Theodore explained what Elaine had meant while referring to a note to his lover quickly. “You explicitly worried about Lady Lemares being alone with Grace as well. So, I asked the whole family to move aside when she ever offered to take care of the baby for a moment. But they were supposed to stay in the vicinity and watch what would happen. So that we could be sure of what that woman would do. I proposed the tea party because countless guards would be here to protect Grace in case anything went wrong. None of them seemed to believe me, but thankfully, they listened anyway.”

Blanche could just blink in return. She hadn't noticed that her lover was preparing a calculated plan just because of a few careless things she had voiced. “When did you...” Had she ever mentioned such direct hints regarding Evelyn's crime? Possibly. But for a moment, she wasn't sure. She didn't have enough time to ask either.

Elaine replied to that. “The gifts for Sophia. There was a letter there too, and it warned us about not leaving Evelyn alone with Grace.” A sad smile appeared on her features. “Unfortunately, that wild guess seemed to have been correct. I could never have believed that she-” She interrupted herself and covered her face with her hand. She took a moment to calm herself and kept quiet even when her husband put his arm around her waist. She waited for a while before opening her mouth again. “Thank you, Lady Blanche. You saw through her so easily, and Seraphina did too. Why didn't I comprehend that two people would only have the same thought if there was something more to it?

Apparently, more than two had had this thought. After all, Theo had somehow gotten it too. But they couldn't discuss that here.

Henry seemed like he wanted to speak up at this point too. He just looked tired, as if the previous anger had drained him so much that he could barely stand upright. He opened his mouth before closing it again and just stared at the concubine. It took him a few seconds before he bowed his head to her. “Thank you.” This hadn't been more than two words, but hearing something like that from Duke Duremont felt odd.

Blanche could barely hide her surprise when she saw what he was doing. Henry would be the last one to ever bow to her, so him doing it now made her more nervous than it should have. She hurried to raise her hands and waved them in a rejecting gesture. “Please lift your head, Your Grace. I know that you are upset right now, but doing something like that will make people gossip.” A duke bowing to a baroness was never good, especially not when everyone's attention was on them. She had thought that Duke Duremont would care about appearances more than anyone here, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Henry met her gaze with an undefinable expression. It appeared like he didn't know what to think either. “This has nothing to do with ranks. You saved my granddaughter. She was in danger because of my own negligence. To know that such a person was directly next to us, I should have...” He gritted his teeth and balled his fists. He was silent for a moment before resuming in a quieter voice. “You rescued Grace when I failed as the head of the family. Even though you could have been happy about our misery, you chose to address the issue and risked angering us because we trusted that woman. That is why I'll be forever indebted to you. I don't wish for that. If you have a request, voice it, and I will make it happen.”

Blanche was taken aback by that. She glanced up at her lover in worry before gazing at the duke again. “Your Grace, I don't require-”

A small frown formed on Henry's face as he whispered to her. “Believe me that finding out about all of this is overwhelming enough. Do not act like a saint now. Ask for something.”

Once again, this word was used, and the concubine still disliked it. She absolutely resented it. But her conviction was only enforced because of this. “Your Grace, I cannot accept this.” This time, she didn't let him interrupt her. “If I would receive a favor for saving your granddaughter's life, it would be like I saw her as a tool to get my way. That isn't true. I helped her because she is a human being that deserves to have a beautiful and safe life without facing such vile people. I didn't do it to impress your family or gain anything. And since it feels wrong to treat her health as a bargaining chip, I will not ask for anything.”

Henry just stared at her after she said that. He lowered his gaze for a moment and gazed at the floor.

Before the silence could get unbearable, Theodore spoke up though. “If you don't mind, I have a request.”

Blanche perked up at that, and it seemed like Duke Duremont did too. Henry's expression showed a slight amount of irritation as he waited for the emperor to speak.

Theodore looked around for a moment and made sure that the dowager empress and the prince were busy talking to someone else a few steps away. Then he turned towards the duke and resumed in a whisper. “This isn't necessarily something I would need to ask of you. It is merely a scenario I would like to mention. During my childhood, I have been poisoned, kidnapped and nearly killed in every imaginable way. I could go into more detail, but judging from your expression you were partially aware of this, so it seems to be enough. It is understandable that I would like to spare my children the same fate, yes?”

