Signing the contract for their engagement was the best thing Blanche and Theodore could have done this evening. It was no surprise that they celebrated it with a long hug. After a while, that both felt like an eternity and only a few minutes at the same time, they loosened their holds on each other. But even then, the couple kept holding hands and kissed each other whenever their eyes met while repeating that they loved each other like a mantra.

At some point, Leon had enough and began rustling his documents. When that didn't help, he cleared his throat. “I don't want to interrupt, please note the sarcasm in my voice when I say that, but we should discuss some important matters.” He waited until the couple had turned to him and paid attention to what he was saying. “I know that you lovebirds don't think about much aside from cuddling now, but this engagement means more than that.” Leon's eyes met the concubine's. “From now on, you are the emperor's fiancée. This makes you a part of the royal family, which grants you power to some extent. You naturally can't use much of that as long as you don't announce it to the public, but that doesn't change the fact that it's there. Being royalty means much more than just parading around and kissing the emperor whenever you are closer to each other than ten steps. You need to prepare, and since we have some time before this engagement is made public, we need to fully use it.” He looked like he wanted to continue, but he didn't get that chance.

Theodore interrupted him without regret. “About that. I still wanted to ask you.” He grabbed his lover's hands tighter and stroked over her skin. “Are you alright with revealing it later? I thought that it might be more relaxed if we do it after those unpleasant people are gone, but if you disagree, I can announce it tomorrow.”

Blanche's heart skipped a beat at that. She hurried to shake her head with vigor. “That's too soon. I would postpone revealing it to anyone until this matter is finished and your power is secured. We can't risk giving your brother an advantage, so we should stick to your plan of doing it later. We have time, right? Leon said something about preparations too, so we have to deal with that first.”

“Alright. Then let us pick a nice date and make a huge celebration that day.” The emperor surely seemed like he was eager to spend a lot of money to realize what he was imagining.

Leonard didn't let him elaborate though. “As I was saying...” He glared at Theodore before resuming and looking at Blanche. “You need to attend some etiquette lessons. Surely, you are doing well for now, but the...wife of Artias' ruler has to be perfect. We'll take care of that. Since I don't have to read any engagement guides anymore, I have enough time to give you more lessons again. At least if Theodore can separate himself from you for a few minutes a day. If I remember correctly, he trains regularly, and during that-” He cut himself off, and slowly, a frown came upon his features. “Someone's coming. I just heard shoes clicking in the hallway. I'm pretty sure that's the one person you don't want to meet now. Should I hide the contract?”

In contrast to Blanche, who hadn't heard anything and was staring at the secretary in confusion, Theodore wasn't surprised. He just shrugged before leaning his back against the desk. “She will find out sooner or later. I said that I wouldn't hide anything anymore, so just leave it there. If she is nosy enough to ask, it's her problem.”

That sounded like they might be talking about the empress. Seraphina was coming here now? It should have been obvious that this wonderful moment would be interrupted at some point.

With a frown, Blanche glanced at the door, which was still slightly ajar since her lover hadn't closed it. The men both looked at the entrance as well with annoyance visible on their features. Why were they so calm?

Blanche stepped closer to her lover and searched his gaze. “Theo, is that...her? Will you really let her know? Her family is...” With every word, she became more nauseous. Seraphina would never accept this. The Duremonts' patience would snap at this, and they would turn away from the emperor. Just because the concubine had put her own feelings above the nation's well-being. “Theo, I'm sorry... I... The door was open. What if someone heard and gossips now? What if-”

Theodore stopped her by opening his arms and pulling her into an embrace. “Everything is fine. There is no need to be worried. You told me that you trust me. Then believe that I will destroy every obstacle in our way, no matter who they are. No one will keep us apart. I intend to make it clear this time. I won't budge even if the Duremonts think that they can control me. They can't. Alright?” His voice sounded so confident that she wanted to believe it.

Blanche weakly nodded as she grasped his clothes to keep herself steady. She had to admit that burying her worries now, just because her lover told her to, was the easy way out. But she had worried for nine months, ever since she had received the memories of the book, without a break. If the emperor was so sure that it would be fine, she had to trust him. He wasn't clueless after all.

In addition, it wasn't even clear whether something would happen. If she kept her expression neutral, maybe Seraphina wouldn't notice the contract at all. Then everything would be normal. That thought was a desperate way for Blanche to cling to hope, but she couldn't help it.

It took a few seconds more before rhythmic clicking became audible from the hallway. Soon voices began talking in front of the door. Then someone knocked.

Theodore replied while sounding as intimidating as always. “Come in.”

