Camille tried to hide her anger, but it was clear that she hadn't expected this. She had planned to make Theodore turn his back on his lover, and that he acted against her judgment ruined all of her plans. Now she was the center of attention, and thanks to the emperor's words, everyone had understood that her intentions were vile. This left her with no choice but to retreat, and it was obvious how much a woman like Camille hated bowing down to others. Still, she had no choice but to save the shards of her reputation that had remained.
The dowager empress forced herself to neutralize her expression before speaking up. “I understand. It does make sense how people could misjudge my intentions. But I am not to be blamed. I merely wished to warn His Majesty as soon as possible, so I decided not to waste any more time. That created an unfavorable situation. Hopefully, Lord Sefare will be able to testify in front of a proper trial so that we can clear all the suspicions about Lady Blanche. Then we will finally be enlightened about the truth of this whole incident.” Surely, those words didn't make up for the trouble she had caused, but they might help a lot when it came to keeping up appearances. After all, making it seem like she was merely worrying about her son could lead to others possibly forgiving her. She wasn't even done talking, which could only mean that she intended to spin her lies until everyone had calmed down. So, cutting her off might be better.
It was just a little idea at first, but quickly, Blanche found the resolve to sort her thoughts. Right now, their enemies had made a miscalculation. Due to Theodore supporting his lover, the dowager empress had cornered herself with a ridiculous idea. That meant that Camille needed to change the public's mind now. But the situation right now was favorable for the emperor and his lover. Blanche didn't need long to realize that intervening at this moment and convincing the others that she was the victim to point out that Camille and Cedar were the vile ones was much better. It felt odd to suddenly try to use this situation for her gain, but if it helped them even just a little bit, she would do it.
Blanche took a deep breath before she gave her best to speak up in a calm voice. “The way you talk makes it seem like you still believe me to be a criminal.”
In an instant, everyone looked at her, and she tensed. Now that she had the others' attention she needed to make sure that she managed to convince them of her innocence. This incident almost made it too easy to point out how hateful Camille was, so it shouldn't be too hard.
The concubine continued, trying her best to steady her voice. “Even though multiple people already affirmed that I never committed a crime that would attract your anger, you treat me like a criminal. That you chose to address this openly without consulting me proves that you do not trust me in the slightest. I cannot demand that you change your mind. After all, you have been opposed to me ever since we met, and due to our difference in status, it might have been understandable at first. But today, you wished to name me a traitor and accused me of not only betraying Theo but also of betraying Artias. It does seem like you do not think very highly of me. Thus, my heart can't help but ache at that thought. Could I perhaps hear the reason for your strong dislike for me?” That had sounded a bit more manipulative than she had intended to act, but it fulfilled its purpose. While speaking, she had only put her hand on her heart and given the other woman a serious look, and that appeared to have been enough.
The guests turned to the dowager empress and awaited a response that didn't come immediately.
Camille narrowed her eyes at the concubine and took a moment before replying. “Do not misunderstand me. This has nothing to do with personal feelings. I am merely worried about the fact that my son seems to have fallen for a commoner to the point of treating her better than his lawful wife. I know that he is not careless enough to act this selfishly on his own, so I had to assume that you were the one steering him in that direction. To influence the emperor of Artias for your own personal gain is more than just impudent and egoistic. It could cause serious issues for every citizen in this nation. Thus, I wished to ensure that your background was not affiliated with people who are planning on destroying our country with their vile plots. It is easy to imagine what I was thinking when I found out about your connection to Lord Sefare's scheme.” It seemed like she wouldn't give up this easily.
But that only meant that Blanche had to insist on getting what she wanted. Every single person that turned away from Camille because of this was a success, so the concubine had to resume. She looked into the dowager empress' eyes and spoke up as loudly as before. “But even then, should you not have investigated before coming to false conclusions? As you heard, I was taken in by Sefare after becoming an orphan. Then he brought me to the palace and said that I had three options. I could either give up and end up on the streets, be executed, or I could try to speak to the emperor and convince him that I wasn't a threat. I can understand why you would blame me for approaching Theo on purpose, but I did not see another way for me to survive. My choice was obvious.” She paused for a moment and scanned the other woman's expression.
Camille was fuming. Good. When the dowager empress was upset, she seemed to make a lot more mistakes. So, enraging her was the best way to win.
