The tree on the hill was truly a sight to behold. The trunk was broad enough that there could be four people sitting on each side without noticing the others. One couldn't even see the top since the crown of the tree was so thick that the leaves completely obstructed the view of the sky. Thus, the area around it was perfectly protected from the sun.
“This would definitely be a good place for a picnic on a hot day.” Blanche watched as her lover put down the blanket and basket while she couldn't help admiring the surrounding area.
“We can do that later too. For today, I would choose a different spot though.” Theodore paused for a moment and stared at the tree before resuming. “If I remember correctly, there is something else here that will make you like this place even more.” He grabbed her hand gently and led her around the massive trunk.
Blanche was getting more and more excited every second that she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She only realized what he meant when they reached the side of the tree that was facing the coast. Standing in front of the ocean was wonderful, and viewing it from afar from a carriage or the window of their room was impressive, but that didn't make this new view any less breathtaking. They were so high up that they could look down at the ocean and admire the blue water that covered everything until the horizon.
She made one step toward the sea in awe, and Theodore immediately stopped her. “Be careful. This side of the hill is the cliff that you saw earlier. The terrain plunges without a warning. Don't wander too close to the edge.”
Blanche halted her movements at that and glanced down at the ground. She didn't see the edge yet, but she wasn't courageous enough to get closer either. So, she just admired the ocean from her position. She turned around after a while and gave her lover a bright smile. “It's beautiful.”
Theodore returned the grin. “Isn't it? But that's not all. Do you know what else could be here that makes this place even better?” He patted an object next to him, which made her pay attention to the thing that was slightly swaying in the wind for the first time. Two ropes, which were connected with a wooden board, were knotted around one of the thicker branches.
Blanche couldn't help but breathe out her response in awe. “A swing.” She walked over to the tree before she put her hands onto the plank and pressed it down. The construction didn't give in even when she applied more pressure. She looked up at her lover with shining eyes. “Is it safe to use?” It had been ages since she had used a swing. Her last memory was of her discussing with her siblings about who should go first at the old tree close to their house. She couldn't help wanting to relive those memories a bit, even though she might be too old for this now.
Theodore's grin widened. “Yes. We should be careful at first, but the ropes are still relatively new.” He scanned the swing with a gentle look in his eyes. “Althea asked someone to make this for me years ago. During vacation, my father had some free time for once and wanted to spend it with her. They insisted on taking me along, and we often ate up here. They took longer than me, so I was quite bored after that. So, my mother told a servant to make a swing. I could pass my time like that while they talked by the table. Even though I haven't used it for years, the servants were instructed to replace the board and the ropes every year. It's just a plaything that was meant to distract me, but it still holds sentimental value to me.” He stroked his fingertips over the ropes, which made Blanche hesitate.
She had wanted to use it, but that seemed wrong considering that this had been his gift from Theodore's mother. It had probably not been intended to carry the weight of an adult, and she didn't want to risk breaking it. In addition, it might seem odd to him that she wanted to use a swing like a little child.
Blanche slowly lifted her hands off the wooden board and took a step back. “I see. It sounds like Althea was a wonderful person.” She would have liked to meet her, but regretting this now was useless. She hadn't even known Theodore when Althea had died.
Her lover gave her a sad smile. “She was. Thanks to her, I learned what love was. So, in that aspect, she is the person that showed me the right way. Without her, I would have ended up like my father, a man that only lives to do his work and doesn't care about anything but his duties, or my brother, who tries to gain others' appreciation so much that he seems to have forgotten what he himself likes. I'm so glad that this isn't the case.” He stared at the swing for a moment before his expression lit up again, the previous signs of grief making way for a bright beam. “Because you appeared one day. Since then, my life has been fulfilling. I'm thanking the gods or whatever brought us together in this world, but more than that, I thank you for being here.” He let go of the rope and was quiet for a bit.
Blanche stepped closer to him at that and reached up to stroke his cheek. “I'm grateful for you being with me too. So much that I can't put it into words.”
Theodore chuckled quietly. “I think you voiced your devotion for me so often that Leon has to be having a mental breakdown each time that he hears the words ‘I love you’. But I don't think I will ever have had enough of that. I will say it back as often as you wish to hear it and even more often than that.”
