What eventually woke Blanche was the smell of freshly brewed tea. She opened her eyes and watched Stella, who set the table and brought in plates and cups, through lowered eyelids. After letting her eyes get used to the dim light that fell inside the room despite the curtains, she sat up. “Good morning, Stella.”

The maid turned around, and it instantly became clear that she wasn't as cheerful as usual but quite upset. “Good morning, My Lady.” Even her voice was stiff. But apparently, that wasn't the only thing that was different. The servant hadn't greeted the emperor which proved one thing immediately.

Blanche looked to her side, only to find that Theodore wasn't there.

Stella spoke without waiting for the question. “His Majesty had to leave early in the morning since something came up that required his immediate attention. He went to his office to take care of it. He said that he wants to apologize for that.” She still sounded like she was rather annoyed which was odd.

“Oh.” Blanche glanced to the empty bed and tried to keep her disappointment to herself. It wasn't unusual for Theodore to wake up before his lover did. Not only because she simply needed more sleep than him but also because he sometimes had to deal with urgent problems. In those cases, he never told her but left quietly so that she could continue to sleep.

Stella was silent for a bit before adding something else. “He also wrote you a letter. I put it on the table.”

Within a second, things seemed a bit better again. A faint smile crossed Blanche's face, and she jumped to her feet. With a few long steps, she was almost at her destination, but her maid's expression made her freeze.

Stella frowned at her, and her arms were crossed in front of her chest. Why was she so upset?

For a short moment, Blanche went through her memories to find out whether she had done something that offended the maid. Then she remembered yesterday. She had promised to wait for Stella, but after meeting Allen, she had ignored that and wandered around the palace. Afterward, she had sat down in the pavilion and stayed there until Theodore had led her back to her room. That meant that she hadn't been at the meeting place when the maid had returned.

Blanche immediately apologized for that. “I made you run around for no reason yesterday, didn't I? I'm sorry.”

Stella narrowed her eyes. “That's not the problem. The problem is that you told me that you'd wait in the garden. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I came back, only to find out that you had disappeared? You could have been anywhere on the property, and I had no clue where to look. I searched everywhere, but there wasn't a trace of your remains. I even asked some royal guards, who had seen you on the third floor, but I couldn't find you! I already considered informing all knights of your absence when you finally arrived with His Majesty!” The maid had become louder with every sentence and almost glared at the other woman.

Blanche lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers. It shouldn't have been surprising that she had been in the pavilion, which was known to be her favorite place. But Stella was right. Last evening, Blanche had been lost in her thoughts and had completely forgotten that she had ignored the servant. She had been away for a rather long time. Not once had she remembered that Stella was waiting for her. Hearing what trouble she had caused for the maid and the guards made her feel guilty once again, so she apologized. “I'm really sorry from the bottom of my heart. I didn't mean to worry you. I just met Lord Duremont and... That doesn't matter. I shouldn't have run off without telling you where I'll go. I promise I won't do it again in the future.”

Stella put her hands on her hips. “You'd keep that promise. It's not about inconveniencing me but about your safety. What if something bad happens and nobody knows where you are? I'm just glad that His Majesty found you. Please, just tell me where you want to go next time, and I will accompany you.”

Blanche assured the maid that she would do that and apologized three more times even though she wasn't sure whether she could keep that promise.

After a while, Stella shook her head slightly and sighed but put on a smile afterward. “It's fine. You should open your letter now, My Lady. I'm sure that you are already dying from curiosity.” She was right about her assumption.

Her mistress did look forwards to any notes the emperor had written. Blanche took the last few steps towards the table, lifted the paper and began to read the lines carefully.

Theodore had used the letter to inform her that he needed to go to his office early to mediate between a handful of nobles. He wanted to sign a contract that established the new trading route between Esora, the capital, and Ibela, a medium-sized port city known for their fishing. This would take a while, and he apologized for being forced to leave. At noon, an artist would come to paint the emperor and the empress. For this reason, he couldn't see her before the afternoon and asked her to come to the ballroom for tea time.

The note ended with him reminding Blanche that he loved her and him promising her a present, which would be ready in a few days. Apparently, that gift would arrive just in time before the ball, and he wanted her to wear it for that occasion.

Blanche lowered the letter and gently brushed her fingertips along the paper. Readings things Theodore had written made her heart melt, but at the same time, she was torn when it came to the ball. She vaguely remembered hearing about that event, but she hadn't thought about it ever since gaining the book's memories. Her mind had been occupied with finding out how to avoid her execution, so she hadn't had time.

But now she had to make time. That ball would be an important date for her.

For one, she would have an opportunity to show how much her behavior had improved in a place where many people could witness her change. Since she had decided to stay with Theodore, she needed to make sure that others viewed her as kind but unobtrusive. Being regarded as almost invisible and very polite would lead to her not being treated like the villainess and thus, save her life. At least she hoped that.

