During the next morning, Blanche repeated the same process as yesterday. It might have been the third day in succession, but she still couldn't endure the thought of being subjected to another tirade of insults while wasting her day with Evelyn. So, she would compromise and take her time in the morning before attending the useless lessons in the afternoon. Enjoying breakfast with Stella was a better way to spend the first hours of her day after all. Blanche and her maid talked like usual when a knock interrupted them.
The concubine opened her mouth to let the person in, but Stella raised a finger and whispered. “That might be Lady Lemares. She probably wants to check whether you are really sick and make you take a lesson today. It's been three days after all.”
“What?” Blanche could barely hold back from sighing loudly. “I just woke up. Isn't she at least going to leave me alone in the morning? I was going to come to her later.”
The servant shrugged and pointed to the bed. “You should lie down, just in case. Then you can say that you didn't wake up yet.”
Blanche complied and climbed into her bed before she covered herself with the blanket. Then she turned away from the door and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she heard how the door was opened.
Stella spoke up immediately. “Lady Lemares, I must inform you that My Lady is still in bed to make sure that she is fully recovered. I fear she won't be able to take part in your lessons in the morning. She will see you after lunch.”
A contemptuous snort was the response. The loud clicking of heels against the floor moved towards Blanche.
A moment later, Stella raised her voice. “Lady Lemares! You can't enter a room without the owner's permission!” She was ignored.
Evelyn's voice sounded from directly next to the bed just a second after that. “This is the childish demeanor I expected when I came here. I decided to live in the palace just to teach you the most simple manners, which you uncultured brat failed to learn before, and this is how I'm treated? You pretend to be sick and let me wait until the lady feels like putting even the slightest bit of effort into her duties? I'll tell you something. I won't allow you to make a fool out of me!” With every sentence, the tutor had become louder and was almost screaming now.
Blanche sat up and came face to face with the infuriated woman. Anger rose inside her as well, much like a bit of worry. The teacher had been the one to make her miserable for the last week, and now she was supposed to be the guilty one? And how come Evelyn was stupid enough to begin a fight like this? Blanche abruptly swung the blanket back and stomped her feet onto the ground before standing up. Two pairs of narrowed eyes with a glint of rage met. “You are quite brave, Lady Lemares. Intruding into my personal chambers when you have no legitimization of being here and then insulting me. Have you forgotten your position in this situation? Did staying in the royal palace get to your head that quickly?”
A second after these words had left Blanche's mouth, she regretted them already. Her plan was to stay quiet and not to start arguments, but she had been involved in multiple conflicts already. Though none of them had been her fault, she still hadn't been able to fulfill her resolution very well. That was dejecting.
Evelyn let out a shrill laugh before going back to an expression full of fury. “And you think that will have any consequences? No one here will believe that I would be the one doing anything wrong when the other party is the self-centered mistress of the emperor who is known to be awful by all nobles in the capital. I can tell my story, and they will be convinced that you forced me to take serious measures, which you did. Even His Majesty wouldn't believe you. What do you want to explain to him?” Evelyn used a high-pitched voice to speak the next part. “I feel overwhelmed by having to do something for once in my life. The mean tutor is making me learn, and my empty head can't take that.” She resumed in her normal voice again. “Oh, how angry he will be at me.”
Now Blanche was speechless by how outrageous Evelyn was acting. Had that woman lost her mind?
The novel had revealed that Evelyn was psychotic, but in reality, she seemed to be completely unable to control her emotions even in normal situations. Previously, she had just made fun of the concubine. This time, however, she had directly insulted the other woman. This had happened in front of Stella too, which meant that there was a witness. There was no way that Theodore wouldn't trust Blanche in this case. He always listened to his lover, even when she had often exaggerated. He would never dismiss this.
Blanche was boiling by now and could barely keep herself from yelling. “Are you really this reckless because you are convinced that Theo won't defend me? What makes you think that?” She glanced to the side while thinking about whether to ask the guards to remove this woman from her room, but she didn't dare to look away for too long out of fear that this insane person would try something.
“Well.” A complacent smirk formed on Evelyn's face. “Everyone knows that he cares about you, even if it's incomprehensible to all sane people. But that doesn't mean that he isn't embarrassed whenever you show your face in public.”
