The next day was similar to the last one. The teacher criticized Blanche's table manners with harsh phrases and made her repeat the correct motion countless times without giving examples. When the concubine jumped up from her chair and threatened to leave, Evelyn finally agreed to do something else. “Since we sat the last hours, how about standing for a bit now? Yesterday, you had some severe problems with straightening your back while dancing. We will try to work on that.”

Blanche grew skeptical of the woman's criticism at this point. She was terrible at remembering movements, especially the waltz's ones, and could understand that her dance wasn't pleasing to the eye. However, she had never struggled to keep her back upright. In fact, her parents had always said that her posture resembled the one of a princess. While they might have lied to flatter her, no one in the palace had ever addressed this as a thing she needed to work on either. Not even in the beginning when the people around her still had attempted to correct her behavior. Most people had quickly stopped after realizing how she reacted to their sometimes rather harsh advice, but Blanche remembered that her posture had never been a problem even though she had heard a lot of complaints. Theodore had always praised her for that too, so she was sure that she didn't make a mistake here.

Evelyn grabbed a few books out of the shelf and placed the stack on Blanche's head without a warning. This in itself would have been fine, but she used way too much force as well.

As Blanche flinched from the dull impact, the tomes had already fallen to the ground. She laid her hand onto the bump that would inevitably appear tomorrow and whirled around to see the tutor's wide grin. “You-” She began growling, only to be interrupted.

“Books are the most reliable source of knowledge and grant us the ability to learn about pieces of information that are older than our eldest living relatives. You should treat them with a little more respect. Pick them up.”

A part of Blanche considered throwing the tomes at the other woman when she held them in her hand. The only thing that held her back was the fear of reinforcing her role as the antagonist with this sort of behavior. Rather than hurting Evelyn, Blanche had to embarrass her by showing that she wasn't incapable, even if the teacher believed that.

The concubine slowly balanced the books on her head and managed to keep them in this position while she stood after a few attempts. Even if the items were too heavy to be used for this practice and her head still hurt, she had been successful.

A glance towards Evelyn proved that she hadn't expected that. The sour expression that was visible for a second increased Blanche's motivation yet again. Still, Evelyn immediately found a way to reverse that again. “Now walk.”

To the concubines' satisfaction and the teacher's dismay, Blanche didn't fail this time either. Like she had assumed, her posture was exceptional. For a while, she strode through the room with pride until she heard a shuffle near the shelf.

This sound was the only warning Blanche got before Evelyn slammed another stack of books onto the other ones. Just in time, the concubine had raised her hands to cushion the might that would have hit her already aching head otherwise. She scanned the other's arrogant grin and cursed her teacher inwardly. She wouldn't be able to keep all of these tomes steady. Neither her back nor the height of the stack she balanced was the problem but the weight of the books. Those were heavy on their own, and all of them together were impossible to carry on your head. After a few steps, Blanche took the books off and told Evelyn this.

Lady Lemares let out a shrill cackle at that and wiped away her non-existing tears of amusement. “You are aware that you can admit when you are incapable of doing something? Always pinning the blame on something else won't help you.”

Unwillingly, Blanche thought back to her nightmare. Moments before her execution, she had attempted to push all the guilt onto Seraphina, which had only angered Theodore even more. Then he had given the sign, and the hangman had lifted his axe. A shudder ran over her whole body, and she shook herself as she directed her mind away from that disturbing scene. But even then, she felt the cold blade resting on her neck and couldn't help but reach up with her hand to ensure that no wound was there. Naturally, her skin was intact. Nevertheless, air refused to flow into her lungs, and the tension in the room became suffocating.

Blanche's gaze shot towards the window, and an idea appeared in her head. She wanted to get some fresh air. “Practicing with books won't be as helpful as paying attention to keeping my posture upright in my free time. We could take a walk in the garden while you observe how I move.”

For a moment, Evelyn was speechless and only blinked. When she finally registered the suggestion, she reluctantly agreed. “Fine, We can do that if Lady Blanche wishes to.”

“Great. Then I will change my attire first.” Without waiting for a response, the concubine dashed out of the room and hurried to her chambers. When the door flew shut behind her, she plopped onto the bed and screamed into her pillow. As she looked up again, she met Stella's confused expression.

