As Theodore lifted his head, his identity was already revealed.

For a moment, the marquess in front of them just froze. He had lifted his hand to make a gesture but stopped midways and stared at them. He scanned the emperor's face and then Blanche's with widened eyes before blinking a few times. It took him a couple of seconds to process the situation, and when he managed to do so, he took a step back before hurriedly bowing down. “Greetings to His Majesty, the emperor of Artias! Please forgive me for not recognizing you.” He was so distressed that he even forgot to wait for Theodore to address him first, but the emperor didn't mind.

“Good morning, Lord Charture. Raise your head. I did not wish to be recognized, so you aren't to blame. It is a pleasure to meet you here even if it is a strange coincidence at the same time. What led you here?”

The marquess stiffly straightened his posture. “I am currently visiting my cousin, Your Majesty. I merely wished to take a break on my way to his house, so I came to Ibela. The thought that I would be honored by meeting you never crossed my mind, so please forgive me if I am a bit taken aback.” He paused for a small moment and looked like he had no clue what to say without repeating how surprised he was. Then he directed his attention to the concubine and continued. “It is a pleasure to see you too, Lady Blanche. I did not expect to find both His Majesty and you outside the capital.”

Blanche gave him a bright smile. “I can only repeat your words, Lord Charture. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to meet you in such a beautiful city. Is your sister well? The last time that I saw her, Madame Charture seemed to be very cheerful.”

The marquess relaxed a bit, so it was obvious that he was happy to have a topic to talk about instead of worrying about what he should say. “Thank you for your concern, she is doing great. Since she managed to reconcile with our older sister, she has been happy the whole time. Her visit at the palace naturally made her euphoric as well.”

Blanche remembered how eager the tailor had been too well. The woman had been busy trying to coax her into putting on more dresses to show to the emperor each time that she had barely finished presenting the first stack. Her lover had been the one to chose which ones she would buy and showered her with compliments, which had made Madame Charture chatter about how sweet they were together. During the tailor's stay in the palace, the other woman had pointed out that Theodore and Blanche were an adorable couple so often that the concubine had been scared that this would continue after Madame Charture left the royal estate. Luckily, it seemed like the tailor had kept quiet since the capital wasn't flooded with a new wave of rumors about the emperor's affair.

Theodore didn't really seem to care about any rumors at this point in time though. He lifted his lover's fork and picked up a piece of salad from her plate. “That is good to hear, Lord Charture. Do you plan on eating here as well? The food is very good. So good that I have to voice a direct recommendation.” He grinned at the other man, who seemed to become tenser at that.

“I was merely taking a break. I fear that I have to leave soon to arrive at my cousin's mansion before the sun sets. For that reason, I, unfortunately, cannot stay here for more than a few minutes.” That meant that the marquess was so uncomfortable in the situation that he wanted to run away.

The concubine couldn't blame him for that. Suddenly meeting the emperor with only his mistress and one guard in a small restaurant in a fishing village far away from the capital probably hadn't been part of the marquess' plans for the summer. Interactions with members of the royal family could be draining enough during social gatherings, but conversing in private put even more pressure on him. Every single one of his mistakes would be noticed and cast a bad light on his family's name.

Luckily, Theodore didn't have any desire to speak to him for long either. “Very well. You are missing out on one of the best meals in Artias, but it cannot be helped. May you have a calm journey to your destination and return to the capital safely. Goodbye.”

The marquess bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I wish that your trip also isn't disturbed. May you and Lady Blanche have a wonderful day.” With that, he stared at the table for another moment before turning around and leaving the restaurant, with his guards and servants following him while trying to inconspicuously gawk at the emperor.

Theodore rested his chin on his palm and watched them retreat with an annoyed expression. “I hope they aren't too vocal about this, or we have to postpone our walk through Ibela to another day.”

Blanche watched the marquess and his entourage rushing away from the store and rounding the corner of another building on the other side of the square. “I doubt that they will say anything. He almost looked a bit scared. Did he believe that you would be angry at him for recognizing you?”

The emperor gazed out of the window before shaking his head. “No, I don't think so. I think what worried him wasn't that he found us but how he found us. But others seem to be different.” He turned to the aisle next to their table, which made Blanche look too.

