As the dowager empress tried to retreat without bidding her goodbye, Theodore stopped her. He didn't even hide how he ridiculed her with his brazen tone. “You forgot something.”

Camille turned around to him and glared at her son before moving her gaze to Blanche with a derogatory look. “Goodbye, Lady Blanche. Do not forget that the royal family is much more powerful than you think. If you wish for power, you need to be careful not to get swallowed by the flame.” With that, she left.

Cedar looked after his mother and sighed quietly before looking up at the concubine. “Please excuse her harsh tone. She does not wish you harm. When she scolded you earlier, she only meant to show that she is worried about what other people will say about you because of this. Just now, she wanted to tell you that you can rely on us if you ever need help. She is a bit too sharp with her words sometimes, but she only wished to support you. Don't forget that. I will take my leave too then. Goodbye, Blanche.” He purposefully stayed at the same spot to see her reaction, the concubine was sure of that. He even kept his eyes on her face while he voiced her name, which sent chills down her spine.

Along with nausea, anger came and made Blanche see red. She didn't want to scold a prince in public, but she wouldn't keep quiet about this either. She didn't need anyone to believe that she was close to him in any way. “Your Royal Highness. With all due respect, please address me properly. I know that my title is a bit strange to you due to the lack of a last name, but I must insist on this formality.” Her voice was shaking with rage while she said this, so she had hoped that she didn't sound too uncertain. Though, she was almost sure that it had been obvious. After all, a small hint of another unpleasant emotion rose in her and almost drowned out her anger. Blanche had to blink a few times as she wondered why her heart was aching so much.

Cedar just grinned at her and nodded. “I apologize. I momentarily forgot.” He glanced to the side as if he was just remembering the guests before turning his attention back to her. “I will not happen again. Please forgive this mishap, Lady Blanche. Have a nice evening.” He pronounced her title with so much emphasis that it sounded even worse than before. With that, he turned around and rushed to his mother, who was waiting for him a few steps away from the thrones.

As soon as they were gone, the atmosphere felt way lighter than before.

Blanche couldn't help but slouch her shoulder a bit, but her hands were still balled into fists. That damn prince just knew how to make her angry. It would have been fine if that was everything though. She wasn't just furious. She was upset. In fact, she could begin to cry any moment now, and all she wanted to do was hide in her lover's arms. She had no idea why she was feeling this strongly about Cedar calling her name, but she couldn't do anything about that. She began cursing herself.

Theodore pulled her from her thoughts as he leaned over to her and began whispering. “Is everything alright?” He was way too close to her in public, so she should ask him to move back, but she wasn't able to force herself to do that.

Instead, she just whispered back. “It's fine. I hate your family though. They make me sick. I had to refrain from glaring at them the whole time.”

Her lover let out a huff of air before replying. “Me too. I'm glad that we share our opinion on that matter. I would like to throw them out and strip them of their titles, but doing that without any evidence is hard. I know that I have to hold back the whole time. But I was about to lose my temper when he brought me this sword. I never mentioned it, so you couldn't know, but there is a second meaning to this. Cedar sometimes has breakdowns. When he gets upset and realizes that he can't have something, he completely loses his mind. Once, he threatened me with this sword during one of his breakdowns. He told me that he will kill me with this very blade. That would be rather painful thanks to the dull side. Apparently, he wanted to remind me of that promise.”

Blanche couldn't keep her expression under control after hearing that. She moved her head back to look into her lover's face and scanned him with panic. “He actually threatened you with a weapon? How could that happen?”

“No one would be cautious of a boy of eight years. He always managed to fool people with that angelic pretense of his. He is much more dangerous than you think. As soon as he has one of his breakdowns, he forgets every bit of humanity. Back then, he just took the decoration of the wall, unsheathed it and held it to my throat. I wasn't fast enough to react at that time, even though I was five years older than him, and barely dared to move. No one was there to help me, so I eventually pushed him away after he told me a lot of awful things. But in the end, there were no witnesses, so no one believed that such a kind young boy would attack his older brother. I feel like he might be able to control himself now, but I wouldn't be too sure. I just hope that it will be fine until he gets attached to something and then loses it.” Theodore gave his best to keep still, but a small shiver gave him away. “I wouldn't want to ever see him like that again. That was horrifying. But I guess everyone would react unkindly to that. I also saw that sword in another scene, but that...” He paused for a moment before forcing himself to smile. “That doesn't matter. In any case, I would like to destroy it as soon as possible.”

