After a long time of wandering through Ibela, the group paused at the store in which the concubine had bought the presents for her maid's birthday, so she had no need to look around again.
Seraphina, on the other hand, seemed to be fond of the labyrinth-like layout and all the small different things that were being sold. The empress took her time going through the aisles before approaching the vendor and chatting with him for even longer.
Blanche simply used that moment to look around again. She had nothing better to do anyway, so she strolled through the store with Stella and Owen, who wouldn't risk distancing himself from them for more than a few steps. She stopped in front of the shelf with the fabric and glanced over at Seraphina to make sure that the empress was still immersed in her conversation. Then she gazed at the cloths' different colors. “Stella, since we are already here, we might as well take something with us. Is there anything you still need for a project you are working on right now?”
The maid shook her head. “Actually, I'm not sewing anything at this point. I didn't begin anything new after I fished the scarf while you made the handkerchief for His Majesty. Theoretically, I had more than enough time, but I didn't have an idea. I don't really need anything, and none of our friends' birthdays are close.”
Blanche hummed and scanned the shelf again. “I see. But we can buy something anyway. You like sewing, so you'll have an idea soon. What colors do you like?” Before Stella could respond, a shadow fell onto the concubine, and she turned around to face Noah. “Ah. Sir Aldis, what are you doing here? Is the empress ready to leave?”
Noah gave her a nervous smile and gestured to Seraphina, who was still talking to the vendor. “I doubt that she will be ready any time soon. I merely came here because I am not sure what to do while she is chatting with strangers. Especially since it's a bit...” He paused and glanced at the vendor, who was staring at the empress in complete irritation. “It's uncomfortable to watch. The people like Her Majesty, but it's painfully obvious that she isn't a baroness from the countryside like she introduced herself. Her speech is too refined for that, and her questions are too political. I think this man fears that she is a spy from another nation.”
Blanche let out a snort at Noah's pained expression. She had thought that Seraphina's manner of speaking with the little girl earlier had been a bit stiff too, so she understood him. “As long as no one thinks that she is the empress, it's fine, right?”
The knight shrugged. “Hopefully. If they don't call the city guards. Then we would have to confirm our identities first, and that would lead to a lot of trouble.”
“Well, we should avoid that then. If anyone seems like they will get others involved, we just have to run away. Even though I doubt that I would last for longer than a minute with my poor stamina.” The concubine already felt exhausted upon thinking about squeezing past the many bystanders while people were trailing after them.
Noah let out a small chuckle at the joke despite it not even being remotely funny. “In the worst case, I will simply carry Lady Blanche to safety. But I doubt that the city guards would try anything after Sir Maillont showed them his medals. No one would accuse the leader of the royal knights of bringing a spy to Artias.”
Blanche considered pointing out that Noah should focus on the empress, whom he was actually supposed to protect, instead of the concubine. But since they had been joking, it would be strange for her to be so serious all of a sudden. Still, she was curious about his actions that diverged from the storyline and would like to ask why he wasn't as protective as usual. His personality didn't seem to have changed. After all, he had been persistent when it came to Blanche not leaving the palace alone at night. He was just a bit more lenient with the heroine, even though he had originally been even more careful in Seraphina's presence. But mentioning this topic for no reason was strange too. The concubine couldn't just ask why he wasn't acting like in the novel after all.
Blanche stayed quiet for a moment before responding. “It's true that Owen would be able to let us go almost anywhere. It shouldn't be surprising that the royal guards are known all across the country, but somehow, I never imagined that they would have such a big influence.”
Noah paused at that. He glanced over at the head knight before slowly turning to the concubine again. “Sir Maillont allows you to call him by his first name? He does that rarely.” He smiled at her before adding another sentence in a whisper so that Owen couldn't hear him. “Is the icy hero thawing around you? Don't tell me you also see him showing his emotions.”
Blanche grinned at him and replied in a low volume. “No. No matter how long I look at him, I can't understand what he is feeling at all. He is really kind, but I understand why he would be intimidating as a superior.”
