“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.” Camille surely had a nice way of greeting someone.

The concubine had to hold back a sigh at that. It seemed like the other woman had no intention of keeping up appearances today. This wasn't even a proper greeting. How was she supposed to react to this?

Blanche forced herself to smile and felt how her stomach began to churn in panic. She surely wouldn't address any of the dowager empress' comments, but could she just ignore them? Everyone was listening to this conversation even if they pretended not to, so she would have to react to being criticized. But in the end, Camille had disregarded the etiquette more than her, so she might as well ignore that and be polite, even if that would only enrage the other woman more. “Good evening, Your Majesty. I feel honored to meet you too. I am as elated to see you as you are to see me. This is such a wonderful day, so we should just enjoy it to the best of our ability, correct?” Blanche shut her mouth after that and waited for the reaction.

The dowager empress' expression became even uglier, and she looked like she might storm toward the thrones soon if her son wasn't holding her back.

Seraphina let out a small noise at this, which might have been a sigh.

Theodore just grinned. But it was very obvious that the emperor's smile was fake. His eyes were filled with anger as he stared at his mother and spoke up. “I feel like I need to correct a few things about what you said earlier. First of all, the emperor's word does override the law. Also, any of the traditions we may have are norms, not rules, so everyone is technically free to break them. I would like to add that Blanche has my permission to do everything she wants, so she could also disregard the law if she wished to do so. I am very confident that I can protect her and the whole Estien family from anyone that has ill intentions too. Most of the arguments you voiced are baseless.”

The concubine sank a little in herself as she heard this. It seemed like her lover truly intended to ruin this ball completely. There would be an uncountable amount of rumors after this. But that didn't mean that he was done scolding his mother already.

Theodore continued with the same fake smile, which had weakened a bit by now. “There is one thing that I feel like I need to point out explicitly. Everything that happens today is because of my birthday wish. Blanche never manipulated me. In fact, persuading her to agree was harder than anything I had to do lately. This was my own free decision. So, I would appreciate it if you stopped accusing her of random things without any reason. She'll be here for a very long time, so you should try to get along with her. She moved into the palace before you came back and will live here for longer than you too.” That was just an indirect way of saying that the concubine wasn't a temporary guest but would stay even after he had defeated his family.

Naturally, Camille didn't like to hear the news. “You are a thoughtless man, Theodore. Just like your father. One day, that trust that you have in your power and the people surrounding you will be your downfall.”

The emperor let out a laugh at that. “Oh, thank you for the compliment. I'm very happy that I resemble Father so much. The other option would be...well... Let's just say that it's enough that Cedar is a little similar to you. Luckily, he got a hint of Father's traits too. Otherwise... Naturally, that is a compliment for you two as well. Also, those tips you gave me, I would like to return them to you too. I mean, didn't you notice by now? Something is off today.”

Camille's eyes narrowed as she searched Theodore's face for hints. “What does that mean?”

The emperor's grin became an honest one as he viewed his mother's irritation. “I was sure that you would address that issue immediately. Well, then it's not that important. Let's move on. Not everyone greeted Blanche yet.” That made it sound like the concubine was the one deserving the royal family's respect, which was definitely a strange thought.

But while the dowager empress' face scrunched up at that, Cedar, who had been addressed, only smiled. He nodded toward the emperor. “Of course. I would never ignore her.” He turned to the concubine and showed her the same infuriating smile as always. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Blanche. I sincerely hope that you have been well during the past few days and especially today. It does seem like I worried for naught though. During this celebration, there should be no reason for you to be upset. You are by His and Her Majesty's side after all. That is an incomparable honor, so you must be filled with bliss right now.”

To be honest, the only emotion filling Blanche was anxiety right now. This position brought her more pressure than honor. Everyone was looking at her, so she had to keep her expression straight the whole time. And Blanche hated interacting with the prince, who seemed to scheme the whole time while they spoke. Memories of the last conversation flooded her mind and almost made her grimace. She might be forced to talk to him now, but at least he didn't have a chance to touch her while she was on top of this platform. Now she would only have to be polite, and everything would go well. Hopefully.

