“Do you...hold feelings for Allen?”

Blanche stood there with an opened mouth and took a few seconds before closing it. She blinked at the girl in front of her before she slowly processed the question. But the more she thought about it, the stranger the inquiry seemed. Her face scrunched up before she could help herself. “What? I'm afraid that I don't quite understand why you feel the need to ask this.” Blanche surely wouldn't fall for Allen in a million years. She didn't even like spending time with him. How could she when she just knew him as a coward that did all his sister asked without thinking about it? It wasn't like she blamed him for trusting his family, but they hadn't quite started at a nice spot. She doubted that she could ever enjoy his presence, and it was the same the other way around.

Briana misinterpreted the other's expression. She flinched and began fiddling her hands again. “I'm not... I don't want to insult you or anything like that. It's just that he seems to end up with you every time he isn't with me during an event. Normally, he is with Her Majesty the whole time, so it's been bothering me. Then he keeps watching you from a distance and mentions you often, and... At the hunting festival, he smiled at you too and...and he never...” She didn't even need to finish that thought.

The novel had made it pretty clear that Allen only showed his vulnerable side to his family and not to anyone else, but this wasn't really new to Blanche. She had known this before her prophetic dream. He had never even shown his fiancée a smile and always treated her coldly, even though he actually cared about her. He often scolded her because he didn't want her to run into issues in this society without ever revealing what his real intention was.

But Briana wasn't the type to read more into his actions and just thought that he found her annoying. The fact that her mother had died and her feeling that her father and sister weren't grieving as much as she did made her desperate for another person she could ask for advice. However, since her fiancé always pushed her back despite not truly meaning it, she was a walking embodiment of doubt and abandonment issues. Along with the words that Lucille had voiced during the hunting festival, this had to have caused her to come up with such nonsense.

Maybe it was because the girl looked like she was about to cry or because she was as clingy as Noel had been. In any case, Blanche felt her heart ache at that sight. She herself knew what it felt like to be convinced that your lover would abandon you for another person. So, this misunderstanding might pain her as much as it hurt Briana. That was why she needed to reveal the truth immediately without thinking about how disgusted she was with the very indication that she might get along with Allen a bit too much. “Lady Bellfaux, I can assure you that I and Lord Duremont are not even friends. We are merely acquaintances. We occasionally need to discuss important matters that are related to the royal family and the emperor's relationship with the Duremont family, but that is all there is to it. I love Theodore from the bottom of my heart, and Lord Duremont cares for you deeply, so you do not need to worry.”

Briana stared at her like she had grown wings. It took a few seconds for her to process those words before her face scrunched up. Tears were piling up in her eyes, and she looked like she might begin sobbing soon. “Don't say things that aren't true. I know that I'm a nuisance to him. I'm doing it again. He gets along with someone, and I just rush in and ruin it.”

Blanche felt her heart contracting in pain at that image. She stepped closer to the girl and grabbed her hands before noticing it. “Don't say that. You're not a nuisance but a wonderful young lady with her own feeling and thoughts. You are very important to Lord Duremont, so never believe that you are annoying him. No, you shouldn't believe that anyone finds you annoying. I know that I am not in a position to tell you things like this, but you can believe me. Lord Duremont never shows anyone outside his family what he feels. He grew up like that, so he will take some time until he can open up to you. But he already likes you a lot and is just too stupid to show it properly.” The concubine was aware that she was overstepping her boundaries, but she couldn't help it. “He only wants to protect you but isn't able to put that into words. So, he scolds you because he fears that you may get in trouble if you don't listen to him. Whenever you need him to console you, he is there, right? He only does that because he cares for you. And in the end, he will be able to open up, but it's too early for him. Give him time and try to read between the lines, and you will see how he shows his affection.” Before she could stop it, a wave of words flowed out of her mouth. She could only hope that she hadn't overwhelmed Briana with so much information, but it seemed like she had.