The longer he spoke, the wider Blanche's grin got. “Have you noticed? We're doing it again. I'm glad that Leon isn't here to scold us.”
“As if that would stop us. He can whine as much as he wants to. He will have to get a lover himself, and then he can take his revenge by doing the same things we always do. But in contrast to him, I have authority in my office, so I could tell him to leave. Well, let's not talk about him so much. Other things are more important.” He gestured towards the swing with a smirk. “Didn't you want to try it out?”
Blanche began fiddling her fingers. “Oh, I don't know. Maybe it would be better not to do it. I don't want to accidentally break it because I'm too heavy. This was made for a child, so...”
Theodore raised an eyebrow at her before taking a step to the side and plopping down onto the swing. She almost flinched in fear of the ropes tearing, but nothing happened. Her lover grinned at her reaction. “I said that the components are replaced every year, didn't I? Do you really think that the royal family would accept playthings of low quality for their children? This would probably even carry us both at the same time, even though I doubt that sitting like that would be pleasant since the board is rather small. But this should have proven that you can sit on it without a problem.” He stood up and bowed while extending both arms towards the swing. “Everything is ready for you, My Lady.”
Blanche hesitantly stepped forward and turned around in front of the swing before slowly lowering herself onto the board. She only lifted her legs up when she had been sitting for a few seconds and nothing had happened. Due to her movement, she swayed forward a bit, and quickly, her worries disappeared. She lifted her head to look up at her lover with shining eyes.
Theodore responded before she even opened her mouth. “Yes, I will push you.” He walked behind her and gently put his hands on her back. At first, he only pressed against her a bit so that she gained momentum, but soon, she had reached the height that allowed him to push with more force.
It had been years since Blanche had last used a swing, but she quickly remembered what had been so fun about making her parents help her while seesawing. The wind brushed through her hair, which fluttered around her head each time she descended again. The view of the sea whenever she reached the top made this even more rewarding as well as the tingling in her stomach upon rushing back down.
It made sense that the twins had always yelled in joy upon being pushed on the swing as well, no matter whether their parents or their sister had helped them.
Blanche couldn't help but be filled with happiness upon thinking about that memory. She let out small noises of glee as she dug her fingers into the rope to not fall. She enjoyed the swing to the fullest until her muscles began to ache from grinning this much, and she thought about Theodore, who had to work the whole time just so that she could have some fun. So, she asked him to stop and let the swing come to a halt before meeting her lover's gaze. Even though she had been the one playing and giggling, his smile rivaled hers.
Theodore stepped in front of her and leaned down. “I had a premonition that you might like this. So?”
Blanche nodded happily. “You were right. It's been so long since I did this the last time. This place is wonderful! You can see the ocean while soaring through the air and feeling the wind in your hair.”
Theodore grabbed the ropes and brought his face down even more so that he could press a kiss onto her forehead. “We can come here as often as you want to. We are on vacation after all. But maybe we could need a swing in the palace too.”
She tilted her head backward to meet his eyes and smirked at him. “How will you justify this? The esteemed emperor of Artias, the successor of the proper Estien family, wants to seesaw in his free time? Or Lady Blanche, the guest in the royal palace that clings to the emperor, is childish enough to make him build her a swing?”
Theodore chuckled. “You got something wrong. You aren't a guest, you know? You've lived with me for over one and a half years and share my room. I think that qualifies you as an inhabitant of the palace. Aside from that, you shouldn't think about what others say too hard. They don't matter. I don't see how having fun would be childish either. But if you don't want to admit that it's for us, we could say that this will be for our children later. They need to have some things to do. The royal palace is quite boring otherwise.”
Blanche blinked at him for a while as her mind processed what he had just said. She felt a tingle in her stomach at the mention of their future children. Maybe she would be able to get pregnant. If this world wasn't dependent on the novel, her being the villainess might not have anything to do with her body's capabilities. Both of them were young, so they had a lot of time. For a moment, she just pushed away the problems that would arise since Theodore couldn't announce his mistress' children as his and that he would still need heirs that were birthed by the empress. She just focused on her happiness about being here with her lover, even though the book had foreseen a different world.
