“Naturally. I cannot protect you or His Majesty while having to recover, so I will do my best.” Owen's words were quite kind. He just said that before slowing down to leave the couple alone.

Theodore chuckled and brought his lips closer to his lover's ear. “See? The other inhabitants of the palace like you a lot too. I already said that this is more of a celebration of us being together, so you should view it as a party for you too. You've officially been with me for two years now. It feels like so much has changed since you came here. And still, I can remember what you looked like when I first saw you and our conversation without even having to try hard. It's like that was yesterday.”

The concubine moved toward him and leaned her head against his shoulder for a few seconds before it became too uncomfortable while walking. “I remember that too. Well, not how I looked. It must have been a pretty pitiful sight. But I know exactly how heroic you were when you stepped into the pavilion and offered me your help. The moonlight shone onto your face, and you looked like you came right out of a fairy tale. I was so enraptured with you that I forgot to cry.”

Theodore lifted her hand to his face and kissed its backside. “For me, it was the same. I froze for a few seconds upon making eye contact with you. My mind just stopped working, and I couldn't think about anything but wanting to help you. Back then, I must have already considered letting you move in immediately. It took about five minutes into our conversation until I knew that I would allow you to stay as long as you needed me to. And since you want to be with me, this means that you'll never ever leave.”

“I never intended to leave. I want to stay with you forever.”

The emperor gave her a soft smile. “That's good. Because everything else would be torture for both of us.” He lowered his volume and continued in a barely audible whisper. “Even others seem to be fond of our relationship by now.” He hinted a gesture towards something behind them.

Blanche glanced over her shoulder and caught two maids looking at them. The servants instantly turned their heads, but their blushing and embarrassed expressions revealed everything. The concubine face her lover again and grinned at him before speaking at a just as low volume. “They beamed the whole time. It seems like they really do like us. Not all people hate romantic things like Leon does. If he keeps badmouthing displays of affection like this, he will never have a partner. Maybe we should get him to read a few novels so that he can impress the concerned person if he ever comes to like someone. I might-” She cut herself off when they reached the big double door leading to the top of the staircase in the foyer.

Normally, it was open, but now it was closed to hide the servants that were probably already waiting on the lower floor. Gloria still showed them a smile while she waited for the couple to catch up to her. She paused until every person in the group had reached the door before signaling the guards to open it.

As expected, the entrance hall was filled to the brim with all kinds of people, who bowed to Theodore. They had to have practiced this a few times since all of them spoke up at the same moment. “We wish a happy birthday to His Majesty, the emperor of Artias.”

Now Theodore would walk forward and listen to Leonard, who would voice his wishes for a wonderful birthday, before thanking the servants. Naturally, this whole event was for him, so he should be the only one standing there. The last year, the empress had stood a few steps behind him, but she wasn't there yet, so the emperor would have to do this alone.

Blanche tried to take her hand out of his, but she wasn't able to do that since her lover resisted. She tried to let go two times, and he immediately grasped her tighter and pulled her forward. She felt herself stiffening as he moved to the top of the staircase, from which one could look at all the people standing below.

Everyone would look at them and ask themselves why the concubine was there. That meant that everyone would also see that the couple was holding hands. She held back a sigh as she avoided making eye contact with anyone in the crowd and just turned to Leon.

The secretary was standing next to them and began his short speech as soon as he could. “Greetings to His Majesty, the emperor of Artias. As every year, we gathered here to show our gratitude for your great contribution to our nation's well-being and development. We wish for Your Majesty to enjoy this day to the fullest. Please allow everyone to show how thankful we are for your guidance and let us pledge our loyalty to you for the next year and the ones coming after that. May this birthday be one of the best that Your Majesty ever had. We will all pray for your safety, health and luck so that you can rule over the nation for the next decade as well.” He finished with a smile and lifted his hand to point to his neck while making eye contact with the concubine.

Blanche would have liked to disappear into thin air at that. She was pretty sure that she understood what that meant and hurried to move her hair over her shoulders. Hopefully, that would cover most of her neck so that the rest of the people wouldn't see the love marks their esteemed ruler had left on her. She had to force herself to stay calm while trying to keep her cheeks from blushing and averted her eyes. Without a doubt, Leonard would bring that up later and joke about it, even though she was dying out of embarrassment.

