Cedar had been annoyed ever since he had heard that he should appear during this ball. After all, he knew that he would be the center of attention. It had been bad before the revolt, but now he would probably end up being stared at by every single person in the room for the whole duration of the ball.

That meant that he would have to put up with beaming and flattering others for five hours straight. Now that he couldn't even use his mother's willfulness as an excuse to stay away, it should be even more frustrating than before.

And as if that wasn't enough, he wasn't even given a chance to hide that he was residing in the palace. Lucille had taken a detour to meet with her father outside so that she could enter along with him. Cedar, however, was supposed to follow the royal couple to show that they got along again. As if him just being there wouldn't have attracted enough attention. Now he also had to prove that Theodore and he weren't trying to kill each other anymore.

At the same time, Cedar had to ignore that the royal couple in front of him was already lost in their own world again. He tried to be respectful by turning away whenever they started kissing, but that only ended with him looking away the whole time. He glanced at the clock. They should have entered five minutes ago. Should he give a little hint?

Just when he thought about that, the two in front of him finally stirred. Theodore stopped nibbling at his wife's neck and looked at the clock before turning back to her. “Are you ready?”

Blanche beamed at her husband and adjusted some of his medals again before replying. “If you are. Or do you need me to give you another charm first?” By the gods. Please no.

Cedar knew that this would take five minutes again and that Theodore would never refuse his darling wife. So, he hurried to speak up, even if he felt a little bad about interrupting them. “May I say something before you make that decision? Do you always draw out going in like this? We're already late.”

Blanche turned around and made a rejecting movement with her hand. “The guests know. The main characters always have to arrive late. Normally, we end up cuddling ten minutes or so before we enter. This is nothing.”

Cedar glanced at the clock again. They were six minutes late. “I should have expected that. You are the hosts, so you can go in when you want and disappear in the middle. But theoretically, I should have been there already. Is it really appropriate if I come too late for my first event when I return to noble society?”

Theodore shrugged at that. “Who is going to scold you? The emperor? You being late doesn't matter much. I would say that how you act now is more important, but I know that you are good at making people like you. So, just do what you always do without needing to take care of some hysteric mess at the same time. Do you want to stay with us, or do you want to go around alone?”

Cedar couldn't even refute the comment about their mother, so he just ignored that and replied with a bright smile. “I won't bother you two lovebirds. Trust that I can deal with the people that speak to me myself. I'm still hoping that most people will ignore me because they fear angering you.”

The emperor gave him an apologetic smile. “That won't happen. As long as we get along, you are the second most powerful man in the nation. You are a member of the royal family, and you don't have a fiancée. You know what that means. You'll be the most sought-after bachelor in the nation in just a few months once they see that everything calmed down. Some will even try to figure out what is going on already. So, be prepared.”

Cedar had to hold back a sigh at that. “Maybe it would be better to remind them of the revolt then. I don't want to deal with any of those people. I would suggest just not addressing them, but if they want to approach me, it will be hard to ignore them.” Even if it was quite tempting.

Theodore responded in a somewhat sympathetic tone. “I know. That's what we always think when we meet others too. But we will have to endure it. Most people are kind. And you have my permission to cut any conversation you dislike short because you suddenly have something to tell me. But you won't be able to avoid small talk completely.”

“I will be fine. I am used to unpleasant people.” If Cedar could deal with his mother, who yelled and threw vases during hysteric fits, he could also deal with annoying nobles. “You don't have to worry about me causing problems. I'm going to be quiet in hopes of making this sudden appearance a bit less shocking. Should we go in now?”

Blanche nodded. “It's fine if you want to stay quiet, but don't hold back when people are causing trouble. We can enter now.” She gave him a smile before turning to the door and addressing the guards. “Please open the door.”

Seconds later, the servants in front of them slowly pushed open the massive double door while another one loudly announced the arrival of the hosts. “His and Her Majesty, the emperor and the empress of Artias, and His Royal Highness, the second prince.”

Cedar had already counted the seconds until the news would be dropped. He could hear how the noises inside the ballroom had quietened down in an instant. When the doors were fully opened, the royal couple strode inside, with Cedar following them with a few steps of distance between them.

As expected, the prince seemed to be the most interesting part of the ball. He was used to being watched by everyone around him, but right now, his position was even more complicated than before. Officially, he had attempted to commit treason, which would justify his execution. Being here in the emperor's presence was definitely strange. But he wouldn't need to ponder that when everyone around him would.

All hundred guests watched him with a mixture of curiosity and intimidation. None of the faces here were new.

Cedar could easily recognize every person, which was good since he would have to speak up first when people approached him. For a single second, he allowed himself to search for Lucille and met her gaze.

She looked like she was even more uncomfortable than he was, which wasn't surprising.

