Cedar had thought that his mood could only become better after leaving the office. For a moment, he had been happy upon seeing Lucille, but then the other woman had appeared in the corner of his eyes.
Jenna Peril seemed to do her best to make him angry at the moment. Her embarrassing comments yesterday hadn't been enough. Now she also bothered Lucille. It was easy to guess what kind of mind games she would begin to play with the poor woman who had attracted her jealousy.
Cedar felt his smile widen and couldn't stop himself from rushing in as soon as he reached the hallway. “Lucille?” He made eye contact with her, and his anger flamed up even more.
Lucille looked like she was scared. Of course, she didn't fear for her life, but she was affected by whatever Jenna had told her.
It seemed like Cedar would need to make one thing clear here. He didn't hesitate to pull Lucille into his arms.
For a moment, Lucille tensed, but then she relaxed and returned the hug.
Cedar didn't miss the shadow of wrath that seemed to appear on Jenna's face for a moment. He also didn't hide his anger. Even if he was still smiling, his eyes had to have been cold. “Good day, Lady Peril. How have you been? Was the guest room satisfactory?”
Jenna quickly returned to her typical expression in front of the prince. She showed that sickening smile and made a small curtsy. “I wish you a wonderful day, Your Royal Highness. It is a great pleasure to meet you here. Of course, the room was beautiful, and there weren't any problems, as usual. My day was rather nice, and it only got better with your appearance. It is wonderful to see you first thing in the morning.” It was almost noon. She surely had met others before.
But Cedar didn't even have enough energy left to point that out. He just smiled at Jenna while thinking about leaving without another word. He considered that option for a few seconds before he decided to say something else. “It seems that you met Lucille first though. What did you talk about?”
Lady Peril couldn't even hide that it had been about him, but she neutralized her expression quickly. “Nothing special, Your Royal Highness. Lady Valerian and I spoke about make-up and about how the ball yesterday was.” That probably wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the whole truth.
Cedar let out a little huff before he looked down. He made eye contact with Lucille before speaking at a volume that was loud enough for Jenna to hear. “That sounds like you had a nice conversation. It's good if you had fun, but you don't have to worry if something sounded odd. Lady Peril often says...careless things. It would be best if you confirm it first before believing her.” That was the kind way of saying that Jenna was probably spouting lies the whole time. Surely, that woman wanted to implant some fake stories that were even worse than reality into Lucille's head so that she wouldn't come too close to him anymore. Cedar wasn't happy about that at all.
Jenna already annoyed him just with her presence, and the fact that she acted like she was hurt by that statement made it even worse. She pouted and lifted her fan higher. “That makes it sound like I'm a liar, which I'm certainly not, Your Royal Highness. I may gossip a bit, but nothing I said wasn't true. I merely wished to talk to Lady Valerian about the fireworks. How could I lie about that?”
Cedar didn't look at her while responding. “It wasn't my intention to make it sound like this. I only meant that there were cases of people being misinformed after you gossiped with them. So, don't take it to heart. My words are only based on experience.” He focused his intention on Lucille again and smiled at her.
Lucille was already as red as a tomato again. It was adorable, but he barely had time to think about that.
Cedar quickly stroked over her head once before speaking up. “I hope that the conversation was pleasant. I apologize for interrupting. I just saw you and thought that you were alone. Did you come to visit Aurora? If so, that is a good coincidence. I need to see my niece too. Let's go there together.”
Lucille could only stare at him before she slowly nodded. “Yes... I am on my way to her.” Good. Then they could use that chance to disappear without needing to talk to Jenna longer.
Cedar was already prepared to voice that excuse, but he didn't manage to speak up in time.
Lady Peril already looked at him with a strange expression. She took a few steps forward before opening her mouth. “I sincerely apologize. But would you please give me a moment to say one thing? I would like to tell you this because I feel like it is important for you to keep this in mind. I hope that you will not feel offended and that it doesn't seem like I am intruding in matters that aren't my business.” If she had to clarify this, Cedar didn't want to hear it.
But the prince only showed her a bright smile. “If you feel like it is important to say this, go ahead. Of course, I will not be too harsh, as always. But remember that I will not be silent when I believe that you are being too insolent. Good intentions don't justify everything. I am still a member of the royal family, so I will have to draw the line at some point, even if it pains me to be strict.” It didn't pain him at all. He would like to throw that woman out of the palace, and any justification would be wonderful.
