One glance at the table convinced Blanche that there was way too much food for a single person. She looked at Stella for a small moment and considered inviting her maid to join her at the table but decided against it. She had planned to change her behavior slowly to not make her sudden transformation too obvious. Admittedly, she had already surprised the servant with a completely different attitude, so she needed to hold back. She doubted that the maid would be comfortable enough to eat with her at this point in time anyway.

Maybe she could have breakfast with Stella in a few days when they had talked a little more. This would allow them to engage in conversations more easily and a greater amount of food would be eaten instead of being brought back into the kitchen. Then Blanche also wouldn't be forced to dine alone in the future when her lover didn't come to see her anymore.

The thought of Theodore made Blanche freeze. Previously she hadn't even considered that she would have to face him soon with the knowledge that he would leave her. But if he called for her to eat with him, she might be forced to see him this very evening. Her heart clenched at that thought, and she grasped the fork tighter. She moved her gaze to the place across the table and tried to distract herself.

It was odd. She had no clue how to face her lover and yet a part of her also longed to see him. In fact, she almost wished that he had summoned her to have breakfast with him. In that case, she wouldn't have had time to ponder over what to say or how to act in his presence. She might also be thankful that she had a chance to process her newly gained knowledge before meeting him, but she couldn't ignore her disappointment nonetheless. She wouldn't have been forced to eat alone if Theodore was here.

Blanche should probably get used to this soon though. The story would progress at some point and Theodore would fall in love with Seraphina. He would spend time with his wife only and abandon his concubine.

This single bitter thought was enough to make tears well up in Blanche's eyes. She could feel a lump forming in her throat and she forced herself to see this situation in a more positive way to prevent herself from crying. Theodore was guaranteed to become happy with the heroine and Blanche needed to let go of him for her own safety and for his sake. Even if her beloved was the most important person in her life and she already felt lonely upon imagining him leaving her, her survival had the main priority.

At least her mind told her that even though her heart screamed. She had to give him up to survive. She could only enjoy the time he would still spend with her and hope that he would allow her to stay in the palace even if he didn't love her anymore. Blanche didn't know what she would do otherwise.

“My Lady, is everything alright?” Stella's voice cut through Blanche's thoughts.

The concubine blinked a few times and lifted her head. One glance at the fork in her hand reminded her that she was still in the middle of eating. Blanche turned to the maid and noticed that the other woman was frowning at her. It seemed like Stella was concerned about her mistress' well-being which warmed the concubine's heart a bit. She gave the servant a bright smile. “I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. I'm just a little tired.” She lifted her fork to continue eating again, only to notice that Stella's gaze was still fixated on her.

Apparently, the maid wasn't entirely convinced by her mistress' excuse, but she kept quiet.

Blanche suppressed the thoughts about the novel for a while and finished her meal. She had eaten less than usual, so there were even more leftovers than expected.

Stella scanned the table and began speaking. “Have you finished, My Lady?”

Blanche nodded and waited for the maid to clear the table.

The servant excused herself for a short while to bring the cart along with the leftovers back into the kitchen.

The concubine used this opportunity to freshen up in the bath and clean her teeth while pondering about her current situation and her future strategies. She didn't have much time to do that though.

The maid returned quickly and asked whether there were any plans for the day.

Blanche decided that she still needed to think about the biggest threats. She had to come up with more solutions that would help her with avoiding the novel's ending if she wanted to survive. But she doubted that she would have new ideas while standing in her room and staring at the wall. Maybe a walk outside could clear her mind and make her think of different approaches. So she replied with an absentminded gaze. “I would like to go out.”

Stella walked to the big wardrobe in one of the room's corners and opened the doors to help her mistress choose a dress for the day. “Do you wish to go see His Majesty?”

It was true that Blanche normally only left her chambers to visit Theodore or sometimes to simply walk around the palace after which she would go to her lover as well. Today she didn't have the strength to face him though. Even if she knew that meeting him eventually was inevitable. At least she could avoid him for a few days to collect her thoughts beforehand. That should be fine since it wasn't unusual for the couple to go without seeing each other for multiple days as Theodore spent most of his time ruling the nation.

The emperor had to discuss new laws with his ministers, maintain contact with influential noble families and secure Artias' well-being by trading with neighboring countries. At the same time, he had to verify whether the reigning aristocrats did what was expected of them and exchange them if it was necessary as well as control the economy and much more. So Theodore was quite busy. On some days he would barely find any time to do anything but to work. Naturally, Blanche couldn't meet him on such days. Thus, avoiding him for a bit shouldn't draw much attention to her.

She gave her maid a fake grin and responded. “No, I won't go see him. I want to take a walk in the garden.”

Stella nodded and began to search the dresses inside the wardrobe for a suitable one. She paused shortly to turn to her mistress. “Do you have a specific attire in mind?”

