.

Cedar had gotten closer to his destination, but unfortunately, it seemed like Theodore didn't like him sneaking around. After all, the emperor had sent the most obnoxious person that could possibly follow someone around to catch the prince.

Leonard Astame. A marquess, who also happened to be the emperor's trusted companion and advisor, one of the most influential figures in the capital. The main problem was that he had formerly been an assassin. The dowager empress, Cedar's mother, had hired him to kill the emperor, but Leon had turned his back on her and worked with Theodore instead. He hadn't acted as an assassin for the past seven years, but he definitely hadn't lost the abilities that allowed him to find any target. No matter where Cedar went, that damned man was everywhere.

The prince couldn't move normally and had to sneak around the whole time. He also hadn't been able to spend his second night in an inn and was forced to sleep outside while waking up every few minutes whenever he heard a noise. This had slowed him down much more than he had hoped for.

Now that he had finally come closer to his destination, he had been sure that it would be easy. He had left a note telling everyone that he would return in a few days, so he hoped that no one would expect him to do what he planned and that he would finish what he had to do before Leonard found him. But Cedar couldn't rely on that. So, he would just have to fulfill his goal quickly without being caught.

That was easier said than done though. Leonard was relentless, and even now, he was right behind the prince.

Cedar had hidden in the most frustrating places and had even been forced to break into a random house, which luckily had been empty. But it seemed like his luck had run out now. He had barely been able to run away this time and was completely out of breath.

That wasn't the worst part though.

One of the damned knights had actually attacked Cedar, even though the prince had been honest about not wanting to hurt anyone. If Cedar had been in his best state, he would easily have won without being injured. But thanks to another royal guard, his arm had still been hurt. So, he hadn't fought as well as usual and had been attacked without a warning, and now the side of his torso was slit open. In return, he had almost killed the guard, which he really hadn't planned on doing either.

Great.

Cedar pressed his hand onto his wound while knowing well that the amount of blood that he lost was way too big. He wouldn't be able to move much further unless he managed to treat it soon. Maybe he should find a doctor or just let Leonard catch him. That man had been forced to treat him after the revolt too and could simply do it again. That would be the easiest way too. The prince could still win like that.

But Cedar's pride just had to be big enough that he didn't even consider this option. Losing wasn't for him. This was truly a stupid idea, and yet, he insisted. He glared down at the unconscious knight at his feet and then glanced out of the window.

Hopefully, someone would find this guard soon, or he would die. The quick bandaging wouldn't keep the man alive for longer than a few hours. If no one came here despite the obvious trail, the prince would have murdered a royal guard without even wanting to do it.

Cedar groaned as he took a step forward and held his side. This hurt much more than his stupid arm. He couldn't move like this, and if he stayed here, Leon would find him and drag him back. He couldn't let that happen. His eyes focused on the carriage on the other side of the street and the merchant that was immersed in a conversation.

This seemed to be a perfect opportunity in a not-so-perfect situation.

Cedar forced himself to walk forward and scanned the almost empty street. He just had to climb into the back of the coach, and he would be brought away. It was almost too easy to wait until the merchant looked away before Cedar hid inside. Unfortunately, his makeshift bandage made from half of the knight's cape didn't keep in as much blood as he wanted to.

On a positive note, this blood trail along with the open door would lead Leon to the injured guard.

It was still painful.

Cedar muttered every imaginable curse word in his mind as the carriage finally began moving, and yet, his bright smile stayed intact the entire time. He didn't stay in this comfortable position for long though. He knew that royal guards were patrolling the streets, and a single look of one of them into the carriage would betray him. So, he waited until they were at a rather remote location and jumped off.

The impact knocked all air out of his lungs and made him fall onto the ground. For a moment, he just lay there in the sand and breathed out in frustration, but a couple of voices in the distance made him stand up a second later.

There were even more royal guards.

He cursed the gods at that and stumbled into the bushes next to the street. He didn't get further than a few steps. There was a wall that kept him from moving forward into the small forest. Wonderful.

Cedar stared at the wall while knowing well that he would regret this in a moment. But his pursuers were directly behind him. He didn't have much time. With a low groan, he began climbing the tree next to the wall and carefully moved over to stand on it. He felt like dying right now, but he made it on top of the wall. Now he only had to get down.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything that would allow him to climb down comfortably. There was just a tree that was a bit too far away. Normally, he would be able to jump over, but while his side was cut open, it would be a bit harder.

The voices from behind him came closer quickly and proved that he didn't have another choice though.

