Theodore claimed to have done something wrong by not taking her side at the last banquet? No. That was all wrong.
Blanche let out a pained chuckle as she struggled to find the fitting words to reply. What he was saying was wrong. It definitely was, but her heart still squealed with joy. “Theo, no. You defended me despite me making a mistake. You did take my side. But you also did the right thing and were careful not to offend the Duremonts. I sat down on the empress' chair, and that is obviously an insult towards her. Even when she warned me, I didn't listen. So, it's clear to see that I was the one in the wrong.”
Theodore straightened his posture again and looked directly into her eyes. “I don't think that this was all there was to it. You wouldn't have been so upset afterward because of that banquet. Something else happened after that, isn't that right? And you probably had a conflict with the empress before too. I mean, wasn't that banquet shortly after your birthday? She was the one that gave you a mean present, and you paid her back. Or you just wanted to sit next to me and not with some strangers. The reason is unimportant, I should not have been angry at you anyway. After all, I promised to be on your side no matter what. I'm sorry. Something like that will never happen again.” Nonsense.
Blanche was too irritated to say anything about this. She remembered sitting in her room and crying after Seraphina told her that Theodore would always put the Duremont's support above his lover right after the banquet. She also remembered clinging to the emperor and desperately trying to get him to forgive her while these words were sinking into her heart like acid. Hearing him that he was on her side despite all of that felt wonderful. Even if she should be rational about this and accept that the emperor could never value a bratty lover more than securing his reign to protect Artias.
But still, she felt herself grin with joy as he said this to her and quickly hid her face by leaning her forehead against his chest. She had so much to tell him about this, but she didn't know where to start. So, the concubine just embraced him and stood there for a few seconds while giving her best to clear her mind. When she had collected herself a bit, she spoke up. “You won't have to make such a stupid decision since I won't cause trouble like that for you again.”
Her lover's warm lips planted a kiss on top of her head. “You never did anything like that. As long as I'm the emperor, you can do whatever you want, and no one will be able to complain.”
That didn't sound right, but she didn't have the energy to argue back. She just allowed him to plant a dozen small kisses onto her head before looking up at him, which made him press his lips onto her nose.
He grinned at her and gestured to the dress. “Now then. Will you try it on?”
Blanche was almost sure that she would attract unwanted comments with this attire, but her willingness to ponder about everything was already used up for the day. If she made Theodore happy, a few mean remarks could be ignored. She would get them anyway, so she might as well do him, and herself, a favor wearing this gorgeous dress. “Yes.” She turned her head to ask Stella to help her change, only to freeze when she saw her maid and the tailor gawking at the couple with round eyes. Apparently, those two weren't like Leon and complained about the emperor and his concubine spending too much time together and rather encouraged it.
Before Blanche could address her servant, Theodore already shooed them away with a wave of his hand. “I'll help you.”
She watched him with raised eyebrows while letting him lead her to the mannequin. “I think you only want an excuse to cuddle more.”
“It almost seems like you can read my mind. In addition, I can also catch a glimpse of your beautiful body so, all I do is win in this scenario.”
The concubine tried to distract herself by counting downwards from a hundred, but she was probably already blushing. When she was finally dressed, she would probably be as red as the dress. Hopefully not. She really didn't want others to see that she was this embarrassed because of a few compliments. But this worry quickly became the least she could think about when she had changed into the gown and admired herself in the mirror.
The dress was perfect. It seemed like Madame Charture truly couldn't create anything that didn't look good. The dress seemed like it came directly out of a dream, and Blanche couldn't help but stare at it while turning around to see all sides. “It's gorgeous.” It almost felt too wonderful to be real. The gown fit her perfectly, didn't itch and was beautiful. She couldn't ask any more of a dress.
Theodore carefully hugged her from behind and met her gaze in the mirror. “See? I knew you would like it. And as always, you look stunning. You'll definitely outshine anyone in the whole nation. And you're not even wearing the accessories yet.”