“Of course, I am honored to be able to spend the evening with His and Her Majesty. It is also overwhelmingly pleasant to be able to have a conversation with you and Her Majesty, the dowager empress though. You look like you have been well during the past days too, or is that a misinterpretation on my side?”

Cedar beamed at her while he let go of his mother's shoulder. “No, as usual, you are correct with your guess. I cannot complain about the last few days. Naturally, this event only raised my spirits, so you could say that I am overjoyed by now.” He probably wasn't when his mother was being so prickly. So, he immediately took that out on the couple by teasing them again. “After all, I am finally able to see my brother and you again.” Naming Blanche as a reason for his joy and fully leaving out the empress had been completely unnecessary and would only cause people to gossip about this comment.

Blanche considered replying, but she didn't see the need to do so. The more she talked, the more chances the prince had to twist her words, so she would leave it at this. She could trust that her lover wouldn't let them sit there in silence.

As she had expected, Theodore chimed in as soon as his brother had finished and the concubine showed that she didn't have any intention of speaking up. “See? We finally finished properly. Now we can move on to more basic topics. Is there anything special happening right now? I barely heard any rumors from outside, so I assume that it is fine, but I cannot be sure. Is there anything concerning you?”

Cedar glanced over at his mother and spoke up when she didn't respond. “We cannot complain. We are doing fairly well, even though there have been small issues with some servants. There was nothing serious though. The capital appears to be calm too. I heard that the royal palace was the same aside from a few minor incidents, correct?”

The concubine almost snorted at that. The poisoning surely hadn't been a minor incident, so she felt a bit offended when someone stated it like this. Apparently, it had been supposed to be a provocation since Cedar looked into her eyes while speaking to the emperor. But she definitely wouldn't get upset now. This was better than the prince acting like he was pitying her while accusing her lover. So, she would be happy as long as he kept his mouth shut.

Theodore nodded to himself and gave his family a warm smile. “I see. That is good though. It would be horrible if the capital was as restless as some other people I had the pleasure of meeting. There have been small problems with some criminals, but aside from that, it truly has been calm.” The way he phrased this sounded like he was referring to the very two in front of him when mentioning the ones that troubled him. But at the same time, he seemed to be holding back a smirk, which proved that there was something more to it.

Camille had calmed down a bit by now and spoke up in an icy tone that seemed to freeze the surrounding air. “You could not have forgotten about the birth of the second child of His and Her Grace, the Duke and Duchess of Vasquez, correct? I heard that you did not visit them yet, and they were quite disappointed because of that.”

Theodore lifted his hand and waved it around in the air while grimacing slightly. “I apologize for that. But unfortunately, I did not have much free time. Besides, the situation between me and His Grace is still a bit tense. Due to the increased security, I cannot leave, but because of that issue, he cannot come either. It's unfavorable, really. But since you surely visited your sister, it should be fine. Is it a boy or a girl?”

The dowager empress' face scrunched up, which Cedar took as his cue to step in. He hurried to speak up before his mother could offend the emperor again. “It is an adorable little girl. But we will not reveal her name since that will be Her Grace's honor. I assumed that they would be kind enough to share the news with us today despite not bringing her along with them. I have not seen them yet though, so I cannot support that guess.”

Theodore let out a drawn-out “Ah” before his smile widened. “So, you did notice. It would be weird if you didn't realize that some guests that normally come here no matter what are missing.”

Cedar and Camille exchanged a short look for a moment before the dowager empress began. “They are not present today?” She turned her head and let her eyes wander across the crowd before gazing back at the thrones. “That is unfortunate. I was looking forward to spending time with them.”

Cedar added his words after that. “I agree that this is unpleasant, but it cannot be helped. They must have been busy with extremely important matters. Otherwise, they would never miss out on His Majesty's birthday party. So, please do not hold it against them. Maybe this is about the baby, or they are sick. In any way, it has to be serious. I will contact them later and ask what might be wrong.”

