Even when the time passed and the sun began to set, the couple still cuddled under the covers and whispered love confessions of differing lengths to each other.

Blanche was content resting her head on Theodore's bare chest and drew circles into his skin with her index finger. Then something else came to her mind though. “You know... There are only twenty days left until your birthday. You still haven't told me what you want. I would like to surprise you, but getting a general idea might be good.”

Theodore massaged her scalp carefully while playing with a few strands of her hair. “I told you that I wanted all of you. That is more than enough of a present. But I'm glad that I am a bit ahead of you in that regard.”

The concubine lifted her head at that. She crossed her arms to support her chin so that she could look at her lover. The way that he smirked at her could only mean that he was teasing her again. “What do you mean? This isn't about a gift for our anniversary, is it?”

The corners of her lover's lips lifted. “Maybe. I think I found the perfect one. It's very fitting for such an important date. You'll be surprised for sure.”

“Great. This puts even more pressure on me. It seems like I will have to go to the capital to buy something soon.” She didn't have too much time left and had no idea what she should get, so looking around in a few stores might be good. She could definitely make a cake and perhaps sew something for him too. But she would like to have an item that she hadn't created herself as well.

However, it seemed like her lover wasn't too excited about that idea. Theodore's expression darkened as he furrowed his brows. “I don't know, Blanche. Going out now directly after two dangerous incidents is a bit too reckless for my liking. I mean, you certainly won't allow me to join you. And even if Owen comes with you and I sent Leon along with you as well, that will be risky. I would rather have you make me something instead if you insist on getting me a gift.”

A part of her agreed with him, but the other half wanted to argue back. So, Blanche opened her mouth as soon as he finished. “But how long are we going to stay inside then? It's unclear how long those two are going to be active. We can't keep locking ourselves in forever. We rarely go out anyway, but the few times that we do shouldn't be canceled. That would only prove that these attacks intimidated us. And we need to show that we won't let our enemies scare us, right?”

Her lover poked her cheek before stroking over her head when she pouted at him. “I know what you are trying to do. But I still feel like it's too dangerous. The last two attacks proved that you are their target, even though you shouldn't be it. So, I need to keep you safe under any circumstances.”

Blanche thought about giving up here, but she really wanted a good gift for Theodore. She would have to enter at least one store to get something for him. She could only attempt to convince him by giving logical arguments, even if she doubted that he would allow her to change his mind. “But the parts of the city that I would visit are safe, aren't they? The luxury stores are in the districts in which countless rich people live. There are a lot of knights there. And I can take countless royal guards with me, if that makes you feel better. I really do want to get a gift for you. How else will I show everyone how much I adore you? I need to present a gift in front of all the guests. How could I hand over something self-made when everyone else gives you expensive gems and jewelry?”

Theodore stroked his fingers over her forehead and wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. He pondered about her words for a while, which made her hold her breath. Would he truly reconsider? “I could allow you to go to one store. With at least forty guards and Owen and Leon. But that means that I will only let you go there for an hour, and then you have to leave and immediately come back. I choose the safest store and a fitting date to make sure that everything goes well.”

Blanche's face lit up, and she propped herself up to kiss the tip of his nose. “Thank you! I'll be as careful as you want me to be. There is no way that anything could go wrong.” She beamed at him despite his uncertain expression. Only after a few seconds passed, she began to think more and was a bit confused at him allowing her to go when he was obviously uncomfortable with it. “Say... Is there a specific reason why you just agreed?”

Theodore was silent for a moment before replying. “It seems like I have to meet the dowager empress and Cedar in a few days. They will come here and want to discuss with me. I am pretty sure that they would try to pressure me into bringing you to gain a bit of time with you. Cedar is still attempting to manipulate and use you against me after all. So, I want to keep you away as far as possible when they are here. This is why it might be good for you to leave while they visit. During that time, they can't really hurt you either, not when they never found out that you left since I keep them in a room with me. Besides, I don't want to make you feel like you are locked in here or that I am making decisions for you.”

Blanche took his hand in hers and put it against her cheek. She looked into her lover's eyes and smiled at him. “Don't worry about that. I never felt like you weren't giving me enough leeway. It was rather the other way around. And I am very thankful that you grant me a chance to avoid meeting those horrible people. This is a good way to both fulfill my wish to live without seeing them and my desire to buy something for you. I will leave all the planning to you. You have to send me to a store that offers multiple things though. I want to choose something myself without you knowing what it will be.”

To be honest, she was worried about having no clue what she could buy later and then not being able to find it in that store. But that was an unnecessary worry in comparison to what the emperor would have to deal with.

