It took three days for Theodore's premonition about being forced to release the Vasquez family from confinement was proven to be true. Apparently, many people believed it to be too cruel to leave the duchess, who had recently given birth, alone at home while her son and husband were in prison. Since their names were widely known, no one thought that they would flee, and most were convinced that leaving them at home until the trial was more humane.
It was obvious who had steered the public's opinion in that direction. That was something Camille seemed to be good at. To influence others without appearing much herself. Though, it was assumed that Cedar had dealt with most of this. Judging by Theodore's words, his brother seemed to be the only one in the enemies' faction capable to do anything at all anyway.
Blanche had found out about that whole matter when she had entered her lover's office and saw him glaring at some documents. He had told her that it was fine since he had expected it, but that didn't take away his frustration.
She felt bad about not being able to help him much with that, so she used all of her time to cheer him up. While they were together, they cuddled the whole time and reminded each other that they were devoted to one another. That earned them a lot of snarky remarks from Leon, but they didn't care.
Even then, Blanche felt like she could do more. So, she had chosen to get a gift for him again. Since she didn't want to bother anyone with going out and didn't have any idea what to buy anyway, she wanted to prepare something herself. Naturally, her first idea had been to make a cake, and she had done so a few times already. It would make Theodore happy, but it wouldn't surprise him anymore. But if she wanted to distract him, it would be best if it was something he didn't expect.
Coming up with an idea like that wasn't easy when all she knew what how to bake and sew some simple things though. So, Blanche was currently sitting in the kitchen with her head lying on the table while her friends listed all kinds of ideas. Unfortunately, the only one that was truly helpful was Angelica while the others joked around, most likely in an attempt to cheer her up.
“Maybe you should wrap a bow around yourself and lay down in his bed.” That Darlene was able to propose this with a straight face was almost impressive. It only earned her a glare from her lover though.
But before Angelica could speak up, Clark already chimed in. “From the rumors I heard, she's already sleeping in His Majesty's room every single day. A bow won't make much of a difference.”
Darlene nodded at that. “That's right too...” She glanced at the dejected concubine and handed her a cookie as consolation. “Since when did you take over his room? I don't know when I saw you by your room for the last time.”
Blanche bit into her treat while thinking about the question. When had she been inside her own chambers? The memories came to her quicker than she would have liked it. Her face scrunched up. “Before I was poisoned. I was in my room back then.” Great. That would probably ruin that room for her for a while.
Her friends seemed upset to hear about that. Their happy expressions disappeared to leave behind worry. They exchanged some looks before George spoke up. “To think that Her Majesty's maid would do that. It's horrible.”
Stella nodded with vigor. “That woman was punished already, and for once, I didn't bat an eye after hearing about it. I still can't believe it. That someone like this was in the palace is disgusting.”
Blanche forced herself to lift her head off the table to rest it on her palms instead. They had gone through this a few times now, so she would need to stop them before they got lost in repeating how sorry they were for her and how angry they were at Kate. “It's alright. I fully recovered again. There is no need to bring this up over and over again. It's fine if you just ignore my comment. I didn't mean to sound so bitter. Let's return to the original topic. A gift for Theo.”
Angelica, who was the most likely to come up with something useful, finally spoke. “Maybe you could try to make a cake with your own recipe. You have some experience baking by now, so you could mix new things and hope for the best.”
The concubine gave her a small smile but shook her head. “That is a good idea, but I fear that I'm not patient enough for that. I would need multiple attempts, and since Theo is with me almost the whole time, I could try one per day at most. Plus, I've started to take lessons with Leon again. If Theo has a lot to do, he is gone for two hours, and after the lesson, I barely have half an hour left. So, I would like to make something that can surely be given to him without experimenting. That would be much better for my circumstances.”
Clark looked up from the plates he was drying and put the towel aside for a moment. “Say, you mentioned that a few times now, but I didn't understand it yet. What exactly does Lord Astame, the advisor of the emperor, personally teach you?”
