Lucille was quite hesitant to inquire about this topic, and it was easy to see why too. “It's about...Lady Blanche.” She understood how hard it would be for the emperor to speak about the dear friend that had been framed for treason before being executed while he had been unable to do a thing.

Cedar didn't like remembering the person he had lost, but he wouldn't reject the question if it was one he could bear to consider. “I see. Please go ahead.”

It looked like Lucille knew she had to be careful asking about this. She still seemed like she was so curious that she couldn't hold back though, even when she shrank in herself while speaking. “I...hope that you do not feel offended. But there were...rumors about you two... Well...” She didn't have to say more than that.

During Blanche's trial, the previous empress had accused Blanche of having an affair with Cedar while presenting falsified evidence. The fact that Cedar hadn't even been asked to respond to that accusation had just proven that this had been a farce, but no one had bothered to ask why the empress had been so focused on making Blanche look bad to undermine her words.

Naturally, people had talked about this alleged affair a lot. After all, it would have been scandalous for the emperor's lover to also be with the biggest political enemy of her dearest one.

Cedar was surprised that Lucille cared about this though. Technically, this wasn't something he had to tell her since it wasn't important. But when she asked like this, Cedar couldn't help but wish to be honest. So, he smiled at her and spoke. “We never were in a romantic relationship. But I cannot deny that she was a precious friend of mine and that we met often. I cared for her deeply and still do, but there was no love between us.” Blanche had always been devoted to Theodore. And while Cedar guessed that he had felt the beginning feelings of love for her, he had never acknowledged that. Someone like him was unable to love anyway, so he was glad enough to have been able to care for Blanche. He wouldn't call this more than it had been. “And before you ask, Blanche was never my political tool. She never planned on betraying Theodore. She loved him with all her heart, even when he didn't return the trust she had in him.” It was important for him to underline this.

Seemingly, his words made Lucille a bit unwell. She suddenly looked so dejected as she whispered again. “Is that why you had his grave put next to hers? Because you know that Lady Blanche loved him?”

Cedar nodded. “As much as I despised Theodore, Blanche loved him so much that she was ready to die for him. I could not have them separated in death. I do not believe in the gods, but I hope that these two are granted a chance to be together in a better and more peaceful life.” This world had been cruel to Blanche, so the least she deserved was another chance to defend herself. A life in which Theodore believed in her and protected her from those around her. A life where she stayed far away from the insane prince so that she would never be drawn into the trouble that seemed to follow wherever Cedar went.

His words were nothing but useless wishes that wouldn't be fulfilled anyway, but somehow, they seemed to be enough to make Lucille gather some courage. “The people are wrong about you.” As she caught herself saying that, she hid her mouth behind her hand and seemed a bit surprised with herself. But a moment later, she met Cedar's gaze again. She seemed even more uncertain than before though.“I...heard others claim that you are selfish and cruel. That you couldn't even feel emotions or care for anything. But that is wrong. You are very kind.”

Kind?

The second prince of Artias, the one that had already been known as the violent and insane disappointment of his family as a child, was supposed to be kind?

If Lucille really thought that, she would be horribly disappointed. Nothing about Cedar was kind, or he wouldn't force her into this dangerous position to gain a political advantage. She wouldn't have to face his mother, who might as well try to take Lucille's life soon. She wouldn't have to marry a man that could never feel any sort of affection for her simply because he was too broken.

Being kind simply wasn't an option for the cursed second prince.

Cedar had thought that he might be able to form relationships and act like anyone else for a while too after he had met Blanche. Then she had been executed because the previous empress had found out about her relationship with Cedar. This had been the reason for Blanche's death. He had been the reason. Cedar couldn't have guessed that the empress would go that far, but he had known that it would be dangerous. Just because Cedar had been selfish enough to insist on meeting Blanche again and again, he had indirectly caused her death. He simply shouldn't have reached for something he could never have. Whenever he did that, his life usually punished him harshly enough to remind him to stay in his place. He knew that, and yet, he had foolishly pulled Blanche into his problems.

