For a moment, all the present people were busy sipping on their wines until the emperor finished and spoke up. “May the ball start now. I am officially opening the dance floor and the buffet so that all of you can enjoy yourselves to the fullest. I hope that we will have the chance to greet each other later, but until then, have some fun.”

With that, the first part of the event was done. Now the guest would approach the thrones one after the other and offer their gifts to the emperor. Since everyone had options of busying themselves now, the concubine hoped that they would stop paying attention to her and deal with their own matters. She sipped on her drink and finished the glass.

Seconds later, a maid was there to take it away along with Theodore's one.

Blanche was surprised by that sudden appearance and stared after the woman for a moment before focusing on the more important topics again. If the people were starting to come to the royal couple now, the ones with the highest rank would begin. Unmistakably, that would be the members of the Estien family. She definitely didn't have any interest in facing the dowager empress and the second prince, but it might be good to get it over with. After that, she would be safe for most of the evening, so that might be worth the frustrating interaction.

The concubine let her eyes wander across the crowd and paused when she met Henry's gaze. It was like the duke had been waiting for her. He was glaring at her with so much hatred that it made her want to look away immediately. She forced herself to maintain eye contact for a second though before slowly shifting her attention to something else. Maybe that had made it seem like she hadn't noticed him, but she doubted it. She had been tense the whole time, and seeing how furious Duke Duremont was didn't make that any better.

So, she jolted when she suddenly heard her lover right next to her. She whipped her head around to find him leaning over to her.

Theodore scanned her expression with a small grin before speaking up. “You are way too adorable when I startle you. If you don't want me to kiss you, you shouldn't look at me like that.”

Blanche felt how her cheeks got red, even though she repeatedly told herself to keep calm. “It's your fault for scaring me like that. Is something wrong?”

The emperor's smile only widened at that. “Nothing's wrong. How could that be the case when you are right here with me? You seem to be a bit tense though.”

She let out a nervous chuckle and averted her eyes. “How could I not when everyone is watching us? I don't think that this was a good idea.”

“Should I kiss it better?” Her lover leaned even closer to her so that it seemed like he would actually kiss her.

But a voice chimed in before that could happen. “Would you please conduct yourself a bit more appropriately? We are currently in public, so it would be wise to act accordingly. In addition, I would like to remind you that I am able to understand your every word, and I do not wish to hear any of those things.”

Blanche stiffened when she realized that the empress was close enough to notice what was going on.

The emperor didn't care much though. He glanced at his wife for a moment without even turning his head properly. “And how is that my problem? If you do not like it, you are free to join your family. They surely missed you during the past weeks.” That was all he said before looking back to his lover and rolling his eyes.

Seraphina was silent for a moment, and that was enough to alert the concubine.

Blanche knew that her lover was the most powerful person here, but treating the one coming right behind him in influence wasn't wise. Enraging the other woman would only cause problems. They needed the empress to mediate with the Duremonts, which meant that they couldn't start a fight with her first. So, Blanche hurried to speak up. “I sincerely apologize, Your Majesty. We will be quiet from now on.”

The empress replied immediately. “Was this your idea?”

The concubine tightened her grip on the armrest and tried to sound a little less uncomfortable than she actually was. “I fear that I do not quite understand what Your Majesty is referring to.” And since she couldn't see the other woman's expression, she didn't even have a clue about what this was.

Seraphina responded with the same cool voice as always, even though the edge of her tone was a bit sharper than usual. “Everything. From your attire to the entrance, the dance and you sitting here. Did this happen due to your request?”

Blanche shook her head, even though the heroine couldn't see her. “No. I would never dare to ask something like this. That's why-”

The empress' reply followed in an even harsher tone. “I thought so. Then do not apologize. This matter will be discussed excessively in private later, but I would favor speaking to the person responsible for this.” It sounded like she was probably glaring at the emperor right now, but he didn't care.

Theodore rested his elbow on the armrest and leaned his head on his palm while looking at his lover. “I don't know what she is referring to. I never agreed to a discussion, and I doubt that she can force me. Besides, I don't have to justify anything. I'm the emperor. Can't I do what I want during my birthday party in my palace?”

Blanche sighed inwardly and scanned him while thinking about how to respond. He surely wouldn't listen to her complaints, but it felt wrong to stay silent about this. “You don't want to hear my true opinion. You would only remind me of our promise again.”

Her lover happily nodded. “Naturally. You won't break your words because of some strange comments. Ignore everyone that wishes to criticize you and enjoy the day with me.” He gave her a soft smile before opening his mouth again.

