Cedar entered when the door was opened for him and came into the emperor's bedroom while still asking himself what he was doing here. He had no idea why he was supposed to join his sister-in-law and why she had called for him. It had saved him from being yelled at by his mother, but he wasn't sure whether the situation now might not be even less pleasant.

As soon as he came into the room, he was greeted by the first worrisome thing.

Blanche beamed at him as if she was the glowing morning sun. That wasn't right. She hated him, so this definitely meant that something was wrong. Or she was just so focused on her daughter, who was naturally lying in her arms, that she even managed to ignore the strange guest that had come. “Cedar, you did visit after all.” He couldn't quite refuse when the empress asked.

Cedar stepped a bit closer to the bed but stopped at a safe distance. “Naturally. How could I not come when Her Majesty personally sent someone to pick me up? Good afternoon.”

Blanche let out an exaggerated sigh. “When you use titles, it sounds way too odd. I have to put in some effort if I want to change that.” She paused for a moment before turning her head slightly. “You may leave, Harris. I know that you're itching to see your Clark. You don't need to sit here and listen to us admire this little angel here again.”

Harris nodded at that and already approached the door. “Alright. Should I bring some apricot tea first? And some macarons?”

Blanche happily agreed to that. “You know exactly what you can do to help me regain my power. Gladly.” She waited for the man to leave before directing her attention to the prince again. She just beamed at him, which was somewhat unsettling if one considered how she had used to glare at him.

Cedar might understand how others felt when he chose to scare them by grinning the whole time a bit now. He smiled back at her before speaking up to avoid a minute of silent eye contact. “I didn't think Harris and you would be close.” It had sounded like the servant didn't even bother to use the title in his reply after all.

Blanche didn't hesitate to admit that. “Yes. He is part of my friend group. You know about Clark, don't you?” Yes. That had been the person Cedar had threatened Harris with. “He became my friend a while ago, and now that they made up and are as happy together as before, Harris is with us as well. I'm glad about that. He's nice if you ignore how he teases his friends. And he is as sarcastic as you are. Joking around with him is always fun.” That almost made it seem like she liked Cedar's humor, which she certainly didn't.

Cedar had to admit that he was glad that Harris had managed to get along with everyone here again after the incident in the past. He wouldn't talk about that topic though. It might be better to focus the conversation on something else. He looked around for a moment and pointed out the strangest thing inside the room. “Say. There seems to be something missing today. Isn't there a person who usually sticks to you like glue? Where is Theodore?”

Blanche looked down at her baby with a soft smile on her lips. “He is getting changed. Our little angel might have left some saliva on him. He will be back in a minute.” She lifted her gaze again, and her lips formed a little smirk. “Why are you asking? Are you uncomfortable being alone with me?” She was the one to ask that.

Cedar returned a smile that was just as bright. “I thought you would be, to be honest. You always used to run away when you saw me. I have to admit that this made more sense than suddenly inviting me.”

Blanche didn't take her eyes off his face while she replied. “You were at fault too, you know? You can be pretty terrifying if you put an effort into it. And you not only scared me, you also did everything in your power to infuriate me. Provoking me was easy, wasn't it?” That wasn't something she should say with a smile.

Cedar beamed back at her without letting his grin falter. “It was. In the past, I said some very unfavorable things to you. I apologized for that, didn't I? It may not help much, but I truly am sorry. I only said that because I purposefully wished to provoke you, as you said. I will not do it anymore, Your Majesty.”

She put on a pout. “I know. It worked. I'm not mad anymore, but you are still doing it. You keep calling me by that title when I clearly don't want you using it. It seems like I will have to order you to drop it soon.” Why did she even care about that?

Cedar looked around the room and hoped that Theodore would come back. He wasn't granted that favor though. So, he had to respond. “Well, if you order me, I can't do much about it. But calling our empress by her first name is pretty insolent. I am not certain whether I should do that. After all, I am still...in a strange position in this nation.” He was the traitor who had committed treason and tried to kill his brother, only to suddenly support the emperor. “Everything you and Theodore are doing right now will only direct more attention to that issue. Maybe being more careful would help. We don't want to cause a scandal.”