That hadn't been the first time he had indirectly harmed people after. Cedar had turned a blind eye to his mother's crimes so often, even when he had known that deaths would follow her plotting. That he hadn't interfered was exactly what had led to Althea's death too. He had known that the hunting festival right after Theodore's coronation would not pass without issues, and yet, he hadn't said a thing until he had found that poor woman's bloody corpse, until a completely innocent person had died just because of her connection to the emperor.

How could anyone call him kind?

Cedar almost laughed at the thought. In the end, merely a wide smile appeared on his face. “You may be the only person thinking like that. You shouldn't voice such claims in public either.” The last person that had insisted on him not being so bad had been executed soon after, so Cedar wasn't fully happy about this claim. Still, he could tell that Lucille was unsure about whether she had crossed a line, and he didn't quite wish to tell her that her future husband was a walking threat. So, he just pretended to be nice like always. “But thank you.”

Lucille was still deluded by the nice act he put on. She seemed to be fine talking to him and had even agreed to marry him. But sooner or later, she would find out what working with someone unable to feel love meant.

It would be best for everyone if they just didn't talk much, if Cedar just avoided her as much as possible.

But he still didn't want to neglect his future wife. Cedar couldn't offer Lucille much, but a friendly relationship as long as he had the chance was the least he could do. So, Cedar stuck to his diplomatic ways and smiled at Lucille. “That is all we should discuss during such a stressful day. We can focus on the rest later. For now, how about we just have a small drink?” He had gotten engaged to Lucille today, so he should probably at least offer her some wine.

Lucille quickly agreed. Though, she seemed to be mentally absent as he ordered the drinks. She just ended up sitting on her chair and staring at the floor while waiting, probably thinking about all he had told her. As expected, it had been a bit much.

Cedar already felt bad again by the time the wine arrived. So, he tried to cheer her up a bit as he offered her a toast. “I hope we can get along. I promise to be the best husband I can.” Which wouldn't mean much coming from a broken prince. But Cedar would give his best.

Even when he already knew that the future might demand a lot from him. After all, getting along with his wife might be the easiest task of the many duties his new role would bring him.

Cedar truly wasn't surprised. After a woman with a knife had thrown herself at him during his last outing and an arrow had almost hit him a week before that, he had fully expected it. And here it was, another assassination attempt as soon as he left the palace for once.

Looking out of the carriage, Cedar easily analyzed the assassins. It might be a strange way to gather experience, but his mother had repeatedly sent such groups after targets she wished to be rid of. Cedar had learned quite a lot about strategies that were needed to kill people with many guards because of that. He could easily tell that whatever happened here wasn't too organized. Chaos might be best to confuse guards in some cases, but here, it didn't seem like anyone had truly come up with this plan.

That calmed Cedar down enough for him to climb out of the carriage. He couldn't afford to let his guards get hurt, so he would rather get involved. As he already removed his sword from the sheath, he looked around. “Only a dozen men? I'm almost offended by that.”

It seemed like his guards didn't know how good he was with the sword. Immediately, some of them rushed to him to surround him as they hurriedly yelled. “Your Majesty, please stand back!”

Cedar was probably more skilled than all of them together. But he didn't say that and just smiled at them. “There is no need for that. I shall support the people fighting for my life.” As he turned to the assassins, he could tell that they didn't like his confidence too much. Some of them might guess that he was good already. Perfect. Then maybe some of them would finally give up. Cedar raised his voice to address them. “You may all change your mind and surrender to save your lives. But whoever wants to die can line up here too.” He didn't mind getting his hands dirty after all, and he was surely stronger than all assassins here.

Cedar's offer had been made with the knowledge that most assassins would never let themselves be caught. So, it was no surprise that none of them surrendered, even when it was a bit annoying. Cedar held back a small sigh and just chose to do his part. He would attack every enemy that came too close to him and would naturally defend his people too.

