It only took a few minutes before the emperor was done listing everything that needed to be addressed. When the meeting was over, Blanche was still immersed in the subject, so she barely noticed how Theodore allowed the men to leave.

Most of the ministers exited the room silently without complaining except for Henry, who was still sitting at the table and looked like he had no intention of retreating. His voice was cold when he spoke up. “Your Majesty, I would like to speak to you. In private.” He became even more hostile when he looked at the concubine while saying these last words.

Blanche averted her eyes and gazed at her lover.

Theodore stayed on his chair and pulled out a book before writing in it. “Sure.” That was all he said, and he hadn't even lifted his head for those few seconds.

Naturally, Duke Duremont became even more enraged at that. “Will you not kindly ask Lady Blanche to leave us alone for a moment?” He basically spat out those words.

The emperor stopped writing and looked up. “I didn't intend on doing that.” He waited until Henry opened his mouth before resuming. “I don't need to hide anything from her, and theoretically, you shouldn't either since I suspect that this matter is connected to her. But if you truly insist on her exiting the room for the time being, you must remember that this is her home. A guest requesting for her to leave is rather impudent. Maybe, just maybe, she might listen to you if you ask her very kindly. But even then, it's her choice. Though, it is very weird that you don't mind Leon being here when she bothers you this much.”

Blanche really believed that Henry would snap at that. Luckily, that didn't happen, but the duke was still very upset. He was gritting his teeth and turned to her with boiling hatred in his eyes. He stared at her for a few seconds that felt like torture. She was about to stand up and leave so that he wouldn't murder her for being forced to ask, but one glance at Theodore made it obvious that the emperor was waiting for a polite request.

Duke Duremont was silent for a while until he spoke with a voice that was dripping with poison. “Lady Blanche, would you be so kind and allow us to have a conversation in private?”

The concubine already knew that her lover would complain about the lack of the word ‘please’ and the general tone of the question, so she hurried to reply. “Of course. I will take my leave now.”

Theodore gave her a soft smile as she rushed to the door. “I'll be with you in a minute.” That was even more provoking since it hinted that he wouldn't listen to Henry's serious complaints for long.

Blanche stormed out of the room and shut the door behind her. She breathed out in relief, only to notice that the rest of the ministers were still standing in the corridor. They surely wouldn't be happy to speak to her, so she might just step aside to bring some distance between them and her.

Unfortunately, she didn't manage to do so.

As soon as the concubine began moving, Duke Vasquez almost jumped in front of her. “Good afternoon, Lady Blanche. How are you?”

The concubine stared at him with wide eyes before her brain processed that she wasn't in any danger, not an immediate one at least. She pressed her hand against her chest as her pounding heartbeat resonated through her body and gave her best to take a few deep breaths to be able to speak without showing her shock even more. “Good afternoon, Your Grace. You surprised me a bit, but otherwise, I am fine.” She would be much better if she wasn't forced to talk to him though.

Claude gave her a wide grin that seemed way more taunting than before. Apparently, he had gotten over his anger. “Oh, I apologize for that. It wasn't my intention to scare you. I am glad to hear that you are doing well. I was a bit worried about the current state of the royal family. I thought that you might feel threatened.”

Blanche chose to ignore that last sentence since she suspected that he would direct the conversation in an unwanted direction if she asked what he meant. “You are right about the situation being unpleasant. I'm just here for Theo so that he isn't too stressed because of the people that tried to kill him and still call themselves his family. I'm a bit taken aback that there are influential households that support those horrible people.”

For a second, Duke Vasquez's smile shrank, but he quickly lifted the corners of his mouth higher. That didn't cover the dangerous glint in his eyes though. “Now I understand what Luciano meant. You are...very loyal, aren't you?”

The concubine crossed her arms and unwillingly positioned one hand in front of her neck as if she wanted to protect herself. “That should be obvious, right? Anyone here should be loyal to the one and only ruler of Artias.”

Claude replied in a lower voice. “I think so too. But loyalty is finite. Once you assist someone over and over without getting anything in return, you might change your mind. At that point in time, there will always be other people that would be happy to properly reward you for your loyalty.” Even though Cedar was much more intimidating, the duke still was making Blanche's hair stand on ends.

She took a step backward and responded without thinking. “That's not real loyalty then. That's greed. I'm sure that you would know the difference, Your Grace.” She might have been a bit too brazen right now, but the Vasquez family regularly voiced such hidden attacks, so she should be able to argue back once, right?