Blanche shrugged. “Just the basic things. Etiquette, which means proper behavior in noble society and table manners, ballroom manners and things like that. I learn about traditions and rules or norms so that I don't embarrass myself like I did in the past. He also wants to give me a summary of the history of Artias, politics and the economy in our nation and started recently. I was a bit worried about it being boring at first, but it's interesting. At least most topics are. Leon always explains what they are currently working on. It's good to understand what Theo is doing the whole time when he is gone.”
Now that she thought about it, maybe they weren't just covering the basic things anymore. It did seem like the lessons had become a bit more serious ever since Theodore's birthday, but that was probably because Leon knew that she would be a part of the royal family at some point. That thought was still strange to her, but the secretary was already focused on preparing her properly, which was why he gave his best the whole time. She also suspected that he enjoyed teaching others and being praised for his intelligence though.
Clark listened to her before crossing his arms. “Don't misunderstand me. It's great that you learn a lot, and I don't know much about nobility's teaching standards. But are you sure that it's necessary for you to know all of that? I mean, if you're interested, it's good, but there is no need to push yourself just because Lord Astame asks you to.” There it was again. Clark was the most cynical one of all of them, but he always worried about everything.
Blanche gave him a grin. “I'm perfectly fine. I have nothing but free time, so I'll survive learning about new things for an hour a day. I don't even have to memorize it. He repeats the important things until I understood them so that I can have a short chat about them with others, and that is enough.”
George chimed in after finishing the carrot he had stolen from the cooks. “Surely, that is fine, but is it really necessary? I don't think most people among the aristocrats know much about politics. It's odd that you need to learn that.”
The concubine chuckled nervously while already thinking about an excuse. She didn't want to lie to her friends, but she didn't want them to know yet either. After all, she hadn't even understood that she was engaged properly herself.
Darlene rolled her eyes at her colleague. “Of course, she needs to know, you idiot. She will accompany His Majesty, so she has to get involved in his conversations as well. Plus, she can impress all the old nobles that look down on her with that. She'll shock everyone when she becomes royalty and proves that she deserves it immediately.”
Blanche was so distracted that she just nodded before actually realizing what the other woman had said. The moment she processed that, she jumped up. “What?”
Angelica let out a sigh. “You gave it away.”
Darlene averted her eyes. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.”
The concubine alternated between looking at both of them, but that didn't give her an answer. She turned around and scanned the rest of her friends. Clark was completely calm while Stella avoided her gaze. George was the only one that sat there with wide eyes. She stared at each of them for a moment until her maid began talking.
Stella folded her hands and looked away while speaking. “I'm really sorry, My Lady. I accidentally told them. I didn't want to. Truly. I tried not to mention it, but Angelica mentioned that her cousin got engaged, and I just... I made them swear that they wouldn't tell anyone on their lives.”
This time, it was George's turn to jump up. “What are you talking about? Don't tell me...” He gazed at Blanche before lowering his eyes to her hand. A small glimpse of the ring was all he needed to understand. “You got engaged to His Majesty without telling me? And everyone here knew? Why did you inform everyone but me?”
Clark shrugged at his friend's shock. “I wasn't told either. I saw the ring and what happened at that ball, and that was enough for me. Lady Blanche sat next to the emperor's throne and wore a golden dress with navy accessories. She already told us about His Majesty decided to make her child the heir. There is only one solution that makes sense with all this information. How dense can you be?”
Angelica rubbed her temples for a moment before pinching the bridge of her nose. “Would all of you be kind enough to stay silent? We are alone here right now, but we never know who might enter. I assume that this matter should be treated confidentially.”
Stella hurried to nod. “Exactly. Be quiet!” She glared at her friends for a moment before turning to her mistress. “I'm sorry. I didn't want anyone to know, like you asked me to. But...I was so happy that I got careless. I know that that isn't an excuse, but I made sure to remind them to stay silent about this.”
Darlene chimed in at that. “You surely did. It was the first thing you greeted me with for the last few days.”