The owner of the restaurant had approached them and was standing there with a face that showed little but absolute shock. He stayed there without moving or saying anything as a minute passed in silence. Then, without a warning, he fell to his knees. “I apologize for not recognizing you, Your Majesty! Please have mercy on this ignorant commoner. I didn't want to be rude. I could never have guessed that you would come here, so I didn't-”

Theodore cut him off with a motion of his hand. “Please stand up. You don't have to apologize for not knowing who I am when I came here with the intention of not being recognized. Besides, we probably never met each other in person since I never leave the capital, so it would be odd if you could identify me.” When the man hesitantly raised to his feet, the emperor turned to his lover. “Next time, we have to get better costumes first. We might have to dress as commoners if we don't want anyone to notice.”

Blanche rolled her eyes. “That won't hide our faces, Theo. If we meet nobles, we need masks. But even then, I fear that your face is too handsome to go unnoticed.” She personally found that Theodore was so perfect that he would definitely be admired no matter what he wore, but that might also have been her far too subjective judgment. She turned to the owner, who was still standing there rigidly and didn't dare to move. “You really don't have to be this tense. An emperor is just a person too. If he tells you that it's fine, he really isn't angry.” There was no way that anyone would be unaware of Theodore's anger when he openly showed it. Luckily, the poor man wouldn't have to witness such an intimidating scene today.

The owner let his eyes roam across them again before stopping at their plates. “I...I can't let His Majesty and Lady Blanche eat something I made. This is below your level, so I will take it away immediately if you give me permission.”

The concubine was startled by that. “You know my name?” Surely, the marquess had called her that a minute ago, but the owner probably hadn't listened to the whole conversation as he had been a few steps away.

The owner nodded hesitantly. “Everyone knows your name. You are the most famous woman in the country. Besides Her Maje-” He interrupted himself, most likely because he had realized that mentioning the wife of the emperor, who was currently sitting here with his mistress, wasn't a good idea.

Blanche bit her lips at that. “So, the rumors had spread that far. It's no wonder that Duke Duremont is upset.”

Theodore immediately shushed her. “Don't mention him during our vacation. I'm glad that I don't have to see him for a while, so I don't necessarily need to spend my time talking about him. I'll have to meet him again soon enough.” He turned to the other man again. “I would like to direct the conversation back to the food. I really enjoy your dishes, and my angel does too, so why would we ask you to take them away? You can have a bit more confidence in your abilities as a cook. I mean, you even impressed the people that are used to the cooking of the royal chefs in the palace.”

The owner skeptically scanned their expressions. “So, Your Majesty isn't mad at me for not being able to welcome you properly?”

“Obviously not. If we wanted to be treated like always, we would have stayed in the palace. But we wished to view the city from up close this time. Thus, we had to take on another role for the day. As you can see, that didn't help much. It was an unfortunate incident, but as long as that man keeps silent, no one else will realize.” Theodore picked up a piece of salmon and held it to his lover's lips. She quickly opened her mouth to allow him to place the bite inside.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The owner observed that with conflicting emotions but didn't say anything.

After a short moment, Blanche finished her piece and spoke up to not let the unpleasant silence continue. “Would you still tell us about Ibela? We don't leave the capital often, so we don't have the chance to catch a glimpse of normal life. I'm very curious about this city and its population.”

This made the owner's expression change from concern to surprise. “You really want to talk to me?”

The concubine quickly nodded. “Why would I lie about that? This is the first time that I was in a city except for the capital for a long time, and back then, I barely had a chance to see anyone but nobles in the luxury stores. I already witnessed how they live often enough. I want to know what the biggest part of the citizens does.” Even though she had already lived eighteen years of her life like that along with her family, she would say that her parents' wealth made it hard to compare this to what the biggest part of the citizens felt like.

The owner was speechless at that and looked at the emperor as if he wanted a confirmation that it was alright for him to speak.

Theodore gave him a smile and nodded. “Of course, we'll make sure that the time you lose won't be for naught.”