The concubine hurried to nod in affirmation. “You should do that. I don't know how serious his condition is. To have anger issues is one thing, but to pull out a sword to threaten your sibling is something entirely different. And the fact that he brought this as a present is even worse.” Blanche could barely keep the words from flowing out of her mouth, and she would have said much more if Seraphina hadn't cleared her throat. This made her focus on the area in front of the platform again, and she quickly moved her head away from Theodore.

The Duremonts had arrived, and they weren't happy.

The emperor took his time, even though the whole household's disdain was obvious. He still remained in his position for a moment and whispered an “I love you” to his concubine before turning his head to the group. “Good evening, Your Grace. I hope that you and your family have been well ever since the banquet. This is a wonderful chance to meet you again. How are you?”

Henry was furious. He didn't even have to talk to show that. He was glaring at the emperor openly with no intention of hiding that. It seemed to be clear that he would immediately attack the emperor for placing a concubine next to the lawful wife. But he didn't do that. “Good evening, Your Majesty. We do not have any issues to complain about. It is an honor to be able to attend your birthday celebration despite all the past problems with the security measures being increased. I hope that you had a wonderful day and will live to reign Artias for many years to come so that the nation can blossom thanks to your accomplishments.” When he finished, he looked at his daughter, which revealed the truth.

Blanche had already been frozen in her seat and wondered what had happened to Duke Duremont, but she understood.

It seemed like Seraphina had spoken to him while the empress had waited here alone. The heroine had to have asked him to stay silent so that the most powerful men of the country wouldn't fight in public. After all, they needed to show that they were unified in front of the emperor's enemies. That didn't keep Henry from gritting his teeth though, even while his wife held his arm.

Elaine's expression was sour too, but she acted dignified aside from that and didn't tremble with anger like her husband.

Allen didn't look like he was pleased either and seemed like he was a perfect mix of his parents. He wasn't as outraged as his father, but he couldn't hide his fury as well as his mother.

Theodore didn't see all of that as a sign to change his behavior though. He just greeted them as he always would. “It is wonderful to see that you are in a good mood on this special day. I am happy to have you here today. It is an honor to have you attend this ball after coming here from afar. Was the carriage ride pleasant, or were there any problems, Your Grace?” He addressed the duchess this time, and Elaine promptly answered.

“There weren't any issues, Your Majesty. We are elated to be able to join you during this joyful event. May you continue to live in health and lead Artias to prosperity.”

After Theodore nodded, Seraphina already spoke up. “It seems that we share the same wish. I am glad to see you here, Your Graces. Your presence lights up the event even more than His Majesty's birthday did from the very beginning. Please enjoy yourselves and relax with a glass of delicious wine from Travuan. I can assure you that the dishes from the buffet will be to your liking. I would like to meet you in private after this ball is over though. If you could spare me a minute, please wait for a servant to bring you to me after the event is finished for today.” This was an obvious attempt to remind them to keep their mouths shut until she approached them to discuss how they would act.

Blanche fought the urge to thank Seraphina out loud and just did it in her mind. The empress was way too kind right now and probably only did it because it would be the best for the nation if Theodore continued to reign. Still, the concubine made a mental note to express her gratitude to the other woman later when everything had calmed down and the heroine wasn't fuming anymore.

Henry just nodded at his daughter's words but kept silent, most likely because he would explode otherwise

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Elaine patted his arm and responded for them. “Thank you, Your Majesty. We would never reject a meeting with you. It would be an honor. You can rest assured that we will act true to our word.” So, they wouldn't cause trouble because Seraphina had asked them not to.

Blanche relaxed a bit at that, but she immediately tensed when she made eye contact with Henry. She hurried to turn her head away and caught her lover staring at her. She met Theodore's gaze and glanced at the Duremonts a few times to signal him to look at them, and eventually, he complied.

The emperor waited a short moment before speaking up. “I see. It is good to hear that you arrived here without any problems. I am glad that all of you attended too. Good evening, Lord Duremont.”

Allen nodded at the other man with an icy expression. “I am honored to meet you, Your Majesty. May you be protected by the gods for the next decade as well and continue to guard our nation while keeping it peaceful.” He didn't force himself to say any more than that.

Apparently, Theodore was fine with it. “Thank you. I am ecstatic to hear all of you say such wonderful things. This makes this birthday even more enjoyable.”