That remark stung more than Blanche wanted to admit. She had often feared that Theodore was uncomfortable when he witnessed her interactions with other aristocrats. He had never voiced similar thoughts, but she was sure that he hated her causing scenes and forcing him to solve them. So, this comment would have been enough to hurt her.
Still, Evelyn wasn't finished and added even more salt to the already aching wound. “His Majesty has seen you losing your temper enough to be sick of it. Do you think he will be joyful when you tell him that you want to get rid of your one chance to learn proper behavior and the teacher he painstakingly searched? How many people do you think wanted to educate you except for me? None. Because your abominable conduct has made you the person that everyone looks down on. After all, you're just a whore that managed to seduce an influential man despite having no good traits. I only agreed because I wanted to change you so that you wouldn't trouble our competent ruler. He has much more important things to do than keeping a sulking brat under control.”
Blanche gritted her teeth and tightened her fists until she was convinced that her fingernails would leave marks. She forced her voice to stay steady, but it still trembled slightly when she responded. “You say all of those things, but you are more than full of yourself too. My maid was listening the whole time, and even if Theo wouldn't believe me, which he always does, she will be a witness.” She turned around to meet Stella's gaze, only to find that the servant had disappeared. She let out a noise of confusion and spun around, but the maid wasn't in the room anymore.
This image made Evelyn burst into laughter. “Even that girl can't stand to listen to your complacent excuses anymore.”
Blanche raised her voice to refute that while she glanced to the royal guards that had entered the room by now. It would be fine. She only needed to endure this for a few more seconds, so she quickly turned to the person that could actually threaten her again. “That's not true. Didn't you notice-”
Evelyn interrupted her. “So, what will your ‘witness’ tell His Majesty now? You can delude yourself into believing that he listens to every one of your whims. But why would he trust you? On the one hand, there is my testimony. The one of a proficient teacher, who never caused any problems, has several years of practical knowledge and is part of the most influential duke's family. It's my word against the one of a little commoner. A narcissist with countless fits of rage, who hasn't reached anything in her life but making it harder for all those around her. Everyone in their right mind will side with me, and you will be all alone, like always. And don't complain to me about the things I say. Do you know how the nobles who are less lenient than me like to call you? The royal who-”
Someone that definitely wasn't Blanche interrupted Evelyn.
“If I were you, I would shut my mouth right there.” Theodore's voice cut through the air, and the concubine whipped her head around to see her lover standing in the doorway. He was upset, that much was painfully obvious. His expression almost matched the mask of fury that he had shown in the nightmare about her execution.
Blanche flinched against her will upon being reminded of that scene. Apparently, that had been more noticeable than she had hoped it to be.
Her lover was by her side with a few steps and pulled her into his arms. His intimating aura of rage was only supported by Owen, who stood right beside him with his hand beside the handle of his sword, and the two royal guards that had reached the intruder by now.
Evelyn's eyes widened in terror as she attempted to justify her words. “Your Majesty, you have misunderstood-”
The emperor didn't give her a chance to explain herself. “Get out.” He was almost growling while he said that. When Lady Lemares opened her mouth to refute, he cut her off again, in a much louder volume than previously. “Get out before I forget myself! Now.”
Instantly, Evelyn stormed out of the room. The concubine's gaze followed her as she left through the door and passed by another person.
Stella stood at the entrance and visibly relaxed upon seeing Evelyn disappear. It seemed like she had been the one to summon Theodore.
Blanche would need to thank her later. But right now she only thought about Theodore. She was pulled closer to her lover as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
“I'm so sorry. I should have noticed.” Theodore's soft whisper posed such a stark contrast to the raging tone that he had spoken in before.
“It's not-” Blanche tried to speak, and her voice cracked after the first words. She only noticed that she was much too emotional when Theodore's thumb gently stroked over her cheek. She hated to admit that the teacher's insults had hit their target flawlessly. She was lucky to have held herself back a bit. Getting emotional was not what she needed right now.
Thankfully, Theodore reassured her and held her in his arms, which made this a bit better. “Everything is fine now. You won't ever have to meet that woman again.”
The concubine pressed the side of her face against her lover to be able to take deep breaths while hugging him. Though it wasn't what she wanted to express, she uttered the thing that came into her mind first. “She won't be gone. She'll be at balls.”