This made the other man quickly wave his hands. “How could speaking to His Majesty and Lady Blanche be for naught? It's an honor. I don't even deserve to be able to meet you, so I will give my best to be helpful to you.” It sounded like he was taking this a bit too seriously, but at least he was talking again.

The next minutes became a bit more relaxed again though. The owner stayed next to the couple while they ate and explained what he knew about Ibela and the different people living near him. He seemed to be passionate about the haven and the fishers, even though it was obvious that he loved cooking and his wife even more. He couldn't stop praising her every time that he mentioned her and happily answered questions about how long they had been married or how they had met. He gladly told the couple about how proud he was of his young daughter too and gushed about what a cute and ambitious child she was. In general, he was eager to reply to any inquiries so that Blanche heard more about the workers among the citizens than ever before.

Since her family had been rich, they had lived in a more wealthy part of the city, so she had never interacted with people outside that area much. Learning about how hard life could be for those without work or the necessary energy to find a job made her realize that she would be helpless on her own once again. She had none of the qualities that were desirable for workers in the cities, so she would certainly starve days after leaving the palace if that horrible scenario ever came true.

Right now, it didn't seem like that could ever happen though. Blanche was giving her all to be able to stay with her lover, and if she failed to do that, she would either die of heartbreak or be executed as the villainess. Leaving would be connected to giving up her life with Theodore, and she would never be able to make that choice, as her memories of her own demise proved.

The conversation with the owner of the restaurant took until noon, and when they eventually left, the man refused to accept any payment. But of course, he wasn't as stubborn as the emperor, who forced him to keep the money for the food as well as a generous fee for staying quiet about their visit. That should be enough to cover the family's rent for the next year, which made the owner cry as he thanked them over and over again. Blanche was glad when they exited the store since watching the man any longer would have evoked tears in her eyes too, and she wasn't willing to cry in public.

For the rest of the day, they strolled around in a different part of the town to avoid meeting people who could have met the marquess. They visited a few stores, and Blanche wandered through them while admiring the goods with shining eyes, which made the vendors look at her with skepticism. That quickly faded when Theodore bought whatever she had stared at for a longer amount of time than usual. Despite her protests, they always left the stores with more than they had entered with. This went on for so long that she worried whether all of this would fit into her suitcases.

She didn't want to admit that she was happy about the presents she got since it was way too much already, but she couldn't help smiling the whole time. In the end, she even found a present for Stella while the maid was busy devouring food at some stall. She chose a small glass sphere with water and glitter and small figures inside as well as fabric and thread for her maid to sew. Along with some pancakes, that should be a nice gift for the other's birthday.

Luckily, no one recognized the group during the afternoon, even though a few people stared at them for a while, which had always made them a bit nervous. The evening arrived way too quickly, and they entered the carriage. Despite previously not feeling tired at all, Blanche fell asleep on her lover's shoulder as soon as they had sat down. During the whole time, a smile remained plastered on her lips, but she didn't wake up, even though the carriage crossed a few bumps on their way back. She didn't regain consciousness even when they came home and Theodore carried her to their room.

This day should stay one of her favorite days of the vacation, so she was extremely happy that they had made this one trip before their departure. This didn't make her learning how to swim and the other moments that she had spent with her lover less significant, but going out to see the city had been special. The rest of the memories of their time at the summer residence filled her bliss as well, and she was completely and utterly satisfied with the vacation they had had until now.

Thus, Blanche wasn't too upset when the afternoon before their departure arrived.

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The days had passed quickly. Due to Theodore's request, Blanche was in the middle of making one last cake for him here while he was discussing something with Owen in preparation for their departure. Blanche licked some strawberry cream off her finger while she thought about how to decorate the tart when Stella came closer to her with a worried expression.

“My Lady, isn't Sir Maillont talking a lot in comparison to what he usually says? Do you think something might be wrong?”

The concubine pressed her lips into a thin line as she listened to the quiet murmur that she could hear from the other room. It was true that Owen was speaking way more than normal, and he was louder too. Theodore's volume had increased a bit as well, so she had to assume that they were fighting. Until now, she had given her best to ignore that, but the longer she stood in the kitchen and tried to distract herself, the more obvious it became that this issue might be connected to her too. She had heard her name a few times already and was beginning to worry that she might have done something that would trouble both men. However, she didn't remember doing anything out of the ordinary. “I don't know, Stella. I don't want to chime in and ask, but...” She set down the spoon on a plate. “It doesn't sound like they are very happy.”