The fight finished far too quickly. Twelve men could barely dent the royal knights, and when Cedar fought too, the decision was made from the very beginning. The biggest threat was the desperate reaction of the last person that tried to kill at least a single guard before they lost their life.

Cedar didn't allow that either. He pushed himself past the other guards and knocked the assassin off his feet before pressing his sword against the other's neck. Cedar almost hoped to be able to catch that man to interrogate him, but the assassin abruptly pulled out a dagger. It barely scraped Cedar's arm when he had already moved his sword to finish it.

The fight had ended while being as anticlimactic as in the beginning. Cedar had almost gotten a bit bored with this attack. But of course, that was good. The guards only had small wounds, and no one on their side had died.

Cedar was still disappointed not to have received a single hint about the one ordering those men around. He sighed as he pulled back his bloody sword, only to see something fly past him at an incredible speed. For a single second, he thought this was aimed at him and jumped aside despite knowing that he would be too slow. Then he saw that the dagger hit the assassin below him though. Seemingly, whoever had thrown it hadn't been certain whether that man was really dead and had tried to make sure. Cedar turned just in time to see a support troop from the royal palace arrive.

Leonard, who had probably been the one to throw that dagger, led the troop. He jumped off his horse upon arriving and immediately stomped toward Cedar, raising his voice while seeming more than tense. “What are you doing out here fighting those people? Did you forget what role you have now?”

“I am well aware. Trust my skills to keep me safe.” Cedar glanced at his sword and decided that it would have to be cleaned quickly, but that could wait a bit. He lifted his gaze to meet Leonard's and just focused on the important part, his voice being so cheerful that it was a warning. “How did you find out so quickly? There is no way the servants were so fast.”

Leonard seemed to have understood too. His grim reply was quite helpful. “Duchess Vasquez came to us crying and begging us to bring you back safely.”

Cedar wasn't surprised by the indication, but he hadn't expected to hear about it like that. “Aunt Selena?” Usually, Selena didn't dare to say much even when she clearly had her doubts about her husband's actions. If she had actually broken her silence now, something bad had to have happened. Like an assassination attempt on her nephew. “Then it seems like my uncle made his move. What a fool.” Cedar handed his sword over to one of the guards while he brushed some dirt off his uniform. “Well, as long as we have my aunt's words, we can arrest him, right?”

Leonard scanned the emperor skeptically, seemingly being a bit upset about the tiny cut on Cedar's arm. He didn't address it though. “Naturally. The word of a duchess is more than enough. Lord Vasquez supported her claims too. We should return and take care of this immediately.”

Cedar couldn't agree more. “Since we have the chance to be rid of Duke Vasquez, we cannot let go of this.” He turned to claim one of the horses to get back as quickly as possible. He could tell that everyone present was watching him and that many wondered why he was so calm. Why he didn't seem to care about an assassination attempt at all. Cedar didn't bother to explain that he was used to being threatened by so many people that he was more used to being on guard than to being relaxed. He just focused on getting back to the royal palace.

As he arrived, he was greeted by three people that had seemingly come as soon as they had heard about the incident.

Of those, only one dared to rush forward as soon as he entered the estate. Lucille looked like she was close to tears as she ran to him and almost pushed him over as she collided with him with full force. “Cedar!”

For a single second, Cedar tensed and fully expected her to pull out a dagger so that he already prepared to defend himself. But Lucille didn't try to kill him. She instead hugged him tightly as if she was truly glad that he had returned. Cedar wasn't certain how to react to that at all. He was relieved to have been granted a break from murder attempts though. He weakly patted Lucille's back a bit. “It's alright. Nothing hurt me.”

Footsteps sounded just at that moment. As Cedar lifted his head, he made eye contact with no one but Selena Vasquez, his aunt. Like Leonard had said, it seemed like she had come here full of distress.