To be honest, she was more than angry about that household helping Theodore's enemies just to gain more power. The fact that Claude appeared to be a criminal too, with her lover mentioning that he was involved in tax evasion and smuggling, only served to infuriate her more. And last but not least, he was willing to risk making his pregnant wife drink wine just to distract the emperor from that. This had erased any speck of the barely existing tolerance the concubine might have ever had when it came to dealing with this man.

Duke Vasquez's expression darkened at that, but he immediately restored his mocking smile. “That is a very naive approach, Lady Blanche. Acting like this will only bring you so far.” His eyes locked onto something behind her. “Even though I have to admit that you have reached a very high position now. I mean, one could almost call you the second most influential woman in the nation.”

Blanche didn't know whether that was supposed to be a provocation, but the fact that he might want to use her former power-hungriness against her upset her more than his words had. “That is complete nonsense, Your Grace. You remember that I am a baroness, correct? What does the rank system in Artias look like for you to claim that I have any influence at all?”

Claude's grin widened in a way that made it obvious that he was plotting something as his eyes met hers. “That was not what I was referring to. The rank doesn't always matter. The most powerful woman is without a doubt the one that possesses the most powerful man's heart. Normally, that would be Her Majesty, but...” He eyed the concubine in a manner that made her want to wrap herself in a blanket. “It seems like it might be different at this moment. After all, you proposed a law to His Majesty, and he implemented it without batting an eye. Do you know what the empress' tasks are? She represents our nation and stands by His Majesty's side. She signs contracts regarding any political issue. And...” He left a long pause to make sure that she was glued to his lips even though she already knew what would follow and braced herself for that. “The empress proposes laws. So, you already fulfilled two of the tasks that Her Majesty would normally take care of. It wouldn't be false to say that you might have as much power as she does, if not-”

“Enough.” The tone of Blanche's voice was sharper than she had wanted it to be. But in the end, her face would have betrayed her rage anyway. She glared at the duke while gritting her teeth as she dug her fingernails into her palms.

Months ago, she would have adored hearing such words.

The fact that someone told her that she was superior to the perfect Seraphina would have made her heart squeal with joy and ease her worries about not being as good as that woman for a few minutes. She would have been happy for the moment, even if she would have felt empty after finally processing that such a statement was useless when the empress was still the one being Theodore's wife.

Now she couldn't even deal with the impudence that Claude's words carried towards the rest of the nobles. Comparing a baroness to the empress was without a doubt insolent enough to justify dealing out punishment to someone. Of course, Blanche wasn't able to do so, but she wished that she could. Right now, she was fuming. That person couldn't know what those words meant to her. Striving for unreachable power had fated her to die alone with no one caring for her cries as the one that had lost everything. Whether she was truly greedy didn't matter. As long as people thought that she was attempting to claim the empress' position, she would end up as the deserted villainess.

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Blanche would allow no one to accuse her of trying to use her lover to gain influence. “Saying something like this is awfully brazen, even for a duke.”

Despite her hate-filled expression, Claude just continued to grin at her. “Why? I was merely stating the truth. Do you not think that you have been by His Majesty's side for long enough to deserve to be his wife, if not even the empress? That position might be occupied now, but there is nothing that can't be changed.” It was true that he was way more daring now that the dowager empress was here.

A part of Blanche was telling her to hold back, but she couldn't let that opportunity go. He had said something that bordered on suggesting treason, so she was allowed to scold him. She shouldn't be too aggressive due to her low rank, but her patience was hanging by a thread. She forced herself to stop balling her fists not to break the skin on her palms with her fingernails and narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. “I remember that we drank wine together at the party two days ago. It wasn't very strong, so I'm surprised that your brain is still muddled, Your Grace. Surely, that must be why you would voice such audacious things.” Her voice was trembling with anger, and as soon as she closed her mouth, she bit her lips not to add more insulting things.

Duke Vasquez tilted his head slightly and his smile became smaller, but it looked like he was full of amusement now. “No, that is not the case. My remarks weren't audacious when I only mentioned a possibility. You must have misunderstood something. What exactly did I propose just now that upset you this much?” He was trying to make her repeat his words.

