It was gone. Theodore knew exactly that he had placed his beloved music box right in this room, only to find it having vanished into thin air. Playthings usually didn't do that, so someone had to have taken it. The options in the royal palace were limited. Even when Theodore was only thirteen years old, he had enough authority to be treated with respect by those around him. Only one person would steal the crown prince's belongings.

Theodore stared at the dresser for a few more seconds before he balled his fists and cursed the responsible person under his breath. “Cedar, you damned brat.”

His younger brother had sneaked into his room to steal some toy once again. By now, this wasn't even surprising anymore. Cedar often did this. Theodore only got more upset each time. Usually, he could ignore it for a while though. Not today. This music box was the one his mother had given to him for his birthday. Theodore cared for it more than for any other of his belongings, which was probably why Cedar had taken it as revenge for their fight yesterday. He had to get this back now.

A part of him considered informing his father immediately so that the emperor could just order Cedar to give back the music box. That would be the easiest option. Cedar might be scolded a bit, but that was his fault for stealing in the first place. Though, Theodore also knew that he should probably do this himself. He was thirteen now, so he should be able to deal with his younger brother. He was supposed to become emperor. It was about time for him to become more confident and to use his power without asking for help.

So, Theodore decided to try to solve this issue on his own first. He whirled around and left his room to stomp down the hallway. He had no idea where Cedar was around this time, but he could guess. His brother usually either had lessons with one of his countless teachers, or he was at the training grounds and learned how to wield a sword from the royal guards and some private tutors. Theodore decided to check the training square first. As he approached, some people watched him with confusion, but he ignored them. He kept his eyes on the area in front of him until he finally found who he had been searching for.

Of course, his brother was training. He seemed to do nothing besides that when he had free time. It had almost been too predictable.

As Theodore approached, many guards noticed him and bowed to him, but his brother stayed focused on his training. That allowed Theodore to catch a good glimpse of how Cedar dueled one of the adult knights while doing quite well. That was enough to make him narrow his eyes.

Cedar was just like he had been yesterday before the fight, his expression showing that he was focused on the duel while nothing else mattered to him. He looked so innocent, like any other eight-year-old would look. With his big eyes and soft hair, it wouldn't be wrong to say that Cedar could look like an angel when he wanted to. The problem was that his personality was the very opposite.

Just yesterday, Cedar had ended an argument by holding a sword to his brother's throat while claiming that he would kill him soon.

Theodore was physically stronger and taller, but he hadn't had a chance to react at all. Cedar had been so quick to grab that decorative sword from the wall that his brother hadn't noticed before it had been too late. Theodore found it embarrassing to admit it, but Cedar had really scared him that time. He had wondered whether his life was over for a moment before eventually pushing his brother away. He assumed that Cedar had stolen the music box to get back at him for that.

How ironic. Cedar had threatened Theodore, and now he was the one being upset?

That angered Theodore even more. That thieving brat really could only cause trouble for him. Whenever something upsetting happened, it was usually connected to his younger brother, whose temper was as uncontrolled as the one of a wild animal. How come Theodore was always supposed to pay attention to that? He refused to keep his head down just because his spoiled brother wasn't being educated properly. His expression turned to one of fury as he raised his voice. “Cedar!”

Cedar had been fully immersed in his duel, so he whirled around upon being called so suddenly. As he saw his brother stomping toward him, he probably knew what this was about. Yet, he acted like he had no idea, putting on that fake innocent smile as he gestured to his teacher to make him pause. Despite being sweaty and a bit red from exhausting himself, he managed to look quite presentable as he faced Theodore and beamed at him. “It seems that my beloved older brother came to visit me. What grants me this honor?”

Theodore had no time for such hoaxes. He reached his brother and fought to urge to grab his collar. He just towered above Cedar while he glared at him. “Where is my music box?”

It would have been too easy for Cedar to just admit it, it seemed. He tilted his head to the side and acted like he was confused. “Music box? I fear I have no idea what you mean. Did you misplace your things again?” That lying bastard.

Theodore couldn't keep himself from getting a bit louder. “Of course not. You stole it, you thief. Again.”

Cedar's smile faded as he pursed his lips and pouted at his brother. “What a mean accusation. Aren't you too quick to judge me?” He used that far too sulky tone to complain now, which just made it obvious that he wasn't really upset. He just wanted to annoy his brother.