Cedar reminded himself that he was an idiot before jumping forward. Unsurprisingly, he didn't manage to grasp the branch and fell down with nothing to hold onto. He tried his best to tense his muscles in hopes of being able to take the fall while turning a bit to weaken the impact as much as possible. This definitely would have worked out better if he had been uninjured though. Like this, he managed to cushion his fall, but he still collapsed onto the floor as soon as he landed. He felt like his organs were close to falling out now. He should just have allowed Leon to find him after all.

Cedar called himself an idiot once more before trying to stand up. He pressed his hands into the soil and pushed himself away from the ground. He managed to get up, but it almost hurt more than anything he had ever physically felt before. This wound was really bad. It might be the second-worst Cedar had received. He gritted his teeth and dragged himself forward one step. Then another one. He wouldn't get far, and he knew that, so he gave up after a second. Even if he managed to suppress the pain, he would end up falling down after a few steps again. It would be better to rest until tomorrow morning before he tried anything.

He looked around and found a few bushes directly next to him. He moved over to them and then allowed himself to lie down. There, he rested his head on the floor and closed his eyes while waiting for sleep to come to him. He was unlucky this time too.

Before he could even think about falling asleep, footsteps sounded. He tensed and desperately hoped that this person would leave quickly again and not coincidentally rush into the bushes.

A few seconds passed, and the person came closer before they made some louder noise. Then they began crying. The voice gave away that this was a woman.

Cedar almost laughed at the irony. If his perfect brother was here, Theodore would go over and comfort that woman and maybe fall in love with her. When it came to Cedar, he was lying in the dirt and felt like he would die at any moment. He could probably only make that person cry harder just by stepping out of the bushes like a demon that was covered in blood. Though, he obviously wouldn't do that when he could barely move. He just had to hope that she would leave soon, or he would risk being found.

The woman only sobbed for a short moment before stopping, which almost made him believe that he was lucky for once. But then she rustled around a bit and spoke up. “Hello?” She sounded like she was scared.

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The prince inwardly sighed and lay there as silently as possible. Hopefully, she wouldn't come here. Please. He prayed for this, but he actually didn't believe in it for a single second. No god had ever fulfilled his wishes. In fact, fate or whatever steered this world usually did its best to make him miserable, so it wouldn't be surprising if the opposite of what he wished for happened.

After a few seconds, the voice, which seemed a little familiar, resumed. “Is someone there?” Slow steps sounded, and the bushes in front of him rustled. “Are you-” She cut herself off, and a gasp escaped her.

For a moment, Cedar considered pretending to be a corpse. If he was lucky, that woman might leave. But since this was probably her estate, he doubted it. Now that she had found him, he might as well try to prove that he wasn't a threat. He didn't want to be killed by some overprotective guard after all. He lifted his head, which felt as heavy as after he had been hit with a sword handle during the revolt, and showed her a bright smile. It only took a second until he recognized that dark red hair. Oh. This was a coincidence. “Lady Valerian. It's a...pleasure to meet you. I hope that you are...feeling well. How are you doing?” She certainly felt better than he did. He wasn't even able to speak without slurring his words.

Lucille held her pale hands in front of her mouth and stared at him with wide eyes. She froze for a few seconds before lowering her hands and clutching them in front of her chest. “Your...Royal Highness? What... What are you doing here?” She almost sounded like she didn't believe her eyes and even stuttered a bit. She gazed at the prince before shaking her head in a hurry. “No, more importantly, why are you injured?” She was in a panic by now and looked around hectically.

Cedar would have liked to laugh to show that he was fine, but that would probably kill him for real. Even the woman in front of him was already blurred in front of his eyes, so it truly didn't look good. “You see, I had an...unfavorable encounter... A knight wasn't...happy to see me. I apologize for...bleeding onto your grass.” He almost coughed and only held back because that certainly wouldn't be good for his wound. Was he tasting metal, or was he just imagining it? He desperately hoped that it was the latter.

Lucille's eyes got even rounder as she replied in a high-pitched tone that revealed that she was mortified. “That's not important right now! We need to get you a doctor and treatment and...and-”

Cedar quickly raised his hand while trying to ignore the black spots in his vision. “I would like to...say that I'm fine, but that...would be a lie. As you can see...it's pretty bad... But for specific...reasons...a doctor would be even worse right now.” After all, he hadn't fulfilled his goal yet. He couldn't return now. No matter which doctor they got, that person would definitely reveal his location, and he couldn't risk that. But judging by the way that his hand dropped despite his attempts to hold it up, it seemed like he would not be able to stay conscious much longer either way.

