Blanche was quite unhappy about not being able to link Cedar to the poisoning despite knowing that he had somehow found out what had happened. That meant that this path wouldn't help them when searching for the perpetrator. Though, that thought made her ponder about something else for a moment. Whether this was connected to Cedar or not, what had been the motive? “Wait. If that poison really wasn't supposed to kill me, why did they go through the trouble of getting me to drink it? What does me being unable to move gain them?”

Her lover grimaced and shook his head. “I don't know why anyone would try to do something like this to another person. Maybe they wanted to hurt me and were aware that you suffering like that would slowly kill me. Or they hoped for me to give up on you because they don't know that I truly love you.”

The fact that someone was plotting something this horrible with the intention of harming people just to become more powerful was disgusting. Blanche could barely believe that anyone would be vile enough to try to use this kind of poison on her in this world or on Seraphina in the novel. She tried to remember whether Cedar had said anything else about whom the guilty one may be when one particular scene appeared in front of her inner eye. “Now that I think about it, Cedar said that he was angry about that poisoning happening. I don't trust any of the things he stated, but he insisted that he wasn't pleased about that incident and that he wanted to put the perpetrators on trial. He'll pretend to be innocent until the very last moment. That's annoying.”

Theodore kept silent for a moment before replying. “Or Duke Vasquez truly acted on his own accord. It doesn't change much about this incident itself, but if our enemies are starting to take action without informing each other, we might be able to use that for ourselves.”

Blanche hadn't thought about it that way, but it made sense. “Then it would actually be good if he really was surprised by this issue, right? If they work separately, they are prone to making more errors. I would be happy to see whether they will destroy themselves without our influence.”

Her lover gave her a faint smile. “That would be the perfect strategy to gain power. But I assume that it won't be that easy. After all, they still work together for the same goal. If you wanted to try something like this, you would have to use opposing factions.”

“That's a shame.” It was really disappointing that they wouldn't be able to do that. Blanche might be a bit vicious when she thought this, but she hoped for their enemies to start working against each other. That would make everything, including finding evidence against them so much easier. She sighed and allowed herself to lean her head against her lover. She didn't stay in that position for long though.

A knock from the door made her turn around after a few seconds. Gloria stood in the doorway and bowed to the emperor. “The guest departed without any further issues, Your Majesty. Is there something that needs to be taken care of?”

Theodore shook his head. “Not now. But I'm officially ordering every single guard to keep Cedar from entering unless I gave permission first. I don't want to have him running around here. Who does he think he is? There is no way that I will accept his disrespect like this. I will personally justify the knight's actions if any problems should arise, but I want him to stay out of the palace.”

Gloria nodded and turned to leave. She stopped after a few steps and turned around again to meet the concubine's gaze. “His Royal Highness also told me to convey a message to you. Due to your previous conversation, I believe that you do not wish to hear it though.”

Blanche's face scrunched up. “You're right. It's something strange again, isn't it?”

The head maid's expression remained unreadable while she spoke. “Indeed. He asked you to invite him for some tea again.”

The concubine couldn't keep herself from frowning. “Arrogant bastard was a fitting name. I never invited anyone, and he would be my last choice. He said that there was supposed to be a servant coming with tea, but he lied about that too.”

Gloria bowed her head. “I apologize for that. Her Majesty did order me to bring tea, but I did not leave to prepare it. Instead, I opted for waiting by the door in case something happened. It may not be appropriate for me to say this, but your choice of words is certainly fitting for that person.”

Blanche was surprised by that. She hadn't expected the head maid to care enough to actually make sure that everything was fine. Well, Gloria might have done that to confirm whether the concubine would betray the emperor if she was given a chance to. But in any case, there was someone else that had listened to the conversation and could prove what truly happened if Cedar decided to start spouting lies again. And it seemed like the head maid despised the prince as much as Blanche did. “Thank you. I'm glad you agree. Could you perhaps not mention me voicing those words though?”

Gloria stared at her, which almost made it appear like she would reject that. But then she spoke. “I did not hear anything, Lady Blanche. I merely overheard how Sir Maillont scolded His Royal Highness for something inappropriate. Everything else passed me by.”

The concubine was relieved at that. If three others testified that she hadn't insulted anyone, Cedar's words wouldn't matter much when the emperor was against him. “I'm really grateful for that, Gloria. Thank you.”

