The next morning, Stella woke her mistress up, and they had breakfast together. When Blanche had gotten ready, she immediately entered the designated room, where Evelyn had already taken a seat.
Lady Lemares was sipping tea on one of the sofas as her eyes fell onto the concubine. “Good morning, Lady Blanche. I assume that you have slept well?”
The concubine sat down on the couch on the other side of the small coffee table. “Good morning, Lady Lemares. I have. Thank you for your concern. I hope you haven't waited for too long?”
Evelyn shook her head slightly and drank another sip. “It's fine. We should have decided on a specific time rather than ‘after breakfast’. It seems like our daily routines differ too much. Though this is understandable as Lady Blanche is living in the royal palace and can organize her day on her own.” The way she had phrased her sentence almost sounded like criticism again, but maybe she simply talked like that without noticing it.
Blanche wouldn't begin a fight because of this. “Please, forgive me. I believed that the maid who was assigned to you would wake you at the same time as mine does.”
Evelyn set the cup down on the coffee table and put on a smile that didn't reach her eyes. “That is true, but I leave the bed as soon as the sun rises. You see, I often have a very busy day and thus, need to take advantage of every minute. However, we shouldn't discuss that now but rather sort out how you are expected to perform flawlessly after my lessons. Are there any special topics that you would like to focus on?”
Blanche thought about that for a short while. “I know the basics of the most important things. Still, talking about the fundamental conventions of the aristocratic society would be helpful. But nothing else comes to my mind. You probably have a better image of what I need to learn.”
“Naturally, an overview of the rules and norms of nobility and royalty will be included. This is the first thing you will have to learn about. Ballroom dancing, table etiquette and word choices when dealing with important people will be crucial as well. Is there anything else?”
The concubine hesitated as the tutor didn't name one of the topics that she was sure would be mentioned. “Aren't we going to talk about politics at all?”
Evelyn let out a short laugh before she put on a smug grin. “That is a rather complicated topic, and as long as you don't intend to become a minister, you won't need to know anything about that. We are only trying to teach you enough manners to allow you to appear dignified to the public. We shouldn't ask too much of you.” She lifted the cup and drank once more before setting it down again. “Since we have decided on that, we shouldn't lose time and begin. Would you ask your maid to give us some privacy?”
They hadn't come to a conclusion at all. The other woman had simply made the decision for Blanche.
While the concubine didn't necessarily need to concern herself with politics, she wanted to have a general overview of the situation of Artias. And aside from this, she also found the request to be strange and frowned a little upon hearing it. “Why? Can't Stella simply stay here?”
Lady Lemares raised her eyebrows questioningly. “But she doesn't need to be here, does she? She won't be interested in the topics we will discuss, and you also won't require her assistance while we are trying to teach you something. So, you could also allow her to take a break.”
After a short pause, Blanche complied and dismissed Stella, even though she wasn't sure why Evelyn was insisting on being alone with her.
When the maid had left the room, Evelyn pulled out a thick book and laid it on the table. “This is a summary of the rules that are broadly accepted as the fundamental knowledge that is associated with the ranks of nobility and the appropriate behavior when interacting with other nobles.” She moved the book closer to the other woman.
Blanche picked the book up and opened it at a random page. Numerous blocks of text in a small size greeted her, and she immediately shut it again. “I don't have to read this, right?”
Evelyn crossed her arms and leaned against the backrest. “You do. Like I said, this contains the elemental understanding of our society that is demanded of everybody. If you are unwilling to even invest this little energy into learning, then it won't be required to continue at all.”
“I don't have a problem with learning, I just don't read much and don't really like it. Can't you simply teach me the things that are written in there?” Blanche tried her best to sound pleading, but the other woman didn't give in.
“I will obviously mention the most important points. Nevertheless, you cannot expect to internalize these facts upon hearing them once. You will have to read this handbook multiple times to fully memorize all important notes. In a few months, I look forward to you recounting the chapters without looking at them.” That seemed to be a bit excessive. Shouldn't understanding the book be enough? However, Evelyn's face didn't seem like she was joking. “It would be good if you read through it until next week.”
Blanche's mouth opened slightly as her gaze wandered from the instructor to the tome and then to the tutor again. While she didn't enjoy reading at all, she could comprehend the appeal of storybooks. However, she resented nonfiction. She wouldn't even finish the first three chapters of this book before she died of boredom. If Evelyn's teaching only consisted of assigning books to read, why was that woman even here?
Evenly didn't wait for a response but began talking about the ranks of the aristocracy and questioned whether Blanche knew which ones had the most power.
