As soon as Blanche awoke the following morning, it became very obvious that she wasn't the one cheering her lover up anymore. Instead, he seemed to be keen on pampering her.
When the first rays of sun hit her face, she lifted her hand to block them out. This didn't help much, so she turned around and hid her face behind Theodore, who promptly began to brush his hand over her hair. Blanche wanted to open her eyes, but the room was too bright, so she kept them closed and murmured a “Thank you”. She hadn't intended on falling asleep again, but her lover's warm hands and the calm atmosphere in the room made her doze off within seconds.
Normally, she would stand up in time for breakfast, but when she opened her eyes once more, it was already noon. She was still drowsy, probably because she had slept for too long, and took a while until she could stop squinting and was used to the light.
Theodore was still lying in front of her with a soft grin on his face. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Did you get some rest?”
Blanche nodded while yawning and turned her head to glance at the clock. A frown appeared on her forehead. “It's noon? Why didn't you wake me up earlier? You know that I will sleep the whole day if you give me a chance.”
He chuckled at her and sat up. “Yesterday was very exhausting, so you deserve to sleep a bit longer. Besides, you were too adorable while sleeping. How could I wake you then?” He extended his arms towards her, and she automatically sat up as well to embrace him.
“Good morning. We missed breakfast because of that, you know? I wanted my orange juice.”
“Don't worry. You will get it in a few minutes. Everything was already prepared and is standing right there on the table.”
Only now, the concubine looked in the direction of the table and noted that it was full of food. There were countless dishes, and in comparison to the normally already huge amount, there was even more here today. “That's a lot of food. Is that for breakfast and lunch?”
Theodore put his lips on top of her head and rubbed over her back. “Yes. We will only eat once, so we can have twice as much. Today, we will have a nice relaxing day with not much to do. We can go to the pavilion or the winter garden. We could go anywhere else within the royal estate too. What do you want to do? I'm all yours today.”
Blanche slowly moved away from him to tilt her head upward and made eye contact with him. She blinked a few times and put on a fake pout. “Only today? That's mean.”
He laughed and took her hands in his. “Of course, I'm yours forever. But today, I won't go to work or meet anyone. So, we have the whole day to ourselves. We have enough time to do something that takes longer today, so you are free to choose whatever we can do without leaving the royal estate.”
The concubine pondered about this. Her lover had so much time for her right now that she couldn't complain about not seeing him, but they rarely did special things. Just sitting together or taking a walk was usually fine. If they wanted to do anything else, it was mostly connected to cuddling or eating together. Both of them liked this simplicity of that and barely tried something else. But now that the emperor had asked her, she wanted to come up with an activity he would enjoy too.
The gears in Blanche's head were turning as she gave her best to find something creative. Unfortunately, she didn't have a single clue.
Theodore watched her with a soft smile and stroked over her hair as she pondered about his question. “We don't have to do anything special if you don't have an idea. I was just going to propose visiting a few of our favorite places and spending some time there. We could also attempt to cook something though. That might be fun.”
The concubine breathed out in relief before freezing at the last suggestion. The emperor considered taking a knife into his own hands to make a meal? This would definitely sound like a fairy tale to most people. “I almost want to choose the second option just to see how you will deal with doing something for the first time. I can't imagine you being able to cook anything on your own.”
Theodore showed her a confident smirk. “What makes you think that? I am very much capable of cooking. Should I demonstrate it for you?”
Blanche nodded as she returned the grin. “Yes. I don't believe that you can make a tasty meal on your first try without any help. I remember how much I struggled back when I prepared a soup with some servants. I gave up on cooking after that.”
Her lover lifted her hand to his lips. “So, will you bet that I won't be able to do it? I bet that I will. What will the winner get?”
Her grin widened as she observed the emperor. “The winner can decide what we do for the whole evening.”
“What a tempting gift.” Theodore pressed a kiss onto her pinkie finger. “You can be sure that I will claim that price for myself.” He sounded so confident that it dawned on the concubine that she would lose.
But she was certain that she would be able to live with that result. She couldn't back down now, and it would be fun either way, so she might as well risk it. “Fine. Then we made our little promise official. I will judge your dish critically. Since we are used to chef's meals, this will be hard for you.”
