If Cedar had known that his brother would use that much force, he would have turned around instead of waiting like an idiot. He wouldn't have used all of his self-control to suppress his useful reflexes, which could have helped him with jumping to the side to avoid that blow. But now it was too late, and he had received his punishment for being stupid. Apparently, Theodore had trained how to knock out people in secret.
Even though two days had passed, Cedar's head still felt like it would burst at any second. The cool wet cloth didn't help him much. Instead, it only forced him to decide whether he wanted wet bandages or whether he would go without any cooling. The pounding inside his skull made him choose the first option, even if he was almost sure that he would get a cold in a little while despite him rarely getting sick.
At least it wasn't loud here in the carriage. How he was supposed to survive the ride to his new home without going insane was another problem though. No matter how well-made the vehicle was, some vibrations would always shake the inside. Walking unfortunately wasn't an option though. He also didn't want to stay in the palace for much longer than he had to. If Theodore looked at him with pity one more time, he would probably have worse problems than just his head being in pain.
So, he would have to rely on his ability to keep quiet even while it felt like his headache might knock him out at any moment. Cedar let out a low sigh and leaned forward to glance out of the window.
The coachman still chatted with the same maid as before, and it looked like it would take a while until he was done. Letting an injured person wait so long was rather impolite, but the prince that had tried to break into the palace to kill his own brother probably didn't have the right to complain.
Cedar allowed himself to slouch against the backrest again and closed his eyes. He should have taken that pain medicine when it had been offered to him. Should he go ask for something now? That was probably the best option, but he still had some pride left. He wouldn't seriously ask his brother for something. Which meant that he would have to deal with the pain until he arrived at his new home.
Theodore had said that it would be a shabby small house, but the prince was rather sure that their definitions greatly differed when it came to rundown buildings. Cedar probably wouldn't have much of an issue with whatever the emperor had chosen, but there was another problem. There was no way that his mother would move into anything that wasn't a mid-sized palace. That either meant that she would refuse to enter until she was dragged in or that she would contact the last few people on her side and get them to bargain with Theodore until she was allowed to go back to the south palace.
Cedar hoped that it was the second option, just because he knew how bad her mood would be now. This outcome had been expected from the very beginning, but that didn't mean that the dowager empress wouldn't be upset. The thought of that was normally enough to give him a headache, but right now, he didn't feel anything but the puckering of the wound on the side of his head. He exchanged the cloth on his wound with a small groan and used the old one to cover his face.
Maybe he could sleep while the carriage was moving. That was a good idea. If he slept for a few hours, his head should be better again. Just as he thought that, someone seemed to do their best to prove him otherwise.
The door of the carriage was opened with so much force that a gust of wind blew inside. In an instant, the curtain that had protected the prince from the sun was pulled back, and a male voice spoke up. “Are you still alive, or did you die already?”
Cedar had tensed against his will and quickly relaxed when he realized that it wasn't a threat or Theodore that came in. The prince could deal with anyone else even if he had no desire to talk to this secretary here. He just moved the cloth back over his eyes and stayed quiet. He hoped that the other man would complain for a minute before leaving.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
A few footsteps sounded, and the carriage dipped for a moment. The door was closed again and rustling came from the other side, which signaled that the person had sat down across from Cedar.
The prince inwardly sighed again and lifted his head while taking off the cloth. He let it fall back into the bowl with water next to his feet and showed the secretary a bright smile. “It is a pleasure to see you, Lord Astame. May I inquire about what you need my assistance for? Has the departure been delayed for some reason?” Hopefully not. If he really had to stay in this damned palace longer because the coachman was busy impressing some woman, he would lose his mind.
Leonard sat there with crossed arms and scanned the prince's expression before speaking up in a cold voice. “It's surprising to see that you are still smiling. Your head has to feel like it was run over by a carriage.” That summed it up well.
Cedar let out a small chuckle. “That's a good simile. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised. Did Theodore start training without us knowing it? He never used to be this strong. Did he pick up sword-fighting as a hobby?” If so, it shouldn't be surprising. Sword-fighting had been the one thing Cedar had always been better in. Of course, his brother, who excelled in everything, had to start learning it too despite never having any interest in it earlier. Having someone you wanted to protect seemed to make being strong a lot easier. Then it was no wonder that Cedar always lost.
