In the beginning, it had seemed like Camille might win by bringing up Blanche's past and using Marquess Sefare as a witness. Now the tide had turned though.
Theodore, who had restlessly defended his lover, turned to the marquess again and spoke up in an icy voice. “Continue with the important parts. Remember that your life is on the line. I want you to be aware of the fact that I am much more intimidating than whoever may threaten you. Speak up.”
Upon being asked for the truth by the emperor, there only was one way to respond.
Sefare swallowed before opening his mouth as he once again focused on the opportunity to possibly survive this. “I freed Lady Blanche from her cell by contacting the owner of that prison. Then I took her in for two years. She was supposed to gain your interest by suddenly appearing in the pavilion. If she cried, I thought that you would surely console her. After that, I intended to ensure that she met you more often so that you'd eventually like her enough to keep her closer to you. The goal was for her to destroy the relationship between you and Her Majesty so that you'd divorce and break off contact with the Duremonts. Then, at some point, I was going to give her a vial with poison, which she would put in your food. If you trusted her enough, you would take what she offers without hesitation. This would mean that we could kill you without getting involved directly. The obvious person who benefits from that is standing right here, and I wanted to gain money and power by supporting him as the new emperor.”
Cedar was good at putting on a shocked expression at that. He genuinely looked like he had no idea what the other man was talking about and even acted like he was petrified. “What? How could you...”
Camille, on the other hand, was fuming and not even trying to act like she wasn't upset. “How can you dare to utter such ridiculous statements? Neither I nor Cedar would ever scheme against His Majesty.”
Theodore gazed at her with no sympathy in his eyes. “He didn't say that you instructed him. He merely said that you would benefit from it. If you are going to complain, listen properly.”
The dowager empress didn't do that though. She chose to continue arguing. “We never committed such horrible deeds, so I refuse to let him slander me and my son! The truly vile one is Lady Blanche. Haven't you heard about her coming here with the very intention of letting you take her to bed, just so that you would owe her? She is an amazing actress for having been able to blind you for so long. She actually made you believe that she cares when none of that was ever true. That woman does not love you as you may think. She only wishes to gain power through you and even planned on treacherously killing you!”
Blanche tightened her hold on the armrests of the throne. She hadn't wanted to speak up in the middle of Sefare's confession, but this brought her to the end of her patience. Hearing how someone told her lover that she didn't care about him being hurt. It hurt so much that she couldn't stay quiet. “That's not true.” Her voice was barely working and trembled when she attempted to speak first. But when everyone's eyes landed on her, she somehow found the strength to raise her voice. “That's not true at all. I already told you that I never knew about that disgusting plan. Sefare never told me that he wanted to commit treason. He brought me here, and that is all that connected us. I love Theo, and I never wanted to hurt him. I love him with all of my heart, and that has been the case ever since we met. There is no way that I'd ever harm him in any way.” She might have said much more if Theodore hadn't leaned over to her.
Her lover pressed a kiss onto her cheek and patted her hand. “I love you too, my angel. Don't worry about those people spreading lies about you. I will take care of it.” He completely ignored his mother's attempt to speak up and focused his attention on the marquess again. “Let me ask an important question. Did Blanche know about you trying to kill me?”
The concubine held her breath at that. This answer could be her doom or her lifeline. But would Sefare tell the truth when it benefited her, or would he try to bring her down with him?
The marquess was quiet for a moment. He looked at Blanche, and she was almost sure that he would lie to harm her. He took another few seconds and cleared his throat before replying. “No. It was hard enough to make her go into the palace while saying that she was supposed to win someone's favor. She had no idea. When she found out, she got really upset and refused to contact me.”
Blanche slouched her shoulders and could barely believe that Sefare had told the truth. He certainly hadn't done it to protect her but because Theodore was still taking his soul apart with his wrathful gaze, but she didn't care for the reason. She wouldn't need to deal with being accused of treason now. She couldn't keep herself from replying, even when she still didn't like speaking in front of so many people. “He is telling the truth here too. Originally, I was born and raised as a commoner in a merchant family. I knew little about noble society, so I trusted the man that had taken me in. When I learned about his opposition against Theodore, I broke off all contact with him though.” She was glad that she had been able to share her view now.