This was almost insulting as the concubine had lived with the emperor for over a year and had had countless meetings with nobles. There was no way that she didn't know who held the most influence in the country.
Lady Lemares' surprise upon realizing that the concubine was not completely clueless only revealed how much she looked down on the emperor's lover. When she noticed that Blanche could answer her questions, she began pursuing a different strategy. “You see, while I am teaching my students I always have the image of a perfect example in my mind. A person who never disregards the proper protocol or loses face because of some temper tantrum. Someone who would be worthy of being called the flawless paragon of good manners. Can you imagine who it is that I'm thinking about?”
Blanche inwardly rolled her eyes but played along anyway. “I have no clue.” She replied in a voice that lacked any expression of emotion.
Evelyn didn't let that stop her. “That is certainly surprising. After all, you should have met her often enough. I'm talking about no one other than my niece, Her Majesty, the empress of Artias. Surely, you must have admired her charisma at public events? Her beauty that remains unrivaled in the whole country?” Evelyn continued to blabber on without even exhaling in between the words.
The more that woman talked, the more Blanche wanted her to close her mouth.
But Lady Lemares didn't do her that favor. “Her aura will leave no doubt of her position as His Majesty's only wife and her exclusive claim on that position. Nobody will ever challenge her or the two powerful households that are backing her, the royal family and the Dukedom of Duremont. Despite priding myself in having more experience with the rules of noble society than anyone else, I have never witnessed her making a single mistake. I know that the difference is painfully obvious, and you might believe being anywhere close to her level is impossible. However, you cannot give up. You have to strive to be like Her Majesty even if you won't succeed completely. She is too perfect for that.” Her speech almost made Blanche believe that she adored her niece more than anyone else.
Almost.
It was easy to find signs of the strained relationship between Seraphina and her aunt if one cared to look. The empress didn't like the other woman one bit, and that hatred was returned. The heroine had always distrusted Evelyn and maintained a distance from her ever since her early childhood. Because of this and her similarity to her mother, who was the person Lady Lemares envied since her birth, Evelyn had always despised the empress. Evelyn had used every opportunity to insult Seraphina with sweet words that barely hid her true intention. The heroine would always find a clever way to refute them while trying to keep her irritation from showing on her face.
Right now Blanche was struggling to do the same.
Evelyn didn't gush about the empress because she liked her but because she was aware of the rivalry between Seraphina and the concubine. Her plan to upset the emperor's lover by pointing out her inferiority to Seraphina had, unfortunately, worked quite well.
The memories of “To Be Empress” were enough to make Blanche question what Theodore saw in her bratty self when he could have the mature and caring heroine. She didn't need another person to chime in and remind her of every quality she lacked in comparison to Seraphina.
Blanche clenched her jaw and focused on digging her fingernails into the soft cushion of the sofa below her. She considered keeping quiet, but at some point, she lost her composure. If the other woman hit her where it hurt, she could do the same, right? A smug grin formed on her lips. “That is a great idea. Your words sounded so genuine and inspiring. It must be because you were in a similar situation to me once, right, Lady Lemares?” The fading smile on Evelyn's expression was something Blanche would have to engrave into her brain to remember it when she needed to feel satisfied.
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“What do you mean?”
The other's uncertain voice nearly made Blanche laugh, but she choked it down to put on a serious facade. “Pardon me for being so frank. You see, I didn't witness it in person, but from what I've heard, you always attempted to surpass your sister in your youth to no avail. Only a few years ago, you concentrated on becoming an instructor and learning about etiquette, which Her Grace didn't spend much time on. So, in the end, you finally are better than your sister at one thing. Congratulations on your success.” She finished her words with a beam and glanced at the other woman with half-lidded eyes.
Evelyn's mediocre acting skills dissolved into nothingness. She resembled a volcano that was only seconds before an eruption. Her head had become red, and her hand was trembling as she grasped her teacup. Her drinking probably was an attempt to calm herself, but it didn't help much.
Blanche held back a chuckle and observed the other woman, who almost dropped the cup and gritted her teeth because of that. Though the concubine's satisfaction quickly faded when she met Evelyn's eyes. She wasn't greeted by simple anger. No, what sat in front of her looked like the personification of pure insanity and wrath. This expression made Blanche want to run out of the room and far away, but she only sank back into her seat. At this moment, it dawned upon her that she had made a mistake.
Evelyn's complete backstory originated from her jealousy of her sister, whom she had considered as her rival ever since the very beginning. Elaine marrying Henry, the man that Evelyn had loved, tipped over the already overflowing barrel and spilled the contained envy all across her mind. This had gnawed at her brain for decades and formed an inferiority complex, which had crippled her sanity like acid would. This person wasn't a mean human but rather an empty shell filled with nothing resentment towards Elaine and her children.