Being flashy was exactly what she wanted to avoid. So, maybe she should leave a few ornaments in her room instead of putting them on. “Theo, I shouldn't be too striking, right? I mean, this dress already stands out like a flare, so I should probably leave out-”
“Do you like the accessories? Are they pretty?”
She was momentarily silenced by that and replied a few seconds later. “Yes, but...”
Theodore tapped her nose with his index finger and gave her a smile. “Then you'll wear them. Like I said, this is not about others. You'll put on what you like. Not what some people say you should have. After all, I'm already paying attention to their opinion with this attire. I'm not going to do anything more than that. If anyone complains, I'll deal with them. You'll sit right next to me, so I will hear everything anyone could tell you.”
That did calm Blanche down a bit. If she knew that the emperor would supervise the conversation the whole time, she could be safe that no one would openly insult her. Without a doubt, the banquet would still be stressful, but at least she didn't need to worry about this. As long as she was polite and talked only when spoken to, all the present people would ignore her to the best of their ability.
This was the perfect scenario for her. She could just focus on eating without messing up the table etiquette too much, but it should be fine if the guests didn't pay attention to her. With a confident stare, she met her own gaze and told herself to be strong. She would have to look like she was self-assured, and then nothing could happen.
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Those thoughts only helped until it was time for Blanche to lie down in bed. She almost couldn't sleep the whole night, which ended up with Theodore more or less distracting her until the sun rose. She was extremely thankful, but that didn't keep her from feeling like she would throw up in the morning.
While eating breakfast, her stomach was churning, which reminded her of the poison so that she only felt sicker. Luckily, she managed to keep her food inside this time.
Her lover took it upon himself to busy her the entire afternoon with cuddling and telling her stories about how he had reduced his workload even more. Apparently, he had made sure that the merchants were fully responsible for their trading routes so that they had to send him the necessary documents instead of forcing him to take care of that. Due to the minister's help, this meant that he only did the most important things now, which resulted in him being able to spend almost all of his time with his concubine.
Blanche was more than happy about that and gladly listened to his stories about the economy and politics, even though her knowledge in that field was limited to what Leon had taught her. It was fun to chat about other things for a change, but that didn't keep her from getting more nauseous when the evening approached.
Her heart was beating rapidly by the time that they had to get ready. Surprisingly, Theodore didn't let her do that in her room but insisted that she stayed in his chambers this time because he still had something to tell her before the banquet. Since he got dressed in the dressing room while Stella helped her prepare in the bedroom, she would have to wait for a while though.
The entire time, the concubine pondered about what her lover might have to say to her so that she barely listened to her maid gushing about how lovely this attire was. Today, Stella had decided to leave her mistress hair down and only curled it so that the waves were a bit more even and rounder. It looked wonderful and much more modest than the dress. Along with her decision to go without some other accessories, that should make her look acceptable, but Blanche barely managed to force herself to smile.
This was the point at which Stella spoke up. “My Lady, you shouldn't be that nervous. His Majesty will be with you the entire time. Don't think about what could go wrong. He will protect you no matter what.”
The concubine rubbed over her forehead and barely retracted her hand in time before her maid could push it away. “I know, I know. I won't smear the powder. But I'm not really worried about anyone causing me problems. I am more concerned about doing something wrong. Table etiquette isn't my strength, and the room will be full of people that are only waiting for me to make an error so that they can judge me. I'm scared, Stella. I don't want to do anything that could be used against Theodore. His relationship with the Duremont family is strained enough because of me. I don't want to make it worse.”
Stella set the brush aside and put her hands on her hips. “I don't think that you're at fault at all. You aren't doing anything that would trouble them. You are His Majesty's lover, and theoretically, this is none of their business. They might complain, but you didn't truly do anything to annoy them specifically. You are merely at your lover's side and give your best to support him. It's their problem if you two showing each other affection is bothering them. They should just leave if they feel offended by that.” She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes.
