“Blanche!” Theodore stormed into the center of the maze as his eyes darted around. When he found his lover, he relaxed for one moment before his expression became cold. He walked over to Blanche, who stared at him in confusion, and took off his cape while moving. He stopped in front of his concubine and wrapped the soft fabric around her shoulders. “What are you doing outside without a coat? It's the beginning of autumn, so it rains a lot. It can get cool quickly, so you should always bring something you can put on when you start freezing. Let's get you inside before you catch a cold.”

Blanche could only blink at his blatant disrespect towards the empress. He couldn't just ignore Seraphina without saying a single word to her. “I'm fine. It's quite warm, and I only went out for a few minutes. You don't need to give me-”

He didn't even let her finish before already carefully pulling her hair out from below the cape and straightening the fabric over her shoulders. She knew that her complaints wouldn't make him change his mind, so she just hugged herself with the cape and enjoyed how it shielded her arms from the cool breeze. This didn't change the situation though. Her lover still hadn't addressed the heroine, and the fact that he was looking at Blanche and caressing her cheek made it seem like he had no intention of doing something about that. How petty.

The concubine held back a sigh and glanced over at Seraphina a few times in hopes of getting him to speak to her.

Theodore ignored that for a few seconds before turning his head to his wife. “What were you doing here with Blanche?” That wasn't respectful either.

The concubine could barely keep herself from burying her face in her lover's chest and needed to focus on hiding her grimace.

The empress narrowed her eyes and glared at the emperor for a moment, but the rest of her expression remained aloof. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty. Lady Blanche and I were taking a walk through the labyrinth and rested here. We had a friendly discussion about some different matters.”

Theodore turned to his lover as if he wanted her to confirm it. Did he trust the heroine so little?

Blanche didn't even know how she was supposed to respond to this. Would speaking now make it seem like she was correcting the empress? But she also couldn't ignore the emperor's inquiry and force all of them to keep silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. Changing the topic might once again be the best option. “Her Majesty said everything there is to say. Why are you here? Are you finished in the office?”

Theodore scanned his lover's expression before gazing at Seraphina from the corner of his eyes. “I finished all my work, and when I came back, you were gone. I was a bit worried about that. Especially since none of the servants and guards knew where you were and could only tell me which way you took. I did say that you could go wherever you want to, but it would be nice of you to inform one of the knights by the door if I do not know about your plans. Just so that I know that you went out with Owen.”

Now Blanche felt a bit bad for scaring him. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stay away for so long. I thought I would be back in five minutes.”

“It's fine. Like I said, just tell one person so that they can give the information to me. We should still go inside now though. I don't want you to get sick after you just recovered from the poison.” Theodore put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes before gently pulling her to him. As soon as she had stepped forwards, he took her hand in his and led her to the rose arch. “We need to leave now. Have a nice evening.” He didn't even wait for a response from the heroine before rushing out of the center.

Blanche barely managed to turn her head and speak up before she disappeared behind a hedge. “Goodbye, Your Majesty! Please have an enjoyable day.” After that, she could just struggle to follow her lover, who was almost running away while gripping her tightly. She did her best for a while, but as soon as they began rounding corners, she couldn't keep up with him anymore and almost fell. “Theo, please go a bit slower. I'm not that fast.”

Instantly, the emperor's steps slowed. He looked over his shoulder and met her gaze with a strange expression that she couldn't identify. “I'm sorry. But I want to get out of here as quickly as possible. I hate this place.”

Blanche was taken aback by that. Her lover had never mentioned anything like this, so this was news to her. Hadn't he never minded it in the novel either? But his face made it very obvious that he truly despised being here, so she increased her speed. “It's alright. We'll be out soon. I'll hurry. I just can't run as quickly as you.” She squeezed his hand and let him guide her through the labyrinth.

They were outside faster than she could have imagined. Instead of slowing down, Theodore continued at his hurried pace though. He didn't even seem to be satisfied when they passed the empress' maids, who were cowering by the entrance of the maze.

The concubine almost wanted to ask what had happened to them, but she had no time.

