That thought was all Blanche needed to find countless of the small things that made this situation even odder. Both Allen and Seraphina were in a conversation with each other and seemed to be casual in their speech and behavior. They never did that as long as others that weren't part of their family were present.
Never.
But even though they were clearly chatting with one another, their attention wasn't completely focused on the other person. It seemed like they were watching the concubine from the corner of their eyes the whole time. They were waiting for her reaction. But what did they want to see?
The topic of the conversation itself was strange too. Weren't they just pointing out their weaknesses the entire time? Seraphina had complained about the emperor's treatment of her and showed how much she cared about her family and her maids as well as the safety of the nation. In addition, she acted like alcohol was influencing her judgment a lot and made her speak her mind without second thoughts. Allen had talked about his nightmares while conversing with Blanche even when the concubine should be one of the last people he would like to know about that. Then his sister had proven that she could easily sway his decisions with a few words and had explicitly mentioned his fiancée, Briana.
That was already enough to make Blanche understand that all of this was an act. But the thing that convinced her so that she didn't even have to ask about whether she was right had been the empress' joke regarding the ring Allen had shown Blanche.
There had been a conversation in which Duke Vasquez had claimed that Allen might be interested in the concubine, and both Henry and Seraphina hadn't reacted kindly to that. In fact, Allen himself would never be able to hide his anger about such an accusation, as the hunting festival had proven. So, the reaction of the siblings here was just plain abnormal in comparison to their normal behavior.
Along with the fact that Allen had insisted on bringing the ring here, this made everything about this plot pretty obvious. That had probably just been an excuse to justify getting Blanche to meet them at the entrance. The siblings were currently acting to the best of their ability. They were purposefully revealing weaknesses and showed that they weren't being careful right now.
All of this was done because they were testing the concubine. Everything fit together like that.
In the novel, the siblings had planned to do something similar with Luciano, who had repeatedly approached the empress and courted her. Seraphina had wished to figure out whether she could trust him enough to use him, which she had already done while trying to make Theodore jealous with Luciano's help. Thus, she had prepared one of her famous tests. The scene in which she tried that hadn't happened in the first book anymore, but the description of what they wanted to do was similar. Luciano had gotten bolder because Seraphina had pretended to like him, and they had wanted to confirm what his true intentions were.
Right now, the situation wasn't much different. Because of Theodore's recent actions, Blanche had gained a much more powerful position, even though it was an unofficial one. He had also shown that he intended to make one of her children the next ruler of Artias, which certainly raised her influence. Thus, it wasn't illogical to assume that she might go back to her original arrogant behavior.
For that reason, Seraphina had warned her about needing the Duremonts' help if she wanted to live calmly. And now the empress pretended to lower her guard to see what her enemy might do.
Blanche wasn't sure how to feel about that. Her emotions were conflicted. On the one hand, she could understand that the heroine wanted to make sure that the concubine wouldn't endanger her position. In addition, this meant that the Duremonts were uncertain about whether the emperor's lover was a threat. So perhaps, they didn't see her as a definitive opponent anymore, which would be very good.
But on the other hand, Blanche couldn't help but feel annoyed. She had given her best for almost nine months now and always repeated that she didn't wish to be their enemy. She had held back as much as possible and had relinquished some of the things she loved to do because of this. Her whole life had revolved around showing that she wouldn't trouble the empress since surviving with the heroine's hatred had seemed impossible to her. During that time, she had closed her mouth often when she would have liked to defend herself and had accepted Seraphina treating her more than unfairly.
Moreover, they didn't think that she was stupid, did they? This test was way too obvious for even a distracted person to overlook.
Blanche balled her fists as she stared at the siblings and pondered about whether she should point this out or just wait quietly until they were finished. For a while, she had just stood there and glared at them while trying to keep her emotions hidden. But of course, her face had already revealed that she wasn't pleased.
Seraphina's gaze met hers when the empress fully turned to the other woman. “Is something wrong, Lady Blanche? You have been awfully quiet the whole time.”
The concubine tried to keep the petty words to herself. At least she did until she remembered that the heroine also didn't like being tested. So, she was in the right to say something about this, right? She didn't have to vent all of her dismay, but she could be honest about being a bit upset at this moment. “Oh, no. Your Majesty, I was just thinking about something.”
Seraphina scanned her and showed her a small smile, but her eyes remained as calculative as always. “Please do tell me what that could be. I am curious.”