Blanche watched them for a moment before plopping down on her chair again. She left out a sigh and slouched her shoulders. “Don't scare me like that. I already thought that someone found out and spread rumors. I'm not prepared for all of that yet.”
Clark walked over to the table and sat down in front of her. “Why? You accepted the proposal, didn't you?”
She raised an eyebrow at him. Did he really not understand how problematic it was for a baroness to become a member of the royal family? “Yes, I did. We already signed the contract, so it's lawful too. I'm very happy as well. I always wanted to be Theodore's wife, that's not the issue. The issue is that the nobles won't accept it. I'm a baroness, remember? I have the lowest rank in noble society, and that title was given to me by Theo because we're lovers. So, it doesn't mean much to most people. The wives of the emperor can only be from the most powerful families though. They have to be the daughters of dukes or marquesses. I'm a commoner. We're breaking all imaginable conventions with this, so it should be expected that there will be trouble. The empress already knows, and while she isn't happy, she said that she won't interfere. But others won't be as kind.”
Stella crossed her arms. “This has nothing to do with kindness. To complain when two people who love each other want to marry is just plain wrong. Her Majesty knows that His Majesty would never care about her opinion, and that is why she gave in. By now, she should finally understand that it's useless to try to intervene. She is quite weakened right now.” Ever since the incident with Seraphina and Allen testing the concubine, Stella had been more vocal about her thoughts about the empress again. Seemingly, she didn't know that saying such things was dangerous if she phrased it poorly.
Darlene didn't appear to care about that either. She didn't speak with any malice but was still unintentionally harsh. “Don't you know what the others say about her? They say a queen has no power without the king's favor. Apparently, she will get competition for the most powerful position now, so she will obviously be unhappy. But going against His Majesty's will is impossible, so it will be fine.”
Blanche almost flinched when she heard that and hurried to look around. Thankfully, no one had entered the kitchen yet, and only Owen was present, but she was still uncertain. “Are you suicidal? Saying things like that is reckless. Offending royalty is no laughing matter. It can justify putting you on trial. Be careful about who you are talking to, or you might end up being punished for a few careless words.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Seraphina mostly wasn't petty enough to involve a trial, but Camille and Cedar surely were. They had truly insisted on laying a charge against Evelyn for slandering their names. That woman deserved it, but the concubine had no desire to see her friends in a similar situation. The empress' direct punishments for disrespecting her wouldn't be pleasant either though. It could cost a servant their job.
Darlene made a rejecting gesture with her hand. “You are going to protect us, right? After all, you will be a member of the royal family and can pardon someone. Surely, His Majesty will comply with all of your wishes.” She glanced at Blanche's concerned expression before adding the second part. “Don't worry. Most people here don't talk kindly about the empress these days. I don't know when it started, but the general opinion isn't on her side anymore But I swear that I won't get brazen because I'm friends with royalty. I can assure you that no one here will.” She smiled after saying that, but a few seconds later, her expression became serious. “We will stay friends after this, right? Even when you...”
In an instant, all of her friends tensed and stared at Blanche. She looked back at them with disbelief. “What are you saying? Of course. I don't know whether I will be allowed into the kitchen this easily in the future, but as long as I can visit, not a single thing will change. Except for me being Theo's wife.” At least she hoped that. Because she was happy with her current life. The only thing that was missing was finally making her lover her husband and having a child. But apart from that, she would be fine with everything staying the same.
The group relaxed at that.
Angelica put a smile on her lips before speaking up. “Then we should do what is appropriate now that we officially know. Congratulations on your engagement. We will happily stay by your side and watch you get married when the time finally comes.”
The other chimed in and said their “Congratulations” in a chorus.
Blanche felt a grin spread across her face. “Thank you. I will be sure to invite you to the wedding.”
Clark chuckled. “I doubt that you will need to do that. If His Majesty plans the celebration, all of us will have to attend the guests during the ceremony anyway. You can look for us while being greeted, but you probably shouldn't do that. By the way, when is the wedding? Have you planned anything yet?”