The emperor slowly let go of her and rose from the bed. “I don't mind a little challenge, even if the simple meals I am used to preparing aren't too special. I will win no matter what, so it will be fine. Let's get dressed now. We need to eat and then empty our stomachs so that we can have my delicious meal for dinner.”
Blanche wanted to follow him, but he already brought her clothes to her and began helping her put them on. After that, he brushed her hair before dressing himself quickly and joining her at the table. Breakfast, or rather lunch, was as mouth-watering as always, but they didn't finish everything since it was just too much.
They went to the kitchen after this, only to be greeted with stares of disbelief, which worsened when Theodore asked for some ingredients and utensils to be brought to his room. But naturally, the servants obeyed without questioning the order.
So, the rest of the couple's day consisted of them making fried potatoes with some stew. In reality, it was the emperor who did this though. Blanche did some small tasks, and for the other half of the time, she stood next to her lover with an open mouth and watched how skillfully he prepared everything. When he finished, he ordered a servant to bring everything downstairs to let the chefs heat it.
A few minutes later, the dishes were brought back, and Blanche could only stare at them in awe. The smell and appearance of the meal already revealed that she had without a doubt lost the bet. Though, Theodore refused to say where he had learned cooking and only hinted that he was used to much simpler dishes that could be prepared in a hurry. Then he insisted on them sitting down to eat so that she could judge whether he had won.
Naturally, he had.
The preparation might not have been as masterly as one of the chefs, but the taste was at least as good. The concubine emptied her whole plate while observing her lover in between, but he just grinned at her. He even asked whether he should make food for her more often if she was this overwhelmed by his gesture. When the both of them finished, she officially named him the victor of their bet, but it didn't matter much.
He had had the same idea as her, so they just spent the evening together in his room and cuddled.
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For the next five days, Theodore didn't leave her side.
They spent their time taking walks through the garden and visiting the pavilion whenever they passed by. It was surprising to see that her lover didn't have anything to do at the moment, so Blanche was almost a bit relieved when he told her that he would go to his office for the afternoon. After a long embrace and multiple kisses, they eventually separated and waved at each other until he had disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Stolen story; please report.
Blanche barely had a moment to breathe before Stella already spoke up. The maid was pouting with her hands on her hips and began with a fake sigh. “How stressful. I've been wanting to talk to you for days. His Majesty surely is monopolizing you sometimes. He even delayed his work just to cling to you. That's adorable, but when I am only waiting by the door despite no orders coming, it's pretty boring.”
The concubine grinned at that as she began walking. “I'm sorry for that. I did tell you that you can take those days off though. Enough servants are waiting near his room, so you theoretically don't have to waste your time by standing here.”
Stella made a rejecting gesture with her hand. “I would be a horrible attendant if I left as soon as you closed the door. Recently, our friends started to stop by whenever they have free time, so it's fine. Besides, if I wait here, everyone will know that you are with His Majesty.” Her expression darkened. “Seemingly, some people still have to notice that he favors you.” She was still referring to Evelyn, about whom she had complained whenever there had been one minute in which Theodore had been away.
Blanche shrugged and rounded a corner. A group of servants made way for her and bowed, which made her a bit uncomfortable, but she smiled at them anyway. She replied to her maid when they had passed by the people. “I'm a little angry because of that woman too, but I would like to focus on keeping her from giving an innocent child harmful gifts instead of fuming. Besides, I know that she was telling lies, so it's fine. It also sounded like Theo might deal with her.”
Stella increased her pace to walk next to her mistress again. “Did you talk about that woman with His Majesty? What did he say?”
“He said that she would suffer, and his expression while he voiced that was scary, so I fully believe him. This means that this matter will be settled by him. He also told me that nothing Lady Lemares said was true.”
The maid's fury was openly visible on her face when she replied. “Of course, that wasn't true! He was very clear about that, wasn't he? That should be obvious judging from the way he treats you. That woman has to be blind. She is only able to voice such stupid things because His Majesty was lenient the last time that she was this awful. But now she should feel his wrath. I already got my fair share after Her Majesty's birthday ball, so I can imagine how she will tremble after being yelled at.” That thought made a taunting grin appear on her lips.