Blanche would have liked to say that she shared that opinion, but she had a view that was a little different from her maid's. “I have to admit that they aren't unreasonable. I mean... Theodore's affair with me is an offense to the empress in itself. I understand that they want us to be at least a little secretive about it, even if it's unpleasant.”
Stella shook her head and crossed her arms as she clenched her jaw. “That's not true. In fact, you and His Majesty were together before the empress even appeared. Calling you an affair is-”
“Completely false.”
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The two women whipped their heads around to Theodore, who had just entered the room. He looked rather displeased, which immediately made Stella step aside to make way for him. The emperor walked over to his lover and cupped her cheeks.
Blanche tried to protest but was cut off after a few words. “The powder is-”
Theodore stared into her eyes while he spoke. “I refuse to call us an affair. We love each other, and neither of us has ever had another partner we loved, right?” She nodded slowly, which made him resume. “See? So, don't say that about us. Please. I don't want you to use a word that is always used in a derogatory way to describe our relationship.”
Now that he said this, Blanche had to admit that he was right about that. She hadn't thought about it like this though. “I didn't mean to say that. I only...you know. Since that is what others call us. And since you are married and all...”
Theodore gently stroked his thumbs over her cheeks. “That marriage you are referring to is merely in name. I don't care about that woman, and I would have never agreed to that if I hadn't been forced to because of the stupid conventions in this nation. Our relationship is based on true love. Don't ever compare that to marriage without any feelings. And like I always say, others don't matter. They can say what I want behind our backs, but I won't have a problem telling them how unfitting their words are. I hate how others think that they can judge our relationship without even paying attention to our feelings. I adore you, and it seems like I didn't show that enough in the past. I promised that I'll make sure that there is no doubt about me being serious about you after this banquet.”
Blanche felt her stomach churn at that. “What do you mean? We should stay silent and not bother anyone today, so...”
Theodore shook his head as he gave her an apologetic gaze. “To be honest, I have no interest in avoiding conflict today. This is the topic that I still needed to tell you about. I need to stir up a bit of trouble with Duke Duremont to make some things clear. It might get a bit uncomfortable. I apologize in advance for that.”
The concubine froze. That sounded awful. Seemingly, her bad premonition about the banquet had been correct. “Theo, what do you plan on doing?”
“I only want to make it clear that you will stay right here by my side, no matter how much they protest. I need to show them that I favor you for that. It might sound odd, but I need them to get really angry at me. So angry that they forget to be angry at you.”
Blanche took a step back and stared at her lover with widened eyes. She didn't know how exactly he intended to do that, but it would probably be awful. “That-”
Theodore followed her and took her hands in his to keep her from moving away. “Won't be a problem. I promised you that I wouldn't do anything that endangers my reign, didn't I? You are more important than everything else, but right now, I'm very confident that I won't have to suffer political disadvantages because of that either. I refuse to bow down to the will of a foolish, unknowing duke that has no idea to whom he is even offering his loyalty. I did that for long enough and regret not taking your side more than anything else in my whole life. You could say that I need to ruin some things to make a new beginning now. Please give me a chance to make up for that by showing everyone that I care about you more than about the rest of the world.” He moved her hands to his face and pressed his lips pressed onto her skin. “Please trust me.”
Blanche's heart ached at that. Her mind and her feelings were telling her different things. On the one hand, her lover's words made her want to give in and hug him. He sounded too vulnerable for her to deny him anything, and he did seem confident that he could do this. But then again, his intentions were horribly dangerous. What if he ruined everything with this? “Theo, are you sure? I don't want you to do something you might regret later.”