Blanche had just poured a ton of salt into this gushing wound and regretted it a little.
But all of a sudden, like a switch had been flipped, Evelyn's eyes focused on the wall, and her face neutralized. Then her fake smile returned, this time only on her lips while her eyes remained cold. “Lady Blanche is right about that. What a coincidence. Let us move on.” Her speech was so chopped and monotone that one wouldn't have identified it as one belonging to a healthy person.
Before the concubine could get used to the change, Evelyn went back to posing different questions in quick succession. While she had started with ones that were too easy, she quickly moved on to very specific questions so that Blanche had no chance of answering correctly.
This made no sense to the concubine, but she couldn't do anything except for listening to the other woman hinting how uneducated she was.
While dealing out so many underhanded insults, Evelyn also stressed that the rank of a baron was the lowest every time she repeated it. Her disdain towards the concubine, which had been there from the beginning, had now been amplified by an indiscernible amount. Her fury was barely hidden behind a sweet tone and complex phrases, but the truth was obvious. That woman's words merely consisted out of strings of insults that hinted that the emperor's lover only relied on her appearance while neglecting her mind.
Blanche continuously grew more annoyed with the backhanded comments and dismissive remarks. She only refrained from speaking up because the remaining fear from seeing the other party's insanity was bigger than her displeasure. She had never been so relieved to see Stella, who interrupted to announce that it was time for lunch. The concubine jumped to her feet and said her goodbyes to the tutor, but Evelyn stopped her.
“Enjoy your food, Lady Blanche. When you are done, we will meet here again.”
Blanche frowned and pressed her lips into a line. She didn't intend on seeing that madwoman another few hours today, especially since she feared that Evelyn could still snap because of her remark earlier. “Doesn't Lady Lemares want to take a break for the afternoon? We can continue tomorrow.” Her careful suggestion was ignored.
Evelyn shook her head and rose to her feet as well. “I will only stay in the palace for two weeks, and after that, we will only see each other once a week. This means that we have to go through every important topic at least thrice while I am here to ensure that you were able to comprehend everything. This is very little time for a lot of subjects. We don't have enough leeway to simply spend the afternoon doing nothing. I will make an exception for when His Majesty requires your presence, but otherwise, you will have to sacrifice your free time for two weeks.”
Evelyn was definitely taking this too far. She had no authority to decide something like this without her student's permission. Besides, she had spent the whole day insulting Blanche, so how could she expect the concubine to endure this for two weeks without a break?
“With all due respect, isn't this unrealistic? I'm also supposed to read the book while attending your lessons. When should I do that?”
Lady Lemares sighed exaggeratedly. “His Majesty certainly informed you of my previous clients, whom I successfully educated. Now they are paragons of good behavior. For all of them, I visited their homes for about a year. Do you see the difference in the time span? Naturally, we will have a stricter schedule and be forced to give our best every day. So, go eat lunch, and then quickly come back.” Wasn't she just spouting nonsense here? They didn't have a time limit when she would visit once a week from now on.
Blanche wanted to refuse, but the instructor's stern expression revealed that she wouldn't be able to convince the other woman. She could either listen to Evelyn, or they would argue for the rest of the two weeks. The second option would mean that she wouldn't have the needed lessons and risked tearing down that psychopath's barely withstanding self-control. She couldn't do that. So, the concubine followed the demand with a frown etched onto her features. Though she wasn't content with being this restricted, Evelyn would probably only be as firm on the first day as some sort of revenge for mentioning her sister. Later, the teacher would surely lose the determination to mock the concubine.
In the afternoon, Lady Lemares made Blanche repeat the rank system of nobility and the associated greetings countless times. This would have been easier if Evelyn hadn't interrupted her student with more criticism and ill-minded comments after every second sentence.
When Blanche was finally able to go through everything without stuttering, it was already evening and time to go to bed. She was biting her tongue to avoid spilling her true thoughts about the other woman at this point.
Just as the concubine left, Evelyn voiced something unfavorable once more. “I forgot to mention one important thing. This has both come to my ears, and I also witnessed it personally. In the future, you should refrain from calling His Majesty by a nickname in public. Otherwise, you will seem impudent and disrespectful. I understand that you might be used to this, which is why I would suggest that you should address His Majesty formally even when the two of you are alone for now. Then you would-”
“No way.” Blanche cut her off and turned around while clenching her fists. This is where she would draw the line. Admittedly, Evelyn scared her, and the concubine had ignored the other's rudeness because of this, but Lady Lemares would not interfere with Blanche's relationship with Theodore. “Since I've made that mistake in public for fifteen months, changing it now would be unnecessary as well, but I understand why you would demand that. However, there isn't the slightest chance that I will address him with his title when we are alone.”