Blanche didn't need to turn around to guess that one of the other ministers had approached them and was now listening to their conversation. She wasn't stupid enough to believe that Claude directing the flow of the conversation was beneficial, so she would refrain from doing anything he suggested. “I refuse to repeat such impudent statements. But Her Majesty might wish to hear you say that to her face. Theo and His Grace, the Duke of Duremont would be curious too. How about we go to one of them and continue the conversation there? In fact, the latter two are in the room behind us. Let's go see them right now.”

Claude's expression darkened, and she had the underlying suspicion that he didn't like her arguing against him. “I do not know what Lady Blanche is talking about. You are usually a bit emotional too, but this is too much. You must have been imagining things. There is no way that I would consider the things you suggested.”

The concubine saw red at that. So, he was trying to turn things around to make her seem bad now? If that was the case, she had no intention of playing into his hands. “Then you might have gotten a bit old, Your Grace. You don't seem to remember your own words, but I can assure you that I will keep them in mind. It would be better for you to go rest so that your sudden and very convenient memory loss does not affect your duties as a minister. You don't want to be known as being senile.” While speaking, she noticed that she had crossed the line.

Duke Vasquez stopped any attempts at covering up his rage. His face became a grimace of fury as he turned red and took one step forward to tower above her.

That made her back away two steps.

He was really scaring Blanche now. Claude appeared to be much more unstable than she had thought. A few provocations, which he normally dealt out happily and also received from the emperor without any issues, were enough to make his face get fully red. Why was he this mad suddenly? He had never reacted this sensitively to offending comments. For some reason, she appeared to have triggered him though. She had only seen him this angry once before, and that had been at the party from afar.

Now he was directly in front of her and just needed to extend his arms to reach her. And he definitely looked like he was ready to seriously threaten her.

At the moment that Blanche thought that she might have to ask for help from someone here, the door next to them swung open.

Theodore stepped out, and before she could even utter a single word, he rushed towards her. He moved between her and Claude, whom he turned his back to, and smiled at his lover. “I hope you didn't wait for long, I'll make it up to you. I have the rest of the day with nothing to do.” While he was giving his best to seem upbeat, the hatred in his eyes betrayed him. He had probably realized what had happened and was more than upset about the duke scaring her. Still, he didn't turn towards the other man once.

Claude spoke up after a few seconds. “Your Majesty.” Blanche couldn't see him, but his voice was shaky with rage. He was still very angry about her words.

Still, Theodore completely ignored him and talked to his lover. “Do you want me to ask the kitchen staff for some citrus pie? You love that, right? A piece of salmon for dinner might be nice too.”

Duke Vasquez called out to the emperor again, only to be disregarded once more. That seemed to be the final straw for him. “Your Majesty!” He was almost yelling now.

Theodore finally turned around and replied in a tone that made the temperature around them drop. “What? Can't you see that I'm in the middle of a conversation? You not only dared to interrupt me, but you also raised your voice at a member of the royal family. You surely must have a very good reason to do so.”

Blanche fought the urge to hide behind her lover's back and took a step to the side to check how angry Claude was. That proved to be a mistake.

As soon as she saw that man's rage-filled expression, she became sure that he was insane. What kind of world was this when all dangerous people were also psychopaths?

Their eyes met, and immediately, Duke Vasquez's fury grew even more. He extended his arm and pointed at the concubine's face. “She dared to insult me, a duke! There is no way that she can act like she has the right to do anything she wants. I demand a punishment!” His voice was full of as much hatred as his face, which made Blanche cower behind her lover's arm even as she glared at Claude.

The next thing she knew was that something that sounded like a loud clap cut through the silence.

Theodore had smacked away Claude's hand with a generous amount of force and glared at the other man with resentment. “Do not move your hand in her general direction ever again. I also expect you to never raise your voice in the royal palace from now on. Are we clear?”

Duke Vasquez gritted his teeth as he held his hand and rubbed over the reddened skin. “You actually dare to-”

“Of course.” Theodore lifted his chin as he showed the duke his cold anger that resembled the hatred that he had shown in Blanche's nightmares a bit too much. He replied in a booming voice that didn't leave any room for objections. “I am the emperor of Artias and the only ruler of this nation. This palace belongs to me, and like every other noble, you are my servant. I can dare to do whatever I want. Being a duke does not justify you disrespecting Blanche and me when I pointed out your mistakes. It seems like your pride has become too great and needs to be trimmed quite a bit. Leave.”

Claude's face scrunched up even more, even if it had previously seemed like that wasn't possible. “I am not the one that did anything wrong!” He yelled the last words. “She insulted me, and no matter how high and mighty you act, you can't excuse that. Everyone here heard.” He spread his arms to gesture to the rest of the corridor. “You can't protect a lowly baroness when she insulted a duke in front of witnesses.”