But it should have been obvious that it wouldn't be this easy.
Camille narrowed her eyes at the emperor and spoke up. “Of course, she would lie. Lord Sefare just supports her now because you cornered him. Do you believe that threatening people to say what you want to hear is going to help you? This will only-”
The emperor interrupted her once again. “I thought that I was the judge here. That means that I will ask the questions. I would like to know one thing now. Keep in mind what Lord Sefare told us. If you knew that he was involved in an assassination plot, why didn't you put him in front of a trial immediately? He could have said the same things there. But you just had to ruin this ball for nothing.”
The dowager empress clenched her jaw for a moment before replying. “We thought that revealing it in public would ensure that you could not simply use your influence to possibly free Lady Blanche from being met with an appropriate punishment.”
Theodore let out an exaggerated sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead. “Why exactly would she be put on trial? If I remember correctly, she never did anything wrong. She went along with what the man that saved her life told her, and back then, she had barely become an adult. I don't see how that is supposed to incriminate her in any way. The worst thing she did was come into the palace without permission. But as I said, she was quite young, and someone else brought her inside. I, as the owner of this estate, do not hold it against her, so there is no need to bother with this topic.”
Cedar hurried to nod. “Of course. Now that we-”
“Be quiet.” Camille cut him off with a rather sharp slap with the back of her hand against his shoulder and glared at him before turning to the emperor. “Are you really going to ignore that she came here to seduce and poison you?”
Theodore rested his head on his palm and showed her an expression that might have looked indifferent if his eyes weren't full of resentment. “She didn't poison me though. She never intended to do it either despite having more than enough chances. Surely, Lord Sefare mentioned planning my death, but she never agreed to that, and he even testified about that. Everything else about the circumstances of her arrival here is just related to our personal relationship. I love her, and she loves me, so everything between us is fine. There is no need for anyone to get involved here, right?”
Camille opened her mouth with fury on her face before she froze. Cedar put his arm on her shoulder and whispered to her, but she wiped off his hand without hesitation and spoke up despite his attempts to stop her. “I forgot that you don't know which family she is from. They committed treason and betrayed Artias. I can ask someone to bring you the file of their trial if you wish to read it.”
The emperor shook his head. “There is no need to do that. I am aware of where she comes from. Her full name is Blanche Laister, and she was born as the daughter of a merchant. Her father committed a crime by trading goods, including weapons, with Northern Ocrea, but the rest of the family is innocent. Besides, I would like to point out that Blanche was eighteen back then. You should know that Artias only recognizes you as an adult at the age of twenty. That means that she should never have been convicted for a crime back then, especially not for one she didn't even commit, even when the laws might have allowed it. If you don't believe us, then maybe we should prove that we are right.” Theodore turned to his lover but resumed in the same volume as before. “Should we get the birth certificate to show that you are, in fact, twenty-three years old now? Anyone capable of counting should be able to calculate that you were eighteen four years and two months ago. This would erase any doubt about your identity and the circumstances of your family.”
Blanche felt too overwhelmed to respond. She only stared at her lover and opened her mouth without saying anything. He had said her real name, and he still didn't feel the slightest bit of shame while admitting that she was a commoner. Even if the rest of the nobles would look down on her, he was on her side. That was so wonderful that she couldn't put it into words.
Blanche took a moment to gather her thoughts while she met Theodore's gaze before forcing herself to affirm this out loud as she turned to the crowd. “Yes, that is true. My full name is Blanche Laister, and there are documents that prove this. My father's crimes led to me being put into prison. Sefare then bribed a guard and helped me flee before immediately taking me with him. We can only assume he wanted to use me as a puppet from the very beginning.” Even though the topic still pained her, she tried to focus on the fact that Theodore defended her like this first. That made a part of her glad despite her lasting grief.
Others were less happy to hear the emperor's words though. The concubine could swear that some blood drained from Sefare's face when he heard this. He didn't even react to her words and just kept staring at Theodore. He opened his mouth a few times before speaking up. “How much do you know...about her past?” He only received a cold glare in return.
