The emperor pulled his lover into the room and began the conversation first. “It's nice to see that you are already up and working. Good morning. How are you today?”
Madame Charture happily greeted the visitors after putting down her notebook. “Happy birthday, Your Majesty. It's an honor to be able to meet you on such a special day. So of course, I am well. I worked hard on the gifts the whole night, but thanks to the delicious coffee of the palace, I'm not tired at all. If I had such mouth-watering drinks the whole time, I would be much more efficient. I would be thankful if I could borrow some coffee beans before I leave.”
“Naturally. That will not be an issue. After all, you have helped me a lot with your skills for the past years.”
The tailor beamed at that praise and jumped up from her chair. “Good day, Lady Blanche. Have you been well too? You look like your skin is glowing.”
The concubine mirrored the other woman's expression. “Thank you. It appears that spending time with Theo is good for me. You look like you are extremely happy too, Madame Charture. You must be very content with your designs.”
The tailor nodded with vigor. “Yes! I already mentioned that last time, didn't I? I almost can't believe that I came up with such a wonderful collection. All the dresses are so lovely, and I'm honored to be able to hand them over to you. I know that you will look beautiful in all of them. Oh, I can't wait to see your reaction to the gown His Majesty chose for this evening. Please follow me.” She didn't even listen but just hurried to the back of the room immediately.
Theodore bowed down to his lover to whisper in her ear. “So, you are healthy because I'm with you? It seems that I need to spend even more time with you in the future.”
Blanche couldn't help but tease him at that. She raised her eyebrows and eyed him with exaggerated skepticism. “How will that work out? Right now, we are glued together. Don't you want to have some time to govern the nation without me bothering you?”
Her lover raised his head again and pulled her in the direction the other woman had disappeared in. “Obviously, you could never bother me. I want you by my side and would be happy to have you close to me at all times. But it's still good if we have a few minutes alone. After all, I need to prepare your gifts without you noticing anything. That is the greatest challenge imaginable. But it seems like I did rather well. You have no clue what I'm planning, do you?”
“I don't. And I'm not sure if I'm happy about that. Maybe it would make me feel a little less bad about getting gifts on your birthday if I knew that you weren't overdoing it. Unfortunately, I don't think that you had any intention of holding back.”
The emperor glanced over his shoulder at her as he led her past the countless racks while carefully avoiding some spaces, where she assumed her presents to be. “Naturally, I didn't. I'm very sure that you'll like it though. The dress alone is gorgeous. We're almost there.”
She didn't get much further before he already covered her eyes with his hands. A grin spread on her face. “Is this becoming a tradition?”
Theodore gently guided her forwards while keeping his arms around her. “I wouldn't mind that. Like this, I can make sure that I'm seeing your first reaction properly. I want to catch a glimpse of your surprise when you see it. We're here.” He moved her around a corner before moving to her side. “Ready?”
Blanche nodded, and her lover lowered his hands.
The dress looked like it was made out of stardust. That was her very first thought.
A golden ballgown with a heart-shaped neckline greeted her, and it was breathtaking in more than one way. Obviously, the dress itself was beautiful. The style of the dress was simple and elegant, but the golden glitter, which caused the fabric to sparkle in the light, made it just as flashy at the same time. Once again, soft layers of tulle supported the skirt so that it was puffy and looked comfortable. There were a couple of different patterns on the dress, which made it stand out even more. But none of them had a different color and were only visible because of the light that illumined the alternating surfaces.
And aside from that, there was something else that made her forget to breathe momentarily. The dress itself was fully golden, but the accessories that her lover seemed to have chosen were blue. Not just light blue but navy. The color scheme was easily identifiable as the one belonging to the royal family.
There were no other colors mixed into the attire either. Some of the accessories had a lighter shade of blue as well, but all in all, everything was gold or navy. Only the emperor and the empress were allowed to wear that color combination without additional items.
“Theo, that-” She didn't even finish voicing her complaint.
Theodore wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her head. “It's beautiful, isn't it? And there is light blue too, so you can't complain.”
“First of all, that doesn't help much. Blue is blue, and no one will pay attention to that little difference. And then, even if another color is mixed in, these are the royal colors. Only a member of the royal family can wear this. Theo, if I actually appear in that, they will slaughter me.” She was desperate by now. How could her lover not realize that this was a horrible idea?
And why wasn't the tailor arguing against him but merely beaming at the couple?
Theodore replied as calmly as ever despite her panic. “I know that the royal colors are only supposed to be worn by royalty. But that isn't a law. It's a convention that doesn't make much sense. We'll see who actually dares to criticize you when you are by my side.”
