Chapter 12 – Part 4

“Hah…”

Cedric woke up drenched in cold sweat. He had been dreaming, and he was endlessly falling into the dream. Even his dreams were miserable.

It was already late into the night.

He had been bedridden after being moved to the West Palace following the Founding Day. Healers and even those with magical abilities had been summoned to the palace. He had drunk the special tea that worked wonders when he was in pain, but the pain didn’t subside completely.

‘Damn it.’

If anything, the pain only grew stronger. Cedric slammed his fist on the bed repeatedly. The agony he had to endure alone—no matter how many times he experienced it, it was unbearable every time.

‘Why am I the only one suffering through this while the other useless bastards remain perfectly fine?’

He spent hours suppressing the urge to scream. Eventually, he downed the strong painkillers the doctor had brought him and passed out as if he had fainted.

Turning his head, he saw Rachel asleep, leaning against the sofa. Noah was also sitting a bit farther away, sleeping in a chair as if being punished. Cedric had ordered Noah to bring Rachel to the West Palace. He thought having her near would lessen his pain.

Empress Heather had vehemently opposed bringing Rachel, who had no official status, into the palace.

“I… I need Rachel beside me. Didn’t you say it would hurt less with her here, Mother?”

Even through his pain, Cedric bit his lip and insisted, and Empress Heather had no choice but to relent.

“I don’t understand why you think having her around would help, Cedric.”

“Your Majesty, please… Can’t you grant me even this small wish while I’m in pain?”

“Fine, do as you please. For now, your peace of mind is the priority.”

The Empress had reluctantly agreed, clearly displeased.

While Cedric suffered, Rachel stayed by his side, unsure what to do. But even with her there, nothing changed. Cedric still felt the pain in full force.

He grabbed the handkerchief by his bedside and wiped away his cold sweat. Then he threw the handkerchief to the floor in frustration.

‘Elesio.’

Gritting his teeth, Cedric thought of the second prince. His bloodshot golden eyes filled with venom.

‘That bastard is shamelessly trying to take my place.’

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

‘I’m irritated that I showed my weakness in front of the public, and it disgusts me that Elesio gave the speech in my place.’

While Cedric was in agony, his whole body trembling with pain, Elesio had stepped forward as if he had been waiting for this moment. Cedric wanted to run over and grab him by the collar, shaking him, but he didn’t even have the strength in his fingers.

‘The reason he stood in front of everyone is obvious. He’s trying to expand his influence, disregarding my rightful heir.’

Cedric clenched his fists so tightly that the veins bulged on his hands.

‘I can’t let this slide. I’ll kill him.’

He reached for the glass of water by his bedside and gulped it down. As he lay back in bed, the pain that had momentarily seemed to calm down began to creep back in.

‘Why is the pain lasting so long today?’

It was an unusually intense pain, rare in recent times. It was suffocating and excruciatingly prolonged. Cedric gritted his teeth. It seemed he was in for another long, lonely night.

The pain finally subsided by the next day.

“Your Highness, are you feeling better now? You have no idea how worried I was,“ Rachel asked as soon as daylight broke.

“I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about anymore.”

Rachel tightly embraced Cedric’s waist, rubbing her face against him.

“You have no idea how much I was worried.”

As much as Cedric wanted to spend more time with Rachel, he needed to do some things. He had her sent back in a palace carriage. Rachel asked if she could stay by his side, but Cedric told her he would contact her later.

“Noah.”

Cedric called for Noah.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“You mentioned you had information on some healers from the outskirts who haven’t been summoned to the capital yet, right?“

“Are you referring to the records we had set aside as secondary options?“

“Yes. Bring them to me. I think they might be useful.“

“Ah…”

Noah visibly hesitated.

“Well, Your Highness…”

Instead of immediately agreeing, Noah looked troubled.

“What? Didn’t you take care of the documents properly?“

Cedric’s voice sharpened.

“No, of course not. The documents are all securely stored.“

“Then why?“

“The thing is… some of the healer information and records were organized by Lady Eliana. The ones you’re referring to were compiled by her, not by the palace staff.“

Cedric’s brow furrowed deeply at the sudden mention of Eliana.

“So?“

“Well, Lady Eliana left behind a significant amount of information about Your Highness’s condition. But after your engagement was broken off, you ordered us to discard all traces of her, so those documents…“

“They were thrown out?“

“Yes. Everything stored in the palace was discarded. You ordered us to burn everything related to her after the engagement was called off.”

Noah stammered as he spoke.

Eliana had gathered countless pieces of information that could be helpful to Cedric. She had organized everything meticulously and stored multiple copies to ensure nothing was lost. She treated the crown prince’s health as if it were her own concern, working tirelessly.

“Sigh.”

Cedric pressed his palm against his forehead.

“Now that I need it, it’s all gone.”

However, he didn’t raise his voice. After all, he had ordered the disposal of everything Eliana had touched—the gifts she gave, the tributes sent from the Count of Leiberte’s household—anything from that side.

“Leave nothing behind. Burn it all. It’s cursed.”

Noah had suggested storing the items in an underground warehouse instead of burning them, but Cedric refused.

A vivid memory resurfaced in Cedric’s mind—Eliana carefully recorded the healers’ names, diligently compiling lists. She had done it right here, in this very room of the West Palace.

‘That was when I would wake up in bed and find her still at her desk in the early hours, writing reports as if it were the most important thing in the world.’

She had cherished those documents as if they were her own treasure.

“Maybe the Count of Leiberte still has the same records. Should I contact him?“

“…”

Cedric recalled the last time he had seen Eliana after they had ended their relationship. Both of them had worn expressions that showed their relationship was over. He remembered her cold, emotionless face as she looked at him in the temple, her icy blue eyes.

Until the last moment, he had called off the engagement and expected her to beg him. But now, in hindsight, those clear eyes seemed to have been telling him precisely what she meant—that she had no intention of doing so.

‘Why am I thinking about all this now?’

Cedric shook his head.

“Never mind.”

Cedric refused Noah’s suggestion. She was a woman he had discarded, and he would never be the one to contact her first.

“As the crown prince, do you think I can’t gather information better than some noble’s daughter? If I need information, I’ll start collecting it now. It’s not hard to obtain. Send some people out, but not too many. We can’t let rumors spread.“

“Yes, Your Highness,“ Noah replied, bowing his head repeatedly.

‘Honestly, it would be faster to ask Lady Eliana through the Leiberte family,‘ Noah thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.

‘No matter how urgent the situation is, considering what His Highness has done to Lady Eliana…’

Besides, since Cedric didn’t want it, bringing it up would only result in anger.

Cedric ran a hand over his face.

“Nothing is going as planned.”

Cedric looked noticeably gaunt, having grown thinner in just a day. He had no choice but to gather information quickly.

“I’ll start immediately and assign someone to assist you, Your Highness.“

“No, I’ll be staying in the main palace today, so it’s fine to leave me alone.“

“But, Your Highness, you don’t look well. You shouldn’t be alone.“

“Just go and gather the information quickly. I was ill yesterday, but I’m fine today.“

“Understood.”

Noah quickly prepared and left the palace.

Once everyone was gone, Cedric was left alone. The palace was eerily quiet, not a single sound to be heard.

Cedric’s gaze fell on the empty chair by the desk. Since he mostly used the main palace office, Eliana had primarily occupied that chair. He remembered how she would immediately turn to him at the slightest hint of his presence, even when intensely focused. Her slender body was rapid to react. But Eliana was, of course, no longer there.

Trying to shake off the thought, Cedric stood up from his chair. He felt dizzy, biting his lip hard to steady himself.

* * *