Theodore turned to the guests again and resumed speaking. “As you heard, both sides confirmed that story. Then we should determine that there are reasons why Blanche cannot be punished for her father's crimes. We aren't on the verge of war with Northern Ocrea anymore, so trading with them is allowed and not considered treason. Even weapons should be fine. In addition, the ministers and I were just discussing the law regarding group punishment and decided that it needs to be abolished. That means that you won't be able to put someone on trial for a crime their family member committed soon. Even four years ago, those laws weren't logical at all, so treating them like they are reasonable doesn't make any sense. Are those enough reasons for you?” The emperor paused to let the realization sink in before adding the rest. “Blanche didn't do anything wrong. The few letters she sent to Lord Sefare, and her being brought into the palace in a small box won't change anything about that either. Believe me. I know everything about her, and that won't change my mind. I love and trust her. She didn't commit a crime, nor did she attempt to do that or use me. You can give up on trying to ruin our relationship. You only want that because you compare her to my mother, who you always felt inferior to.”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Camille was rendered speechless at that and fumed quietly while Cedar gave his best to calm her. Though, that was hard when the mention of Althea seemed to make her so angry that she wanted to twist someone's neck.
But for some reason, Sefare was shocked as well. He was as pale as a bedsheet by now. When he spoke up, his voice was barely audible. “You knew? Since when were you aware of...all of this? When did she tell you?”
Theodore showed him a little smile, but the hatred in his eyes hadn't disappeared. “She told me everything about a week after she came into the palace.” That was a lie, but no one would ever question it due to the conviction in his voice.
Sefare stared at the floor in front of him as he swayed slightly. “Ever since then?” He slowly lifted his head and looked at Blanche in confusion. “Why did you... Why were you...” He didn't finish any of his sentences and just lowered his gaze while pressing a hand to his head.
Blanche just stared back coldly. Maybe she should be quiet to hide the lie, but she just wanted to reaffirm her lover's words. So, she stuck to this false story. “Of course, I told him. What did you think?” Her previous fear regarding this topic whenever Sefare or Cedar had threatened her should prove that she was lying, but no one thought about that now.
Theodore demonstratively lifted his lover's arm to show everyone how he kissed the back of her hand. Then he replied to Sefare in a mocking tone. “Did you really believe that she would trust a random man that threatened to throw her onto the streets if she didn't win someone's favor? You also told her that she would get executed if she didn't make me like her and left her alone in the middle of the night at an unknown place while she was crying. Then I came and took care of her with all of my affection. Whom do you think did she trust more?”
Sefare blinked a few times. “Then all this time... Everything was...” He didn't come to an end and coughed instead.
Theodore ignored that and just replied. “That's right. I knew from the very beginning. I read through every letter you got, and I got upset every time you dared to threaten Blanche after she told you that she wouldn't hurt me. That is why I can tell you that I would have been aware of every single lie you could have told with conviction. It was a good decision not to try to fool me. I will keep my eyes on the trial when it begins. But you still won't be able to avoid your punishment. You admitted to planning to commit treason after all.” Theodore finished lying without batting an eye. Then he gestured to the guards, and in an instant, they circled the marquess.
The concubine expected Sefare to struggle or to cry out for help, but he didn't do that.
Sefare almost seemed like he was drowsy. He looked around in confusion and talked in a weird manner again. “That is...what I...get for helping...you...” He turned his head to the dowager empress and coughed again before continuing. “Then...at least...” He slowly raised his arm and pointed in a direction that was impossible to discern since he wasn't able to keep his hand steady, but he didn't quite manage to aim at Cedar or the dowager empress and just pointed at the crowd behind them, where Luciano along with some other nobles had gathered. “The one...that planned this for me is...his-”
All of a sudden, he stopped.
For a moment, Sefare remained motionless, then he began coughing again. This time, he didn't manage to soothe his throat though. His eyes went wide, and he jolted as if he had just been scared. But it didn't just happen once but multiple times in quick succession.
The guest backed away in fear of getting hurt while watching the scene with worry. By now, the royal guards were already approaching the marquess to keep him still and asked whether he was in pain, but it was a bit too late for that.
Theodore furrowed his brows and whipped his head to the side. “Get a doctor this instant.” A servant ran away to fulfill that order, and the emperor focused on the marquess again. “Lord Sefare, can you hear us?”
No response came.
