Blanche was woken up by a voice calling for her and a hand gently shaking her shoulder. She grimaced a little bit before she opened one eye and slowly lifted her head. The muscles in her neck protested, and she quickly realized that she had leaned against her maid's shoulder.

Stella gave her a soft smile. “We're there, My Lady.”

The concubine stretched herself a bit, and to her pleasure, the ache in her neck quickly decreased. Her tiredness was also almost gone. Seemingly, an hour of sleep could change a lot. She moved her legs a little before slowly standing up. “I'm sorry for sleeping on you. Your shoulder must hurt by now. You should just have pushed me up again.”

Stella rose to her feet as well with a grin on her face. “No, no. Believe me, it was better like this. At first, you tipped over to the other side and landed on Sir Maillont. He didn't complain, but the situation was a bit strange, so I pulled you to me instead.”

Blanche put her fingers against her forehead as she felt warmth rushing to her cheeks. Sleeping peacefully the whole time while the empress and her attendants were watching was worse enough, and she had bothered not only one person but two people. “I'll apologize to him as soon as we get out. Are the others in front of the carriage?”

“Yes, Her Majesty wanted to give you a moment to wake up without anyone disturbing you.” Stella's smile slowly faded, even though she didn't quite seem serious and was more curious. “But before we leave, there is something that I would like to tell you. It's nothing bad, but during the entire ride, I couldn't help but notice that Sir Aldis kept-” The maid was cut off by someone opening the door.

Owen looked inside and nodded towards the women. “Good morning, Lady Blanche. I apologize for the intrusion, but it sounded like you were awake. Are you ready to leave?”

The concubine considered asking him for another minute to let Stella finish, but about two dozen people were waiting for her. She turned to her maid and whispered. “Is it urgent?”

Stella shook her head. “I'll tell you at home. It's really nothing bad. Just something interesting.”

Blanche was relieved at that. “Alright. Then we can leave.” She climbed out of the carriage with Owen's help and stopped next to him while her maid followed. “By the way, I would like to apologize for earlier. Stella told me what happened. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Owen didn't look like he was offended by her actions, but that was to be expected. His expression was as calm as always. “You don't have to apologize for sleeping when you are tired. No one was bothered by it. As long as we do not make the others wait now, no one will complain.” Seemingly, he had misunderstood what she was referring to.

Blanche thought about explaining herself for a moment, but that would probably only make the situation even odder. If Owen had been greatly disturbed by her leaning onto him, he would have known that she was talking about that, so it should be fine. “Don't worry. We'll go to them immediately.” Since it only took them a few steps to reach the group, her words hadn't even been exaggerated. She bowed to the empress again. “I apologize for letting you wait, Your Majesty.”

Seraphina waved her hand before the concubine could continue. “It's fine. We arrived early enough, so we still have the rest of the day. Where should we start?” The heroine was definitely excited. Her voice was a bit higher and her expression less cold than normal. This would match with the past occurrences that had shown her being adventurous.

Blanche was a bit confused as she saw the eager look in the empress' eyes and turned around. Luckily, she didn't have a problem recognizing the part of the city they were in this. They were by the same gate that they had used to get to haven last time. Theodore and she had spent the entire day wandering around on this street and the area around it, so she had an easy time remembering where she would have to go. It was early, so she wasn't sure whether the market stalls and stores had already opened, but this might give them an opportunity to see how the fishers returned with their ships. She turned back to Seraphina and explained that to her.

Unsurprisingly, the empress agreed immediately, and the group began walking down the main street. The biggest portion of the knights had spread around them and mingled with the citizens so that they wouldn't be suspicious because they were going out with so many people. A few of them stayed right behind the empress though, and naturally, Owen and Noah were also glued to the women's side.

Even though Blanche had already seen the surrounding area last time, she was still impressed by the beautiful scenery and couldn't help gawking at everything they saw. From the boats in the water, the workers that were running around to the garlands that were adorning some stores. At the same time, it was also interesting to watch Seraphina, whose enthusiasm seemed so out of place on the normally stoic empress' face.

