As the couple entered the ballroom, everyone seemed to freeze. The emperor was always being watched, but today, it was even worse. After all, Cedar had never escorted a woman aside from his mother during an event, and now he suddenly showed up with one midway through a ball.
Most people's shock didn't matter. The only person that was a bit dangerous here was Camille. As she saw what was happening, her eyes were immediately glued to her son. Her expression was threateningly cold. Cedar immediately worried about what she might think, so he smiled at her for long enough to make it seem like he cared about whether she approved. Apparently, that was enough to convince Camille that this was part of one of his games, which wasn't fully wrong. She wasn't happy about it, but she let him do what he thought to be right.
If only she could keep this behavior when he announced his engagement. She wouldn't, but that was a nice delusion.
For now, Cedar was just glad that he could focus on Lucille without having his mother intervene. He still didn't dare to take too much time and swiftly dealt with what he had planned. As Lucille shrank next to him due to the anxiety caused by many people watching her, he pulled her a bit closer to him to make their connection even more obvious. Of course, he walked straight toward their destination, not wanting to delay this too much.
Raymond Valerian looked devastated, to say the least. As the emperor approached while escorting his daughter, he suddenly didn't seem to be focused on power anymore and rather seemed scared despite trying to keep calm. Was he worried about his daughter or about himself? Cedar assumed that it was the second thing. Though, that didn't matter when Raymond already greeted with him fear. “Your Majesty...”
Cedar didn't have any time to waste, so he executed his plan swiftly. “Good evening, Lord Valerian. I happened to meet your daughter outside and decided that it would be appropriate for me to escort her back to you. I hope I did not surprise you too much.”
Apparently, even being in Raymond's vicinity was enough to make Lucille tense. She couldn't even meet her father's gaze and clung to Cedar's arm far more than she should do it. It was a bad sign for her to trust him so quickly when they had barely talked to each other. It was good for Cedar though.
Raymond didn't seem to be sure what to say. He could just open his mouth and close it, not knowing what to tell the emperor when he suddenly appeared here. In the end, he quickly forced himself to calm down and tried just to be polite. “I could never be upset when you did something so courteous. I thank your assistance, Your Majesty. We are very grateful that you gifted us your valuable time. I sincerely hope we did not trouble you for too long.” That was probably supposed to tell Cedar to leave now since his work was done.
Cedar had a different idea though. He just smiled at Raymond for a moment, which was enough to make the other man be even more on edge. He didn't let go of Lucille's arm either, which probably made many people look. Cedar used that chance to speak to Raymond while forcing him to behave since they were in public. “Oh, it did not take too long. I believe I have some time to spare. Do you have a moment for me, Lord Valerian?” He didn't even leave time for a response, just to remind the other man who held the reins here. “I have to say that Lady Valerian's hair color is quite unique. When I stepped onto the balcony, I could see her immediately. Red does stand out a lot, especially when it looks like the sunset on a warm summer evening.”
Hearing that alone made Lucille's face take the same color as her hair. She didn't seem to understand why exactly they were having this conversation and just looked at Cedar with unease.
Raymond seemed to be just as unwell. The normally so calm man barely hid his desire to end the conversation as he responded. “Yes, Lucille's hair is quite beautiful. She...inherited it from her mother.”
Cedar beamed back at him. “I am aware. I still remember seeing the former Lady Valerian appear at balls years ago. Though, that is not the point. Your daughter is an enchanting young woman. That confuses me even more as to why you left her to stand outside all alone during a ball.”
Raymond probably hadn't expected him to say it so directly. He froze for a moment before he spoke again. “Your Majesty, that...is connected to a personal matter. I know that it appears bad from the outside, but I promise that this is just based on a small issue we can solve ourselves. Correct, Lucille?” He looked at his daughter like he expected her to take his side quickly.
Even a single glance was enough to make Lucille grasp Cedar's arm even tighter. She nodded to pacify her father but still didn't let go of her anchor. Good. She instinctively wished to side with the emperor more.