The empress spoke before he could begin. “I asked my brother to look into the matter of the poison regarding the hint we got. Apparently, he found something that could help us with the investigation. He will share his information with us in an a little more secluded environment. He did not tell me much, but from what I heard, it seems like the hint was correct. We need to be even more careful from now on.”

Theodore stiffened a bit at that. “So, Cedar didn't lie. Leon found some information too. I doubt that our two sources were completely wrong. We'll ask all the servants to pay more attention to the uses of strange liquids or powders. We need to eliminate any risk of somebody ingesting any harmful substances. The controls by the gates will be increased too. We can't allow those people to continue their vile plots any longer.” He sounded like he wished to say something else too, but then his eyes landed on something in the middle of the ballroom. “There they are. I can't even speak about them without summoning them. How annoying.” His voice made it seem like he had no intention of hiding that he wasn't pleased about those guests either.

That made it easy to find out to whom he could be referring.

Blanche turned her head to gaze in the direction of the carpet in front of the platform and wasn't surprised to find the dowager empress and the prince approaching them.

Camille was wearing a simple navy gown with white patterns and golden accessories. Her son was dressed in a similar color scheme, which proved that they were rather serious about following the conventions. They appeared in the royal colors but mixed in white to show that they weren't imitating the royal couple. That was the only part about them that anyone could foolishly call considerate though.

Cedar was already grinning from one ear to the other as he guided his mother to the thrones. One look at his expression was enough to reveal that he was still the perfect actor as always and covered his disdain for his brother without any issues.

Camille didn't see the need to do so though. She openly glared at Theodore with even more hatred than Henry had ever shown. She was truly nothing but a hollow shell that was fueled by resentment and unjust grudges. Even as she maintained her dignified posture, it didn't change anything about the fact that her heart had become icy long ago. That woman had nothing but coldness and hate to offer. How had she even raised her younger son?

Blanche shuddered at that thought and glanced at her lover.

Theodore was watching them approach with a blank expression, but his eyes pierced them with a freezing gaze. He turned to his lover when he noticed that she was looking at him and showed her a weak smile though. “It will be fine. They will bother us for a minute, give me their gifts and then leave.” It sounded like he was telling that himself rather than her to keep himself from exploding.

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She nodded toward him and fought the urge to grab his hand. “You will do well. You always do. They can't do anything too insolent while the guests are watching.”

That was a useless argument, but it made her lover chuckle before he allowed himself to show her his frustration for a moment. “They won't be silent. She will confront me about you being here and compare me to my father again. He will try something weird, I just know it. I wish I could just ignore them.”

Blanche nodded in affirmation. “That would be wonderful. But you know that this won't make them calm down. Just remember that we need to remain composed and greet them with a smile. Then you will chat with them, and after that, they'll leave.” She tried to cheer her lover up, but at the same time, this was supposed to motivate her too.

One glance at Cedar's face was enough to make her want to sit on Theodore's lap instead. She hated how the prince managed to fake a completely real smile and only showed his twisted side when he wanted to scare others. Unfortunately, she had been the target of those attempts a few times now, and that was sufficient to fill her with dread whenever she saw that person. How could her lover ever be worried about her falling for his brother's lies? Cedar made her hairs stand on end and caused her to become nauseous whenever she saw him. She couldn't quite discern the mix of emotions she was feeling, but she knew that he confused her.

She hated the prince with every fiber of her being. At least she knew that she definitely should. The fact that he was attempting to kill her lover was part of the reason for that, but she also despised Cedar's personality. There was something about him that had made her wish to avoid him from the moment that she had met him onwards. Even while he was just moving towards her with a smile, she wanted to wipe that expression off his face and prove how much she loved Theodore, just to spite the emperor's enemies.

And yet, it didn't feel like blaming Cedar was the right option when the real reason for all of this chaos, Camille, was standing next to him. Even Blanche knew that much. Though, she shouldn't worry about that when it wouldn't change their situation.

Theodore moved his hand over to her, and while she was lost in thought, she mindlessly took it. He squeezed her hand twice before looking into her eyes and mouthing an ‘I love you’.

She did the same before letting go of him and turning to the guests.

By now, Camille and Cedar had reached the thrones, and the prince bowed to the emperor. In the meantime, the dowager empress kept her head held up high as she scanned the scene on the platforms. Even while she was standing below them, it felt like she was looking down on the concubine.

Blanche gave her best not to grimace or meet Cedar's gaze as she waited for her lover to speak up. She presumed that he would take a few seconds to enrage the two that had to stay quiet until he opened his mouth, as he had done it the last few times. That proved to be true.