“Is the lesson finished already?”

Blanche narrowed her eyes and laid her head back onto the cushion. “No. I wish it was. We will walk through the garden now so that the esteemed Lady Lemares can complain about my posture even more.”

The maid was silent momentarily before she replied. “If this instructor is that bad, can't you simply stay here without seeing her again? His Majesty wouldn't be angry at you for that.”

For a second, the concubine considered listening to this piece of advice and staying in the soft bed. But Evelyn wouldn't accept that without causing problems, and Blanche didn't need another reason to fight with that unpleasant woman. She rose with a dejected sigh and shook her head. “I can't just miss my lessons. I'm taking them because I really want to learn about etiquette. Besides, Theo invested his time to find me a tutor, and I don't want to render his efforts useless. Can you give me a coat so that I can go outside?”

Stella accepted that with a dejected nod. She retrieved the demanded item from the wardrobe and helped her mistress with putting it on.

Blanche was about to say goodbye when a thought crossed her mind. “Would you mind coming with me? If you are there, that woman will have to hold back with her insults for once.”

Immediately, a frown appeared on Stella's face. “Lady Lemares insults you?”

“More often than not, actually. She wasn't very keen on disguising that she looks down on me from the beginning. But then I talked back to her and addressed her weak point. Since that moment, she has despised me wholeheartedly and makes it her task to let me know that every day.”

After hearing that explanation, the wrinkles between Stella's brows deepened even more. “How can she dare to do that? She is a guest here and is bold enough to treat you disrespectfully. She is obviously in the wrong. Why haven't you told His Majesty? He would send that wretched person away without a second thought.”

It was the first time that Blanche had witnessed her servant's anger. While she felt honored to know that Stella cared this much, becoming furious wouldn't change the circumstance one bit. She turned to the door and raised her hand to make a rejecting gesture. “He can't just throw out a member of an influential noble family, who also happens to be the empress' aunt and the most powerful duchess' sister. In the past, I forced him to get involved in so many insignificant conflicts. Neither do I want to revert to my old ways, nor do I wish to put him in a difficult position in which he has to decide between offending the Duremont household or refusing to believe me.”

Stella let her shoulders sink and took a few breaths in silence before she met her mistress' gaze. “You have become more mature, My Lady. But I am unsure whether this is good in this specific situation. However, I won't question your choice. Please wait a moment for me to get my coat, and then I'll accompany you.” After doing what she had announced, the servant returned, and the two women followed the corridors to reach the foyer.

From the top of the staircase, Blanche could see that Evelyn was already standing by the main entrance with a parasol.

As the concubine approached the other woman, Lady Lemares turned around. “By now, you should have understood that punctuality is a crucial part of-” Evelyn cut herself off. Then she put on her rehearsed smile and switched the tone of her voice from an aggravated one to a friendly one. “Oh, I wasn't aware that your attendant would join us. Hadn't we decided to have the lessons alone?”

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Stella narrowed her eyes at that but didn't speak up. Instead, she stayed close behind her mistress.

Blanche walked to the huge double door that led outside without stopping her movements. The two servants next to it pushed it open. She regretted not having used the less heavy side doors, but now it was too late. She gazed back over her shoulder to look at Evelyn, whose sour expression was quickly covered with a fake grin. “Stella is in the mood for a walk too, so I thought that it shouldn't be a problem if she came along. After all, her presence doesn't change much, correct? I assume that Lady Lemares doesn't mind that.”

Evelyn quickened her pace to catch up with the concubine and her maid before she replied with a voice that was layered with forced sweetness. “Naturally, I am fine with that.” It was calming to know that she wouldn't argue about this.

As they stepped outside, Blanche closed her eyes for a minute to enjoy the warm sun on her skin. Apparently, she had underestimated the temperature since she didn't freeze as she had expected. She took off her coat and saw Stella doing the same thing from the corner of her eye as she spoke up. “We should follow the main path around the palace. That is the longest one, and it gives you an opportunity to get an overview of the magnificent garden.”

To Blanche's surprise, Evelyn agreed and began to walk next to her student while the maid followed slightly behind the women. Until they rounded the first corner of the building, no one uttered a word.

