Before Blanche knew what had happened, almost half of their vacation had passed. She had been so immersed in her free time with Theodore that she hadn't even realized that their stay in the summer residence was limited.
The only thing that reminded her of the progress of time was that her ability to swim increased slowly but surely. She was finally able to keep herself at the surface without help, which meant that she could reach the shore if she ever fell into the water. She got out of breath quickly, so she definitely wasn't capable of swimming for a long time, but she was proud after having learned it within a few weeks.
Though, she had to admit that her lover had been a great teacher. He praised her every time she did something, even if it hadn't been connected to a lot of exhaustion. She might have pointed that out a few times, but his rewards were too tempting to give up on them, so she never complained. From sweets to kisses and hugs, he pampered her with everything she could imagine. Even though they followed the same routine every day, she didn't mind that at all when Theodore was with her.
But she was still intrigued when he proposed doing something special for once.
After lunch, Theodore led her behind the building and guided her along a path that they had barely used during their stay in the residence. As always, he was holding her hand so that she had gotten so used to this that she couldn't imagine going without it anymore.
After a few minutes, they reached a fenced area with a wooden house. Blanche quickly recognized what that building was for. “We are visiting one of the stables?” If she remembered correctly, there were three in total, with the two others being way bigger, but she wasn't sure since she hadn't seen them from up close.
Theodore showed her a smile as soon as she had voiced her guess. “How did you know? We aren't even there yet. Are you a fortune-teller?”
She couldn't help but grin at that. “The horses that are standing all around us might have given it away. But aren't these very few animals? We arrived here with a lot more, didn't we?”
Her lover nodded. “They are in the other stables. This one here is only for the best ones. My horse is here too.” He approached the fence and took a small bag from one of the servants. He pulled out an apple and extended his arm towards a dark brown horse, which quickly hurried over to him.
The animal devoured the apple in an instant before nuzzling its snout against the emperor's hand.
Theodore patted the horse for a moment before turning to his lover. “I don't see him very often since I rarely ride at all. The last time was for the hunting festival. But even after the few times that I observed him in action, I can tell you that he is one of the fastest horses in our country. He can outrun every single of our enemies' horses even after weeks of working hard every day. He is just very stubborn as well. That means that he isn't motivated enough to use his strong legs for anything.” He faced his horse again. “Isn't that right?”
The animal neighed as if it wanted to confirm that.
Blanche's grin widened as she glanced at Theodore patting the horse. “Doesn't that mean that he is similar to you? You two make a good team. He even came here as soon as you arrived.”
Her lover stroked over the animal's mane with slow movements and nodded. “In an emergency, he will always do his best. He will hurry to get you out of dangerous situations or bring you closer to them depending on whether you wish to intervene.” While speaking, he looked at the horse, but it seemed like he wasn't actually paying attention but was lost in thought. A few seconds of silence followed before he turned back to the concubine with his restored smile. “He could easily support a soldier on the battlefield, but as long as there isn't any danger, he will only follow me for food. The apple is the only reason he came here, and if I don't give him another one soon, he will run away.” He reached into the bag and retrieved another apple, which was gulped down by the animal as well.
Blanche stepped closer to the fence and watched the horse chew on its newly gained meal. “And we came here so that you could show him to me? Can I pet him?”
“That's not the only thing I had in mind. But you can pet him a bit. Not too long though.” Theodore made a pause and met her gaze with a grin. “Otherwise, I might get jealous.”
The concubine rolled her eyes and moved closer to the fence. She extended her arm to let the horse sniff her. When the animal noticed that she didn't have any food with her, it turned away until she managed to stroke over its mane, which made it approach her again. It let her pet its head for a while, and she smiled at the horse.
Her lover intervened at some point in an exaggeratedly whiny voice. “Do you like him more than me now?” His grin betrayed that he wasn't being serious, but she decided to play along.
She stepped closer to her lover to wrap her arms around him. “Do you worry that easily? I can assure you that I like you much more than some animal. After all, I love you more than anything in this world.” She leaned against him to press her lips onto his, only to stop when the horse snorted at her. She turned to the animal before raising her eyebrows at her lover. “He takes things as personally as you too.”
The emperor laughed at that before pulling her closer and kissing her. The horse neighed at them, but they ignored it. When Theodore separated from her, he showed the horse his tongue. “Did you hear that? She likes me more than you.” Then he faced his lover again. “He's as jealous as me too. And he seems to be fond of you as well. Hopefully, he won't cause any problems on our ride-out.”