Theodore chimed in at that. “Naturally, I need to thank you too. We will have a chat about this later.”

The head maid bowed. “Of course, Your Majesty. I will take care of the matter of the new order then. Goodbye.” With that, she left the room and hurried to inform the responsible ones.

Now that Blanche thought about it, this had been the first time that Gloria hadn't glared at her for clinging to the emperor. Maybe disliking the same person allowed the head maid to ignore her grudge for a while. That would be good. After all, it was better to get along with the woman that managed all the servants. But the concubine didn't believe that Gloria would stop hating her for one second. After all, the head maid's loyalty belonged to the empress first and foremost.

The concubine buried her face in her lover's chest again. Now that the uncomfortable situation was over, she allowed herself to whine a bit. “Theo, I hate him. He's annoying. He lies the whole time and talks like he believes me to be a power-hungry brat that can be swayed with a few words. Cedar just looks down on me like I am some selfish and manipulative pawn, like he does it with everyone else. I want to hit him every time he opens his mouth. I won't agree to speak with him just for information anymore. I don't want him to look at me, and I don't want him to call my name either. It's revolting. I hate it when he touches me too. You have to wash my shoulder today.”

She began pouting and nuzzling against the emperor while he stroked over her hair. Even she felt how tense Theodore was because of all this. She didn't have to guess twice before knowing what kind of expression he had to be showing right now. He was probably glaring at the wall again with all the hate he could muster.

Still, Theodore gave his best to console her. “It's fine. I'll make sure that you never have to meet him again without me being there. If he does appear, you can always say that I called for you, and I'll affirm it. There is no need to listen to his foul lies and vile words. That child never received any love, so it's obvious that he wouldn't understand what that is. You should forget everything he told you again. I'll investigate the matter about the poison and take care of everything else. You can tell me about all the things he said, and I'll do something about it.” Despite his voice trembling with anger, he tried to speak as softly as possible. But naturally, he couldn't hide his wrath.

Blanche didn't mind. He wasn't the only one that was fuming. Stella was upset too, and the few glances the concubine had had of her friend's face were enough to prove that. Even Owen appeared to be furious, even though he naturally didn't show it in his expression. But his threat earlier had been enough to reveal that he would have liked it if the prince gave him an excuse to attack. And naturally, the concubine herself was enraged too even if her dejection was much bigger right now.

For a moment, all four of them just stood there in silence before Blanche couldn't take it anymore. Ever since she had mentioned her shoulder, it felt like her skin was itching at the very spot that Cedar had touched, and she only wanted to scrub that part off. “Can we go to our room now? I want to wash.”

Theodore was eager to fulfill her wish. He went a step back and took her hand in his. “I'll do that for you. We'll take a nice and long bath together to get rid of this, alright?” When his lover nodded, he turned to Stella. “Prepare a bath for us, and bring soap and towels.”

The maid almost tripped over her feet to storm out of the room, still with hatred glinting in her eyes.

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The emperor didn't lose any time before starting to move either. He led his concubine upstairs to his room before sitting down with her on the sofa. He engulfed her with a soft blanket before pulling her in his embrace. “We will bathe you when your maid is done. It won't take long. Is everything better now?”

Blanche nodded, more to herself than to him. “I'm fine. Today, I had some unpleasant conversations, but I'm here with you, so it's fine.”

“Conversations? So, there was someone else there too. What happened?”

The concubine hadn't tried to remember the situation with Seraphina, but she couldn't suppress those memories. Meeting Cedar and being proven that the empress would never accept her wishes on the same day had been awful.

But of course, telling Theodore about that was a bad idea. He already seemed to mistrust Seraphina enough, and the fact that that woman expected his lover to cause trouble would only enrage him.

Blanche opened her mouth to voice some excuse but stopped herself at the last second. Why would she have to lie for a person that had tried to play her? If the empress was determined to see the concubine as an enemy, there was no need to hide this from the emperor. He would find out at some point anyway. The couple had promised that they wouldn't lie to each other anymore, and this certainly wasn't a topic that was important enough to make her break her words.

The concubine prepared herself to summarize the situation, but her first thought came out before she could prevent it. “Even if the Duremont family and the empress hate it, can our child still become the royal heir?”

Theodore immediately turned her around so that he could see her face and looked at her with a serious expression. “Of course. I swear on my name and the well-being of Artias that there will not be anyone threatening our child's right to rule the nation. Who said that it was any different?” If he swore on his family's name and the whole country, he had to be completely sure.