Henry's expression revealed that he might have understood what this meant already, but he didn't interrupt.

The emperor waited for a moment while staring right into the duke's eyes. “So, if you want to repay Blanche while feeling like it's impossible to weigh up a child's life, do your best to keep her children safe too. That doesn't mean much more than keeping an eye out for people that might wish to harm them and her and steering against the ones that attempt to target us. Do you know that the greater the power of the ruler is, the fewer issues have to be solved with violence? It isn't just about what can happen to our children, it's about what they may be forced to do too. Just keep that in mind. I don't expect a reply any time soon.”

Henry froze at that. With every word, his expression darkened, and he clenched his jaw, but it seemed like he wasn't too wrathful. He was more frustrated. “I see. I will think about that scenario, Your Majesty. But...”

Theodore nodded. “I know. I won't expect too much. Even if you never met our children, you must have a picture in mind already. You already decided whether they would be suitable rulers, didn't you? I don't blame you for that, and it's not a problem either. I am planning to do three things in the future that will upset you even more, so your reaction is somewhat understandable. Don't be too angry when that happens, and don't attempt to threaten me again. It won't work.” A small smile formed on Theodore's lips, but the seriousness in his eyes revealed that it didn't mean anything. “It may sound strange to you since the last dozen emperors always repeated that they are dependent on the noble's power. That isn't true. Our children will not need your assistance to rule. I will make sure of that. So, I won't count on unwavering loyalty and full support, nor do they need it.” His smile faded. “Just don't try to attack them too. If you can't be on their side, be neutral. But don't support their enemies. I won't watch quietly if you choose to do that.”

Blanche wasn't sure what kind of reaction she expected, but she didn't think that she would witness how Henry hurried to refute those words.

“I would never go against the ruler of Artias as long as they are doing the best for the nation and lead us peacefully. Even if I personally despised them, I would judge them based on their competence and not their bloodline. Besides, if the other option is the rest of your family, it should be clear that my hands are tied. Not that I would ever consider harming a child because they are an heir anyway. The worst I can do is ignore you. You know that other aristocrats are the way greater issue.”

Theodore gave him a little smile. “So, you finally admitted it. But do not worry. You just need to remember all the people that dared to complain at the ball yesterday. Then you have the number of nobles that would actually dare to go against me. As far as I remember, only two people aside from your family were upset. Their dearest friends are in prison, but I suppose that those would argue too. Now there are five, maybe six along with their friend, nobles that will try to defy the emperor. Do you think that they stand a chance?”

Henry stared at the emperor for a moment before narrowing his eyes. “Being confident is good, but don't you think that you should be careful? You might be in danger when you provoke powerful people, and not only you will be affected by that.” He glanced at the concubine.

Theodore only tightened his hold on his lover and rested his chin on her head. “I already went through this once. I'm prepared this time.” He was silent for a moment and then realized that he had said something unfitting and elaborated because of the duke's confusion. “My coronation. You remember how I was treated back then, right? Barely an adult and without my father's support. It won't get worse than that. Back then, I made the mistake of trying to solve everything kindly, but I'm not that naive anymore. So, it will be easier now.” He looked to the side before resuming. “But I don't think that we should talk about this at this moment. Your family needs you.”

Henry glanced over his shoulder. “Yes. I will go to them.” He turned around and walked one step before stopping. He gazed at the couple again and met Blanche's gaze. “I'm thankful. But that doesn't mean that I'll-”

The emperor cut him off. “That was the first somewhat pleasant conversation we had in the last months. Don't ruin it now. We are aware.”

The duke was silent at that. He wordlessly nodded before continuing to walk to his wife, who was currently being consoled by her children while also trying to comfort Sophia and Grace. Allen and Seraphina were there too and gave their best to make everyone stop crying. In the end, it just looked like they all hugged each other with Henry also joining them.

It was a touching scene, but somehow, it still hurt Blanche. She should be happy about having cleared up everything, and she was to some extent.