Blanche returned the smile but allowed her bitterness to seep through. “Both of you do not think very highly of me, do you? Testing me is one thing, but doing it in a manner that would even make a blind person ask questions is a little disrespectful. I may not be as intelligent as Your Majesty, but I am not stupid. If it calms you, I can openly say that I do not have any interest in challenging you. Aside from the fact that I could only lose, I simply do not have the desire to try anything either. I want a peaceful life. That might be hard to believe, but I cannot do much but repeat it over and over again.” In the end, she had said more than she had intended to. But now she couldn't do anything about that anymore either.
For a moment, everyone was silent. The concubine already expected the other party to deny everything and continue their plot, which would probably have infuriated her even more.
Luckily, it seemed like Seraphina wasn't the type to play mind games when she felt like her victim wasn't worth it. For a second, she didn't manage to hide her surprise, but that didn't stay visible for long. Her expression morphed into her usual stoic expression with a coldness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. “I'm impressed. You seem to know much more about dishonesty and schemes than you care to admit.” Thanks to Seraphina, this was unfortunately true.
Had that provocation been done purposefully? Maybe. It would make sense for the heroine to try getting a reaction that way now. If she wanted to know whether a person would work against her, enraging them and getting them to explode wasn't a bad choice.
The only issue was that Blanche didn't want to let anyone provoke her, even though that remark almost made her glare at the other woman. “No, not really. I have merely lived here for almost two years and have witnessed Your Majesty and Lord Duremont quite a few times. I can tell when you are suddenly acting out of character and when you use such methods to get your way.”
Seraphina was silent for a moment. “I see. Well, it was worth a try.” Why did she sound disappointed when the concubine was the one that felt bitter about all of this?
Blanche had been almost sure that her relationship with the empress had reached a neutral level, one at which they could ignore the other's existence. But it had been naive to believe that that would stay the same after that horrible banquet. There was no way that Seraphina would simply agree to her husband's mistress birthing the future emperor and promise to support that child. Of course, it couldn't be that easy to have a future that would allow Blanche to be perfectly happy with Theodore.
It felt like an ice pick had pierced her heart. To her, this scene meant so much more than just a little distrust.
It was a sign that all the things that the empress had said about her family continuing to back the emperor for the best of the nation had been lies. The whole time, the heroine had just been lying and getting the concubine to believe that no problems would arise while already knowing that she, Duke Duremont and most of the nobles of Artias would never accept this. All of her calming words had been lies to initiate this test. To make the concubine get careless.
Blanche averted her eyes and stared at the floor while trying to ignore the lump that was starting to form in her throat. She didn't even know what to say anymore. Would her dream about being able at Theodore's side peacefully never come true? Just because of stupid aristocracy rules that underlined the difference between commoner's children and the descendants of a noble bloodline without any love? That was enough to make her want to weep and yell and vent her frustration in every imaginable way.
But she didn't do that.
Acting like an insane person wouldn't get her anything. No, she had to continue to be dignified even when everything was horrible. Because Theodore had promised that everything would work out. She had sworn to trust him, so she couldn't become uncertain just yet. Even when everyone else was against them, they were together, so it would be fine. It wasn't like the issue would get resolved or escalate any time soon anyway. As long as she wasn't pregnant, she wouldn't worry about this.
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Blanche felt a bit better after having this thought but couldn't help herself from being a bit dejected anyway. That the group was completely silent didn't make it much more pleasant either. So, she would retreat. She had the ring for her lover, and that was all she needed from the people here. It would be easier to just go back now. She made a deep curtsy before straightening her posture again. “Then I thank Lord Duremont for bringing this here. I will take my leave now if you give me permission.”
To be honest, she didn't even listen to the response before turning around. She just wanted to go into her room where she didn't have to hide her expression and maybe even tell Theodore about this. Just so that he could calm her down and remind her that it would work out perfectly. She only managed to take two steps before someone gripped her hand and stopped her though.
“Wait!”
Blanche whipped her head around to Allen, who was holding onto her like she would run away as soon as he let go. She would have liked to react more politely, but she was too surprised to do anything but stare at him. “What-”
Allen looked like he was in utter panic, which didn't make any sense in this situation at all. He refused to let go of her even though she was already facing him and clung to her wrist with both of his hands. “I'm sorry. We only wanted the best for Artias, and you were meeting that-” This sounded so desperate that it certainly couldn't have anything to do with this test just now, right?
Seraphina chimed in at that moment with a slight frown on her face. “Allen, what are you doing? Please let off Lady Blanche, or you might scare her.”
In fact, the concubine was a bit scared. Not of him hurting her but rather of why he was acting this strangely.
It took a few seconds for Allen to process all the information around him before realization flickered across his features. He abruptly let go of her arm and backed away. “I...I deeply apologize. That wasn't... I didn't...” Whatever was going on in his mind had to startle him quite a bit.