Then Blanche's eyes fell onto the teacher, who seemed to be focused on positioning the parasol above her head so that not a single ray of sun could come close to her. She observed this for the next few minutes and then opened her mouth. “Say, Lady Lemares?”

Evelyn turned her head towards the mistress, still with the same dishonest smile on her lips. “Yes?”

The concubine pointed towards the parasol in the other's hands. “If I may ask, are you perhaps sensitive to the sunlight? The sun isn't especially strong today, so I was wondering why you are carrying a parasol with you.” She only realized that she had fallen into a trap when a complacent grin appeared on the other woman's face.

“I thought that Lady Blanche would be aware of the reason. Every young woman from a noble family should have been taught that in her childhood-” Evelyn cut herself off and covered her mouth with the hand that wasn't gripping the parasol before she began speaking again. “Oh, please do not hold this against me. I forgot about your questionable background.” Once more, the tutor stopped to observe the other party's reaction to her words.

But before she could continue, three servants stepped out from behind a hedge. They halted their lively conversation and froze upon noticing the women.

Blanche acknowledged them with a nod while Evelyn only stared at them.

At first, it seemed like Evelyn intended to wait until the servants passed, but then she decided against that. Instead, she raised her voice to make sure that the people around them would be able to understand her without problems. “Anyway, this is supposed to shield me from the sun. As every girl from an esteemed background knows, sunlight is very harmful to your skin. It will decrease its softness and incite the formation of wrinkles, which every woman naturally wishes to prevent. Lady Blanche should pay attention to that too. You might still be young and beautiful, but time will pass, and before you realize it, you will be older and not as attractive. Especially you should take care to protect your appearance as it's your most outstanding characteristic. Losing that would be a shame, don't you think? Mainly, because His Majesty might not be as eager to spend time with you then anymore.”

For a second, Blanche saw red. Enduring the insults in private to avoid troubling Theodore and protect her opportunity to learn about etiquette was one thing. However, this level of impudence was ridiculous. Evelyn had not only offended her in front of Stella but also in front of three other servants of the royal palace. To try to humiliate someone in the presence of others, especially ones that were supposed to serve that person, wasn't a triviality.

Blanche's mouth opened against her will. She only pressed it shut again with the use of all of her self-control at the very last moment. Lashing out at that arrogant mare wouldn't do anything but worsen their already terrible relationship and instigate more fights. No matter what she did, Evelyn would despise her and view her as inferior. Attempting to change that wasn't worth her time and most likely wouldn't have an effect either way.

Even more important than this, however, was that the servants were still watching. Their widened eyes were glued onto the scene in front of them in expectation of another one of Blanche's famous outbursts. She couldn't cause a scene now, even though it was justified. That would only set her progress with the palace's inhabitants back to zero. Her main priority was survival, so she had to keep an eye on her reputation.

Blanche reminded herself of that and balled her shaking fists tighter. Still, her temper threatened to win over her common sense. In an attempt to distract herself, the concubine looked to the side. Her gaze accidentally fell onto Stella and got stuck there.

The maid was grasping the fabric of her skirt, and her eyes carried an expression of pure wrath that was directed at Evelyn.

Before Blanche knew it, this calmed the raging waves of fury inside her. She had never seen such a look on her servant's face, and this expression hadn't even appeared because Stella was attacked herself. No, the maid was this enraged because her mistress had been insulted. The concubine couldn't help the small smile forming on her lips. Inwardly, she thanked her maid for her concern and made a mental note to inform her about this later. But Blanche was torn out of her thoughts when Stella opened her mouth

Stella couldn't intend to point out Evelyn's mistake, could she? A person with no aristocratic background and the low rank of a servant couldn't dream about criticizing the daughter of a marquess. That would be an even greater insolence than the insult itself and definitely wouldn't just be accepted if the teacher complained about that. An attendant of the royal palace offending a guest of the emperor himself would lead to punishment without exception.

Blanche's body reacted before her brain could, and she raised her voice to cut Stella off. “I really didn't know that, Lady Lemares. Your advice is always so helpful. Even though you aren't in a relationship yourself, you have so much experience about what lovers appreciate in their significant other.”

When she finished, Blanche wanted to hit herself. She had been forced to interrupt Stella quickly, but she still had said the most unfitting words she could have come up with in the most sarcastic tone. In just three sentences, she had poked at Evelyn's weak point and indirectly stated that she was Theodore's romantic partner in front of a small crowd.