Noah responded in a whisper. “Actually, all knights really like him. He is very skilled and always treats everyone fairly. I don't think I've ever been scared of him. He never gets loud or angry, so it's fine.”
Any conversation Blanche had occasionally eavesdropped on had described it a bit differently. While the royal guards were proud of their leader and respected him deeply, they also feared making mistakes in front of him. After all, Owen's stoic facade and his unchanging perfection while training were even more intimidating than many people's fury would be. Though, it was obvious why Noah wouldn't experience it like that. He was almost as skillful as the head knight.
“From what I heard, you can't even know that. You're a genius with the sword after all. You're younger and less experienced than most of the other knights, but you learn thrice as fast as them. That's why you became the empress' personal guard even though you have only been in the palace for a little over half a year. Many people secretly envy you, but most are very proud of you. You never make any mistakes and never get scolded, so you wouldn't know what Owen's disappointment looks like.” She gave him a smile to show that her praise wasn't just supposed to make him feel better but actually showed what she was thinking.
At the moment that Noah processed what she had said, he turned his head to the side. “I, uhm... Thank you.” At first, Blanche worried about having made him uncomfortable in some way, but then she noticed that his cheeks and ears were getting a bit red. So, he was just embarrassed. It was just like how he had reacted to Seraphina praising him, which apparently seemed to be his weak spot. Even though he was working very hard to improve himself and had the skills to call himself a master of the sword, he was still shy and didn't boast about his accomplishments.
That painted a grin onto Blanche's face. It was adorable to see how an adult man reacted to being praised. Apparently, others didn't tell him how good he was often enough, or he wouldn't be this sensitive. This realization only made her want to increase his self-confidence even more. “There is no need to thank me. I was only telling the truth. Don't you know that the people in the palace call you the most promising talent among the new knights? Aside from Owen, there is no one back home that would be able to beat you in a duel. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to watch you train, but since so many different people said the same thing, I'm convinced that I can believe them. So, you can be a bit prouder of yourself, Sir Aldis.”
The knight kept averting his eyes, and his cheeks began to tint in a darker red too. Still, his voice was more confident when he spoke now. “Noah.”
Blanche was taken aback by that. “Pardon?”
Noah lifted his head and met her gaze with a serious expression. “I would like to offer you to call me by my first name.” Slowly, a smile spread across his face. “I don't care much for formalities, and if Sir Maillont was fine with you addressing him like that, he won't complain if I ask for the same thing.”
That request was surprising since the concubine hadn't spent much time with Noah at all. For a moment, she was hesitant, but even after thinking about it for longer, she found no reason to refuse. The knight was of a lower rank than she was, so it should be fine, even if people heard them. As long as he didn't address her without a title, it wouldn't cause rumors. “Alright. If that makes you happy, I don't mind, Noah.”
The beam on the guard's face made it seem like he was glowing. “Thank you.”
There was no need to thank her when she was just glad about being able to raise his spirits this easily. She returned the smile and opened her mouth to tell him that when an icy voice cut through the air.
“Sir Aldis. I believe that we talked about this.”
Noah flinched, and his grin faded when he looked towards the empress, who was glaring at him with a serious expression that didn't match the previously relaxed situation at all. “I need to go now. My apologies.” He gave Blanche a fake smile before hurrying over to Seraphina, who was immediately beginning to scold him in a low voice so that the concubine couldn't hear her.
Blanche began frowning at that. She felt a mix of anger and confusion at this display. Why was the other woman so sensitive to Noah talking to the concubine? There was no need to be so strict with him. He had done nothing wrong, and him speaking with another person hadn't inconvenienced the empress either. Thus, it was simply unacceptable to order him around just because Seraphina had the authority to do so.
However, the empress normally was a very reasonable person. Even if she despised her husband's lover, she would never snap at someone for chatting with Blanche. Right? At least the concubine hoped that. Seraphina hadn't been angry at Sophia for long either, even though the countess had visited the palace to meet her sister's greatest nemesis. So, it didn't make sense for the empress to be this unfriendly now. Hadn't she had a good relationship with Noah in the novel? She had been kind to him and had told him that she always felt safe under his protection while praising him regularly, and that had caused him to fall in love with her.