The emperor just continued to lead her away from the labyrinth and to the building. But even then, he wasn't ready to stop. He brought his lover all the way up to the third floor and into his room before slamming the door shut. Only then did he let go of her hand to pull her into his arms instead. He pressed his nose into her hair, and his fingers dug into the fabric of his cape, which was still covering her body.

Blanche was completely irritated at that, but her need to calm him down was greater than her desire to ask what happened. “Theo, I'm here. We're back in your room. Everything is fine. I'm not hurt.”

Her lover began mumbling to himself, and she only understood him because he was directly next to her ear. “Yes. You're not hurt. Because that won't happen. I won't let her hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you.”

She began stroking over his hair and slowly pushed him back, one step after the other. She barely saw anything behind him but the way that he bowed allowed her to see the sofa from the corner of her eyes. So, she managed to bring him there.

Theodore quickly understood and plopped down without letting go of her. She fell onto him, but he didn't act like he was affected by that and just kept holding onto her.

Blanche shuffled around a bit in hopes of sitting on his lap in a way that didn't cut off his blood flow and just buried her face in his neck. She pressed a few kisses onto his skin, which only made him grasp her tighter. She gave him a few minutes before lifting her head to look at him.

Theodore looked tired. His rage from before was gone and only left behind exhaustion as he clung to her like she was the only anchor keeping him grounded.

“Theo...” She gently cupped his chin and brought her face in front of his. “What happened? Tell me so that I can make it better. Did those two do something?”

Her lover weakly shook his head. When he spoke up, even his voice sounded tired. “No. This is about you. You need to promise me something.”

The concubine nodded before even hearing what he would say. “I promise. What is it?”

Slowly, the emperor's expression changed. His anger flared back up, and at the same time, worry appeared on his features. “Don't ever be alone with that woman. Please. Owen has to be with you when she is anywhere near you.” He was too desperate to make her think that this could be only about him disliking Seraphina.

It felt like an ice pick stabbing her heart to see him like this. Blanche was about to agree before even inquiring a reason but restrained herself at the last moment. “Owen is always with me anyway. You ordered him to do that, remember? So, it will be fine.”

“No.” Theodore shook his head while staring at her with wide eyes. “No, it's not. He can't ever leave the room when she is there. I won't take the risk no matter how small it is.”

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The concubine didn't understand anything at this point anymore. “What risk? Are you referring to the empress? Why would she hurt me?”

Her lover's finger gripped the fabric of her dress tighter. “Because she's dangerous. She'd do anything for power as long as she believes to be in the right. She's a horrible person. Manipulative. Will hurt anyone around her if she thinks it will gain her an advantage. You know that.”

That didn't sound like anything Blanche knew. It couldn't be true.

After all, the empress was the heroine. The heroine was always good. The novel confirmed that. The story had been told through her eyes, and her thoughts were what had narrated the events. Seraphina wasn't a cruel and selfish person. The empress only wanted to protect the nation and didn't mind becoming hostile if someone endangered the well-being of Artias' citizens. But aside from that, she also wasn't a person that would hurt others. Since the heroine had been lenient with the concubine for so long despite the countless incidents, it was obvious that she wasn't only not cruel but also generous to an extent. Like when she had asked for Kate to be sent into exile instead of being executed in the book.

Neither in the novel nor in reality, had Theodore ever voiced that he thought of his wife this badly. Distrust was one thing, but he was supposed to have fallen in love with her, so this attitude didn't make any sense.

Blanche was rendered speechless by that. She stammered a bit before giving up and just staring at her lover. Hadn't Theodore always found Seraphina's intelligence and her clever and composed way of dealing with their allies and enemies admirable? Calling the empress manipulative now contradicted that. That was strange.

Such a big difference meant that the concubine's meddling had changed their relationship so drastically that them getting along was impossible now. Blanche was worried about that. If the royal couple fought, the emperor would pay the consequence because the Duremonts would be against him in the future. So, she should be way more scared.

But in reality, her emotions were conflicted.

If the main characters disliked each other, there was no way that the contents of the novel would repeat in the future without the concubine having time to interfere. In fact, she was sure that the book's topics were way less of an issue than the separate problems by now. Maybe she didn't have to worry about the original storyline at all anymore. After all, her lover wasn't interested in the heroine, and many of the events had changed so much that she couldn't even recognize their original version in the book anymore.