Seraphina stopped after every few steps to take a closer look at the items that were being sold or the buildings and people. She asked countless questions, and the concubine answered them as well as she could with the information Theodore and Stella had given her and the knowledge about the life in a city that she had due to her childhood. Naturally, Blanche hadn't grown up in the part in which the workers were living, but surprisingly, her generalized statements were enough to satisfy Seraphina's curiosity.

They spent the first hours simply running around and entering stores as soon as they were opened. After a while, they even visited ones that the concubine hadn't seen yet. It was calming to know that the empress was as interested in the commoner's goods as Blanche was, and they took their time to get an overview of what the citizens usually bought.

The only difference between them was that the empress had no problem approaching the vendors and chatting about their lives. It quickly became obvious that she wasn't doing this for fun but inquired what part of the commoner's lives had to be improved and which issues required immediate solutions. The empress was trying to gain as much information from this one day as possible to get a better understanding of what she could do to help the citizens of Artias.

Blanche had to admit that she was touched by that. This only increased her desire to go to the restaurant again. Maybe the owner could explain how he had worked hard to be able to afford his own store and made great dishes but still struggled to pay rent. At least he had struggled before Theodore had given him a lot of money, but many other people might have similar issues.

By noon, the concubine began to get hungry and brought up the restaurant. Luckily, Seraphina immediately agreed, and Blanche could lead the group to the store. The building looked the same as it had last time, so it was unmistakably the right spot. The biggest part of the knights stopped somewhere on the street while pretending to sit down on a bench or to chat with their friends. Owen and Noah as well as Stella and a maid of the empress came inside as well.

Blanche's lips formed a grin as she heard the familiar jingle of the bell announcing that customers had entered. She stepped inside and expected to be greeted by the elderly man, but instead, the room was empty. Slowly, she moved forward to the counter. “Hello? Is someone here?”

Just when she said that, the door to the kitchen was thrust open, and a small figure rushed in. “I'm sorry for letting you wait. Papa is still upstairs. He will be here soon, so you can-” The little girl with shoulder-length brown hair cut herself off as she stared at the customers that had just entered. She scanned all of them before letting out a drawn-out “Oh” as her eyes widened. “Are you a noble?” The girl's awe was obvious, and one look at that excited expression made the concubine's heart melt.

This had to be the owner's daughter. The one that he had praised over and over for being adorable and helping him whenever she could.

Blanche could definitely understand why he was so proud of that child. She gave the girl a soft smile as she held her index finger in front of her lips. “Yes, I am. But keep that a secret between us two, alright?”

That was the best way to get someone young to stay silent for a while. After they had left, the little girl would probably tell everyone, but for now, she might refrain from running around to spread the news. At least Blanche's siblings had always acted like that.

The girl's eyes widened even more as a wide grin spread on her face. “I will! I've always wanted to meet a noble. Papa said that most of them are arrogant, but I wanted to see you for myself.” That almost made it sound like aristocrats were a different species. Maybe it seemed like that to some commoners, especially the ones that only met nobles that were keen on repeating how much better they were.

Blanche waited for the girl to run around the counter before replying. “We're not that special. Being born in a different family does not change that all of us are citizens of Artias.” She would have liked to say that being noble didn't make a difference, but unfortunately, it did. People in rich families had many more chances and often were more focused on their family heirloom than others as well. That wasn't necessarily surprising if one considered that the whole aristocratic society believed to be superior to anyone else. Even though they were supposed to guide the nation into a direction that would grant the commoners a better life, some might not focus on that as much as they should.

Luckily, the little girl wasn't interested in such political topics yet. She still had her childish way of being excited about the smallest things, which was certainly better than the sober way some people viewed everything. She looked up at the concubine with her shining eyes before making a clumsy curtsy. “It's nice to meet you. Are you a princess?”

