At the moment that Blanche's gaze met the blacksmith's, her stomach began to churn. There was a feeling of familiarity that she couldn't deny. She knew that man, but for a second, she wasn't sure from where. Her memories were vague, and she only remembered bits and pieces of his face. Hadn't his hair been brown before? It was grayish now. She remembered seeing him talk to someone in a store once.
Right, this man had been a blacksmith for a long time. Her father had visited him occasionally so that the men could trade. This person was an acquaintance of her family. Why was he here?
Panic rose inside her.
This man couldn't recognize her under any circumstance. If he knew who she was, he could tell others about her background. He could ruin everything with a few words.
Before Blanche could help herself, she stumbled a step back. A lot of time had passed since he had seen her. He wouldn't be able to identify her, right? As long as she acted normal and got out of here quickly, it would be fine.
But her heart didn't share that opinion. It insisted on beating so quickly that all she could hear was the blood rushing through her veins. It would be alright. She told herself over and over again, but that thought quickly died down.
The blacksmith was staring at her too. His eyes were wide as he looked at her with utter shock. “Blanche?” His voice was uncertain while he spoke like he couldn't believe this himself. “We thought you were...” Dead. Everyone had to believe that she had died alongside her family.
But she wasn't dead yet. She was alive and needed to fight for her future so that she could become happy. So, she could never allow anyone to learn about her past no matter what. That reality came crashing down on her. She had to get out now, or he might tell them about knowing who she really was.
“Pardon me, but I don't think we met before. I have no idea who you are.” It was a miracle that Blanche managed to tell him that, but that was all she could do. Her legs were shaky, so she almost tripped as she took another step back. But she didn't, so she spun around and walked out of the room as quickly as she could without making it seem like she was running.
This was a stupid idea. She should have continued to pretend not to know him and moved on. Now everyone would realize that there was something wrong with her. She was so stupid. But she couldn't stop herself anymore.
The thought of Theodore finding out about her lying about her past gave her enough energy to move forward, even though her whole body was shaking. She was hot and cold at the same time. She hugged herself as she hurried through the hallway leading back to the main room. This was horrible.
What now? What if Leon asked the man why he had known her name? What if everything got revealed now? Would she be executed again? She couldn't do anything but stare straight ahead. She just wanted to leave this store. But she didn't get that far.
An arm was wrapped around her waist for long enough to make her stop before that person loosened their hold and turned her around. Owen was inspecting her expression with seriousness and kept her still with a gentle hold on her shoulders. “Lady Blanche, are you alright? Are you in pain, or did something scare you?”
The concubine could barely respond. “No...” She was so scared that she couldn't even cry. Blanche's eyes darted across her surroundings to see whether anyone else was watching them as horrible visions from the future appeared in her mind. If someone found out about her being saved by Sefare, she would lose everything. Theodore's trust. The way that he looked at her with nothing but love in his eyes. The right to see his vulnerable side. Everything. All of that could be gone because of a few words. “No...” He would look at her with hatred again. She didn't want that. She couldn't accept that. Until now, everything had been beautiful. Why was there a risk of everything being ruined now? “No, no, no.” She couldn't compose herself any longer. Her fingers gripped the fabric of Owen's uniform in an attempt to find something that would keep her anchored despite the awful scenes that were playing out in her head.
Owen moved his hands to her face and forced her to look into his eyes as he spoke with the most calming voice she had ever heard from him. “Everything is fine. You are not in any danger. Everyone here is there to protect you.”
Blanche had forgotten about the guards. Hopefully, they hadn't seen her panic. But right now, they were alone in the hallway, so maybe she was lucky. “I'm sorry. I just...” She was sorry for hiding her whole past and deceiving everyone around her and for troubling them with her behavior because they couldn't understand her. “I'm sorry.”
Stella suddenly chimed in. “Everything is alright, My Lady. We're here.” She took the concubine's hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. “Please calm down.”
Blanche didn't know whether the others' presence helped or whether her panic was finally setting down, but she really became calmer. Her disarray slowly faded into nothing but exhaustion and resignation as she stood there. She had done the worst thing imaginable. Now everyone would know that she reacted hectically when being confronted with her past. That was horrible. She needed an excuse. It wasn't a good idea, but she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “I'm sorry. I suddenly got nauseous for a moment. Maybe I should get some fresh air to-” She didn't even have to finish that sentence.