Now it looked like Seraphina was frustrated by him being protective and was angry when he spoke to the concubine. At the same time, Noah wasn't as keen on being glued to the empress' side and didn't seem to be in love with her. He even seemed to like the concubine, whom he should have disliked, more than her.
Right. Now that Blanche thought about it, hadn't Noah grown to like Seraphina mostly because she had praised him? For some reason, the empress didn't do that too much right now. Blanche had told him that he was doing well more often. Did he favor her presence because of that? It would make sense. But was Noah that desperate for praise that he immediately liked people that could simply have lied to his face? That was a bit worrisome.
Blanche put her hands onto her hips as she shook her head to herself. She didn't mind getting along with Noah as long as he still protected Seraphina like he should. Though, the other woman seemed to have an issue with that. The empress was free to give orders to her knight, so the concubine didn't have any authority here. She wasn't interested in beginning a fight either. As long as this development wouldn't put her in danger, she would have to accept it even though it was confusing. She turned back to the shelf. “I'm sorry for interrupting our conversation, Stella. We were about to choose a new color for you, right?”
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They stayed in the city until the sun was setting. Even while the first shops were closing down, Seraphina still insisted on staying a bit longer to get the chance to speak to even more people. But at some point, they had to return
They passed the haven to get to the city gate, which gave them a wonderful view of the blazing red that was reflected in the gently swaying waves of the sea. The ships' mirror images completed the scene and formed an unforgettable sight. Blanche was glad that she wasn't too tired yet so that she was able to enjoy this view to the fullest for the few minutes that they needed to reach the end of the street. She would like to return again next year if that was possible when she was on vacation with Theodore. But sadly, she couldn't be sure whether she wasn't too bold by assuming that she would still be happily at her lover's side at that point.
The group left Ibela and returned to their coaches. Blanche only remembered sitting down on the bench and closing her eyes for a moment when the carriage began moving. Then she had been overcome by a rush of tiredness and had fallen asleep on the spot. She awoke when Stella was gently nudging her and managed to keep her eyes open for long enough to walk to the entrance hall, where everyone had gathered to say goodnight.
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In a few minutes, she would be able to fall into her bed and sleep without needing to wake up early again. She was already looking forward to that while waiting for the empress to finish instructing the guards so that she could excuse herself. But she didn't even get the chance to do so.
Gloria approached her with a serious expression before the empress had even begun her speech. “Good evening, Lady Blanche. A letter for you arrived from the capital.”
In an instant, all of the concubine's exhaustion disappeared. “Only one letter?” Normally, Theodore always sent her seven at the end of each week. This was too early, and him only sending one letter was odd as well.
Blanche almost ripped the envelope from Gloria's hand before thanking her and running off. She darted out of the foyer and rushed up the stair. She slammed open her door with so much force that it loudly collided with the wall and didn't even bother closing it. After almost stumbling, she hurried to the table and tore open the envelope with shaky hands. She unfolded the paper so quickly that she feared ripping it apart. She was nauseous so that the letters blurred in front of her eyes and needed to take a few deep breaths before being able to read.
When she finished the few lines, even the pounding of her heart seemed to fade away. She read the text again and again to be sure that she hadn't misunderstood. Stella and Owen seemed to have entered the room a while ago, but she only noticed them as she jumped up from the chair and showed the letter to them. “We can go home!”
The head knight took the paper from her and read it as she fell into her maid's arms.
Blanche wanted to dance and laugh and hug Theodore. She just wanted to go back to the capital as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option as it had been written in the letter, but she would still see her lover soon.
Stella happily danced with her, and they twirled around a bit.
Owen finished the letter and put down the paper. “His Majesty said that we can return in two days. He also told us to take the side entrance instead of the main gate. That's fine, but the date makes me worry. This is very sudden. I am unsure whether the staff will be able to prepare our departure that fast.”