Naturally, Theodore couldn't have missed her movement and showed her a toothy smile, which only made her feel even more like everyone knew what had happened. Luckily, he didn't say anything but turned to the crowd and began speaking loudly. “I thank all of you for coming here from the bottom of my heart. I am pleased to see that you used your valuable time to greet me. I am honored to have the loyalty of so many competent people, and I will give my best to be worthy of that. In return for your help, I will work as hard as possible to make sure that our nation will flourish and that every single one of our citizens can live a calm life without being threatened. I will do everything in my power to obtain the best for Artias. Our enemies will have no chance to harm us anymore, and I will fight against anyone that wishes to hurt our country without holding back. Thus, I am asking all of you to support me by continuing to work in the palace and staying by my side. Remain loyal to me, and I promise you that your life will be as comfortable as possible.”

He ended by giving the crowd the same determined smile that he showed his lover whenever he wanted to prove that he was serious. When he talked like that, it seemed like he was completely sure that he was right about everything he said.

So, it was no miracle that the servants began applauding when he finished, even though he hadn't voiced anything that special.

Theodore smiled at the staff members a bit longer before turning to his lover and lifting her hand to his lips to kiss her. He whispered to her as the corners of his lips lifted. “But as long as you are by my side, I don't need them either.”

Blanche felt how her cheeks became warm, and she didn't know whether that was because of his words or the fact that he had kissed her hand in front of almost every worker of the palace. Now everyone would pay special attention to her holding his hand, even though that was the last thing she needed. She should probably pull away, but she didn't want to do that. So, she just bashfully nodded at her lover. “You are the only one I need too. I love you.”

Theodore grinned at her and pulled her closer to him. “I love you too.”

She was sure that he would kiss her if she held still, so she hurried to turn away quickly. Everything else had been fine, but this was way too intimate, and she didn't have any intention of showing this to the public. “Not now. Do that when we're alone.”

The emperor pouted at her, but he couldn't keep himself from smiling. “Don't be like that. It's my birthday. You promised me.”

Blanche paused for a moment and took a step back to bring some distance between them in an attempt to keep him from trying anything else. “I know, but...this is a bit much. You already had enough of me this morning. Can't you stop cuddling me in front of everyone else?”

Her attempts were quickly rendered useless since Theodore immediately followed her. “Obviously, I can't get enough of you. But I will hold back if that's what you want. Just wait until we are alone.” Theodore grinned at her before turning to the crowd again and speaking up in a louder voice. “I thank all of you for your attention and for your hard work that allows us to celebrate this day with so many guests. We will only have such a wonderful feast later because you give your best to serve the members of the royal family of Artias that wish the best for our nation. You are dismissed.”

The servants all bowed again and began chatting as soon as the emperor turned away. Maybe his phrasing regarding this nation's royalty had irritated them, or they were happy to be praised. But many of them stared at the couple without looking away for one second and proved that their interest didn't waver even when the speech was over.

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Blanche felt a bit uncomfortable with all of those eyes on her, and it only became worse when Theodore stepped closer and hugged her.

He seemed to purposefully show everyone how close they were and even leaned his forehead against hers before starting to whisper. “You seem a bit worried about something. What is wrong?”

She sighed quietly but didn't push him away. “You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You made me promise that I would ignore them, and now you are shamelessly using that to your advantage.”

“I won't deny it. Can't I show my love for you openly? I would rather have all of them know that I adore you with my whole heart instead of letting them dream of coming between us. If they believe that I'm obsessed with you, that is fine with me too. As long as they understand that your place is here with me.” He looked like he wanted to continue, but a murmur went through the crowd and made him pause. His smile immediately became much more smug. “It seems like someone arrived a bit too late. Well, at least this scene should make it rather obvious.” But he didn't pull away and just kept her in his arms.