Theodore waited for longer than it was comfortable before beginning to talk with a fake smile, which didn't cover the coldness in his eyes. “Good afternoon, or rather evening. I'm pleased to see that you chose to attend the ball for my birthday. I was not sure about that before, but it seems like my wishes have been fulfilled. Have you been enjoying yourselves until now?”

Camille continued to glare at him even while he was speaking and seemed like she could barely gather enough patience to wait until he finished. She opened her mouth as soon as he was done. “Naturally. I heard some concerning rumors, so I decided that I needed to see how your health is at the moment. It seems like you are well enough to host a party. I am relieved to see that, but it makes me question your sanity. Are you aware of the fact that the royal family stands on top of the noble society? We are supposed to be the most respectable household in the nation and lead the rest of the aristocrats while governing Artias. Our family has had this position for centuries. How can you insult our whole bloodline and every single noble in our country by daring to put a lowly baroness next to you and Her Majesty? In such an attire nonetheless. Are you out of your mind? Do you wish to dishonor all of our relatives that served the nation ever since Artias was declared independent? Your own father would-”

Theodore rested his head on his hand while she spoke, and with every word, he looked more annoyed. He was quiet until the very end when he seemingly had enough and interrupted the dowager empress without regret. “I will pretend I didn't hear that. Try again.”

That silenced Camille. Her expression showed that she was even more enraged than before as she stared at her son. “How can you act like this during a public event? Ignoring your own mother while she-”

The emperor didn't let her finish this time either. “I am doing this precisely because I know who you are. You have always been loyal to the Estien family and know everything that is to know about our bloodline and the rules in our society. So, when you are disregarding all of that, I naturally need to speak up.”

Blanche alternated between looking at her lover and the other woman while trying to calm herself down. She wasn't involved in the fight, but listening was enough to make her nauseous. There was no way that this would be a pleasant conversation anymore.

The dowager empress' tone became even icier even when Cedar put his hand on her shoulder to soothe her. “What are you referring to? In comparison to others here, I never dishonored our bloodline.”

Theodore lifted his hand and raised his index finger as a little smile spread on his face. “Spending six years in a mansion away from the capital must have caused you to forget about some things. You just ignored every convention that I can think of. You didn't greet me and didn't wish me a happy birthday either, although this joyful day is the reason for this celebration. I am a bit hurt because of that, but I will manage. What baffles me though is that you speak about our bloodline like you were a part of it. I do not wish to hurt you, but that is not quite accurate.” He averted his eyes and leaned his elbow on the armrest again. “You married into the Estien family, but you do not share the same blood as the previous rulers of Artias. But I don't mind you feeling devoted enough to our family to state things like that.” Theodore looked at his mother, and his tone drastically changed into a cold one that lacked any sympathy. “What I do mind is the fact that you believe yourself to be powerful enough to criticize the emperor. In front of all my guests and during my birthday ball. Nonetheless, I was kind enough to overlook it and gave you a chance to start once more in a more respectful tone, but it seems like you didn't notice what I was referring to. Even when I explicitly asked you to be more polite. My hint appears to have been useless to you.”

Camille's eyes narrowed as she stared at her son as if she was hoping for him to drop dead. But she didn't get a chance to curse the emperor. Cedar moved a bit closer to his mother and whispered something into her ear, which made her press her lips into a thin line. She didn't seem to be pleased, but she didn't make any attempt to speak up.

Instead, Cedar took it upon himself to save the situation. “We should have started with this, but allow me to add it. Happy birthday, my dear brother. You are twenty-seven now. That sounds almost surreal. Time passes by way too quickly. I still remember the day that you became twenty years old like it was yesterday.” He made a dramatic pause before taking a deep breath and continued. “We sincerely apologize if Mother's words just now offended you. I fear that today has been quite stressful as she has been feeling unwell the whole week. So, she might have voiced things in a less careful tone than she normally would. You remember that she's like this often when she is ill, right? But you also know that she only means well. Mother was merely worried about Her Majesty, and that is why she addressed this so openly.”

Seraphina chimed in before the emperor had a chance to respond. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness. I thank you for your concern, but I can assure you that I am not in a state that is unfavorable enough to require any pity.” The sharp edge of her voice made it more than obvious that she didn't have any interest in getting sympathy from those people. She wouldn't allow them to use her as a reason to disrespect Theodore, even if she was definitely still fuming because of all of this.

Cedar's eyes widened as if he was shocked by those words. “Of course not, Your Majesty. That is not what I meant to express at all. How could anyone think to pity Her Majesty, the empress of Artias? What I wished to say is that my brother can be quite headstrong sometimes and that I fear that you may misinterpret his actions. But naturally, we will not interfere in your relationship.” He turned his head to his mother and gave her a soft smile. “I apologize for speaking before you. Will you greet Her Majesty too?”