Blanche returned the curtsy, which made the girl even happier. Her smile widened as she observed the innocent beam that was directed at her. “I'm very glad that I was able to meet you too. Unfortunately, I'm not a princess.” After all, there wasn't one in Artias. Theodore had no sister or daughter, so it would be impossible for one to exist, but she didn't need to destroy a child's dreams. She would rather explain who she was. She thought about sticking to her excuse from the last time, but since the girl's father knew the truth, that might be unnecessary. Still, she didn't want to blurt out that she was the emperor's lover. “I'm a baroness from the capital, and we're here to have our summer vacation.”

Instantly, the girl's face lit up even more. “You're from Esora? Then do you go to balls in the palace? And dance there?”

“I do. The ballroom is beautiful. There are white walls with golden ornaments everywhere. And in the center, there is a huge area for the guests to waltz. The whole room can be over-viewed from a platform with a blue carpet and stairs that lead to the gorgeous thrones of the emperor and the empress. The thrones are made out of gold and are decorated with hundreds of gemstones.” The longer she spoke, the more the girl's mouth opened.

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“And did you meet the emperor?” The girl stood up on her tiptoes and began to bob up and down. “Did you?”

Blanche couldn't stop grinning at the child's enthusiasm. How would the girl react if the concubine mentioned that she hadn't just chatted with Theodore a few times? She was almost tempted to try it out but then remembered that Seraphina was here too. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the empress that stood a few steps behind them while awkwardly waiting for them. Apparently, the other woman didn't want to chime in, so Blanche turned to the child again. “I did. He is really, really kind. He would definitely be happy to dance with such an adorable young lady like you.” Not that the size difference would have made that possible.

The girl jumped up on the spot. “You think so? He really would?” The concubine nodded, and the child immediately continued. “Did you ever dance with him?”

Blanche hummed quietly as she grinned. “Yes. He is very good at waltzing. He would be able to teach anyone in no time.”

The girl became even more excited, even though this almost seemed impossible. “Then did you meet-”

They were interrupted as the door to the kitchen opened, and the owner came inside. “I'm sorry for the long wait. I had to take care of the delivery first.” He stopped abruptly and stared at the people that had entered for a moment before a smile appeared on his lips. “Lady Blanche. You returned already? Was my grandmother's herb mixture that good?”

The concubine turned to him and greeted him with a beam. “Yes. Along with your cooking skills, they created an addicting dish. So, I had to come back quickly.”

The man walked around the counter as well and stopped next to her. “That is good to hear. If I had known that you were here, I would have hurried a bit more. Did my daughter welcome you and your companions properly?”

“Don't worry about that. We have a lot of time to spare. And your daughter is truly adorable. You didn't exaggerate when you said how sweet she was. We had a very nice conversation.” Blanche glanced at the child again and was surprised by the expression on her face.

The girl was staring at her with an open mouth and with shock being visible on her features. Very slowly, her eyes began to sparkle again as she looked up at the woman with awe. “You are Lady Blanche?”

The concubine was taken aback by that. “Do you know who I am?”

Immediately, the girl replied. “Of course! Everyone knows Lady Blanche. Are you her?”

Hiding it now would be useless. The concubine nodded slowly.

The girl's lit expression up. “So, you live in the palace with the emperor? And he gives you everything you want because he loves you?”

Blanche tensed a bit at that. Lying to a child, who already was aware of the concubine's role, seemed cheap and unnecessary. She wouldn't even know how to use the excuse that she just had the same name, rank and lived in the same city. No one would believe that. So, despite Seraphina's presence, she was forced to admit the truth. “Yes, you are right. I'm very thankful to be able to stay by his side.”

“Do you love him too?” The girl's curiosity about that question was written on her face.

This time, Blanche didn't hesitate. “Yes, I love him with my whole heart.”

This seemed to satisfy the child, but she wasn't done with asking questions. “Are you going to marry him then?”

The concubine froze and gave her best not to show her tension. It was obvious that the owner's daughter wanted to hear another affirmation that would underline her view of the gossip surrounding the emperor's lover as some sort of fairy tale. But once again, lying felt wrong. Saying that she would marry Theodore was not only false, but it might spark rumors and would also insult Seraphina, who was standing right behind her. It was clear this wasn't an option. So, she would have to dampen the girl's spirits, even though she was sad about that herself. “The situation is a bit too complicated for that. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like that will be possible for us.”