Blanche looked down at her wrist, which was slightly red from the harsh grip, and took a step backward. Allen had been so irritated before when he had spoken about his nightmares. It seemed like those troubled him a lot more than she had previously thought. It was strange that she worried about him now and not about herself, but she couldn't help it. Traumatizing dreams were way too familiar to her. “Lord Duremont, you have been acting odd today. I would assume that this was because of the nightmares you mentioned. You should truly allow the royal doctor to examine you. If you are this besides yourself, you need to undergo treatment for your own safety.” She almost feared that these words were too harsh.
But Allen only gazed at the floor. “I will. I'm really sorry. That was just... You looked like in that...that...dream...”
Seraphina moved beside him and scanned his slightly reddened face. “I will call the doctor immediately. This is no little issue anymore. It's been over half a year since you refused to visit a doctor, and that clearly is no laughing matter.” She turned her head to the other woman. “I sincerely apologize for my brother's inconsideration just now. I can guarantee you that it will not happen again.”
Blanche considered mentioning that Seraphina had originally said that apologizing for another person was useless, but she just nodded. At least until she noticed a dark spot in the distance from the corner of her eye. She faced the plaza in front of the palace and realized that another carriage was slowly approaching. “Your Majesty, your other guests seem to have arrived.” Maybe she could use that as an excuse to leave then.
The empress turned to the street too and stared at the vehicle for a moment before shaking her head. “I did not invite anyone but my brother, and our family's carriage looks different. Did His Majesty mention someone coming?”
The concubine recounted the conversations with her lover three times but came to the same conclusion each time. “Theo didn't say anything about a guest. He would have told me, so I don't think that this person is invited.” In fact, she was very sure that her lover would warn her if a visit was scheduled, especially since this coach hadn't come from the main gate but rather from the backside of the royal estate. “Is there anyone that can simply go to the palace without permission from the emperor or the empress?”
The frown on Seraphina's face deepened. “No, there is not. However, there is one other thing that could explain this. Members of the royal family are not allowed to visit without someone's invitation, much like everyone else. But guards stopping them would be considered even more disrespectful than them simply coming here.” In other words, this was either the dowager empress or the second prince.
If Blanche had a choice between these natural disasters, she would rather have Camille, who would ignore her, visit. She prayed to the gods for a moment while the carriage stopped. The door opened, and it immediately became clear that her prayers were mercilessly ignored.
As soon as she saw that infuriating grin, she had to fight the urge to run away as she unwillingly remembered her fever dream about drinking tea with Cedar. She shook herself to get rid of that idea and told herself something else. Theoretically, she could simply leave since he hadn't seen her yet, right? Just as she opened her mouth to inform the empress, her eyes locked with Cedar's. He was as attentive as ever.
Great.
Leaving without greeting a member of royalty would be extremely disrespectful. Plus, she would feel like losing if she turned away without facing Theodore's enemies like she had to do it as his most passionate supporter. Blanche's shoulders slouched as she breathed out in frustration.
Seraphina and Allen beside her seemed to do the opposite and straightened their postures while meeting the prince's gaze with cool indifference. That image made it very obvious that they were related and had inherited that look of pure antipathy, that couldn't yet be called impolite, from their father.
Blanche would have liked to be able to imitate that expression too. But she could only show her annoyance on her face when Cedar's smile widened. That bastard. Hopefully, a servant would hurry to get Theodore, or she might end up being stuck in a conversation with that person. Maybe it would be even better to make sure that this would happen anyway.
The concubine spun around and addressed the first servant she saw. “You, excuse me.” She was a bit taken aback when the man, who had been on the way to enter the building, turned around. “Harris? Have you recovered again?”
Harris looked a bit less tired than he had been before as the dark circles under his eyes had finally disappeared. His reaction to her question made it uncertain whether he was truly fully healthy though. He averted his eyes immediately. “Yes, thank you for your consideration, Lady Blanche. Is there anything I can do for you?” The way that he instantly changed the subject made her think about asking again, but that wasn't any of her business. Right now, she didn't have time for that either.
“Please tell Theo that His Royal Highness arrived.” Saying that title felt strange. Probably because it was Cedar she was talking about.
Harris's face fell when he heard that name. “I will do so immediately.” With that, he rushed off into the palace. Seemingly, he was still averse to the second prince, about whom he had even warned the concubine previously. If so, he might hurry, which would be very good.
Seraphina cleared her throat, which made Blanche turn around just in time to see Cedar climb up the last step of the staircases. The empress kept her expression completely neutral when she greeted the unwanted guest. “What a pleasant surprise to meet you here. It's an honor to be able to welcome you into the royal palace. How are you, Your Royal Highness?”