Usually, Selena made sure to look presentable, but today, she had merely pulled a coat over her thin home dress before rushing out. Her eyes were teary as she couldn't keep herself from sniffling the entire time. As she saw her nephew alive and well, more tears joined the others, and she almost sobbed. “We're sorry, Cedar. We didn't know.”

It had been her husband's plan then.

Cedar wasn't surprised in the slightest. He scanned his aunt's expression and then glanced at Luciano, who was balling his fists while trying to compose himself despite his obvious desperation. It seemed like neither of them was acting. Cedar wasn't sure whether to trust them fully yet, but his instinct told him that it would be fine. So, he allowed himself to speak to them while being surrounded by his guards.

Though, he doubted that the current situation was good for Lucille, who was shaking in his arms even now. But sending her away would be cold too. Cedar didn't believe that he could cheer her up much, so he helplessly patted her head a bit while he focused on the most important information.

Lifting his head, Cedar beamed at his aunt and cousin before speaking. “So. I take that you found out what the duke planned. I want all details.”

Selena only began crying more and buried her face in her hands while repeatedly apologizing. “You warned me, but I... I'm so sorry. I was so blind.” She shouldn't have been. After finding out how vile her husband was when it came to hurting Theodore, why did she expect him to treat his other nephew any better?

Luciano should have seen through his father too, but he at least managed to give a helpful summary now. “Father... He sent some strange letters. I...opened one of them just an hour ago. It had some code words, but those obviously referred to someone killing you today. And Father met some sketchy group a week ago, so...” He had understood the meaning of that.

Seemingly, Claude really hadn't been careful about his plans.

Cedar wasn't sure whether to call him an idiot or whether to thank him. He had been convinced that it would take an eternity to get rid of the biggest threat outside the palace, so to receive such a golden opportunity was incredible. If Claude had kept letters from the assassins, it would be far too easy to arrest him even if he was a duke. It was nice of him to make this so unproblematic for the emperor.

Cedar didn't want him to notice and get rid of the evidence though. He had to hurry. “Good. Then we will go to the Vasquez mansion right now and pick him up. You can prepare to become the new duke already.” He turned his head and raised his voice to inform his guards. “It seems like the guilty party in this case is Duke Vasquez. We shall visit him this instant.”

Immediately, people began running around to prepare everything for his departure. Other guards stayed close to the emperor as if to protect him. Many exchanged their thoughts about the duke's apparent involvement.

Cedar didn't care for any of that. He had to prepare for his trip and quickly get a new sword before ordering someone to inform the supreme judge of the fact that a duke had committed treason and would be replaced now. Cedar intended to go without a trial, as it was his right when members of the royal family had been attacked. So, he had to catch Duke Vasquez with the evidence right now before anyone could intervene. Lowering his gaze, he glanced at Lucille, who still hugged him. “I will have to leave now, but I will return in a short while. Please stay inside your room in the meantime. I will have some knights guard you.” He wasn't sure whether his fiancée might not be threatened too after all.

Lucille only seemed to understand what she had done now. She slowly let go of Cedar, still standing in front of him while being more than embarrassed as she wiped over her face and tried to calm down. She nodded in response.

Cedar would like to focus on helping her, but he had no time for that now. He only gave her another smile. “Rest assured that everything will be fine.” He turned and prepared to leave, only to be stopped.

“Cedar, wait.” The person calling out to him was Luciano, whose face had scrunched up even more with a mix of anger and grief. “There is...something else you have to know.” His voice shook so much that it already revealed that this might be even worse.

Cedar immediately stopped and faced him. A part of him already tried to guess what might follow, but nothing had prepared him for what he actually ended up hearing.

“I think...my father caused the war.”

