“If you count you trying to make me feed him the nuts that trigger his allergy, we have six cases of attempted murder here. I seem to be well off in comparison. I only got attacked once and poisoned once. By you, at least. Oh, and we could count you threatening me twice too. Then I feel like I'm not too happy with my result either.” Blanche had listed all the times that her lover and she had been attacked to vent her frustration. As expected, it didn't do anything.
Cedar rested his elbow on the armrest of the throne and leaned his chin on his hand before he replied with a smile. “I have to admit that I did threaten you once or twice. But I only did that after you provoked me, so it's partly your fault. And I didn't really lose control for once, or you would have been hurt already. Still, I apologize. But I neither poisoned you nor did I order any attack on you and Theodore while you were picnicking. Haven't you heard Duke Vasquez's testimony by now? Or rather, the former duke's, as he should be called now. He was the one that was responsible for that.”
Blanche did her best to keep her expression straight while replying. “Indeed. We know. But he was your supporter. He was one of the most important people in your faction. That means that you share responsibility for hiding his deeds from the public. Tolerating his behavior also made you guilty. You only got back at him once by helping us. I don't understand why you wanted to prove that he was the person that had poisoned me. But you did it. You purposefully pulled out some of that same poison to say that someone else brought that home from their vacation.”
The prince looked to the side for a moment. “During our meal, you mean? I wonder why I did that. Maybe I noticed that Claude Vasquez was insane. I didn't guess that he wanted to begin a war with Northern Ocrea nor did I know that he wished to make his son emperor. But I had a vague idea. What ridiculous plans that man had. He was so arrogant that he extended his hands toward the sun. But people that get too close to it will end up being burned. What a fitting saying for him.” His knowing smirk proved what everyone had known already.
Camille had gotten involved in that case, and she had burned Claude.
Hopefully, Theodore would be able to use that to their advantage. The concubine doubted that that would be necessary though. If they won here, this incident would be more than enough to convict Cedar and his mother too. Blanche took a deep breath while trying to calm herself. Theodore was fine. And the people around him too.
There wasn't an ‘if’ here. They would win.
After collecting her courage for a moment, Blanche spoke up. “I don't really care much about the former Duke of Vasquez. But on that day, six royal guards lost their lives. I know that you didn't order them to be killed. Your mother did. And she will suffer for killing those six innocent people.” She could hear some of the masked guards snicker and turned to them to glare at them. To her surprise, they actually shut up. Maybe her expression was as ugly as her mood right now. It would make sense if she was able to scare others with that for once.
Cedar watched her closely the whole time and grinned when she turned to him again. “It seems like being with Theodore made you learn from him. You're not as terrifying as him, but you gained a lot of confidence. You might have been a good empress. What a shame that you can't climb to that position anymore. After all, your dear lover won't return to be able to put a ring on your finger.”
She knew that he was just saying this to provoke her, so she ignored that completely. “So, you truly wish for Theodore to die? You actually plan on becoming emperor. After you rushed into the palace with mercenaries and used violence to attack the former ruler. What makes you think that people will trust you? No matter what happens, you need a few loyal subjects. What will you do when they ignore your commands collectively because you are a murderer? You can't just execute all of them.”
Cedar brought his hand to his chin. “That is true. But would they be upset if they knew that I killed the tyrant emperor? Probably not. I would guess that they would be thankful for everything I've done instead.”
Blanche snorted at that. “Come on. You should know best that those rumors were never true. I've talked to a lot of commoners, and no one ever complained about them feeling oppressed.” Actually, she had only talked to the owner of the restaurant in Ibela and his daughter. Both had seemed to look up to the emperor, so the concubine was confident enough to base her words on that. She promised herself to interact with other people in the future, but right now, she had to focus on something else. “Your mother only spread those lies to harm Theo's reputation. She is nothing more than a liar. You should know that by now. Theodore isn't a tyrant. He is the best ruler Artias ever had.”
Cedar raised an eyebrow at her. “So, you still don't believe that those rumors have a true core? Doesn't what I told you about our father's demise worry you in the slightest? You keep calling me a murderer, but as far as I know, Theodore killed more people than I did. Maybe. It's at least a rather similar number. Our father, quite a few assassins and mercenaries, Count Besseta, my personal guard. All the people whose execution he allowed died because of him too. Didn't he even kill some of my mother's people in front of you? Aren't you scared of him at all?”