The tears in Briana's eyes overflowed, and she began shaking. “Really?”

Blanche nodded with as much vigor as possible, which only made Briana cry even more. The concubine quickly panicked and turned her head to her maid. “Give me a handkerchief, please.” Stella complied immediately, and her mistress took the item immediately. She let go of the girl's hands to wipe some of the tears that were rolling down Briana's cheeks. “Please don't cry. Everything is alright. Should I get your father or your sister? Or do you want food? Stella can bring you some sweets if that makes it better.”

Briana shook her head and tried to speak even while her voice was trembling. “Why are you so nice to me? We don't know each other, and when I see you, I always say strange things or cry. I'm sorry.”

Blanche gave her best to catch all the tears that were coming from the girl's eyes while responding. “You don't need a reason for kindness, do you? Besides, you never did anything wrong. At the tea party, we met under unfavorable circumstances, and after that, we never had a problem with each other. I cry at every little thing, so I could never judge you for doing it. It's alright to vent your feelings.”

Even though she said this, Briana seemed to calm down at that. With every second, fewer tears were rushing out, and her already quiet sobs became inaudible. Her face was still reddened, and her eyes were wet, but apart from that, she seemed to recover quickly. “But I don't understand... You never used to be this nice.”

The concubine's lips formed a small smile at that. “Yes, I was pretty mean sometimes, wasn't I? I apologize for that.”

Briana shook her head. “You said mean things, but you never attacked people that weren't being impolite first. I was only mad at you because you said something bad to me once.”

Blanche frowned at that. Why would she be mean to such a young girl? She went through her memories to find out what Briana could be referring to, only to remain unsuccessful. “Lady Bellfaux, I do not wish to offend you, but could you explain what you mean by that? I don't remember ever having gotten into a conflict with you.”

The girl froze for a moment before taking the handkerchief from the concubine to wipe the last remaining tears. She did this very slowly as if she was stalling for time and only finished after an uncomfortable moment had passed. She averted her eyes before hesitantly speaking up. “During a party a year ago, I was...hiding behind some hedges because I needed to be alone. I was crying because someone...” She paused and resumed at an even quieter volume. “Someone mentioned Mama. And I just wanted to calm down by myself. You found me and said that I shouldn't run away to cry. That was mean.” She pouted a bit after saying, and her eyes seemed to become more glassy. Apparently, that scene had ingrained itself into her memory while the concubine had completely forgotten about it.

It took a moment before Blanche remembered what the girl was talking about. She recounted the events of that day and managed to vaguely guess what had happened. She had probably had another conflict with Seraphina and stepped aside to calm down or run to Theodore. Then she had accidentally seen Briana crying on the ground behind some bushes. She remembered saying something along the lines of what the girl had repeated too, but it seemed like they had interpreted that remark differently.

Blanche held back a sigh and showed Briana a small smile. “I see. I apologize if that made you feel unwell. I never wanted to say that you shouldn't cry. I was merely trying to tell you that you don't have to keep everything to yourself by crying in secret. You have a wonderful sister and a loving father, so you should talk to them instead of being alone while you feel bad. I know what it's like to burden your mind with all kinds of things and how it is not to wish to tell anyone. But in the end, that always hurt me more than talking about it. I know how you feel. That's why I wanted to express that you shouldn't force yourself to deal with your grief yourself.”

Blanche was one of the people that understood what keeping all kinds of secrets to herself was like the best. Whether it was the novel or her relation to Sefare and her family's death, she had never been able to reveal everything to anyone. Stella knew bits and pieces about her background but not enough to make the concubine feel relieved. How could she be when Theodore still didn't know a thing and would start to hate her if the truth was revealed? But her attempt at being honest didn't seem to be well received.

Briana stared at her for a moment and pressed her lips into a thin line. She lowered her gaze and clenched her fists while staring at the floor. “How can you know what I feel? Your mother didn't die and leave you all alone.” Those words might seem like they were true to her, but for the concubine, they were a false assumption that felt like small ice picks being stabbed into her heart.