Leon tapped his arm and met the other's gaze without a trace of sympathy. “I wouldn't call it a hobby. More a necessity. To be honest, we were as surprised as you though. He practically learned it overnight. Which was good since he could easily show the people you hired what it means to attack the royal family.” He was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. “Regarding that-”
Cedar quickly waved his hand. “No, I won't ask for a trial. Even I'm not as petty as that. I know that going against my brother won't work, and even if it did, it would just be pathetic. I won't stoop low enough to ask a court to punish a person that hurt me in self-defense. You can rest assured that this isn't an issue.” He smiled at the other man and waited for a reaction while keeping his expression unreadable. “But that isn't what you wanted to tell me at all, is it? What you actually wanted to ask is why I didn't say anything, Mister Former Assassin. Isn't that right?”
Leonard narrowed his eyes. “As I thought, you remember me. I really hate people like you the most. I can't even guess what's going on in your head because you keep grinning like some insane person.”
The prince only smiled at that and bowed down to exchange the cloth on his head yet again. He didn't have the motivation to discuss this with the other man now, but since Leonard was a stubborn bastard, he wouldn't get out of this conversation. As if his head didn't hurt enough already.
The secretary was silent for a moment before speaking up again. “So, you won't even refute it, huh? That only shows that you seem to be self-aware to some extent. But there is no need for me to think about how you feel. Why didn't you say anything? Or rather, why do you remember when you were fifteen when that incident happened? Your mother, who actually hired me, should have been the one recognizing me, not her adolescent son.”
Cedar let out a small huff, and his grin widened. How could he not remember the cold look in the other man's eyes back then? “Mother isn't the type of person that cares for the people she pays to get rid of her problems. That's why she didn't call you out. I, however, would never forget the most promising candidate. I was sure that you would be the one to bring back my brother's head after seeing you. You had the chance too, but you seem to have changed your mind in the process. I don't care anymore, but back then, this was a harsh surprise, you know? Especially since Theodore found some way to make you a marquess even though I had never heard of you before.”
Leonard's expression didn't budge this time. “I was the previous marquess' illegitimate son. There wasn't any issue with granting me the title when that old man desperately needed an heir. Theodore didn't even need to break the law to take care of that. But that doesn't matter. I asked why you didn't say anything. I thought that you would try to make me lose my position for going against you for sure.”
“How would that help me? I wouldn't gain anything. Besides, Theodore knows since you were the one that almost killed him. As long as he has decided to trust you, no one would be able to get rid of you. I'm sure you noticed by now, but something flipped a switch inside him. He lost a lot of his morals. Which is a good thing, I presume. It took away almost all of his limitations. I would argue that there is no one in Artias that could ever win a fight with him right now. Long live the emperor, it seems.” Frankly speaking, Cedar was tired by now. Talking hurt even more than just being silent. He wanted to close his eyes again and try to sleep until that lazy coachman finally arrived, but it seemed like he might have to wait a bit longer for that.
The secretary didn't make any attempt to stand up.
The prince was getting a little annoyed when the other man still didn't leave after a minute of silence and spoke up again. “Is there anything else I can help you with? Please do tell.”
Leonard scanned the other's smile and frowned at that. He was quiet for a bit longer before replying. “What will you do from now on? I don't want to ruin your dreams, but I don't think that being locked into a cramped house with your hysterical mother for the rest of your life will be fulfilling. Have you thought about what you will do with your fresh title as a criminal?” Why was he even asking that? This had nothing to do with him at all.
Cedar leaned his elbow onto the window sill and rested his chin on his palm. “I wonder.” He glanced outside and inwardly congratulated the coachman, who seemed to have been granted a kiss by the maid and was now reduced to a blushing mess. At least someone was having a good time. Hopefully, that man would still be able to steer without causing a collision. Cedar didn't need any more wounds. What he did need was a distraction, or he would begin whining about his pounding head again. That might be the one thing that Leonard's presence was good for. “You know... Someone told me to dig up a riverbed. Does that sound like fun to you?”
Leon seemed to be taken aback by that. “A riverbed? Surely, working for a bit might keep you from doing something stupid, but that isn't the best choice. How will that work when you are in confinement? I don't think that your estate has a river. A small pond, maybe. If you feel like it, you can dig that up. You definitely have enough free time. Who told you something like that?”