A guard pushed his head into the room. “Her Majesty has arrived. She wishes to speak to you.”

The emperor remained silent for a moment before whispering to his lover. “I could also just send her away. That is tempting, isn't it? But I doubt that she will leave easily. She will complain about what happened today. Well, then we can ruin her mood completely.” He raised his voice. “She may come in if she insists.”

The knight immediately pulled back and opened the door for the empress.

Seraphina's expression was unexpectedly tame. There were slight traces of her freezing anger, but they were only small. It seemed like she had been able to hide her emotions after a while of fuming. She strode inside and scanned the couple while waiting for the emperor to address her.

Theodore probably did it purposefully as it took a while before he reacted. He kissed his lover's forehead before waiting for another moment until he finally spoke up. “Was the rest of the ball calm?”

Seraphina ignored his missing greeting and resumed politely. “Good night, Your Majesty. There weren't any issues. The guests drank, ate and chatted as they were supposed to. No one attempted to cause trouble, and most left before midnight to rest in their guest rooms after Your Majesty did not return after your short leave. Unsurprisingly, many people felt the need to exchange their opinion about what happened today, which is why I am here too. My father would like to have a conversation with you. It may be appropriate for Lady Blanche to be present too.”

Theodore glanced at the clock and let out a huff. “Your father surely likes to joke. It's past midnight. What makes him think that I have the time or energy to meet him now? I have more important things to tend to.” While saying that, he stroked over his lover's head as if he wanted to emphasize that she was with him. “So, he can write me a letter and ask me to meet him in a few weeks after everything here is taken care of. After all, I need to deal with tomorrow's tea party and the aftermath. But to be honest...” He began smirking, which just made him seem like he was looking down on the empress. “I don't want to speak to him. If it's about today, he can use his time in a better way. I won't apologize nor do I intend to treat matters differently in the future. In fact, it will get worse for him if he is so sensitive. You may tell him that.”

Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly. It was only a little movement, but it made her expression so much colder than before. “I will not voice the things you stated just now, and that is in your own interest. I fear that he may not encounter such remarks with much kindness. He is already at the end of his patience and merely held back because I instructed him to do so multiple times for your sake.”

Theodore slowly turned to the desk and lifted the candles to extinguish them. He took his time before setting them down again, and his arms immediately returned to their position around his lover. “My sake?” He sounded amused while he said that. “Are you sure? Whose reputation would it damage if Duke Duremont suddenly threw a tantrum in public? Only your family would receive weird looks for that. So, it was in your own interest to stop him, and you know it. I'm glad that you did though. Anything else would have been embarrassing.”

Blanche had intended to stay silent the whole time, but when she heard him speak with ridicule dripping out of his voice, she couldn't keep quiet. She brought her face closer to his head. “Theo, what are you doing? Be at least a little more polite.”

Her lover looked down at her with a small grin. “If you say so, I will gladly do it.” Saying that to his concubine, who had just asked him to be kinder to his wife, just did the opposite.

Luckily, Seraphina didn't address that. She gazed at the couple for a moment before turning her head to the side. “I see. It seems like you are exhausted after the ball. I will approach you with this matter again when you are in a better mood. Was there any important change that I need to be aware of?”

Theodore shrugged. “Why would you?”

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The empress was dumbfounded by so much disrespect that she kept quiet for a bit. It looked like she considered just turning around and leaving, but she chose to stay. “Your Majesty, you were just putting out candles, which means that you were making a royal seal. If I am correct, that would be used on contracts that I should know about. Is this why you left earlier? I would like to be aware of whether you were deciding on a new trading route or made a deal with our allies. That is not too much to ask. I am the empress, so I should keep an eye on the political choices you make.”

The emperor sighed at that and glanced at his lover. “See, I told you that she would ask.” He gazed up again and made eye contact with the heroine. “It was an important contract. You can take a look at it if you want to. It's still on the desk. But I would remind you that there is no need for you to take a look, so you can't complain afterward. It's none of your business after all.”

Seraphina didn't hesitate to move over to the table at that.

Blanche felt horrible clinging to her lover while his wife was here, but she didn't find the strength to let go. Now the empress would see that they were engaged and get angry. Really angry.

The concubine could only stay close to Theodore and hope that he would deal with the other woman's rage. She prayed to the gods, even if she knew that this wouldn't help her at all. She closed her eyes and tensed when the heroine reached the desk.

It took a few seconds before Seraphina moved again with her heels clicking across the floor, and then it was quiet.

The concubine dared to open her eyes slowly. She expected shock and disbelief along with a big portion of rage, but she was only greeted by anger without anything else.