“I won't.” He took a step closer to her and gently pressed his lips on her forehead. “I could never regret putting you above everything else. So, please let me show everyone how much I love you. I refuse to let them view you as someone that is only here temporarily. I want to be sure that they'll remember that they can't disrespect you without feeling my wrath in return.” He met her gaze with certainty in his eyes. He was determined, and his body language mirrored this as well. “You feel like I am a very competent ruler, right? And you know that I won't leave the throne to my brother unless there is no other way for me to be happy with you. Trust in my judgment. This banquet will be awful, but afterward, some things will be much easier. I have one sentence that I need to say to make Duke Duremont snap and one to make him calm down again. My plan is flawless. So, please...” He lifted one of his hands to her cheek and waited for her response.
Blanche averted her eyes and took a deep breath. She would regret this as soon as Henry's murderous glare was directed at her. “Alright.” She looked into her lover's eyes and pouted at him. “If they are angry at me, you have to be the one to take that upon you. I don't want that man to glare at me. He is intimidating.”
Theodore's lips formed a soft smile as he pulled his lover into his arms. “Thank you. You won't regret it. I won't let him do anything. If he does as much as look at you strangely, I'll ask him to stop being disrespectful.” That would definitely make Duke Duremont furious. Hopefully, Henry would hold himself back.
Blanche sighed and cuddled herself into her lover. “You really make me deal with tough choices. You better take responsibility for that.”
The emperor grinned down at her. “I intended to take full responsibility. From the start to the finish, everything will revolve around you.”
The concubine pressed herself closed against his chest. “That sounds awful.” She hated being watched by people that looked down on her.
“Why? You are the most wonderful woman in this world. I want everyone to know that I won't accept any complaints about me worshiping you.” Theodore pressed another kiss onto her nose and spun around while pulling her with him.
Blanche was forced to take a step back so that she could waltz with him through the room. She couldn't help but mirror his smile, even though the only thing on her mind was how horrible the banquet would be.
Her lover walked a few more steps with her before stopping and beaming at her. “I would like to show you how much I love you now, but I don't think that we have time for that anymore. You still need to ask your maid to put some more powder on you. I might have wiped away a bit of the make-up.”
Blanche sighed when she saw his powdered fingertips. “Hopefully, I didn't stain your clothes.” Only now, she looked at her lover's uniform and froze. This wasn't one that he usually wore. The main color of this attire was white with only a few gold and blue ornaments, which was a stark difference from the navy uniforms in which he often showed up. Thus, the red sash was the most striking thing about his outfit. Which meant that his clothes would match his concubine's. “Theo, did you choose that just because of my dress?”
His grin widened. “Of course. I told you that I wanted to prove that I am on your side, right? I needed to show that through my clothes too.”
Blanche furrowed her brows at that. The Duremonts would definitely pay attention to details like this. Hopefully, no one would be too furious. “If they get angry-”
Theodore interrupted her with a quick kiss. “I know. I'll take care of that. Trust me.” He led her to the stool in front of her dresser. “I'll make sure that everything goes well.” He leaned down to nibble on her ear but pulled back before she could even squirm. He turned to Stella as if nothing had happened. “It's my fault that it smeared. Please put on some powder on her again.”
The maid immediately hurried to her mistress' side and did what the emperor said. She finished this way quicker than before and stepped away again after that.
Theodore didn't waste a second before pulling his lover up again and guided her to the door. “Are you finished then? We should be there as early as possible so that they at least can't complain about us being late.”
Blanche glanced at the mirror one last time and pressed her lips into a thin line upon seeing how flashy her attire was. Well, at least she wasn't wearing a tiara. “I'm ready.”
The emperor gave her a radiant smile and opened the door for her. “Then let's put on a show for them.” He extended his arm towards her, and she interlocked her arm with his.
The couple walked through the corridors, and it felt like everyone was staring again. Seemingly, their matching attires made them even more interesting than normal. Blanche almost cowered under all the gazes. Walking side by side with the emperor caused her to feel out of place, but she gave her best to look somewhat confident. They climbed down the stairs and approached the dining room from the main entrance.
The doors were closed, which made it seem like the Duremonts were already there. The concubine took a deep breath as her gaze met Seraphina's.