Blanche blinked at that. “Ride-out? Was that what you wanted to do with me today?” She was rather surprised about that. After all, she had never sat on a horse until now, and suddenly making a trip with one worried her a bit. She had no idea how to handle animals, and allowing one to carry her whole weight while galloping with a lot of speed didn't seem safe to her. “Are you sure that this is a good idea? I'm not really good with...animals in general. I don't know whether I would even be able to sit upright while it moves around or whether I will just fall off. I'm wearing a dress too, and that isn't a suitable attire to ride a horse, is it?”
Theodore huffed at her worried expression. “You should let me talk before jumping to conclusions. I'm not reckless enough to make you sit on a horse by yourself. You'll stay with me the entire time, and I will take care of guiding it. There is no way that I would leave you on your own with this untamed monster.” He playfully glared at his horse for a moment before looking back at his lover. “I won't go any faster than you like it as well. I can assure you that your dress isn't much of a problem if you sit on it sideways too. Of course, I won't force you if you don't feel comfortable with something like this. We could also just picnic again.”
Blanche thought about that for a moment. She glanced at the horse, which had already gotten tired of waiting for food and trotted around on the meadow. It didn't seem to be too wild. She had never done anything like riding a horse, so this might be a new experience that she couldn't miss out on. As long as her lover was with her, nothing would happen to her. Thus, her curiosity outweighed her concern. “If you promise me to go slow, we can try it.” She watched as the horse increased its speed. It rushed through the fenced area and almost pushed away a few other animals on its way, which made her question whether the decision had been wise. “But you have to promise that you won't let him do that.”
Theodore grinned at her before eyeing his horse. “He's a bit feral if he doesn't get to move around for too long. As soon as we get him ready, he will be happy enough to follow my commands for once.” He turned around to call a servant. “Get my and Sir Maillont's horses ready for a ride-out.”
The man bowed before hurrying off into a smaller building next to the stable. He returned surprisingly quickly with two saddles and bridles before handing one pair to Owen, who immediately prepared his horse, a majestic black animal that was as calm as its owner. The servant pulled out two apples and used them to lure the emperor's horse to him before putting the bridle on it. This took a while since the animal wasn't cooperative at all and tried to run away a couple of times, only to be bribed into staying with another apple.
Theodore watched them with a grin. “He's going to make that poor man insane. That horse never thought about complying unless he gets rewarded with a huge amount of food. The only thing that's more impressing than his speed is the volume of his stomach.” The scene in front of them made that seem very likely. The horse didn't have any problem devouring about half a dozen apples before it was finally ready.
Upon seeing the panting servant leading the animal to them, Blanche felt a bit bad. She glanced at her lover, who was still grinning contently. “Would that have been easier if you were the one that put on the bridle?”
“Definitely.” His smile only widened when he said that. “At least most of the time. It might have been worse too though.”
The concubine let out a snort in amusement. It was surprising how carefree Theodore was even after troubling that poor servant, who was still struggling to bring the horse to its owner.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The emperor took the bridle in his hand, and immediately, the animal calmed down as if it knew that it would have to obey now. It held still while he patted it for a moment before Theodore opened the gate and led the horse out of the fenced area. Still, it didn't run away, even though it pawed at the ground with its hooves.
One pat onto its back made it stand still so that Blanche also dared to get closer. She stroked over the animal's mane for a bit before pulling her hand back. “So, how are we going to get on now? It's too high for me to just climb on.”
Theodore let go of the bridle and walked around her so that he stood behind her. “Let that be my worry.” He picked her up before she could protest, and surprisingly, the horse positioned itself so that she only had to sit down and let her legs hang down.
She instantly tensed and almost expected the animal to run away, with her helplessly being taken away or thrown off. But nothing happened. Her lover still held her to stabilize her, and the horse was oddly cooperative.
Theodore grabbed the bridle with one hand and gave it to her. “You can't use that alone to stay upright, but it will help to keep you balanced. Just wait for a second, and I'll be there.” He led the animal closer to the fence and put one foot on the wooden board before using it to push himself up. Before she could blink, he was sitting behind her already and pulled her into his arms.
Even the horse appeared to be a little surprised at that and took a step forward before neighing and keeping still again.
Blanche didn't dare to move much out of fear of falling off, so she only turned her head slightly to see her lover in the corner of her eyes. “I thought you didn't ride often. You seem awfully quick to get on for that.”
