Blanche didn't dare look around to see the others' expressions as she followed Theodore to their tent. She focused on her lover to scan his posture instead. He still didn't seem like he was in pain, which relieved her immensely. Yet, she would insist on checking his wound since it had been supposed to have reopened a bit in the novel. She would be happy if that hadn't happened, and since he didn't grimace like it had been described, it seemed like that he had been lucky. But she had to make sure that the injury hadn't been worsened anyway. She couldn't be sure whether her lover would tell her the truth about that after all.
They reached the little tent near the end of the glade and entered it after the guards had stepped aside to let them in. Owen waited outside, so the couple was alone for the moment.
Blanche quickly looked around and noted that there was a clean uniform already lying on one of the chairs. Had Theodore expected that he would have to change his clothes? Usually, he didn't have to wear a different uniform since he hunted with a bow and rarely with the sword so that he wouldn't get dirty often. But the forest was dirty, so it did make sense.
Theodore laid his sword on the table before plopping down onto the sofa and sighing loudly. “I don't want to wait another forty minutes just so that all the slow people can come back.”
Blanche grabbed the second set of clothes from the chair and walked to him while watching his dirty uniform with concern. “You shouldn't lean against the backrest, or you will stain the couch.”
“It's red anyway, so that doesn't matter.” Theodore grinned up at her. “But I can't hug you like that, can I? So, it would be better for me to get changed quickly.”
The concubine extended her arms towards him to hand him the uniform. “The sofa does matter since blood will definitely not smell very pleasant. But if me hugging you when you are changed is the better argument for you, I don't mind.” She watched as Theodore took off his jacket and cringed at the red stain that had even reached the bottom layer of his clothes. One thought about how that liquid had to have been warm before slowly cooling down and dribbling down his skin made her shiver. “That's a lot of blood...” She had tried to hide it, but she spoke with an uncertain voice.
Theodore looked up at her and pressed his lips into a thin line. “I'm sorry. I would have liked to hide that from you, but it would be rather hard to cover my whole shoulder. I seemed to have aimed at a vein that was connected to the aorta, so there...” He didn't finish that sentence and just met her gaze with resignation in his eyes.
She didn't like that expression on his face. She didn't like it at all, so she quickly spoke up. “That felt unpleasant, right? You should change so that we can clean you and confirm whether the wound is alright.” She turned around to walk to the entrance and ordered one of the servants to get a bowl with water and a piece of cloth before returning to her lover's side.
By now, Theodore had gotten rid of the bloodstained shirt, which was now lying on the floor along with the jacket. He just stared at the ground in front of him, which made Blanche wish to console him even more. She would like to sit down next to him and put her arms around him, but he was still covered in blood. So, she just took his hands for a moment, and he immediately squeezed her tightly.
After a few minutes, the servant called from the entrance, and Blanche let go to fetch the bowl of water, only to stop when Theodore kept holding her hand. She turned around to make eye contact with him and felt a pang in her heart at the dejected expression on his face.
It seemed like Theodore was more affected than he had admitted to being in front of the others. He pulled her back to him and began quietly. “Are you...” He didn't finish and just clenched his jaw.
Blanche put her hand on his cheek and leaned forward to kiss him without wasting a single second. She was still standing without touching him except his hands and face, but she intended to ignore the blood to hug him if he was still distressed after this. However, her gentle kiss was enough to make him relax.
Theodore's hands slipped out of hers and cupped her cheeks when they slowly separated. “I love you.” Even now he breathed that out in a hoarse voice.
She immediately pressed another kiss onto his lips. “I love you too. I will just get some water, and after we clean you, I can show you my affection for as long as you want it.” She reluctantly backed away, and this time, he let her go.
The concubine hurried to take the bowl from the servant, thanked the woman and came back a bit slower to avoid spilling the water. She put the bowl on the little table next to the sofa and wet the cloth. As expected, the fabric was extremely soft, which once again proved that the emperor would only get the best of the best. Right now, that was perfect since she would have to clean his wound and didn't wish to hurt him in any way.
Blanche began by washing away the blood from the cut, and to her relief, no new liquid came out from the injury. It looked like Theodore hadn't over-exhausted himself despite the novel predicting that he would. All in all, the book's accuracy today was close to zero. Blanche was happy about some of those changes, like her lover being distanced from Seraphina, but worried at the same time. The attack naturally wasn't a good thing, and even though she had been content with Theodore showing his affection for her, giving him the handkerchief might have caused some problems. After all, Henry would be furious as soon as he noticed that.
However, pondering about that now wasn't important. The concubine would have enough time to overthink all of this when she was back home. Now she focused on taking care of her lover. She circled the cloth over his shoulder and chest with slow methodical movements before wringing it in the water. It didn't take long, but she probably used a few minutes more than necessary due to her carefulness. When she was finished, she dried him a bit with another cloth before setting all the items aside and moving closer to him.