He gave her a little smile before quickly turning his gaze away again. If possible, he should avoid anyone finding out that Lucille and he were close. They had agreed that this would be the best option and promised to use formal titles while they were in public. There were people here who could and would tell the dowager empress what was going on, so he would force himself to avoid looking at Lucille.

Cedar focused his attention on his brother, who greeted the guests with the same words as always. In general, it seemed to be the same. The first dance would belong to Theodore and his wife, who danced a slow waltz before the others were allowed to join in. Then the royal couple would walk around and meet the guests one after the other, beginning with the person with the most influence. That would be Duke Duremont, who already pierced the prince with his eyes.

Cedar ignored that and did something unusual for him. He just stood at the side of the ballroom and glanced outside while waiting. He wasn't in the mood to try to get anyone on his side today, even if he should probably do that. But since he would need to deal with others despite his reluctance, he could just let them come to him.

Cedar had barely stood at that spot for a minute when the first person was already there. He was prepared to get annoyed but met the other's gaze.

It was Luciano Vasquez. His cousin was one of the few people here who were bearable.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The prince was a bit relieved and a bit worried as he spoke up with his typical polite grin. “Good evening, Your Grace. It has been a while since we last met.” Half of Cedar expected a threat or anger to follow.

But Luciano just smiled back as he bowed for a moment. “Good evening, Your Royal Highness. I am surprised to see you here. You haven't even given us a warning about you appearing at this ball.”

Cedar scanned the other man but still didn't find any trace of fury. That was weird. “I apologize about that. There were specific circumstances that would have made it hard for me to send letters. In fact, I was also against coming here today since it's a bit early. But my brother insisted, and here I am. It also has advantages. I can meet some old friends again. How are you, and how is your family doing?” He hoped that this didn't sound too insincere when his mother had attempted to kill that whole family just five months ago.

Luciano didn't get upset, so it seemed to have been fine. “I cannot complain about much. I have to get used to being the duke, but I'm not doing much more than before. Mother and Rebecca are fine too. Rebecca is still being a clingy baby, but since she is barely a year old now, we can forgive her for that. Even though I have to admit that her crying whenever we try to leave the room is a bit difficult. Mother wanted to greet you too, but right now, Rebecca is being emotional again.” He glanced at the balcony, where a woman stood near the railing while holding a small bundle of blankets in her arms.

It had been a while since Cedar had seen the little girl. Rebecca had probably grown up a lot, and her mother might seem a bit older after losing her husband in a fire too. Cedar watched the scene on the balcony for a moment before turning back to his cousin. “It's good to hear that. I hope it stays like this too.”

Luciano still smiled, but his expression soon became more serious. “I hope that too. Let me ask a question, please. If you are here and that woman is not...”

The prince understood what the other man was referring to without needing to wait for the whole sentence. “She's still throwing fits and wallowing in self-pity in confinement. It looks like she will stay there for the next decades too. So, you shouldn't worry about her. Theodore keeps his eyes on her. You know that you have to worry about her puppets though. I would presume that you aren't her main target.” Since that was now Lucille. “But still.”

Luciano didn't seem surprised by that. “I see. As expected. Then what will you do now? I assume that His Majesty is trying to work with you since he brought you inside with him. Do you have any plans on where you will go from here?”

Cedar had to admit defeat at that point. “I will be honest. I have no idea. Just staying here without any plans seems good for now.” That wasn't exactly true. He had one plan, but he liked that one less with every day. So, he doubted that he would follow it for long.

Luciano replied with a small nod. After that, he stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up again. “And may I ask what are you doing standing here in the corner? Normally, you are running around and talking to everyone. Today, you seem awfully docile.”

“I do not want to make anyone uncomfortable. I will allow them to slowly get used to my presence again. After all, most people here should be cautious around me.” At least if they had even a little bit of intelligence.

Luciano let out a small chuckle at that. “Easing them in won't be necessary. Look at all the people watching us. They all want to talk to you. They're only waiting because I'm here.”

Cedar turned to look around for a moment. Indeed, it seemed like many people were watching the prince.

Luciano lowered his voice a bit before he resumed. “I would like to talk to you in private in a while. So that we can discuss everything that happened. Doing that now is problematic, so let's delay it until we can be alone. Invite me in a few weeks.”

Cedar tried to read the other's expression again. Shouldn't Luciano be a little more hostile? “I don't mind that. I have to admit that I'm surprised that you even want to talk to me though. Didn't-”

Luciano cut him off. “Exactly. Didn't your mother try to kill us? You didn't do anything. In fact, you even prevented our family from collapsing entirely. You were the one that wrote me that warning, weren't you? I wasn't sure, but I compared your handwriting to that letter, and it was a match. And that wasn't all. Her Majesty told me about how Camille wanted to frame me after the revolt, only for you to tell the truth to help me. You could have easily twisted the story enough to make His Majesty destroy our family because we changed sides, but you didn't do that.”