Theodore shrugged. “I never had to leave the palace much during the past years, so it's obvious that I don't have a lot of practice. If you compared me to an experienced horseman, you would notice a significant difference. That doesn't mean that I forgot the basics though. I don't mind using a horse at all if it's just for fun. Are you alright with us moving a bit? I don't want him to notice that the servant didn't give him all apples we have, or he might protest.” He pulled the bridle once to make the horse stop trying to sniff at the bag that the servant was still desperately trying to hide.
Before the concubine could respond, Owen already spoke up. “Your Majesty, I would ask you to wait for another moment. I have not finished my preparations yet, and we should inform some other guards too if you plan on leaving the estate.”
“We won't do that. We'll stay inside the walls and just have a short ride-out through the small forest by the west wing. So, we don't need any additional protection. But I'll allow you to convince me to wait for five more minutes. If you aren't finished by then, we will go without you.” Theodore had said that with a smile, but Owen took it very seriously.
The head knight sent a servant to the nearest stable and returned a minute later with two big bags, which Owen attached to the saddle before climbing onto his horse. “I am ready to depart, Your Majesty.”
The emperor let out a sigh as he scanned the bags. “What did you take with you? We'll stay out for fifteen minutes and not three days.”
As usual, Owen didn't become less serious for one second. “I can assure you that everything inside is valuable in the case of an emergency.”
Theodore rolled his eyes. “Do whatever you want, but there won't be an emergency within the estate.” He turned to his lover and rested his chin on her shoulder for a moment. “He probably took enough food for us to survive for a week with him. I would guess that a dozen weapons, knives, matches and ropes are in there too. Owen likes to be prepared, but he overdoes it sometimes.”
Blanche eyed the bags again before replying. “If you ask me, it's better to be safe than sorry. If you are in danger, everyone has to be able to react immediately to protect you. In this case, only Owen can fight, so he needs to be ready to deal with any incident that might occur. The bags are big, but they won't obstruct his horse, so it should be fine.”
Her lover shook his head to himself. “Don't become as fearful as him. He always gets overprotective as soon as I step outside the main building as if we hadn't been in far worse situations with fewer supplies. Didn't I prove that I am able to defend myself at the hunting festival?” The head knight didn't say anything even when Theodore looked at him, so the emperor resumed. “Anyway, we can move now, can't we?” He made eye contact with his concubine and waited for her affirmation.
Blanche hesitantly nodded. “Yes. But don't be too fast. I'm still a bit...” She squirmed around on the horse's back and made sure that she was maintaining her balance in her current position with her lover's arms stabilizing her. Even though it felt like she didn't have a chance to fall, looking down at the ground caused her stomach to churn. “I'm a little uncertain up here. So, please don't drop me.”
Theodore's response came immediately in a soft voice. “I would never do that. If you lean against me, nothing will cause you to stumble. We'll start very slowly.” He lifted the bridle and gave the horse a signal to start moving.
The animal didn't hesitate to trot down the path that led from the stable to the secluded areas of the estate that were further away from the building. At first, Blanche was tense the whole time and couldn't bring herself to relax since she really didn't want to hit her head on the floor now. Her fingers dug into the bridle, and she panicked every time that her lover moved out of fear that he would pull his arms away even though he was the main thing keeping her upright.
However, after a short while, it became better.
The longer they traveled across the wide meadows of the summer residence, the less unsure she got. The horse didn't try to throw them off as she had feared because of the many incidents of soldiers falling off their horses and being trampled by them that she had heard about. Instead, the animal remained calm the entire time and only went as fast as Theodore allowed it to go. At some point, the concubine even asked him to increase the pace a bit as she wanted to know how it felt.
The emperor refused to gallop with her, but the speed that he deemed to be fine was enough for her already. Blanche managed to relax her muscles a little but still had to tense a bit to maintain her balance. So, riding didn't seem to be too bad, but it was exhausting nonetheless, which made her admire her lover for having held on doing this so often.
At some point, they returned from the part of the estate in which about a hundred trees formed the smallest forest that she had ever seen and climbed off. By then, Blanche's legs felt like they were about to give in. She only walked a few steps with trembling limps before sitting down on a chest that was close to the stable.
Theodore patted the horse once more and brought it to the servant that would take care of it before taking a seat next to her. “It seems like you really got tired even though it's not even time for tea. Was it that boring?”
Blanche quickly shook her head. “It was really fun. You know that I love using a swing because the wind is whizzing around your head, and riding is similar to that. It felt a bit more dangerous, but it was fine because you were here. Still, I had to make sure not to fall off the whole time. Since I'm not a person that trains a lot, that was enough to drain my energy for the rest of the day. Look, my hands are still shaking.” She held her hand to his face to prove this, but her lover simply caught it and intertwined their fingers.