Blanche was too happy to be taken aback by that. “The emperor told them to do it, so they will manage. We can begin packing as soon as the sun comes up, and they have the whole day. The guards can help too, right?”
The head knight was silent for a moment. “I doubt that they will be happy about working as a servant. But since His Majesty ordered us to leave on the day after tomorrow, there will be no other way for us than to assist.”
The concubine let go of her maid, who was grinning as much as her mistress, and twirled around in the room. “But even if we need to depart at noon because they aren't finished at that point, I don't care. We can ride the carriage for the whole night, and I wouldn't mind. None of that matters when we are going home!” She fell back onto the bed and let out some strange noises that she couldn't contain anymore before jumping up again. She wouldn't be able to sleep any time soon. Not when all that she could think about was that she would see Theodore again in three days. She spun around once more and extended her arms before stopping to speak to Stella. “Will you tell Gloria? Everyone needs to know by tomorrow so that they can hurry while packing. Oh, and the empress has to know too. She doesn't have to write a letter to Theo anymore. I also don't have to write letters anymore because I can see him myself!” She spun around again and almost bumped into the sofa in the process. She barely managed to step aside in time, which earned her a shriek from Stella. It had also looked like Owen was about to jump forward to save her, but she didn't focus on that.
She twirled around again, even though she was starting to get dizzy. She only stopped when she noticed that someone was standing in the doorway. She made eye contact with Seraphina and abruptly halted her movements, but she couldn't hide her beam.
The empress scanned her for a moment before speaking up. “I assume that this means that we will return to the capital.”
Blanche happily nodded. “Yes! We can leave the day after tomorrow. We need to hurry to prepare everything.”
The empress' maid stood behind her mistress and stepped closer at that. “That is very soon. I am unsure whether we will be able to make it in time even if His Majesty wrote that. We need at least two days to pack, and only one day is too little. We should expect to take a bit longer.”
Seraphina paused for a few seconds before shaking her head. “No. We'll leave exactly when His Majesty told us to.”
The maid's expression turned to confusion at that. “But, Your Majesty...”
The empress cut her off with a wave of her hand. “His Majesty is a very intelligent person, and he visited the summer residence with all the members of the staff way more often than we did. Don't you believe that he knows how long it takes to pack all things? He is aware that one day is too little time. So, he would only demand that if he has an important reason.”
Blanche froze at that. “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
Seraphina crossed her arms and stepped inside while turning her head to her maid. “Please close the door.” The empress approached the concubine while the other woman complied. She began explaining in a low volume. “Normally, His Majesty would tell us to leave as soon as possible or give us a week to prepare as he did for his departure. The fact that he named a specific date means that he hasn't chosen it coincidentally. It seems to be very urgent. Either he needs us in the capital immediately, or he needs us to get away from here within two days. Both of those reasons don't sound too pleasing. We should be careful and keep our guard up. We'll use a coach that servants normally ride in, just to be safe.”
Blanche felt how her ecstasy slowly faded and allowed her to think clearly again. The empress was right. Usually, Theodore had always begun the preparations a week earlier. So, it really seemed like he needed them to leave soon. Was there something that threatened them here, even though he had asked her to stay by the coast to protect her? Blanche stayed quiet for a few seconds before she thought back to Sefare's letter. Had Theodore somehow found out about that? She almost began sweating at the thought before it hit her like lightning.
Of course. They should have expected this.
This was the summer mansion of the royal family. Unfortunately, Theodore's worst enemies were members of that family as well. The dowager empress and the second prince had spent some summers here too. It was no miracle if either of them gave Sefare the address. But even if that wasn't known to the emperor, he could guess that his family might wonder where the empress and his famous lover were.
At this point, Theodore had definitely confirmed how safe the capital was. He probably thought that it was fine for them to follow him since he feared that his family might attack them here.
The thought made Blanche freeze in place as she struggled to keep a blank expression. “I see. Using a less suspicious vehicle would be a good idea. We shouldn't put any unarmed people inside the royal carriage either. It would be better if it stayed empty, but that would be suspicious too.”