Blanche knew that this didn't change much about the fact that others would oppose them, but she couldn't help but feel relieved. She moved a bit closer to her lover and took his hands in hers. “That's good. Because I don't want you to have to...be with another woman.” Saying those few words made her feel so incredibly selfish that she was about to cry.

Theodore didn't waste a second before pulling her into his arms. “I won't ever do that. The very thought of even looking at anyone but you is so revolting to me that it makes me want to throw up. No one can force me to do anything I hate. I won't let anyone trick me into anything by using dirty methods either. You will be the mother of my children no matter what. And we'll make sure that they grow up in a family with nothing but love.”

Blanche clung to him and freed herself from the blanket to be closer to him. “Thank you.” That was all she could say. If she spoke any more, she would begin to cry, and she didn't want that.

Her lover held her close and allowed her to calm down without pressuring her to speak. He gave her a couple of minutes before opening his mouth. “Did my brother tell you that it wouldn't be possible?”

She shook her head. Mentioning that Seraphina had been the one to make her think about this seemed like a bad idea when Theodore would clearly get upset now that his lover had been hurt. But Blanche had already revealed that there had been a conversation about this, so she couldn't lie. “No one really said it. I just thought about that after...well...” She paused before making eye contact with the emperor.

One gaze was enough to tell her that he wouldn't let this go until she stated the name of the person that caused her to worry again.

She took a deep breath before replying. “The empress and her brother were very weird today. At first, I thought that they just had a good day, but they purposefully enumerated as many weaknesses as possible in front of me and acted like they had lowered their guard. That didn't seem right to me. So, I assumed that they were testing me, and that was correct. It was one of her stupid tests.” She dug her fingers into her lover's clothes and forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat that formed upon seeing the emperor's dim expression. “They didn't do anything bad, but that showed that they don't trust me. They wanted to see whether I would try to use their weaknesses against them, and obviously, I don't intend on doing that. But it also meant that everything the empress said about not caring about my child becoming the heir and her family possibly backing them was a lie. I know that you said that it would be fine, but I can't help but worry. I mean, becoming the ruler of a nation without any support is...”

Theodore was narrowing his eyes already and looked like he wasn't pleased with revelation in general. “That woman has nerves. She and her disgusting mind games. Forget about her. Just because her family is petty, that doesn't mean that everyone else will be stupid enough to oppose the future ruler of Artias. She always claims that things are true when, in fact, that is only her opinion. That's why I told you not to trust her. But believe me. She will not harm you or our children in any way. If I find out that she planned anything like that, I will have her thrown out immediately. And if she seriously believes that she can hurt you, it will get much worse.” He looked like he was ready to do whatever it took to get rid of a person that plotted against his loved ones.

Blanche hurried to correct that thought. “She didn't say that she would hurt me. I think she is just worried about me becoming insolent and ignoring her position again.”

Her lover grabbed her chin before she finished and made her look at him. “You were never insolent. You always asked for things that should have been yours in the first place. I promised that I would fulfill all of your wishes, didn't I? I'll make sure that this will happen as soon as possible. We still need to be patient for a little while, but everything is coming into place. Crown Prince Linden will arrive in about two months, and then I'll get rid of that-” He cut himself off when his anger became too obvious. He took a deep breath and buried his face in his lover's neck. “I'll take care of everything. You can't imagine how hard it is to hold back. But I want everything to be flawless. I won't settle for anything less than absolute perfection for you. I promise that I'm not lenient for no reason. I planned out everything.”

Blanche was a bit surprised by that outburst but didn't point it out and just wrapped her arms around him to cradle his head. “I'm happy as long as I can be with you, Theo. I need your love, and everything else is just a wonderful addition. So, while I do appreciate everything you do for me, please don't try anything you might regret later.”

Theodore kissed her neck before mumbling his response. “I spent the last years regretting my decision to the point where it tore me apart, and I'll correct everything now. I used to be swayed by others' words and trusted the wrong people while putting useless things above what truly is important.” He lifted his head and leaned back a bit to meet her gaze with teary eyes. “You are all that matters. So, let me make up for not recognizing that earlier. I know that I have no right to ask for this, but even though I was foolish, please forgive me. I love you.”