Blanche didn't need to think about her answer for even a second. “No. I would never be upset because he fought to protect me and his own life. No one can blame him for killing a person that attacked him with a sword. Even you should understand that. This was the reason that he killed the people your mother sent after him. The same holds true for your personal guard, who attacked him too. Count Besseta was executed because you framed him, so there is no need for you to blame anyone else. Theodore told me about your father too. If you cared to listen to the whole story, you would know that there was no malice there. Your father asked for death, and when he was released from his pain, your mother couldn't stop twisting the truth. If she had truly loved your father, she would have wanted him to stop suffering.”
Cedar let out a huff of air. “I wouldn't phrase it like this. If Theodore was in pain, you wouldn't agree to me killing him because he is suffering either. But it is true that my mother's love is a bit questionable. I am pretty sure that Father never even looked at her for longer than necessary. That's most likely why she felt some sort of kinship with the former empress. She also sees you as a thorn in her flesh because of that. After all, you are being doted on by your lover. She has to be jealous, so very jealous. Isn't it pitiful?”
Blanche couldn't care less. While there might be a bit of pity for Cedar, more than she cared to admit, she didn't have any sympathy for Camille left. Surely, that woman had also become twisted due to the way that she had been raised, but that didn't justify whatever was happening here. The concubine didn't intend on saying it, but she didn't hold back when the words came out. “She's not pitiful. She is cruel, so she doesn't deserve much happiness either. After she hurt so many people, there is no way that one could forgive her. She is much more similar to a tyrant than Theodore ever was.”
“So, you keep defending him. In some way, it's adorable, but you should save your breath since I don't really care.” Cedar glanced to the doors, where the situation hadn't changed one bit, with the mercenaries still guarding the entrance. “None of his men are here, so you don't need to pretend too much. You can just admit that you are worried now. You spent two years winning the favor of the most powerful man in the nation, and he might lose his position in just a few minutes. The people that will gain influence could see you as a threat now. So, it would only be normal for you to be concerned. I'm surprised that you haven't tried to win my mother's favor yet.” He had to be doing this on purpose to upset her. There was no way that he still didn't know that she would die for her lover. He always had been good at picking up on others' weaknesses, so he definitely knew.
The concubine narrowed her eyes and barely managed to keep quiet. Her lover had told her that she needed to act inconspicuously so that she wouldn't get hurt. For now, it might be better to stay quiet and wait for news from Theodore. In the case that someone from their side came here, she would have to prepare herself to distract the prince after all. She needed to create some chance for the people on their side to attack.
Most likely, the easiest way would be acting like she thought that her lover would lose and that she was trying to gain Cedar's favor because of that. But she wasn't sure whether she could do that. The thought alone was revolting. Even the way that the prince's eyes roamed over her face while taking in her expression made her uncomfortable. He was planning something secretively, Blanche was sure of that. She didn't like that one bit.
After a few seconds of silence, Cedar spoke up. “What are you thinking about that hard? You look like you are quite indecisive.”
Blanche didn't need to answer. She didn't owe him a response after all, but not replying would make her feel like she admitted that he was right. “Can I not think about what is happening around me? We are currently in a rather difficult position. You are troubled more than I am, but I still worry. Even after all this was resolved and you are arrested, there will be issues. How many royal guards were hurt already?”
The prince chuckled. “You truly seem to care about your citizens. I can calm you though. Most were only knocked out. I don't want to begin my reign with a bloodbath after all. Thus, it was rather good that they were ready to compromise. I'm really grateful for them not attacking us.” That was odd. Why would Cedar plan a rebellion without hurting anyone? That didn't make sense. It also didn't seem logical that he trusted that no one was fighting back.
Something was off here.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Blanche tried to keep a straight expression as her mind already moved on to other things. Maybe this was part of Theodore's plan. He had claimed that he wanted to avoid bloodshed in any way. So, if the knights had to act like they would hold back for a moment, it would only benefit them. After all, they could attack later when no one was expecting it. There was no way that the royal guards would have given up on protecting the palace during such a revolt. At least she hoped that. Otherwise, the staff's loyalty would be nothing more than an illusion.
The concubine gritted her teeth and attempted to focus on something else, but it didn't get better. Her mind wandered to Theodore. He had to be fine right now. He was probably fighting side by side with the others and would arrive here victoriously in just a few minutes. If he didn't, she wouldn't know what she would do.