The emperor smirked at him after glancing at his concubine for a moment. “There is no need to do that. His Grace would not have been allowed inside anyway, so it is better that they did not show up.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Cedar put on a surprised expression at that. He blinked at his brother a few times before slowly speaking up. “You said something similar already. Please excuse me if I misunderstood, but are you serious about him not being allowed to enter the royal palace? Did something bad happen? I fear that I do not know anything about that situation.” He was a professional at lying. There was no way that he hadn't heard about the fact that Duke Vasquez had lost his position as a minister and that the emperor was furious with him. It was clear that he knew that the concubine had been the reason too. He just wanted to see whether his brother would dare to announce that a duke had been rebuked, dismissed and forbidden from visiting because he had offended a baroness.

Everyone else that was aware of this matter had to be tense now, but Theodore spoke up without a care in the world. “I can barely imagine that you didn't know about this. His Grace thought that it was a good idea to lose his temper in front of me. He insulted the royal family, and Blanche reminded him to stay silent. He disrespected and threatened her and wouldn't calm down even when I stepped in. Even then, he disobeyed my orders and believed that his rank would protect him from the consequences. What a fool. I told him to leave and that he was only allowed to come back after he apologized to Blanche.”

The crowd began to murmur immediately, which made a content smile appear on the emperor's face. Seemingly, he had brought up this topic intentionally and now relished in seeing how taken aback both his mother and brother, even if Cedar definitely faked it, were.

Blanche just lost her will to sit upright at that anymore. She finally allowed herself to lean against the backrest and took a deep breath. She wouldn't dare to speak up now when everyone was staring at her anyway. She would just let her lover deal with this, even if she doubted that he was thinking clearly. If he wanted to provoke his family in public, he should have chosen an a little more subtle approach. Now he had probably caused more issues than anything else.

The dowager empress' hateful expression was enough to reveal her thoughts at this moment, but Cedar spoke up before her once again. “That is...a surprise. I never knew that he was this impulsive. He must have had a horrible day. Due to his wife's pregnancy, he might have been very stressed. Naturally, that is not an excuse for disrespecting anyone, especially not the emperor. So, I understand your decision. Still, I would ask you to show a little mercy. He is your uncle after all, and-”

Theodore's expression changed in an instant, and he cut the prince off without a warning. He didn't hide his icy anger anymore but allowed his fury to turn his face into a mask of rage. “And that would allow him to break the law? There is no way that I will accept anyone ignoring my words or committing crimes because their wife is related to a person that married into my family. That would force me to treat him favorably during the trial too, and I have no intention of doing that. I will not get involved and see how he faces the charges pressed against him without intervening.”

Everyone was silenced by this. Not just Cedar and Camille but also the rest of the guests.

The prince blinked at his brother before speaking up. “Pardon. I fear that I am not able to follow. Which trial could you be talking about?”

Theodore sighed and rested his hand on his palm while gazing to the side. “His Grace and Lord Vasquez are on trial for tax evasion, identity theft and possibly treason. They own countless stores, and apparently, they were smuggling a huge number of goods throughout the whole nation. Depending on what kind of people they supplied with dangerous items, they might have helped criminals that are attempting to damage the nation. That is a serious crime against Artias and cannot be disregarded. They have enough funds to flee to another country, so they are currently in prison to prevent that from happening.”

It took a few moments before anyone was able to comprehend that.

Even Blanche leaned forward and turned to her lover to look at him. Had he seriously managed to find evidence that would be enough to convict the Vasquez family? If so, that was amazing. Until now, the lack of proof had been the biggest issue both in this world and in the original story. So, it was a wonderful surprise that he was able to secure enough to at least put them on trial.

Naturally, the emperor was content with that. He gave his relatives a contemptuous smile and added another bit before his enemies could even calm down. “I'm sorry for taking you by surprise like this. I would have liked to tell you in private, but you were so eager to hear it. I expected you to have grasped the general situation by now. Her Grace is your sister and part of the family, as you are so keen on repeating. So, I believed that she would have told you already. She must be embarrassed. Maybe I should not have voiced this in front of all the guests. Oh, well.”