“I won't send her any invitations if it isn't absolutely required. And the venue is big, so no matter what, I'll secure that you won't meet her more often than necessary.” Blanche looked up to see that Theodore had closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them and gazed down at her, his gaze was full of regret. “I should have noticed.”
The concubine shook her head as much as it was possible while she was squeezed against him. “It wasn't this bad before.”
The emperor's embrace got tighter again. “No, it was. You were already uncomfortable with her when you visited me two days ago. I took note of that but thought that you simply didn't like taking lessons. I should have trusted your instinct and sent her home on that same day.” While that might have helped her to avoid Evelyn's outbreak, he or any other person couldn't have predicted that it would happen.
Blanche snorted before she answered, “You couldn't have known. I didn't expect her to snap suddenly either.” How could she have? In the novel, it had taken much longer for Evelyn to drop her facade of fake kindness.
Theodore pressed his lips onto his lover's hair for a moment. “I'll make it up to you. That woman won't ever take a step in your direction again if I can prevent it.” He loosened his hold on her to make eye contact and added something. “I promise.”
The concubine met his gaze before whispering her response in a tone that she hoped would convey her gratitude. “Thank you.”
Theodore slowly led her to the table and made her sit down. “I will stay with you today. Please wait for a short moment.” He went to the entrance and spoke to Stella and Owen, who then both nodded and left. He closed the door and moved the chair next to his lover. After taking a seat, he grabbed both of her hands and rested them on her lap. Apparently, he didn't know what to say since he stayed quiet for a while.
Blanche was uncertain about what she should voice regarding this matter too. Should she explain that she had made Lady Lemares wait to allow her lover to understand what had happened? But was that important? Blanche felt like it wasn't, so she didn't say anything either.
A minute passed as they sat together in silence until Theodore ended it by speaking up again. “I will send her away later today. For now, I requested your maid to bring us breakfast. After we eat, I'll have to leave shortly, but I will return to have lunch with you. Is that alright?”
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Blanche nodded and squeezed his hand lightly, which he mirrored. After that, Theodore stayed right next to her while holding her hand. Blanche needed that right now, so she was relieved despite worrying about him missing his duties. As long as her lover was here, she couldn't think about what Evelyn had told her, and that was pretty convenient.
A little later, Stella came and brought breakfast as the emperor had said. She put it on the table and then left without making a single noise.
This gave the couple some privacy. They didn't waste any time before beginning to eat. During the meal, Blanche caught her lover staring into nothingness a few times. Theodore seemed to be lost in thoughts and swallowed his food absentmindedly, which made her a bit uneasy. When they finished their meal, he held her in his arms longer than before, gave her a kiss and left with a pained expression.
Blanche began to fear that she had done something that hurt him when she saw him exit the room. But she hadn't acted much on her own, had she? She hadn't had a chance to upset him at all.
As the emperor's silhouette disappeared at the end of the corridor, Stella moved into her mistress' field of view. “Are you alright, My Lady?”
The concubine nodded. “I'm fine. She only said mean things, but she didn't attack me physically.”
Stella's eyes narrowed as she put her hands on her hips. “She could have tried that too. That woman was so angry that I thought that she was really going to do something bad. This is why I went to His Majesty, and luckily, he came when he heard that it was about you.”
Blanche scanned the servant's expression before she responded. “Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if she had stayed here any longer. The guards might have needed to drag her out, and that wouldn't have been pleasant.”
The maid's expression darkened even more as she began ranting. “That terrible woman must really have lost her mind. To insult you, His Majesty's beloved, openly in your home, which on top of that is the royal palace. Is she insane or sick of life?”
For a moment, Blanche considered being completely honest about this. She was uncertain whether it was a good idea to announce that Evelyn was insane, but she felt like this incident just now supported her claim. So, she didn't hold back and warned her maid. “Lady Lemares is an unpredictable threat. She is mentally ill and won't accept that she is in the wrong. She might hate us now, which means that you have to be careful around her.”
Stella crossed her arms and looked to the side while she pondered about that. “I saw that she was insane. But she was the one that made the mistake. Will there be problems now? Because of her lacking sanity?”