Lucille looked around in a hurry. “But...” She didn't finish that sentence and just stared at him in panic. She definitely seemed to be worried. It didn't make sense for her to be concerned about a well-known traitor that had committed treason multiple times. She should get a guard from the city immediately or inform anyone else that could arrest him. Instead, she stood there and seemed like a million thoughts shot through her head. She froze for a moment and scanned him while chewing on her fingernails. Then she spoke up again in an uncertain voice. “I...will find someone. We'll get you a doctor that won't tell on you. I... I just need a bit of time and-” She interrupted herself and stared at him as a deep frown came onto her face. “I will hurry.” She turned around and lifted her dress to run off, but she stopped after a second and spun around again. “Please wait here, and don't move. I will be back immediately.”

Cedar beamed at her. “I didn't...intend on...running away.” He didn't have the physical ability to do so either. If he moved even for one more second, his bandages would probably get too loose and become completely useless.

Lucille jolted at that. “Ah, yes. Of course! I will hurry, I promise. You will be fine, and no one will hurt you as long as you are here.” It looked like she wanted to turn around to rush off to somewhere, but the prince didn't see that anymore.

The world around Cedar slowly got darker until he allowed himself to close his eyes. He could barely think anymore, but he was able to come to a few conclusions. If Lucille Valerian was here, this was probably the estate of Viscount Valerian. That meant that he was on the right track. As long as this woman didn't call a chatty person, he would be so close to doing what he had come here for.

Maybe he wasn't so unlucky after all.

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Had he really thought that he had been lucky for once? Cedar didn't think that way for long.

When he woke up again, he was disoriented for a moment. This didn't last for more than a second though. As soon as the pain set in, he remembered what had happened. That damned knight had slit open his side. But after that, Cedar had collapsed on the cold grass in the middle of some bushes. He definitely wasn't there anymore.

It was warm and soft here. It was bright too.

The prince slowly opened his eyes and took in the room around him. It was a simple one with sand-colored walls and a few decorative pillars. Aside from that, only a bed, a few bookshelves, a sofa and a small table with two chairs furnished the room. His attention immediately fell onto the only shade of red in this room.

Lucille Valerian was sitting at the table and reading a book. So, she had truly picked him up to let him get treatment. That was foolish but a nice coincidence for the prince.

Cedar's hand slowly wandered to his torso. He quickly felt that the bandages there were much more professional than his had been. It seemed like a doctor had taken care of him. This only left one question. Had they recognized him? And if so, would that person tell one of the emperor's dogs where the prince was? Cedar was silent for a moment until Lucille glanced to the side and made eye contact.

She looked surprised to see that he was awake. Maybe she hadn't expected him to open his eyes again.

But Cedar wouldn't be killed so easily, and even now, he wouldn't be impolite. He gave her a smile even as he scanned her with caution in an attempt to read her expression. “Good morning, Lady Valerian. It appears that you took care of me. I will have to thank you for that. You have my sincere gratitude for helping me in this situation.” At least if she wasn't waiting here for the royal guards to arrive and pick up the unwanted guest.

Lucille hurriedly put the book away and stood up to walk to the bed. She stopped with some distance between them and curtsied to him. “Good morning, Your Royal Highness. I apologize for moving you without permission, but it was crucial. I wasn't...” She slowly raised her head and showed him a conflicted expression. “I worried about the doctor not coming early enough. But he did come. And he will definitely not say anything to anyone else. We often call him. I...heard that he was here every week a few years ago, and he was always very confidential. So, there is no need to worry about him contacting someone. I paid the silencing fee, so it will be fine. And I don't think he recognized you.” It was almost sweet that she hurried to calm him like this.

Almost.

At the moment, Lucille Valerian wasn't just risking something small. No, she was currently putting her entire family at the risk of being arrested for treason.

Cedar knew that people didn't do things like this for fun. You would only ever take such a burden onto yourself if you could have a victory big enough to warrant the risk. Lucille certainly wanted something in return. If it was money, she could have it. Cedar didn't mind paying as much as needed to keep everyone silent. But he wouldn't address this now. Instead, he just smiled. “I see. Then it appears that I owe you. Thank you very much for your help. My wound barely hurts anymore.” That was a lie. His head was slightly dizzy as if he had taken pain medicine, but his side still felt as if it was burning. He didn't want to know how it would feel if he hadn't been given anything. It was painful, and knowing that he would have to walk around and possibly travel with these injuries soon made him shudder inwardly. This wouldn't be fun at all.