Jenna hurriedly nodded. “Of course, Your Royal Highness. How could I forget that? I will do my best to be careful.” She put on a concerned expression before she slowly began. “I am well aware that this is a sensitive matter and that you know what you are doing. But I couldn't help but worry. I only wish to remind you that you should be patient in some cases. Some infatuations only last for a short time, and one should make sure whether they will go on longer before making a decision. You shouldn't make a misstep here, especially since you are a member of the royal family. It would be problematic if you were forced to take responsibility because of a careless mistake.” So, she was referring to Lucille.
Cedar had to admit that someone calling the woman he cared about a mistake made him more upset than it should have. By now, he did understand why Theodore's temper was so dependent on whether people dared to offend his beloved Blanche. Cedar considered pointing that out but chose not to. That he was still holding Lucille in his arms should have said everything. “I thank you for your concern, but it is unnecessary. As you said, I am well aware of what I am doing. And I don't mind taking responsibility if I do something that requires it. I told you that yesterday, didn't I?” He would like to inform Jenna that he had already spent the night in Lucille's room, but Lucille would probably faint if he did that. So, he held back and just showed Lady Peril his smile while waiting for a response.
Jenna didn't show any dismay this time. She just nodded in approval before replying. “Of course, Your Royal Highness. It's just that I, as a long-time friend, can't help but watch with worry.” She wasn't his friend at all, but she didn't seem to care about that. “I merely wished to remind you of the fact that you need to keep that in mind. After all, you should not decide who will be the woman by your side carelessly.”
Lucille seemed to have understood the whole meaning of this by now as well. She didn't seem to notice it, but her hold on Cedar tightened. Apparently, she liked Jenna as little as he did.
Lady Peril didn't get that message though. She just continued to talk without taking a break. “I do trust you from the bottom of my heart. But I fear that you may be swayed by temporary factors and that-” She cut herself off. Her eyes fell onto something behind the prince, and for a second, annoyance flashed across her features.
Cedar had seen that expression a few times now and knew that someone who would drag Jenna away had come. He turned around to face the other man.
Lord Peril looked like he was so tired that he might as well be three decades older than he actually was. Normally, a man in his thirties wasn't this fed up with his life, but the reason was easy to discern. Eugene had probably never cared about Jenna, much like she had never cared for him. They both had only married because a union between their families had been convenient. In the end, he had probably regretted that decision though. He was the person who suffered most under his wife's horrible personality. He wasn't even strong-willed enough to keep her from openly pursuing another man. To be honest, Eugene probably hoped that Cedar would give in at some point, just because he could justify a divorce then. That was a bit cowardly, but no one could blame him.
Cedar was glad he was here because he could use that man now. He didn't waste a moment before ending the conversation. “There your husband is. We just talked about him. What a coincidence. Well, then. Since Lucille and I have to go, it would be good for him to leave with you now.”
That was an indirect order, and Lord Peril understood it as such. He had barely arrived but didn't complain about not being greeted. He probably knew that Jenna had ruined the prince's mood already and tried to pick up the broken shards of his family's honor. “Of course, Your Royal Highness. We will leave immediately. May you and Lady Valerian have a wonderful afternoon.” He hurried to grab his wife's arm and pulled her away despite her pouting.
Jenna brushed off his hand once before making an exaggerated curtsy. “Goodbye, Your Royal Highness. I sincerely hope that we will meet each other soon again.”
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Cedar hoped the opposite. “Good day, Lord and Lady Peril. May your carriage not be damaged today.” If it was, he didn't care. Jenna had been at fault for that anyway, so she should figure out how she would get home now. “We will meet each other during the next event.” Even if he hoped that Jenna would be sick then.
Lord Peril quickly bowed again before he dragged his wife away. Maybe he was so careful because he had seen the kiss yesterday too and knew that it could get problematic if Jenna caused a scene now.
In any case, Cedar was thankful. He waited until the couple was gone and then looked down at Lucille. She was still so red and almost looked like she had a fever. But she didn't seem to have one and just reacted like this because she was still in his arms and leaned against him. That almost made him tease her again, but he was too worried at the moment. He had no idea what Lady Peril had told her, so he needed to deal with that first. “Are you alright?”
Lucille hesitantly looked up at him while still being visibly uncertain about whether this was ‘alright’. “Yes.” That was a lie.