Cedar didn't need more proof of her future loyalty. He only had to ensure that Raymond wouldn't hurt her anymore. He wished to do this quickly, so he did. And if Cedar was good at one thing, it was talking. “Then I will not ask any more questions. Though, I still have the right to share my thoughts. This evening just happened to remind me of the Temple's teachings. My family has never been too strict when it comes to following religious scriptures, but I believe some texts are important enough. There are many people who could stand to read them. Especially the chapter about violence and mistreatment of your own family.” He stressed that and immediately saw Raymond flinch. It seemed like the other man understood what he was referring to. Cedar just continued. “The Temple always insisted that it is any virtuous person's duty to treat everyone around them and their close relatives, especially their own children, well. I have to admit that I agree with them. Some may not though. I believe that some do not even understand the full implications of what it means to harm your own children. But I wonder whether you understand the meaning.”
Raymond seemed quite upset at this point. Still, he didn't dare to talk back. “I understand, Your Majesty.” He didn't want to speak about this more. That was clear. This was just another reason to address this again.
“I doubt that you do. Lord Valerian, it breaks my heart to find a young woman weeping in the garden all alone because her father hurt her so much that her face might show the mark even hours after the event. It is just unbecoming to let something like this happen in our society, is it not?”
That was the real issue.
This time, Raymond went rigid for much longer, not daring to utter a single word. Cedar could see the muscles of his neck tensing as he clenched his jaw, seemingly trying to keep himself from reacting emotionally. As expected, he hadn't thought that anyone would find out that he had hit his daughter during a royal ball. This was quite foolish. Anyone would have understood upon seeing the red handprint on Lucille's face. It seemed like Raymond didn't want to face what he had done though.
Cedar couldn't care less. He added more fuel to the fire while preparing to add the real hit to Raymond's ego. “If you may let me speak honestly, this is shameful. The fact that you abuse your daughter like that even in public is more than disgusting. Is that how you wish the Valerian family to appear in the capital?” To someone that cared for his family name more than anything else, this was certainly a painful comment. Cedar could make it even worse though and made sure to let his smile fade just as Raymond's face scrunched up. His unusual expression alone worried the other man, and Cedar just had to add another tap. “When your wife left, she certainly hoped that you would take care of her daughter. If she could see this, she would be hurt deeply.”
That single sentence was enough to break apart Raymond's facade completely. His face dropped fully as he could just stare at Cedar.
As always, Cedar had been right about guessing someone's greatest weakness. He hadn't needed to research much before meeting chatty servants that had revealed how Raymond had broken down after his divorce and how his temper had gotten much worse ever since. Cedar despised people like him. People that used their power to hurt those they were supposed to protect while blaming their anger issues on their circumstances.
Maybe that situation was a bit too similar to his own.
But Cedar wouldn't dwell on it. He just decided to leave the stage for now. “Make sure to treasure your daughter, or you will lose her just like you lost your wife. Something like tonight will not happen again, Lord Valerian. You will not wed her to someone she is already scared of either. I am not asking.” That was all Cedar said before his bright smile returned. “Good evening, Lord Valerian.” He turned to Lucille to beam at her while removing her arm from his carefully despite her obvious shock as she stared at him with wide eyes. “I wish you a good evening too. I look forward to seeing you soon again, Lady Valerian. You must tell me about your experiences then.” That was another warning to Raymond as it proved that Cedar would hear about it if something else happened.
Lucille seemed unsure how to deal with it though. She opened her mouth but just stared at him. When he made her let go, she unwillingly grasped him tighter for a split second, probably because she instinctively feared being alone with her father now. When Cedar gently patted her hand once more, she gave in though. Still, that look on her face made her seem far too helpless.
Cedar would have offered more support if his mother wasn't watching. Since he knew that he couldn't risk upsetting Camille any more, he ended it here and just left after making eye contact with Lucille once more. He barely strode to the other side of the ballroom when he already heard the whispers. He fully ignored that to join his mother, who immediately wrapped an arm around his.
Camille didn't seem pleased with any of this as she leaned toward him. “What was that, Cedar?” She was on edge already. That wasn't good.