Elaine chose to respond to keep her husband and son from making any errors. “That is only natural. His Majesty's birthday is a celebration full of bliss for people all across Artias, so it is not surprising that the event is being planned this well. I feel like the festivities will end up being the most entertaining ones for the next few years.”

It felt like they were just repeating the same phrases in other words over and over, but then again, small talk in noble society had always looked like this.

But the emperor somehow found this amusing and began grinning. “I doubt it. I have some other things in mind that will be much more lavish. But that isn't important right now. There is something else that will come first.” Everyone knew what that meant.

Blanche would have liked to hide for the hundredth time today, but once again, she didn't have any chance to do so. She could just give the Duremonts a polite smile and pray that they didn't think that she was laughing at them. She didn't want to make any mistakes, so she would just be as quiet as possible and sit there motionlessly in hope of not being noticed. Her attempts were futile when she was sitting next to the emperor on his throne, but she gave her best. But she couldn't skip the greetings, so she would have to force herself at some point.

Hopefully, the duke would be able to hold his anger back so that he could greet her properly. Otherwise, the situation would only be even more uncomfortable, so it would be better for him to just get it over with.

It looked like Henry was bargaining with himself. He glared at the concubine while balling his fists and continued to clench his jaw even while his wife tried her best to calm him down. A few seconds passed, and Blanche felt like she would swim in her own sweat if the conversation continue like this. But then Duke Duremont forced himself to speak. “Good evening, Lady Blanche.” It was the basic minimum in a very sharp tone and nothing more than that.

But that was all the concubine needed. “Good evening, Your Grace. It is an honor to meet you here. May you have a pleasant experience during this joyful day.” That was everything she dared to say in fear that even the sound of her voice would suffice to make Henry snap.

The duke didn't react to her words at all and just turned his head to stare to the side.

Elaine was the next in line to talk. “It is a pleasure to be able to speak to you, Lady Blanche. Have you been well since the banquet?”

Blanche had been well before her lover had come up with this stupid plan. But of course, she couldn't say that. “I have nothing to complain about. Thank you for your consideration, Your Grace. I hope that you will enjoy the evening.” She felt her heart pounding as she responded and motivated herself with a reminder. She had finished two of three responses, and then she could finally be silent. Just one more time, and she would be unburdened for this conversation.

Allen was calmer than his father, so everything should go well. And indeed, he simply greeted her without any hesitation. “Good evening, Lady Blanche. It is pleasant to see you here. Have you examined the gift to ensure that there weren't any issues with it?”

Blanche hadn't expected him to mention that. Apparently, his parents hadn't either since they whipped their heads around to him and stared at him in disbelief. The concubine was taken aback for a moment as she wondered why Henry looked so upset before she realized what the issue was. This phrasing had almost made it sound like Allen had given her something. She would clear up that misunderstanding immediately and needed to do so before the ducal couple became too angry.

“Good evening, Lord Duremont. There weren't any issues. The jeweler did a wonderful job and...” Blanche's voice trailed off she realized that she wouldn't be able to call her lover's title without upsetting him while choosing his nickname would earn her a lot of hateful gazes. Though, speaking about an unnamed recipient would only deepen this misunderstanding if she phrased it strangely. A second later, relief came crashing over her when she finally came up with something. “The birthday child liked it very much. So, I would like to express my gratitude for your delivery.”

Allen's face revealed confusion at the fact that Theodore had already received the gift, but he quickly covered it up. “That was no issue. I gladly did that. As long as His Majesty was content with the present.”

Theodore chimed in at that. “I was. It was one of the best ones I ever got. Aside from my absolute favorite, of course.” He glanced over at his lover, which made her want to vanish into thin air. Since she had appeared on his birthday, they often joked about her being a gift for him, but doing that in front of his wife's family was awful.

But at least no one pointed this out. Everyone stayed silent instead, which only served to thicken the atmosphere even more.

Seraphina was the one to speak up after a few seconds. “In any case, we should celebrate this day without holding back. I will ask a servant to bring you wine in a moment, after we take a look at the gifts that you brought for His Majesty.”

Theodore complied with that subtle hint and waved to the servants. He received the box and showed the Duremonts a polite smile. “I am very thankful that you decided to bring me a gift. I'm sure that it will be well-chosen and a truly worthy present for a member of the royal family.” With that, he opened the box and lifted a wooden block with golden decorations and countless small items resting in little gaps.

Apparently, this was an object for his drawer, which he could use to store his pens and other utensils, with a handful of useful ones already being included. Along with that, there were three golden containers of differing sizes that could be used to store smaller items as well.