She let go of the ropes and raked her fingers through Theodore's hair before gently pushing his head towards her. He complied without any hesitation, which allowed her to brush her lips over his in a soft manner. Theodore let her continue like this without pulling away or deepening the kiss and just allowed her to show him how she felt right now.
The wind rustled through the leaves of the tree and made Blanche's hair sway. Along with the salty breeze from the sea, this made it seem like a romance novel, in which she finally wasn't the antagonist who needed to die to give the main characters a happy ending.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Blanche took her time relishing the kiss until Theodore suddenly pulled away. She gazed at him questioningly and froze at the annoyed expression that he showed her as he stared behind her shoulder. “Theo?”
When Theodore looked at her face, a little smile spread across his lips, but the previous irritation hadn't completely disappeared. “We have company. Unwanted company. Don't pay attention to them.” With that, cupped her chin with one of his hands to keep her from turning around and pressed his lips onto hers in a much more passionate manner.
Blanche didn't care for the servants that were probably watching them from the corner of their eyes. She allowed her lover to take control this time and simply enjoyed his affection.
Theodore only stopped when a voice reached them.
A man coughed, and even this short tone betrayed that he was extremely uncomfortable making noise, which was natural considering the situation that they were in. If that person thought it was necessary to alert the emperor despite having a lower rank, he had to have been standing there for a while without being noticed.
That realization tinted Blanche's cheeks red as she whipped her head to the side and scanned the servant that was standing there. It was Clark. This only made her sink in herself even more. Clark was averting his eyes now, but he would definitely tease her because of this later. She restrained herself from making a comment about him being better off not mentioning this again.
Theodore finally acknowledged the other man. “Yes?”
Clark was careful not to meet anyone's eyes as he bowed to the emperor. “I apologize for disturbing you from the bottom of my heart, Your Majesty. A letter from Lord Astame with the information you asked for arrived, and I was instructed to notify you immediately.”
Theodore's frustration at being interrupted was obvious, but he perked up at the mention of the letter. “I see. Thank you for your service. I will take a look at it this evening, so tell someone to bring it to our room. You may leave.”
Clark nodded and stormed off before Blanche could see his face. It was understandable though. The emperor's annoyance wasn't very pleasant. Plus, the situation in itself had been quite uncomfortable.
Now that they were alone again, Blanche breathed out in relief, but Theodore still didn't relax. He mumbled to himself a bit and shook his head before glancing up at her with a loving gaze again. “These people can't read the mood, but I won't wait for them to leave. Now, where were we?”
Blanche frowned at that. “Who are you talking about? Is there someone else-” While speaking, she looked around and cut herself off as soon as her eyes fell onto two people that were taking a stroll on the hill by the cliff. Her body didn't know whether to be fearful or frustrated, so these emotions mixed. Her heart beat a bit quicker, and she wanted to hide behind her lover while still being annoyed.
Why did the heroine have to appear every time that Blanche had a wonderful moment today? Did Seraphina do that on purpose? That was impossible since she couldn't have known where the couple would interact. Was the novel steering the empress towards the man that was supposed to be her destined partner? That might be possible, but the concubine desperately hoped that it was just a coincidence. Before she could panic about what she should do now, she made eye contact with Noah, who was trailing behind the empress and gave her a soft but definitely forced smile.
Seraphina, on the other hand, had a completely neutral expression, which relieved the concubine a bit. Since the empress hadn't spent any time with her husband, she shouldn't be interested in him nor should she be jealous because of this, right?
Blanche didn't have any time to worry about that though.
Theodore grabbed her chin and pulled her back to face him. “Ignore them. They are taking a walk and will cross the whole hill without acknowledging that someone else wants a little privacy. They'll be gone soon. If not, it's their problem. We were here first.” He leaned forwards and captured her lips in a kiss again.
At first, Blanche was a bit hesitant. She knew that the empress was watching, and provoking her wasn't a wise choice. But her lover was right about them having claimed this spot first.