Blanche looked like she wanted to make a dismissive comment but held back. She was still a bit indifferent when she responded. “Theo and I tried that for too long. It doesn't matter what the people say. The emperor's power is absolute. That's why you also don't have to worry about working with Theodore. He gave you permission, and he will also take care of everything else. No one will accuse you of anything.”

Cedar was starting to feel a bit strange by just standing around here, but he didn't want to sit either. He didn't expect to stay here for long after all. He would have liked to just discuss the important part before leaving, but seemingly, that wasn't possible. Now he had to focus on another issue that bothered him. “So, Theodore knows about the problems this could cause? Are you sure?” He crossed his arms. “I almost can't believe that he understands. Granting me, a convicted criminal, any political rights is extraordinarily stupid. It won't help him more than it troubles him.”

Blanche let out a mix of a deep breath and a groan. “Don't be so stuck on that.” She slowly began swaying her baby when a little noise came from Aurora before she continued the conversation again. “Theo knows what he is doing. You are good at politics, right? You can do something with that knowledge. The fact that the emperor told you to deal with it gives you no choice, Cedar. Just go along with it. I did the same, and as you can see, it went pretty well.”

There was a significant difference between what Theodore would do for his beloved wife and what he would do when it came to his hated brother.

But Cedar didn't bother pointing that out. “If you say so. I doubt it. Of course, I will do what my brother tells me to, but I don't suddenly want to be called out for sinking my teeth into politics. I won't do much more than preparing contracts and something like that.” As long as he did things a secretary would too, it should be fine.

Blanche was quiet for a little moment. Her smile had faded, but it quickly came back in a more faint version. Her voice was soft when she spoke. “You truly overthink everything as much as I do. Don't worry about it. That also applies to the dowager empress, you know? Theo will take care of it, even if his methods may seem strange to you. It will take a little while since he wants to be careful this time and get rid of all of the little traitors that hide among the nobles. You won't even notice what he is doing because he acts in secret, and then the next day, you hear that criminals were arrested. Theodore isn't stupid. He knows much more than you think. You don't have to worry. It may be hard, but we will win in the end. We're on your side and know that you are on ours. We will do our best to help you.” When she finished, her smile became brighter. It looked so sincere that she probably wasn't acting.

Cedar was getting more irritated with her behavior each time. It didn't make sense for her to care, so trying to cheer him up was useless. “You know, I'm a bit curious. What did you think I was worrying about? About Theodore suddenly losing all tact while interacting with nobles? About him being sure that his power is enough to do everything? About him keeping Mother alive when that clearly is a stupid idea, or about me being uncertain about a traitor being affiliated with politics? Or is this about the general fact that he took me in despite knowing that I was fully in the middle of preparing-” He cut himself off when the door of the dressing room opened.

Theodore came in and showed his brother a little smile. “Good afternoon. So, you're already here.”

Cedar beamed back at him. That was the perfect moment. He might have said something he would rather have kept to himself if his brother hadn't intervened. Not that it mattered when everyone here was aware. “Good afternoon. I was called here, so I came as soon as I could.” He turned back to the empress. “There he is. You really can summon him with a single word.”

Blanche showed him a serious expression and seemed to pierce him with her eyes. “Don't change the topic. You wanted to say something. Go on.” No way.

Cedar would almost have admitted something about the overly complicated relationship between him and his mother as well as this stupid plan. He had wanted to ask whether Theodore wasn't sure that his brother would relapse and return to Camille's side, but now that chance was gone. “What topic? You said something about him, and he appeared. I don't remember what I wanted to say. We mentioned my work in his office, right?”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Blanche pressed her lips together and watched him for a moment.

No response came.

Theodore saw that as his cue to walk over to the bed. He climbed in beside his wife and spoke up while alternating between looking at the two of them. “What did you talk about?” He wouldn't hear anything from Cedar.

Blanche was happy to explain it though. “He doesn't like us telling him that we are on his side and will help him. He listed the things that worry him and was just about to mention something else, but you interrupted him. You know that it's over now.”

Theodore made himself comfortable with the blanket before moving close to Blanche. “I'm sorry.” He pressed a small kiss on top of his wife's head. “Then we won't get the response anymore, will we?” He made eye contact with his brother while knowing that this was true very well.

