The same night, prince Cedric sat in his office, distracted and pensive. Same as he had been during all day, thinking of Lucreatia's words. They were heavy on his mind and on his heart.
Wolff seeing his master struggle with his thoughts came closer in order to provide some comfort.
"Your majesty, you did what was the best for our Empire." Started Wolff careful and short. He was sure no one was close by, but one should always be careful of what they say on the neighbour's Empire.
Cedric, who looked over the window to the brilliant moon, didn't look at Wolff. Instead, he picked a purple stone and rubbed it.
"Agreed." Told Seth as Lord Philip came by putting a magic barrier around them, so they could talk without worrying about unseen onlookers.
As Lord Philip finished setting the barrier, Cedric gives him full attention, his scarlet eyes focused and bright. Wolff stays by his side, standing and worried over the prince quiet and sombre demeanour.
"Your majesty, I would like to congratulate you on the success of your task." Says the lord as he gives a deep bow to the prince. "With your help, we were able to confirm that princess is helping The Temple on behalf of her mother, the Empress. Just like the Lord of The Tower had foretold."
The prince said nothing and only moved his upper body closer as he folded his hands, he wanted a closer on Lord Philip's face. The last, however, was confused and finally looked right up to his prince. The look he received back confused him even more.
"Thank you for your congratulations, Lord Philip, though I believe the hard work befell on you and not me. I should be the one thanking you, Lord Philip. " Cedric's voice was calm, like the sea before a storm.
Wolff's tail started to wiggle from nervousness, but he continued quiet, waiting to see what would come from this meeting.
"I deserve no praise, your majesty, I was just doing my job. Serving your Majesty is my biggest honour." Answered Lord Philip, his head back to facing the ground.
"I am happy to hear that." Said Cedric again calm. "Now... I would like to confirm something with you. Is it true that Lucreatia Mountnero is the favourite daughter of the Duke?" The coldness on the prince's voice made the Lord again take his eyes from the ground, surprised by this question and behaviour.
The prince, however, continued serene and unmoved.
"As I told you before your majesty, Lady Lucreatia Mountnero is favoured by the Duke." His voice was failing a bit, unsure of what the prince's questioning meant.
"Why?" The question was swift and cold. Cedric was getting colder and colder.
"Why??" Lord Philip was deeply confused, he didn't understand at all where this was going. He gave a questioning look to Wolff who was slight behind Cedric. The uncomfortable look from the wolf boy gave him a little clue.
"Yes. Why is she the favourite daughter of the Duke? You told me she was, but never explained why. And I want to know why." Asked Cedric with his eyes still glued on his subject. His voice now commanding and forceful.
The was an awkward silence in the room. Lord Philip didn't understand why prince Cedric was curious about it, but he would probably like what he had to say about it.
"The reason must be because she is the daughter of the woman the Duke loved." Answered the Lord, looking sideways to avoid the fiery eyes of his prince.
"Then she is a bastard child?" Asked Wolff, giving a step forward and using a calm tone.
The aide had intended to bring the discussion to a halt, however, it made it even more awkward.
After a beat of silence, the lord faced his prince, awkwardness and fear filling his face. A contrast to the prince's serious and demanding one.
"Actually she is not his biological daughter." The room felt colder, and the piercing scarlet eyes got darker in shade. "She is the daughter of a Lady from noble birth, who the Duke fell madly in love with. However, she fell in love with another man, so she refused the Duke's advances. Furious he made sure she and her family were stripped of their status and that lady and her husband lived in misery." He paused, unsure if it would be wise to continue, but his duty to the crown prevailed over his fear of punishment. "Some say he caused their death."
At those words prince Cedric gets up, enraged. At that point, Wolff intervenes and calms him down. After a minute or so, they back to their original places. Still, one question filled Cedric's mind.
"Why would the Duke adopt the daughter of the woman who refused him?" Cedric's voice was still shaky and his eyes still darker.
"Because...she looked exactly like the lady. Her eyes, her hair, her face... like a younger copy of her." There was some sadness in Lord's voice as he said those words, his eyes again turned to the ground.
The silence returned together with awkward coldness. Prince Cedric stomach felt sick to the core, but now he understood Lucreatia's words. As they sink into his mind again, his anger returned.
"You deceived me, Lord Philip!" That was all the prince could say, as his stomach continued to turn and turn. All of it made me too sick to even lash out.
"Your Majesty, I wouldn't dare to do so! Lady Lucreatia is indeed the favourite and that is known in the court." Countered the Lord, panic in his eyes.
Cedric, still sick, turned his gaze to the window. Pensive and distracted, like he had been before.
"What happens when the doll you have is different from what you imagined?" This question from prince Cedric, while soft-spoken, had an eerie feeling to it that chilled both of his subjects. "May be different for everyone, but I remember my sister receiving a doll as a present. She had nagged her father about it for weeks and when she got it, she loved it so much she took it everywhere. Then one of our other sister's broke it... no matter how much the doll was fixed it never came to be the same."
Then another silence.
"In the end she trashed it. Like she had been nothing. Just because she was no longer the same doll she had been before." The prince finished his thoughts in a sad voice, looking at the bright moon shining over the garden of his residence.
Before anyone could say anything else he told his subjects to leave. There was not much he wanted to say to them and he wished for a quiet time by himself.
As his stomach continued to turn, he thought about how he could help a doll avoid the sad end of being trashed. During his deep thoughts, he hoped he wasn't too late for that.
Poor Cedric, he just wanted to help! What do you think of the chapters with his point of view?
They are no going to be many, but I would like to have some feedback on them.
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