Theodore extended his arms towards her, and she immediately sat down on his lap so that she could face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck while avoiding his wound to the best of her ability. Her lover stared down at her without saying anything for a moment before whispering. “Thank the gods. I already thought that...you would be uncomfortable knowing that I...”
Blanche frowned at that. “Of course not. I know that you had to do that. It's awful that you were forced to take a life, but I wouldn't blame you for it.” She let go of his neck to cup his face and kiss him once again. This time, they remained together longer, and when she pulled back, she gave him a soft smile. “I will always be on your side no matter what. I trust you completely, so I won't question your decisions.” She paused before adding the important part. “Unless they are stupid.”
Theodore let out a small chuckle at that and leaned his forehead against hers. “When did I ever do something stupid?”
“In the past, not so much. But ever since the assassination attempt, you have been keen on provoking the whole society of nobles.” But this topic wasn't what mattered now. Blanche had to know something else. A single sentence by her lover bothered her too much to leave it alone. She hesitated for a few seconds before resuming. “About what you said earlier... How...did this attack awaken memories in you? Were you followed by some unknown person already?”
Theodore raised his head and made eye contact with his lover. He grabbed her hands and interlocked their fingers before replying. “I already told you the vague story about how the dowager empress hired people to kill me shortly after my coronation, right? Well, this happened here at the hunting festival, and the situation was very similar. The only difference was that multiple men were lurking in the trees and that I didn't notice them back then. They all jumped down at once and circled me. If Owen, and later Leon, hadn't been there, I wouldn't be alive now. But no matter how skilled those two were, they couldn't keep me from getting hurt. The fight was unfair from the very beginning, so it's actually surprising that they managed to kill all the attackers. It's a wonder that I only got away with some cuts.”
Blanche fought to keep her anger from overflowing. It was no wonder that Theodore refused to call the woman that cowardly ordered a group of experienced fighters to attack her own son his mother. Such despicable and cold-hearted actions justified that this witch had been put into confinement far away. The concubine probably wouldn't see the dowager empress any time soon, and she was very content with that. How would Blanche ever be able to look into the eyes of the woman that had tried to harm her Theo only to gain power without beginning to curse her?
Blanche pressed a quick kiss onto her lover's nose while attempting to keep her face from contorting in wrath. “I'm sorry that something awful like that happened. But today, the situation was different. You defended yourself and didn't get hurt.” She paused for a moment. “Of course, I'm happy that it ended like this, but I'm still curious. How did you know that someone was climbing around in the trees? And who was that person?”
“In all honesty, I just felt like someone was watching me. You must have noticed something like that too, at least once. It's even more noticeable when that person has murderous intentions. Then it makes your hair stand on ends, and a shiver runs down your spine. So, I looked around, but there was no one on the ground aside from the people I knew. The trees were the only other alternative. I still couldn't see him though. We found a bear not long after that, so I got closer to make it seem like I was distracted before it got caught in a trap. That was enough for the intruder to become a bit careless. I caught a glimpse of his movements and was able to identify him immediately. I only had to provoke him a bit, and he came down on his own. I didn't expect him to be so inattentive, but it was better this way.”
Blanche found that part of the story bad enough already, but her lover still had to answer a second question, and it only got worse.
Theodore leaned his head back and rested it on the cushion that he had put onto the sofa's backrest earlier. “That man was...something that is a bit similar to a knight. He had already caused trouble in the past and worked for people I despise, so I didn't grieve for him when he landed rather uncomfortably. His master will probably be fuming when he hears what happened. His best man was discovered and killed by the target in one move.” Theodore grinned at that. “Yes, that will make him really angry. I would like to see his face when he notices.” He lifted his head to look at his lover. “Or rather not. I hate that person. Though it might be fun to see his smile fade. If that even works, that is.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Blanche only needed that little hint to make the connection. “So, that person was the one with the constant infuriating smile?”
Theodore nodded. “Unfortunately, I have not been able to erase him from my memory yet. It will still take a while until I can do that. As you can see, I will have to deal with him first. But not now. I won't do anything before he moves, if just because I want to give him a chance to stay away from this fight. Let's think about other things now though.” Without a warning, he stood up and pulled his lover with him.
Blanche let out a squeal and barely managed to put her legs onto the floor in time. “Theo, you can't just surprise me like that!”
He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and put his face directly in front of hers. “I intended to carry you, so you didn't have to use your legs at all.”
“You're not supposed to strain your shoulder like that.” Blanche had been serious while saying that, but just seeing her lover's beam made her smile as well. “Well then, why did you stand up?”