But at the same time, Blanche had begun to ponder why her counterpart in the novel had ever considered working with Evelyn. Why would she do that? No matter how jealous she would become if Theodore showed his affection to Seraphina, she couldn't believe that she would actually help a child murderer. It was a strange feeling to know that she would have done something despicable like that if she hadn't gained the novel's memories.

Blanche pushed those thoughts away as she focused on the conversation she had just heard and gazed up at her lover. “Theo, you're so...” He was so confident about their children having a chance to become heirs and rule the nation, even though it seemed unlikely. “How can you be so sure? About all of this...”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Theodore gave her a soft smile and pulled her against his chest. “Because the emperor isn't powerless. You shouldn't underestimate the most important position in the nation. The only reason the nobles were told that the ruler needs them was to secure peace and prevent rebellions. We know that from experience. I could be a bloodthirsty tyrant that came right out of a war, and no one would criticize me. So, while they might need some time to understand it, I do not require their help. The constitution is written in a way that the emperor could deal with everything without a single supporter. Naturally, that would be harder but not impossible. A few remarks about my choices won't ruin my chances.”

Blanche weakly nodded along with that, even when she wasn't convinced whether such a one-sided solution fully secured their future.

Theodore lowered his voice to add the rest. “In addition, no one complained. I showed up with you at the ball yesterday, and most people just gossiped about it. But they didn't dare to criticize me because I eased them into it. The slower I move, the less the people notice. I gave you more and more attention in public so that they would realize. You didn't pay attention to it either. Because you were concentrating on something else, and it will be the same for them. You only noticed later. Just like the guests here will later remember that I declared that I love you in front of everyone here a few minutes ago.”

Blanche tensed as she was reminded of how he had clarified that he would never send her away. She paled. “Theo, that... I'm thankful that you said that, but why did you have to phrase it like that in public?”

Her lover grinned at her and resumed. “And that we are standing here and have been cuddling the whole time remained unnoticed too. Even though everyone is gathered here, no one voiced a complaint. But I know a way to pull even more attention to us. Don't you think that the mood is ruined? I should distract them a bit with good news.”

For a moment, her heart stopped. “You aren't referring to...”

“No.” Theodore tapped his index finger on her nose. “Of course not. You told me to wait, so I will wait. This is about Ocrea. About Prince Linden, specifically.”

She relaxed at that. “Oh. Thank you. I know that you want to tell them, but I'm not ready, and I...”

The emperor just smiled at her. “There is no need to apologize. I know that it's sudden for you. We only got engaged yesterday. This will feel strange for a while. But you will get used to it. Then we will reveal it to the public during a wonderful celebration. It will be so lavish that no one will ever be able to forget about it, and every woman in the nation will be jealous.”

Blanche felt a small smile forming on her lips as well. “You don't have to overdo it. I'm just happy with you wanting me to be your wife. That is enough for me, so-” She cut herself off when her lover looked to the side and narrowed his eyes. She could only expect that the people that would address them now were the prince and the dowager empress. It would be best if she had come to a wrong conclusion, but a short look proved that she wasn't that lucky.

Hopefully, they hadn't heard her.

Cedar and Camille approached them. As always, the prince's lips were imitating a gentle smile as he began. “That was quite the scene, was it not? I'm glad that it's over now though. None of you were hurt, right? I just heard that Lady Blanche was the one jumping forward to save that little girl. That is truly astounding. You didn't get dirty in the process as far as I can see. But if it's necessary, I can lend you my handkerchief too.”

The concubine struggled to hide her disgust. Such a gesture was way too intimate when she despised the person who offered it. She didn't need Cedar to console her this time. “No, thank you. I'm grateful for your concern, but there is no need for that, Your Royal Highness.”

Cedar showed her a grin at that. “Fine. But you must accept my praise then. To be able to read a person like that is astonishing. It seems like you predicted what would happen if I heard correctly. And instead of sending out a guard, you chose to risk getting injured yourself. You truly are a heroine. It is an honor to be able to talk to you. But please do not get overconfident in the future. It would be horrible if you got hurt. The next time, you should ask your knight to intervene. After all, your personal guard, who happens to be the best knight in Artias, would be faster than you, yes?” He seemed awfully smug while saying that.