Blanche's smile disappeared as she watched his conflicted expression. “I will be extremely cautious and not move away from Owen's and Leon's side. They are great fighters, aren't they? I never saw Leon fight, but I know that you trust him, so I am convinced that he is exceptional, and Owen is great in any case. He has reflexes that shouldn't even be possible for a human. They will protect me without a doubt. The one that you should worry about is you. Be careful around your enemies. They aren't to be trusted and might plot something else right now. I don't want to come home and find you lying on the floor. So, pull yourself together and show them how strong we are. We won't back down! That's why I will go out and prove that they can't scare us into staying inside.” She gave her best to sound motivational, but she wasn't sure whether she had succeeded.

Theodore's expression didn't change for a few seconds until he suddenly gave her a radiant smile. “You're right. I'll make sure that you are safe even outside. The emperor's power isn't limited to the palace after all. I will prepare everything, so you don't have a single thing to worry about.”

Blanche mirrored his grin and allowed herself to lean on his chest again. “Thank you. But haven't you noticed that I never have to deal with anything myself? You will turn me into a spoiled brat if you continue like this.”

“I wouldn't mind that. What should be wrong with me indulging you? You deserve much more than a lifetime of luxury, but I can't use magic, so I will have to offer you everything while I still can. That's why you can ask for as much as you'd like, and I will still find a way to give you more than that.” Theodore wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss onto her head. “Be a bit patient, and everything you want will belong to you. I only need to get rid of some nosy insects first, and then we will finally be together without anyone standing between us.”

She didn't doubt that he was truly meaning everything he said. He always kept his promises and spoke with so much conviction that he had to be sure that he would succeed. And she prayed for that too.

A happy ending with her lover was all she needed.

----------------------------------------

It should have been obvious that Theodore would overdo it with the security measures on her trip to the capital. Blanche had caught glimpses of what he was planning occasionally and had expected that he would make sure that there was no risk left.

But when the concubine stood in front of the group of guards that would accompany her, she was still speechless. Her lover hadn't exaggerated when he had voiced that at least forty men would come. To be honest, it would be very safe like this. However, this was also awfully strange.

Usually, this many knights only went with the royal couple or other members of royalty, so everyone would assume that the lady they accompanied was part of the Estien family. Upon seeing that this wasn't the case and possibly recognizing the concubine, most people could start rumors that might flood the whole city.

Blanche could only stare at the guards, who were bowing to her for some reason, before turning to her lover. “I know that you want me to be safe...but-”

Theodore didn't let her finish. “Every single one of the people I gathered here will accompany you. I won't discuss that with you.”

Leonard next to them was less shocked but more annoyed. He scanned the troop in front of him and crossed his arms as he spoke to the emperor. “Are you sure that you didn't just intend to attract attention with this? You could have sent your-” He was silenced by Theodore with a small movement of his hand, which made Leon roll his eyes. “This is ridiculous. I mean, even a blind person will notice what you are doing at this point. Didn't you say that you wanted to go slow and ease them into it? What about this is inconspicuous?” He gestured to the knights and the carriage, which was the most flashy one Blanche had ever seen.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The coach was adorned by countless golden ornaments including a huge version of the royal crest that was fastened to both sides of the vehicle. It looked like these accessories were made out of pure gold, which shined brightly in the sun. Everyone would know where this carriage came from. It was painfully obvious that there was no way that anyone would forget that this vehicle housed someone from the royal palace that had the emperor's favor.

After blinking at it a few times, Blanche pointed at the carriage. “Are you sure that this is the most practical solution? Shouldn't I try to be inconspicuous instead? This will attract attention, as Leon said. This means that more people that might have bad intentions will see us. So, it isn't a good idea to use this one, right? Isn't a carriage that is a bit more secure better?”

Theodore gave her a content smile as satisfaction radiated off his whole aura. “It will be the other way around. If people see that you are from the palace, they will fear attracting the royal family's hatred if they do something wrong. For once, the rumors about me being a tyrant might be pretty helpful. And believe me, this is the most secure carriage in Artias. The walls are enforced with four types of metal and hardwood. The windows aren't made from normal glass either, and there is another pair of doors inside that can cover the entrance completely. If you lock that from the inside, it can't be opened from the outside unless you have a special key, which happens to be in my possession. There is no way that anyone will get inside if you don't want them to. That's the carriage one of my ancestors used when he was fearing a revolt. He wanted to hide inside with food in an emergency. That is not my plan, but we can use this to our advantage anyway.”

Leon gazed at him with annoyance. “It didn't look this polished before though. You surely put some effort into this. Hopefully, someone will notice and make this up to you. How much did this cost?”