Theodore glanced at the entrance before gesturing to his uniform. “No one came yet, but I assume that the hunt will be over soon. So, I have to get dressed and go to the podium so that we can celebrate my victory. Should I say that I'm devoting it to you?” Blanche just sighed, which made him laugh. “You're right. That would be a bit too much for today. Next year, I'll do that. Then I will also have the motivation to hunt for two hours and get thirty points.”
Blanche was just happy that he seemed to have regained some of his common sense. So, she could joke without fearing that he would actually announce that he had won for his lover instead of his wife. “Are you planning on eliminating all the animals in this area? If so, hunting is going to be hard in the next years. I'm still amazed by how successful you were today.” She became more serious at that. “I'm honestly very surprised. I mean, you scored almost twice the amount of the points you usually get in half of the time. That's a great difference. Of course, I'm proud, but it's still...”
“I know. But I just worked a bit harder today. Owen said that he was also confused by my sudden improvement. It really seems like love enables you to do anything, and since I had your handkerchief, which was made with love, I was able to win.” Theodore slowly let go to begin dressing.
Blanche observed him while he did that and flinched every time that he raised his left arm so much it looked like the wound was being strained. She was still skeptical about his explanation since a handkerchief, a mere piece of cloth, could definitely not have made him skillful overnight. But she also knew that he wouldn't cheat. So, Theodore had to have found some way to hunt more efficiently. Or he had simply not given his best during the last years. In any case, she was just glad that he wasn't in pain like he was originally supposed to be.
Just when Theodore had finished dressing and they left the tent after cuddling for a few more minutes, the trumpets announced the end of the competition. They walked over to the podium, where most of the guests had gathered. Blanche stayed next to her lover but was careful not to come too close to him and focused on watching the returning hunters. At first glance, it looked like none of them had animals that would score more than six points with them.
When a group of servants began counting, it quickly became obvious that this was completely unnecessary when Theodore's score was known. The emperor had shot the most animals, and all of them were predators that were worth two or three points. When the scores were announced, Theodore's was purposefully named as the last one, and immediately, a murmur went through the crowd. Understandably, the people were impressed and some even doubtful despite the carcasses proving that he had brought all of those here. The emperor just noted that the bear hadn't been counted at the very end, which silenced all guests and allowed the announcer to continue.
Naturally, Theodore won with his thirteen points. The second and third places were taken by the same people that had scored seven points in the novel, but they weren't given much attention. Everyone was just trying to congratulate the winner, who had climbed down from the podium after thanking the guests for attending.
Blanche knew that this would continue for at least an hour, in which the aristocrats would only bother Theodore. So, she returned to the tent which they had previously used and waited there until the first guests left.
The festivities would end in the middle of the night, but only a few households would stay until then. The remaining guests would sit together and drink wine until past midnight. Everyone was allowed to leave whenever they wanted, and every year, Theodore voiced that he would like to return to the palace in the afternoon when the others were starting to get drunk. But of course, he never did that since he, as the host, couldn't just disappear. So, he would stay until the very end.
The concubine had never had any intention of staying this long out of fear of running into Henry, the Vasquez family or Sefare, but she didn't dare to leave. The fewer guests were here, the more chances Seraphina had to speak to the emperor in private. The empress was probably still angry and hadn't given her husband a handkerchief, so she didn't have any reason to praise him, but Blanche wanted to be sure.
After some people left the venue, the concubine exited her private area to sit down at the big table in the center, from where she could observe Theodore's movements and intervene in the case that the empress approached him. As soon as she looked at him, they made eye contact. Her lover nodded at her before turning to the count he was talking to again and continuing to speak with the elderly man.
Blanche leaned back on her chair again and stared at the sky for a moment. It was still not even close to the evening. Now she would have to wait.
This would be a boring afternoon.
----------------------------------------
The sun slowly wandered across the sky, but it felt like every passing minute took an eternity. Fortunately, no one bothered the concubine. The Vasquez family was sitting by their tent, and she avoided looking towards them or Sefare. Henry was with his family as well, so he left Blanche alone as well, which was a pleasant surprise. Seraphina was busy speaking to aristocrats, and Fiona and Lucille already seemed to have gone home. These were all the people that could possibly trouble Blanche, so she was safe right now.
Unfortunately, that also meant that it was extremely boring. Sophia had come to say goodbye before leaving once, but the concubine just sat there the rest of the time. She could chat with Stella, for which she was thankful, but knowing that she would have to stay until either the emperor or the empress left was frustrating. She would have rather liked to cuddle with her lover or to bake and see her friends again after not visiting the kitchen for two weeks.
Blanche just rested her head on her palm and gave her best to hide her yawning behind her hand, but that didn't get rid of her bad mood. The whole time it felt like people were staring at her, which made everything even more uncomfortable. At some point, she gave up keeping quiet about this and turned to Stella, who was standing behind her chair. “Why do these people stare at us as if they have never seen a human being sitting at a table?”