Blanche shook her head. “I don't. Can you pick out a comfortable and simple one?”

The maid inspected a few gowns before pulling out a mint-colored dress with small lace decorations and showed it to her mistress, who nodded in approval. Stella helped the concubine put on the dress and brought a fitting pair of shoes.

Blanche chose not to wear any accessories today which surprised the servant a little. This time it wasn't as apparent on the maid's face as before though. Most likely because Stella was already used to surprises since her mistress had been behaving unusually the whole morning.

The women left the room when Blanche had finished dressing up and walked down the corridor. The hallway was framed by sand-colored walls while the floor was made of marble tiles in the same color. There was a window front on the one side, from which one could see the emperor's office across the courtyard. The other side was decorated with statues and paintings which hung between the doors.

Since the palace was huge, it was sometimes hard to identify in which part of the building one was which often troubled guests. But after spending a long time here Blanche had begun to memorize small details like specific paintings and had no issues with orienting herself anymore. By now she didn't even need to pay attention to those subtle cues and could walk to any destination with her eyes closed. She was thankful for that since getting lost in the huge palace didn't seem like a pleasant thought. Even though she had never been lost in a building, this was her first thought for some reason.

Blanche followed the hallway until she arrived at the grand entrance hall, where she used the main stairs to get to the first floor. She used this opportunity to take a look at the glass chandelier, which hung in the center of the room. She had always admired it but didn't dare to look at it for long to avoid tripping and falling down the stairs. Still, she couldn't help but glance at it a few more times. If she remembered correctly, the chandelier had hung here ever since she arrived here, but she had never wondered about it being dangerous. Now that she paid attention to the thin ropes that held the construction, she was slightly uncertain though. Surely the palace was safe but if that thing crashed down and landed on top of someone, it would be over for that person.

The concubine hurried to push those thoughts away as soon as they came. She didn't need to ponder about possible demises the whole time only because she had to prevent her death. Thankfully there were enough other things to focus on here. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, her gaze fell onto the men guarding the hall.

A few of them greeted her with a nod but most of them ignored her. Their white uniforms with decorations in navy and gold allowed anyone to identify them as the royal guards. These knights were part of an elite troop consisting out of the best warriors in the whole country. They had been handpicked by the emperor's most trusted companions to ensure the safety of the members of the royal family and secure the palace. Since Artias was peaceful, the guards mostly used their time to train and prepare for emergencies and patrolled the corridors of the palace.

In the past, Blanche had always felt safe in their presence, but today she had her doubts. Would these men even know how to react to a direct attack after living in peace for so long? She wasn't sure and didn't want to think about it either.

Blanche focused on her goal for now instead of scaring herself even more. She approached a huge double door to her left. The servant at the side recognized her and opened the door for her. She went through the doorway and moved through the ballroom, which was connected with the balcony that led to the garden. Right now the great hall was empty which made it appear even bigger than it seemed during balls. The golden decorations on the walls and the ceiling of this gorgeous room were all very impressive but no one would look at them for long upon entering since all eyes would be drawn elsewhere.

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The most striking feature of the ballroom was the elevated platform on which the emperor's and the empress' thrones stood. The steps leading to them as well as the platform itself were covered by a blue carpet while the seats were golden and decorated with numerous gems. This would make anyone who saw them for the first time stare in awe. Even now Blanche was still impressed by the appearance of these thrones, but today she didn't stay to admire them. They only left a bitter feeling in her stomach when she thought about the couple that would sit there side by side.

The concubine hurried to turn away. After going through the opened doors on the southern side of the room, she arrived at the balcony. From there she had a great view of the terrace and the fountain below it. Blanche went down yet another staircase and reached a stone path that led to the terrace. She sat down on the ledge of the adjoining fountain and let her gaze wander across the garden.

From here she could see the labyrinth's entrance next to the terrace, which probably was the only location on the palace grounds that she wasn't familiar with. She had only been inside with Theodore once, but she didn't remember much except for the small space in the center, where another fountain was located. If the novel's information were correct, this was the place where Seraphina often sat down to collect her thoughts. That only was another reason not to enter it.

Blanche turned her face towards the sun and closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth for a moment. It was sunny, no cloud was in sight and the temperature was warm enough to allow her to go outside without freezing. Still, she let out a sigh in frustration. It was the most pleasant day in a while, and she couldn't savor it properly because she had to figure out how to deal with her situation.

But maybe she should be happy about gaining the novel's knowledge at this point in time rather than complaining. Currently, she was still in a favorable position and could change her future.

At least if changing the future was even possible. There was a possibility that the book could force the characters to act accordingly to the original story. A cold shiver ran down Blanche's spine at that thought. Being controlled by some kind of almighty power that could play with people like they were dolls wouldn't be fun. There had to be a way for her to find out whether she would have to deal with that.