Blanche took a moment to realize why he was doing that. Cedar was fully right. It was true that Owen should have reached the fountain much faster than she did. She knew how fast that guard was when he gave his best. So, why hadn't he passed her while rushing to save the little girl?

Theodore almost seemed to read her mind since he calmly responded with what she had been curious about. “I'll protect her, so you don't have to worry. Our knight was with us the whole time if you are concerned about that. He aimed his sword at that insane woman to keep her from hurting anyone. Is that an issue?”

Cedar immediately shook his head. “Of course not. I can imagine why you did it like this, Theodore. I was merely wishing to offer my advice. After all, I care deeply about the two of you.”

Blanche had to refrain from rolling her eyes at so much sarcasm. It was obvious that Cedar just did that to infuriate the couple. Maybe she should just tell him to drop the act, but doing that in public could come off strange to outsiders. Though, Cedar's words did make her think. It made sense for Owen to restrain Evelyn, but then again, hadn't they had enough other guards? Why hadn't he focused on Grace? Because Blanche had been closer? Maybe.

In the end, Grace had been saved either way, but Cedar hadn't been wrong to point this out.

Theodore seemed a bit annoyed with his brother's claim to care for him since he quickly replied. “Naturally, you do. Then, would you care to wait for a moment? I need to announce something to the guests.” He didn't even wait for a reply and just turned to the crowd while linking his arm with Blanche's. He resumed in a louder voice that made everyone present look at him. “I believe that I do not need to explain how awful this situation just was. I deeply apologize for forcing all of you to witness such a scene. We will make sure to drag away criminals immediately in the future instead of letting them spout their lies. You can rest assured that we will punish her accordingly after a fair trial. Justice will prevail.” His expression became much darker. “You can also see this as a warning to everyone that wishes to harm others at the same time. I, as the emperor of Artias, will not sit quietly while cruel people plot their schemes.” It was so obvious that this was hinting at his family.

Still, no one interrupted.

So, Theodore continued without a pause. “That being said, if you fear that someone around you is doing something that may damage our nation in some way, speak up. I will examine each matter carefully to ensure peace in the future. While it does not make what happened any better, I have some good news for you regarding this topic.” Before, he had been completely serious the whole time, but now he showed the crowd a faint confident smile. “Because of the combined efforts of Lord Astame, the ministers and me, we have been able to capture a criminal. That person was at fault for sending falsified letters to none other than His Majesty, the king of Northern Ocrea. He was responsible for us almost beginning a war that would have killed hundred-thousandths of soldiers and citizens on both sides, ruined our economy and risked a famine. In short, that war could have brought our nations an unimaginable amount of terror for nothing.”

A murmur went through the people, but Theodore silenced them with a motion of his hand before resuming.

“That man was arrested and punished. Afterward, we managed to come into contact with the king again. All of you are aware of our strained relationship with Northern Ocrea, and so was I. I expected more hostile letters, only to receive the words of a wise man that wishes for peace, much like we do. It seems like most, if not all, of our previous contact was distorted by the person that was supposed to hand the letters over. It may sound unbelievable, but that messenger was behind it all along and almost caused a war with his actions. You may ask why he did this now. Like you, I was more than shocked when we found out that he was being bribed. There is someone in our nation that paid him to purposefully bring us to the brink of a war with catastrophic consequences. Naturally, we are doing our best to find that person, but they have stayed hidden until now.”

The emperor paused to let the nobles mutter for a bit again. It was no surprise that everyone here was quite shocked to hear about something so dangerous like this. Blanche herself had been petrified after hearing how the war had almost been created. But luckily, things could only get better from now on.

When the outcry became quieter, Theodore continued. “For now, we already have a different new message that will please you though. Due to this incident, I contact Northern Ocrea's king numerous times and exchanged many letters. We were able to improve our relationship with Northern Ocrea. We will not enter military combat, nor we will continue this cold war. Instead, we shall become allies and form diplomatic and economic bonds. To ensure that everything goes well this time, the crown prince of Northern Ocrea, Linden Sual, will travel here within a few weeks. To be exact, it will be a little over two months, and then he will come to us and stay in the palace to sign any necessary contracts with us.”