Blanche shook her head. “We want to take it slow. Theo wants to deal with his family first, and it would be nice to ease the aristocrats into it beforehand too. I also need more lessons before I am ready. So, I have no idea when it will be. Probably not too soon.” A part of her was disappointed, but the bigger portion was relieved at having more time to accustom to the new situation. She was happier about Leon's lesson than she ever had admitted. After all, she needed to make up for her missing status by acting dignified and calm at all times. She would have to work especially hard.
Stella seemed to be able to read her emotions and gave her a soft smile. “We will be prepared to join you whenever it will happen. But there is no need to worry about that at this very moment, right? You have other things to take care of.”
Blanche took a second before remembering her current goal. She let her head sink to the table again and sighed loudly. “I know.”
Clark scanned her with an exaggerated skeptic expression. “Lady Future-member-of-royalty, I don't think you should sit like that. Your posture is the furthest thing from being dignified right now.”
She showed him her tongue for a moment. “I don't care. It's not like it matters when I'm not in public. You can rest assured that I won't be anything but stiff and tense when others are watching.” She pressed her lips together while thinking about the original topic again. That didn't serve to lighten her mood. She was slowly becoming annoyed. “It's pitiful. I've been with Theodore for two years, and I still have no idea how to help him. When I want to get a present, I'm clueless. Yet, he brings me so many things that I need separate rooms to store them. He always has the best ideas. Now that I need a single one, the gods don't grant me any. It's just supposed to be a small thing to cheer him up. Why is finding a gift for him so hard?” By now, she was sulking a bit and puffed her cheeks while glaring into the distance.
Clark snorted at her pout. “Oh, yes. Why would getting a present for the most powerful man in the nation, who just has to snap his fingers to get anything could desire, be hard? You know, his position itself makes it difficult to retrieve anything that he wants because he would have gotten it himself by now. In addition, he doesn't care for luxury, so it's even harder. So, I think a gift from your heart is better than anything else.”
The concubine turned her head a bit to have an easier time looking at him. “You're extremely clever. I never thought about that. It's not like I am searching for something I can make myself.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
Clark just laughed at her. “I know. I just meant that you don't need to think about the perfect gift. It's perfect just becomes it's coming from you.”
Blanche was silent at that. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Who are you, and what did you do to Clark? He would never say nice things like this.”
“You got me. I'm a shape-shifter that came here to claim the continent for my species. Now that you found out, I will have to get rid of you.”
At the exact moment that the concubine prepared to continue the joke, Angelica spoke up. “How about flowers?”
Blanche lifted her head and looked at the other woman. “Flowers? For Theodore?”
The maid nodded. “It's something small, but you could place them in a vase on his desk so that he has something nice to look at while he works. You can take some plants from the winter garden, maybe even some with a calming smell that could help him. All the flowers there belong to you anyway.”
For a moment, the concubine was uncertain. Gifting her lover things from his own garden felt strange. But then she imagined a beautiful bouquet. She could use the exotic violet flower, the ones whose name she always forgot. In her mind, the most gorgeous combinations formed, and before she knew it, she jumped up. “That's genius! If they calm him, that's exactly what he needs right now. Thank you, Angelica.” One look at the clock proved that she didn't have much time anymore though. She was already prepared to storm out to the winter garden but stopped after a few steps. “I need help though. Are there any gardeners working right now?”
Darlene snickered at her. “This is the royal palace. There is a staff member for everything in every corner of this estate. I think it would be more likely to meet ten gardeners than to not run into any. Just ask one, and they'll help you. No one would deny the lover of His Majesty a request.” That seemed logical.
Blanche nodded at them. “Thank you, all of you, for your ideas. Even though Angelica was the true genius. I have to leave now, or I won't make it in time. Until tomorrow!” She waved to them and waited for Stella to follow her before hurrying to the garden.
The concubine was impatient now that she had a goal in mind. She almost ran the whole way with her maid trailing behind her and panting loudly. Naturally, Owen didn't have an issue keeping up with the women though.