Unfortunately, it was working. Theodore would usually say that he had great self-control, but when it came to his brother, he lost his temper far too easily. Now he couldn't keep himself from leaning down to bring his face in front of Cedar's to snap at him. “Whenever my stuff is missing, you took it. Don't act innocent. You wanted to get back at me because of yesterday.”

And again, Cedar put on that clueless look. “Yesterday? What do you mean?”

Theodore wanted to wring his neck. Of course, he couldn't do that, so he ended up using an even sharper tone but forced himself to quiet down so that no one else would hear them. “You tried to kill me yesterday, you brat. Don't act like you don't remember.”

Cedar furrowed his brows a bit and whispered back. “I think I'd remember trying to kill you, Theodore.” He slowly tilted his head back to look right into his brother's eyes, his head tilted sideways as the corners of his lips raised into a smug grin. “Especially since your self-defense skills are so useless that I could easily have finished that already if I had wanted to.” Now he broke character.

Theodore couldn't hold anymore and grabbed Cedar's shoulders. “You damned-”

Cedar's smile disappeared in a split second as he suddenly started whining. “Ouch, it hurts. Don't be so mean to your younger brother. I didn't do anything that would require you to be so awful now...” He pouted at his brother while letting his forehead wrinkle a bit like he was really upset.

Theodore would fall for it if he didn't know his brother personally. Anyone who had found what kind of person Cedar was knew that this boy was only using his acting skills to upset his brother, but even some onlookers would guess that the crown prince was bullying his brother when they saw this.

And as annoying as it was, Theodore couldn't just ignore how this looked to others. He forced himself to let go of Cedar and just glared down at him. “How am I mean when you are the one that started this problem? If you just left me alone, I wouldn't have to come and see you.” He wanted to get his music box and leave, nothing more. It probably wouldn't be that easy though.

As expected, Cedar just ignored his brother's mood entirely. He beamed at him again. “So, you don't want to see me either. Good. I was in the middle of training. If you would please make way for me, I could continue.” He took a step to the side but was stopped.

Theodore blocked his brother's path while glaring down at him. “You got it. We both don't want to see each other. Give back my belongings, and you won't have to see my face again.”

His brother's smile only seemed to grow. “You are so sure that I was the one that moved what you lost. Do you have proof that it was me?” Seeing him act like he had never made a single mistake was more than infuriating. Both of them knew what he had done, and he didn't only pretend to be innocent. He also did it while being so smug that his brother was itching to finally wipe that smirk off his face.

Theodore had tried to calm himself down, but he was at his limit here, his voice getting louder as he balled his fists. “Cedar, I swear that I'm going to-”

Cedar lifted his hands as if to signal him to quieten down while he still smiled far too brightly. “Calm down, Theodore. Really, you are much too aggressive. How are you going to become the ruler of our nation like this?” Now he attacked his brother's position as the crown prince? He was going too far today.

Again, Theodore just wanted to make him shut his mouth. His voice worked before he had even thought about it. “You were the one that held a sword to my neck!”

They both remembered that clearly, and yet, Cedar had the nerve to lie to his face. “As I said, I don't remember that.” As if that wasn't bad enough, he also made it worse. Cedar turned his head to the side a bit and lowered his voice to whisper into his brother's ear. “And you probably shouldn't remember it either. It would be quite pathetic for you to feel threatened by your baby brother. Do you think a boy my age could overwhelm you? That's sad.”

That. Little. Bastard.

Theodore really had to hold back some insults now, so he chose not to say anything. He just glared at his brother, knowing that his expression said enough.

Cedar at least partially understood. He pretended to think while slowly turning away. “Now. What can we do about that missing music box? If I think about it a little longer, I might be able to grasp some memories. Right. I have that item in mind.” Theodore had hoped that he would give up and finally admit it now, but as annoying as Cedar was, he just made it worse again. “But I need a bit more before my brain remembers the rest.”

The meaning of that was clear even to Theodore. He narrowed his eyes as his brother glanced up at him. “What do you want in return?” If it was something small, he could do that. If not, he would have to use other methods. But of everything, Theodore certainly hadn't expected this response.

“Apologize.”

Theodore heard the word but struggled to understand why this was necessary. “What?” He only noticed that Cedar might be referring to the fight they had had yesterday. That was enough to make Theodore's mood shift yet again. Fury rose in him as memories of how terrified he had been rose in his mind. “Are you joking? You want me to apologize for being threatened?” He almost yelled now, not caring about who heard.

Yet, Cedar kept his composure. He just shrugged in response. “I never threatened you. That was all just child's play.” His smile grew wider again. “Come on, Theodore. Don't tell me you took that seriously. You seem so mad about nothing. Besides, you started that argument, so you can't complain now.”