Blanche tried to pour all of her sincerity into her words while continuing. “But I also believed it to be obvious that I soon developed feelings for Theo. You may not have known me for long, but everyone that interacted with me during the past two years is aware of the fact that I show my emotions rather openly. It was the same with all of my affection for Theodore. My love could never be fake, and I can assure you that your son is very much capable of differentiating between people who lie and people who don't. During the two years I stayed here, I also never used Theo's power to my advantage. I only got involved in politics once when I proposed a law during a casual conversation as every citizen could. He believed that it might help him and implemented it. But it rather led to advantages for our nation and not to disadvantages. What made you believe that I was attempting to make him do something that would harm Artias? It does not make sense.”
As expected, Camille couldn't stay silent for long. The fact that a concubine talked back to her enraged her so much that she had to interrupt. “So, you claim that I should have believed in you after finding out that you were allied with a man that wanted to kill Theodore?” Technically, no decisive clue about Sefare's assassination attempt had been found yet since it hadn't happened at all, but that didn't matter.
Blanche clearly had the upper hand. Now she only had to add the final words that would hint at what she was really trying to say. “I understand your concern, but did you ever consider my possible goals? Even if I was only a stupid, selfish and materialistic person that uses Theo to enrich myself, then why would I attempt to destroy our nation? Theo is the emperor, and he would only lose power if Artias suffered, so I would never benefit from our country losing wealth. In short, you do not have any reason to believe that I would commit treason when I'm completely dependent on Theo. Why did you assume that I would wish for his death? Even if you say that I don't love him, it wouldn't gain me anything. So, why did you think that I would have the motivation to kill him and were confident enough to announce it in front of everyone here? Without any proof, nonetheless.” There was no way to explain that.
Camille could only have justified this by saying that people from her faction had promised the concubine more power and even the position of the empress. This claim would make it obvious that she was going against Theodore, and that was the one thing she didn't want to and couldn't admit. So, the dowager empress was speechless. But the fact that a mere commoner had dared to corner her filled her with so much rage that nothing but pure resentment was visible in her eyes. After a moment, she did reply, but her words weren't a response in any way. “You are a foolish woman.”
That argument wouldn't help her much.
Blanche barely had to think about coming up with a response. “Would you care to explain that accusation? What have I done to make you react like that? Do you perhaps not know how to reply to my questions? You must understand that your reasoning was lacking until now.”
Theodore rubbed his thumb over his lover's hand and gave her a little smile before returning to his serious expression and speaking up. “I agree with everything Blanche said. It seems like you are unable to refute this. Do you know why this looks so bad now? It almost seems like you wanted to bring me and Blanche apart for no specific reason. I hope that this isn't connected to you comparing her and Althea or you being upset because she refused to do anything that may hurt me. But no matter the reason, you attacked my lover publicly and tried to ruin her reputation. It should be obvious that this incident will not be forgotten any time soon.”
Camille gritted her teeth and glared at the couple on the thrones, seemingly holding back the vilest insults her mind could come up with. For a moment, she was silent before turning to her second son and saying something to him quietly.
Cedar finally tore his gaze from the door again before talking as his mother had instructed him to. “Naturally. We are fully aware of how awful this may seem. We will take full responsibility to clear Lady Blanche's name and ensure that everyone knows that she is innocent. This was a severe error on our part, and it will not ever happen again.” It was strange for him to take care of saying that when he had been the one wishing to postpone the conversation until they were alone while Camille had insisted on doing it in public.
This also once again proved that Cedar was the only one thinking clearly in his faction. It made it obvious why Theodore had told him to stay quiet. Though, he seemed to ignore that fully.
Blanche was enraged enough by the fact that they had wanted to ruin her relationship with Theodore, so this only served to worsen her mood. It might have been petty, but she wanted to upset the ones that wanted to hurt her too. So, she looked right into the prince's eyes. “It is reassuring to hear that you are aware of what your words could have done. But, Your Royal Highness, words are not enough to erase this event from everyone's minds. If we do not clear up this misunderstanding, my reputation will suffer. So, I would like a public statement correcting everything. I want an apology from the responsible person too, just to show that they are sincere.”
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Cedar was silent for a second and glanced at Theodore, seemingly being worried about being silenced again, before nodding when he realized that he could speak this time. “Naturally. This was our mistake, so we will have to compensate you for that.” He bowed to her and spoke in a calm voice. “We apologize from the bottom of our hearts. This incident should not have happened, and we will do our best to make sure that you will not suffer due to any consequences. Should any issues arise, we will resolve them quickly. We shall also remind the public that you never committed any crimes at any point.” It should have been humiliating for a prince to bow to a baroness, but it truly seemed like he didn't care. As always, Cedar got the short end of the stick to ensure that Camille could escape the consequences of her own actions. But he wasn't the person that the concubine wanted to provoke right now.