Seraphina put her hand to her chin and lowered her gaze for a moment. “We'll put baggage inside and position it so that it roughly looks a few figures are inside. Then we draw the blinds of a few carriages so that it isn't strange for ours to cover the windows. I don't know whether that would truly fool anyone, but every second that we win can be lifesaving in an emergency.”
Blanche swallowed at that. Were they really considering what would happen if someone attacked them right now? But a mere concubine wasn't in much danger since she had no political power. It rather seemed like the empress might be the goal, and Blanche could end up as collateral damage if she got too close. “With all due respect, Your Majesty. Is it good for us to travel in the same carriage? If people aimed at you, wouldn't it be better to keep others away? Except for the knights of course. For you, that would be safer as well since you could focus on keeping yourself safe without needing to worry about anyone else.”
“I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the possible danger.” Seraphina lowered her arm again and crossed it in front of her chest along with the other one. “There might be people targeting your life too.”
Blanche frowned at that as she tried to keep the fear that was making her stomach churn under control. The odds that this statement was true weren't actually that high, right? Of course, the royal couple had already been ambushed during a trip, and that had worried the concubine and made her fear for her lover's safety. But she had never believed that anyone would search out her specifically to harm her. Apart from Sefare, who couldn't use something as flashy as an obvious assassination attempt without drawing attention to himself, there was no one that would gain something from hurting her.
“I can't rule out that someone might attempt to harm me, but why would they attack the royal guards just for that? I understand that assassinating the emperor or the empress might give someone else to gain the chance to become ruler of the nation themselves or to receive more power through the new ruler. A member of the royal family dying would cause chaos in Artias, so people who wish for war might benefit too. But why would someone attack me? I'm a random woman living in the palace. I'm only a baroness, and that title was given to me by Theo. I don't have any political power, wealth or influence. Killing me would only make the royal court convict the traitors and deal out very harsh punishments since Theo would be extremely mad. That isn't worth it at all.”
Though, she had a vague idea of what could still endanger her, even if she didn't focus on Sefare and his ploy's.
Seraphina stepped closer to her and stopped directly in front of Blanche. “It seems that you still don't understand your position in this nation.” Her expression became darker as she continued. “You are the woman that the most powerful man in Artias, and possibly on the whole continent of Eswen, loves. There isn't much he wouldn't do for you. So, what do you think would people that wish to blackmail him do? They just have to kidnap a young woman, who doesn't know how to defend herself and doesn't believe that she is in danger. In an instant, the emperor will be wax in their hands. Or they could harm you while wearing another family's crest and frame them so that His Majesty will erase that household. These are only the things that I came up with in a couple of seconds. So, don't feel too safe. You need to be as careful as I have to be. Thus, it would be better to stay together so that the most skillful knights can protect both of us at the same time.” Of course, someone like Seraphina was just brimming with ideas like that.
Blanche felt her throat drying and her hands beginning to sweat. “I see.” The concubine should really have thought about that. Just because she hadn't been attacked in the novel, that didn't mean that her role couldn't change this time. She might actually become a hostage in the worst case. She could have never imagined being targeted by anyone but Sefare and the Vasquez family for refusing to work with them before, but maybe she truly shouldn't only focus on the novel's threats, even if those were big enough already. Along with the dangers Seraphina had named, this was painted a very clear picture of why it might be better to stay with Owen at all times.
The thought of being attacked and having a sword being aimed at her neck made her shiver run down the concubine's spine. Her arms trembled a bit, and she hugged herself to hide that.
The empress' expression softened a bit. “I didn't mean to scare you, but I felt like it is important for you to know this.”
Blanche nodded stiffly, even though she protectively lifted her hand to hide her neck as bad memories flooded her brain. “It was good that you told me.” She wanted to keep her head after all. “I will be careful.”
“Especially around His Majesty's enemies. From what I heard, it might be possible that you will meet Her Majesty the dowager empress and His Royal Highness the second prince. Treat them like you treated the Vasquez household but with even more caution.”