Cedar just smiled in response. That someone was a person that had never been bound by fate. She hadn't had a nice past, sure. But she hadn't been raised to be one thing, only to be told to change into the other. That was the stark difference between them that ensured that she could never understand him even if she did try. In fact, he was sure that no one here would ever be able to understand him, as stupid as that sounded. That wasn't much of a problem, but he would favor it if people that had no idea refrained from getting involved in his personal matters. “She doesn't like me very much, I can tell you that. Her words had some truth to them but not for me.”
Leonard snorted at that. “There are a lot of people that don't like you. This doesn't really narrow down the list of people that could have said it. But I don't really care either. I'm just wondering why digging up some sand is supposed to hold truth for you.”
Cedar glanced outside again. “It's a metaphor. You wouldn't get it unless you heard the whole conversation.” Seemingly, the coachman had kissed that maid again, which only meant that it would take a while longer. Cedar leaned back with a small sigh and let the curtain fall back. “It was a conversation about whether it was possible to change a riverbed. I said that it's impossible. The water flows in the same direction the whole time and will carry all the sand you put there with it so that the original form stays the same. She said that it would be possible to dig up a different path, and then you could slowly close off the old one. She even insisted on that when we discussed that it was stone and not sand that surrounded that river. What do you think about that?” He had expected Leonard's reaction.
The secretary gazed at him with skepticism. “You surely have strange topics when you talk to others. And you wonder why people think that you're creepy? I guess that you truly don't have much in your life that would create a normal conversation.”
“You could say that.” Maybe Cedar also just didn't have any person that he really wanted to speak with. When he did end up in a longer conversation, it was like now. He just wanted to pass the time, or the other person bothered him. Or maybe he was just so pessimistic because his head was bursting. “But since it was a metaphor, you shouldn't take it too seriously. It was just a quick thought during a stressful situation. I normally don't like discussing philosophical things either.” At least not when a specific other person was always certain that she was right about everything since she had so much more experience.
Leonard stared at him for a moment before responding. “I actually guessed that you would love to discuss with others until they question their own existence. You seem like the type of person that would happily make others lose their minds. I'm pretty sure that you can make them believe a lot if you talk for long enough.”
Cedar chuckled quietly at that. “Not really. If you discuss with others for long enough, most just give up at some point. If they don't, you know that they are emotionally invested, and that makes convincing them easy. You just have to think about how they feel and react accordingly.” Which often meant attacking their weak points until they got angry enough to say things that he could use against them. That could be fun at times, but he felt like saying that would only make Leonard react by voicing some snarky comment. Usually, it might be fun to have a verbal battle with the other man, but right now, Cedar had absolutely no energy. He just wanted to sleep. And he wanted his head to stop hurting.
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Leon gazed at him and shook his head to herself. “You aren't the type of person that anyone wants to discuss with. I saw that you are good at ruining others' moods quite a few times. It would be surprising if you ever managed to let someone leave a conversation with a smile.”
Cedar moved the cloth around a bit and had to hold back from flinching when a flash of pain shot through his head. “It's weird. You keep insulting me, but that you are here tells me something else. If you came here to talk to me, you must really like me. It's my last day here, and only one person was compassionate enough to say goodbye. I'm really thankful.” It surely was a great honor to be stuck in a conversation when all he wanted to do was close his eyes.
The secretary sighed and scanned the other's head. “It still hurts, doesn't it? You keep smiling as if nothing happened, but I have some experience with wounds. I know that it will make you feel like you were run over for days if you get hit here.” He pointed to the side of his head. “I told you that you should wait a week at least. The carriage ride is only going to make it worse. And I don't think that wetting your bandages and getting sick is the correct way to solve this.”
The prince beamed at him and changed the cold cloth again. “Don't worry about that. I'm resistant to sicknesses. That's always been the case ever since I was young. I won't get sick so easily. The wound doesn't hurt too much anymore either. I can deal with it. I need to get to our new home so that I can prepare everything for Mother's arrival. She will be quite stressed when she comes, so I need to get a relaxing bath ready and order her favorite food and things like that.”