Cedar almost had to laugh at that. Refusing to do something cruel in one instance didn't quite make him a good person. Too many people seemed to confuse things here. “Her Majesty surely talks a lot. I feel like she already spread every single thing I said in her presence.”

Luciano shrugged at that. “She doesn't want people to believe in misconceptions, so she clears them up. She is of the conviction that talking about everything is the best way to prevent issues. She isn't wrong either.” He paused for a moment and looked around again before glancing at Cedar. “Should I stay here a little longer? That should keep them away for a bit.”

Cedar could already guess what this was about, but he still asked. “Why?”

“Because that woman is here.” Luciano looked to the side with visible annoyance.

Cedar inwardly sighed as he followed the other's gaze.

As expected, she was here. The one person who always seemed to come running when he appeared in public. Lady Peril. Great. At least that witch's husband was there too. That meant that she had to hold back a bit.

But seeing her bright grin already made Cedar want to grimace and turn away. Maybe being interrupted by Theodore wouldn't be such a bad coincidence. Letting Luciano stay here was also tempting. But in the end, it was obvious that Jenna's persistence would win once again. Cedar gave his cousin a weak smile before he responded. “You can't stand here the entire evening. It was a given that she would come bother me at some point. Just leave and take care of your mother and sister. I'll manage.” If not, he could probably run to Theodore's side, even if he doubted that he would be able to swallow enough of his pride to do that.

Luciano seemed like he was discontent with that but nodded. Even though he shouldn't have known much about that incident seven years ago, it seemed like he had a general idea. “I understand. Then I hope that it will not take too long before you can send her away. Use the others around you as an excuse. That should be fine, right? I wish you a good evening.”

Cedar already regretted it when he said goodbye. “I wish you a wonderful evening as well. Until we meet again.” He waited for a second to let Luciano step away and then immediately let his gaze roam across the ballroom. If he managed to find a member of the Duremont family, the most influential dukedom, he could justify talking to them first. But of course, he was unlucky and didn't even have time to think about stepping aside.

Jenna arrived in front of him with a sickeningly sweet smile on her lips and much too little distance from him. She looked up at him with expectation, and no matter how tempting it was to ignore her, Cedar couldn't do that.

The prince had to force himself to keep his smile from widening as he turned to the person who might be as uncomfortable as he was. “Good evening, Lord Peril. It has been a while since we last met.”

Even Eugene Peril, that woman's husband, looked like he was helpless and would rather leave. That poor man. Being married to Jenna had to be awful. Lord Peril met Cedar's gaze without even trying to hide the exhaustion in his brown eyes before he bowed. “Good evening, Your Royal Highness. It is a pleasant surprise to meet you here. We did not expect you to attend this ball.” He probably wasn't very happy about this surprise.

By now, Cedar regretted coming here already, so he wished that he had said no upon being asked. “To be honest, I did not expect it either. My brother was rather insistent though.” He glanced over at Theodore, only to turn away immediately when he met the other's gaze. Great. Hopefully, the emperor didn't try to be some sort of savior now. Cedar made one last attempt to keep Jenna from speaking by addressing her husband again. “I hope that your family hasn't had any trouble recently. I haven't heard much about the developments in the capital for the last few months. Has business been going well?”

Eugene smiled at him, but his smile was more fake than anything else. “Indeed. Thankfully, we did not have many difficulties. We hope that Your Royal Highness has been in a favorable position as well.” He glanced over at his wife. Even though he probably wanted to hide it, he looked like he would rather take some pills to go to sleep early instead of spending another minute with her.

Jenna, however, showed a blinding smile as she met Cedar's gaze. She looked genuinely ecstatic to meet him, and that only made it worse.

Lady Peril hadn't changed at all. It almost seemed like she hadn't aged a day in the last months, nor in the last seven years. Her emerald green eyes still sparkled when she met the prince while they held some sickening intention as well. She still had the same fan and the same long colored fingernails. She even used a similar perfume. Even if the smell seemed to be a little less obtrusive now, it didn't make her presence more pleasant.

Cedar was taller than her now, but even knowing that he could easily overpower that person if she did something he disliked didn't help. Not when she reacted like she had last time. He ignored how his instinct told him to ignore that woman to turn around and just smiled at her. “Good evening, Lady Peril. It seems like you are doing well. I hope no problems have troubled you or your family.” He might have complimented every other woman. But not her. That would only make her try something strange again. Even him acknowledging her seemed to raise her confidence too much already, even though he truly had no other choice.

Jenna beamed at him before she made a flawless curtsy. “It truly is a wonderful evening. No one here expected that we would have the honor of meeting Your Royal Highness today. I could never have imagined that we would be blessed with such a breathtaking surprise. I can proudly inform you that no issues arose in our family. It seems that your past weeks were much more exciting than ours. Could you perhaps share the reason why you came back to the royal palace in secret?” Even her voice sounded as sweet as it had back then.

How disgusting.