If Cedar's tongue slipped, it would only be once for a small second. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he would stop and not make that mistake again. The prince underlined that by beaming at the couple. “Say, what did I come here for? I doubt that it was just to stand around here while you cuddle in bed. Is there something special that needs to be discussed?”

Blanche took a moment to get over her frustration upon not hearing what she wanted to know. Then she nodded with emphasis, but a bright smile showed up on her face. So, it didn't seem to be about a serious matter, which was calming until she spoke. “You have to meet your niece. It's only natural for you to interact with her a little. Whenever you came here with Lady Valerian, you only caught a glimpse of her. But you never really held her. That is almost a crime if you consider how cute she is.” Was that it? That was why she had called for Cedar? Because she wanted the person she should hate with every fiber of her being to hold her child? That wasn't right.

Cedar was taken aback by that, and he actually considered asking what they intended to do with that. Did they want to accuse him of trying to harm the crown princess? That wasn't necessary at all when he had committed treason often enough. He was even more confused when he saw that his brother didn't protest with vigor. He stayed quiet for a few seconds before replying. “I don't think this would be a good idea.”

Blanche made eye contact with him, seemingly without a care for his justified concerns. “Why not?”

Cedar was happy to answer that. “I'm not really an expert when it comes to children. I need to remind you that I did not have the best example of a parental figure right in front of me while I was young. Aurora is just ten days old. She is as frail as a butterfly. I don't want to risk hurting her.” Nor did he want to scare a poor baby. The parents disliked him, so he doubted that the child would be fond of him.

Theodore exchanged a look with his wife before replying. “You won't hurt her. Neither accidentally nor on purpose. You have a steady hand, so it will be fine if you sit down.” Why did he agree with that too?

Cedar scanned the young parents while inwardly already asking himself what was wrong with them. He wouldn't give his child to the person he had considered his enemy for the longest time just like that. “I don't get-”

Blanche seemed to be too eager to interrupt him. “I saw how you interacted with Rebecca, so it will be fine. Aurora is your niece, so don't be like that. You won't do anything, and she deserves to get to know you.”

Cedar would have liked to flat-out refuse, but he noticed that the other two were keen on discussing. So, he would discuss too. “She is barely two weeks old. She won't remember me, and the most I can do is scare her, so-”

Blanche cut him off again. “You didn't scare Rebecca either. Didn't she smack you into your face with so much vigor that her own mother was shocked afterward? You didn't make her feel threatened even after she hit you. So, our little Aurora won't do anything either.”

Cedar would have liked to argue that Rebecca's smack had more been a small tap since she was a weak baby, but he kept quiet about that. “I didn't really have much of a chance to-” He didn't finish this time either.

The empress still beamed at him. “Come. Sit on the chair and hold her for a moment. I am certain that you will adore her just a second later.” Since when was Blanche so unyielding? Especially when it came to this topic. That didn't seem to match with how protective she usually was of people she cared about.

And the worst part was that Cedar couldn't keep refusing without admitting that he was terrified of holding that little girl. He didn't want to mess up and hurt her nor did he want to make her cry. He also didn't want to intimidate her, and since he could tell that other people tended to fear him from experience, this was a horrible idea. Someone like him should never get close to a child. He was sure that whatever could happen would only be bad. But how could he say this out loud? He made one last attempt, only to be interrupted immediately. “Your Majesty-”

Theodore chimed in this time. “You surely are stubborn. Are you perhaps worried about making her uncomfortable? Or is this because you think of yourself as-” He sounded so serious that it was obvious that he would say what the prince refused to reveal.

So, Cedar spoke up first. “If you insist, I will do it. But don't blame me if she starts crying because she is forced to meet a stranger so early.” On the inside, he was glaring at his brother. He didn't need to hear any comment about his childhood. He was very much aware that he hadn't really been given anything that remotely resembled true love. His mother had either treated him cruelly or suffocated him with affection and happily switched between the two of them so that she had almost seemed like she had a split personality. Cedar wouldn't know how to interact with a child normally.

Theodore didn't have any experience with children either, but at least he had been raised by Althea, who had sometimes seemed like she was the personification of gentle motherly love.