Cedar didn't fail to show his bright smile when he stopped in front of them. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty. It is indeed an honor for me to be able to meet you, so how could I be anything but well? I apologize for arriving without further notice, but there is some urgent business that I need to discuss with His Majesty. I hope I did not inconvenience you too much.”
The empress met his gaze without seeming to be affected by his infuriating fake kindness. “You needn't worry, you did not. I hope that His Majesty is free to meet you at this point in time, or you may have to be patient for a short while. A servant will show you to a guest room and treat you with tea.”
Cedar responded with a blinding smile. “Thank you for your consideration. I will gladly accept that offer.” He turned to the empress' brother without letting his grin falter and resumed with another flawless greeting. “It is a surprise to meet you here too, Lord Duremont. Is there a special occasion that brought you here?”
Allen bowed to the prince before raising his head again. He kept a stoic expression like his sister, but he wasn't able to hide all of his dismay for the other man as well. “Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness. I fear that I do not have any interesting news for you. I am merely visiting Her Majesty.”
Cedar's expression didn't budge at all despite facing so much antipathy. “Information does not have to be new to be intriguing. I hope that you will have a splendid time and enjoy yourselves together. In the meantime, Lady Blanche will surely be kind enough to have some tea with me while we wait for my brother.” He turned to show the concubine a perfect smile. “Or do you mind?”
Blanche had almost expected something like that. She had planned on greeting him formally and politely but quickly lost all interest in doing that. If he was already annoying her with his first sentence directed at her, she didn't have to hold back either. “Unfortunately, I am quite busy. I fear that this will sadly not be possible.”
Cedar's smile faded slightly but only enough to fake disappointment. “I see. How unfortunate.” While he spoke his eyes glinted with joy, which was the only warning she got before he continued. “And I came all this way here just to see you. I thought that you invited me for that reason.” Oh, he wanted to provoke her now.
Blanche felt her patience being shattered. If he said something like this, the empress might believe him and think that the concubine was a traitor. She definitely wouldn't allow that. She replied louder than she intended, but she wasn't sorry for the sharp edge of her words. “I certainly did not voice anything that could even be misunderstood as an invitation. I did not have any contact with you ever since the day that Theo and I met you for a short conversation. Please do not spread lies just for your entertainment.”
Cedar's smile widened again as he put a hand on his heart. “You hurt my feelings with such strong statements, Lady Blanche. I was merely joking to lighten the mood. There were no vile intentions on my side. How could I ever wish to trouble you? Besides, did you not lie as well? Did you not receive my letter after the poisoning? That counts as contact, doesn't it?” Cedar wasn't as tall as Theodore and only a little taller than the concubine, but it still felt like he was towering above her. Especially when he grinned at her with such an ambiguous look in his eyes.
Blanche fought the urge to take a step back and forced herself to raise her chin as she replied. Hopefully, she would seem at least a little confident. “It arrived. I did not read it though. Theo read it for me after I asked him to. And since I did not send a reply, I assumed that this would not count as me contacting you, which I, in fact, never did. But that does not matter much, does it? There is no need for you to stand around here, Your Royal Highness. As Her Majesty stated, a servant will prepare a room for you until Theo arrives.” She stayed quiet after that even when Cedar didn't do anything but stare into her eyes with a smile. She only dared to avert her eyes when Allen spoke up, seemingly being worried about her making a mistake.
“Lady Blanche, you forgot to bow to His Royal Highness.”
The concubine definitely hadn't forgotten. She showed a small smile on her lips. “Oh, do not worry. Theo asked me not to bow to his family. How could I ignore the emperor's orders? They are more important than anything else in the nation, are they not?”
Cedar's grin widened into a smirk. “I disagree, but that truly does not matter much. I would also not like it if you started bowing to me. It would be strange, don't you think? After all, we are family. I heard that Theodore decided that your child would be his successor. Congratulations. There should be a grand celebration for this soon. Or will he announce it on his birthday?” It should have been obvious that some servant would leak that information so that others including their enemies would hear.
Blanche forced herself to maintain her smile. “I believe that it would be better to keep this matter private for a little while longer. Theo will live and continue to reign for many years. So, we do not need to worry about an heir too soon.”
Cedar chuckled quietly. “Of course. I did not mean to rush you. I was just excited to hear such news. Still, I'm a bit hurt that my brother did not tell us personally, but it can't be helped. Anyway... I would still like to invite you for a cup of tea. I said that there is something that I have to tell my brother, but I need to speak to you too.”
The concubine's mouth opened automatically. “No. I already said that I do not have any-”
“I have some information regarding the poisoning that might interest you.” He effectively silenced Blanche with that.