The concubine was silent in response. Talking about this subject had made her remember Theodore's promise more than anything else, and that worried her a lot. It was impossible for her to be the mother of the royal heir, so she should keep herself from being happy about him not needing another woman. But she couldn't help but cling to this hope. This would save them so much trouble.
At least if she was able to get pregnant. The more she pondered about this issue, the more dejecting her thoughts became, so she would favor pushing the issue aside.
Naturally, Stella couldn't know that though. “What's wrong, My Lady? Are you feeling unwell?”
Blanche shook her head and glanced down the corridor. It might be better to speak about this with someone with an attitude that was a bit more positive than her own. But she didn't want to address this while others were eavesdropping. The few guards here would already be enough to spread a rumor, so she would have to avoid them under any circumstances. She scanned the corridors and decided that she couldn't take the risk of speaking here. “I want to tell you something, but we'll do that in my room. Don't worry though. It's nothing bad.” It was actually something very good. It was so good that she doubted that it could be true.
Despite her mistress' last words, Stella's expression was filled with concern. “That you have to point that out makes me worry even more. Though, we are not on the right path to return to His Majesty's room. So, we will go to your old chambers now?”
Blanche nodded and eyed her maid from the side with a smirk. “Where else would we go? I said that we would go to my room. I naturally meant the one where I live.”
Her servant shrugged. “Judging from your actions during the last weeks, you don't live there anymore. Ever since we returned to the palace, you have been sleeping in His Majesty's room and spent most of your time there. I don't remember whether you actually slept in your own chambers once during that month. Maybe you did, but then His Majesty was with you. To others, it would seem like you live in his room and just store a few things in your old room.”
Right. That was an issue Blanche had ignored too. She averted her eyes and went through her memories, only to shrink in herself when she noticed that her maid was completely right. Anyone within the palace had to think that she had moved to Theodore's room. Such rumors were definitely problematic. If they were kept within the royal estate, it would be fine. But as soon as Seraphina and her family noticed this, they would trouble the emperor.
Blanche sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “I understand what you mean. That isn't too good, is it?” Maybe she should try to steer against this, but that would force her to give up sleeping next to Theodore, and she wasn't willing to do that, nor was he.
Stella glanced over at her with an indifferent expression. “Why would that be an issue? It's His Majesty's palace. He can tell you to sleep wherever he wants to. If he wants to have you with him, you could never refuse. It was the emperor's order after all.”
The concubine had worried about the consequences for him more, so this didn't calm her in the slightest. She didn't say anything else anymore though.
When the group arrived at her room and entered it, with Owen waiting in front of the door, it felt strange.
Blanche hadn't been here for a while despite this being her chambers. She plopped down onto the sofa and looked around a bit. Somehow, the room seemed very small now that she was used to Theodore's chambers. It was quieter too since there weren't as many servants running around in this part of the palace. She took some time to breathe in and out with closed eyes, which only made her note that it smelled different too. Of course, there was still a part of her that adored her bedroom, but she had to admit that she favored her lover's room. Probably because she was always there in his presence and connected it with him in her mind.
She opened her eyes again and patted the sofa. “Stella, sit down with me. I wanted to tell you-” She interrupted herself in shock when her maid was there within a second. “You are very quick today.”
Stella turned to her mistress and bobbed up and down while responding. “Of course. I'm curious. And a bit worried. What did you wish to talk about?”
Blanche leaned against the backrest and stared into the distance as she thought about how to begin. Maybe it would be good just to be direct. “Theo told me that my child would be the crown prince or princess.” Both women were silent for a moment, and the concubine didn't dare to look at her maid to see her reaction. When she did this anyway, she was met with a grin.
Stella was beaming at her and jumped off the couch. “That's amazing! I mean... It was obvious in the first place, but now he even promised. This is great! We have to do something to celebrate. Should we get a cake? Or pancakes? Our friends will definitely make something for you quickly.” She took a step back before jumping up and down on the spot. “Oh, this is too exciting. I can't help it.” She only stopped when she saw that her mistress was still sitting on the sofa with a serious expression. Her smile faded, and she plopped down next to the concubine. “My Lady? Aren't you happy?”