Oh, Theodore would complain as much as he wanted to. “Argument? I just told you to stop acting like a brat, and you attacked me.” He was shaking with anger now.

Cedar should know that taking a step back might be better, but he didn't do that. He just kept provoking his brother. “That isn't all you said, but I guess you wouldn't remember. Your brain has many holes. I'm not sure if that is good for the future ruler of a nation.”

This time, Theodore almost pushed him. He held back once again, choosing to just yell at him. “You're so arrogant when you're only a child!”

Cedar shrugged as he directed his attention to the wooden sword in his hand. “Aren't you a child too? No matter how much we act like adults, we can't change the fact that we're quite young.” He took a step back before slowly lifting the training sword and pointing it at Theodore, his face showing that smug grin again. “But if you can't even bring yourself to apologize, let's put up another bet. If you can defeat me in a duel, I will give you your music box.”

It should be easy. Theodore was five years older and had trained enough to be able to defend himself. His physical strength alone should give him an advantage.

But Cedar was a master when it came to sword-fighting. That brat had started muscle training at the age of three and had received his first sword shortly after. He had trained for as long as Theodore at this point, and he showed far more skill, which he refined by training for hours every single day. It seemed like using the sword was just the one thing Cedar was a genius at. Everyone praised him when they watched him train, and allegedly, he had already defeated some of his first sword teachers. Even the adults were shocked by his level of speed and weapon control. Winning against him in a duel, which would be focused on who wielded the sword better, was impossible.

In every other regard, Theodore could put up a good fight. When it came to literature or mathematics as well as politics, they always fought hard for the first place, with Cedar usually being a mere one or two points behind Theodore in tests. That he reached so much while being five years younger was quite troublesome for his brother, but in those situations, there at least was a battle.

When it came to sword-fighting, which Theodore didn't like too much, Cedar would wreck him. In other words, this condition was unfair.

Theodore couldn't keep himself from glaring at Cedar with even more anger than before. He should try to hold back and keep his composure like a good crown prince, but this music box was really important to him. He didn't want to lose it. So, he ended up hissing at Cedar. “You can't withhold my belongings from me like that.”

As expected, Cedar just made fun of him in return. “Are you scared you're going to lose?” There that smug overconfidence was again.

It infuriated Theodore to no end. But what was he supposed to do? He could try to search the palace to find his music box, but Cedar could have hidden it anywhere. Theodore couldn't just waste weeks on this. Should he try to involve his father? Maybe that would help, but it would also lead to Alastair hearing about how Theodore had let his younger brother threaten him while being unable to even get back a single item from him.

Those weren't the qualities of a proper ruler. Cedar was much better when it came to dealing with subjects.

Theodore had noticed that a few times already. He was aware that his father claimed that the position of the heir had been set and that nothing could change it, but if they were honest, that wasn't entirely true. Alastair could change his mind at any time. If Cedar, who was younger but just as capable as Theodore while being far more ambitious and socially gifted, was also backed by the empress... It could throw off the power balance a lot. If Cedar wanted to be emperor, many problems would develop.

That thought was enough to make Theodore ball his fists. He couldn't tell his father. That would risk him finding out that his son couldn't even deal with his brother. But Theodore wanted his music box back, so there was only one choice. “Fine.” He spat that out while desperately trying to hide his growing nervousness. He doubted that he could win this duel, but he would have to try at least.

Cedar's confident grin already made him worry though. This whole fight was just supposed to boost his ego, and it seemed like Cedar would get what he wanted while once again flaunting his better sword skills. “Oh, my. Really? I am so honored to receive this chance to duel with you. You should warm up a bit before we start.” He was far too certain that he would win.

Theodore would like to prove him otherwise, but he doubted that this would work. “Don't be so arrogant. You're just a baby, so what are you going to do?” He turned to walk over to the weaponry to get himself a wooden training sword. Then he came back to Cedar and stretched a bit, his unease growing even more.

Even a single glance at the brothers right now should give away who would win. It was a bit embarrassing, but Cedar was so confident while Theodore was clearly worried. It was no surprise that things didn't go well for the crown prince.

Mere seconds after the duel started, Cedar already commented on it. “Your form is awful. You should train a bit more.” He jumped forward and slammed his sword against his brother's with such force that he almost knocked it away.