Footsteps sounded behind Owen, and Leonard's voice became audible. “How disrespectful. We can leave now. I'll place the order when I get His Majesty's permission. Even though I would like to visit a different store just because of this.” The secretary stopped next to them and looked at the concubine for a moment before silently handing her a handkerchief.
Owen let her go so that she could accept it.
Blanche didn't need any handkerchief, but she took it anyway. Her hands were still shaking slightly, but aside from that, she might be able to seem somewhat neutral if she gave her best. So, Blanche tried to keep her expression unreadable and nodded. “That's a good idea. I'd like some fresh air. Or no, I want to sit down. Let's go.” She just wanted to leave as soon as possible and never come here again.
Thankfully, Leon steered towards the entrance and ignored the vendors asking them if they still wanted some tea.
The concubine stayed directly behind him in hopes of being shielded from some gazes so that the knights wouldn't see that she had lost her composure just now. The panic had only been there for a minute, but she was sure that her face was still red just because of that. So, she lowered her head while walking to the carriage and climbed inside with the secretary's help. She was glad that they had left quickly so that she hadn't been forced to face that blacksmith. Still, she couldn't help but be nervous when she sat in the carriage and had to tremble while waiting for what the others would say. What if they had already understood that she was scared of people knowing her? That would have awful consequences.
Blanche slowly lifted her head and tried to read the other's expressions.
Stella was only concerned for her mistress' well-being while Owen showed the slightest hint of a frown. Both of them were less interested in what had caused her outbreak but rather in the fact that she was feeling unwell. Leon just looked extremely annoyed, which made the concubine feel a pang of guilt.
Blanche barely dared to speak up, but she did so anyway. “I'm sorry for running away so suddenly and making you leave the store so soon. I just felt dizzy and-”
The secretary rested his elbow on the backrest and leaned his head against his palm without changing his expression. “No, that was justified. Like I said, we shouldn't even buy anything there anymore. But right now, the owner wanted to apologize so badly that he will probably give us a hefty discount. The choice is yours.”
The concubine blinked at him a few times. “What? What do you mean? Why was that justified?” It wasn't normal to storm out just because someone recognized you. At least she was rather sure that this wasn't the case. Her excuse of randomly getting nauseous couldn't be blamed on the store either.
Leonard crossed his legs and stared out of the window as he replied in a tone that made it seem like he truly believed in what he said. “Obviously, you shouldn't accept people disrespecting you. Just because they can identify the emperor's lover because of rumors, that doesn't mean that they can call you by your first name and disregard your title. His Majesty told you not to bother with people like that, so you did the right thing. I scolded them for a bit and mentioned that His Majesty won't be too happy about people continuing to disrespect his beloved, and their tone quickly became apologetic. I think we can rely on them lowering the price by at least a third, so it should be fine to use that unless you choose not to.”
Blanche couldn't describe how relieved she felt at that. She didn't know how she could have been lucky enough for them to interpret her reaction like this, but she was more than grateful. Hopefully, the blacksmith wouldn't be punished just for addressing her, but her past being revealed would have been way worse. She could only pray that he would be convinced that she was the wrong person now.
A smile spread across the concubine's lips. “Thank you, Leon.”
The secretary hinted a grin as well. “There is no need to thank me. You are our emperor's treasure, so you will obviously receive the respect that you deserve. You should remember this. Theodore trusts you. The present is what matters and not-” He interrupted himself, and his gaze wandered to the side as he looked outside the window. Immediately, his face scrunched up, and he turned away again. “What does he want?”
Blanche leaned forward and spotted Allen outside. She wasn't happy about his presence either, but ignoring the future Duke of Duremont was a horrible idea. She eyed Leon for a moment. “You didn't really just intend to ignore him, right?” The secretary shrugged, which made the concubine act instead. “Owen, would you please open the door?”
The knight did as she had asked while she hoped that her face didn't reveal how worried she had been just a moment ago.
Blanche made eye contact with the man outside and gave her best to show a smile that was supposed to cover her uncertainty. “Lord Duremont, what brings you here?”