She folded her hands as she began praying to the gods. Someone had to protect Theodore. He had done so much good for their nation and for the people around him. He deserved to be saved now. Otherwise, it would mean that kindness wouldn't be rewarded, and that thought was horrifying. Surely, no sane god could want Cedar, or rather the cold-hearted Camille who would pull the strings and use her son, to rule. That might truly ruin Artias.
A few seconds of silence passed before Cedar addressed her again. “Praying won't do much either. The gods, if they do exist, don't care about us. But since you don't believe in a predetermined fate, you shouldn't need to call for help from above either. Won't you try to create your own path? Maybe you will now see that none of this will help you.” He moved around on the throne and leaned his head against the backrest. “By now, Theodore is probably dead or running right toward his doom. I sent one of the men to inform him that you are waiting here with me. If he was alive, he would have run here immediately. Since he didn't come, we can expect the worst.”
Even though she had been forcing herself to stay optimistic, that comment pierced Blanche's heart. She knew that her lover would search for her as soon as he heard that she was in danger. He might even discard his plan for her. She could just hope that the fact that he hadn't reached them yet meant that he hadn't met the man that would give him the information about her whereabouts. Then it would make sense for Theodore not to have come. She repeatedly told herself that this had to be the case and barely heard it when Cedar spoke to her again.
“You know...your life isn't necessarily over even if he is gone. You can still find something else to do. You could travel around the world, stay with your new-found friends or move into the capital to start a new business. But that might be hard since you don't have any experience living alone, right? You are a noble lady thanks to your title, and you are also a member of the royal family, even if you aren't a full-fledged one. Normally, it might be better for you to stay in the palace, but Mother would kill you instantly for that. We'll look into that in a while. Maybe some noble family will take you in.”
Blanche gave her best to ignore that, but her blood was boiling in her veins. She couldn't imagine that Theodore was dead. He wouldn't give up like this. He had promised that he would come back to her. Her lover didn't break his promises. There was no way that he would leave her behind and die again. She balled her hands into fists and glared at Cedar. “Don't talk like he is dead. Theo isn't dead. He is fine. He will come back in a while, and then you will be charged with treason. There is no way that the evidence isn't sufficient this time.”
That had to be why Theodore had been happy about the attack too. As long as they defeated the enemies without much bloodshed, this could only help them. After this was over, the dowager empress would finally be behind bars for the rest of her life. By now, Blanche even considered that execution might be the better option to ensure that nothing could happen in the future, but she wasn't sure whether her lover would be content with that. She snapped out of her thoughts when Cedar responded.
“You are rather stubborn. There is no way that you can guarantee that everything is fine. We cannot know whether Theodore is fine without receiving any information. Let us make a bet. I say that he is dead, you say that he isn't. The one that wins can demand a favor from the other person as soon as we have our response. Does that sound good?” It didn't. Surely, he had something in mind when he offered something like this.
But Blanche was absolutely convinced that her lover was alive. If she didn't bet now, she revealed that she knew that she had the chance of losing. In the end, it didn't matter much what Cedar wanted anyway. If Theodore was dead, she wouldn't have any will to live left, so a bet would be the least of her worries. “We can bet. After all, I know that I am right. You will have to do something for me when this is over.” She didn't have anything that she wanted to ask of him yet, but she would find something.
Not that she believed that the prince would actually listen to her. Most likely, he would find some excuse to change her mind or just claim that a member of the royal family wouldn't bow to her. But in the end, she didn't intend to follow her own words either, so she couldn't even be mad about that.
Cedar gave her the same smile as always, which already seemed to tell her that he was aware of the fact that this bet was worth nothing too. “Deal. But no backing out afterward. We will only need a few more minutes. I'm sure that some of my men will come back by then. Until that happens, you can go sit on one of the armchairs. You really don't need to stand around the whole time. Your stance does seem a bit shaky.”
Blanche turned her head to the side. “I'm fine here.” There was no way that she would be able to sit now when her whole body was full of adrenaline. She was proud of herself for not shuffling around the whole time, but she couldn't hold back all of her nervousness. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and shivered while looking around.
Some of the masked soldiers around her had moved. As Noah had said, some of them had changed places with different men. In fact, most of them seemed to have been exchanged already. With their dark clothes and their masks, they were overly intimidating, and it seemed like they knew that. Even though there were only about two dozen attackers here, which could be easily defeated if the royal guards moved again, they were rather confident. Those people believed that they would win, and that only filled Blanche with fury.
But then her thoughts were interrupted.