Secondly, she needed to meet Marquess Sefare and cut all ties with him. Any connection to intrigues had to be broken off. Otherwise, she might be convicted as a traitor if those ever got revealed.

Both of these tasks were important, but Blanche was still reluctant to go to the ball. After all, achieving these goals would be extremely hard and require her greatest efforts. And all of this would lead to many new problems as well. For example, Sefare could possibly want to get rid of her as soon as she stopped supporting him. Still, it was essential to begin working on her objectives, and in the end, taking action was inevitable. So, she would have to deal with people staring at her during the ball even if she hated that.

However, Blanche didn't want to ruin her mood because of this now. She focused on the rest of the letter. It was, once again, written quite sweetly. Reading Theodore's profession of love made her stomach tingle, and she told herself that it was out of happiness and not because she feared losing the man she adored. Her doubts regarding his love for her were almost washed away by his comforting and affectionate words, but that didn't change the fact that he would leave her in the future. But worrying about the novel and about the fact that time could change the emperor's feelings wouldn't help her much.

Right now, Blanche simply wanted to be happy about the note, so she focused on the good things. She lifted her head and spoke up. “Theodore asked me to meet him in the ballroom this afternoon. Apparently, a painter came here to draw the royal couple which is why he will be busy until then.”

Stella, who was arranging the utensils on the table, looked up to nod once. “I remember there being an announcement about the artist's arrival weeks ago. That man seems to be well known for his exquisite art, and his skills are highly regarded all across Artias. I heard that even some rulers of neighboring countries asked for his services.”

Blanche had been told about this painter as well. But her memories centered more around the discussion she had had with Theodore more than around the artist himself.

Upon finding out that someone was supposed to draw the emperor and the empress, Blanche had insisted on being in the painting as well. Even after her lover had explained that the portrait was an important tradition of the royal family and not a simple gift, she had refused to listen. In hindsight, Blanche felt ashamed of her childish behavior. She almost couldn't believe that she had acted this self-centered and confrontational only weeks ago when jealously had been her only motive. Apparently, reading about her behavior and viewing herself critically from an outsider's perspective had helped her realize what ridiculous things she had done. For that reason, she was actually a bit thankful for the novel's knowledge. Now that she paid attention to the political or social conventions in aristocratic society, all of her lover's decisions made sense.

The portrait of the ruling couple not only served as a painting in the ancestral gallery but also represented an acknowledgment of their reign. Especially Seraphina's position as the empress was officially accepted and would be presented to future generations. This honored her efforts as the emperor's companion and likewise increase her whole family's influence and political power. The portrait would be hung in the entrance hall above the main stairs so that every visitor would see it and become aware of the empress' authority.

It was only logical that Blanche would not be present in such a painting. Some people already considered Theodore having a mistress as a disgrace to Seraphina and the Dukedom of Duremont even if the emperor hadn't ever revealed the true nature of his relationship to the public. Keeping a woman of significantly lower status near his lawful wife was insulting to many nobles, so depicting them in the same painting would without a doubt cause opposition from Seraphina's family.

Aside from that, there was another problem. A third person besides the ruling couple being in this portrait would imply that they held the same influence as the emperor and the empress. This would contradict all the norms and the recognition of ranks in noble society. Certainly, that would cause an uproar among the aristocrats and harm Theodore's reputation.

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Despite these reasons being extremely obvious, Blanche had previously refused to comprehend those facts and sulked when Theodore hadn't given in. Back then, she had argued that she was the person he loved and thus, deserved to be in the painting rather than the empress. Luckily, her lover hadn't listened to her and had ended the discussion quickly.

Blanche carefully folded the letter and opened her wardrobe to put it in a small box at the bottom, in which she kept all the notes Theodore had given her. When she had closed the doors again, she turned to Stella. “This means that the painter is really talented, doesn't it? The portrait will hang in the foyer for the next decades, so hopefully, it will come out good.”

Stella agreed and waited for her mistress to sit at the table.

The food was delicious as usual, and Blanche didn't have any problem with eating until she was full. When she finished, a leftover egg reminded her of her idea of eating with her maid. She could ask the cooks to prepare Stella's favorite meal and lure the other woman into joining her at the table like this. Then more of the food would be eaten, and Blanche wouldn't feel as strange because she dined alone. She made that conviction before putting away the spoon she had used and stood up. “Let's get ready to go out. I'd like to take a stroll in the garden before meeting Theo.”

Stella nodded at that. She swiftly brushed her mistress' hair and then opened the wardrobe. “Since you will see His Majesty later, you should wear something pretty, right?” The maid asked while she already looked through the dresses.