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Allen stepped closer to the carriage so that he could look inside. He met Leonard's stare for a few seconds before turning to the concubine. “I apologize for intruding. I just wished to ask whether everything was alright. Since I was in the store as well, I happened to catch a glimpse of that incident just now. I overheard that this is about what His Majesty told you to do, but you still seemed to be a bit...startled by that man.”
Blanche was completely irritated at that statement and gazed at the secretary.
Leon fanned some air to his face without allowing his annoyed expression to soften. “It appears that Lord Duremont coincidentally heard a bit of my conversation with the owner and that blacksmith. I explained that His Majesty told you not to interact with people who refuse to show you respect since that is why you turned around and left. The blacksmith apologized for his inconsiderate words, but that doesn't make up for the fact that he made a mistake. He did not do it on purpose, so we are not too angry, but Lady Blanche certainly did not need to discuss with him personally.”
The concubine couldn't help but smile at that. Leon was lying to cover for her strange reaction. How lucky she was. But the other party wasn't as happy about this statement.
Allen's expression became more frustrated. “Perhaps, I coincidentally overheard everything because the conversation took place two steps in front of me. It was impossible not to listen, especially when Lord Astame showed how serious he was about that topic.”
The two of them glared at each other for a moment, which made Blanche's smile fade. She rolled her eyes. Apparently, both men were very unforgiving when it came to criticism about their loyalty to the emperor or the empress. Normally, they were rather aloof but polite in public, however, as soon as the people they had sworn to protect were attacked, they would get resentful and drop all niceties.
But Blanche didn't plan to listen to them arguing with underhanded comments, so she hurried to intervene. “Thank you for your concern, Lord Duremont. But there is no need to worry. I am really fine. I was a bit taken aback upon being addressed so suddenly since I didn't believe that commoners would recognize me.”
Allen leaned back a bit and scanned the outside of the carriage. He let his gaze roam across the guards outside before looking at her again with a raised eyebrow. “I am not sure what you expected while coming outside with so many knights and a coach that is this...flashy. You aren't Her Majesty and surely not His Majesty either. Neither of them would go to a store in the capital to buy something. There aren't many other women that are allowed to spend this much money in luxury stores and require this much protection and live in the palace. So, your identity is quite obvious.”
She couldn't even deny that. He was right.
But that didn't mean that Blanche's previous statement was completely wrong either. “Well, sure. But normally, I am only addressed as ‘dear customer’ or ‘young lady’. I assumed that the merchants here don't use any titles and speak to everyone like this. Being called by my name surprised me.”
Allen was silent for a moment before responding. “That is understandable. It's unusual that people disregard the noble standards this much, even if they are commoners themselves. In any case, it must be unpleasant for you to have met such disrespectful people.”
Blanche didn't want to create more trouble for the blacksmith, so she made a rejecting movement with her hand. “No, it's fine. I am not mad in the slightest. He didn't do it to disrespect me in any way. Commoners aren't used to the strange norms we abide by. It seems quite stuffy from the outside.” She finished before realizing that she couldn't speak about this matter like she had experienced it herself. So, she quickly added another bit. “I suppose.”
Allen nodded and stayed silent after that. Was that it? He had inquired her about what he had come here for and shouldn't have any desire to speak with them more. This made it seem like the conversation was over, but he didn't leave.
It took a few uncomfortable seconds before Leon spoke up. “Is there something else, Lord Duremont? I fear that we have to hurry to reach the palace in time.”
That lie was so obvious that Allen gave him an annoyed look before turning to Blanche. “Yes, there is. Currently, the security measures within the royal estate are significantly increased, right? That means that it will be unpleasant for His Majesty to send you out over and over again with so many guards.”
That was a fact that the concubine couldn't deny. “I mean... I think so. That's why I don't go out much.” Not that she trusted Allen enough to tell him more than that.
He didn't give up though. “But you would have to go out to retrieve the gift when it is done, correct? Rather than forcing you or His Majesty's advisor, who is most likely busy with more important things, to do that, I could pick it up. I will order a present for His Majesty as well and will need to get it when it is done. I could retrieve yours too and bring it to the palace when I am visiting Her Majesty the next time.”