Leonard was silent for a moment. “You know that you can just ask for help. It's obvious that you want to be as far away from that woman as possible because you know that she won't take losing lightly. And even if you insist that you need to be there two weeks before her, you can just ask Theodore to delay her departure. He had questions about the old burn scars on your back anyway. He will gladly-”
Cedar let out a laugh at that. He regretted that a moment later since his head almost killed him, but he kept smiling. “You should know whom you are proposing this to, right? What makes you think that I like to ask for favors from my brother? I only do that when it's absolutely necessary. After all, I don't want to bother our dear ruler.” Asking for a postponement of his departure was like begging others to ruin his mood for another few days. That was the last thing he needed right now. Plus, his wounds didn't concern anyone.
Leon lifted his hand in a rejecting gesture. “It's your choice. We won't care if you are in pain for the rest of your journey. If you start bleeding again, that's on you. The coachman isn't trained to deal with that.”
The coachman only seemed to be trained to delay his departure until someone yelled at him to get to work instead of kissing some maid.
Cedar swallowed down that comment and refrained from looking to the side. He just kept looking at the secretary. “I am well aware that traveling while being injured would be risky. But since I feel much better now, I don't have a reason to bother you for much longer. You can rest assured that I won't complain about anything even if it does hurt a bit. I will arrive at my new home soon, and then everything will be fine. I will rest for two weeks and happily welcome Mother. By the way, could you thank the doctor for me? He did well. I'm not sure whether he saved me purposefully or whether he was just too skilled to let me die, but he was great.”
Leonard seemed to be slightly annoyed at that. “You wouldn't have died either way. Don't exaggerate. The doctor did everything in his power to make you feel better, and you-”
“It was a joke, don't get so mad.” Cedar grinned at him and shuffled around on his seat for a moment. How much longer would the other man stay here? It was slowly getting more and more frustrating. Especially because he could guess what would follow. There was only one reason for him to stay here for multiple minutes.
Leon had something to say, and most likely, it wouldn't be his own words that he delivered.
The prince already didn't have the desire to talk to anyone, nor did he want to hear the emperor's message now, but he was left with no choice. After a few seconds of silence, he decided to speed it up a bit. “If you have anything to tell me, like a message from Theodore, you should do it now. I feel like the coachman might be ready soon.” Most likely, he wouldn't be, but Cedar could just lie.
Leonard let out a low sigh and leaned against the backrest. “At least you aren't being petty and refuse to listen. First of all, I will skip the whole basic stuff. You're supposed to stay healthy and things like that. The important part is that Theodore would be willing to change your punishment later. If you want a fresh start away from your mother, you just have to send a messenger. Obviously, he won't trust you just like this, but he might give you a chance to redeem yourself. No one expects you to hold Theodore's hand while you jump over a meadow with flowers together, but you could become a neutral person among the nobles. You could even return to the capital in a few years. Only if you stop working with that woman of course.”
All of that wasn't new. Theodore had said something similar right after the revolt. To be honest, this only made Cedar even more annoyed. How come that the perfect older brother was even willing to forgive his younger troubled sibling to this extent? It was infuriating, even if it was just what he had expected. And why had Leonard needed to come to remind him of things he knew?
Cedar lowered his gaze for the moment and scanned the bowl at his feet. “I am aware. We will see. I wouldn't wait for it though. Because that woman that you keep telling me to leave behind is my mother. I'm not so heartless that I could just abandon her. I will do my best to take care of her. Maybe we can do something about her issues with the past. It would be nice if she got over Father's death at some point.” That wouldn't ever happen. But that didn't matter too much since Camille never grieved. She was only full of anger directed at Theodore and, more importantly, Althea, even though that poor woman had died seven years ago.
Leon was quiet for a moment before he changed his position to sit there more comfortably. “I see. That's on you too. Aside from that, he also told me to ask you something. Have you heard about the fires in Southern Ocrea?”
Cedar inwardly groaned and slouched back in his seat. What did his brother want now? “I know that the dry climate there greatly encourages fires, but there aren't any big ones there right now. At least not as far as I have heard.” Since that nation was over two weeks by carriage away, it wasn't surprising if the information came slowly. So, he had no way of knowing nor was this important to him when he had no political power.
Leonard scanned him as if he made a mental note to himself before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small object and held it toward the prince. “Do you recognize this?”
Cedar considered just telling him to go away, but he played along. He leaned forward and let his eyes wander over the clasp. It was a flower ornament in light blue. The shade of the flower might have been similar to his hair color, but that was all that he could say it. “That's a woman's accessory, isn't it? It's pretty. But why would I recognize this? As far as I remember, I'm not as lucky as my brother.” His smile widened. “I can promise you that I don't have a secret fiancée like he had. So, you don't need to worry about me having children that would trouble you later.”