In all honesty, Theodore didn't care much about how Blanche was dressed when they spent time together and complimented her anyway. So, she theoretically only needed to appear in extraordinarily elegant attires when they were visible to the public, like during events. But Blanche had always loved to wear long robes and shiny accessories, not only to impress her lover. As a child, she had already dreamed about being a princess. While she didn't wish to become royalty anymore, she would continue to adore beautiful dresses. So, she happily made her choice. “How about the lilac one?” This would give her an excuse to put on her favorite hair ornament.

Stella pulled out the robe and helped Blanche dress. Then the servant retrieved the clasp and put the purple butterfly in her mistress' hair. When they finished, the two women left the palace and wandered around the garden.

This time, Blanche wasn't lost in thoughts but talked to her maid about different topics. She asked for details about Stella's childhood and about what the other woman liked to do in her free time.

Apparently, the servant liked to sew and cook which was convenient since maids often needed to take care of things like this. It also seemed like Stella pretty much had no time off since as she was required to follow her mistress everywhere. Still, she had the right to leave for vacation twice per year and would be absent for a week in about a month. She needed her mistress' permission for the final decision though.

Blanche felt bad about the fact that the servants spend so much time attending their masters that they only had two weeks for themselves. So, she immediately agreed with the vacation and made the resolve to send the maid away earlier in the evenings so that Stella had more free time.

The women were happy with talking to each other for a while. Their conversation was only put to a halt when another servant approached to ask Blanche to come to the ballroom, where the emperor was waiting. They followed the man and quickly arrived at their destination.

When she entered the ballroom, Blanche could see that the artist was still working on the painting. She scanned him with unveiled curiosity, but she didn't catch a glimpse of much. She could only see him from behind, but his gray hair suggested that he was an elderly man. Since she couldn't look at his face, her attention was quickly pulled away though. There was something much more impressive here after all.

The view on the really awe-inducing part of the ballroom was unobstructed. Both of the two golden thrones were decorated with numerous gems and detailed ornaments. They stood on top of an elevated platform which only made them seem even more extravagant. To reach them one would have to climb up multiple stair steps and cross a navy carpet that was spread out in front of them. This was impressive to any visitor of the royal events and underlined that the rulers had the greatest authority.

But the emperor and the empress certainly didn't need the thrones to be seen. Both of them had the necessary presence to inform others of their power without any tools.

The royal couple was currently sitting on the thrones motionlessly, and both spouses stared at the painter with a cool gaze. This scene gave off an impression of pure dominance. No one that looked at the rulers would believe that their reign was endangered or easy to end. Especially their facial expression made Blanche feel like bowing down and obeying without objection. That didn't quite remind her of nice memories but rather of the nightmare.

When Theodore noticed his lover, he gave her a short but warm smile before looking back at the artist with a stoic expression.

Blanche felt the corners of her lips lifting in return and waved in his direction once while she pushed away the bad memories once again.

Unfortunately, this made Seraphina aware of the concubine's presence as well. Blanche could swear that the empress frowned a little for a moment. But the heroine caught herself fast and wiped any emotion off her face. It was understandable that she reacted like that, even if it was pretty impolite. The two women normally never went separate ways without some sort of argument or discussion happening.

In addition, Seraphina knew about the discussion Blanche had had with Theodore a few weeks ago. She was aware that the concubine had demanded to be in the portrait and surely waited for the other woman to throw a tantrum now that her wish had been ignored.

However, Blanche had no desire to cause trouble and patiently waited at one of the tables. It was a bit satisfying to surprise Seraphina, even if the concubine also felt a small pang in her heart upon seeing how perfect the royal couple looked when they sat next to each other. She quickly pushed those thoughts away, but now she was left with nothing to do. So, she let her gaze wander around the room and noticed that Owen was there as well.

The guard was standing next to one of the doors without moving in the slightest. When Owen met her gaze, he gave her a small nod which she returned. Of course, he couldn't humor the concubine either.

It seemed that the rest of the time would be rather boring. Blanche considered asking for some tea, but she held back. She didn't want to trouble anyone after all. She was a bit confused as to why she was supposed to be here when the others were still busy, but she couldn't do anything about that. She would just wait and hope that Theodore had a few minutes for her after he was done. He probably would since he had called her here, but she never knew what kind of sudden development could require him to come to his office immediately.

She had prepared to wait for an eternity, so it was pretty surprising that the artist stepped away from the canvas and declared that his work was finished after only a couple of minutes. When the royal couple looked at the result, they seemed content which made Blanche curious.

She had intended to stay far away from Seraphina, and she would continue to do so, but she also wanted to see what this famous artist had drawn. She slowly walked towards the easel but maintained a distance while she tried to catch a glimpse of the painting. Of course, she wasn't good at sneaking though.

Theodore noticed her after a few seconds and gestured for her to come closer. “Your timing is perfect. You arrived just when it was almost finished. What do you think?”