The empress waited by the door and scanned the couple with skepticism. She kept her head upright and didn't seem to be affected by her husband escorting another woman at all. But it was obvious that she had noticed their outfits and didn't think too highly of that. For a moment, it seemed like she would refuse to turn her head and settle for ignoring the emperor, but of course, she didn't do that. She faced the couple and made eye contact with Theodore while waiting for him to address her.
The emperor didn't let go of his lover's arm, even when she tried to pull her hand away, and only stopped right in front of his wife. “Good evening. You didn't wait long, did you? I ruined Blanche's powder, so we had to put on some more. I didn't hold back in time, so I'm the one to blame for that.”
The concubine cringed at him using their cuddling as a reason for coming later, even though that had definitely been their fault for starting a few minutes after they should have.
Seraphina's expression didn't budge though. “That is unfortunate. But you did not arrive too late, so it is fine. Good evening. To you too, Lady Blanche.”
The concubine bowed her head after an attempt to curtsy was stopped by her lover. “Good evening, Your Majesty.” She didn't know what else she should say while she was clinging to that woman's husband. “How are you?”
That was a horrible greeting, but Seraphina replied calmly. “I am doing well. There have not been any issues lately.” Except maybe her husband, who was probably her main problem right now. But of course, she didn't say that.
After that, everyone was silent.
Blanche eyed the empress and noted that the other woman's attire was way more reserved than hers with dismay. She would probably seem like she was trying to pull all attention away from Seraphina again. In addition, the empress was wearing blue, so it was quite obvious that the emperor's attire matched better with his lover's than with his wife's. The concubine sighed inwardly and tried to move her arm out of Theodore's hold again.
He refused to let go for the next few seconds and only gave in when she almost used her whole weight to pull away. The emperor showed her a fake pout. “Why are you doing that? I wanted to-”
It was obvious that these words wouldn't please any of the women here, so Blanche quickly interrupted. “Yes. Anyway, we need to enter now. We barely managed to come in time. To not make our guest wait, we should go inside this instant.”
Theodore shrugged and turned to the door. “If you insist, we can do that.” He addressed one of the servants that were standing next to the entrance. “Announce our presence.”
The man nodded and entered the room to speak up in a booming voice. “His and Her Majesty, the emperor and the empress of Artias as well as Lady Blanche have arrived.”
The concubine had just positioned herself in front of the entrance to move inside faster, but her lover didn't allow her to do that in peace.
He linked their arms again even when she looked up at him in pure terror.
“Theo!”
He responded with a soft smile on his lips but didn't turn his head to her. “It's fine. You can trust me.”
The doors opened, and Blanche braced herself for the tragedy that would strike as soon as the guests would see them. But at the exact same moment that the people inside came into view, Theodore withdrew his arm so that the Duremonts had probably caught a glimpse of it but nothing more. The concubine relaxed before reminding herself that she needed to be tense the whole time now. She straightened her posture and waited for the royal couple to go inside so that she could follow them.
Unfortunately, her lover wasn't done troubling her. He refused to step forward, which also forced the empress to wait. The longer they just stood there and made eye contact with the people inside, the more Blanche's stomach tingled.
“Theo.”
The emperor turned to her. “Is something wrong?”
“Why aren't you going inside?”
Theodore gave her a soft smile. “I'm waiting for you to start.”
It felt like the concubine's heart just gave up at that point. A baroness was supposed to walk before members of the royal family? “Theodore, I swear to the gods-” Thankfully, she didn't even have to finish her threat.
“Alright, alright. I hate it when you get angry, so I'll make an exception. Let's go in.” With that, Theodore finally began moving, and Seraphina followed him.
Blanche tried to walk behind them but soon noted that her lover was slowing his pace until she was next to him. She didn't dare to pull more attention to that fact, so she just walked forward. She took care not to make eye contact with anyone and stared into the distance until they came to a halt in front of the table.