Leonard closed his hand and put away the ornament again as a little smile grew on his lips. That was enough to make the prince cautious, but the secretary didn't move. Instead, he just gave the other man a mocking smirk. “Congratulations. You're lucky. Theodore told me that there were only two ways that you could react to this. Either you would answer my first question like you just did, or you would affirm that the fires should have started by now. For the second part, he said that you could just laugh at us or get extremely angry. He gave me a very specific order. If you had known about the fires or gotten upset about this clasp...” He pulled out three knives from his jacket, just so that the prince could see them, before hiding them again. “I would have killed you immediately. It seems like you get another chance though. Well done.”
Cedar mirrored the other man's smile. Was Theodore losing his mind completely now? If the emperor had tested his brother's loyalty by giving him a weapon or an option to flee, it would have been understandable. But why would Cedar get upset about a flower ornament? He had never seen that thing, and random jewelry didn't really bother him all that much. So, why had Theodore expected him to get angry, and why would that be enough to justify his death?
And how come Theodore thought that a surprise attack would be enough to defeat his brother? The wound made it much harder, but the prince certainly wouldn't go down without a fight. He was used to sudden and dirty battles, so Leon's victory had never been guaranteed.
Cedar shook his head to himself and exchanged the cloth on his wound. He had given up on trying to understand his brother ever since the emperor had killed the prince's guard a year ago. The Theodore he had known would have never been able to do something like that, physically and mentally. Seemingly, something had changed him. Cedar definitely didn't want to begin an open battle with the other man anymore, and any sane person would say the same thing.
And for now, Cedar wouldn't have to deal with that either. He would just sit around in confinement for a bit, and that should be fine. He only needed to get through this annoying conversation, and then he could leave and rest for good. “I see. Then I guess that the gods were on my side. I do not understand why an accessory should make me mad, but if that saved my life, I'm grateful.”
A small frown came onto Leon's face as he lost his previous amusement. “That was a joke, you know? Theodore did tell me to interrogate you if you had recognized those questions, but he doesn't want your death. Are you still not aware of that? And why do you look so calm when you think your brother wants to kill you?”
Because Cedar always looked calm. Since he could immediately list about a hundred good reasons for Theodore to try to kill him, he didn't have to discuss this either. Whether Theodore would try to end his brother's life to prevent future obstacles or whether he wanted to be stupid and take a risk, Cedar was prepared. He skipped over this topic. “You can never know with Theodore. We don't have the best relationship. But that doesn't matter.”
Leon seemed to disagree. “Of course, it does matter. Why would he kill you after he put in the effort of keeping you alive?”
It was so obvious why. Even Cedar, who stood on the enemy's side, knew that. “Politically speaking, I'm merely a threat to Theodore, so it's more trouble than use to keep me alive. I still don't understand why he insisted on giving his biggest enemies a way to get out, but what do I know? The unbeatable emperor surely won't be wrong.” He said that with just enough sarcasm to seem provoking.
That flew right over Leon's head. He frowned even more as he replied. “You do know that Theodore also did this for you, right? Surely, he wants to remove all the roots your mother left in the political landscape while using her as an attracting factor for his enemies, but he also wanted to protect you. We delayed the execution since killing her for this would have made people ask for your death as well.”
“It wouldn't be the first time that Theodore tried to lock his problems away. But it seems like that will not be my problem either. When I cannot leave confinement, the capital's tension regarding his decision does not matter to me either.” Cedar understood the political reason Theodore had used well, even if he didn't fully agree with the strategy. He knew that his brother just wanted their mother to suffer for far longer too. It wasn't clear whether Cedar could change anything about this, but they would see. “Anyway. Was that all Theodore wanted to tell me? If he added a threat about me ever trying to harm his family, you can summarize that. I don't need the long version.”
Leon still looked a bit taken aback, but he didn't argue and just scanned Cedar for a moment. Then he sat up straight. “You grasped the picture. If you ever try to do anything that he deems a threat toward him or Lady Blanche as well as everyone else within the palace, he will deal with you as he sees fit. You already saw that he changed his mind about when morality can be ignored for a while, so I would listen to him. There are a lot of strong people on our side, and I doubt that you will wish to deal with them. That is all I can tell you about what he said. He was a lot more direct about how he would protect his dearest ones, but you can imagine. So, I will end it here.” He stood up and opened the door of the carriage before jumping out.