Blanche snorted at that. “That won't stop the rumors. Either they'll say that I'm power-hungry and did it without your permission or that you are blinded and have been manipulated by me. The gossip behind my back would be bad enough. But as soon as I'm alone while you sit on your throne, people will approach and scold me. Please think about what Duke Duremont would say about this.”
Theodore hummed quietly and stroked over her head. “You promised me that you would ignore what other people are saying. Don't think about him. You saw that he was upset about your attire when you wore red too, right? He doesn't care about any colors, he just wants to criticize us for something. But how does that concern us? You promised that this day will be about us. Grant me a favor and let me see you in this wonderful dress.”
Blanche just turned around and stared her lover in the eye. “You can't tell me that you seriously believe that others will stay quiet just because it's your birthday. That you are on my side also doesn't stop them from gossiping and pointing out my mistakes. And this-” She gestured to the gown. “Is a huge mistake. The dress is beautiful, and I don't want to break my promise, but, Theo. This is going to create an uproar that is much bigger than you can imagine. While you receive your presents, I will be circled by people criticizing me the whole time. Every noble that respects the royal family will confront me and ask what I was thinking. Some might even throw a tantrum because of this.”
Theodore shook his head. “As I said. You won't be alone for a minute this evening. Do you think I'd leave you alone on our anniversary? While my family is there nonetheless? I will make sure that those people have no chance of approaching you, so I need to stay as close to you as possible. I might have to go away for a few seconds, but I will only do that if it's absolutely necessary, and even then, I will keep an eye on you. Owen will accompany you the whole time too, with your maid being there as well. It should be fine even if I have to leave. But as I said, I'll do my best to refrain from going somewhere else.”
The concubine furrowed her brows and gave him a questioning look. “How will that work when you are sitting on your throne? Am I supposed to stand next to the platform the whole evening?”
Her lover looked like he was indignant at the very thought of that. “Of course not. You aren't some sort of pet that has to wait for me. You'll be right by my side. I won't spoil the surprise, but that's what the servant still has to tell the empress.”
Blanche couldn't imagine what he was referring to, and to be honest, she was glad about that. Right now, the emperor was voicing too many things that irritated her, and if she had been able to follow his reasoning, that would have been a little strange. But still, this whole situation worried her. She put her hands on her lover's arms and squeezed him tightly. “You aren't planning anything strange, are you? There is no way for me to be next to the thrones without being seen by everyone. So, I'll obviously have to wait somewhere next to the platform. I'm fine with that. I don't want to meet the rest of the royal family after all. You don't have to think about where I could stay. I'll find a nice and cozy spot for me.”
Theodore only smiled at her. “That won't be necessary. I already prepared something for you. So, you can relax and think about how wonderful you will look in that dress.” It was impressive how insistent he was on this.
At the same time, it was impressive how he ignored that this sort of behavior would only make his allies turn their backs on him.
Blanche couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes. “You're still-”
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Her lover cut her off by pressing a kiss onto her lips. He used her surprise to put his hand on the backside of her head and pressed her against him. He didn't allow her to pull away and only let go when she had completely melted. Then he gave her a confident smirk while stroking over her hair. “I'm still sure. If someone asks you, say that it was my order. This will quieten all complaints. If you tell people that, they usually pull back immediately. My circumstances were quite different last time I did this, but it will still work.”
Blanche looked over her shoulder to scan the dress again. It was gorgeous. She wanted to wear it, and if she wasn't aware of the consequences, she would change into it without hesitation. “Look, Theo. We can still save this. I could show it to you in private. Wearing this for a ball is unacceptable, but I can wear it when we are alone sometime. Or we could take away the blue accessories and-”
“No.” Her lover didn't even let her finish. “I chose all of this for a reason. I want everyone to know that you belong with me. The colors need to fit too. Believe me. Everything will be fine. You can wear whatever you want in public, and no one will be able to criticize you. Come on. You can try the gown on and decide after that. I guarantee you that it will look too beautiful on you to pass up on wearing it.”
Blanche felt the same, so she didn't even want to gaze at the dress. She knew that she would fall in love as soon as the soft fabric would engulf her body and saw the twinkling patterns in the mirror. That way why she avoided turning to the gown and focused on her lover. “Theo. You can't expect them to accept a baroness wearing the royal colors. What would you do if some noble showed up in those colors?”
Theodore shrugged. “I would ignore it if it's just a small part of their clothes. If they completely dressed in gold and navy, I would probably have to point it out and ask them if they were ridiculing the royal family.”