Blanche immediately closed the distance between them again and pressed a dozen kisses onto his face. “You didn't do anything wrong. Please don't say things like this. You forgave me even though I always caused you trouble and ignored rules that-”

“Rules that shouldn't exist at all. You never made a single mistake. Everything I refused to give to you should have been yours. It was my fault for not realizing that. You deserve everything you ever wished for and more. I'll provide that for you now. I'm sorry for not making everyone understand that from the very beginning. I'm sorry. That won't happen ever again. I'll get everyone to see that you are the only one in my heart.” Theodore wrapped his arms around her body and kept her in place as he pressed his lips onto hers. He seemed to have no intention of letting go, and she didn't either.

At least not until a knock sounded from the door.

Blanche reluctantly pulled back at that. “That's... Stella.” She had almost forgotten about their bath.

The maid had probably come with some servants, who were bringing the things that had been requested.

The emperor maneuvered his lover back into his arms and covered them with the blanket before allowing the staff members to enter. The four servants glanced at the bed but didn't dare to look for longer than a second before focusing on the towels and soap in their hands to not drop these items. They disappeared into the bathroom quickly so that the couple was alone for a moment.

Blanche leaned against her lover and was silent for a moment as she recounted their previous conversation. Wasn't Theodore letting her off the hook too easily? In the past, she had done a few things that caused issues for him, and yet, he brushed them off as if nothing had happened. Instead, he said phrases that could be horribly misunderstood by anyone around them. He had always been showering her with love and affection, so him desperately apologizing wasn't necessary.

He had no reason to ask for her forgiveness, right?

Blanche couldn't remember a single thing he had done wrong. None at all.

Right?

She had a feeling that addressing this would cause him to insist on his reasoning, but she couldn't leave it be. “Theo?” She began whispering. “You can't keep apologizing for treating me wonderfully. I can't remember a single time that you did anything to hurt me, so there is no need to ask for my forgiveness. I would always give it to you, no matter what. You know that. I have your love, and I couldn't ask for more than that.”

Her lover's response didn't fail to startle her again. “You can. You can ask for everything you could ever imagine, and I'll get it for you. Because you already have my whole being. My entire life is yours, and I will continue to give as much as I can to you. I should have done that from the very beginning. That I didn't do that is nothing that can be made up for with a few gifts. I don't know if I will ever be able to compensate you for that, but I will give my best.” He had already tensed after she had claimed that he had never hurt her, and now it just got worse.

Blanche couldn't hear any more of that, or she would cry. Both out of happiness and worry. Why did he seem so sure that he had done something wrong when he had only ever given her his love? She hated seeing him this apologetic and hearing how he apologized over and over again. So, she did the only thing she knew to make him stay silent for a moment. She kissed him once more without paying attention to the servants that were hurrying out of the room.

Theodore melted under her kiss and gently tipped her over so that he was above her. His hands searched hers, and he intertwined their fingers before slowly raising his head and looking at her with nothing but love in his gaze. “You're perfect. So, so wonderful.” Even though she had been the one trying to cheer him up, he was already showering her with compliments again.

Blanche didn't want to admit defeat in that matter. “You're perfect. You're kind and considerate. Always. You also take care of me even when my problems don't make any sense to you. You are the most intelligent person that I know. You even managed to avoid war with Ocrea, even though...” There shouldn't have been a way to avoid it. “Even though it seemed to be clear that there would be a battle. But you're much more than that. I could lay here for hours and list countless positive traits that you own. You pamper me, you show compassion. There is way too much for me to say. And you still love me. I'm way too happy just because I'm able to stay with you.”

Theodore kissed her again. This time, he was softer and less desperate, but he still lasted until she had to pause to breathe. Then he lowered his head to her chest and leaned his ear against her skin to listen to her heartbeat. “I love you so much.” He almost sounded drowsy while saying this. He tightened his hold on her hands and remained in this position for a while.

“I love you too.” Blanche could only allow him to rest and occasionally catch a glimpse of his face when she strained her neck a bit. But she didn't dare to move too much to not scare him away.

The silence between them was peaceful, and they only moved again when Stella left the bathroom and said that everything was ready with bright red cheeks. Apparently, the servant was as unaccustomed to the displays of affection her mistress and the emperor liked to share as the concubine herself when she blushed because of a single compliment. But Blanche didn't care much. She just looked forward to taking a long bath with Theodore.