Blanche waited until he rose again before beginning. “I appreciate your honesty, but you were not the one that insisted on humiliating me in public. She cannot make you take responsibility this time.” She turned her gaze to Camille. “That is why I would like to hear an apology from Her Majesty, the dowager empress. She was the one that repeatedly slandered me and accused me of trying to hurt Theo. It should be understandable that I am upset about that.”
Camille's face scrunched up immediately. Her voice became even louder now. “Making the second prince of Artias bow to you doesn't seem to be enough to ease your ego. You truly are much more power-hungry than I could have believed you to be. Bringing shame to the royal family isn't a game, and it is time for someone to remind you of that. I am the dowager empress of Artias and the previous esteemed emperor's wife. Daring to treat me like that is unacceptable.” Her voice was dripping with bitterness now, so she seemed to have reached her breaking point. No matter how often Cedar tapped her arm, she ignored him. Her arrogance would not let her see that she was currently risking staining her reputation, but that was only good for her opponents.
Clearly, everyone here would remember it if someone refused to apologize after doing something wrong.
Theodore immediately used that chance for himself as he looked at Camille with an expression that made it seem like she was merely an insect. “So, you are claiming that your status protects you and justifies you committing crimes? I doubt that this is the way a member of the royal family should act. Speaking about shame after you attempted to frame an innocent young woman and tried to ruin her life is ridiculous too. It would be better for you to know when to give in and show some respect to the people you wished to slander. Don't you dare blame this on anyone else when this was clearly your idea.”
Seraphina, who had watched the whole conversation calmly, now chimed in as well and addressed the dowager empress. “Since you committed a grave mistake, your rank should not serve as a reason to abandon your responsibility. I do not see why your status as a member of the royal family should change anything about this. You caused a scene during an event that was held in the royal palace and was hosted by Lady Blanche and His Majesty. That alone is enough of a reason to justify you apologizing to them. In addition, the rest of your words not only insulted Lady Blanche but also accused her of crimes she did not commit. At the same time, you repeatedly ignored His Majesty's demands. There is nothing that would allow you to refute that you should apologize to both of them. The other option is to discuss this in front of a court. After all, the worst case could have ended in Lady Blanche being arrested or executed for treason due to your false accusations. Do you understand why it would be beneficial to deal with this now after I explained that?”
Hearing the possible consequences for her made Blanche shiver a bit as she tried to keep herself still. Luckily, she wouldn't be executed for treason. It would have been quite upsetting to be caught in such a horrible trap. But instead of being scared of a possible outcome she had avoided, she forced herself to focus on what was happening in front of her.
The dowager empress didn't take Seraphina's comments well. She clenched her jaw and almost looked like she was about to snap. This whole evening wasn't going like she had imagined it to, and she didn't hide that even when Cedar tried to whisper something to her. She opened her mouth, only to close it again. A moment later, her face neutralized, and she spoke up in a calm tone. “The issue is not that I am unwilling to voice my regrets about what happened today. I fear that the royal family bowing to anyone, especially a baroness of commoner origin, will make people believe that they can pressure us into obeying. That is why it is indeed rather inappropriate for me to-”
Theodore cut her off with a freezing expression on his face. “I can ease your worries about that. You will bow to someone that has a higher status than you. If that isn't enough to convince you, I do not mind finding another way to ensure that you finally do what you were asked to do. I, Theodore Estien, the emperor of Artias, am hereby ordering Camille Estien to apologize. You are guilty of slandering an innocent person and even risking them being viewed as a traitor. Your inappropriate behavior in general will also need to be explained.” After he said this in a booming voice, everyone was silent.
The dowager empress froze at her spot. It took her a moment to understand. Then she turned around to scan the faces of the people around her. No one could disobey the emperor's orders unless countless others deemed the demands he had made to be unreasonable. She probably hoped for someone to speak up for her so that she wouldn't have to listen.
But no one did her the favor.
Everyone here seemed to be convinced that she had to take responsibility for her actions now. There wasn't anyone here that wished to anger the emperor. Camille continuously became more upset at that until pure malice was visible in her eyes.
Cedar watched that for a moment before stepping closer to her. He grabbed her arm and brought his mouth to her ear to whisper something to her. The longer he spoke, the uglier his mother's expression got.
After a short while, the dowager empress stood still and glared into the nothingness in front of her.
Only then, Cedar let go of her and stepped aside. He bowed to the thrones again. “Please give Mother a moment. She is used to the royal family not ever showing something like submission. She is deeply sorry for this incident and will apologize though.”