As expected, the girl's face fell. “But you said that you love each other.”

“We do.” Blanche leaned forward to take the child's hand. “But sometimes, that isn't enough to make everything come out the way you want it. His responsibility as the emperor is the most important thing, and everything else can't interfere with his duties. We are very happy with each other though, so that isn't a problem.”

The girl began to pout as she squeezed the concubine's hand. “That's unfair. People said that you would marry and that it would make us get along with the nobles better.” Another fairy-tale-like idea, it seemed.

It was hard to keep a straight face while Blanche's own heat was aching. “Sometimes, life is unfair, and there is no way to change it. So, we have to do whatever we can and be happy with what we can reach. As I said, we are content with our situation and don't need anything else.” Even though she really would have liked to be Theodore's wife.

The girl's expression turned even sourer. “But that's unfair!” She repeated the words with more emphasis. “If you love each other, you should be able to marry! It's mean that the empress doesn't allow you to be happy.”

Blanche froze and let go of the girl's hand. That statement had completely caught her off guard. “What do you mean by that? The empress wasn't the one being mean.” In fact, it was rather Theodore that was having an affair with a woman beneath his status. Seraphina could be extraordinarily mean, but this was nothing Blanche would discuss here.

The little girl wasn't seeing it like any noble would at all. She frowned at Blanche while continuing to say things that could possibly trouble her. “But the empress is the one forbidding you from marrying the emperor, right? Because she doesn't want to lose her position.”

Before she could add anything else, her father shushed her. “Sweetie, don't say something like that. The empress is a person that you can't speak badly about. Not in front of others.” With that, he looked up at the concubine. “I'm sorry for that. She only says the things that she heard somewhere. To her, politics mean nothing, so she only knows that the empress isn't happy about you being in the palace, and this is what she turned that into. Please don't feel offended in any way. She doesn't intend to insult the royal family.” He actually seemed nervous while explaining.

Blanche obviously wasn't angry. She just worried about what would happen if the girl yelled about stuff like this too openly, not only because Seraphina was standing right behind them and listened to the whole conversation. “Of course, I'm not offended. I would just like to clear something up.” She crouched down to the girl's eye level. “Her Majesty is very kind and never troubled me during my stay in the palace.” Wrong. “I don't see her often, but when I do, we simply greet each other and go our separate ways.” Blanche wished that this was it. “She doesn't influence my relationship with Theo at all.” That might be the biggest lie Blanche had ever told, but she stubbornly continued. “She just does her duties and takes care of Artias' well-being. So, please don't think badly of her.” After all, speaking about royalty like that wouldn't do any child good if the wrong people heard it.

The girl nodded but still had a grim expression. “But why can't you marry?”

Blanche thought about how the phrase this so that a child, who didn't have any idea about the rules that were applying among the aristocracy, would understand. “It might sound strange at first, but there isn't a person that keeps us from marrying. It's rather society in a way. The emperor is the heir to the royal bloodline and part of the most powerful family in Artias. The one becoming his wife has to be of equal status, which means that she has to be the daughter of a duke or marquess. Maybe you heard about that sometime, but the empress is the eldest daughter of the most influential dukedom. She was educated to be able to lead the country from her early childhood on, so there is no one that would be a better empress. If the emperor suddenly wanted to marry me, a commoner, he would not only offend all aristocrats since he would put a woman of a lesser rank above them. He would also disrespect the empress, who worked hard to do the best for the nation. So, he can't do that.”

The girl was silent for a moment, probably because she might not have understood everything from that long speech. She stared at the floor before slowly lifting her gaze to the concubine. “That's stupid. Why does the emperor have to listen to anyone?”

Blanche wanted to agree so badly. This whole system of the aristocracy was only based on people believing that they were better than others. Just because of their ancestor's wealth and a useless title that gave them power that they hadn't even worked for. As soon as someone questioned making such differences in the treatment of others, they felt offended and would try to harm the reputation of the person that had voiced such things. No matter how senseless and stupid this was, which only few seemed to notice at this point, a single person couldn't go against that. Even if they were the emperor.