It was astonishing how quickly the noble's mood could change. A few minutes ago, they had been angry or aghast at Evelyn's horrible behavior, and now they were happily chatting again. The fact that they evaded a war was a joyful occasion, so it was understandable to some extent. But it was also clear that the Duremont family still didn't manage to look up even when hearing this. However, all others had successfully been distracted.

Theodore used that chance to wave to a servant to give him a quiet instruction no one else should hear. “Offer the Duremonts to bring them somewhere private. They can go to a guest room for now and spend the night if they are too exhausted to travel.”

The servant hurried to the family, and it looked like they gladly took him up upon that offer. They followed him to the palace immediately, but Sophia and her husband both smiled at Blanche one more time.

The concubine forced herself to mirror that before turning to her lover. “So, you do know how to be considerate of others. I already thought you forgot when it comes to some people.”

Theodore made a dismissive motion with his hand. “Oh, it's nothing. I can imagine how it feels when a member of your family turns out to be a psychopath. Not that I would have experienced that myself.” He glanced at his mother and brother, who were still standing next to him.

Cedar gave him a blinding smile at that while Camille narrowed her eyes.

The emperor just turned away with annoyance on his face to pull his lover away. “Well then... It seems like we need to save this party now that the mood is dim.” He looked over at Blanche while walking forwards. “So, I need to apologize. We won't have a chance to rest for a while. You should eat the rest of your sweets, but after that, we will have to opt for chatting with the guests.”

Blanche smiled at him, even when she doubted that she could eat a lot now. “It's fine. I thought so already. As long as you get me lots of cake later, I will forgive you.” At least if she could actually eat that cake. Right now, her stomach still churned since the events of Evelyn's outbreak had only happened a few moments ago. Adrenaline was still running through Blanche's veins, and she needed a while to calm down.

Luckily, her lover was more relaxed. “We still have my birthday cake, so don't worry about that. We'll take a nice bath and eat together to end the day in each other's arms. I won't let you go today, so let's forget this horrible incident.” Theodore had been really serious about this while saying it. He didn't release his grip on her arm while they busied the guests for the whole afternoon.

Blanche was embarrassed to receive many compliments for saving Grace, but a part of her was just glad that the people were kind to her. She had expected much more hostile reactions or questions about whether she hadn't just appeared to act like a heroine. Especially now that the empress was gone. After all, the concubine had somehow taken the position of the host from Seraphina without noticing it. She was with the emperor the whole time and took care of the guests, which certainly was the empress' task. Occasionally, a servant even asked her where the refreshments were supposed to be placed, which only made her more confused even when she replied as quickly as she could.

In the end, the party wasn't that bad near the evening though. It became emptier with each minute until most of the guests left after saying an extensive goodbye to the emperor and, surprisingly, the concubine. Suddenly, it went by way too quickly to keep an eye on everything, and multiple families came to bid farewell at the same time.

Blanche was happy about that though, especially when Camille and Cedar left. The day had been exhausting, and she was glad to return to the palace in peace. Knowing that their enemies weren't here anymore was certainly relieving. Once she and Theodore went into their room, she could finally relax without being watched the whole time. That was a wonderful feeling, and her thoughts about helping Grace only made her more ecstatic.

She had been able to save the life of a person that had been supposed to die in the novel. This proved that the storyline couldn't even enforce core events like this. So, this served as the ultimate proof that Blanche was free to change her fate and could avoid her ending, not that she would have needed another one due to her lover's affectionate treatment of her.

Especially during this evening, Theodore seemed to be eager to cling to her and was even more cuddly than usual. She didn't mind that but had the suspicion that it might be because of what Evelyn had said. Maybe he truly worried about her believing such stupid words regarding him leaving her. At some point, she asked him, only to be met with dozens of love confessions and promises that he would always love her.

Blanche managed to calm him down after a while by saying that she knew, but that didn't keep him from showering her with affection. Even if the reason was unnecessary, she fully enjoyed his attention for the rest of the day until they fell asleep, not wasting a single thought on concerns she might have had that day.

She felt like that was better for her.