Cedar gave his best to show the most encouraging smile he could offer. “That's good. She probably said strange things, didn't she? You can forget all of that. She likes to lie and spout nonsense, so don't think about what she tried to convince you of. That woman is used to poking at other's worries.”
Lucille gave him a fake smile in return. “It wasn't anything...special. I will forget it.” She was much more uncertain than she admitted to being, and that stung in his heart.
Jenna always liked to ruin others' confidence. She rarely did it, but sometimes, she had picked out someone who had fought with her and had ruined their reputation completely. This had only met rather unpleasant people in the past, and surely, she couldn't do that when the prince, the emperor and the empress supported Lucille, but Jenna probably wanted to get rid of the other woman anyway. The easiest way to do that would be to plant little seeds of doubt into Lucille's head. Jenna had enough things to say to ensure that this was successful too.
Cedar felt something unpleasant tingling in his stomach. He hated this feeling. The thought of Lucille choosing to turn away because she found out about something in his past was bad enough. No one else had to interfere. So, he made another attempt. “Are you sure that it's fine? You can tell me what she said, and we can talk about it.”
Lucille tried her best to show a convincing smile, but she failed miserably. “It's fine. Really. She just said strange things. I don't think you even need to hear that.” She averted her eyes immediately after saying that. The fact that she hadn't thought about letting go of him yet and just remained in his arms despite them being in the middle of a corridor only proved that it wasn't fine. She was scared of something.
Cedar knew that he should hold back and let her tell him everything at her own pace, but he was too nosy. He knew that Jenna had said something unfavorable about him, so he needed to limit the damages by addressing it. He was good at getting information out of people anyway.
So, he was rather tactless about it and relentlessly asked about what was wrong during the next few days.
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As usual, Cedar's stubbornness paid off. After a few days of casually mentioning the issue, he finally received the answer while they sat in the pavilion.
Lucille sat next to him and looked like she was as unwell as she could be in a relaxed environment. She fiddled with her hands in her lap and barely dared to meet his gaze. “The thing is...that we didn't... That ball wasn't...” She had attempted to voice it around five times now and still didn't manage to say it.
Cedar had told himself that he would stay quiet, but at this point, he wanted to help her. “Do you mean it's because of the kiss?”
Apparently, Lucille hadn't expected him to say it so outright. She immediately lowered her head and covered her face with her hands. Then she weakly nodded without letting him see her face. She was obviously red again, and her voice was much too quiet, but she finally spoke. “Others...saw. The rumors that...could surface might be very problematic.”
Cedar understood exactly what she meant, but he would be mean today. He needed her to voice her worry directly, or she would always avoid it. “Why?”
Lucille tensed and let her upper body fall forward even more. She shook her head to herself and probably wished that she could disappear into thin air. But of course, she just held still and gave herself a moment in silence. Then she admitted it in such a weak and shaky voice that he had to lean over to understand her. “For you, it probably won't be an issue. You will always have enough chances to marry. But...I...” She didn't seem to get that he already knew what the problem was.
Cedar felt a bit bad, but he forced himself to reply in the most cheerful voice imaginable. If she was worried, he needed to seem like he had absolutely no issue with whatever came toward them. “You know, you are being rather mean.”
Lucille froze. She struggled with herself but then finally lowered her hands and looked up at him with obvious confusion being painted onto her face. “What do you mean?”
He smiled at her before replying in a soft whisper. “First, you tell me that you like me a lot, and a few days later, you think about how to marry someone else. That is pretty mean.”
Lucille didn't seem to find that funny at all. Her expression revealed that she was worried about hurting him now. But she still didn't give up. She clutched her dress while meeting his gaze with something like despair in her eyes. “But...I will need to marry at some point.” Of course.
Cedar knew that. And of course, he should also know that Lucille shouldn't ever consider marrying him. That was a horrible idea and would only bring bad things to her. But the thought of her marrying someone else was too unpleasant. He knew that it was selfish, but the words slipped out before he could stop them. “If you will marry someone anyway, it should be someone you like. It would be good to choose a person you get along with, right? Someone you could imagine spending your life with. Should I be hurt by you not even considering me as a partner, or should I double my efforts to win you over?” By the gods, this was a terrible idea.
What was he thinking? Nothing, apparently.
If he had the slightest bit of human decency, he would try to keep her from a life with a person who had been raised by Camille.