The dowager empress and the second prince were here now despite not having physically appeared in the book, which made their followers act more brazen. And Blanche was closer to Theodore now so that he treated her much more affectionately in public than he had ever done before. He wouldn't hesitate to get into a fight with the Duremonts to protect her now. So, she would have to focus on preventing problems and solving the ones that already exited because of that instead of dwelling on thoughts of the original ending. She could try to use the novel's knowledge to help her in her endeavors, but she wouldn't need to fear becoming the villainess anymore. That possibility was already eliminated with how Theodore acted around her.

Which meant that it was time to deal with this world independently of the novel. Unknowingly, the concubine had done so already, but now she was truly sure about her decision.

Theodore stared at her while she was lost in thoughts and didn't force her to hurry at any point. He waited patiently but refused to let go of her. He was still holding her close when she returned to the present.

Blanche sat up and gently pressed her lips onto his. It felt like he melted under her kiss just like she always did when he kissed her. His muscles slowly relaxed as she took her time stroking over his head while making sure that he understood that she was right here with him. When she eventually pulled away, she leaned her forehead onto his and rested for a moment before speaking. “I don't know why you believe that the empress is that kind of person, and I never felt like she was hostile towards me in a way that I didn't deserve.” Except for when Seraphina had sent her away from the tea party. And when the empress had thrown her out of the room in the summer residence. And maybe during a few other occasions too. “I'm confused why you are so certain about this. But if you ask me to be careful, I will be cautious. I won't let Owen leave my side when she is in the room.” Staying safe couldn't hurt.

Theodore pressed his lips into a thin line and only nodded before closing his eyes and resting his face in the crook of her neck. His warm breath wandered over her skin while she continued to play with his hair and brushed her fingertips across his scalp. Hopefully, he would like this as much as she always did.

Blanche left him as much time as he needed to calm down and remained unmoving even when she felt like she might make her lover's legs numb. When he began to breathe slower and loosened his hold on her, she waited until he lifted his head to look at her and gave him a little smile. “Is everything better now?”

The emperor nodded slowly, but his face told her something else. When he spoke up, he was less shaky than before but still somewhat tense. “What did she say to you?” It wasn't surprising that he wanted to know this if he doubted that Seraphina had good intentions.

Most likely, mentioning that the last part of the conversation had been a warning wouldn't serve to calm him down, so Blanche should leave that out. “We talked about the banquet. The empress wasn't happy, but she didn't blame me or get angry. Then she asked me whether I knew what you were planning and explained that you were trying to protect me. She also said that she would support our children later and that I should do my best to gain followers for them so that they will have the political backing not to endanger their reign. She proposed getting Duke Lamont's favor and getting closer to her family so that they would help too. It seems like she isn't too content with all of this, but as long as the nation is well and she doesn't lose power or is disrespected by us, she will back our child.”

Theodore narrowed his eyes at that, and his forehead was covered in wrinkles. “Of course, she would do whatever benefits her more. She wants her family to stay powerful, so she proposed that you should cling to them. You can forget everything she told you. It's obvious that she wouldn't be treated nicely if she opposed our children, so she will never attempt to do that. It doesn't matter whether nobles support an emperor or not. The aristocrats tell themselves that it does and that they could work together to cause someone to lose the crown if they wanted to, but that is not true. Our constitution was written by men who never wished to give up power and only wanted to pretend that others could influence them to calm the nobles down. That means that all the laws of Artias are made to advantage the ruler. For example, the paragraph about being able to dismiss the ministers easily. The most powerful law is the one that legalizes all crimes for the emperor if they are done to protect the nation. But since the ruler is the one who has the choice whether something is required to help Artias, this allows me to do anything I want.”

That sounded quite dangerous. Blanche would even say that this was too risky since a future ruler might exploit all of this, but she didn't speak up.

Theodore shook his head and showed her a dejected expression. “The only reason I struggle with all of my enemies is that I don't want to use this way to become a tyrant. Still, there is no way that any noble household's favor or dislike changes anything for our children. The only threat comes from the other members of the royal family. I can't get rid of them without making others believe that I am a bloodthirsty murderer and would just risk their supporters hiding, so I need to find another way to deal with them. That is the only threat to us, and even they cannot do whatever they want without consequences. Remember that. No one here can hurt us and any children that we will have later.” While he finished, conviction appeared on his features. It seemed like he was certain about everything he was saying.