Another moment of silence passed before realization flickered across Camille's expression. Her burning rage flamed up again as she comprehended that her closest and most powerful allies were cornered. “You put them on trial? How dare you?” She gritted her teeth and balled her fists while giving her best to hide her fury to no avail. “They are the second most influential dukedom in Artias. Undermining their power will damage the influence of every noble here. You do not really wish to rule like a tyrant, do you? That family is related to us. You put your own uncle and cousin on trial just to sate your-”

Cedar cut her off by putting his hand on her shoulder. “Please stay calm, Mother.”

The dowager empress slapped his hand away. “How am I supposed to stay calm when this-” This time, she interrupted herself when she saw Theodore's vicious grin. He was only waiting for her to insult him and protect the criminals even more. This would only damage her reputation after all.

Cedar used that chance to try to pacify his mother while making it seem like he was soothing both parties. “You know that it was not my brother's intention to provoke us by putting them on trial. He merely attempts to do the best for the nation. He must truly be convinced that His Grace and Lord Vasquez did something wrong. We know that they are innocent, so this trial will only clear their name. Naturally, we do not mind a fair investigation of the accusations, but there is one request I would like to voice.” He turned his head towards the emperor and showed him a sad smile. “Could you please reconsider their stay in prison? Treating them like criminals before anything is proven would be unnecessarily cruel, especially since Her Grace just gave birth. Forcing her to stay home alone and take care of the child without her husband and son is harsh.”

Theodore's smile faded, and he scanned his brother for a moment before replying. “I am pretty sure that I showed consideration for their situation by not putting her in prison along with her family. That would have been the normal process. Besides, she still has her servants, so she will be fine for a few weeks without them. I could ask the prison wards to allow her to visit them if she longs to meet them though. If they are innocent, which the amount of evidence seems to contradict, I will send a gift as an apology. So, do not fret, Cedar. I didn't lose my humanity.”

Camille's face was scrunched with anger, but she let her son talk for her.

Cedar glanced at her for a moment as if to confirm that before responding to the emperor. “Of course, we do not doubt your decision. Everything will turn out right after their innocence is proven. But this is a matter that we will discuss in private. Now that you mentioned a gift, I remembered that this is what we are here for. Would you allow us to hand it over? We should not take away too much of your time after all. The other guests are eager to talk to you too.” That he glanced at his mother while speaking made it seem like he was worried about her snapping at the emperor much more than he was concerned about the guests' patience.

Theodore chose to release his brother. He raised his hand and waved toward the huge table that was covered with gifts. A pair of servants immediately hurried to bring two large boxes to him. The first one was given to him already while the second was placed at his feet.

Cedar once again took it upon himself to talk for his mother, who was still boiling with rage. “These are the presents we chose with the intention of pleasing you as much as possible. We are aware that you own most things that others could only dream about and that we have no chance of surprising you with luxury. Still, we gave our best. We sincerely hope that you will come to like them.”

Theodore showed his brother a fake smile. “I'm sure that they will be wonderful. Your attendance is enough of a gift, but knowing that you thought so much about it warms my heart. Thank you for your consideration. I assume that this one here was the present the dowager empress chose?”

Even now, Cedar spoke instead of Camille. “Yes. You are correct.”

The emperor glanced at the people in front of the thrones before gazing at the box again. “Well, then. I am very curious.” He opened the container without hesitation and continued to show his polite smile without any real joy behind it. He pulled out a smaller box with multiple drawers and opened them one after the other. In each part, there was a small medal, which could be worn along with any of his uniforms, inside.

Blanche looked over at him to catch a glimpse of the present and was surprised to see that none of the medals seemed to be damaged or of little quality. Apparently, Camille wasn't the type to give petty gifts, which was a bit calming. Blanche also found that odd since she had been convinced of it being different for some reason.