Cedar decided to calm her down swiftly. He turned to her fully and grinned at her while whispering back. “I just found a new puppet to use. This might be quite helpful from now on.” That did take the pressure off him for a moment as his mother calmed down. Cedar couldn't do more than this. Everything had gone swiftly. He just needed to go through the evening and mark this as his victory for now.
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Cedar had been quite content with his appearance during the festivities as well as his first contact with Lucille in public. He had been certain about having seen through everyone around him and was convinced that everything would go according to plan. Though, that didn't last for long.
Surprisingly, Lucille's engagement was called off just a few days after the ball. She had written a short letter to confirm it shortly after speaking to her father once more. Apparently, she had broken down in front of him while admitting to how her former fiancé had told her that he expected her to obey him and wouldn't mind beating her until she did that. This had been enough to make Raymond change his mind.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Cedar wasn't sure whether he liked that this outcome had arrived so quickly. Of course, he was glad that a young woman had escaped the clutches of an abusive marriage, but then again, her biggest reason to agree to his plan was gone now. He wouldn't have let Lucille marry that man anyway, but now he had lost his guarantee that she would stick to him. If she didn't, he would have to change his entire plan. That thought worried him a lot.
He invited her for tea anyway, just to figure out what to expect.
Lucille arrived at the palace an hour before the scheduled date and had seemingly waited in front of the gate for an even longer time. Even then, she seemed more than nervous in front of the emperor. Her curtsy was shaky and a bit unrefined as she couldn't even meet his gaze. It seemed like the progress from before had faded away again.
Cedar almost sighed as he saw that. He hoped that Lucille wouldn't be scared of him for long. For now, he just attempted to ease her mind. “I wish you a wonderful day, Lady Valerian. I am pleased to see that you arrived so early.”
“Good day, Your Majesty.” Lucille began toying with her skirt a bit while still keeping her head lowered and barely knowing what to say. At this point, he wasn't sure whether she worried about what he would do or whether she hated the fact that at least a dozen guards and servants were still standing around them and listening to every word they said. It was hard to get used to that nosy pack, so Cedar could understand how worried Lucille was. “I...came here too early because I wasn't sure how full the capital would be. I am...very sorry for not being...” She even stuttered again, seemingly being quite tense.
Cedar decided that he would rather speak to her when she was feeling better. Maybe having a chat in private would be best. “Oh, I could never be mad at you for arriving early. I am happy to welcome you into the royal palace.” He showed her a bright smile. “I would like to invite you to sit with me for a moment while we discuss all that happened. There are some things that changed recently after all. It might be better to do that without all those people eavesdropping on us.” He could tell how almost all servants demonstratively looked away after as if they felt guilty upon being caught.
Lucille seemed uncertain when he offered her his arm, but she allowed him to escort her. Her eyes wandered down to the floor as he led her into the foyer and then to one of the seating rooms. She barely dared to look around despite being in an area she had never visited before and also didn't dare to speak.
Cedar decided that this required some small talk to calm her down. He began while whispering to her. “How did your father react when a letter from the palace came?”
Lucille flinched a bit as if she hadn't expected him to speak. When she turned to him, she seemed overwhelmed to have his head so close in front of hers. She swiftly averted her eyes and gave her response so quietly that Cedar barely heard it. “He didn't like that very much, Your Majesty. He was quite shocked and thought that I did something wrong at first.” That made sense. Raymond didn't like the new emperor too much, so he would naturally worry.
Though, Cedar didn't care much. He smiled back at Lucille. “But I assume that finding out that I merely invited you for tea did not please him much either.”
Lucille shook her head. “He worries a lot.” Due to Cedar's reputation as the insane and cruel prince that had murdered his own brother, that made sense too.
Luckily, Lucille had still come, so Cedar could continue his plan. He did so by bringing her to the seating room and swiftly entering. Everything had been prepared inside already, including the tea and cake he had ordered. This allowed Cedar to tell his people to stand outside before he joined Lucille in the room. They sat down on the sofas, with a small tea table standing between them. Cedar made himself comfortable while Lucille seemed a bit tense. He tried to calm her down a bit, but that didn't help much.
So, Cedar decided to just begin with the important thing. “I heard that your father broke off the engagement between you and that man.”