Blanche followed his gaze when he turned to the easel.

Only a short look was sufficient to identify that a person with great skill had worked on this project. The brushes' lines were almost invisible, and the colors, although realistic, seemed to convey the depicted couple's authority perfectly. The background as well as the faces were portrayed in a scarily life-like manner. The painter had only arrived at noon, so he seemed to be extraordinarily fast as well which only made this even more impressive.

Even though Blanche hated admitting it, the royal couple did look good together, and the portrait was gorgeous. So, there was no way that she could lie about this. “It's amazing.”

Even though she had only spoken the truth, Theodore and Seraphina, who hid most of her emotions but scanned the concubine for a moment, appeared to be surprised at that. It was understandable due to Blanche's usual jealousy regarding everything that was connected to the couple, but still, the concubine felt a bit satisfied to have been able to confuse the empress.

Her compliment seemed to have another use too. The artist puffed out his chest a little more and grinned proudly.

The emperor scanned the canvas again before speaking. “We thought so as well. We are quite happy with your work, Erneis. You shall be rewarded accordingly.”

The elderly artist laughed at that. “There is no need for something like that. I can assure you that Your Majesty's satisfaction is all I require.”

Theodore just grinned. “We will see about that. I can definitely not let you go like this. Would you please stay a bit longer? I still have something that I wish to discuss with you.” He said that as if the artist, who just nodded, truly had a choice here.

Seraphina, who had been silent until now, used a short pause to also expressed her gratitude to the artist. “As expected, the result is a masterpiece. I would like to let you know that this painting is proof that you are a great master of arts. You deserve to be praised by all the people whom you worked with. Thank you for your services. Unfortunately, I cannot stay any longer since I still have an important matter to take care of.” She gave him a little polite smile as he responded curtly. Then she turned to the emperor. “I would like to ask for permission to leave, Your Majesty. As I said, I will need to deal with some documents that require my urgent attention.” That was definitely a lie. She just wanted to avoid the trouble she expected Blanche to cause.

But Theodore didn't seem to care whether it was the truth or a lie. “You may leave.” He waited for a moment, and as soon as the empress had left the room, he turned to the painter. “If it's fine with you, I would like to request your talent once more.” He took off his crown and his cape to give them to one of the servants.

The artist gave him a bright smile in return. “Is this about the painting that Your Majesty had mentioned? Then I assume that this is the lucky lady you were referring to.” While speaking he turned to Blanche and bowed his head, to which she replied with a curtsy.

The concubine had no idea what the artist was referring to, so she met Theodore's gaze.

Her lover was grinning at her. With a few steps, he was at her side and gently took her hand to lead her to a chair, which stood close to the platform on which the thrones were located. He gestured for her to sit down and then stood next to the backrest. He put one of his arms on the chair while he beamed down at her.

One of the servants helped Erneis with arranging his easel so that it faced the chair Blanche sat on. That hinted that he wanted to draw her which surprised her a bit. She raised her head and gave her lover a questioning look.

Theodore smiled down at her and kept her guessing a bit before responding. “When I talked about Erneis' arrival weeks ago, you wanted to be in the painting by all means. Though you can't be in the one with the empress, I doubt that you really have the desire to be portrayed alongside her. So, I thought about letting another painting be made. A picture of just us two would be nice, wouldn't it?”

Blanche's eyes widened a little upon hearing that. She already felt joy bubbling in her stomach at the prospect of being drawn with Theodore.

But her lover wasn't even finished yet. “I know that we didn't talk about it anymore after that first conversation, but I didn't forget. Even though you didn't mention that topic in the last weeks, I think it's a good idea.”

The concubine hurriedly nodded. “Yes, of course!” While Blanche hadn't thought about the discussion prior to Theodore's note, this had only been the case because her mind had been busy pondering about the novel. Naturally, she still wished for a painting that depicted her with her lover. How could she not have been jealous that Seraphina was allowed to be drawn along with Theodore, while it was forbidden to his lover?

Even though she understood the reasoning behind this after gaining the book's information, it still would be a lie to say that she hadn't felt envy upon seeing the empress next to Theodore. Just because she could foresee the future, that didn't mean that her original feelings were nonexistent. She would have to suppress these emotions, especially her jealousy, to avoid being in the heroine's way, but they would be there nevertheless. Thus, she was overjoyed to receive her own painting now.

Her excitement earned her a little kiss from Theodore which only made her even happier.

Erneis sorted his utensils before asking the couple to hold still in the pose they wanted to be drawn.

Blanche moved to sit in a comfortable way that would appear upright to the viewer and looked at the artist. She was full of bliss at the prospect of having a painting of her lover and herself soon, so she didn't have a problem with smiling the whole time. Still, she feared that she would struggle to maintain her posture if Erneis took too long. But those worries turned out to be useless.