Evelyn's face had become a mirror image of Stella's previous rage-filled expression, and one of the servants had let out a quiet gasp. In seconds, the atmosphere thickened until it was unbearable.

A nervous smile became visible on Blanche's face as she desperately tried to think of a way to deescalate the situation. But there was no way of taking her words back or weakening their meaning. So, she did the only thing that let her escape this scene. She spun on her heel and walked away from the fuming teacher without looking back.

It took less than five seconds until footsteps sounded directly behind her, and Stella caught up with her mistress. “My Lady, this was...” She whispered in awe, but Blanche cut her off.

“Absolutely the stupidest thing that I could have done?”

The maid shook her head rapidly. “No! You angered her without actually saying anything hurtful. No one is able to blame you for your words, and you still managed to get back at her. You did it in such a calm manner too!”

Blanche turned her head to confirm that Evelyn hadn't moved away from her spot. And sure enough, the teacher stood at the same place like she had grown roots and stared at the leaving women's backs with hatred. The concubine faced her maid again with a frown. “Well, calm is the last phrase I would use to describe my mental state. If she had added even one more sentence to her lecture, I would have exploded.” Her frown softened a bit when a memory came back to her. “You were about to speak up for me, weren't you? I can't express how grateful I am to see that you would go to such lengths to defend me, but you can't risk being punished for quarreling with that woman. Let me do that myself, I won't suffer from any consequences.” At least unless she became the villainess in everyone's minds.

Stella lowered her gaze to the floor. “Then why aren't you telling His Majesty about Lady Lemares' behavior? He wouldn't allow anyone to treat you like this. Even if you insist on not forcing him to work more, I'm convinced that he would rather have you let him help.”

Blanche checked the space behind them again and responded when she was sure that no one was close to them. “I need her lessons, or I will be unable to improve my reputation. You know that I have to work on that and giving up now would be fatal. Besides, Theodore is drowning in political duties already. During the last year, I made him mediate in too many unimportant conflicts, which I provoked, so I should leave him alone with my problems in this difficult time.”

“But what other people think isn't more important than protecting yourself from insulting behavior. You can't just ignore such actions against you!” Stella got a bit louder before she realized it. Then she lowered her voice and added the rest. “Of course, this is mainly about this tutor, but these servants disrespected you too.”

It was true that the servants had ignored Blanche, which wasn't how they were supposed to encounter her. Since she was a baroness, as well as an inhabitant of the palace and thus, a long-term guest of the emperor, the servants either needed to curtsy or bow down as a greeting. Those people just now had failed to show her the courtesy that she was entitled to, but she hadn't paid attention to that at all.

In fact, Blanche wouldn't have cared even if she had noticed it. “That doesn't bother me. Nearly none of the servants and knights follow the protocol, and they did that from the beginning. I'm used to it. And I'm actually happy that they don't bow to me. That would be way too stressful.” Much like Stella's bowing had been. “So, I'm content with this. You don't need to worry about Lady Lemares either. I speak up when she crosses a line. I just try to do that in a more civil way than yelling insults at her, even though that option is quite tempting.” Though she feared that her future lessons with Evelyn might be even more unpleasant now.

Stella remained silent after that for a long time. She only talked again when they arrived at one of the side entrances. “Do you want me to be with you during the next lessons? Today, my presence didn't seem to make much of a difference, but maybe she is still a little less direct when I'm there.” They went inside the building while the maid spoke.

Blanche's lips formed a small smile, but she shook her head. “Thank you. I appreciate your offer, but I doubt that Lady Lemares will. She would only use that as an excuse to stir up more conflicts.”

Stella affirmed her mistress' guess in a dejected tone. “That sounds like something she would do.” Her expression revealed that she was discontent with not being able to help. Nevertheless, they ended the conversation and changed the subject.

Due to her hurried escape, Blanche had some more time than during the previous two evenings. She enjoyed these two extra hours by sitting down with a relaxing cup of tea and chatting with her maid. When the sun set and she went to bed, she dreaded the next morning already. After this interaction, Evelyn would only feel the need to torment her even more, and she didn't look forward to that.

Unfortunately, her premonition quickly proved to be true.