Lucille looked up at him. She was still kneading her hands on her lap, but she was at least meeting his gaze now. “Yes. I...” She swallowed before trying to speak a bit louder. “He asked me why I hated that man so much since you... Since you said that I was scared of him. I didn't want to say anything, but Father kept asking and told me how rich that man was and how influential he was and...” Her confidence seemed to be all used up already since she quickly shrank in herself. “I broke down. I told him everything. Maybe he thought I would embarrass our family if I married now, but I don't care. The only thing that matters is that he ended that engagement.”
If she was happy about that, Cedar was a bit relieved too despite the fact that he might have made a great loss. He smiled at her in return. “Congratulations on receiving your freedom back. It was only a matter of time, but luckily, this happened quickly.” Now he just had to find out whether his own luck had depleted in return. Cedar opened his mouth to do that, but he wasn't quick enough.
Lucille already spoke up in a hurry, her voice still weak but with far more confidence than before. Her eyes also seemed to shine a bit brighter now. “Yes. And that only happened because of you. Thank you, Your Majesty. I don't think Father would have listened if you hadn't pressured him.”
Hearing someone say that so innocently almost made Cedar laugh. “You call that pressuring someone? I barely did anything to him, and he already gave in. I am used to much more elaborate schemes.” He only realized what he had said a moment later. He truly didn't need Lucille to be scared of him, so he spoke again quickly. “I hope that comment did not worry you too much. I have no desire to harm anyone that never wished to harm me.”
Lucille hurriedly replied, her voice weaker again, but she met his gaze fully. “I never believed you to be so cruel, Your Majesty. I know that need to act to secure your reign.” She wasn't fully scared of him. Good. That meant that this could still work out.
First and foremost, Cedar had to find out how far he could venture here. So, he tried to determine what Lucille was thinking. He threw out the first bait quickly. “Yet, you must know that many unfavorable things happened during my past. Of those, especially one crime will always make people fear me. I assume that you can imagine what specific event I am referring to.” His brother's murder. That was what he meant.
Naturally, everyone had heard about the new emperor cold-heartedly ending his older brother's life, so Lucille reacted as well. She tensed a lot despite trying to hide it. As she gripped the hem of her dress, she just seemed to shake more. “I...am aware. But we all know that...the previous esteemed emperor was not...” That Theodore had lost his mind. She still didn't dare say it, even after months had passed.
Cedar didn't deny that most people had supported him due to that either, but he insisted on finding out how much Lucille trusted him. If she didn't, they could end this here, and he wouldn't need to try. But he had a chance. “Yes. That is true. It is also true that he wanted me to kill him. It doesn't change the fact that I took my brother's life. I would easily understand if you found me unpleasant to be around me due to that. Should that be the case, please inform me immediately so that I will not waste your time further.” Again, he gave her a choice while reminding her that she held the right to decide.
Lucille clearly understood that too. She almost seemed to shrink in herself even more as she stammered a bit. Cedar already felt bad and considered offering her a chance to leave, but then she spoke. “I... Like everyone else, I did...worry a bit when you took the throne. But...” She fiddled with her hands and lowered her gaze. “I don't think you wish to harm Artias. You did well during your first months of reign. But I barely know anything about you aside from public rumors, so...”
Many loved to run their mouths about the prince's violent childhood or the fact that he had killed his brother. They weren't exactly wrong, so it was hard to talk back against those. Cedar would probably have to ignore that part of the problem. In the end, Lucille had all the facts, so she had the full right to make her decision now.
“I understand that what you heard may concern you. Now the question is whether you would be willing to endure my presence for an elongated time anyway.” Cedar showed her a soft smile while giving her the options she could pick from. “As you may have guessed, I called you to discuss my proposal. Since your engagement was broken, this certainly changes your situation a lot. That is also why I asked you to come here. Last time we talked, you agreed to my conditions while your unfavorable situation was in the back of your mind. Now things have changed. I would like to ask you this directly. You do not have to fear my reaction should you have changed your mind. I would like to receive a direct response and will respect either decision fully. Are you still willing to accept that proposal? If not, I will let go home right now so that you do not have to be drawn into any further issues.”