Blanche was out of breath too, but she didn't care. She just opened the doors to her winter garden and rushed inside. She was lucky and unlucky at the same time.
There was a gardener inside, and the young man was busy trimming the hedges with a pair of gardening scissors. Unfortunately, she had surprised him though. The man jolted at the sudden entrance and let his scissors fall to the floor while he looked at her with wide eyes.
The concubine hurried to speak up. “I apologize for scaring you. It was not my intention to surprise you.”
The gardener nodded and averted his eyes. He seemed to be awfully shy. He looked a little like a scared puppy.
That made Blanche feel bad, but there was nothing she could do now. “Uhm, if you are free right now, could you do me a favor?”
The man froze and stared at her like she would eat him.
She held back a sigh and smiled at him in the most relaxed way she could muster. “I will not force you if you have something to do right now. I merely wish to bring Theodore a bouquet. Would you be able to cut off some flowers for me? Preferably some with a calming smell?”
The gardened nodded weakly before bowing. As he picked up the scissors again, he looked over her shoulder and quickly averted his eyes again.
Blanche turned around at that and paused in that position when she saw her two companions. Surely, her panting maid wasn't the issue. The emperor's royal guard with an expression that could make others think that he would kill them in a few seconds was a bit more intimidating. Not to concubine though. Even before Owen had spent time with her, she hadn't been scared of him. To her, his expression was just emotionless and not angry. She had met way more terrifying people. The staff members were usually on edge around him, but that someone was that fearful was a first.
It wasn't like she could do anything about that though. She had to focus on something else. Blanche approached the gardener as she began looking around and pointed at a few flowers she wanted.
Unsurprisingly, the man obeyed without saying a word and began assisting her immediately. He carefully picked the most beautiful exemplars of each kind while being cautious to choose the ones that grew in places which still had plenty of other flowers. He used the scissors with methodical movements and handed the perfectly cut flowers to her one after the other. They were almost done after a mere five minutes.
Blanche happily held onto the bouquet that was beginning to take form in her arms and raised them to her face to enjoy the beautiful fragrance. A part of her was relieved that the flowery smell wasn't too similar to the one her poison had had so that she didn't feel the need to gag. She could just take her time to look at the flowers up close and decide how to position them in a vase later. She was in the middle of smelling them again when the door to the winter garden opened.
The gardener almost dropped the scissors once more, which made her think that Owen wasn't scary but that this man was just a bit sensitive.
The concubine turned to the entrance and was surprised to see the empress' guard enter. “Noah?”
Noah's expression also showed surprise before his face lit up with a smile. He walked over to her and bowed his head. “Lady Blanche. It's a pleasure to meet you here. It's been a while, hasn't it?”
The concubine thought about that for a moment before nodding. “I guess that is true. You are very busy attending the empress. I mean, I regularly see you, but we never have a chance to speak. How did you like the ball?” That was a stupid question, but she had no idea what to ask otherwise.
Noah chuckled at her with a soothing smile, which was one of the few genuine ones she had seen in a while. “It was the same as always.” But his smile quickly faded. “Even though I have to say that it was a surprise to see His Majesty escort you. There were some...unfavorable comments about everything that happened. But that is nothing in comparison to what occurred at the tea party. I'm glad that it turned out fine, but still... To think that a person that is this closely related to Her Majesty would do something so horrible... You are a hero for preventing that.”
Blanche forced herself to smile, but she was sure that her uncertainty was still showing. “I did what everyone would have done. Lady Lemares used to be my tutor for about a week before she was thrown out after Theo heard her trying to call me a...an unkind insult. So, I knew that she was odd and paid attention to her. When I saw her with that little girl, I immediately worried, and that proved to be right. Of course, I'm overjoyed that I managed to help, but it was nothing much.”