Blanche couldn't respond to that question properly. She rested her hands on her lap and stared at her fingers. “Yes...no... I don't know. It's a bit more complicated than that. Of course, I'm happy that he wants to have a child with me and that he won't be dependent on having one with another woman.” She balled her fists so much that her fingernails pressed sharply against her palms. “But...you have no idea what problems this will cause. The Duremonts will stop supporting him as soon as he crosses the border and formally announces that I am his lover. But he would have to do that to make my child his heir. I can't risk him losing his biggest supporter because I'm selfish and don't want him to be with another woman. That could allow the second prince to gain even more power, and you know that that would be horrible.” She pressed her mouth into a thin line. When she opened her fists again, red crescent-shaped marks lined her skin and reminded her of how on edge she was.
Stella watched her mistress for a moment before slowly reaching over and covering the other woman's hand with hers. “So, your biggest worry is being selfish because of this?”
Blanche nodded with as much emphasis as she could muster without hurting herself. “I can't support him in this decision when it means that he might ruin his reputation and political connections just because he doesn't want to hurt me.” She squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed her leg with the hand that wasn't being held by her maid.
For a few seconds, the both of them were quiet again
Then Stella continued the conversation with a voice that sounded like she was convinced that she was telling the truth. “I think that it would help you to think about this a little differently. You need to see His Majesty's perspective more. Of course, he doesn't want to hurt you, but he has his own feelings too.”
Blanche slowly raised her head. “Of course, he does. What do you mean by that?” Maybe it was foolish, but she almost hoped to hear an argument that could allow her to stop worrying. She listened with care.
Stella took her mistress' hand over onto her lap and began speaking in a persuasive but also soft tone. “Maybe it would help to use an example. His Majesty is in a very uncomfortable position with all of those issues of political nature burdening him all the time. So, you should see it from his perspective. Imagine that you needed to have a child under any circumstances. And if you had one with His Majesty, this problem would be solved, and you could be happy because you both wanted a child together anyway. But if you chose this way, there would be people who trouble you after. So, the other option would be meeting another man while His Majesty is aware of what is happening and having that person's child. Like that, the other parties would be content. Would you consider the second option?”
Blanche already felt like throwing up just when she heard this. “No way.” The thought of sleeping with someone else but Theodore was revolting, and imagining how he would look at her after finding out broke her heart. No matter how many people pressured her, she wouldn't be able to do that. “I would never. I couldn't. Even if I tried to force myself, it wouldn't work.”
Stella nodded with a serious expression. “See? How do you think His Majesty feels about considering that option? He told you that you will be the mother of the future ruler of this nation to prove that he wouldn't betray you, no matter what some arrogant nobles want him to do. He won't hurt you, and he also doesn't want to be intimate with someone he dislikes. The result should be obvious. I know that you worry about what might happen after, but you should have a little more trust in His Majesty. He has always been very diplomatic. He will find a way to make sure that you can be together while he rules Artias to the best of his ability.”
Blanche didn't dare to move as she sat there and stared into the distance without truly seeing her maid. She wanted to believe those words so badly, but she was scared. Once she began hoping for everything, she would be crushed upon losing that chance. She would rely on everything going well. She had made that mistake once and didn't want to repeat it, knowing that having her heart broken again would destroy her.
Now she had a stable life again. She had already prayed for a happy ending with her lover and his safety to the gods on multiple occasions. Asking for even more seemed impudent to her.
But how could Blanche push away that wonderful thought? One of being able to have a family with Theodore without needing to hide that he was the father of her children? One of not needing to fear that he would have to lie with Seraphina sooner or later? She couldn't force her lover to be with someone else when she knew how awful she would feel in that situation herself, so this was surely the best choice, was it not? Blanche was tired enough to want to end her worries here.
Maybe it was lazy of her, but she didn't want to think about this issue now. She wasn't pregnant, so pondering more about this could wait until she had a child. If she was able to have one at least, which was another problem.
She had promised Theodore that she would trust him already, so she couldn't take this back now. This was obviously some sort of excuse, but to her, it justified banning all thoughts about this topic from her mind for now. She would have to deal with this later anyway, so she could allow herself to have some rest until it was time.
At least until it somehow got public.
Maybe trying not to worry until then was foolish. After all, delaying the inevitable had never brought Blanche too much success. But at the moment, it was hard to consider that her life might take an unpleasant turn, so she tried to let the thought go.