Blanche wanted to agree for a moment. She didn't need to justify her words to another person, someone who was almost a complete stranger. But she also didn't want to deny that her family had suffered. The words flowed out of her mouth before she could stop them. “She did. Along with my father and my two younger siblings. Everything was fine, and then one day, all of them were gone.”

Briana stiffened at that. She slowly raised her head and gazed at the concubine with wide eyes. Her previous dismay had quickly changed into regret. She stammered a bit before looking to the side and responding. “I...I didn't know that. I just assumed that... Even though you were trying to be kind. I'm sorry. That is...horrible.”

Blanche knew that herself. She shouldn't have brought up that topic at all. No one could hear about her remembering her past, and now she was getting sentimental. In an attempt to hide her expression, she turned her head to the side and blinked a few times. She didn't need to cry in front of the other girl and complicate the situation even more. For a few seconds, she struggled to keep her composure before forcing herself to smile. “It's alright. You didn't know. But please don't tell anyone about this. That matter is...important to me.”

Briana wrung her hands and nodded without looking at the concubine. “I won't tell. You're...” She was quiet for a while, which left both of them in an unpleasant silence again. It took a moment until she opened her mouth again and spoke with the same quiet voice. “You're much stronger than I am.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Blanche didn't know what to say about that. She didn't seem like a very strong person when she thought about it. She always cried and wallowed in self-pity when something didn't go her way. There was rarely a moment in which she dared to stop worrying and forced herself to relax. This had mostly been because of the memories of the novel, but even now that she was sure to have changed the original ending, she feared her lover getting hurt more than anything else. But no one except for the people close to her knew that. The public probably still thought that she had the arrogant personality that she had shown them in the very beginning. That others could view her as something different from a helpless, bratty woman that clung to the emperor had never crossed her mind.

The concubine was speechless for a few seconds before responding at a low volume. “I don't think that that is true. Why do you believe that?”

For the first time today, Briana looked somewhat confident. There still were tears in her eyes, and she was nervous, without a doubt, but she seemed like she wanted to say this under any circumstances. “Because you are still here. When Mama...” She swallowed before resuming in a hoarse voice. “Left, I only held on because of my father and sister. If they had disappeared too, I would have...died. But you walked forward and are still standing here. And you are happy.” It was much too obvious that she feared that she would never be able to be as happy as before her mother's death.

That was a thought that Blanche knew too well. She took the girl's hand in hers and squeezed it. “It took a long time. That is normal though. You don't forget them, but it gets better with each day. That doesn't mean that you don't grieve anymore, but you don't do it as often.” Blanche remembered how she had cried herself to sleep almost every night during the first year at Sefare's house. She hadn't dared to show him that she couldn't forgive herself for surviving while her family had died. She had only lived because she had known that this had been her parent's wish.

That Sefare had given her a task, a purpose, had been perfect at that point. But as soon as she had sat in that pavilion and had seen Theodore for the first time, it had felt like her heart had begun beating again. That was an overly dramatic description of her feelings at that moment, but it was accurate. She had finally seen something else but her past again. That the author had given such a romantic first meeting to the villainess was almost ridiculous, but she could only thank them. It didn't make her feel like she was strong though.

Blanche could say one thing confidently. “The only reason I am here and can smile today is Theodore. I am happy because he is with me. I love him and would never have made it this far without him.” She said that with a soft smile and the full intention of adding something encouraging for Briana, but she didn't have a chance to do so.

A voice sounded from directly behind her. “I love you too, my savior.”

Blanche flinched and almost jumped back before she recognized her lover. She whipped her head around to him and felt how her face was burning up from the shock. She took a few seconds, in which she stared at his radiant smile, before her heart had calmed down. “Theo! I told you not to do that as often, especially not in public. What if...” Only now, she really processed what he had said and that he had to have heard her speaking too. Her cheeks became even redder as she hurried to look around.