The doors to the ballroom opened, and everyone's gazes followed the faint noise of footsteps. A small group of men with the same masks stepped inside. Five of them stayed by the entrance while one of them stepped forward. That man had a wide smirk on his lips and addressed Cedar in a booming voice. “We fulfilled our side of the contract. He is dead.”
For a moment, the world around Blanche seemed to freeze. It felt like frost crept into her veins, and she hugged herself while trying to keep her mind from splitting her head open.
There was no way. This wasn't true.
Theodore had said that him pretending to be dead had to be part of the plan. This was what this had to be. There was absolutely no other option.
Still, her body felt like she was surrounded by a thick layer of ice that slowly sank into her skin and pierced her lungs. Her chest ached, but that might also have been because she forgot to breathe.
Theodore couldn't be dead for real. He had warned her about this, but...
What if he hadn't been able to win his fight? That question resonated through her mind as she could only blankly stare into the distance. Her lover was still alive. She knew that for sure. But what if she was wrong? What if Theo had made an error and Cedar had won? What if her beloved was lying on the floor somewhere as he bled like in her vision? What if the fight between the brothers would end like it had last time? She could barely stifle the cry coming from her mouth with her hand.
Her knees gave in, and she felt how Noah held her upright. He said something to her, but she couldn't understand a single thing. Her ears were ringing, and the only thing on her mind were memories of Theodore. How they had met, shared their first kiss and how he had proposed at that same place. Memories of him patting her head. Him kissing her and saying that he loved her. His face that lit up whenever he saw her. There was no way that she wouldn't be able to see that ever again.
If her legs had been working, she would have tried to run out of the room to find her lover already. But she couldn't do anything but sink to the floor despite Noah's attempt to stop her. She knelt there and stared at the vivid images her mind was painting for her. Even now, she could barely understand the knight. She could only hear how he repeated something about a promise.
Yes. Theodore had promised that he would return to her side. He couldn't suddenly turn that into a lie.
He was alive.
And that was exactly why it might be good for Blanche to break down like this. She didn't have to act one bit while showing how scared she was. There was no way that this would give the prince a chance to realize that his brother had been prepared. Since everyone would expect her to suffer because of the news, maybe she should just stay on the floor. Slowly, she returned to the present and lifted her gaze to meet Cedar's.
The prince had been speaking for a moment already. He kept his eyes firmly on her knight while he continued instructing Noah. “That is why I would kindly ask you to do as I say.”
For some reason, Noah nodded and reached to his waist to unfasten the sheath. Then he threw it, along with the sword inside, far away from him.
Blanche could only sit there and watch how he put away the only weapon that he had left, but it might have been better to do that. If Cedar had ordered the knight to do it, refusing would have been worse. She still didn't believe that this had been a good idea.
A few seconds passed with all of them sitting there in silence.
The concubine would have liked to ask the prince why he wasn't celebrating. Why wasn't he smirking at her with malicious intent and taunting her for losing the most important thing in her life? Why didn't he even look happy in the slightest when killing his brother had been his lifelong goal? But maybe she already knew the answer.
Cedar didn't want any of this either.
She wanted to remind him of that, but her mouth remained closed. She couldn't speak right now. If she did, she might begin sobbing, and she didn't want to show anyone here how vulnerable she was. In all honesty, the shock was probably the only thing that kept her from bawling, and she didn't want to risk losing her composure now. Not when she had promised Theodore that she would believe in his plan until the very end.
So, even if her heart was aching and screaming in pain, she didn't speak and made eye contact with the person that had come here to take her lover's place. It might be the first time that she had seen him without a smile while he wasn't acting out some other emotion.
Cedar's expression was blank right now. He didn't meet her gaze for long. He turned to the man that had brought him the news and addressed him. “Are you sure? My brother sometimes uses dirty schemes to get out of trouble. I can barely believe that the golden child would ever lose. Was anyone else with him?”
The masked man nodded, still with a wide grin on his face. “Indeed. We secured his corpse. That brother of yours won't stand up any time soon. And the same holds true for his companion. A tall, muscular man with dark hair. His personal guard. He's dead too. We wanted to spare him, but he didn't let anyone pass, so we had to get rid of him.”
It felt like someone pierced Blanche's heart with a knife.
And yet, a hint of hope grew inside her. After all, these mercenaries had only mentioned one of Theodore's companions when he had multiple people. Maybe this meant that these words weren't to be trusted. Blanche could just hope so.