Theodore noticed his lover straining her neck to be able to see despite his throne's armrest and lifted the box higher as he continued to inspect each object. He kept his calm smile the whole time, and after gazing at each medal, he closed all the drawers again and turned to Camille. “Thank you for this wonderful gift. All of them are beautiful, and I will be honored to wear them. I am very pleased by your choice.” He handed the box to one of the servants, who brought it away while letting the other staff member give him the second gift.

This one had to have been chosen by Cedar, which made the concubine have a bad premonition.

Theodore opened the lengthy box and showed the same smile as before. “Oh, my. I did not expect that, Cedar.” He put his hands inside and pulled out a small sword with countless gems that were implemented in its handle. It looked like it was only a decorative one, but it was stunning nonetheless.

Clearly, the weapon wouldn't suddenly hurt Theodore, but Blanche's heart dropped as she saw that thing. She hated it. For some reason, she hated it a lot. Just the thought of Cedar bringing some sword close to Theodore made her heartbeat quicken as she got illogically uneasy.

It was different for Theodore, who stayed fully calm. He took his time inspecting the sword before his grin widened. “This is a great gift. I have never seen a sword that is as skillfully crafted as this one. There is no doubt that this is our father's. One side used to be as sharp as the best sword in this nation and the other one has become dull from coming into contact with the frame where it was hung. It is the same one we used to admire as children.” He glanced at the prince.

Cedar returned a confident smirk. “Yes, of course. I assumed that you still remember it. We both liked it when we were young, but since it has no reason to lie in a box now anymore, I wanted to give it to you. It belongs in the palace after all. I had to speak to countless people until I was allowed to bring this here. So, I fear that you might have been aware of what you would get already. I hope that the missing surprise didn't ruin it.”

Theodore laughed quietly before putting the sword away again. “No, this gift is perfect. I think it summarizes our relationship quite well. Just because I heard that it was a weapon, I didn't immediately guess that it was this one. Of course, you still managed to surprise me. Thank you for this incredible gift. I will treasure it.” He gave the box to the remaining servant, who disappeared with the present, before continuing. “Both of your choices were magnificent. I will be sure to keep them until the end of my days. It was nice to be able to talk to you. Please enjoy the rest of the ball and use the time to chat with old friends. May you have a pleasant evening.”

That was the signal for the visitors to leave and make way for the next guests. Camille narrowed her eyes but didn't disagree. “Of course. Please have some fun during the rest of your birthday as well.” She turned to the empress. “I wish you a pleasant evening as well, Your Majesty. Do not allow anyone to sour your mood.”

Seraphina replied in a cool voice. “I can only return the sentiment. Please do enjoy the ball. The servants will be at your service if anything should be dissatisfactory.”

Cedar hurried to chime in with a bright smile. “I doubt that will be the case, but thank you for your offer, Your Majesty. We have never been discontent with the events in the royal palace though. May you have a wonderful ball as well.” He focused on Theodore after that. “I hope that you will have the most lavish birthday party imaginable this year. This day belongs to you, so use it well. One never knows what may happen.”

The emperor didn't seem bothered by the underlying threat. “Do not worry. I still plan on reigning Artias for a long time. There will be plenty of chances to have a wonderful birthday. But that doesn't mean that I will not use this one properly. I already had an overwhelmingly beautiful day. I am torn between saying that this is my favorite one ever and choosing the birthday two years ago. Though, I feel like this one is slightly better. Ever since midnight, everything has been perfect thanks to a special someone.” Thankfully, he didn't glance at Blanche while saying that, but the indication was bad enough. “And I have something even more satisfying planned for later. But I am digressing. I only wanted to say that I am very content with the way I celebrated until now, and it will only get better. May your day be as wonderful as mine.”

Camille took the finished goodbyes as her cue to spin around and stride away without glancing at the concubine even once.

Theodore didn't intend to let her leave though. “You forgot something.” The smile was audible in his voice. He had spoken loud enough for everyone to hear him, so the dowager empress had to be embarrassed right now.