The concubine nodded. “See? How can you expect me to act insolently when you would criticize everyone else for it? No one aside from you and the empress can wear an attire in only those two colors. Even the rest of the royal family will put on other colors.”
The emperor sighed and wrapped his arms around her neck to pull her towards him again. “You worry a lot, do you know that? If I am the one telling you to wear something, none of those norms apply. Aside from the fact that you are different from anyone else here, I would like to remind you that me allowing you to dress like this is worth more than any rules could weigh. I am the emperor, so I can speak on behalf of the whole royal family. If I say it's fine, there is no way that they can complain. You should know that I'm stubborn by now. I won't give up on this, so you shouldn't try to argue and just trust me instead. You promised me that you would ignore everyone else.”
Blanche could already tell that he would insist until she finally gave in. She let out an undefinable noise and leaned her head against her lover's chest. She closed her eyes and imagined how everyone would look at her if she appeared in such a gown.
The guest would begin murmuring loudly, and she would step behind her lover to hide from the judgmental gazes. She could endure that, but then someone would definitely address her impudence. Either Henry would do this or Seraphina would. There was no way that the heroine would ever accept another person dressing up in a manner that was reserved for the royal couple. Or did Theodore want to provoke just that? Did he want a public fight so that he could show on whose side he was? Blanche hoped not. She wanted to make sure anyway.
“The empress will send me back to change.”
That was a last weak attempt to argue back, but Theodore's response followed immediately. “The empress won't tell you what to do. If she tries anything, I will gladly challenge her in front of everyone present. If she says one word about your attire, I can easily explain that I was the one who chose it. That will silence all complaints. Even Duke Duremont will hold himself back in public. There is absolutely nothing you have to worry about.”
By the gods. He was really insane.
Blanche wasn't convinced that it would be fine at all, but there was no way for her to continue discussing. Trying to persuade her lover that she was right was probably more exhausting than dealing with countless derogatory stares. She already knew that she would give up, but there was still one thing she wanted to bring up. “You need to promise that you'll be on my side if this ever becomes a problem.”
Until now, she had avoided letting the story flow similarly to the original plot, and at some point, she had lost her fear of being hated by Theodore because she was the villainess. Her world was simply too different to resemble the novel anymore, and other issues were much more dangerous. But now she was starting to get scared again. After all, she would do something extremely audacious, and that was exactly what she had needed to desperately avoid. If people were seeing her as a power-hungry brat again, she definitely needed her lover to back her, or she would end up being disposed of rather quickly.
Theodore didn't allow her to get lost in her thoughts. He put his hands to her cheeks and guided her head up until their eyes met. “I will never stop being on your side. There won't be any issues, and even if I made a miscalculation, you would be the last one to suffer because of it. I know the nobles here, Blanche. I won't misjudge them. You can do whatever you want, and I will protect you, understand?”
Blanche slowly nodded and leaned into her lover as she tried to mirror some of his confidence. How come he was the one being threatened with the loss of his supporters, and she still worried more than him? It was ridiculous. But at this moment, she was glad that he gave her some certainty. If he was with her, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The concubine allowed herself to relax and breathed in and out a few times before speaking up. “Alright. Then I'll keep my promise. Even though it's a horrible idea. I will try on the dress.”
Her lover's lips formed a soft smile. “Thank you. I can't wait to see you when you are wearing it.”
She turned her head to gaze at the gown and sighed inwardly. This dress was way too beautiful and dangerous for her at the same time. Hopefully, she wouldn't regret her decision.
Those thoughts quickly left Blanche's mind when she changed into the new attire and marveled at herself in the mirror. The golden dress glittered so much that it looked like she would illuminate the whole ballroom when all the candles were surrounding her. For a moment, she just stood there and stared at the attire's reflection.
In the meantime, her lover was busy putting the last accessories on her to show how the complete outfit would look.
She allowed him to give her everything without saying a word and admired the full collection in the mirror. “It's beautiful.”
It was very flashy too. She normally didn't care about this, but now she did. She would be the center of all attention with this dress, and that wasn't something she would look forward to. Her attire was definitely one that would make outsiders question whether she was the empress.
Theodore hugged her from behind and met her gaze through the reflection. “You are as gorgeous as ever. It fits you perfectly. It's a shame that you'll have to change out of it now. The ball will only begin in five hours, so we still have some time before we have to get ready.”
Blanche immediately nodded. “Thankfully. That party will go on until midnight. Aren't seven hours enough for a ball? That will be extremely exhausting, so I'm glad that we can rest a bit before that.”