One of the guards attempted to shake Sefare's shoulders and yelled at him to no avail. He convulsed without reacting to anyone. Slowly, foam formed in front of his mouth, and then everything was over within a second. He stopped moving completely and fell to the floor.
It took a moment for everyone to react. At first, the guests were silent and stared at the motionless man. Then, from one second to the other, screams got loud. Most people hurried to distance themselves from the unconscious person while very few ran toward him in an attempt to help.
Blanche could only watch all of this with wide eyes as a loud murmur went through the room. What had happened to Sefare? There was no way that this could have been an accident. No one would coincidentally collapse when they were about to reveal who was the one instructing them. Only now, the concubine noticed that she was squeezing her lover's hand so tightly that she was probably hurting him, and her grip had only tightened when Sefare had fallen down.
But Theodore didn't complain about that and held her in a just as strong grasp. He gritted his teeth at the scene in front of them before raising his voice. “Everyone except for people with medical knowledge will stay back. Do not touch him unnecessarily. You.” He pointed at one of the guards. “Check his pulse and his breathing.”
The man almost tripped over his feet as he rushed to the marquess and knelt down. He put his fingers on Sefare's neck and then on his wrist before holding his hand above the mouth and nose. He lifted his head and nodded vigorously. “He is still alive!”
The emperor didn't seem too surprised at that and just gave further instructions. “The two of you will lift him up and bring him to the doctor without any detours.” He turned to one of the servants. “Come here.” The man rushed over to him, and Theodore didn't waste any time before he whispered. “Tell the doctor that it's the poison I mentioned. He has to give this man the antidote as soon as possible. He will know what to do. Go.”
The servant ran off, and the two guards, who had carefully lifted Sefare by his shoulders, hurried to follow him.
Blanche turned to her lover in utter disarray. How did he know what kind of poison would be used? Had he already suspected that Sefare would appear today and be harmed before he could say the name of the people supporting him? If so, it would explain why he had been so sure that something would happen today. Still, it didn't explain why he was so calm.
Theodore looked more annoyed than genuinely upset or worried. He just glared at the marquess, who was being carried outside, without making any attempts to calm down the guests. When he noticed her gaze, he turned to her, and his expression softened. He put his hand on the side of her face and spoke in a gentle voice. “I know that poison. I saw it being used on a person once, so I suspected that it may be used again. That is why I specifically gave the doctor a list of antidotes he needs to have prepared at all times. As long as this is given to Sefare within the next few hours, he will survive. We'll find out what he knows, don't worry.” So, he was certain that the other man wouldn't die. Then it made sense for him not to panic.
Blanche nodded at him. “I see.” She was a bit relieved, even if she was annoyed with herself for that. After all, Sefare had used and threatened her after abandoning her family. She didn't have any sympathy for him, and maybe that was why she felt a little bad about her lacking morals. When she had thought that Sefare might die, her only concern had been that they couldn't convict him for his deeds and get his testimony anymore.
Her lover almost seemed to read her thoughts and patted her head. “It's fine. He will get his punishment after he gives us all the information we need. For now, we'll calm everyone down and end the ball.” He waited for her to nod before he kissed the backside of her hand and faced the guests again.
Some were speechless, and others whispered to each other, but all immediately turned to the emperor when he started speaking.
“There is no need for any of you to panic. We will make sure to treat him to the best of our abilities, so the odds of him surviving are rather high. You don't have to fear being affected by this incident since it wasn't a sickness but the result of external influences. This had to have happened before he arrived at the royal estate. Of course, I will personally deal with the investigation to find out who may be responsible. Even if the people benefiting from his silence are rather obvious.” He glanced at his mother and brother.
For once, Cedar had a blank expression and stared at the door through which Sefare had just been brought out.
Camille, on the other hand, was filled with rage even now. Her voice was shaking as she spoke up. “What are you saying? We are doing our best to reveal the truth for your sake, and you accuse us of killing someone? There is a limit to your insolence even if you are the emperor!”
Theodore's expression darkened as he turned his gaze toward Camille. “Do you want me to be truly insolent? I will gladly do that for you. Your stupidity baffles me. It should have been obvious that you never attempted to do any of this to protect me. You also didn't do this to point out the crimes Blanche allegedly committed. If that had been the plan, you would have gathered evidence and brought it in front of a court. In the end, you only harmed yourself though. Let me be completely honest about how awful this looks now. It almost seems like you wanted to spread lies about Blanche and ruin her reputation because you hate the fact that she and I are happy together.”