If the empress felt the need to stroll around next to them, it was her own fault for doing so. She had the choice to look away if she didn't want to see this, so she couldn't blame the couple for being affectionate.
Blanche relaxed her tense muscles and leaned into Theodore's embrace. She would enjoy this as much as she normally did or at least she attempted to do that. But being watched still didn't make her happy. So, she checked again. When she opened her eyes to glance over her lover's shoulder, she saw that Seraphina didn't face them but was focused on walking and not tripping by the edge. Good.
Noah, on the other hand, was looking at the couple every few seconds before averting his eyes. He only stopped doing that when the empress turned to him and said something before he followed her down the hill.
When the two disappeared from Blanche's view, she hummed into the kiss and closed her eyes to focus on her lover again.
After a while, Theodore let go of her and looked around. “They're finally gone. Thank the gods.” He directed his gaze up to the sky. “But it seems like it's time for lunch already. What do you think, should we picnic here?”
She nodded without a second thought. “We should sit at a spot from where we can see the ocean. Over there would be good. Should Stella and Owen join us?”
Theodore let out a huff. “No. I gave them their own basket with food so that they could eat alone. I don't think that they'd enjoy a meal that consists out of us feeding each other and cuddling. We can eat with them later, but for now, let's stay alone.”
“You're right about that.” Blanche slowly rose to her feet with her lover's help and examined the area around them. She found a spot that was close to the edge of the cliff but not so much that one would have to fear falling and pointed towards it. “Let's go to that place.” From there, they could see the sea and also eat at the same time. It was perfect.
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The couple almost spent the whole day outside the mansion and only returned in the evening. Upon arriving at the residence, Theodore announced that they would eat in their room again before pulling Blanche into their chambers and closing the door behind them.
He placed the basket onto the table and skeptically eyed it. “I know that we put it on top of a blanket, but I would still bet that there is a lot of sand in this. I don't want to spread any dirt across the whole room. Maybe I should have left it downstairs.”
Blanche sat down on the armchair and cuddled into the soft upholstery. “I told you to do that. We should have taken the watermelon out and brought it here by itself. We could have just eaten it in the dining room too. What purpose does the room have if we don't have our meals there?”
The emperor pulled a few clean plates from the basket and put them onto the table. “The room is being used. That's exactly why we won't go there. Or do you want to see the empress every breakfast, lunch and dinner? Us three eating together would be annoying.” He let out a sigh and paused his movements. “But I fear that we won't be able to avoid that for much longer. The servants don't have a service lift here, so they can't use a cart and have to carry all the things separately. I don't want to trouble them for the rest of the vacation. It's a wonder that nothing broke until now, and I would like to prevent anyone falling down the stairs.”
“That makes sense.” Still, Blanche didn't really want to join Seraphina. The novel had summarized a few of those meals during the summer vacation. They had always consisted of the concubine being late and then watching Seraphina chat with her husband until Blanche had enough and stirred up a fight. That had always ended with Theodore taking his wife's side and his lover being forced to retreat to keep the peace, which had been a first in the book. Blanche didn't have any interest in experiencing a similar scenario. If one looked at it objectively, that was unlikely considering that the emperor didn't care about the empress at all, but she wouldn't risk it. If they ate together, she would stay quiet and do everything to prevent a fight.
Even though observing how Seraphina and Theodore had a friendly discussion would upset her due to its similarity to the novel.
A small pause followed before a small grin grew on Theodore's face. “Maybe we should just make her want to eat in her room. If we're lucky, us showing up downstairs together is enough to annoy her so much that she'll retreat to her chambers. If not, we have to get creative.”
Blanche raised an eyebrow while trying to hide the little bit of satisfaction that she felt upon hearing that Theodore didn't have the desire to talk to his wife. “So, sending away the empress is your choice? That might be a little…” She paused upon noticing a white envelope that was lying next to the basket from the corner of her eyes. She leaned forward to pick it up between two fingers and showed it to the emperor. “Look, the letter is here.”
Theodore took it from her and lifted it to read the sender's handwriting. “Leon is awfully quick.”