Blanche was taken aback by that. She certainly hadn't expected Allen to offer her help. Why would he suddenly do that when he had only felt resentment for the concubine of his sister's husband before? Trusting him with so valuable things felt like a bad idea. “I, uhm... Thank you. But that-” She didn't finish saying that this wasn't necessary.
Leon already replied. “Absolutely not. You may not be aware of what Lady Blanche has chosen, but there is no way that this item can be given to outsiders. Please forgive my outspokenness, but that is simply impossible.” He definitely hadn't declined because of that reason alone, but he was right. No one but royalty was allowed to own objects with the royal crest.
If Allen transported something like this, it was risky since he would need the documents allowing him to bring this to the palace first. Still, he didn't seem to mind that much. “It's a ring with the royal crest as a stamp, right? There is no issue with me bringing it to you as long as I don't decide to steal it, which I certainly won't do. It would be much easier like this and prevent you from having to travel to the capital two more times. The Duremont's mansion is closer to this district than the royal palace is, so it will be better for me to come here than for you to do it.”
Leon crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the other man. “You seem awfully insistent on helping despite us clearly stating that there is no need for you to take more work upon yourself. Would you care to explain why that is the case?”
Allen's face fell at that and revealed that he hadn't expected that question. “Well...” He averted his eyes and stared to the side for a few seconds. “Because of your security.” While he said that, he seemed like he was a bit uncertain, but after that, he turned his head to them and spoke with determination. “Going out at an unstable time like this is always a risk for anyone that is acquainted with the palace in some manner. So, you shouldn't leave the royal estate when it isn't necessary for you to do so. There have been two incidents in which your life has been threatened shortly after one another. You need to be careful in the future.” The longer he talked, the more obvious it became that he didn't speak to Leon but to the concubine.
Blanche was still confused by his sudden desire to help them and was now in a dilemma. Allen seemed like he really wanted to help, and it wasn't necessary to decline, so she could leave him that satisfaction. However, Leonard was strongly against it, and she trusted his judgment when he decided whether a piece of jewelry with the royal crest could cause issues. Plus, a part of her didn't trust Allen with jewelry. He might end up breaking it. But in the end, Blanche had no idea. She didn't feel like it would be good for her to make that choice. “I will definitely not be the person to pick this up anyway. Leon will go, so he should decide whether to accept your help.”
Allen seemed to relax at that, even though his chances of success now decreased enormously. He turned to the secretary, and the men stared at each other for a while.
The concubine almost expected that they would continue this until she intervened, but then Leonard spoke up. “I see. If Lord Duremont insists, we could make a contract allowing him to transport the ring from this store to the palace with no detours. Obviously, nothing, not even the slightest thing, could go wrong during that travel. Correct? If anything did happen, His Majesty's present would disappear, and that certainly wouldn't be favorable for the responsible one.” No matter how one put it, this was a threat. He was warning the other man about losing the item or doing anything else with it and that he wouldn't allow failure without consequences.
Allen's face conveyed his annoyance immediately. “Naturally, I do not intend on making an error when it comes to a gift for His Majesty. That should be obvious. After all, the Duremont family is his greatest ally no matter how he acts at the moment, so I am rather interested in him receiving his presents. You needn't worry. Especially since everyone will know who transported the item. My name would be ruined if something went wrong, so rest assured that I will only bring it from here to the palace. I promise on my family's name.”
Leonard averted his eyes. “I see. I and the others here will trust your words. Then you can do that. I will send you the document allowing you to pick it up after you send one with your signature explaining that you will hand the gift over without it having the slightest dent. Alright?”
“Yes. A letter with that contract will arrive tomorrow.” Allen still stood there with his hand leaning against the side of the door. He didn't budge even though that should be all he could plan on saying. He only spoke when Leonard cleared his throat. “Well. That is everything I wished to talk about. I know that the situation right now is tense, with His Majesty being attacked by people that oppose him, so it would truly be better for you to stay inside.” He looked into Blanche's eyes while saying this before stepping backward. “I do not wish to keep you from returning any longer. Have a safe return.”
Leon replied first but sounded far too annoyed for his words to be genuine. “Yes, you too. Goodbye.”
Blanche held back a sigh at so much petty resentment and leaned forward to make eye contact with the man outside the carriage. “May your trip be relaxing without any issues. Thank you for your help and your kind words. We are grateful for all your support.”