But Blanche couldn't help but be skeptical. She couldn't imagine all of this being so easy. After all, they had struggled to hide their relationship for so long to please Duke Duremont. If Theodore had always thought like this, they wouldn't have had to do that. So, it seemed like her lover had changed his mind in that regard. What made him so sure that he could ignore the warnings of the second most influential family in Artias? “I am aware that you know more about politics than I do.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her face closer to his. “But I can't imagine all of this working out so easily. We had issues with the aristocrats' acceptance for two years now. Those can't disappear just like that.”

The emperor put his hand onto her cheek and waited until she tilted her head to nuzzle against him before stroking his thumb across her skin. “They didn't disappear. They were never there. I only understood recently, and I can't tell you how much I regret not waking up sooner. I'm sorry for not opening my eyes and not daring to venture a bit farther to understand that I don't have to listen to anyone telling me that I have to. From now on, I won't give in anymore. My stance on the things that are important to me won't budge anymore. I love you. You are the only woman I ever wanted and loved and the only one I will ever hold close. So, you will be by my side and no one else. It might take a little while until I can make sure that that happens, but I refuse to back down. For that, I will do anything. If I need to make the empress hate me more than she could ever have hated you, I will do so gladly. I won't settle for anything less than everyone understanding that you are the one in my heart. I won't let anyone hurt you. ”

Blanche couldn't help but be filled with bliss upon hearing those words. But at the same time, she knew how bittersweet all of this was. Even if her lover wanted to be with her alone, not everyone would accept that. In the end, she would never be able to stand next to him at the same level. She would have to fall behind to let him appear with his wife and be content with that.

And she was content.

She was fine with just being with him without anything else. But whenever someone mentioned a marriage, her heart stung.

“I love you too, Theo. More than anything. But if you let me stay by your side and keep saying things like that, I will get too greedy. I can't demand anything but your affection, and I won't do that. Just the fact that we might be able to have children of which one could be the royal heir and that you don't have to...” That he didn't have to sleep with Seraphina to make sure that an heir existed. “That makes me happier than you can imagine.” Blanche hadn't said much, but it was already enough to make Theodore understand.

“That can't be true. I know what pure happiness means. After all, I am the most blessed person in this world to have gained another chance to be with you. Because I survived something that should have killed me. Even though I was blind for so long, that injury saved me.” He brushed his fingers over the part of his shoulder, where the cut from the first assassination attempt this year should be.

Blanche put her hand onto his quickly in an attempt to console him a little. It wasn't needed at all.

Theodore paused for a moment before continuing with a slight smile. “No, that's not true. It made me wake up. But the person that saved me was you. So, believe me when I say that I am happy. Whenever I see you, I am filled with so much euphoria that I feel like I will start crying. You're perfect. I don't deserve to be with you, but I'm too selfish to give you up. I will never let you go. In return, I will offer all of me to you. My love, my affection, my very being. Be as greedy as you want, I will satisfy every single one of your desires. I will hand the world over to you if that is what you wish for. Because I want everything that you want too. I want to have children with you and see them grow up peacefully. I will give one of them the crown when I am sure that the nation is wonderful enough for them to take over. And I would never...” His expression darkened as he stared deep into her eyes with a sparkle of determination in his eyes. “Never want someone else besides me. From the very beginning, there was no other way except for you to become the mother of my children. Because I will only touch you. Anything else would not be possible without them drugging me. After all, my desire will only ever belong to you.”

There he went again and kept her from showering him with the same amount of beautiful words. As soon as he started to tell her all of those stunning things, she wanted to return them, but he never let her. It wasn't like she would be able to be as poetic as him anyway. To her, showing her emotions was easier.

Blanche tilted his head back and put her lips upon his while tangling her fingers into his hair. This time, they weren't as gentle and soft as before but driven by passion. It didn't take long for Theodore to pick her up and bring her to the bed, where they got lost in their love for each other.