The maid gazed at the door, but since it was closed, she wouldn't be able to catch a glimpse of anything. “His Majesty and Sir Maillont never fight, do they?”

Blanche kept quiet at that. She knew that these two had never argued with as much passion as today. Even though she wasn't directly next to them, she heard that they were upset and that neither side was ready to back down. The only discussions that they ever had in her presence had been calm and mostly connected to Theodore wanting less security than Owen did, so she guessed that this was about the same topic. Of course, she had no way of truly knowing. “They rarely have differing opinions, and when they do, they don't get loud. But it probably won't be anything serious. Otherwise, Theo would have told me.”

She was desperately clinging to that hope, even though she suspected that he had asked her to make a cake so that he could discuss with Owen in private. She shook her head to herself before she grabbed a knife and began cutting the strawberries that hadn't already been used for the cream. Just then, she heard her name again, and that was the last straw. Blanche set down the knife with a clink and marched to the door. She knocked two times before waiting for a second and then entering.

The men were silent as soon as she came in. Theodore was sitting at the table while the head knight was standing next to him.

Blanche slowly moved toward them and stopped in front of her lover. She made eye contact with him before looking at Owen, who was frowning. That was enough to make her stomach churn. If the unmoving head knight showed emotions, this wasn't a light subject. She turned to the emperor and took a step closer to him. “Theo, I didn't mean to listen, but I heard my name. A couple of times. This means that this is connected to me and that I have a right to know what you are arguing about. You never fight, so this isn't something unimportant.”

Theodore extended his arms towards her and gave her a tired smile. “You're right. I'm sorry for not telling you. I wanted to get everything ready first before informing you.”

She closed the distance between them and grabbed his hands. As soon as she did that, his hold on her tightened, and that was another sign for her to know that this wasn't pleasant.

Her lover looked at her, but he didn't meet her gaze as he absentmindedly stroked his thumbs over the backside of her hands. “Indeed, this is not something I like to bring up, but I have to do it.” Still, he closed his mouth after that without saying anything.

This time, Blanche was the one to tighten her grasp around him. “This isn't related to the fact that my things haven't been packed yet while all of your suitcases have already been taken downstairs, is it?” She had observed that circumstance yesterday but had never said anything since she hadn't wanted to believe that this could have been done on purpose.

Theodore pulled her closer and let go of one of her hands to reach up and caress her face. “I know that it's hard, but you have to trust me.” It was true after all. This had been planned.

Tears were starting to well up in her eyes as Blanche bit her lip to keep herself from crying. “This isn't-” Her voice broke, and she began again. “This has nothing to do with you always repeating that you have to return to the capital, right?”

Her lover's lips formed a smile, but his eyes only held sadness. “Blanche, I need to-”

“No.” She cut him off and felt how her self-control was beginning to slip away.

“Blanche.” He gently wiped away a tear on her cheek.

“I said no.” She used her own hand to rub over her eyes as she gritted her teeth to keep herself from lashing out. When her lover opened his mouth again, she finally allowed herself to speak up. “You drew the line when I wanted to call you by your title. I'm drawing it here. You're not leaving me here while you are going back and facing your greatest enemy alone.” She shook her head to underline her statement, but her lover didn't back down.

Theodore pulled her onto his lap, and she dove into his arms as he whispered to her. “I'm doing this for our future. I'll make sure that we can be together forever in happiness without having to deal with people like the enemies I have to defeat now. I need to be certain that you are safe the whole time, so I want you to stay here until the situation has calmed down.”

Blanche lifted her head off his chest and shook it with even more emphasis. “Didn't you hear me? I won't let you go alone! What if they attack you and no one is there to help you? I can't do much, but I'll always stay by your side to support you. That was my promise. Don't make me break it.”

Theodore's gaze told her everything she needed to know, even though she didn't want to accept it. He was as serious about this as she was about not wanting to accept it.