Camille turned her gaze to him and narrowed her eyes at his back before slowly turning to the thrones. Her face was full of disgust and hatred as she slowly bowed her head and lifted the hem of her dress to hint a curtsy. It was barely anything, but she wouldn't do more than that. “I apologize for bringing forward accusations during a ball instead of a trial, Lady Blanche. It was not my intention to harm you or stain your reputation. I was merely worried.” Her wrathful voice made clear that she didn't mean a single of the things she had said.
Cedar hurried to take over before she could add anything. “We hope that you see it in your generous heart to forgive us just this once. There will not be any incidents like this ever again since we are fully convinced of your loyalty to Artias and the royal family now. We will make it up to you a dozen times. Please accept our heartfelt apology.”
Blanche was very much aware that she could drive Camille mad by just denying it outright. But that would also risk other people questioning whether her motives were peace-oriented. Still, she wouldn't ever forgive them for trying to make Theodore hate her. “I will accept your apology, but it does not erase the memories left by this day. I hope that you will remember that words have consequences too. If you did destroy my reputation with this, you are responsible and will need to put in an effort to restore it. But this is nothing that can be seen today. Only time will tell what this unthoughtful action may have caused.” She didn't say anything else.
The dowager empress was fuming while Cedar put on his fake smile as he spoke up. “Of course. I promised that we would deal with it personally if issues did arise. The Estien family values their promises. That is why you can calm down and rest assured that everything will be taken care of. Naturally, I also understand that you are quite displeased and do not wish to see us in the near future. That is why we will take your leave now as long as His Majesty gives us his permission.”
That was a clever move. Camille shouldn't stay here for much longer, or she would end up doing something that might trouble them even more.
Theodore didn't let his brother wait long. “You successfully ruined this event, so there is no need for you to stay. Please do leave as soon as possible. And since you managed to enrage me a lot, I would recommend not appearing in my field of view for the next few weeks.”
Cedar quickly nodded. “Of course. We apologize for this once again. We will compensate you for this.” He took a step back and bowed. “Goodbye, Your Majesty. Goodbye, Lady Blanche.” He straightened his posture again and linked his arm with his mother's.
Camille looked like she wanted to shake him off and protest, but one look at the people around them made her stop. Her face was nothing but a mask made out of wrath, but she didn't refuse anymore and let her son lead her away. “We will take our leave now.” Announcing that was completely unnecessary, but she seemed to have felt the need to maintain the image of a behaved woman even though she had already destroyed most of that.
Thus, the dowager empress and the prince left the ballroom through the opened doors that led to the balcony. The two men that had brought Sefare followed them without saying anything.
As soon as they were gone, Theodore's expression turned from wrathful to annoyed. He let his gaze roam across the guests before facing his lover. “I'm sorry that it ended up like this. I never believed that they would actually try something this grand. If I had, I would have prevented them from coming. I'm really sorry.”
Blanche gave him a weak smile. “It's fine. It's not like this was a pleasant event, but it helped us, didn't it? The dowager empress messed up, and this will haunt her forever. We can always use this event to remind the people of whom the vile one here is. Then we have an advantage.”
“Yes, but I would have favored it if this didn't happen during your birthday. This was supposed to be a joyful day. I wanted it to be perfect for you, and now they ruined it.” Her lover looked like he was truly dejected because of this.
The concubine leaned over to him and put her hand on his cheek. “There is nothing to be sad about. It will never be as bad as the birthday right after my family's death, so there is no need for you to feel guilty. This day was perfect. After all, I got to spend time with you, and if we end the ball early now, we can be together for even longer. So, don't hesitate to send everyone home.”
Theodore gave her a little smile, but his eyes were still full of sadness. “Alright. I will make it up to you later.” He turned to the guests again and spoke up at a louder volume. “It seems like this unexpected incident may have dampened everyone's spirits a little. That is why I would suggest ending this ball now, even if I would have liked to deal with it differently. Due to Lord Sefare collapsing, it would be strange to continue celebrating though. I will not send you home if it is unfitting for you. You may stay here and spend the time meeting relatives or friends. Though, we will need to take care of the investigation regarding the incident here, so we shall retreat now.” With that, he rose to his feet and offered Blanche his hand
The concubine stood up as well and accepted his offer. She accompanied him and walked down the stairs alongside him. They approached the door with the intention of leaving immediately, but they didn't have the chance to do that.
Sophia rushed toward them and stopped in front of them. She made a quick curtsy before looking at the other woman with round eyes.
Blanche could imagine what this was about. She felt her stomach churning and barely dared to speak up. “Lady Ravillot. Is there something you wished to talk about?” She didn't want to hear that the other woman didn't trust her anymore. That would probably upset her more than she wanted to admit. Though, in the end, she was quite sure that Sophia of all people would never treat her unwell even now.