She bit the inside of her cheek until an idea crossed her mind. Since this world seemed to be inside a book, there had to have been a person who wrote it. If everything here was based on the author's creation, the ending would inevitably happen like it was intended to. However, if this world was more than a piece of writing and had developed its own life in some form, this meant that changing the story should be possible. If Blanche was able to find out which of these scenarios was accurate, she would be able to differentiate whether she had the possibility to change her own fate. She opened her eyes and balled her fists with determination. There had to be a way to determine which of her theories was true.

Did her world only consist out of what was written in the novel or was there more to it?

Blanche desperately clung to the thought that there had to be more than the book's information. After all, she clearly remembered her childhood in great detail, which surely hadn't been described as elaborately in the novel. Still, the villainess' past had been an important revelation near the finale that allowed the main characters to identify the other nobles that were involved in the intrigues. Thus, Blanche's childhood had been mentioned multiple times and was relevant to the story. Maybe this was the only reason why she remembered it clearly, so this wasn't proof.

But if she could find any piece of information that hadn't appeared in the book and could also not be crucial to the plot's progress, then she would be able to prove that her world could still develop on its own. But how could she gain such knowledge? Maybe she should ask a supporting character for a detail about their life that didn't influence their personality. If such a fact existed, her world would be able to change from the novel, and she could avoid her doom. Right?

Blanche turned her head to the maid, who was still standing beside her. This servant did count as a supporting character, didn't she? It certainly couldn't hurt to try out a theory. “Say, Stella...”

The maid, who was seemingly lost in thoughts, was startled for a second until she realized that her mistress had addressed her. “Yes?”

“Do you have a favorite meal?”

Stella just looked at her mistress as if she had grown wings. “I apologize, but I'm afraid that I didn't understand what My Lady was saying.”

Blanche lifted her head to meet her maid's gaze before repeating her question. “I asked what your favorite meal was.” Still, the servant remained quiet, so she added another phrase. “It's fine if you don't have one.” With every second of silence, she got more unsure about whether she had somehow offended Stella which truly wouldn't make a lot of sense.

The maid blinked a few times before finally opening her mouth. “No, that's not it. I do have one. It's just that I was surprised because My Lady asked.” It was normal for her to feel that way.

Blanche had never asked her maid a single question about her personal life in the past year. But now she would do her best to improve her relationship with the other woman. “I just wanted to get to know you a little better. You have been with me ever since I entered the palace, but I don't know much about you.”

Stella appeared to be content with that answer and responded with a soft smile. “If My Lady wishes for that, I'll gladly oblige. If I had to pick out a favorite meal, I would have to choose scrambled eggs.”

At first, it was surprising to Blanche that the maid preferred something this simple, but then she remembered some dishes from her childhood. The easiest meals were often the tastiest, as long as they were made with care. She still had memories of eating scrambled eggs with bacon with her family starting from when she had been very young. Back then she had also loved this dish and had regularly begged her mother to make it again.

After a few seconds of silence, Stella spoke up again while seeming a bit embarrassed. “I know it's a really simple dish and nothing special, but I just like it a lot.” She looked like she was ready to defend her favorite dish even more, but Blanche interrupted her.

“There is nothing wrong with simple food. I actually like scrambled eggs too.”

“Really?” The maid sounded a bit surprised while saying that. Her confusion was understandable.

Blanche had always asked for the most delicious treats to be delivered to her and even voiced her dissatisfaction with these meals. Over the course of the past fifteen months, she had caused many issues by complaining about the food's quality. In hindsight, this seemed to be another terrible trait which she hadn't previously noticed in herself. Troubling the cooks was bad enough but considering how good the breakfast today had been, it was likely that there hadn't been a problem with the food in the first place. At least not when the cooks actually tried to make the hated concubine something nice.

Blanche took a moment to return to the conversation and hurried to reply. “Yes. I know that I haven't acted like it before, but I do like homemade cooking a lot. The simplicity of the meal only enhances the flavor.”

Stella's face lit up. She quickly nodded in approval before adding her own opinion. “Exactly! It also awakens memories of their home in most people which inevitably makes them happy. And you can also cook it yourself even with a small amount of money and time so...” Only then Stella noticed that she had begun rambling about her obvious passion for homemade cooking, She shut her mouth while trying to hide the slight blush that had come onto her cheeks and mumbled another sentence. “I apologize.”

Blanche began smiling at the servant's adorable behavior and mentally noted that her maid's weak spot appeared to be food. This would make finding topics to talk about way easier since she also adored food, especially pastries, herself. Trying to improve her relationship with Stella would become more uncomplicated if she had a vague idea of what to address.