Lucille met his gaze and scanned his expression before slowly averting her eyes when he didn't look away. “That is good to hear. I was not sure whether the doctor would be able to deal with something like this. He normally just...takes care of smaller things. So, I'm really glad that you feel better. The doctor said that you would have to disinfect the wound regularly though. That means that you can either contact him again or do it yourself, but...” She looked at him again with something like pity in her eyes. “That would hurt a lot. I mean... It will hurt either way. But it may be better if a professional does it. Then you would be in a little less pain.”

Cedar had to admit that Lucille was good at showing consideration. Either she was a phenomenal actor, or she was really worried about the most wanted criminal in Artias. Judging by her expression, it seemed to be the latter option. Cedar was good at acting himself and had gotten to know a few people that were geniuses at it too, so he was confident that Lucille wasn't similar. It truly looked like she was concerned about him. That was understandable though. If the second prince of the royal family died in her house, she would have some problems.

Cedar responded in his typical polite tone. “I thank you for your concern, but I believe that I will be able to patch myself up without help. The most important part is done. I only need to rest for a few days, and then everything will be fine again.”

Lucille was skeptical. Surely, he didn't look like he was fine at all, and she couldn't keep herself from showing that on her face. She clenched her jaw for a moment before speaking up. “I understand. But if you do have any issues, please tell me immediately. I can call the doctor if anything hurts.” It certainly did hurt, but calling a doctor wouldn't do much.

Cedar gave her a calming smile and shifted around. His side definitely wouldn't heal any time soon. He would need at least a week before he could move normally again and another week before he could use his full strength. Training would have to be postponed. Great. “Your concern touches me deeply, but there is no need to be so worried. It is not as bad as it may have looked like.” In fact, he was pretty sure that it was worse. “So, it would suffice if I could use this room for a short while. I just need a few days of rest. Of course, I don't deserve to ask anything of you when you already saved my life, but I have to admit that I doubt that leaving now would get me far. Until when would you allow me to rest here? Perhaps for three more days?”

He was taking a gamble here, but he had no choice. He should leave as soon as possible to avoid the people that knew about his location, but he couldn't move at the moment. There was no way that he would be able to reach his goal like this any time soon. He needed at least another week to ensure that everything was set into place.

Unless he managed to win with this direct strategy.

Lucille lowered her gaze for a moment before she made eye contact again. Her voice sounded more uncertain than before when she spoke. “This is the annex, and no one ever uses it. So, there aren't even any servants here. That means that you could stay until you are fully recovered. If you need to hide, you could stay even longer too, Your Royal Highness. This building is completely empty, so you could also move around freely after you recovered.” She surely offered to help someone who had committed treason quickly. Was this girl kind or naive? Or did she expect a reward that was great enough to justify this?

Cedar wasn't so sure. He wasn't even sure whether she understood the situation fully or whether she had just done what came to her mind first. He scanned her expression before he addressed the most important point. “Lady Valerian, please excuse me for asking. Say, does your father know that I am here?”

The way that her face fell already answered his question. The young woman averted her eyes and stuttered around a bit. “About that... My father isn't... I mean, I didn't have the chance to...tell him yet. But-” She continued in a bit louder tone. “You can definitely stay here, Your Royal Highness! He doesn't ever enter this building.”

The prince had guessed that. Taking him in could only have been the choice of an inexperienced or young person with no political knowledge. No viscount, who happened to be an uprising merchant, would risk losing everything because he was accused of treason. Of course, protecting the emperor's enemy would have consequences if it was revealed. It seemed like Lucille hadn't thought about that though.

Or did she weigh up the risks with some benefit she wished for? In that case, it might be good to find out what she wanted so that the prince could decide whether he was willing to grant her that for her help.

Cedar tilted his head to the side and watched how she got nervous under his gaze. Somehow, Lucille didn't look calculative enough to truly want to use his remaining power for her sake, so maybe she was truly doing something thoughtless. He should truly explain this, or she might end up being shocked if something went wrong. He might wish to use her to house him for now, but he didn't want to ruin her family in the process. “Lady Valerian, you surely remember the incident in the capital, correct? The revolt that happened three months ago. Do you know who the leader of that revolt was? The person that stormed into the palace and was arrested and put into confinement for attempting to assassinate the emperor? The man that came there with the full intention to kill his older brother just to grasp the crown and would even take a group of bloodthirsty mercenaries with him?” He just needed to grin at her, and within seconds, he would be met with fear.

He was almost sure of that, but this self-conscious girl surprised him.