Stella shrugged. “I would say that they are occasionally glancing at us but not the entire time. So, it's not that bad. We've been through worse.”
Blanche frowned at that. It surely felt like she was being pierced by someone's gaze. Without turning, she observed her surroundings from the corner of her eyes. She almost expected Seraphina or Henry to glare at her, but she only saw the backs of their heads. She eyed the people around her again while pretending to look at Stella. It was a coincidence that she made eye contact with one of the guards that was standing behind a tent. She immediately grabbed her maid's sleeve. “Look, between the yellow and the red tent.”
The servant followed her mistress' introductions a bit too rashly. Before Stella could recognize the man, he took a step back and was hidden behind the tent.
But this one glimpse was enough to make Blanche relax a bit. The man had worn the uniform of the royal guards, so he wasn't a threat and wouldn't cause issues for her either.
Stella barely seemed to have noticed him as well. “Earlier, a knight was watching us too. Maybe that was him. I didn't see his face this time, so I can't confirm that though.”
The concubine leaned against her backrest and shrugged. “I don't mind them doing what they are supposed to do. If I didn't see him before, he is good enough to be a royal guard. Theo did say that they were supposed to be more careful, so this isn't surprising.” In fact, she would have been irritated if her lover hadn't sent people to look after the guests.
A shadow fell onto the table and made her look up. To her confusion, Theodore was standing next to her with a grin. “Are you ready to leave now, or do you want to stay for a bit longer?”
Blanche smiled back at him. “I'm not here for my personal amusement, so I would have to deny both of those things. I'm waiting for you, so I can't go, but I also don't really like sitting here.”
Her lover's grin widened at that. “Then I have good news for you. I'll go home now, so you are released.”
She raised an eyebrow at him and looked around to scan their surroundings. The sun hadn't begun to set, so it seemed to be the late afternoon. This meant that the festivities would continue for a while. Most of the guests were still present too, so it didn't make any sense for the host to leave already. “Don't you normally stay until the last drunk nobles are being carried home by their servants?”
Theodore lifted his hand and put it on his shoulder. “I'm still hurt. When I told them that, no one dared to complain about me returning earlier because I'm in pain.” He gave her a playful grin while pretending to grimace when he pressed down on the wound.
“That sounds odd coming from the man that didn't even flinch when the thread was being pulled out, the very same man that just scored a record during a hunt after eliminating an intruder in secret. But even if you are acting, I still don't like seeing you when you are in pain.”
Theodore looked like he stifled a laugh. “I'll stop. At least it was convincing enough to worry you, so the aristocrats won't bother me. Shall we go home then?”
“Gladly.” Blanche stood up and moved the chair closer to the table again. Even though the emperor's decision was surprising, she was more than happy about it. After all, she wouldn't have to wait here in boredom anymore.
Though, the most important thing was that Theodore hadn't interacted with the heroine. The main characters hadn't had their first kiss, and now they also hadn't praised each other.
No matter how much Blanche wanted to hold back not to make her lover question why she was so euphoric, she couldn't help beaming. She made eye contact with him, only to receive a just as bright smile in return. She would have liked to throw her arms around him again, but that would have to wait until they were back in the palace.
Luckily, Theodore seemed to want to return as much as she did. He immediately walked to the path that led to the royal estate and just bid the people farewell curtly while he passed by. A couple of guards accompanied him while the rest stayed behind to protect the guests from any danger that might arise, including their own drunkenness.
Blanche didn't think about that much and walked next to her lover until she felt the same weird shiver running down her spine as before. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. She committed the error of making eye contact with Henry, who was glaring at her with the usual hatred in his gaze. It seemed to be even worse now than before. He almost looked as angry as he had been when he had seen her dragging Theodore away after the wedding, which was odd since she wasn't doing anything troubling right now. Blanche wasn't showing her relationship to anyone and hadn't offended the empress during the whole event.
Unless one counted that she had given Theodore her handkerchief in front of his wife. That thought made her pause.
Where was Seraphina right now? The concubine didn't have to search for long.
The empress was standing directly next to her father with a just as icy gaze. The only difference was that she wasn't glaring at Blanche but at Theodore. That was only logical though. The emperor would normally have to retreat along with his wife, but it seemed like he hadn't even told her that he would go today. Great. This day just got better and better.
By now, Theodore had noticed that his lover had stopped and slowed down as well. “Is something wrong?”
Blanche turned around and tried her best to ignore how Duke Duremont's eyes were piercing her back. “You forgot the empress.”
Theodore looked past her at Henry and Seraphina and let out a small “Oh”. Then he faced his concubine again without saying anything. Shouldn't he be attempting to make up for that mistake by escorting the empress now? But he didn't seem to have any intention of doing that.
Blanche didn't even know what to say about this anymore.