Still, Blanche hadn't forgotten that she had voiced her original question for a completely different reason. Her maid's answer allowed her to calm down a little. It had proved that this reality was more than just a replica of the novel. Their world contained information that hadn't been mentioned in the book, like the preferences of Stella, who only had been a minor supporting character. If the maid's personality was this developed despite only appearing rarely in the story, this world wasn't fully dependent on the novel. Most likely the ending could be changed. At least it seemed like Blanche had a realistic chance to change her fate.

For a second, newfound motivation gave the concubine the confidence that she would reach her goal, but this feeling quickly faded. There were two things that made her certainty crumble just after a moment.

Firstly, she had no guarantee that the story was really able to stray away from the book. If all characters acted like they originally did, this world would forcefully follow the narrative's intended path. As long as other people still considered her the villainess, she would be killed no matter how she behaved. All she could do was hope that the story didn't correct itself in any way and that she could evade her role as the antagonist.

And secondly, Blanche would only be able to change a small part of the novel, her own fate. To save her life she would have to distance herself from all intrigues and struggles for power. That would not be easy at all. Especially cutting ties with Marquess Sefare could become a huge challenge if he decided to harm her for betraying him. It could even endanger her survival.

Still, there was one thing that Blanche considered to be even worse than that. It was that she could not under any circumstance become an obstacle in the main characters' path. She would be forced to stand on the sidelines and watch as her lover fell in love with another woman. Acting on her sadness, anger and jealousy would qualify her as a villain and get her killed immediately. So she would have to suppress all of her emotions. Theodore would slowly spend less time with her and his expression when he saw her would change while Blanche was unable to do anything. In the end, he would pledge his eternal love and loyalty to Seraphina. After that, he couldn't be with his concubine anymore.

In that case, Theodore could decide to throw his former lover out of the palace and thus force Blanche to live alone in the capital despite her being completely incapable of earning money or finding a home. Or he could allow her to stay and ease her worries about starving on the streets but condemn her to witness the spouses' joyful and carefree life from close proximity. Surely being able to see Theodore would make her happy, but her jealousy would probably torment her until she died from heartbreak. Maybe staying in the palace wasn't a good idea after all. But in the end, her future seemed to be pretty grim no matter what she chose.

She could be executed by her lover, be assassinated by Sefare, starve in the streets or die because of a broken heart. And even if she avoided all of this, she still wouldn't have a happy end. The man she loved would be the partner of another woman at that point. Maybe this was just how it was meant to be for the villainess. She could try everything she wanted and would still fail miserably and meet her doom.

And all of that happened while the heroine didn't have to lift a finger to arrive at her perfect ending in which everyone she cared for was living happily at her side.

Blanche couldn't help but vent her frustration. “How unfair...” It was just a small mumble but to her, it summarized it all pretty well. She had to focus on steady breathing to keep the tears from welling in her eyes. Crying now wouldn't do anything except for worrying Stella. Though considering how easily and often Blanche normally cried, it was surprising that she hadn't already begun to sob the second that she awoke.

She lifted her hand to her face and rubbed her eyes while pondering about her dilemma. It was a blessing to acquire knowledge that had the power to change the future, and yet she was sitting here and wallowed in self-pity. Blanche took a deep breath and tried to focus on the positive aspects. She could avoid being executed. Only her survival mattered for now. She could shape her future life later. She would continue to live and find her own happiness. Eventually, she would be able to get over Theodore and build relationships with new people.

At least that was what she told herself.

She knew well that there was no way that she could ever be happy without him. But right now she needed determination instead of fear. She couldn't despair every time that she looked into the future, or she might as well give up already. She would have to maintain a positive attitude to keep herself moving forward. Then she would also stop pondering about all the bad things that would inevitably happen. But that was easier said than done.

Blanche sighed and stood up. Maybe taking a walk would help her clear her mind. She walked towards the stone pathway that led around the palace. She stopped for a moment to meet Stella's gaze to show her maid that she was planning on moving. The other woman quickly understood and followed her mistress.

The pathway that Blanche headed for went through the biggest part of the garden and formed a circle around the whole building. It was quite long and thus perfect for spending a long time outside. It also gave visitors an opportunity to enjoy the view of all the gorgeous places in the garden and admire the beautifully crafted facade of the palace itself. Even though Blanche had seen the scenery here countless times, she still felt amazed by the picture-like sight that was offered to her. But no matter how beautiful it was, it didn't protect her from trouble.

Just as she rounded a corner to follow the pathway, three people, who were also walking on the same path, stepped out from behind a hedge. Blanche only needed one glance to recognize the women in front of her. This was just what she hadn't needed today.

She desperately tried to suppress the rising dread in her stomach and swallowed at the sight of her archrival. Of course she had to run into the one person she wanted to avoid even more than Theodore.

Before her, her fated enemy stood. That was no one other than the perfect heroine of “To Be Empress”.

Seraphina Estien.