Cedar almost sighed in relief but only smiled at the other man. “Oh, is our conversation over already? That's unfortunate. We will probably not see each other for a long time. I wish the best to you. May your life be full of luck and happiness and such.”
Leonard replied with an unreadable expression. “As long as you and your mother stay quiet, I probably don't need to rely on such wishes. We are good at taking care of problems, so I can assure you that you causing trouble will be worse for you than for us.”
The prince hadn't expected a different farewell. “I will calm you a bit. We won't have the chance to try anything in the next few months anyway. There will be enough guards to protect a whole city around us. And to be honest, I'm a bit tired, and Mother will be too angry to plot. I told you that it would take a while until we see each other again. So, don't say goodbye in such a tone. Could you do me one last favor? Can you tell the coachman to come here? I would like to arrive before evening.”
Leonard put his hand on the door and nodded. “He will be there in a moment. The journey should take a while, so you can use it for something useful. You should think about whether you really want to allow that woman to keep using you. Goodbye.” With that, he slammed the door shut.
Cedar's head puckered at the loud noise, and he hurried to press the cold cloth onto his wound again. Hopefully, that coachman would truly come soon, or the prince might lose his mind. Thankfully, he only needed to wait a minute before he heard footsteps running to the carriage.
Then someone jumped onto the front, and the horses began moving soon. Finally.
Cedar pushed the curtain aside and looked out to catch a last glimpse of the royal palace. It would take a while before he would see this again. How satisfying. He didn't connect many pleasant memories with this place. If he ever returned, he would have to make up for those by creating nice memories here. But right now, he was focused on leaving and knew that he wouldn't miss the palace. He would get some time in another place, so he should take in the last impression anyway.
His eyes wandered to the facade, and his smile widened a bit as he whispered to himself. “Goodbye, Theodore. Until we meet again.” He stared at the building until they reached the gate and left the royal estate for good.
Cedar wanted to breathe out in relief, but he quickly lost his satisfaction. The road below them was made from cobblestone, and it would stay like this for the next few minutes. Unsurprisingly, this made the carriage shake quite a bit, and his sensitive head didn't like that very much. He took both cool cloths with a groan and held them onto the side of his head. That didn't help. The water had been cold in the beginning, but now it was slowly getting warmer. Now his hair only got wet while his skin remained as warm as before. Great.
He stared down at the floor and scanned the water to his feet. For a moment, he seriously considered dipping his whole face into the bowl. That might calm his head down, but he doubted it. He gave himself a moment to get used to the vibrations of the carriage before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. This was a bit better but not much. He would have to endure the first few minutes of the journey, and then it would be much more pleasant.
Hopefully.
The prince didn't have any intention of complaining inwardly for the whole trip though. That would only make it worse. He had to distract himself a bit. From now on, he would have a lot of thinking to do anyway since there wasn't too much to do in confinement except for training and reading. Then he should probably start with the most important thing.
His future. What did he want to do now? He didn't truly have a detailed plan. Maybe he had a vague understanding of what he wanted to do though. Sitting at the dinner table with his mother and listening to how much she hated Theodore wasn't a part of that. It seemed like he would really have to start digging, but the direction might not be one that Blanche had predicted when she had given him that advice. In any case, it would be exhausting.
A smirk formed on Cedar's face as he talked to himself. “It's going to be a bumpy road, isn't it?” He didn't really expect a response, so he was surprised when one came from the coachman outside.
“Actually, the roads we are traveling on are rather well-made. We will take about five hours to get to the estate, so it's a while away from the capital, but we will use the broadest streets to avoid getting stuck if it rains. I will make sure that there aren't any problems, Your Royal Highness.”
Cedar held back a comment about the coachman already causing problems with his late departure. Instead, he just replied politely. “I see. Thank you for your consideration.” Cedar opened his eyes and looked to the side. He carefully moved the curtain aside to look outside and scanned the scenery.
If he ignored the guards that were surrounding them, it might have been rather pretty on some other day. But today, the fields weren't touched by the golden sun. The whole world seemed to be gray with dark clouds towering above the capital. It did look like it would rain now.
The riverbeds would probably overflow very soon.