Blanche became increasingly more curious with every second, and at the same time, she was more worried too. Whoever had come had to be important enough to make the servants gossip immediately. She bargained with herself for a moment before deciding that it would be better to look at that person instead of ignoring them. So, she leaned her torso back to gaze past Theodore and instantly moved to hide behind him again. She grabbed his arms a bit tighter and met him smirk with narrowed eyes. “The empress is here. You might not want to cuddle with me in public while she is standing there.”

That only made her lover's grin widen. “No. In fact, we should go even further. After all, she has no right to tell me what to do. Besides, it's my birthday. I asked her for one thing, and she will have to swallow her pride entirely for the day.” As if that was anything new.

The concubine scanned his expression with worry. “What do you mean?”

“I wished for her to allow me one thing as my birthday gift. I can be with you the whole time, no matter what, no exceptions. She wasn't happy, but she agreed. I definitely won't allow her to break her word.”

Blanche was surprised by that for a moment, but realization quickly dawned upon her. “Did she have much of a choice?”

Theodore shook his head. “Of course not. Did you forget? I'm the emperor. I can do whatever I want. And naturally, I want everyone to see that I adore you.” He was crossing borders here for sure. Blanche had to speak up, but this wasn't possible now.

Just at that moment, footsteps sounded next to them, and the rest of the room went silent. Seemingly, everyone was expecting a conflict now and didn't dare to utter a single word to avoid angering the empress even more.

The concubine barely wanted to turn around, but ignoring the other woman would certainly be disrespectful. So, Blanche swallowed and moved away a bit from her lover to face the heroine.

Seraphina's expression was surprisingly calm despite the scene in front of her. Her dismay was obvious, but at least her gaze wasn't as cold as it had been sometimes in the past. Seemingly, the situation didn't have to escalate as long as everyone showed some tact.

Theodore didn't appear to have any intentions of being tactful though. He continued to stare at his lover for at least ten seconds before slowly turning to the empress. “Ah. Good morning.” A colder greeting in a more indifferent tone was almost impossible.

Seraphina kept quiet for a second before speaking. “I am pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. I would like to wish you a wonderful day with as much happiness and peace as possible. May you stay healthy and victorious in all of your endeavors.”

Theodore's lips twitched at that part. “Thank you very much. I definitely will.” In some way, this sounded like a threat, which didn't serve to lift the heroine's spirits.

The empress's expression darkened a bit, but she didn't bother scolding her husband for cuddling with his lover in front of her. Instead, she turned her head to the concubine. “Good day, Lady Blanche. I hope that you are well on this joyful day.”

Blanche showed the other woman a nervous smile. “Good day, Your Majesty. Naturally, I'm well. I am extremely glad to be here on his birthday. Seeing how everyone is trying to give their best to make this event as wonderful as possible is very impressive.”

Theodore chimed in before the empress could reply. “You're right. I should give everyone a raise after this situation is over. I don't want anyone to believe that I'm not thankful for their help. Maybe we should give them a few days off. The knights certainly deserve a vacation after our enemies had been eliminated.” While speaking, he looked at his lover to make it obvious that he was gazing at her instead of his wife.

Seraphina's expression became even sourer, but she waited until the emperor finished before responding. “That does seem like a good idea. I would like to support them before the issue is resolved as well. To secure their loyalty, it might be beneficial to grant them some bonuses immediately. We should discuss something such a matter soon. But today, we will not waste our time with political topics. Please do enjoy the rest of the day. We will see each other in front of the ballroom when the guests have arrived. For now, I do not wish to disturb you. I will take my leave now if you give me permission.”

Theodore nodded at her. “Please do. There is something that I still need to tell you, but I will send a servant to inform you later. Have a nice day.” His smile didn't seem very friendly, but the heroine completely ignored that.

“I see. I will receive the news then.” Seraphina turned to the concubine. “Goodbye, Lady Blanche. I assume that I will meet you when you bring your gift to His Majesty?”

Blanche didn't know what to say about that. She had planned on giving her lover his present, but he didn't seem to agree with her. She glanced at him before meeting the empress' gaze. “I was intending on doing that, but...”

Theodore took over for her. “She already gave me her gifts, and it would be useless to present them twice, wouldn't it? I told her to refrain from doing that. It doesn't matter much whether she gives me something in front of the guests or not.”