Camille opened her mouth, but the emperor didn't grant her a chance to speak and resumed in an icy tone.
“You may also fear that she is currently in a much more powerful position than you. Thus, you wanted to make me lose my trust in her so that she would fall from grace and that I would break down in despair. Maybe you were also scared of the power she will gain in the near future and wanted to get rid of an influential opponent before that time arrives. That sounds like you might have imagined something similar. But you were too confident. Now it seems like everyone here saw what kind of personality you truly have. You did nothing but humiliate yourself in front of every noble in the capital. That is what you deserve for trying to spread lies about an innocent person.”
Camille lost her composure at that and raised her voice. “You dare to say things like that to me, your own mother? Your impudence has reached dangerous levels! Don't you think that I am able to hold you responsible?”
The emperor gave her a cold look before replying in a just as hostile tone. “You think that you have a right to decide what I say or don't say? You shouldn't forget that I am the most powerful person in this room. But I will gladly give others a chance to speak up. Does the empress have anything to add to this?” His glance at Seraphina revealed that he didn't actually expect complaints, and he was right.
Seraphina, who had already collected herself again, stepped forward and immediately replied. “I do, Your Majesty. There was nothing wrong with your words considering that Her Majesty, the dowager empress and His Royal Highness confused a ball with a courtroom. There was no need to bring Lord Sefare here to point out that he is a criminal, and no one would benefit from this, which creates questions. At the same time, they revealed personal information about Lady Blanche's origins against her will and despite her obvious discomfort. Such prying behavior may be justified during a trial when the suspect is connected to serious crimes, but none of these things applied here. Accusing Lady Blanche of treason has the capacity of ruining both her reputation and all of her chances of living a calm life in the future. Thus, everyone's dismay regarding the decision to attempt to condemn her here is reasonable.”
Blanche could barely believe that the empress was backing her like this. She had almost been sure that Seraphina would react more sensitively to finding out about her past. After all, the heroine was always alert when it came to traitors and would do everything to protect the nation. It would have been logical for the empress to see the concubine as a huge threat now. It would even have made sense for Seraphina to take matters into her own hands to get rid of that threat as she had done it in the original storyline.
Had Theodore really been able to make everything sound so harmless that no one here blamed Blanche?
The emperor didn't wait for his mother's response and quickly spoke up. “I am already convinced that you will not be content with one person alone sharing their opinion, so we will hear another one. His Grace, the Duke of Duremont has a rather interesting relationship with Blanche, so he should be able to view it from another viewpoint. Your Grace, was bringing up these accusations now justified in any way?”
Henry replied in a freezing tone that rivaled the emperor's one, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Camille with disdain. “No, it was not, Your Majesty. Even if Lady Blanche did commit crimes, there was no reason to address it during a party instead of during a private meeting or in front of a court. Aside from that, the fact that she seems to be innocent makes this a case of slander. From what I have gathered, her only crime was being born as the daughter of a man who was deemed a traitor, and due to old and unfitting laws, she would have been punished for his actions. Lord Sefare was the one responsible for freeing her from prison, and she merely did her best to ensure that she would be able to continue living, which is hardly worth a punishment. That she informed you of everything alone should prove that she never had vile intentions. Everything else is a personal matter between her and Your Majesty, so we do not have the right to judge. If she truly was not aware of the planned assassination, which we can expect due to numerous circumstances, she has not committed a single crime. Thus, the actions of Her Majesty, the dowager empress and His Royal Highness have been horrific today, and it is only natural that we will criticize them.”
Blanche actually felt like she had to have misheard something. Why was everyone taking her side? The emperor's words had to have been intimidating enough so that no one would dare to question his decision. But normally, there still should be whispering about how Theodore was just being fooled by a manipulative vixen that was using him to gain influence.
However, it almost seemed like most of the guests were just staring at the dowager empress, who was making a rather ugly expression. It felt like the atmosphere had gotten hostile but not toward the concubine. Instead, the one in trouble was the very person that had been insistent on condemning Blanche.