Theodore waved his hand around in the air. “Be quiet. We can use this carriage for the next decades. I'm sick of being attacked while sitting inside a coach. Anyway. You will have to leave soon, or you will witness how some extremely unpleasant guests arrive.” He turned to his lover and gave her a blinding smile. “I made sure to pick the most loyal and experienced fighters, so you can rest assured that no one will be able to breach their defense. In fact, I feel almost sorry for anyone that will try to stand in your way. Well, not really. After all, I don't have any sympathy for people that wish to hurt you, but you know what I meant to say.”

It seemed like he was giving his best to hide his concern despite all these security measures. He sounded happy and looked carefree at the first glance, but he couldn't fool his lover with that.

Blanche stepped closer to him and extended her arms to him. She didn't need to wait until Theodore hugged her and pulled her against him with so much force that it felt like he wouldn't let go of her anymore. She leaned her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat for a moment before lifting her head to make eye contact with him. “It will be fine. I trust your judgment. If you say that those men are the best, they have to be exceptional. There is no way that something will happen in the first place, but if it does, they will stop anyone. Think about your meeting with your esteemed guests and not about me.”

The emperor's face scrunched up at that. “I would like to run away and just let them wait here for a few hours, but I can't do that every time. It's frustrating, but I need to talk to them to find their weak spots. I hope it won't take too long.”

“You can call for me when you are done and they left. Until then, I will make sure to stay in my room. But let's pray that they will already be gone when I return.”

Her lover nodded weakly. “Please. I don't want them to sit around here for multiple hours. I expect that they wouldn't like that either, but to annoy me, they would do anything. Still, I worry less about me than about you.” He turned his head towards the men beside him. “Owen, you will sit in the carriage as well. Leon, you too. Both of you will-”

The secretary cut him off. “Yes, yes. We know. You were more than clear in your choice of words yesterday. And the day before yesterday. And the day prior to that. In fact, you reminded us of that ever since she's been here. I'm surprised that you still haven't scared her off with so much protectiveness.” Leonard glanced at the concubine and shrugged. “Please don't pay too much attention to his words. Usually, attacks on the royal carriages are fairly rare. There have only been about two in the past century. So, you shouldn't worry just because this person here tells you that it's dangerous over and over again.”

It was a bit dejecting to hear about those attacks since both had happened to Theodore. Her lover was truly the emperor that had lived the most dangerous life ever since the one that had built this carriage.

Blanche still forced herself to give Leon a smile before focusing back on Theodore. She stood up on her tiptoes and let her lover kiss her. When she returned to her original position, she grinned up at him. “Did you hear that? It will be fine. So, don't worry.”

The emperor unwillingly let go of her after planting one last kiss on her forehead. “I can't stop worrying when it comes to you. I'm sure that nothing will happen, but please be careful.”

Blanche nodded and stepped away to keep herself from embracing her lover as well. “I will. You have to keep your guard up as well. We'll see each other in a few hours.” Her lover waved to her while she climbed into the carriage along with Stella, Leon and Owen. She leaned against the window after that and waved until the coach left the royal estate.

Only then, the concubine leaned back and allowed herself to relax. It was the first time that she had gone outside the palace in a while and she probably wouldn't go again anytime soon, so she should enjoy this. But that was a bit hard when she saw guards every time that she looked out of the window.

Blanche couldn't help but grimace. “We will stick out like a sore thumb in the capital, won't we? Even among the richest families, no one has this many knights at their disposal, and the royal crest on the carriage doesn't hide anything at all. I thought our appearance was bad enough last time, but this is ridiculous.”

Leonard skimmed through a small notebook and flipped the pages while responding. “That is exactly what I said earlier. You will have to deal with a lot more than some people's interest as soon as we arrive. I can't understand what Theodore is...” He paused and looked up from the book. “Actually, I do understand what he intends to do. But there would be more subtle methods he could use in the beginning. I feel like he is a little too impatient.”

Blanche turned to him with curiosity. “What do you mean? Is he planning something?”

Leon closed the book at that and slipped it back into his pocket. He crossed his arms and gazed at her for a while before replying. “I'm surprised that it hasn't dawned upon you yet. I don't think that I can say anything, or Theodore will personally kill me, but it's nothing bad. For you two and everyone in the palace, it will be wonderful. He should just go a bit slower in my opinion. You'll notice when he informs you of his plot. Trust me.”

Blanche would have to lie if she said that she wasn't a bit annoyed at how everyone around her claimed to know what Theodore's goal was while she was as unknowing as ever. But if her lover wanted to reveal it to her later, it couldn't be helped. She put her hands on her lap and enjoyed the view outside.