The emperor inspected this before looking at the family in front of the thrones with a smile. “I see that someone put a lot of thought into this after viewing my unsorted desk. Thank you for your gift. I will put this to good use. May it help increase my productivity.” Since he already stopped visiting his office for longer than an hour at a time, that might not be necessary at all.

Blanche had to keep herself from smiling at that thought and just settled for examining the present as well as she could from her position. She hurried to turn her head when her lover noticed that though. She didn't need him to have any strange ideas like giving her the item so that she could inspect it herself. So, she just focused on staring into the distance. That proved to be a mistake though. She made eye contact with Cedar, who was chatting with Marquess Sefare and a few other followers of his party. Seeing that the Vasquez family wasn't with them was nice, but this wasn't enough to calm her. She immediately turned away again and decided that looking at the gifts was a way better option.

But her mood was already ruined.

She had been on edge before, but now that she knew that the prince was occasionally watching the thrones, it made her feel even more under pressure. She didn't want him to gaze in her general direction, and yet, she could only sit here and be still. It was horrible. Especially since she could imagine how happy Sefare was about her being in a position that would infuriate the empress and the Duremonts. Her presence here was straining the relationship between the emperor and his biggest supporters way too much. That meant that she needed to make sure that nothing she did would make it even worse.

Especially now that Theodore seemed to be attacking his greatest enemies outright, they had to be careful. Surely, something like a small trial wouldn't stop some of the most powerful men in the capital, but this was certainly a painful attack directed at Claude, who wouldn't like this at all. He might try to get revenge, and every small target could be attacked then. Blanche made the mental note to ask Theodore about more details later, but for now, she had to deal with the ball and their current appearance to the public.

What if people questioned Theodore's sanity for simply imprisoning the second most powerful duke? They might note that his actions around his concubine were ridiculous too and comment on this. That could be dangerous. Questioning a ruler's state of mind was a good way to weaken them.

Blanche reminded herself of that while promising that she would avoid causing more scandals today. If she couldn't do anything else, she might as well act exactly like people would expect her to. Staying quiet and politely responding when being addressed would be best too. Though, Blanche was a bit too nervous for that. This couldn't matter though. She had to calm down. So, she lowered her head and closed her eyes. Then she breathed in deeply and tried to ignore the feeling of being watched the whole time. It felt like countless pairs of eyes were following her every move, which only made her want to freeze in place until it was over, but she could ignore this too. Unfortunately, she didn't continue concentrating like this for long.

A few seconds after she had begun forcing herself to be as inconspicuous as possible, her lover's voice sounded directly next to her ear. “Are you alright?”

Blanche jolted and whipped her head around towards Theodore. The emperor was way too close to her again. “Yes, yes. Everything is fine.” She hurried to reply, but that didn't get rid of the issue. Her stomach was churning as she glanced at the Duremonts, who seemed to be filled with renewed anger at this scene. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked at her lover. He didn't seem to understand that she needed him to move away from her.

Theodore just scanned her carefully and continued to talk to her. “Are you sure? We can take a break if you want to. We can go out and get fresh air. Or do you want a drink?”

Blanche just shook her head until the last offer came. In fact, she was a bit thirsty, but she would take care of that when the guests weren't standing right in front of them anymore. “I'm fine. Focus on your conversation.” She whispered to him before turning her head to face the Duremonts again.

Even though Theodore still seemed reluctant, he finally concentrated on them as well. “Where were we? Ah, yes. We spoke about your summer vacation, didn't we?”

Elaine nodded and replied to allow her husband to keep quiet. “Yes. We were in the mountains in the south this year, and it was wonderful. We intend to leave for the coast next year. It would be interesting to hear about your stay in Ibela before we make our decision.”

The emperor smiled at her. “I would not mind. I am pretty sure that all of us adored the vacation, so we can only recommend Ibela. Especially the salmon they sell there. I shall tell you about that later. For now, we will have to make do with the dishes that the royal chefs prepared. The buffet is open, so feel free to go there and try something. I hope that the rest of the evening will be as enjoyable as the start was.”

That was the cue for the Duremonts to say their goodbyes. That was as tense as the first greetings had been, and Blanche was extremely relieved when they finally left. Being forced to speak to those people for longer would have made her heart collapse. The repeated cycle between being strained because she was forced to behave in front of others and relaxing after that wasn't good for her.

Hopefully, she would be well by the end of this day.