The empress glared at her husband in a way that seemed to make the temperature drop. “You did something like this and didn't feel the need to inform me first?” Her voice was trembling with wrath as she positioned herself in front of the emperor. That sight was definitely not comforting.

She wasn't a physical threat at this moment.

Blanche knew that. Still, she couldn't help but react with fear when it was Seraphina. She cowered and leaned into her lover. She barely lifted her gaze to watch the heroine but paid attention not to make eye contact.

In contrast to her, Theodore didn't care at all. “Why would I? I don't think you need to sign when two adult citizens that love each other choose to marry. There is nothing wrong with that. The law also doesn't forbid anything. You can be sure that I checked everything properly before writing this contract.”

Seraphina allowed her anger to show freely at that. She spoke with even more coldness in her voice now. “What happened to you, Your Majesty? You used to be careful and think about your actions before doing something that could potentially ruin your relationship with the family that supported you ever since you ascended to the throne. We even helped your father too. There is no need to suddenly pick a fight because of every little thing you do. If you left personal feelings out of this, it would be much easier for all of us. I only asked for you to tell me about things before you decide, and you can't even do that?”

Theodore leaned his head down to his lover and rested his chin on her head before responding. “You are the one that can't leave personal feelings out of this. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here. I don't want to ruin this wonderful day with unnecessary discussions. If you have nothing important to say, you may leave.”

The empress narrowed her eyes at him. “If you would just listen once-”

Theodore cut her off in a sharp tone. “No, you listen. From what I heard, your problem is that I didn't inform you first, which is ridiculous. I'm the emperor. Since when do I have to get anyone's opinion first? That doesn't make any sense, and you know that. Besides, I would understand if you were upset about me announcing it without you being aware of it, but I didn't do that. If I had told you before, you would have made sure to spin your mind games in an attempt to convince me that I didn't really want this. We just skipped those pointless lectures, so it shouldn't matter. I proposed half an hour ago, and we just signed the contract. There was no time to tell you anything without you suddenly feeling like you need to change my mind. Until now, no one knows except for Leon, Owen and Blanche's maid. It will stay like this until all of our issues get resolved too. I will plan a grand celebration when it's time, and you surely would have heard about it by then, if not even earlier. So, no one withheld any information that would have been crucial to you. Don't feel offended because of every little thing.”

After that, Seraphina was quiet for a long time. She stared at the emperor for a while before nodding. “I will take my leave now. Please do enjoy the evening.” If she withdrew without asking for permission, she was really angry. That much was quite obvious. She only ran away like this when she was seconds away from snapping.

But she still held back.

The empress spun around and strode to the entrance. There, she stopped for a moment and turned around one last time. “I almost forgot. If I had known before, I would have been able to prepare something in advance. Like this, I can only offer my words. Congratulations. May Artias be blessed by your union.”

Blanche would have liked to veil her shock, but she failed miserably. Her mouth fell open as she stared at the other woman in utter confusion.

Why was Seraphina congratulating them? Surely, the heroine always paid attention to proper etiquette, but to ignore her own feelings to do that was impressive. The concubine had been sure that Seraphina would start telling her about how she was ruining Theodore's chances to rule peacefully now. This was the opposite though.

Blanche would have liked to stay quiet, but she didn't have enough self-control. “Why? Aren't you upset?”

The few seconds in silence had been enough for Seraphina to neutralize her expression again. She looked at the other woman with what seemed to be nothing more but slight frustration. “Do not misunderstand me. I was merely upset at the fact that His Majesty did not inform me about this decision. I asked him whether I could expect a great change in the future multiple times, but he never responded. This was what I was referring to, and I am slightly irritated to not have been told. I do not care about anything you do, but as the empress, I will need to mediate with the nobles and my family, so knowing earlier would have been pleasant. But it cannot be changed now. As I said, I am indifferent to your decisions. Please do not believe that I intend to intervene in your relationship or that I hold any unreasonable grudges. There is no need to look at me with this much uncertainty. I would have done something much earlier if I wished to prevent this from happening.”

She probably would have tried it if Theodore wasn't pushing against all she did with so much force.

Blanche didn't fully trust Seraphina's words, but she had still caught a small hint that worried her even more than this obvious issue. She stared at the other woman in disbelief for a moment before looking at her lover. Then she turned to the empress again. “Don't tell me... If you mention asking about this before...” She glanced at Leon, who was shrugging at her, before looking at the heroine. “You knew about this too?”