What? Now he was trying to make her the bad one? Blanche couldn't keep herself from opening her mouth to defend herself, but she wasn't quick enough.

Theodore replied without batting an eye. “Oh, I'm very sure that all of her so-called insults were justified. She would never voice anything without purpose. I do not even need anyone to affirm that. And it would be in your favor not to insist on a punishment. After all, you would be the one to receive it for abusing my hospitality to threaten an inhabitant of the palace and offending me. Apparently, the fact that those two are here now made you too arrogant for your own good. You should stop and take a look at the situation around you before feeling too safe. If you had done so, you would have realized that there has been a sword at your throat ever since you threatened Blanche for the first time.”

The concubine turned her attention to the person behind the duke and was surprised to find Owen standing there. He was pointing the tip of the sword against the backside of the other man's neck just so that Duke Vasquez would notice. Blanche relaxed a bit as she was reminded of the guards' presence. She had completely forgotten about the knight in the heat of the moment and had worried for no reason, but they were definitely safe.

Claude's eyes widened as he attempted to turn around, only to find Owen increasing the pressure.

The knight's expression might just seem a bit darker than normal. “Please do not move, Your Grace. I am uncertain whether you are in a mental state that would obstruct your logical judgment, so I cannot risk you approaching anyone. Hold still.”

Duke Vasquez's anger didn't even seem to be overshadowed by fear. His expression became even uglier as he began speaking loudly. “Who would dare to aim a sword at me? I am Claude Vasquez, the Duke of the second most influential dukedom in Artias and one of His Majesty's trusted ministers. Who thinks this highly of himself to threaten me? Do you not care for your life?”

Blanche shuddered at so much resentment and unwillingly leaned against her lover's arm. She was worried when he moved it away for a moment, but he quickly put his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. She was too distressed and scared to even consider arguing against that.

In contrast to her, Owen wasn't too affected by anyone's anger. He replied as calmly as always, even though it almost sounded like there was a barely audible sharp edge to his words. “My name is Owen Maillont. I am the head knight of the royal guards and His Majesty's personal guard. As I am currently acting on his orders, I can assure you that my actions are justified. In fact, I am not the only one keeping an eye on you right now, so I would suggest you stay still.”

Claude's expression revealed that he felt a bit of fear at the mention of that name. He looked around the hallway without moving his head and scanned the guards that had previously stood by the door and had raised their swords as well to stop him in case he lunged forward. His gaze snapped to Theodore. “Your Majesty ordered them to attack me? You surely-”

The emperor cut him off. “No, they are doing their job of protecting the inhabitants of the palace. Except for Owen. I ordered him to specifically protect Blanche. I told him to defend her like a member of the royal family. If someone threatens her, they are to be rendered immobile immediately, however that might look, to prevent her from being hurt. Apparently, you were threatening her, which is why he deemed you a threat. Owen has been by my side for almost seven years, and I believe him to be able to make that judgment. I trust him much more than I trust you.” He scanned the other man with obvious disgust. “Your current behavior shows that you are mentally unstable, which only proves that I was right about that. I shouldn't have expected anything else from someone that supports the dowager empress. Her mind is in a similar state to yours. Since you are obviously not capable of controlling yourself, I will ask Owen to escort you out of the estate now. Hopefully, a few days at home will make you calm down.”

Claude finally seemed to understand that he wouldn't get out of this situation by snapping at the emperor. His eyes widened before he forced himself to neutralize his expression. The hatred remained audible in his voice when he replied, even if his voice was strained. “That would be good, Your Majesty. I apologize for this. The past days have been very stressful for my family, so please excuse this outbreak. I will retreat now and apologize properly during the next meeting when I have calmed down.”

Theodore crossed his arms. “That will not be necessary. After all, I will ask you to stay home for at least one month. In addition to that, you are banned from the palace until you offer an honest apology to Blanche.”

In an instant, Duke Vasquez's rage returned with a glint of insanity in his eyes. “What?”

The emperor shut him up with a glare. “By that, I don't mean your usual pretense of friendliness but a heartfelt speech. I want you to bow down to her and ask for her forgiveness while you promise that you will never ever disrespect her like that again. It will be her choice whether she believes you, and if she doesn't, you can forget ever entering the royal estate again.”

That made the switch flip once more.