The concubine lifted herself onto her knees to look over his arm and catch a glimpse of the envelope. “What is this about? Didn't he want to send you weekly summaries of the events in the capital? This is a bit early for that. We only departed four days ago.”
Theodore put the letter to the very edge of the table before continuing to unpack the basket. “Yes, this isn't about the capital specifically. It might be connected to that in a very vague sense though. I requested important information a few weeks ago, and this should be the results of the investigation. Naturally, you can't write something like this in a normal letter, so everything will be coded. Which means that I'll take an eternity to read this. I should have asked him to store the simpler version in my office until I'm back.”
Blanche glanced at the envelope in curiosity. Her lover didn't show any intention of opening it even though he had said that the contents were important. So, it couldn't be urgent, right? “When are you going to read it?”
Theodore shrugged. “I don't know yet. Maybe I'll start decoding it tonight while you sleep.”
A frown appeared on her face. “You shouldn't lose sleep during your vacation, you know. Wouldn't it be better to just do it while we sit together? I can also give you a bit of privacy if you prefer-”
The reply came before she had even finished the last word. “No.” Her lover met her gaze with determination. “I promised that we would spend every minute of the vacation together, and I meant that. If I decode something directly next to you, it will be boring, and I refuse to ignore you for even a split second. I'm used to sleeping less, so I can just work for an hour every night, and you won't even notice it.”
Blanche hesitated for a moment before replying. She had intended to cling to him for every second of the trip to avoid him getting close to Seraphina, and she still didn't want to make way for the empress to somehow impress the emperor. But she also didn't want Theodore to pressure himself to postpone crucial activities. “I know we said that we would be together the whole time, but you don't have to take it literally. I'm glad that you want to be with me. However, I won't be angry if you leave my side for a few minutes to take care of important matters.” She gestured towards the letter.
Theodore's expression made it obvious that he wasn't convinced, so the concubine pondered about ways that would link both of their goals.
Blanche stood up from the armchair as an idea appeared in her mind. “Wait for a moment. Let me check something.” She walked over to one of the doors that was connected to the main room and opened it. So, she had remembered it correctly. There was a small kitchen here that even had a little furnace. It might take longer to use it than the bigger one on the first floor, but it would still work out. She moved back to her lover and leaned against him so that he had to catch her. “How about you decode this letter tomorrow? During that time, I will bake you a cake of your choice in the kitchen there. I don't know why the master bedroom would need its own kitchen, but it's simpler like this. I'll go out for five minutes to get the ingredients with Stella, and then I will return and prepare a gift for you while you work. That sounds good, right?” After all, it would ensure that he didn't get closer to the empress in any way.
Theodore glanced over at the kitchen, and a smile spread across his face. “That's a perfect idea. You must be a genius.” He patted her head, which made her grin despite the exaggerated compliment. “I'll look forward to a chocolate cake then. Oh, and if you're interested, the kitchen is here so that the inhabitants can barricade the master bedroom in an emergency and still live without any restrictions. There is a secret ladder from here to the real kitchen, so you could get your ingredients by climbing down there. But I would recommend using the stairs. They will be more comfortable.”
Blanche let out a chuckle. “Naturally, it was my first thought to climb down a tight dark shaft into the kitchen when I could use the brightly lit and wide staircase. Though, it is surprising that the architect put this much thought into everything. The commissioners truly must have feared for their lives.”
“Or they just didn't like other people and wanted to eat without having to meet anyone.” Theodore grinned but became a bit more serious after that. “Actually, I believe that I heard that the commissioner was the head of an underground association that smuggled everything that was illegal. In that case, it would have made sense for him to need to protect himself. Since that association is gone now, we can use his building to protect ourselves from having to be apart for more than five minutes though.” His smile returned as he wrapped his arms around her and brought his face in front of hers.
Just at that moment, someone knocked on the door, and they sighed. They would have to postpone their kiss until later.
Dinner went by slowly with the both of them feeding each other alternatively so that it was already dark when they finished. Due to having spent the whole day outside, Blanche was exhausted, and Theodore seemed to share that sentiment. Knowing that she had prevented him from staying up late to work despite that made her a little proud. After dinner, they immediately went to bed, and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.