Blanche sighed before she replied. “That too. Her state of mind is definitely concerning, but there might also be political problems. Lady Lemares is a marchioness. She is also the sister of the Duchess of Duremont and the empress' aunt. That woman is connected to very powerful people and has a high status in our society. If the conflict with her is revealed to the public, it could harm Theo's reputation.” Blanche damaging her own reputation wasn't troubling since she was already regarded as an arrogant brat by most nobles. But Theodore throwing Evelyn out of the palace might cast a bad light on him for ‘offending’ a member of such esteemed families. But in the end, it was too late. “Well. Stopping at this point won't change that either. Besides, I don't want to spend another night under the same roof as her.” It would be better to have Evelyn away as far as possible.
Stella nodded in firm approval before she pulled the brush out of the dresser. While continuing to complain about Evelyn, she did her mistress' hair and searched out a dress for her. After that, the woman chatted a bit while trying not to think of the unpleasant events of the morning.
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Noon soon arrived, and Theodore returned punctually at twelve o'clock. He announced the most important things as soon as he entered. “She is gone. I ordered the servants to pack her baggage and send her off in a carriage. I wouldn't have endured seeing her face for another second. And...” He met Blanche's gaze before continuing. “I informed the empress of her departure to prevent difficulties in the future, and she agreed without any complications. She didn't even question it when I described the general reason, which was surprising. It seems like the empress and Lady Lemares had a fight today too.”
Maybe Evelyn had been this irritated because of Seraphina. It was logical for her to despise her niece since the empress resembled Evelyn's resented sister so much. And that fury was definitely big enough to actually make her pick a fight with the other woman despite Seraphina's rank. How stupid Evelyn was. Seemingly, this stupidity had been beneficial today though. Evelyn's sudden outburst had shown Theodore how awful she really was.
Now Blanche could explain her worries regarding that woman more easily, which would ensure that saving Sophia's daughter from drowning would be simpler. But those were the long-term consequences.
For now, Blanche was just extremely relieved to hear that Evelyn wouldn't bother her anymore. “I'm glad that she is gone. And I'm happy that the empress isn't upset.”
Theodore sat down next to his lover on the bed and leaned against her. “Fortunately, it seems that the empress has gotten over her fuming. She also didn't complain because I left while we were in the middle of a conversation.”
Blanche tensed up as she heard this. She tried to ask in an indifferent tone, but she wasn't sure whether she had succeeded. “Did Stella knock while you talked? Was it something important?”
The emperor glanced over to her while he responded. “Your maid came to my office, and the guards didn't want to let her in at first. Then she said that you were in trouble, and they gave in. She was less polite in speech than usual, but that was because she was so agitated. At that point, I feared that you were hurt and rushed to you. Luckily. I came just in time.”
The concubine held her breath. There was still one more thing she needed to know.
Theodore paused and looked at his lover's inquiring expression. Only then he realized that he hadn't answered all of her questions. “Before your maid arrived, the empress and I were discussing the trading contract with Clatos. She is against it, and I believe it's necessary to become allies with that nation. We were about to negotiate a compromise to include terms which Clatos would have to abide by into the contract.”
A cold shudder ran through Blanche's body. What he described was the content of another scene of “To Be Empress”. She wasn't completely sure, but she felt like she remembered vaguely learning about such an occurrence. That scene had depicted that the spouses would make amends after the fight and were able to work together despite their contrasting views. So, it was probably a story event. The concubine struggled to voice her thoughts and pressed out another question. “Did you finish?”
“What?” Theodore gave her a confused look.
She moved closer to him and grabbed his hand. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she stared into his eyes. “Did you finish your discussion?”
The emperor shook his head. “No, we didn't. As I said, your maid came, and then I rushed out.”
It was like a weight was lifted off Blanche, and it felt like her energy had been restored. Before she could control herself, she threw herself at her lover and hugged him as tightly as she could.
Despite Theodore's surprise, he returned the embrace. Of course he couldn't have known why she was so ecstatic.
Blanche had prevented one of the novel's events. The main characters hadn't completed their dialogue because of her circumstances. This meant that she could change the story for sure. This time, it had stopped Theodore and Seraphina's relationship from progressing, even though that was a crucial part of the story. If she could prevent this, she would also be able to save her life, right?
Right?
A moment after Blanche's initial joy, doubt overcame her. Was it good to change the book's story this much? Couldn't that ruin Theodore's happy end? Destroying the novel's narrative completely could have unforeseeable consequences. Blanche wouldn't be able to rely on her knowledge of the future to protect herself while the characters behaved too differently. But then again, changing the novel crucially was what she wanted. So, this wouldn't stop her.