“Well, he is the ruler of this nation. He can't do everything alone, so he needs people that back him. If he went against their wishes, they would push him aside and give a very bad person a chance to claim the throne. Of course, the emperor can't risk that because he wants to protect Artias and all its inhabitants.”

The girl let out a dejected “I see” before seemingly getting tired of the conversation. This had probably been too much talk about politics for a child. Hopefully, her view of the world as a fairy tale setting hadn't suffered greatly because of that.

Blanche stood up again and turned to the owner. “I apologize if I upset her. I just wanted to be honest.”

The man put an arm around his daughter's shoulder and pulled her against him, which the girl allowed as she clung to his side while sulking. “Don't apologize, Lady Blanche. She would hear something like this later anyway, but we commoners aren't too good at understanding what goes on in your heads. So, it was better that you told her. At least we know that you aren't lying. There were countless rumors about you becoming His Majesty's second wife soon, and most people were really excited about the idea, so I guess the newspapers must have picked up too many false stories. It's good to hear the truth.” He stroked over his daughter's hair before resuming. “In any case, I wanted to thank you for His Majesty's generous donation. This really saved our restaurant. We might have been forced to move into a smaller house otherwise, or we would have needed to leave Ibela completely.”

Hearing that immediately made Blanche feel a bit better as tried not to worry about that comment about the rumors regarding her. “Then I'm really glad that we came here. Theo knew about this restaurant and said that you had met him once already but wouldn't remember. He was very thankful for your kindness back then and while we ate here. That was why he wanted to pay you back somehow.”

The owner blinked in surprise a few times. “We met before? I'm usually good at recognizing people's faces, but I don't remember ever seeing him. He must be really skilled at disguising himself.”

Blanche let out a chuckle at the thought of Theodore running through a city in a commoner's clothes. “I can imagine that.” As she opened her mouth to add something else, footsteps sounded next to her. She turned to the side and made eye contact with Seraphina.

The empress' expression was as aloof as before the trip, so the conversion probably hadn't pleased her. She stopped next to the concubine. “Please excuse me for intruding. I am a baroness as well, but I am from the countryside. Thus, I do not hear too much about the developments of the capital. Are there any new rumors that would be of interest? Aside from marriage talk, that is. I am referring to political matters.”

The owner seemed a bit surprised about the woman that had been standing in the back the whole time coming closer to them. “I'm sorry, but I don't know much. Only that the trial regarding the assassination attempt on His Majesty seven years ago will be reopened.”

No way.

Blanche froze as the blood drained from her face. “What? Are you sure?”

The man nodded. “The newspapers have been talking about it all week. This was based on a court statement too, so it wasn't just a rumor.” Meaning that the trial regarding the guilt of the dowager empress and the second prince was really being repeated.

The concubine's legs felt like they would give out at that. After the attack during the hunting festival in the year of Theodore's coronation, he had been forced to punish an innocent man that had been framed. He had used his enemies' strategy in the second trial and had falsified evidence to justify putting his mother and brother in confinement. If people were questioning this now, they might demand that the dowager empress and the prince were released. That would only give them even more chances to plot against Theodore and harm him.

But the worst part of that was that someone might find out that the emperor hadn't judged fairly during that trial. They wouldn't believe that this had been done because he needed to protect his life and the nation from his mother's greed. So, if anyone learned about this and spread that information, Theodore would lose the citizen's trust.

Blanche stumbled the few steps to the next table and plopped down onto the chair. It was understandable that her lover hadn't mentioned anything like this in a letter. He couldn't write about this confidential matter without risking that anyone might go through the contents of his letters to find evidence against him. The concubine buried her face in her hands as she began praying for her lover's safety again.

None of this had happened in the novel. The dowager empress and the second prince hadn't moved before Blanche's death. But now Theodore was forced to deal with new dangers, which might crush him, just because of her selfish desire to take away the main character's happiness.

Depending on what the result now was, Blanche's meddling might have made everything worse.