Evelyn stood up with a strained smile that was supposed to hide that her eyes were narrowing. “Only because an error has been made once, you don't have to continue doing it, Lady Blanche. I also said that it was only for the short time in which you have to get used to the new form of address. After that, I don't mind how you speak to each other.”
The concubine dug her fingernails into her palms and pressed her lips together. “You shouldn't mind how we talk to each other at all. I understand your reasoning, but I won't comply.”
Evelyn's fake politeness faltered as she raised her voice. “You are aware that His Majesty invited me to take care of your education, correct? Then you should listen to my advice and not ignore it only because it would force you to put a little effort into it.”
Blanche crossed her arms in front of her chest and felt how her cheeks began to burn up. It seemed like Evelyn was determined to trouble her without noticing that she made decisions that weren't hers to make. “Lady Lemares.” She spoke in a warning tone, which she previously hadn't dared to use. “You are overstepping your boundaries. You are my teacher, but we are still the ones employing you. In the end, I have the final choice regarding what I agree to. Theo also assured that this was the case. Do not lose sight of this condition.”
Evelyn's expression stayed the same for a moment before she restored her calm smile. Still, her eyes exhibited the same hatred as she bowed her head. “I apologize, Lady Blanche. It wasn't my intention to anger you. It seems that I forgot myself. Please forgive my impertinence.”
The concubine turned around. “I won't hold it against you. But don't do it again. Good night, Lady Lemares.”
With these words, Blanche left the room and shuffled to her chambers, where Stella was already awaiting her. After telling the maid that she was exhausted and complaining about how strict the teacher was, she went to bed. Hopefully, the next days would be more relaxed as Evelyn would become bored with upsetting her. Since the concubine had declared that the teacher was under her command, the other woman should be able to comprehend that she couldn't do whatever she wanted with Blanche.
That assumption had been wrong.
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The next day's topic was ballroom dancing. Blanche wasn't very good at it and had been of the conviction that the instructor would repeat the essential steps first before rehearsing it with her.
In reality, Evelyn requested her student to present a dance and listed every little mistake that she could find. After each remark, she made the concubine start again, which had happened about a thousand times. “No, straighten your posture and keep your head up. You look like a fish flailing on the sand and not like a graceful swan. Start from the beginning.”
Blanche took a deep breath and complied but was cut off only a few seconds after that.
“Are you going to drag your feet across the floor like that the whole time? This is not what a waltz looks like.”
With resignation, the concubine lowered her arms. “Maybe it would if I knew how it should look. I asked you whether you could show me the proper steps thrice already, and you declined each time. You could simply do that once instead of sitting on that sofa and criticizing me.”
Evelyn waved her hand around in the air before she drank another sip from her teacup. “It seems that Lady Blanche isn't able to take criticism well. But you should know that you can only improve if I correct you. By dancing yourself, you will learn quicker than by watching my movements. At least if you actually tried to listen to my advice.”
Blanche crossed her arms. “I'm supposed to get better at a dance for two people as I have to repeat the steps that I don't know without a partner? I need someone to lead me, or I will take the man's part. I don't believe that this is a logical system to teach me anything.”
“If you stopped talking back so much and focused on your movements, it would have looked like a waltz at this point. I might have to remind you that we will only finish when you can go through this without a mistake. Do you want to stay here until next year? If not, I would recommend that you remain quiet and start over.”
It had been a long time since Blanche had felt the need to throw a tantrum, but currently, she was seriously considering it. As long as she was loud enough, a servant would hear her and get Theodore so that he could free her from this witch's grasp. However, this would mean that the time he had sacrificed to invite Evelyn was wasted. The emperor was already busy enough, his lover didn't need to stress him even more.
Besides, leaving the impression that Blanche had returned to her old behavior wasn't helpful for avoiding the role of the villainess. No one would believe her should she explain that Lady Lemares was the offending party, and she would seem like a troublesome person again.
So, Blanche swallowed the bitter thoughts that were already lying on her tongue and gave her best to ignore all insults that were hurled at her.
In the end, the teacher's comments were even more offending than those of the previous day. Evelyn repeated how many errors Blanche made even after visiting so many balls over and over again. Then she explained how flawless Seraphina's dancing was and how easy a waltz actually was. Frankly, it was more than annoying.
In the evening, Blanche still hadn't been able to please the teacher and only arrived at her room when the sun had fully set. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Despite convincing herself that only the first times would be this bad, she was wrong again.