Theodore chuckled. “It won't be a complete catastrophe as long as you can freely visit the buffet. If you are bored, we'll just eat something. I won't deny that spending the whole evening watched will be unpleasant though. We should begin dressing early so that we won't be too late. I obviously have to enter as the last person, but I don't want to let the guests wait for too long.”
“Still, I need to go in a bit before that. I need to greet you along with everyone else after all.”
The emperor raised an eyebrow at her while slowly making her turn around to him. “Did you forget the last two events already? You will enter with me again.”
That made this dress seem like an even worse idea. If she was with Theodore, everyone would instantly see her insolent attire. But she didn't even need to try before knowing that he wouldn't discuss this with her. At least she wouldn't have to worry about being alone in the ballroom for a while.
“I see. This evening will certainly get interesting.”
Her lover leaned down to nibble on her ear before ghosting a few kisses onto the side of her jaw. He lifted his head again when he was finished and locked his eyes with his concubine to give her a confident grin. “Don't be nervous. We'll show everyone how wonderful we are together.”
Blanche forced herself to return the smile. “I'm not nervous.” That was a lie. Her stomach was already churning at the thought of what might happen that evening. She would certainly feel like throwing up later, but for now, she would push away all thoughts of this. They still had some peaceful hours together before the stressful part would begin.
Luckily, Theodore seemed to read her mind, so she didn't even need to voice her wishes out loud. They spend the time before the ball in his room and cuddled while eating another piece of cake after not being able to hold back upon seeing it. That was wonderful and helped to calm her down immensely.
But no matter what they did, the evening drew nearer, and her mind was kind enough to show her all sorts of visions of what could go wrong.
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The closer the beginning of the ball came, the more Blanche had a feeling of inevitable doom. Her attire wasn't even the worst thing about this event. After all, she knew that the dowager empress and the second prince would be present along with the Duremont and the Vasquez family. She would have to deal with comments and issues being thrown at her from both sides, and she didn't look forward to that. But of course, that didn't change anything.
The sun still wandered across the horizon, and the couple had to get ready.
Blanche took one last look into the mirror to make sure that everything looked neat before turning to her lover. “It's fine like, right?” She had asked that about three hundred times by now, but she was still anxious. After all, she would enter along with the emperor. Her attire and the fact that she accompanied the ruler of Artias would be enough to secure that everyone's eyes would be on her. So naturally, she had to look good today.
Theodore lifted his hands and fastened the sapphire clasp in her hair before stepping back to scan her whole body. A beam spread across his face. “Perfect. You are beautiful no matter what, but the longer I look at you, the more stunning you become. I'm not easy to impress, so you can rest assured. Besides, your maid told you that you are gorgeous a dozen times too. You should trust us more.”
Stella stood beside the couple and nodded vigorously. “Everything is perfect, My Lady. You will be the most ravishing person at the ball. You only need to smile at the crowd, and people will faint.”
Blanche eyed her maid with skepticism. “If anyone will collapse, it will be me because of my nervousness.” Especially if, for some reason, the powder would be wiped off her neck and allow everyone to see her love marks.
Her lover immediately chimed in at that. “You already did that once, please don't do it again. If you feel unwell, even the slightest bit, tell me. I will bring you to our room if you need to be alone for a few minutes too.”
The concubine made a rejecting gesture with her hand. “No, it's fine. It's not that bad. I won't stir up a commotion by leaving in the middle of your ball either. We will stay there from the beginning all the way until the end.”
Theodore smiled and took her hand in his. “Well, then it would be better for us to leave now. We don't want to be late.” He guided her towards the door and waited for Stella to open it before exiting the room.
Blanche just pressed her lips into a thin line and tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone in the hallways. Even then, she could tell that everyone was staring at her and probably judging her attire silently. The servants knew what dressing up in the royal colors meant too, so they were probably shocked right now. That would be the only logical reaction. It was much more disturbing that neither Theodore, Madame Charture, Stella nor Owen had voiced their doubts regarding this topic.
No one aside from the concubine seemed to think clearly, so worrying about this issue didn't make any difference. She tried her best to empty her head. She would have to think about how to act later while she was standing next to her lover. After all, she still had no idea where she was supposed to wait while he got his gifts. She would have at least two hours to think about her plans during that as well, so she didn't have to trouble herself with concerns now.
All she had to focus on was walking upright without tripping in front of every influential noble in the nation. Only the thought of the ballroom being even fuller than it normally was seemed to be enough to make her stomach twist with anxiety though. This would be horrible.
Especially when the one question that truly mattered stopped her.
Where exactly was the empress, and why wasn't she waiting in front of the ballroom?