Those words made Cedar freeze in place. Few things could shock him, but as this reached him, it was like a blunt object had hit his skill. For a moment, he stopped thinking before he managed to compose himself. “The war? The war with Northern Ocrea?” Artias hadn't been in any other war recently, but the two with Ocrea had troubled the nation greatly. If Luciano meant this... Cedar slowly understood that this was indeed what his cousin meant as Luciano only nodded. Cedar's smile faded. “What did he do?”

Luciano tensed and couldn't keep himself from tearing up a bit as he pressed his lips together to hold back. He wasn't joking.

Cedar instantly closed the distance between him and his cousin. He only stopped right in front of him. The war with Northern Ocrea had been no joke. More than a hundred-thousand people had died because of that. And now someone said that Claude Vasquez had somehow caused this? Cedar could deal with many things, but this brought him to the end of his patience. “Luciano. What happened?” His voice was so cold that it could have frozen an entire nation.

Luciano seemed to understand how serious he was too. He was still desperate but hurriedly replied. “Letters. We found falsified letters. Father pretended to be the king from Northern Ocrea and then emperor of Artias. He lied and threatened and did all he could to make the two sides hate each other. Ocrea claimed that Theodore began the war, and he said the opposite. If this is the reason...”

Claude Vasquez had been the reason for the escalating conflict. He had caused the war.

Cedar didn't even think about his reaction. He had disliked that man before already, and now he lost all patience with his uncle. Claude would die today. Cedar lifted his hand to instruct his guards. “As the emperor of Artias, I shall claim my right to punish treason against our whole nation without a trial. We need to gather all evidence right now. Prepare the horses and additional troops.” That finally led to everyone running. Cedar didn't intend to be left behind, so he moved as well, only glancing at Luciano and Selena once more. “You can stay in the palace until the investigation is complete. Write down all you saw with your signatures.”

He needed this evidence desperately. If Claude was responsible for so much suffering, he had to be eliminated this instant. That man wasn't just a threat to the emperor but to the whole nation. Cedar couldn't lose any time.

Before he even moved forward, a small voice sounded next to him again though. Lucille looked at him with concern. “You are still hurt, Cedar. What about the wound?” Did she mean the cut on his arm?

Cedar had survived much worse. Against his will, a bright smile formed on his lips as all the things he had heard became too much to handle. “Hurt? It's merely a small scratch.” Why would a cut matter when the entire nation was endangered?

Lucille didn't seem to understand what needed to be put first though. She even grabbed his arm helplessly as she glanced at the blood that ran down from there. “But it needs to be disinfected and bandaged. That won't take more than a minute.”

Cedar would usually be annoyed if someone talked back to him when he had much better things to do. Though, he couldn't bring himself to just push Lucille away when she looked at him with so much concern. This was the first time someone worried about him like that. Surely, some people pushed him to get treated like Leonard and the royal doctor, but they did it to protect the emperor. Lucille seemed to care about him as a person. That was her first mistake, but Cedar couldn't be mad at her for this.

Though, Cedar had no time to calm her down either. “Lucille, this is a matter of life and death for our entire nation. I need to do this now.”

Maybe his words had shown it now. Lucille had still hesitated before, but now she slowly gave in. She lowered her gaze full of worry before she weakly added something else. “Yes... Of course. But don't get hurt in the process. I know that all of this is exhausting and dangerous for you. So, please take care of yourself.” She seemed to care so much even though Cedar had never given her a reason to care. He should thank her for that and remind her that he was fine.

But Cedar would have to delay that until later. He had no time now. “I will.” He took a few steps away with the full intention of leaving like that, only to stop at the last moment and turn around. He glanced at Lucille once more and added one last thing. “I will be fine. Stay safe.” That was all he could tell her now. At the moment, he had to gather his people and arrest the person that had tried to overthrow their entire nation.

It was a bit ironic. In a few minutes, Cedar might execute his own uncle because that man had turned into a complete monster. It wouldn't be the first time that Cedar had killed a family member. He hoped that it would be the last time though. But he couldn't be sure.

All of this felt like a big nightmare, and it wasn't clear when it would end.