Camille glared at him for a moment before turning her hateful gaze to the thrones. It seemed like she was too angry to control herself, so she didn't attempt to conceal the resentment in her eyes. “I am pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. I apologize for His Majesty's behavior. I would like to take responsibility for that, but the ones tutoring him while he was young are to blame for this. The esteemed previous emperor should have been a bit more careful regarding whom he allowed to take care of his heir. Maybe things would be a little different now, but we do not have the time to make guesses about the past. I can only praise you for staying at His Majesty's side even when he may be stubborn.”

Even now, Camille didn't stop criticizing Theodore, even though he had explicitly pointed out that she shouldn't do that. This only proved that she was overly convinced that her position was powerful enough to ensure that she wouldn't be punished no matter what.

What was even more surprising than this was the fact that she was still trying to curry favor with Seraphina. After the conversation at the last ball, it had seemed like Camille would ignore the empress from now on, but it appeared that she was more patient in that regard. Maybe the dowager empress just saw that Seraphina was in a similar situation to her and insisted on becoming her ally because of that.

However, the empress thankfully had no intention of agreeing to that. “I appreciate your concern but, as His Royal Highness said, I do not believe that there is any need for you to intervene in this matter. Even though I have to agree that the actions of this evening may seem reckless to you, we have no issue dealing with this ourselves. I will discuss everything necessary with His Majesty in private, so you do not have to worry. He is a competent ruler, so you can put more faith in him. I should not have to remind you that this is the celebration of his birthday, so we will not converse about such topics any longer. Let us speak about more pleasant matters instead.”

The dowager empress' expression turned even more sinister, even though that shouldn't have been possible at all.

Cedar quickly spoke up before she could. “Of course, we agree, Your Majesty. This is a way too wonderful day to waste it worrying about subjects that do not seem to bother you. We will continue the conversation normally.” He squeezed his mother's shoulder, which was supposed to make her resume, but she kept quiet.

Blanche would have liked to sink into her chair to hide from the uncomfortable situation, but she forced herself to keep her posture upright. Listening to the hostile discussions between the others was bad enough, but she would have to reply as well soon, and she needed to get ready for that.

It was obvious that Camille was unhappy about the concubine being here, possibly because it awakened memories of Althea accompanying Theodore's father.

But that wouldn't cause Blanche to just leave. While she would love to avoid a conversation with the other woman and the prince, she wouldn't bow down this time either. Her nerves were already tingling now, and she felt the urge to shudder, but she gave her best to seem confident while greeting the dowager empress.

But Camille didn't speak up.

An uncomfortable amount of time passed until Theodore cleared his throat. “Cedar, you said that she was sick? If it was this serious, you shouldn't have come at all. I mean, she is even forgetting the most fundamental rules of etiquette right now. You are aware of that, right? Does she have a fever? Say the word, and I will get you a carriage that brings you back to the mansion.”

Cedar gave his brother a smile and patted Camille's hand. “Thank you for your concern, but she appears to be fine. As long as she is feeling alright, we cannot miss such an important event. Mother recovered the whole week, so she is merely a bit tired today.” He turned his head to the dowager empress with an expectant look.

But even now, Camille refused to acknowledge the concubine.

This time, Theodore didn't stay silent for long. He sighed and massaged his temples for a moment before tilting his head towards his lover. “I told you that she would be sick again, didn't I? There seems to be a curse that makes her ill on my birthday each year. So, please don't be too angry at her. I'll make it up to you later.” The fact that a baroness was asked to forgive the dowager empress was audacious enough, but Theodore wasn't done yet. He turned to his mother and gave her a fake smile. “I will take it on myself to intervene now before it gets embarrassing. You need to greet everyone here. Blanche is next in line. If you are unsure what to say, she could also address you first.”

Camille finally spoke up at that. Her expression was distorted with rage as she glared at her son. Without a doubt, she was more offended by this suggestion than anything else before. But Theodore's words seemed to have their intended influence. Her eyes slowly wandered to the concubine, and she stared at the other woman with wrath before speaking up. “Lady Blanche. It seems that His Majesty still did not allow you to bow to people above your rank. That may cause trouble for you in the future. You should know that the emperor's words do not rule out the law. At some point, you should stop trusting that he will protect you from anything that may happen. Manipulating him into allowing things like this insolent behavior today will not grant you any advantages in the long run. You should do yourself a favor and start showing respect to others.”

Blanche really didn't know how to reply to that.