Cedar pushed the image of Althea lying on the floor while being covered in red out of his head and focused on the issue at hand.

By now, Blanche was beaming and seemed happy about his choice. Great. Now he wouldn't get out of holding the baby, would he? The empress nodded toward the chair next to the bed. “Come on, sit down.”

Cedar hated himself more than anything else for agreeing just to avoid that obvious provocation. He wouldn't be surprised if Theodore had done this on purpose. But Cedar had been stupid enough to agree, so he would have to do it now. He walked over to the chair and plopped down while hiding his dissatisfaction with a bright smile. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say, but all the words died in his mouth when he saw how the emperor moved.

Theodore had carefully picked up his daughter and brought her over to his brother. Why he was doing this remained uncertain, but he seemed completely calm. “You need to put your arm under her head, and everything else won't be an issue.” He helped the other man direct his arms before gently setting down the baby.

Cedar hated it.

He hated the fact that his brother trusted him enough to do it. He hated that Blanche suddenly acted like she wanted him to be part of the family. But most of all, he hated how panicked he was in such a situation.

Now he held Aurora in his arms and was stiffer than during any duel. He had to make sure that his grip was tight enough to keep her from slipping out, but at the same time, he didn't want to crush her. That baby was too tiny to withstand any force, so even a little mistake could hurt her. How long was Cedar supposed to hold her now?

Blanche waited for a short moment before speaking up. “See? No issues. She continues to sleep soundly.”

Cedar used that chance to refute this immediately. “Since she is sleeping, wouldn't it be better to put her in her cradle? I don't want to accidentally...” He stopped himself when he felt something stir in his arms.

It seemed like Aurora would wake up soon. What bad timing this was.

He prayed that she wouldn't begin crying and stared down at the small human.

To his relief, Aurora didn't do much. She barely opened her eyes and watched him through two small slits while lying in his hold like a limp doll. She didn't seem to care much about this stranger holding her and just looked at him without moving. That was more than enough to earn her compliments from her parents though.

Blanche looked at her daughter as if she were the glowing sun that allowed the world to live with light and began whispering in a voice that was full of affection. “Isn't she adorable? Look at her. She has the same blue eyes as Theo. And the small fluffy hairs she has make it look like she may have my hair color. But her eyes are definitely the most striking feature she has, even among her beautiful face. She is much cuter than any other baby has ever been, even though I never believed that to be possible.”

Maybe Cedar would have had time to admire Aurora if he wasn't still tense in fear that he would do something wrong. Babies couldn't hold their heads upright, so he had to be careful with how he positioned his arm. For him, that meant that he didn't dare to move even a little bit while scanning the baby's expression with skepticism. He almost expected the little girl to start yelling at some point, but that didn't follow.

Aurora let out some strange noise that wasn't quite a sob, a breath or a groan. Cedar froze, but it was quiet after that. The baby just closed her eyes and seemed to nod off again.

The prince used that as his chance to give her away as soon as possible. “She's falling asleep. You should take her again.” He wasn't sure whether he had hidden how eager he was to finally make it through this without messing up completely. Probably not.

Theodore grinned at him as he carefully took Aurora back. “See? You did well. Be happy that she didn't burp onto you.”

Cedar finally relaxed after his hands were free again. “Did you hope that she would? I'm sorry to disappoint.”

This only earned him another comment from Theodore. “For someone that is always seemingly unaffected by everything, you surely are cautious around children. Is that your weak point? I'm interested in seeing how you will interact with your children later. I mean, you and Lady Valerian might not be too patient.”

Cedar couldn't hold back his annoyance at that. First, they made him act out a happy family, and now they teased him about it? He wouldn't go through this without getting revenge. So, he replied in a way that allowed him to pay back his brother. He looked to the side and added his response without hesitation. “We'll have to see how long that takes. It seems like the doctor didn't tell you yet. I hope that you won't get too angry because I refused that offer of yours twice in a row. I may have to take you up on that now.” He didn't need to say more. He could already see the gears in Theodore's head turning.

It took a few seconds before the emperor stiffened. “You don't...mean the contraceptives, right?” He had fallen for the trap immediately. What an idiot.

Now Cedar just had to talk back quickly before that turned into a misunderstanding.