Many guests were staring at them, but no one stood close enough to have eavesdropped. Thank the gods.

Not that adding this blunder would have changed much anyway.

Blanche relaxed and turned her whole body to her lover. “You surprised me.”

Theodore showed her a wide grin. “That was my intention. I didn't want to make you that embarrassed though. How did the ball go while I was gone?”

Blanche mirrored his smile before replying. “Nothing special happened. Many people came to talk to me, but of those, only one was unpleasant.”

Her lover's expression became more serious when she said that. “I saw that. Did he do anything strange?”

“He wanted to dance with me, and I declined. Then he gave me a lecture about how scaring your servants is necessary to keep them loyal. He also pointed out that members of the Besseta family are attending and used them as an example.” She crossed her arms when she was finished and forced herself to swallow her anger. Being upset now wouldn't do anything except for ruining her mood again.

Theodore didn't seem surprised by her news. He held his hand to his chin and pondered for a moment before glancing to the side. “I see. I should pay attention to that then. It isn't strange for him to state that ruling with terror would be good. It's nice to see how he favors the exact traits that he accuses me of every time. Though, Cedar is not really the person that terrorized everyone when we were children. He must have listened to his mother too much.” He shook his head to himself before looking at her and softening his expression again. “Well, it can't be helped. But if he gives me tips, I can make sure to pay attention to that.” He turned to the other person that stood close after that. “Has the ball been enjoyable so far, Lady Bellfaux?”

Briana hurried to nod and reply as politely as possible despite her tension being visible. “Yes, Your Majesty. Once again, it has been an honor to be able to attend.” It seemed like she was scared of making a mistake in front of the emperor, so she almost tripped over her words.

Theodore just gave her a calm smile. “Oh, no. We are honored that your family chose to visit us. I hope that the rest of the evening will be to your liking as well. Would you mind if we excuse ourselves now? There is something important I need to discuss with Blanche in private.”

Briana immediately shook her head. “I don't mind. We just finished our conversation. I...” She looked down at the handkerchief she was still holding. “I...uhm... I will ask my maid to wash this and return it to you tomorrow.” She lifted her head and made eye contact with the concubine. “I... Thank you. Thank you very much.” It sounded like this wasn't just because of the handkerchief.

Blanche gave her a bright smile. “There is no need to thank me. I am fine with you returning the handkerchief later, but you can also keep it if washing it during the festivities is a bother. I was happy to talk to you. Good evening, Lady Bellfaux.”

Briana stared at her for a moment before nodding and lowering her gaze. “Goodbye.”

Theodore held his arm toward his lover and waited until she allowed him to link their arms before speaking up. “May you and your family have an enjoyable evening. Send them my regards.”

Briana nodded again. “Yes, Your Majesty. May you have a wonderful celebration on your birthday too.”

The emperor smiled at her. “Thank you. I will make sure to enjoy it to the fullest.” With that, he led Blanche away towards the corner of the room. The area behind the buffet table was empty aside from a few servants. Theodore didn't even need to say anything before the people around them scattered and hurried to make way for the couple. He brought his lover to a tall table and asked for a servant to bring some wine before turning to her. “I was surprised to see you talk to the younger Lady Bellfaux. She is usually quite reserved. It seems like she is quite smitten with you though. It can only help if her family is on your side.”

Only now, Blanche realized that this might truly be good. “Now that you mention it, I think I made her respect me at least a little. The Bellfaux family should not despise me anymore.” After all, that family was quite close to the Duremonts. Blanche didn't really hope to become their greatest ally, but since she still had to think about the future of her children, who might need political supporters, any advantage was good. But that could wait a bit. “I think your conversation was more important though. What happened?”

Instantly, Theodore's smile died. He made sure that no one was close to them and that he was facing the wall before allowing his frustration to show. “That conversation was horrible. I shouldn't have met her at all.”