They passed a wide field with barely any trees and a sea of yellow flowers in the background. The scenery was truly beautiful. Maybe Blanche could convince Theodore that they should visit a few new locations during their vacation. They might be able to go to the coast for one month and could spend the rest getting to know other places each year. For a moment, she asked herself whether thinking about the future like this was useful when there still were so many issues that they had to take care of first. But then she was pulled out of her thoughts by another guard that was passing by the window.

Blanche's face fell again, and she gave up on watching the scenery with a sigh. She leaned against the backrest and slouched her shoulders. “Those men must hate me for insisting on a trip now. All of them will just sit around on their horses for the whole day and wait in front of a store while staring at a shiny carriage. That sounds very boring.”

Owen was the one to respond in his typical emotionless voice. “The other option would be them training the entire day except for when they are patrolling the royal estate, where they already memorized each corner. I assume that they are rather thankful for being able to go out once in a while.”

“That's true too.”

Maybe the guards weren't angry then. But that would change as soon as they arrived in the capital and everyone stared at the huge entourage. Theodore had truly overdone it. Every single noble or citizen would assume that the emperor or the empress stepped out, only to be greeted by a mere concubine that no one really knew anything about.

Blanche hated it when people stared at her, so that would surely become a magical scene. She watched the men sitting on the bench across from her a moment before speaking up. “It feels weird to be accompanied by so many people. And I don't seem to fit into this carriage either. I should have insisted on getting a less fancy one.”

Leon let out a huff. “He wouldn't have cared. Like I said, this is going exactly as he planned. But I will have to warn you. If this much attention already bothers you, you will not like what will happen in the future.”

The concubine didn't like the sound of that at all. “If you aren't going to tell me what Theo's plans are, you shouldn't mention it at all. Worrying me like this is mean. I have no idea why I would get more attention because of something he-” She cut herself off when she remembered that there was one obvious thing that would make her the center of attention for years. “Ah. Did he tell you about that already? About our future...” She was hesitant to voice anything. If Leon didn't know yet, she didn't want to inform him like this.

But Leonard looked like he was well aware of what she was thinking. “About your children? Obviously, he told me. Theodore was very clear regarding what he wanted, and the thing about your heirs was one of the first goals he mentioned. I need to help him clear the path for that, so I need to know such things. I feel like I won't have to do anything if he continues to be so inconsiderate though. He'll just obliterate his enemies before I can even lift a finger.”

Blanche scanned his expression for a few seconds. She only dared to voice her thoughts when the secretary didn't show any signs of irritation even after a few seconds passed. “Aren't you... I mean, don't you dislike that decision?”

Leonard raised his eyebrows and gave her a questioning gaze. “Why would I? Everything about your children is a private matter between you and Theodore. It's none of my business. To me, it's only important that there is an heir so that the nation will have a ruler in the future. Who the parents are matters little.”

The concubine balled her fists in her lap. She averted her eyes and kept quiet for a moment before asking him again. “Even if that child is the descendant of a commoner? That might cause a lot of problems for them and everyone that backs them. Having an heir that is related to the Duremont family is much simpler in a political sense. Aren't you annoyed because Theo does something that will trouble you more in the future?” A few seconds of silence passed, and she slowly lifted her gaze to the person in front of her.

Leon looked at her with one of the most soothing smiles that she had ever seen on him. “I'm Theodore's loyal advisor. Ever since he offered this new life to me six years ago, I have been on his side ever since then with no exception. I will support whomever he may choose to support. Naturally, I will help his children whenever I can. Since I'm the head of my household, this means that the Astame family will back them too. I'm an illegitimate child and lived as a commoner for a long time too, so don't worry about me having a problem with your background. Besides, I don't think that you're an unpleasant person. I like you much more than I like the empress.” His smile widened a bit. “So, I would be happy to help in the future. But you can't keep asking people whether they agree with this decision. You have to show them that this choice was made and is irreversible. The emperor is on your side and everyone else in the palace is too. Have a bit more confidence.”

Blanche could only blink at that. The sudden hint of Leonard's past surprised her a lot, but that wasn't even all. It sounded so easy when Theodore and Leon spoke about the matters of their future. And if one of the most influential marquesses in this nation had been an illegitimate child, shouldn't it be fine to allow some further change? But could she really just expect everyone to accept a ruler that didn't have pure noble blood?

Still, Blanche felt a warm sensation spreading in her chest when she heard those words. She wasn't alone. That didn't mean that there would be no problems, but she wouldn't end up being deserted by everyone like the villainess in “To Be Empress”.

Because she had changed the storyline and would continue on this new path.

A beam spread on her face as she held her hand to her heart. “Thank you, Leon.”

The secretary mirrored her smile. “It is an honor to me.”