Seraphina furrowed her brows at that. “With all due respect, Your Majesty. It does matter. If she doesn't hand over a gift, she will be considered extremely insolent. One cannot simply attend the birthday celebration of a member of the royal family without bringing a present. A single closed box would be sufficient, so you should at least keep up the pretense.”

The emperor still continued to smile, and his grin widened a bit. “Oh, I assure you that no one will dare to criticize her. How could they blame a person for obeying me? To put their own wishes above mine, on my birthday nonetheless, would be very audacious, wouldn't it? That topic is connected to the matter that we need to discuss as well.”

The empress stayed silent for a moment before replying. “I see. That sounds like it may be important to speak about it face to face instead of through a servant. Would Your Majesty perhaps take some time to meet me later?”

Theodore reached a new level of disrespect when he grinned at her and responded. “No. I fear that this will not be possible or necessary. After all, I already made up my mind, so a discussion is quite useless. In addition, I would like to avoid spending my birthday arguing. That is understandable, right?”

Seraphina stared at him for a moment, and it was easy to see how she considered speaking up now or whether she should refrain from risking a fight. In the end, her desire to be harmonious won. “I understand. In that case, I will leave now. Please enjoy this day to be fullest.” With that, she turned around and strode to the door.

Her maids, who now seemed to be a bit more hostile than the last time again, glared at the concubine before hurrying to follow their mistress.

It seemed like Theodore had truly just shooed away the empress in front of the biggest portion of the staff members.

Blanche could only blink at that and began to massage her temples. “Theo, that wasn't very...”

Theodore didn't seem to have a care in the world, even though he had just offended the daughter of his most important political supporter. He just smiled at his concubine and squeezed her hands. “Did I do something wrong? I don't want her here, so I told her to go away when she offered it. It shouldn't make her angry in any way. And even if it did, it doesn't matter. I can ask her to leave me alone whenever I want to. But let's not talk about this anymore. I would like to do something more pleasant on my birthday than speaking about her. We should spend a wonderful time together instead. You promised not to worry about others, so keep your word. I still want to show you something. Will you follow me?” He took her other hand in his too and slowly pulled her in his direction.

Blanche sighed inwardly but allowed him to guide her away. As soon as they stepped onto the corridor, murmurs got loud behind them again. The concubine glanced over her shoulder and noted how eager the servants seemed to be to chat about this incident just now. She frowned at that image before turning back to her lover. “That will spark rumors. But you will just tell me that it doesn't matter what others think, right? Because of my promise, you won't allow me to argue back at all.”

“Of course.” Theodore looked as confident as ever as he smirked at her with that smile, which seemed to be etched into his face today. “I won't let anyone ruin our day. So, let's not talk about that. Aren't you curious about where we are going?”

Blanche gave up discussing with him at that. Maybe she shouldn't have agreed to his request. She was starting to regret her promise a bit. But now it was too late, and she could only hope for him to hold back if things got serious. She sighed out loud this time before pushing the thoughts about that unpleasant conversation with the empress away. “Alright.” She began smiling at him. “Well, then. Where are you guiding me?”

Her lover seemed to be content with her reaction. He turned around and walked backward to beam at her. “I need to give you your first present for the day. I already hinted at what it could be. Take a guess.”

The concubine worried a bit about him colliding with anything and looked over his shoulder to make sure that no one stood in his way while pondering. What had he mentioned? She had no idea. “I don't know. Is it an object?”

Theodore nodded. “Yes. It's for the ball later.” That made it too easy.

“Then it's my attire for today.”

“Yes! You will love it, I'm sure of it. I can't wait to see you in that dress. It's gorgeous.” Theodore spun around again and pulled her toward the hallway in which the tailor's room was. “Madame Charture is already waiting for us.” He didn't seem to have any patience left and opened the door to chime into the room.

As he had said, the tailor already stood there with a bright grin and whipped her head around when she heard a sound. Somehow, she seemed a bit too excited today. She normally was quite energetic, but today, Blanche felt like there might be something more to it. How exactly would her dress look?