The concubine had already feared that this might be the case. She gave him an encouraging smile while replying. “So, there was no important new information. At least she didn't make you angry again, right? What did she want to talk about?”

Theodore leaned his elbow on the table and tapped his fingers on the tablecloth. “She gave me a lecture about putting her sister's husband behind bars. Apparently, punishing criminals is illegal now. It's just ironic because I'm pretty sure that she doesn't care about her family at all if she can't use them for power. She only acts like she is upset because she found a way to criticize me. I should just have let her talk while ignoring her, but I might have overdone it. Cedar will have to deal with a hysteric mess for the evening now.” He paused when the servant with the wine came.

As soon as the servant filled the glasses, he hurried away and left the couple alone again.

The emperor took his glass in his hand and began tilting it slowly while the red liquid moved around in a whirl. It quickly became clear that he would stay quiet if she didn't ask for more.

But naturally, Blanche wouldn't leave it be. “What did you say? I didn't hear anyone cry in outrage, so it seems to have been fine, right? Is she upset now?”

“You could say that.” Theodore stared at his glass with a mix of annoyance and dejection. “I was a bit too honest about how serious I am about this matter. I didn't show them everything but too much. Now they'll be more careful, and I could have avoided that by holding back a bit.” Slowly, the corners of his lips lifted. “But I have to say that their expressions were worth it. I would have liked to frame that image. That brother of mine even forgot his smile for a second. If you look closely, you can still see that they are worried.” He glanced at the middle of the ballroom.

Blanche followed his gaze with her eyes and quickly found the other members of the royal family.

Cedar was chatting with Marquess Sefare and some other supporters of his faction. He seemed as happy as always, but his mother was less content. She glared at the emperor with gritted teeth and only looked away when her other son addressed her. Apparently, Theodore had managed to upset her quite a bit.

Blanche couldn't help but grin at that. “She deserves it. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't see Cedar lose his composure though. I would have liked to catch a glimpse of his surprise.” Surprising him so much that he looked shocked had to be satisfying. Seeing Cedar upset would rather do the opposite though. Blanche didn't want to remember her nightmare about him drinking tea with her while seeming like he was barely clinging to his smile, but she couldn't help it.

Her lover picked up the second glass with his other hand and held it towards her. “I can assure you that it was satisfying. But unfortunately, I have to put in more effort if I want to scar their fragile little egos. I need to think about how I want to do that later, preferably without making Cedar take care of a self-destructive mess that will blame him for her own faults. He tries to clean up all the messes his mother makes, but if it gets too bad, he can't control her anymore either. That might get ugly. Well. For now, we will enjoy this day together though. I won't stray from your side again. Will you have a toast with me?”

Her face lit up with a beam as she took the glass from him. “Gladly. It's our second anniversary. Are we going to ask for another wonderful two years?”

“There is no need to be modest. We'll ask for an eternity.” Theodore lifted his glass and moved in her direction.

The concubine mirrored his gesture to hold the glasses next to each other. “That sounds good. Then let us pray for a beautiful future in which both of us can stay together forever.”

Her lover stepped a bit closer to her before adding his own part. “We will create that future ourselves. No one can tell us what to do. We'll have a future in which we'll be at each other's side no matter what. We will fulfill all of our dreams, and no one will interfere. I promise you that I will make you happy.” With that, he clinked their glasses together before bringing his to her lips.

It was obvious that doing this in a ballroom with countless people watching them was a horrible idea, but Blanche couldn't afford to think about that. She only saw her lover right now and wanted their wish to come true. Maybe it was her desire to show him her affection or the idea that doing this may bring them closer to each other and increase the chances of their toast working out in the way that they asked it to. But she moved her glass to his mouth without hesitation. Slowly, she tilted it until he could drink, and he did the same to allow her to take a sip.

For some reason, the wine tasted much better this way.