The woman in front of him was often scared and barely had any details of what dangerous role she would have to fill. So, it was likely that she would run from this challenge. No one would blame her. It would be the best choice for her own personal sake.
Cedar actually already prepared for rejection. He prepared the words to calm her down and tell her that it was fine, that she should stay far away from the royal family and the intrigues inside. Then she spoke though.
“I still wish to agree.” Lucille's voice was soft and weak, but after she said that, a few seconds were enough to make her become more determined. She looked at him as if she expected him to cut her off before repeating it. “I...want to agree.”
Cedar was a bit surprised despite having used so much time preparing this. Though, he still kept his unmoving smile as he met her gaze and didn't show that. He should probably be relieved that his plan had worked and that he hadn't wasted so much of his time. But at the same time, his guilt about forcing a young and inexperienced woman into a spot that might as well kill her if he took the wrong step hadn't dispersed. So, he reminded her once more. “Are you certain? Will you accept all the disadvantages I warned you about? Even though this may endanger you?”
Lucille didn't want to be in danger. Of course, she didn't. That might be why she lowered her gaze so quickly and barely dared to meet his gaze yet again. When she whispered back a moment later, she was clearly forcing herself to become more confident though. “It is only a matter of time until Father will hand me over to the next influential man he is doing business with.” She slowly lifted her head and looked at Cedar, her expression showing her dejection openly. “He claims that he regrets picking that person as my first fiancé and that he wants the best for me, but...” Her father was horrible at showing that.
Raymond clearly didn't hate his daughter. Cedar hadn't seen them interact often enough to determine what exactly the father felt for his daughter, but that man at least seemed to value his ex-wife's wish to take care of their child. Though, he didn't seem to love Lucille properly either. After all, his daughter was scared of him, and he hadn't even noticed. He hadn't noticed how her fiancé had treated her either, which only proved that he was a poor excuse of a human being.
People like those were the ones Cedar despised most. Being cruel was bad enough, but being clueless at the same time just made it worse.
Though, Cedar was probably just as bad when he knowingly pulled Lucille into a much too dangerous position.
“I see. That is regrettable.” Cedar had chosen this plan a long time ago, so he would stick to it too. Having Lucille in his hands was the first step, and now he had to ensure that their partnership wouldn't become a disadvantage to either of them. Cedar showed Lucille a little smile before he spoke up again. “But I am happy that you chose to trust me. I promise not to disappoint you. Allow me to show that I am quite serious. I will naturally have a real contract prepared in time, but let us draft the first version.”
Of course, he had prepared everything already, but Lucille didn't have to know that.
Cedar merely retrieved a single page from his folder. He also picked up a pen before he slowly turned the paper to show it to Lucille. “Since this is a partnership, we may both have rules and requests. Would you mind that I announce mine first so that you can confirm whether they are fine with you?”
Lucille had definitely tensed now. As she balled her fists on her knees and leaned forward slightly, she nodded hurriedly. Her expression alone revealed that she was far too focused as if she feared messing up somehow. Someone so diligent probably shouldn't be dragged into this messy family, but it was too late to change this.
So, Cedar just calmly and slowly explained his notes to her. “As I asked of you previously, I wish to have someone as my wife to stabilize the capital by bringing in a neutral faction. My requests include that you represent the royal family in public and that you appear by my side. They also include that you listen to my advice.” That might make Lucille worry about her own authority though, so he quickly explained more. “This sounds harsh, but I promise that I do not plan on ordering you around. When I give you advice, I am usually speaking about dangerous matters. In such situations, it could harm you to go against what I said. Thus, I would ask you to trust me for your own sake.”
To his surprise, Lucille didn't seem to question it in the slightest. She just nodded at him and accepted what he had said, seemingly without concern. “Of course. If I marry you, I will also trust you.” How foolish that was of her. She didn't even know him. Truly. If Cedar had bad intentions, she would run right into his trap.
Was it really acceptable to pick such an innocent person? Cedar wasn't sure, but he needed a wife desperately now, so he had no chance to change his mind.