Seraphina seemed to be completely unaffected by the concubine's irritation. “As I previously said, I did not know. I merely suspected that it would happen soon. After all, His Majesty left enough hints for even a blind person to find them. That is the matter my mother talked about during the ball after our summer vacation when she explained that this change could cause trouble.” She paused for a moment before resuming. “I assume that you were aware of that too. Or did you not understand before?”

Blanche felt even more ashamed than before. How could anyone around her, including the empress, who didn't spend time with Theodore at all, know about the proposal before she did? Had she really been so blind? Maybe she should have paid more attention, and then she wouldn't be this overwhelmed. “I...uhm...” She didn't even want to admit it, but stammering would only make it worse. “I didn't know. I thought that it was impossible, and...that's why I never stopped to wonder.”

It was true that she had never considered that those rings that her lover had given to her during the vacation meant anything. Because she had always told herself that it would never happen anyway. She had even been doubtful when a group of servants had chatted about her possibly marrying Theodore. That thought made her pause.

No way.

Hadn't even those people guessed what would happen before her too? That made her much more embarrassed than before. Even servants that only watched the couple from afar could tell what her lover had been planning while she had remained clueless. It was too embarrassing.

Even Seraphina seemed to be taken aback by that. “I noticed that you were slower to catch on than me during the summer vacation when you announced that you wouldn't become His Majesty's wife despite wearing that ring on your finger, but I thought that the signals afterward were clear enough.” She was silent for a moment. “But that had nothing to do with the matter itself. You should rest. Tomorrow will be exhausting as well. Good night. Your Majesty. Lady Blanche.” With that, she walked out of the room and left before anyone could say anything.

Theodore waited for a few seconds after the door was closed before grinning down at his lover. “You really had no clue? I guess my surprise was effective then.”

The concubine couldn't help but avert her eyes. “Maybe I asked myself what you were doing for a moment occasionally, but I... I just didn't think about it. I only caught on when you began talking about how horrible noble marriage was. Then I had a vague idea. I still didn't dare to hope though, because I thought that it was impossible. And now...”

The emperor cupped her face and made her look at him. “Now it will become reality. No matter what. As you can see, the empress, as unpleasant as she may be, will try to talk to her family. She doesn't care about this matter enough to pick a fight with me about it.” His expression darkened. “That wouldn't end well for her, and she knows it. I would just disregard her opinion and be angrier at her. I'm just curious about how far she actually thinks ahead. By now, she might have noticed what will happen.” He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Oh, well.” He opened his eyes again and showed his lover a bright smile. “But we don't want to talk about this any longer, do we? It's our anniversary, and now it will also be the day that I proposed to you and the day we got engaged. We need to honor it.”

Blanche felt like that was better as well. She nodded slowly and put her hands on top of her lover's. “It's one of the best days in my life.”

Theodore stroked his thumb over her lips, and his smile became more playful. “For me too. That is why we need to use it properly. It might be past midnight now, but we should end the day with something wonderful. We have all the time in the world, and I want to pamper you until you can't think about anything but-”

Leon slammed the book he was reading shut. “Alright, that's enough. Go to your room. I don't want to hear any of that.” He waved toward the door and glared at them. “Hurry up, or I'm going to pull out the law books from the fireplace and make you read them.”

Theodore immediately moved. “Well, that is a convincing argument.” He took his lover's hands and pulled her a few steps away from the desk. “Isn't the bed much better than this dusty office too? Even though everything is fine with you, my angel.”

Blanche didn't know whether to smile or blush, and in the end, she did both. “It's better if we leave now, or we'll give Leon a traumatizing event to remember.”

The emperor grinned at that. “I don't care.” He moved her hand to his mouth and kissed her wrist before slowly wandering up her arm.

Leonard stood up, and his chair scraped across the floor. He was with them in a few steps and put a hand on each of their backs before shoving them toward the door. “It was nice to talk to you, or rather to watch you two lovebirds cuddle. But it's enough now. Goodnight. Close your eyes for at least a few hours, or you won't make it through the tea party tomorrow.”

Theodore opened the door and waved toward him. “I can't promise anything. You go sleep too. Don't sit here and read when I'm not even forcing you to do it anymore. Put the copy of the contract at the spot I mentioned and go to bed then. The ball was exhausting enough. Goodnight.” With that, he pulled his lover out of the room.

Blanche barely managed to wave and wish Leon a good night too before she was in the hallways.

Theodore smirked at her in a way that made it obvious that they would sleep little this night before he guided her to his room. And even though she should have been tired after the ball, she was all too eager to celebrate their engagement properly. Her beam didn't disappear from her face once while she was awake, and even when she fell asleep in the early morning, a soft smile adorned her lips.