Allen nodded. “It is an honor for me. Until we meet each other again.” With that, he left and allowed the knights to close the door.
The carriage began moving soon after that. Blanche looked back to find Allen standing on the street with his servants and staring at the vehicle. Then she turned around to the sulking Leon. She observed him for a few seconds, but she wasn't able to hold herself back. “Are you really still angry because of the thing that happened at the ball last year? I think you never even interacted with each other after that incident. Isn't it strange for two adult men to be offended after all this time? I mean, I'm thankful that you helped me back then, but you two seem a bit too resentful to me.”
Leonard froze at that. His eyes slowly wandered to her, and he met her gaze with slight surprise. “You remember that?”
Blanche leaned against the backrest and allowed herself to relax while pushing away the thoughts about the blacksmith recognizing her far. Distracting the others was good. “Of course, I do. Why wouldn't I? Being yelled at by members of the Duremont is always a scene to behold. They are very scary when they are mad, so I felt like you were a hero when you saved me.”
Leon laughed at that. “I wouldn't give myself that title. It's rather unfitting.” He paused for a moment, and his gaze wandered to the window. “I only intervened when it looked like Theodore would interrupt his dance just to stop the fight. I wanted to prevent that, so I only helped you then, even when I saw that you were in an unfavorable situation much earlier.”
Blanche gave him a little smile to cover up her dismay about her previous behavior. “That was only logical. I caused that issue for myself by clinging to Theo in public. I deserved to be scolded. As you brought up in that fight, it should have been in private, but I understand why Lord Duremont chose to address it immediately too.”
The secretary didn't look at her when he responded. “You really do remember a lot about that conversation.”
It was true that people's words often burned themselves into Blanche's mind when she heard them, especially when they were rather harsh. She hated fights. No matter how much she wanted to forget them, she always managed to re-imagine that scene as soon as a little detail reminded her of it. Even if she tried to forget horrible things and pushed some far away into the deepest parts of her mind, they always resurfaced. But it was the same for people defending her. She remembered that too. “Naturally. Back then, I thought that you hated me, so I was pleasantly surprised when you chose to help me.”
Leonard turned his head to her again. “You mentioned that already a while ago. What made you think that I disliked you?”
The concubine didn't have a definitive answer for that. She did have a few ideas though. “Well, I always caused Theo trouble, so it was obvious that a person that is loyal to him would be upset because of that. I also had a lot of issues with servants, and when the steward couldn't come or Theodore wasn't there, you had to mediate. So, I unnecessarily stressed you countless times. I never saw you joke around in my presence either, and now you do. I mean, it's obvious why you would have disliked me. After how suspicious you were of me when I came here... I think you accused me of being a spy a million times.”
Leon gave her a questioning gaze. “I don't joke much when I'm not with the people I'm closest with, so that had nothing to do with you. I can assure you that I never hated you, or I wouldn't have let you close to Theodore. More than that, I think describing it as a neutral opinion I had of you would be better. I did distrust you for a while, but that changed too. Watching you and Theodore tiptoe around one another was so embarrassing that I was convinced that you couldn't be faking your love for him. I at least trusted that you didn't want to kill him after two days.” Despite his previous words, a small smile appeared on his lips. “But the past is in the past. My views on you changed a lot. Besides, I never felt like you bothered the staff for no reason, and the issues you had were rarely unnecessary. Did you exaggerate a lot? Yes. But you didn't make things up. However, as I must have said four times now, dwelling on the past isn't helpful.” He continued to look at her, but it seemed like his gaze passed through her. He was silent for a while before letting out a chuckle. “That I would say something like this someday. It's ridiculous, really.” He leaned his elbow onto the door and turned his head to watch the scenery outside.
It seemed like he was lost in thoughts, so Blanche left him alone. She was a bit relieved at him telling her that he hadn't hated her. Even if that truly didn't matter much anymore, it made her happy. But the longer she stayed quiet, the more her mind began picking at her satisfaction.
Would the situation with the blacksmith truly be forgotten like this? Had Leon been able to convince everyone that she had turned away in annoyance after being disrespected? Surely, her unease had been noticed by someone else aside from the people inside the carriage. Hopefully, no one would say anything.