Theodore struggled to keep the sword in place as he snapped back. “Not everyone can be a violent brat that likes to hurt others.” He backed away, focusing on his steps to regain his balance while keeping an eye on his brother.

Cedar's typical smile was missing, an obvious sign of how focused he was now. He wanted to win this badly, didn't he? He still had the time to argue. “If I liked hurting others, you would have noticed already.” He scanned Theodore's movements with great care before dashing forward again.

In the end, it had been expected. Cedar was far too good for a child. By now, it felt like the sword had become a part of him as he skillfully moved like any royal knight would. No, Theodore would even say that Cedar moved differently. Knights would focus on using their strength and defending their positions. Cedar almost exclusively focused on offense, and somehow, he still managed to avoid every attack Theodore aimed at him. He was quick and small, and he used that to his advantage easily.

Theodore didn't like seeing his brother move like that. It wasn't just because he might be jealous of the fact that Cedar seemed to become the best sword-fighter in all of Artias. He was also worried. No child that age should be used to training for hours a day while clearly neglecting their health. It wasn't like it was new for Cedar to overwork himself. He always seemed to do that as he juggled training, attending his lessons and working for his mother whenever she had requests. Just because he could do it, that didn't mean that this would be good for him though.

In fact, Theodore was sure that it was unhealthy. Much like that far too focused expression on Cedar's face as if he fought for his life. The rivalry between the brothers had always been strong, but right now, it seemed like Cedar would lose his mind if he lost. This was just a meaningless duel. Why did he act like his life depended on it?

Theodore hadn't a chance either way, and he was almost relieved when it was finally over as a knight interrupted. They didn't even have to ask for the result as both brothers were fully out of breath.

Cedar took a moment to compose himself, but then he quickly forced that stupid grin back on his lips. “You lost. So, you'll leave and let me train.” He wanted to train even more? He looked like he was already at his limit.

Theodore was worried for a moment, but then he remembered that Cedar would do the very opposite of what his brother said, so he held back his comment about that. Instead, he focused on what he had come here for. Right. This was still about his music box. If he wanted that back, he needed to act now. Theodore had to focus on breathing for a bit longer before he decided to speak up again. His heart still beat a bit quicker, but he managed to talk without panting. “I won't step away before you give back my music box.” He slowly moved forward to step in front of Cedar. “It will be hard to train like this, won't it?”

Cedar didn't seem to believe that his brother would cause that much trouble. He just grinned at him. “Do you want to spend time with me that badly? Or are you upset about the result of our fight? We can have a few more duels if you want me to prove how much better I am. That would take a while though. I'm not sure whether the crown prince has enough time to waste like this.” Did he think he could push his brother away with such obvious excuses? What a fool.

It was rare that Theodore clung to Cedar to annoy him when it was usually the other way around, but he could easily take on this role for a while. He forced himself to look cold as he crossed his arms. “I think I can spare a few hours for my dear baby brother.” He reached out to pinch Cedar's cheek, which immediately made his brother slap his hand away.

Cedar still smiled, but he did look a bit irritated. “Ah, really? What a pleasant surprise, Brother.” He said that with enough venom in his voice to reveal that he wasn't pleased at all. “I don't mind you watching. Would you step aside to make way for my tutor?”

That was exactly what Theodore wouldn't do. He immediately closed the distance between them again and leaned down to bring his face in front of Cedar's. “No. Actually, I think I want to be as close to my brother as possible.” He would have liked to smile provokingly in return, but he was far too annoyed for that, so his words came out in a cold voice. “If I stand here, it would be hard for you to train without accidentally hitting me, right? I fear that you will have to take an elongated break.”

It seemed like Cedar understood that his brother wasn't joking here. He forcibly clung to his smile as he replied. “That would mean that you'll have to stick to me for the next few hours though. Shouldn't you instead meet your mother or attend some lessons?”

Theodore crossed his arms. “No. I have all the time in the world today. My music box could distract me enough to make me go away though. If you were willing to give that back to me, I would quickly disappear.” He really wanted to ruin his brother's day, so he leaned down again and whispered before Cedar could even reply. “I'm serious. That means no training for you before you give back what you took, you thief.”

Now that stupid smile finally faded. Cedar's face scrunched up as he glared back at his brother, seemingly being quite ready to punch Theodore in the face. He didn't seem to be near a breakdown though. Cedar was just upset, not aggressive and violent.

Theodore decided to be careful anyway. They were being watched by many knights right now though, so he should be safe. That allowed him to be even more confident as he just lifted his head and triumphantly stared down at his brother.