And if Lucille had the slightest bit of an understanding of how horrible Cedar really was, she wouldn't look at him like that after he said it. Something like hope appeared on her face. Then a few seconds passed, and immediately, this emotion was washed away by worry. She looked at him with so much disbelief that it almost hurt. “Really? So...you mean...” She didn't dare to finish that sentence, even though he had clearly hinted at that.
Cedar just watched her while trying to phrase his response properly. He didn't want to hurt her, but this was a stupid idea. Once she began to hope, there was no way for him to crush her dreams. She shouldn't even want to marry him. Why did she look at him like this? It didn't make sense. And what made even less sense was that Cedar was almost relieved that she had that expression on her face.
If all of this happened because Lucille wanted it, he could tell himself that he didn't selfishly ruin her life. Then he could remind himself that she had wanted this too and that it made the both of them happy.
Apparently, Cedar still hadn't regained his mind when he replied because he forgot everything about phrasing it carefully as soon as he opened his mouth. “There is nothing that would make that impossible. Of course, we shouldn't decide something like this so early.” Lucille was eighteen, so she wasn't even an adult yet. He would like to give her time until then at least. He didn't want to trap her in a marriage with a member of the royal family just because she had accidentally fallen for the wrong person in her youth. “We've known each other for about half a year now, so deciding anything at the moment would be too quick. But the option is definitely there.” Honestly, he would rather marry Lucille than anyone else. He couldn't imagine that Theodore would complain, so they were actually free to do that as soon as Lucille was an adult and could sign the legal contract.
Lucille looked at him for a few seconds, and he could see how her brain cycled through multiple phases of realization. At first, there was joy, then skepticism, and in the end, she grasped the full extent of what he had said. She was probably as shocked about his careless comment as he was, but she was the one who hid her face in her hands again and refused to look at him.
Cedar tried to ignore how loudly his heart was pounding as he smiled at her. “That's a strange response. Can I hope now, or was I rejected without a second thought?”
Lucille let out some quiet noise before forcing herself to reply despite her obvious discomfort. “Not...a rejection... I'm just...” She paused and still refused to look up. “Too quick.” Definitely.
Cedar already asked himself whether he was an idiot. He forced himself to swallow that irritation completely while he replied. “I know. That's why I said that it isn't necessary to decide anytime soon. We don't have to tell anyone. Nor do we have to prepare rings or something like that. It's just a valid option. So, you don't have to think about whether you want that or not. You can simply focus on living your life for the time being. You just don't have to worry about what will happen if people talk about what happened.”
People would talk about that. There was no other option. If just one person had seen, that was enough to cause an uproar. In just a few days, everyone would know that the prince had kissed Lucille during the ball. Viscount Valerian might come to complain, but no one else would dare to say anything. Aside from Camille and Jenna, of course.
Lucille probably knew that as well. She weakly nodded. “Alright.” She didn't even manage to say that one word without stuttering. But it sealed the deal. Why would she agree to Cedar telling her that they might marry? That was a horrible idea.
And yet, Cedar couldn't help but beam upon seeing that she had agreed. Now he had an excuse and could claim that this wasn't so bad at all. “Good. Then it seems like you can stop worrying about that for now.”
Lucille nodded again and lowered her hands. When he leaned down to look at her, she quickly lifted her hands again, which resulted in her hiding her face for the next five minutes. For a while, they just sat there in silence before Lucille suddenly jumped up. She blabbered something about going to the bathroom and rushed off.
Cedar let out a little laugh as he saw her running away. As soon as she was gone, he noticed how much he had messed up though. He wouldn't get out of this one anymore. He had already fallen in love with the thought of marrying Lucille. No one else would make him feel so happy with just their presence. But clinging to her was stupid when he wanted her to be happy too. He had been so careful to keep his distance in the beginning, but apparently, he had given up on that months ago.
And now he sat here and proposed to her. That was a bit pathetic. Especially since he always explained that being with him would be bad for her. How could he say that and offer marriage a few weeks later? Had he completely lost his mind now?
Cedar groaned with frustration, but something else quickly attracted his attention.
It had been a small noise. Some plants had cracked. Normally, a person moving around the bushes wasn't an issue at all, but this one had been too quiet. This person here was used to sneaking around. And only one idiot would be stupid enough to sneak into the royal palace during the day.