He pressed a kiss onto her skin before slowly raising his gaze to her face. “My poor angel. Does that mean that you won't be able to walk back by yourself?”
She was about to deny that when she saw his playful grin. That immediately convinced her to play along. She leaned her head against his shoulder and replied in a whiny tone. “I can't move at all. You can't expect me to walk all the way back on my own. That would be cruel.”
Theodore slowly stroked over her hand before standing up. “Then it can't be helped.” He turned his back to her before crouching down. “You'll have to depend on me for today.”
He didn't need to invite her twice. This definitely wasn't the way a lady should move around, but Blanche didn't care in the slightest. She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind before letting Theodore put his arms under her legs so that she sat on him. She rested her head on his back as he slowly straightened his posture. They ignored the expressions of the servants, which were either smiling at the couple or were confused because the most powerful man in the nation was carrying another person on his back, and slowly moved forward.
To Blanche, it felt like they arrived at the mansion way too fast. She wanted to climb down by the entrance, but her lover didn't stop for her to do so. Because of that, she just let herself relish in being this close to him.
When they went inside the entrance hall, Gloria already waited there. She scanned them with an expression that betrayed that she was uncomfortable with this image, but she spoke up in her typical polite tone. “Your Majesty, another letter from Lord Astame has arrived.”
Theodore nodded without halting his movements. “It's already time for another one? Our vacation passes too quickly, doesn't it?”
Gloria added another sentence that made him stop immediately. “This does not seem to be a weekly summary. The messenger said that it was urgent. It should be connected to the import of chamomile tea.”
Theodore went rigid at that. He wasn't just a little tense, but all of his muscles were suddenly strained, which Blanche felt while she was resting on his back. Her lover definitely didn't like that topic in the slightest and even held her legs a bit tighter now. He was quiet for a moment before responding. “I see. I will take a look at it immediately. Is it in my room?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Without saying anything else, the emperor steered towards the stairs. Blanche considered asking him whether she should climb up on her own, but as his tense shoulders revealed, he was still on edge. So, she kept silent as he carried her up.
Theodore only let her down when they were in their bedroom and closed the door behind them. He immediately sat down at the table and opened the envelope that was lying on it. His hands were shaking, and that was the only proof the concubine needed to be certain that her assumption was correct.
Blanche pulled a chair closer to him and waited whether he would ask her for privacy, and when he didn't, she took a seat next to him. “Theo, this isn't about a trading route, is it?” Her question had come out in a whisper, but her lover had still heard her.
Theodore was quiet for long enough to make her think that he didn't want to share this, but then he spoke up in a slightly trembling voice. “It's a code name. Chamomile sounds similar to her first name, so we use it to write about her secretively.” He paused and put the letter onto the table as if he wanted to postpone reading it. He swallowed before turning to the concubine with an expression that was more serious than anything he had shown her during the past month. His eyes were cold, but it looked like there was a flame of wrath burning deep inside him. At the same time, he was so uncertain that he was shaking, so this had to be a topic that was more than unpleasant.
Theodore took a deep breath before continuing. “This is about the dowager empress. Her name is Camille, and chamomile was close enough. But I-” He cut himself off and put his hand on the letter but didn't pick it up. “Leon wouldn't say it's urgent if that woman hadn't caused any problems. I don't know why she would make a move now. She didn't do anything last time, so I was sure that...” He interrupted himself and covered his face with his hand.
Blanche sat there without an idea of what to do. Did her lover want her to console him? Or did he want her to leave him alone in silence? She didn't know. She could only say that she wasn't comfortable running away when he was forced to face his biggest enemy. Slowly, she put her hand on the table and moved it towards his. She left him enough time to pull away, but he didn't, so she linked their hands and stroked over the side of his face with her fingertips. “Can I do something for you? If you want me to go and get food or water for you, tell me.”
Theodore shook his head. “Stay with me. I need you here, or I will break down. I'm praying for this to only be a little issue, but if the dowager empress is involved, there won't be any trivial things.” He inhaled deeply again before abruptly grabbing the letter with his free hand and turning it around. While reading, he squeezed Blanche so tightly that it hurt a bit, but she didn't contemplate speaking up for a single moment. With every second that passed, Theodore's expression changed slightly. From pure resentment to grief to nervousness before it all began again.
In the end, Theodore set the letter down with so much energy that his hand slammed onto the table. “I should have killed them when I had the chance.” That didn't sound good.