But in the end, all of this was just a possibility. That she had prevented a small scene of the book was true, but it didn't guarantee her that the ending would differ. She was trapped by the same uncertain circumstances as before.
Yet, a small spark of hope had appeared in her brain, and it wouldn't leave any time soon. She knew that she shouldn't allow that thought to blossom because risking everything for that little hope could lead her directly to her doom. And still, she couldn't bring herself to put out the spark that had begun to light up her dim future.
Maybe she did have a chance to survive. Maybe her actions did matter and not just the heroine's wishes. But Blanche didn't dare to hope yet.
In that very moment, Theodore's words pulled her back into the present. “I had a short talk with Leon too.” The emperor slowly moved away from her to look into his lover's face while keeping her hands in his. “If you still want to calm down after that unpleasant interaction, I will tell you later.”
The concubine swallowed while trying to keep herself from pondering about the whirl of thoughts in her brain. She shook her head before forcing herself to focus on Theodore. “I'm fine as long as I don't see that woman in the next weeks. You can explain it to me now.” She lay down on her back and rested her head on Theodore's lap. Then she tried to read his expression. It seemed like the topic wasn't something burdening as he didn't look unwell, so she didn't need to get tense.
Theodore began speaking, and just a moment later a knock from the door echoed through the room. He stopped and allowed the visitor to come in.
Stella, along with another servant, brought the dishes for lunch and set the table before leaving quietly.
Theodore watched that silently as ran his fingers through his lover's locks and untangled some of them. He continued again when the servants left and had closed the door. “Since we got rid of your teacher, you won't have a chance to attend etiquette lessons in the near future. Still, I would like to offer you lessons if you wish to have them. We could hire a new tutor if you want to, but that might be problematic at this point in time. It even could be unnecessary to search for one. When I told Leon that Lady Lemares was leaving, he offered to cover the basic topics with you. As he is my advisor, he won't always have the time to meet you regularly, but he is knowledgeable in all the fields that are of interest to you. Theoretically, his lessons should be sufficient, but if you desire it, we can hire another person later.” What was he talking about? Why should his lover refuse that offer?
Blanche's eyes lit up with a bright smile. “No! If it's him, that's perfect!” After Evelyn's first week in the palace, the concubine had already lost the motivation to visit the lessons despite being dependent on expanding her comprehension of manners and social norms. If Leon, who was a patient and respectful person, taught her, she would actually be able to improve and fulfill her goal. She wouldn't have to interact with a new and potentially hostile person this way either. “If he helps me, I don't need a different teacher. I would like to accept his offer if he doesn't mind it.” She slowly sat up while her lover responded.
“He was the one to propose it, so he is definitely fine with it. Still, I'll bring it up later again when I see him.” Theodore's gaze wandered to the table, and Blanche's eyes followed him. “Well. Then we took care of that. We should eat now, or the food will cool down too much.” Theodore stood up and extended a hand towards her and pulled his concubine to her feet as well.
They took a seat at the table. Now that Blanche was free from that witch tutor, she felt like she was eating more eagerly again. She began to devour the mushrooms she had found on her plate quickly without holding back.
Theodore didn't pick up his utensils at all. He was silent for a second while he just watched her before addressed a different topic. “I feel bad for not visiting you as often in the last week.”
Before he could add anything, Blanche swallowed her mushroom and cut him off. “You shouldn't feel bad. You had to concern yourself with more important matters. Of course I missed you, but I can wait while the problems with Ocrea can't.”
“Still. I don't want to be unable to see you for such a long period of time. This is why I thought about a way to avoid that.” Theodore paused and stared into his lover's eyes. “You were right about saying that I can't skip meals this often, so I need to take more time to eat. If we'd eat together, I wouldn't be tempted to ignore my resolution. That way, we would have at least a few minutes for ourselves every day.”
Blanche lowered her fork as she blinked at her lover.
Theodore had never considered setting up appointed meetings daily. The emperor had always claimed that this wasn't flexible enough for his schedule and the many sudden duties that he had to tend to. In reality, he probably hadn't eaten every meal in favor of working and didn't want his lover to worry, but the reason didn't matter. Either way, he had never made such plans. Was he really willing to change that now, despite being so busy?