While Seraphina said that, Blanche remembered something that made her feel like she wasn't the one that needed this instruction. The dowager empress had begun to hate Theodore because he had seen Althea as a mother figure. That woman had been rejected by her own son and her husband, who had favored his lover too. Wasn't the dowager empress in a situation that was a bit similar to Seraphina's one?
Blanche chewed on the inner side of her cheek as she thought about whether to address this topic or whether she should rather stay quiet. The empress might see a warning as being accused of working with the enemy.
But the concubine wasn't able to come to a conclusion on her own since Seraphina quickly spoke up. “If there is something you wish to tell me, go ahead.”
So, the decision had been made for Blanche. She took a deep breath before trying her best to explain herself without offending the empress or giving away information that Theodore would have liked to keep secret. “You already know that the dowager empress isn't close to Theo at all. In fact, she hates him. That is not only because she has a second son but also because she didn't raise Theo. The previous emperor had brought a noble lady named Althea into the palace as his concubine and gave his wife's first son to her. She was very kind, so Theo saw her as his mother and addressed her as such. When the dowager empress visited him, he didn't like her but clung to the person that raised him. Since then, his birth mother had hated him, which resulted in her wanting to have another child. She despised Althea even more since her husband favored the concubine, and eventually, Althea was killed during the assassination attempt aimed at Theodore. The dowager might...” Blanche truly didn't know how to finish that sentence without making Seraphina think that she mistrusted her. “She might approach you and...well...”
The empress paused for a moment before replying. “I understand. She might believe that she is able to manipulate me by telling me that our situations are similar. You do not need to worry about that. I have no intention of betraying Artias and helping a person that is corroded by baseless resentment to overthrow a competent ruler. Possibly, pretending to work with her would be the best alternative to learn about her plans, but I fear that I am too prideful for that. I refuse to interact with people that would risk our nation's well-being because of personal grudges or their unhealthy obsession with power. I will avoid the dowager empress as much as possible, and you should do the same. The last time that I met her, she seemed to be ready to sacrifice everything to gain influence. If I noticed that despite being young, her greed should be obvious. So, she might also try to lure you onto her side by promising you anything you could wish for.”
Blanche felt anger rushing through her veins at the thought of the dowager empress actually trying to manipulate her into betraying her lover. She rejected that idea with a voice that was laced in poison. “I can only return your words to you. You don't have to worry. I would never consider helping the woman that tried to kill Theodore.” She wouldn't let anyone accuse her of that again. “I don't care how she justifies it or tries to influence me, I will never feel anything but pure hatred for her.”
Seraphina nodded as her gaze became a bit colder. “That's good. Hold onto that. Don't show it, but keep this in mind, even when she showers you with kindness. I wasn't even an adult back then, so I wasn't involved in the trial and wouldn't know for sure, but since she was this successful in covering up her traces until now, I can only assume that she is very good at acting or speaking. Or she at least has someone around her that is able to manipulate people into following them. But if you remember your anger, you will never allow her to fool you. I will make the preparations for our departure now. Everything will be ready for us to return the day that His Majesty named. Sleep well, Lady Blanche.”
The concubine balled her fists as she pushed away the cloud of wrath that was forming in her mind when she thought about the dowager empress. She definitely didn't need to force herself to remember when anger was everything her heart connected with that woman. But now it wasn't the time to let her emotions control her actions. When she was at Theodore's side and faced his enemies, she would have to hide her disgust for his birth mother, so she should start practicing that already.
She gave her best to stop glaring and took a few deep breaths before replying. “Goodnight, Your Majesty. I hope that you will rest well.”
Seraphina nodded before turning around and leaving along with her maid. Apparently, she trusted her attendants enough to let them stay inside during such an important discussion, but that had been expected. It was more surprising that she hadn't asked Stella to leave.
But Blanche wouldn't dwell on that. She was only glad that the heroine appeared to trust her loyalty to Theodore. If that was the case, she wouldn't be accused of treason any time soon. The storyline diverged more and more from its original course, and that brought dangers and benefits.
Only time would tell which one of those would outweigh the other.