Noah shook his head and looked at her with a serious expression. “No, that's not it at all. In fact, you did much more than most others. Even Her Majesty suspected that her aunt was sick but never pointed it out because her family refused to believe her in the past. She feels guilty about not intervening earlier since her position would have allowed her to.”
He had given her a chance to change the topic with that, so Blanche immediately took it. “That's right. Where is Her Majesty? I don't see her anywhere.”
The knight glanced over his shoulder and returned to his soft smile. “Well, she locked herself in the library. She seems to be curious about some kind of poison. ‘Midnight Sleep’, I think, was the name. She's been reading about that for the last few days and doesn't even allow her maids inside during that. So, it's fine if a group of guards is waiting by the entrance, and once she begins moving around, I will join her again.” It was strange for the overprotective Noah to think like that. In the novel, he had barely left Seraphina's side to sleep since he was always overly worried, but now he seemed to be more lenient than Owen.
That might have happened because of Blanche, now that she thought about that more. She had not only created a world in which Theodore distrusted Seraphina, which might influence Noah as well, but had also been the one to praise the attention-starved man first. Maybe Seraphina hadn't had the chance to melt Noah's heart by telling him how good he was because someone else had said it first.
This was quite a neutral change. It wouldn't cause trouble but wouldn't create a miracle either.
Blanche was just happy to get along well with such a strong guard. Now that she could speak to him once, she was also curious about what he had seen recently, so she spoke quickly. “She was reading about the poison? I thought that her brother had found out about everything there is to that.”
“Apparently, she is researching a specific case. I do not know anything more than that, but she muttered about it a few times. Something about a marquess that wanted to drug his dead brother's wife to marry her and succeed the household, I think. I can't tell you more than that though, I apologize. I am not even aware of why she has taken an interest in that specific poison.”
Blanche considered revealing that to him, but she knew exactly what kind of reaction she would get. She had received enough pity and apologies from people that weren't even at fault. “I see. Thank you for telling me about that part. I was just interested, so you don't need to feel bad about not knowing anything.” Maybe she would ask Seraphina herself. After the incident at the tea party, the empress shouldn't be too angry at her, so she might even get a response. This poisoning was related to her, so it would be strange for her not to get any information. Blanche could still ask about other things though. “Regarding the imprisonment of Lady Lemares, did Her Majesty say anything? She-” Blanche wanted to continue, but a movement from the corner of her eyes caught her attention.
The gardener was standing next to her and shifted his weight around on his feet. He held the rest of the flowers in his hands and seemed to be uncertain whether he could give them to her.
Blanche turned to him with a smile and extended her hand toward him. “Ah, I apologize. Thank you for your help. Would you please give them to me?”
The man nodded vigorously and put the flowers into her hand. After that, he almost ran away and returned to his original work of trimming the hedges without looking up.
The concubine chose to ignore that and focused on sorting the flowers in her arms. She would just need some kind of vase now, and then she could place them in her lover's office. Maybe that would distract him from the stress he was currently having. She enjoyed the sweet fragrance for a moment before preparing to leave. When she lifted her head, she found Noah staring at her. She quickly moved the flowers away from her face and beamed at him. “I'm sorry. They just smell nice. I didn't want to be rude. I need to return to the palace to get a vase for them.”
Noah hurried to shake his head. “Ah, it's alright. I can accompany you if you do not mind. I was planning on going back soon too.”
She was almost sure that that wasn't true since he had just arrived at the winter garden, but she didn't question it. “How could I mind some nice company? I do not have much time, but there is no issue with you coming with us. You need to return to the empress' side quickly, don't you? Protecting her is your most important task.”
Noah paused a second too long before showing her a smile. “Yes. Of course. She will still be at the library, so I should arrive there before she attempts to leave. I can stop by the head maid with you before though. If you need a vase, she should have the right one for you.” That sounded like a good idea.
“Thank you. We should do that.” She turned to the gardener while walking to the exit. “Goodbye!”
The man dropped his scissors again before waving toward her, which seriously made her question whether he was fine. But she didn't say anything else to him and left along with the two knights and her maid.