If the concubine remembered correctly, this hadn't been an arrangement in the novel either. On the contrary, in the next months, Theodore should start to eat lunch with his wife after Seraphina had asked him to give them some time to get over their differences. Even then, Theodore had been very unwilling to change his schedule to implement daily meals with someone, which had caused a few discussions. So, how come he suddenly decided to join his concubine for every meal? Him changing his mind about something like this was unusual.
Nevertheless, Blanche felt joy bubbling in her stomach. She would gain so much time with her lover this way. Seeing him every day would be like a dream and ensure that he wasn't with the heroine during lunch at the same time. It was perfect. She quickly reassured herself of his promise. “Really?” His nod made a beam spread across her face.
That made Theodore smile as well. But his smile faded after a few seconds, and he looked serious again. He didn't say anything while just staring at her.
Blanche's grin disappeared too as worry rose inside her. Her lover was upset about something, and that usually didn't mean anything good. “Is everything alright?”
Theodore hesitated for just a second. Then he reached over the table and almost knocked over a cup as he grabbed his lover's hands. “What she said...” He began but struggled to voice his thoughts with the proper words. He stared at the table for a moment before meeting his lover's gaze. “None of the things that woman said are true. While I didn't hear everything, it was enough for me to understand that she sprouted nothing but lies. I am on your side and will always support you no matter what. I promise you that you will never be alone. Please, don't ever forget that. Even if people state the opposite, I have never for a single second regarded you as some sort of toy that is only here for my amusement. I love you more than anything else in this world.” His words took the air out of her lungs.
They were exactly what Blanche had longed to hear. From the moment that she had met Theodore, he had been the only person who cared for her. In return, she loved him more than she could ever have imagined herself to be capable of. Losing him had been a fear which had been buried deep inside her beneath a fragile wall of her fake confidence. Now that this wall was demolished by the novel's memories, she couldn't hold herself back.
The tears had already begun to flow as he had spoken, but now she couldn't hide it anymore. She felt touched by his speech, and still, her heart clenched painfully. Inside her, the bliss of him confessing his eternal love mixed with the ever-present fear of being abandoned by him to create a strange emotion. All she wanted to do is cry. Out of joy, out of grief and because of the dreaded book's ending. But she wanted to be in Theodore's embrace while she cried. Her feelings seeped out through her words, which she wouldn't be able to hold back even if she tried.
“I love you. I love you so much.” Blanche wept that between the quiet sobs that tore themselves from her throat. Due to her tears, she could barely make out her lover's silhouette and let go of his hand to wipe them away while she cursed herself. She was falling apart again, even though the villainess should have cried enough already, both here and in the novel.
A chair scratched across the ground, and a second later her lover was by her side. Theodore knelt before her and pulled her into a tight hug.
Blanche let herself fall into his direction and slid onto the floor. The concubine's fingers tightly grasped the fabric of his shirt as she pressed herself as close to him as possible. Her worst fear left her mouth before she could stop it. “Please, don't leave me.” Not for her. Not for that horrible woman who called herself the heroine.
Theodore responded with a tremble in his voice. “I won't. I will never do that. Don't even think about something horrible like that.” He seemed to fight against the tears that were forming in his eyes as well and needed to stay quiet to hold himself back.
For an eternity, they sat on the parquet while being curled up into one another. The silence was only broken by Blanche's sniffles and by Theodore making quiet noises to calm her. It took a while until they both managed to calm down a bit.
At that point, Theodore stood up and gently lifted his lover to set her down onto her bed. He lay down right beside her and wrapped the blanket around their bodies.
Now Blanche's head was resting on his chest, and she listened to the steady beating of his heart, which helped her to regain her composure. Still, she didn't let go of him and refused to budge the slightest bit. Her lover didn't loosen his hold on her either. They stayed in this position while whispering quiet proclamations of their love for one another.
Blanche couldn't discern how much time had passed when Theodore rose and took a plate from the table. He sat down next to her again, and they fed each other in silence. After they finished, the emperor showed no intention of leaving, and she was thankful for that. Right now she needed his presence even more than usual.
In the end, this day had only reminded her that she wasn't going to leave Theodore even if she was forced to witness the novel's development. Even though it was foolish. Even though it might cause her demise.
The villainess was truly a moron, wasn't she? Clinging to the hero like this while knowing very well that she wasn't his fated partner. Blanche didn't care though.